I NEED A NEW LAPTOP!

[blueknight]

what kind do you du'ers have? and are you happy with it?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

1. Dude, I got a Dell!

:rofl:

Dell Inspiron.

It had a problem with the motherboard. Dell fixed it quick (and free). I like it fine. It's a couple of years old.

Running Windows XP, with OpenOffice word processor, spreadsheet, etc.

[SacredCow]

2. I bought an Acer a couple of years ago...

I needed an inexpensive laptop, and bought it thinking it would be toast within a year and I'd replace it then. The case is now scuffed to hell (cracked in some places) but it still works quite well.

All I've really done to it is add memory up to the maximum and run CCleaner every so often to clear out old registry entries. I've kept up with all of the XP updates, as well.

I'm planning on retiring it in the next several months, but for a low-end laptop it has really been very reliable. I dread the change to Vista, as my roomie has a nice, brand-new Toshiba with it and his crashes and generally acts stupid far more than mine....

[Chan790]

5. Acer here too...

got it in November from Staples during clearance (Originally $1100, paid just under $700 with tax) to make room for new models and their roll-out of in-store Dell sales, in advance of the holidays.

It's a beaut...The only thing it has needed was more RAM. Acer seems to be skimpy on the RAM, other than that a great laptop.

[SacredCow]

7. Agreed on the RAM

Mine came with 512MB... I remember being astounded at that. But one trip to crucial.com fixed that little problem.

And the slot-loading DVD drive is WAY cool!

[regnaD kciN]

25. I just got an Acer 6920G...

...after my six-year-old Sony's case lid/video screen broke off.

It looks good so far, but I haven't really had the chance to put it through its paces. Since I bought it from Costco, if I don't find it measures up, I'll return it and buy elsewhere.

Unfortunately, it does come with Vista...

[Heidi]

26. I love my Acer Aspire 1640. It wasn't inexpensive, but I've had it for almost three years

with no problems whatsoever. :thumbsup:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. I have a MacBook

Very happy with it, especially the new OS.

[NJmaverick]

4. As an IT professional, I say get what you like

I used to be a big Dell fan, but their quality has dropped off considerably. I few points though.

I you want good peformance, get one with it's own video card (instead of shared memory).

If you get Vista be sure you got at least 2 Gigs of RAM


If you want to save some serious $$$ don't get the fastest processor, go one or two steps down.


Get one with built in blue tooth, so many things can use it.

[PeaceNikki]

15. I thought you were an EMT?

Aren't you the same guy from the epic "paramedic" thread?

:shrug:

[NJmaverick]

18. Oh I hold multiple IT certifications and that's my current job

along with also being part time public health emergency notification cooridinator. I am a volunteer EMT for 22+ years. I also worked as a hospital facilities manager for 15 years. Which is what I took up after getting a degree in mechanical engineering. At the squad I am also certified and do heavy rescue work. I was the squad's their recruiting officer for many years. I also created and run a Giants website and message board. I guess I am one of the last of the jack of all trades. Either that, or I just get bored with things and I am always looking for new challenges

Here was my latest project, a promotional video for my website

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvpTF61-k_U

[Maddy McCall]

16. An IT professional? How do you have time, when you're making all those EMT runs?

[NJmaverick]

19. You find the time, some how.

Oh I hold multiple IT certifications and that's my current job IT coordinator, along with also being part time public health emergency notification cooridinator. I am a volunteer EMT for 22+ years. I also worked as a hospital facilities manager for 15 years. Which is what I took up after getting a degree in mechanical engineering. At the squad I am also certified and do heavy rescue work. I was the squad's their recruiting officer for many years. I also created and run a Giants website and message board.

[Deja Q]

6. Gateway MX8739

I wish it had the Centrino dual processor, but it works for what I need it for.

Higher end laptops are similarly powerful CPU-wise but have better video subsystems. (So my desktop need never go away any time soon...)

[Brigid]

8. I love my Dell Inspiron 1525.

I works just fine -- unless my cat steps across the keyboard. :)

[Crazy Dave]

9. I paid $2000 for a new Dell laptop and it broke within 3 months

It was defective right from the factory with numerous problems. Needless to say they fixed everything but that was after spending four hours on the phone and a half dozen emails. In my opinion you're supposed to repair older computers, not ones that are three months old.
The ones I've had and still do that never broke down were my HP laptops. If they weren't so slow due to their age I'd offer to sell you one. Nothing wrong with the hardware, just a processor to slow for today's applications and the graphics card is outdated too.

[Coyote_Bandit]

10. Sony Vaio

I've had it since last September. Been used a lot. Still performing well.

Unfortunately it has Vista which I despise. However, I must say that I despise Office 2007 even more than Vista. Really, I didn't think that was possible.

I need to new backup computer since I am dependent on the computer for what livlihood I have writing and doing consulting work.

[CatholicEdHead]

11. Macbook or Lenovo Thinkpad

Macbooks/Pros are the best out there overall. If it has to run some version of Windows (Bootcamp is close for Macs), go for a Lenovo Thinkpad, R- or T- series.

[Pavulon]

21. IT guys at work use communovo or mac running vmware fusion

both are relatively expensive.

[BlueJazz]

12. Get the extended Warranty.

Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty
Get the extended Warranty

[Deja Q]

17. not from circuit city

:puke:

best buy is usually good...

[BlueJazz]

20. I'll go along with that.

:)

[DarkTirade]

13. I'm starting to look for one too.

I'm thinking I'd be willing to sacrifice performance for portability and skip over laptop and go to tablet though. :P

[briv1016]

14. I like HP

but the model you want/need is dependent on what you're going to use it for.

[Awsi Dooger]

22. I've got an iBook

3 years old. Runs Leopard extremely well.

Only problem has been an incredibly cheap keyboard with the letters wearing off. I'm on my 4th keyboard, believe it or not. Apple replaced the first 2 under warranty. They faded within months. A third time I took it to the Apple Store and they replaced only the most faded keys, about a dozen. Finally my warranty was gone and I lucked out with a $2 keyboard replacement off eBay, when the seller didn't describe it fully and I don't think anyone realized exactly what it was. I got the info via a question to the seller. The going rate was normally much higher on eBay, above 20 bucks.

Now I put clear stickers on the keys, at least the most commonly used ones. But no denial this is a hassle. My previous laptop was a Powerbook 1400, with zero problems with the keyboard, which was considered one of the best ever on Mac portables.

[NYC_SKP]

23. MacBook Air...love it.

Dropped my black MacBook, broke the screen.....the Air feels like half the weight.

[NYC_SKP]

24. For PCs, IBM Thinkpad or Toshiba Tecra

I've had a few of each, HPs and Sony's too.

The Thinkpads and Tecras, by comparison, are like Hummers in terms of toughness. My VAIO lost it's hard drive after just a few months.

[briv1016]

28. I think IBM only sells to businesses/corporations.

[CatholicEdHead]

32. Lenovo (new owners of Thinkpads) allow anyone to buy

Just go online.

[briv1016]

27. Doesn't the Macbook Air not have an optical drive?

[NYC_SKP]

29. Right, no optical drive, only USB, video, and headphone holes.

Clearly not the best choice for "only computer I have" type buyers, or those who use DVDs or CDs a great deal.

Apple has a suite of accessories from which to choose.

I load large files wirelessly or with a small flash or portable hard drive.

[ThoughtCriminal]

30. Numerous laptops over the years

No experience with Macs, but here are some Windows machines I've had.

IBM thinkpad - ~1997 - worked well for me passed it on many years ago.
HP - ~2000 - OK, but overheating was a problem. I've kept it around for testing Win 98.
eMachine - from 2003 only complete lemon in the bunch. AVOID!
Sony Vaio - ~6-7 years old. Great machine, 2.5 pound sub notebook, great for travel.
Acer Aspire - Got this one just to test software with Vista. Runs OK with added memory. No complaints yet.

I've also been interested in the new Eee PC and other sub-notebooks, which are cheap and are available with Linux or Win XP (yes that's one way you can still get XP):

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/06/mini-notebooks.html

[BreweryYardRat]

31. I've got an HP Pavilion. Pass on that.

It has trouble shedding heat, and I had a lot of parts crap out on me. (Probably related.) Glad I bought the extended warranty.

[Phillycat]

33. I love my Macbook so much, I can't believe I lived without it this long.

:loveya: