Laptop choice? Way ot

[Mrjones2004x]

My computer is old now. Looking for a laptop to save space and move about if needed.
My needs are basic. Internet browsing, watching YouTube, searching info, no downloading of music as I do through iTunes on my phone plus I got loads of viruses from downloading from isohunt. Don't watch films online or download either. Want a DVD drive, my boy plays the free kids games on magazines. able to use word if needed for updating my cv and stuff like that. Don't do gaming at all. Only solitary lol.
Will upload photos and store them on there too.
My old comp is 5 years old and has windows xp and has 80gb hard drive which is about 70% full. So a massive hardrive isn't important either. I can get full office package from I.T at work also.

Any ideas what spec to look for? Big/small ram? Security?
I know nothing about computers lol.
Maybe a net book with plug in hardrive?

Any help is good

Thanks

[kmlabs]

Hey dude,

From what you're going to be doing, I'd say just about any modern laptop would do all that. I'd get one with a built-in optical drive & hard drive, to save on lugging extra bits around and losing cables etc!

As a general rule of thumb, the more memory you go for the better. I'd say decide what you want to spend, look at somewhere like Dell (I know a lot of people slate Dell but I think they offer a good product at a good price) and find the one with the biggest RAM.

If you're not too precious about it, you could check the Dell Outlet too - it's very cheap, but you don't get to spec your own computer, they're ex-demo/refurb models.

[jason41224]

i'd always reccomend mac. i love those computers.

but, they are quite expensive. at least the bang/buck ratio is pretty small. that's why i have an HP. i got it refurbished for $500, and it has a really good sized hard drive (6GB memory and 640HD). love it! i'm starting to work with protools on it too, and it's handling it like a charm.

[starling1]

It sounds like you don't really need a high-end card etc, so I'd go a an HP or Dell lappy for around the 500-600$ mark. That should get you something with a decent amount of space and 4gb ram, should be plenty for what you're doing. I'd avoid the Macs TBH...I still have no idea how their prices are justified. Maybe its because they're shiny, I dunno--also they cost a hell of a lot to repair.

[dbsens03]

Mac....nuff said.

[Mrjones2004x]

Cheers for the advice guys.

If I had the money for a mac I'd buy a thunderverb 50 head!
I don't want a mac really. There Is one I saw 2gb ram 250gb hard drive £900! Wtf! Laptop with 4gb ram and 400g hardrive £450. How are there prices real?

I'll look into a basic package. My comp is fast enough but riddled with bugs and old/tatty and bulky. Prob go for 2 gig ram and 250gb hardrive. Dell is good from what I know. People at work say there good.

[jason41224]

if you've ever owned a mac, you'd understand how their prices are justified. but i agree, they're really high.

[Randy Bass]

if you've ever owned a mac, you'd understand how their prices are justified. but i agree, they're really high.

+1

The main justification of the cost is the operating system. Their service life is generally longer as well. They're not for everyone though.

[misterMagoo]

macdaddy

[Bandeapart]

I've owned several dells and hp's throughout my life, finally became a mac owner a few months ago and it's the greatest decision I've ever made when it comes to computers. Well worth the extra price tag.

[starling1]

For virtually the same price as a macbook pro, I could buy this:

http://apcmag.com/notebookhunter/deals/ ... of-ram.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That thing would laugh in any macs face, TBH. A bit like comparing a horse and cart to the ship that landed at Roswell...I don't want to start a fued or anything, I know there are a hell of a lot of mac fans out there, but for me, they don't represent value for money.

[Ddjembe Mutombo]

For virtually the same price as a macbook pro, I could buy this:

http://apcmag.com/notebookhunter/deals/ ... of-ram.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That thing would laugh in any macs face, TBH. A bit like comparing a horse and cart to the ship that landed at Roswell...I don't want to start a fued or anything, I know there are a hell of a lot of mac fans out there, but for me, they don't represent value for money.

Uhh. I don't think the guy needs a $2.4k laptop. Also the whole greatness about Macs are the OS, not the machine themselves. If I could run Mac OS on a Dell, then I'd buy a Dell.

Also, my Macbook pro ran me only $1.1k. I use my macbook for internet, background music, and homework. I use my Mac Pro for the heavy stuff (but then again that bad boy costed me $4.5k)

[leopoldbloom]

Any modern laptop should be more than enough for the things you want it for at the price range of 400-800$.

TiPs:
- matt screens are better than glossy ones.
- small laptops are usually better 12'-14'(better portability, better construction quality)
- ram above 2GB is more than enough
- always check the battery life (it usually tells more about the design quality of a laptop)
- most modern laptops are not built to last for more than 3 years
- I usually avoid Sony (overpriced), HP (they tend to be faulty, except for the compaq series). I prefer Acer, Dell and Lenovo (Thinkpad series).
- Stay away from every flavour of Vista OS. 64BIT OS perform better with modern intel microprocessors.

[OrangePaul]

Cheers for the advice guys.

If I had the money for a mac I'd buy a thunderverb 50 head!
I don't want a mac really. There Is one I saw 2gb ram 250gb hard drive £900! Wtf! Laptop with 4gb ram and 400g hardrive £450. How are there prices real?

I'll look into a basic package. My comp is fast enough but riddled with bugs and old/tatty and bulky. Prob go for 2 gig ram and 250gb hardrive. Dell is good from what I know. People at work say there good.

Try running malwarebytes on there....its a free download and usually finds bugs with a quick scan that other antivirus/malware programs miss altogether

If that fails you could always try putting ubuntu linux operating system on there...
Its an open source free operating system... primarily a computer geeks platform but becoming more user friendly with every release, with the stability more of an OSX platform

[bassdrop]

Mint is another great linux distro. Supreme usability- Mac does reign supreme, but like a Ferrari, you will pay a premium.