Toshiba... or Gateway?

[TwoRails]

Hi All,

Long story short, I have an emergent need for a laptop for business needs. At first, the need was this coming Monday so I took advantage of a sale at Best Buy and picked up Toshiba Satellite.

I noticed that the Gateway they have is pretty identical in specs (same size, weight, CPU, dual layer burner,etc) except it has 2 gig of memory instead of 1 gig. The price difference is only $150. I haven't verified prices but I suspect that upgrading the Toshiba to 2 gig would be close to that, assuming I didn't have to buy all new sticks.

1 gig might be OK, but I"m thinking that Vista Premium would run a lot better with 2.

Any thoughts on 1 versus 2 gig?? How about Toshiba versus Gateway?

Here's the two:

Toshiba (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8206265&type=product&id=1166235562088&ref=10&loc=01)

Gateway (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8224799&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat103700050043&id=1166840116991)


TIA :)

TR

[hitchface]

Well, according to glc and maybe some others, Toshiba has been suffering overheating problems and poor CS. Can't say for Gateway, but I hope they are better.

2 gigs of RAM will help you out a bit for Vista, especially with all of those fancy features it has. I would use 2 over 1 any day.

[glc]

If I were buying a laptop for business, I'd spend the money for a Thinkpad.

[TwoRails]

It's a long story, but I will own it, so it's for me in that sense; I only need it because of a business related issue (or I wouldn't even buy one). It won't be used all that much so I don't want to spend too much $$.

Best Buy had a nice selection of less expensive units, but I figured I'd max out my budget and get something more useful then the cheaper ones. The Toshiba is about max, budget wise, but as I mention, I'm not sure if it would be wisest in the long run to get 2 GB RAM and the Gateway. I don't keep up on laptops but always *heard* Toshibas are nice units.

[glc]

If I had to pick between a Toshiba and a Gateway right now, I'd take the Gateway.

[thefultonhow]

I really don't like either option -- can you get an Averatec? I have heard people give them flak in the past but I don't think their bad reputation is deserved. From digging a little deeper they are actually fairly high quality with okay support.

[TwoRails]

I can't find one online for local purchase. Part of the "long story" is that there is a small, but real chance I may not even need a laptop so I want a hassle free return (and with no shipping). Heck, I was originally going to need it tomorrow but now that's been "pushed to the right" and won't need it for 2 more weeks.

[glc]

If you dont need it for 2 weeks, order a Dell.

[TwoRails]

Good tip. I'll see what the latest is on Monday.

[glc]

If you buy a refurb out of the Dell outlet you can still get them with XP. That way you only need a gig of ram, save some bucks. Dual core Intels are running about $700.

[TwoRails]

I'll be sharing that Dell refurb tip with others: I've already heard at least two folks complain that they can't find a laptop with XP on it anymore.

Well... New day, new news. As I mentioned above, there is a small but "real" chance things could change, and they did. My need for a laptop has now vanished... at least for a while. "They" will let me know in the future.

Thanks Everyone for the tips and suggestions :)

TR

[glc]

There are also a few Acers left at Newegg with XP.