Laptop purchase advise.

[TEEB]

A friend has come to me for advise on buying a laptop. I have provided this service in the past for desktops.

However, I have very limited knowledge of laptops.
Can you please provide me with the finer points in laptops.
What features to look for and which to stay away from? Please comment on batteries.
The unit will be used for "general purpose" and maybe some light gaming.
I won't be going with Dell, gateway or Compaq.

My brand choices are Acer, Asus, Fujitsu, and LG.

Thanks in advance!!!

[LaptopExtreme]

I'd always lean towards an Asus, not only because we're in business with them, but I think the overall quality and styling is top notched compared to the rest. I see the you're into "general purpose" with light gaming- I would recommend a W3V or a less stylish version of it, the Z63a (cheaper and customizable,too). If you're on a budget, I think Acers are great, but the budget ones tend to have low battery life. I love the LG's too, I just wished they had LG and Samsung laptops here in the US.

So what are you're preferences? do you like normal ratio or widescreen? glossy or matte? small 10-14 inch screen, or big 15-17 inches? Will you be carrying it a lot or just leave it at home? So we can get a better feel of what you like.

[TEEB]

I lean towards asus too. Because I use a lot of their motherboards and video cards.

As far as the preferences go.

I'm not sure, But, I would guess at:

normal ratio,small screen. I think she will not carry alot.
I don't know about glossy or matte. What do you recommend?

Thanks for taking the time to reply!!!

[Al Pollock]

Toshiba arte excellent laptops and good battery life as well

[786ARS]

whats your budget, and need, large hd, big screen, ultra portable?
786ARS

[LaptopExtreme]

Originally Posted by TEEB I lean towards asus too. Because I use a lot of their motherboards and video cards. As far as the preferences go. I'm not sure, But, I would guess at: normal ratio,small screen. I think she will not carry alot. I don't know about glossy or matte. What do you recommend? Thanks for taking the time to reply!!!

Small normal ratio screen would recommend an S5A. It's discontinued here, but you might like the W5A, which is just the wide screen version of the S5A. Has a built-in camera also. The newer W5Ae is also out now.
Others are Z61A, and the really tiny Z33A. You can check those out too. They're customizable, but I would recommend the W5Ae Ensemble unit. It also comes with a 2 Year Global Warranty.

[TEEB]

Originally Posted by 786ARS whats your budget, and need, large hd, big screen, ultra portable? 786ARS

There is no budget. Everything should be considered "middle of the road".
Sorry to take so long answering, I missed your post.

[thefultonhow]

Why have you ruled out Dell? And what about IBM?

[TEEB]

Originally Posted by thefultonhow Why have you ruled out Dell? And what about IBM?

Because the supplier I'm going to use does not carry those products. Just the ones I listed.

[thefultonhow]

I would go for Asus as well, then. If widescreeen is okay after all, I really like the W3V -- it's an exquisitely-styled 14" widescreen.

[LaptopExtreme]

Yeah, never had a problem with them. The W3V is a major head turner at any starbucks. The brushed aluminum lid is cold to the touch.

With the W3V, I swap back and forth with the Z70VA as my daily unit.

[Jaggannath]

Asus > Acer > LG > Fujitsu IMO, so go for the Acer.

[TEEB]

Originally Posted by Jaggannath Asus > Acer > LG > Fujitsu IMO, so go for the Acer.

Sorry, I don't understand your reply.

[TEEB]

I ordered an Asus W3VA this morning. Thanks to everyone who helped out. It was very much appreciated!!

[LaptopExtreme]

You mean the W3V, right? or the W3A? Well either way, I'm sure you wont regret your purchase. As an Asus reseller myself, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to come back on or just PM/IM me.

[TEEB]

Originally Posted by LaptopExtreme You mean the W3V, right? or the W3A? Well either way, I'm sure you wont regret your purchase. As an Asus reseller myself, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to come back on or just PM/IM me.

No, I mean the W3VA. It's the same as the W3V except it has a bigger (100GB) HDD.

Maybe the numbers are differnt here in Canada. Her'e's a copy of the one I ordered:


Model: W3VA ASUS BRANDED NOTEBOOK
CPU: CENTRINO 1.8GHZ PENTIUM-M WITH 915GM, CHIPSET 2MB CACHE
Display: 14" TFT WXGA (wide screen) 1200x 800 "CRYSTAL DISPLAY"
System Memory: 512MB DDR2 533MHZ(1X512 ) (1 OPEN SLOT ) MAX 2GB
Video: ATI Radeon X600 64mb
HDD: 100GB 4,200 RPM
CD-ROM/DVD: 8X DVD+-RW (NO FDD)
Battery: Li-Ion Battery life 4 hrs 8-cell
Network: 56Kbps,Gigabit LAN,1xiEEE 1394 port,3USB 2.0,802.11ABG
S-VIDEO OUT
Pointing Device:Touch Pad *4-in-1 card reader*
Weight: 4.8Lbs INCLUDES BLUETOOTH
OS Preload: WINDOWS XP PRO
‚
‚
NB-AS-90NCB1SH100 ASUS 2ND HDD HOUSING W3V & Z63
NB-AS-90N6APW2000 ASUS AC ADAPTER:M3N/M6N/Z9 65W
NB-AS-90N10CG1114 ASUS AUTO ADAPTER M6N/Z9 &
NB-AS-90NCB1B1000 ASUS 2ND LION BATTERY FOR W3V
NB-AS-90NCC1B1000 ASUS MAIN LION BATTERY FOR W3V
XR-DDR2-SODIM1GB-53 DDR II SODIM 1024X64-533 CL4
XR-DDR2-SODIM256-53 DDR II SODIM 32X64-533 CL4
XR-DDR2-SODIM512-53 DDR II SODIM 64X64-533 CL4
NB-AS-EXTWARNTY-3RD ASUS 3RD YEAR ON ASUS BRANDED

[LaptopExtreme]

Hmm... that shouldn't be right since the W3V never got a major refresh. The Canadian and US versions are the same versions. At least they should be. That's the specs of the latest W3V. The original was 60gb 5400 and 512mb. Everything else is the same. It's just weird that yours is branded W3VA. Over here the refreshed versions on the V6V and the Z70V both had major internal changes.

[TEEB]

i have no idea how it works. But, here's the one for the W3V. Maybe that will help you.

Model: W3V ASUS BRANDED NOTEBOOK
CPU: CENTRINO 1.8GHZ PENTIUM-M WITH 915GM, CHIPSET 2MB CACHE
Display: 14" TFT WXGA (wide screen) 1200x 800 "CRYSTAL DISPLAY"
System Memory: 512MB DDR2 533MHZ(1X512 ) (1 OPEN SLOT ) MAX 2GB
Video: ATI Radeon X600 64mb
HDD: 60 GB 5,400 RPM
CD-ROM/DVD: 8 X DVD-DUAL LAYER DRIVE (DVD+-RW) (NO FDD)
Battery: Li-Ion Battery life 4 hrs 8-cell
Network: 56Kbps,Gigabit LAN,1xiEEE 1394 port,3USB 2.0,802.11ABG
S-VIDEO OUT
Pointing Device:Touch Pad *4-in-1 card reader*
Weight: 4.8Lbs INCLUDES BLUETOOTH
OS Preload: WINDOWS XP PRO
‚
‚
NB-AS-90NCB1SH100 ASUS 2ND HDD HOUSING W3V & Z63
NB-AS-90N6APW2000 ASUS AC ADAPTER:M3N/M6N/Z9 65W
NB-AS-90N10CG1114 ASUS AUTO ADAPTER M6N/Z9 &
NB-AS-90NCB1B1000 ASUS 2ND LION BATTERY FOR W3V
NB-AS-90NCC1B1000 ASUS MAIN LION BATTERY FOR W3V
XR-DDR2-SODIM1GB-53 DDR II SODIM 1024X64-533 CL4
XR-DDR2-SODIM256-53 DDR II SODIM 32X64-533 CL4
XR-DDR2-SODIM512-53 DDR II SODIM 64X64-533 CL4
NB-AS-EXTWARNTY-3RD ASUS 3RD YEAR ON ASUS BRANDED

[LaptopExtreme]

Yeah, that's the first W3V. Well anyways, enjoy your new system. I'm sure you'll love the brushed aluminm lid. I know I did.

[Jaggannath]

Originally Posted by TEEB Sorry, I don't understand your reply.

> = is better than