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Need Laptop Purchase Advice

M

MusicMonkey

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 22, 2005
27
0
Hey Everyone,

I used these forums for advice on buying a digital camera and found it to be extremely helpful. I am still happy with that purchase. :)

So I was wondering if everyone would be able to help me as I am about to purchase a laptop very soon. My price range is max: $2000 but that is stretching it. My ideal would be a max of $1700. Here is the list of laptops that are available:

Gateway Intel Centrino Duo T2300 1.67GHz Laptop (MX6708)
Toshiba Satellite Intel Centrino 750 1.86GHz Laptop (M70-DL4)
Gateway Intel Centrino Duo T2300 1.67GHz Media Center Laptop (MX6750)
Compaq Presario AMD Turion 64 ML-32 1.8GHz Laptop (V2570)
HP Pavilion Intel Centrino 750 1.86GHz Laptop (DV1440CA)
Gateway Intel Celeron M 360 1.4GHz Laptop (MX6025)
Gateway Intel Celeron M 1.4GHz Laptop (MX6027)
Toshiba Satellite Intel Celeron M 380 1.6GHz Laptop (M70-CL1)
Toshiba M70-CL3 Intel Celeron M 390 1.7GHz Laptop (M70-CL3)
Gateway AMD Turion 64 ML-34 1.8GHz Laptop (MX6425)
Compaq Presario AMD Turion 64 ML-34 1.8GHz Laptop (V2575)
Toshiba Satellite Intel Centrino 740 1.73GHz Laptop (M70-DL3)
LG Intel Pentium M 740 1.73GHz Laptop (LW60-F4M6PU1)
HP Pavilion Intel Centrino 740 1.73GHz Laptop (DV1530)
HP Pavilion Intel Centrino 740 1.73GHz Laptop (DV1530)
Apple iBook PowerPC G4 1.42GHz Laptop (M9848II/A)
Gateway AMD Mobile Athlon 64 4000+ 2.6GHz Laptop (MX7525)
Toshiba Satellite Intel Centrino 740 1.73GHz Laptop (M70-FE5)
Toshiba Satellite Intel Centrino Duo T2300 1.66GHz Laptop (M100-JG2)
Toshiba Satellite Intel Centrino 750 1.86GHz Laptop (M70-SR6)
Toshiba Satellite Intel Centrino Duo T2300 1.66GHz Laptop (A100-JH2)
Toshiba Satellite Intel Centrino Duo T2300 1.66GHz Laptop (P100-JR1)
Gateway Intel Centrino 725A 1.6GHz Laptop (MX6631)
HP Pavilion DV8113CL

I am looking for a fast computer that has a decent battery life, is wireless internet capable and that I will not have to replace for a very long time. I am planning on using it for the internet and a lot of document work. Please help me cut this list and possibly give advice on the individual companies. Right now I am leaning towards the HP Pavilion DV8113CL. Is this a good fast laptop that will last a long time? Thank you all in advance.
 
MusicMonkey said:
I am looking for a fast computer that has a decent battery life, is wireless internet capable and that I will not have to replace for a very long time. I am planning on using it for the internet and a lot of document work. Please help me cut this list and possibly give advice on the individual companies. Right now I am leaning towards the HP Pavilion DV8113CL. Is this a good fast laptop that will last a long time? Thank you all in advance.
Click to expand...
Your stated needs are well met by the 14" iBook G4, particularly in the area of battery life & wireless. Mine is from the previous rev, and is now 13 months old.

Seems strange that you would compare that to a 17" media oriented box like the Pavillion.

B
 
balamw said:
Your stated needs are well met by the 14" iBook G4, particularly in the area of battery life & wireless. Mine is from the previous rev, and is now 13 months old.

Seems strange that you would compare that to a 17" media oriented box like the Pavillion.

B
Click to expand...

Yeah i agree......

But pay the xtra and get the MacBook Pro its 1999. its the quickest out of all of them..... having a 1.8Duo plus it has decent battery life for light use. it has good wireless from all reports and it has Mac OS X plus it is a mad size and very thin, the Hp is huge and it wont have a very good battery life.
 
One thing that concerns me about the Apple iBook PowerPC G4 1.42GHz Laptop (M9848II/A) is the 1.42 GHz speed. The HP Pavilion is 2.0 GHz. Also, I am not sure if the MAC documents from Apple will work on my desktop Windows O/S. Unfortunately I do not have a large list to choose from as these are the only ones being sold (I have to buy it from a particular store).

Thanks for the continued feedback.
 
MusicMonkey said:
One thing that concerns me about the Apple iBook PowerPC G4 1.42GHz Laptop (M9848II/A) is the 1.42 GHz speed. The HP Pavilion is 2.0 GHz.
Click to expand...

You really can't compare processor speeds like that. They're completely different processors, so the numbers don't match up. If processing power matters that much you can search for comparisons like this.

Regarding documents, may I suggest you visit the Apple website?

Oh, and do you really expect someone here to recommend the HP? It is MacRumors... :p

Good luck with your purchase!
 
I noticed you didn't have a Lenovo Thinkpad on that list anywhere. They are very nice computers and will last you a long time. If you are looking to go with windows you should give them a look. I have a T43 and I love it.
 
MusicMonkey said:
Unfortunately I do not have a large list to choose from as these are the only ones being sold (I have to buy it from a particular store).
Click to expand...

ChrisG & Chrispy: OP said he can only purchase one from his original list.

Rather a strange and eclectic inventory at that store if you ask me...
 
A friend of mine and I did a computer review for our school's newspaper. For laptops, we recommended the MacBook Pro, the iBook 12", the Dell XPS M170, and the Lenovo Thinkpad R50e.

If you're a student, save yourself $200 and get a MacBook Pro for $1799.

EDIT I just read about the "particular store" issue. That sucks; I still recommend a Mac for your laptop, they're great. If you get Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac, everything will transfer just fine. What documents in particular will you be transferring?
 
I will mostly be transferring Microsoft Word and Powerpoint files. I just want to make sure I will not have a compatibility issue.
 
MusicMonkey said:
I will mostly be transferring Microsoft Word and Powerpoint files. I just want to make sure I will not have a compatibility issue.
Click to expand...

I agree with Synapple. I use MS office and go between pc-world and macworld all the time. I've noticed minor problems in powerpoint (font slightly bigger/smaller), but frankly I've seen bigger compatibility problems moving from office 2000 to office 2003 on a pc.

Even better: On macs you can print documents to PDF and then they'll always look exactly like you created them. I'm constantly using my powerbook to create pdfs for my wife's powerpoint presentations, that she created on a pc.

ibook, ibook, ibook! Run, don't walk!
 
Chrispy said:
I noticed you didn't have a Lenovo Thinkpad on that list anywhere. They are very nice computers and will last you a long time. If you are looking to go with windows you should give them a look. I have a T43 and I love it.
Click to expand...

* 2. Where's the Thinkpad love?

On a side note... Chrispy... i thought you were having issues with the T43... no?
 
have a t42 as my work laptop. love it. awesome computer and definitely worth considering.
 
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