Researching laptops...any advice?

[Hercules]

My wife is interested in getting a laptop. We have never owned a laptop, so, I could use some advice. She will be using this for college(she went back for law), eventually work, and internet use. The only requirements we have is that it has Windows XP Pro, the ability to burn data to a cd, and we can both be on the internet at the same time(one from desktop, the other from laptop). So, are there "rules of thumb" regarding processors type, memory amount, hard drive, etc...? Also, what is needed for the internet connection in a laptop? She would like to be able to connect to the internet regardless of what room she is in, or even on the back porch. Currently, our desktop is connected to the internet via dsl. So, is there a wireless unit that can do this and will it allow two computers to be on the internet at the same time? Obviously, I'm not sure about a lot of this and need some guidance. Thanks for the help!

[glc]

First off, you need to establish a rough budget for the laptop, and consider weight and screen size.

Internet sharing is simple with DSL - all you need is a wireless router to connect to your DSL modem. You connect the modem and the desktop to the router with Ethernet, and most laptops have internal wireless cards and internal Ethernet adapters these days, you can connect them either way - wired or wireless. Good wireless routers are about $60.

[trowand]

(I'm not an expert on the wireless modem thing but I'll try to help. Someone else will be along who's much more knowledgable) Don't get too hung up on XP Pro. The only difference between XP Home & Pro is some minor IT stuff that you'll likely never need or use. (If however, one of you is going to use the laptop in/at the workplace, then you may need it) Most newer laptops all come with a wireless internet card. You will either need to replace your present DSL modem with a wireless one and put a wireless receiver PCI card in your desktop PC. You'll just have to make sure that the laptop can receive the same signal type. Or, I'm not sure but you may be able to keep your present DSL modem, leave it hooked up to your desktop as is and put a wireless transmitter PCI card in the desktop that will send the internet to the laptop. I'm not that sharp on the latest and greatest wireless channels (802.11A/B/G, MIMO, etc.) Also, unless you're going to be gaming on this laptop, it sounds like you won't need a whole lot of muscle. You should be able to get what you need for as little as $800-1000.

[trowand]

Yeah, you need to choose a size. Laptops came as small as 12" to as big as 17" widescreen (which is huge). A small size is going to lower the cost but may also limit your available options/performance. If you're really going to carry this thing around all the time then you're going to want it smaller and lighter. We have two 17" widescreen laptops in the family and they are gigantic.

[Hercules]

Thanks for the info. I'm pretty sure she isn't looking for anything as large as 17", so, that sounds like a great place to start. I know she doesn't do any gaming. This is strictly productivity focused and college. Although, I know she will use the internet for enjoyment(download music, videos, etc.), not just research.

Are there any specific processors to look for, or look out for? I see Intel has Duo, Pentium M, Centrino...are there any advantages to any of these? Thanks again for the help!

[Statica]

With the budget that you need to establish, you also need to think of how mobile you want your laptop. You have a variety of options here in terms of form factors. You could go from having a regular laptop to a tablet PC or somewhere in between with a convertible tablet.
With a laptop, unless you are going for gaming, you should always choose something with Centrino technology. Centrino is not a processor, but a bundle of low power options that include a Pentium Mobile processor, an Intel Chipset and an Intel wireless minicard built on to the laptop. Depending on your budget, you could go for a Centrino (with a Pentium M processor) or you could with Centrino Duo (with a Pentium Core Duo processor). The advantages of the Core Duo are obviously in the dual cores.

[Hercules]

Thanks for the clearification on the processors! I'm glad I asked! As far as budget goes, we'd like to keep it under a $1000. Less would be great, but, I need to learn what to look for before I can make a budget. That's why I'm asking questions now. Kind of gathering a "requirements list" to see what is necessary and what would be nice to have. I don't mind spending as long as I know it's money well spent, especially when it comes to purchases like this. So, the budget is still fluid. Thanks again!

[Stuey]

I'm going to recommend a Dell E1505. I just purchased one and I LOVE it.

You should be able to configure one for about $800-$900, leaving the extra $100 for a wireless mouse and a router.

If you do choose a Dell, consult this site as they log Dell coupons. Sometimes they work with dell promotions, sometimes they don't, but in general they get you a lower price than dell promotions alone.

Buying directly from dell requires some thought since they sometimes have $400 off $1299+ coupons (or similar deals). In other words, if you configure a system for $1350 rather than $1250, you end up with a lower bottom-line price.

Anyways, for $1000, Dell offers the most bang for the buck.

Here's a Dell E1505 configured for features/pricing purposes.

Core Duo processor, 1 gig ram, truelife display upgrade, 40 gig HD, integrated video, upgrade to Intel wireless device. Using a $300 web coupon instead of a $200 standard coupon, the price is $767. Add in ~$50 in handling (shipping is free), 8% NY tax (as an example), and the total would be $882.

I'm just about as anti-Dell as a person can get, by the way, but I dislike Compaq and HP slightly more. The reason I went for a Dell laptop is because Toshiba's and Thinkpads were way beyond my budget. I'm mentioning this so you have a sense of where my opinions are coming from.

Darn, I just rememebered your XP Pro requirement. Dell adds on $150 for the OS upgrade while other system builders charge less. In my obsessive search for a laptop, I discovered that while Dell offers lower base-costs, other computer builders (Compaq) charge less per component upgrade, but have higher base-costs.

I believe that the Dell E1505 offers the best bang for the buck, BUT it's also a bit bigger than a 14.1" model. I haven't travelled around with it yet, but given its size, I'm going to say that it may be a bit large for your wife to comfortable wield around.

An alternative model is the Inspiron 630m, available through their small business storefront. Coupled with an Intel wireless device upgrade, and an XP pro upgrade, it would come out to be just about $1000. It's a 14.1" model, which is much more compact than their 15.4" systems. In the home/home office storefront, there's the XPS M140, but there aren't as many promotions as there are for Inspiron notebooks. They do offer decent coupons for systems purchased under the small business storefront, but it doesn't seem to be as consistent or as high valued as Dell home/home office's coupons.

[Hercules]

Stuey83, thanks for the link! It's kind of ironic, I was just at the Dell site screwing around with their "Customize It" feature on an "E" model...not sure if it was the 1505.

I do have a question regarding the wireless part. For wireless use, what should I make sure the laptop has, and what do I look for in a wireless router? Are there specific features of the router that I should be concerned about? As an example, we use dsl as our internet connection, so, is there a compliance feature to be concerned about? Also, if Fios becomes available here for at a fair price, does this effect the router choice? I took some time last night and did a search on wireless routers. The only thing I can say I understand about the routers right now is how to connect them and that Linksys appears to have some happy customers. Thanks again guys.

I almost forgot, I may have to buy two laptops now. I just found out I got recommended for a position I interviewed for a couple weeks ago. My county and state boards still have to vote on it, but, for the most part it's just red tape. My new position will be Environmental Health Specialist for the county I live in. Thanks again everyone!!!

[glc]

Just make sure the laptop has a 802.11b/g capable adapter. It's hard to go wrong with a Linksys 802.11g router. With DSL, it's easiest to configure if your DSL modem can be put into a "bridge" mode, where you store the PPPoE login in the router, not the modem. Fios should not be a problem either.

[liquidblue69mce]

I would also recommend DELL laptops, my fiancé is going to replace her POS Toshiba satellite A70 with a Inspiron E1505. I have the E1705 and got ~$550 in rebates just as Stuey mentioned. Although I’m waiting a bit on the E1505 to see if the discounts increase back up, but going to get her laptop by the end of the month for sure.

Dell with vary their offers week by week (I think) and their 1Gig Ram free offer just ended today, so I waiting to see what they offer in the near future. I still would like to own a Sony laptop, but I think Dell gives you more bang for your buck and from what I hear (I’m sure someone is going to contradict) that their service department kinda sucks. Again Dell is going to be my choice, 99.8% sure. The 0.2% is in case a Sony floats from the sky into my lap but that not bloody likely.

[Hercules]

Thanks again for all the help everyone! Sorry it took me a little longer to get back, and have time to post. I picked up a browser highjacker while doing random searches on laptops and some freaking trojans, too. I finally got it cleaned up. Thank god...what a pain that was. I was so frustrated I almost started to wipe everything off the computer and just start over.

Anyways, we took a look at the E1505 and liked what we saw. We're playing the waiting game with Dell's offers. I think they still go mid week to mid week. Also, I found a few Lenovo's that appear nice. They are pretty basic, but, just might fit our needs. The first is a Lenovo 3000 C100 model #076125U(Pent M 1.73GHz, 15" XGA, 512MB DDR2, 80 GB HD, XP Pro) for $857. The others are Lenovo Thinkpad R52's model #'s 18472FU and 18472BU...depending on components their $900-$1000 at newegg. Our local mall has a Dell stand, so, were going look at the E1505. As far as Lenovo, I'm going to see if there are any locally, too. I would like my wife to actually see them and tinker with it to get an idea on their construction quality and feel. Thanks again for all the help!

[thefultonhow]

If you get a Lenovo, I would go with the actual ThinkPad instead of their 3000 series. They still have IBM designers working on the ThinkPad, but I doubt they had a hand in the 3000 series. Plus, the R50/51/52 were designed while the ThinkPad division was still owned by IBM.

Dell's end-of-quarter sales are going on right now. They had a really good E1505 deal on Tuesday (see SlickDeals, but it expired. I doubt they'll have another good one like that before their quarter ends, and their non-end-of-quarter deals have been mediocre.