I’ve had a toshiba laptop for approximately 6-7 years now. Its been a very reliable machine. But i’ve had many issues in the last 6 months with updates and lagging video play and etc that i rarely encountered before.
Long story short, i’m thinking about getting a new one. But i’m not sure exactly what to look for.
Keys attributes that i want: Speed and processing power, great graphics and big screen as i watch all my tv shows and ondemand on my laptop.
Some issues that i want to avoid: lag, and overheating.
Any recommendations on what to look for as far as attributes and/or which machines would be good options to look into?
Oooh… I want in on this too so sorry for the hijack. Looking around $500 on a laptop used mostly for photos/facebooking/etc. Needs to have a CD drive, HMDI out, large amount of storage, 15.6in screen and preferably in store rather than online as my gf doesn’t trust online retailers.
[quote]coolnatedawg wrote:
Oooh… I want in on this too so sorry for the hijack. Looking around $500 on a laptop used mostly for photos/facebooking/etc. Needs to have a CD drive, HMDI out, large amount of storage, 15.6in screen and preferably in store rather than online as my gf doesn’t trust online retailers.[/quote]
Okay I would consider myself a computer nerd, as it is the thing I’m most passionate about, and it is also my job, as I work for a software development company.
Buying computers IN-STORE is the biggest rip-off there is. If you go to a PURE computer store, then yes, that might be OK, but if you are considering a store that does more than just computers, then you are getting ripped 100%. I can explain how they do it, if you want, but I won’t in this post.
Personally, I buy online 100% of the time, but I also buy “refurbished”. You might not want to do this, but I ALWAYS buy refurbished products as I have yet to run into a negative experience doing so.
The advantage of refurbished products is that it is usually $150-$400 cheaper than ‘original’ price.
Here is a link to the “Dell Outlets” which basically means refurbished products:
Here is a link to ‘NewEgg’ refurbished products. NewEgg is undoubtably my number one resource for computer products:
That’s how I shop. If either of you prefer non-refurbished products, then refer to NewEggs main website for the best deals.
[quote]coolnatedawg wrote:
Oooh… I want in on this too so sorry for the hijack. Looking around $500 on a laptop used mostly for photos/facebooking/etc. Needs to have a CD drive, HMDI out, large amount of storage, 15.6in screen and preferably in store rather than online as my gf doesn’t trust online retailers.[/quote]
Okay I would consider myself a computer expert, as it is the thing I’m most passionate about, and it is also my job, as I work for a software development company.
Buying computers IN-STORE is the biggest rip-off there is. If you go to a PURE computer store, then yes, that might be OK, but if you are considering a store that does more than just computers, then you are getting ripped 100%. I can explain how they do it, if you want, but I won’t in this post.
Personally, I buy online 100% of the time, but I also buy “refurbished”. You might not want to do this, but I ALWAYS buy refurbished products as I have yet to run into a negative experience doing so.
The advantage of refurbished products is that it is usually $150-$400 cheaper than ‘original’ price.
Here is a link to the “Dell Outlets” which basically means refurbished products:
Here is a link to ‘NewEgg’ refurbished products. NewEgg is undoubtably my number one resource for computer products:
That’s how I shop. If either of you prefer non-refurbished products, then refer to NewEggs main website for the best deals.
It’s my girlfriend who is buying it for herself and she doesnt’ trust the online sites (I have no problem buying refurbed either). I think she likes to be able to play with and such before purchasing.
What kind of specs should she be expecting in the $300-500 range…?
[quote]coolnatedawg wrote:
Oooh… I want in on this too so sorry for the hijack. Looking around $500 on a laptop used mostly for photos/facebooking/etc. Needs to have a CD drive, HMDI out, large amount of storage, 15.6in screen and preferably in store rather than online as my gf doesn’t trust online retailers.[/quote]
Okay I would consider myself a computer expert, as it is the thing I’m most passionate about, and it is also my job, as I work for a software development company.
Buying computers IN-STORE is the biggest rip-off there is. If you go to a PURE computer store, then yes, that might be OK, but if you are considering a store that does more than just computers, then you are getting ripped 100%. I can explain how they do it, if you want, but I won’t in this post.
Personally, I buy online 100% of the time, but I also buy “refurbished”. You might not want to do this, but I ALWAYS buy refurbished products as I have yet to run into a negative experience doing so.
The advantage of refurbished products is that it is usually $150-$400 cheaper than ‘original’ price.
Here is a link to the “Dell Outlets” which basically means refurbished products:
Here is a link to ‘NewEgg’ refurbished products. NewEgg is undoubtably my number one resource for computer products:
That’s how I shop. If either of you prefer non-refurbished products, then refer to NewEggs main website for the best deals.
It’s my girlfriend who is buying it for herself and she doesnt’ trust the online sites (I have no problem buying refurbed either). I think she likes to be able to play with and such before purchasing.
What kind of specs should she be expecting in the $300-500 range…?[/quote]
ugh, I hate that situation with girls because you can’t tell them anything, yet they are just illogical, however, perhaps then suggest she finds a model she likes, in person, but then purchases the exact same model on-line.
In a store, for $500, she will get a $300 computer. Online, for $500, she will get a $700 computer.
Anyway, how about this, if you tell me the model name or the specs, then I can tell you whether or not that is worth it.
A lot of times, stores will empahsize “100GB RAM” but then they neglect to tell you they added a processors(Celeron) that is better suited for calculations rather than entertainment.
Or, they will emphasize all the best Ram and CPUs, but hit you with a real shitty Graphics Card.
She can use, touch and feel computers in the store and buy them online. I used to live in Montgomery County and have in laws in NOVA. Near George Mason, I think, there is a store called Microcenter. My wife and I have purchased three computers from them. That is a good store. Avoid big boxes. Still better to buy online but ‘test drive’ in store. OP budget?
It’s my girlfriend who is buying it for herself and she doesnt’ trust the online sites (I have no problem buying refurbed either). I think she likes to be able to play with and such before purchasing.
What kind of specs should she be expecting in the $300-500 range…?[/quote]
Claudan is giving good advice here, go to Newegg, laptops, there you can filter your choices by price.
Whatever laptop you get buy the extended coverage!
Back in about 2003 I bought a great Dell that lasted 7 years and never gave me any problems. I ended up replacing it because it was getting slow like the OP. Did a ton of research and went with a Sony Vizio for about $1,000. It was a great computer for about 12 months and 1 day. The hard drive sh*t out in it and the warranty had literally expired less than a week before.
To make a long story short Sony wanted about 200 dollars for the exact same hard drive that lasted 12 month and you couldn’t upgrade through them. I understand the warranty was expired but I was hoping for a little price reduction on the replacement parts… no such luck, full retail.
I ended up taking it to a local repair shop and paying the $200 but I got twice the memory and it is partially solid state so it boots like a dream.
In summation, my recommendation is to always get the extended coverage and to never buy a Sony.
[quote]JLone wrote:
Whatever laptop you get buy the extended coverage!
Back in about 2003 I bought a great Dell that lasted 7 years and never gave me any problems. I ended up replacing it because it was getting slow like the OP. Did a ton of research and went with a Sony Vizio for about $1,000. It was a great computer for about 12 months and 1 day. The hard drive sh*t out in it and the warranty had literally expired less than a week before.
To make a long story short Sony wanted about 200 dollars for the exact same hard drive that lasted 12 month and you couldn’t upgrade through them. I understand the warranty was expired but I was hoping for a little price reduction on the replacement parts… no such luck, full retail.
I ended up taking it to a local repair shop and paying the $200 but I got twice the memory and it is partially solid state so it boots like a dream.
In summation, my recommendation is to always get the extended coverage and to never buy a Sony. [/quote]
Had similar problems with a Samsung. Great phones, shitbag laptops.
[quote]Heracles_rocks wrote:
I’ve had a toshiba laptop for approximately 6-7 years now. Its been a very reliable machine. But i’ve had many issues in the last 6 months with updates and lagging video play and etc that i rarely encountered before.
Long story short, i’m thinking about getting a new one. But i’m not sure exactly what to look for.
Keys attributes that i want: Speed and processing power, great graphics and big screen as i watch all my tv shows and ondemand on my laptop.
Some issues that i want to avoid: lag, and overheating.
Any recommendations on what to look for as far as attributes and/or which machines would be good options to look into?[/quote]
Will you ever use it to play games, and if so, what games?
Will it be a “desktop replacement” or will you bring it with you? Is portability important?
[quote]JLone wrote:
Whatever laptop you get buy the extended coverage!
Back in about 2003 I bought a great Dell that lasted 7 years and never gave me any problems. I ended up replacing it because it was getting slow like the OP. Did a ton of research and went with a Sony Vizio for about $1,000. It was a great computer for about 12 months and 1 day. The hard drive sh*t out in it and the warranty had literally expired less than a week before.
To make a long story short Sony wanted about 200 dollars for the exact same hard drive that lasted 12 month and you couldn’t upgrade through them. I understand the warranty was expired but I was hoping for a little price reduction on the replacement parts… no such luck, full retail.
I ended up taking it to a local repair shop and paying the $200 but I got twice the memory and it is partially solid state so it boots like a dream.
In summation, my recommendation is to always get the extended coverage and to never buy a Sony. [/quote]
Same thing happened with my Sony Vaio. $1100 for a laptop, couple years later the whole thing just died on me. They had to replace the hard drive, motherboard, everything. If I hadn’t spent so much on it I probably would have just bought a different laptop all together. It still gives me problems (freezes all the time, really slow, etc). I guess next time I’ll look online.
[quote]JLone wrote:
Whatever laptop you get buy the extended coverage!
Back in about 2003 I bought a great Dell that lasted 7 years and never gave me any problems. I ended up replacing it because it was getting slow like the OP. Did a ton of research and went with a Sony Vizio for about $1,000. It was a great computer for about 12 months and 1 day. The hard drive sh*t out in it and the warranty had literally expired less than a week before.
To make a long story short Sony wanted about 200 dollars for the exact same hard drive that lasted 12 month and you couldn’t upgrade through them. I understand the warranty was expired but I was hoping for a little price reduction on the replacement parts… no such luck, full retail.
I ended up taking it to a local repair shop and paying the $200 but I got twice the memory and it is partially solid state so it boots like a dream.
In summation, my recommendation is to always get the extended coverage and to never buy a Sony. [/quote]
Same thing happened with my Sony Vaio. $1100 for a laptop, couple years later the whole thing just died on me. They had to replace the hard drive, motherboard, everything. If I hadn’t spent so much on it I probably would have just bought a different laptop all together. It still gives me problems (freezes all the time, really slow, etc). I guess next time I’ll look online.
[/quote]
You’d be surprised how much computer performance can be improved simply by doubling/increasing the RAM that you have.
In my opinion, for a “normal user” you should have MINIMUM of 6-8GBs of RAM.
[quote]chobbs wrote:
Clauden what’s your opinions on macs [/quote]
Great products. User friendly, etc etc, just very expensive.
The reason most PC-nerds hate on Apple products is because Apple does all the thinking for you, and literally tells you what options/functions you may use or may not use.
PCs let you change EVERYTHING as long as you know how to.
Also, I guess, PCs have upgrade-able parts while Macs you cannot upgrade individual components.
The quality and aftercare have gone way down in the last few yeas. I’ve had 2, one I got in 2002 that was great, and this one which I got in 09 and has been a pain in the ass -harddrive messed up after a year and needed to be replaced, and a bunch of small niggling issues.
I’m looking into getting an Acer which a couple guys in my IT department have strongly recommended.
If you are going the Desktop route, buy the parts and put it together yourself, unless you aren’t tech saavy/aren’t into saving money. I could put a parts list together if needed/wanted.
[quote]chobbs wrote:
Clauden what’s your opinions on macs [/quote]
Great products. User friendly, etc etc, just very expensive.
The reason most PC-nerds hate on Apple products is because Apple does all the thinking for you, and literally tells you what options/functions you may use or may not use.
PCs let you change EVERYTHING as long as you know how to.
Also, I guess, PCs have upgrade-able parts while Macs you cannot upgrade individual components.
[/quote]
Okay so do you buy them refurbed or from the store?
