If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop recommendations.
Laptop recommendations:
The wife needs a new laptop used mainly for Internet and online low-res gaming (java board games *not* Duke nukem and the like) along with the occasional home business app. Word processor & spread sheet can be had for free so pre-loaded MS stuff isnt' needed here. It must run Windows as she seems allergic to Linux and is about as far from a techie as one can get. I really don't want to spend more than $500 and she prefers a medium sized comp in the 14" range as its almost always on her lap rather than on a desk. She says the 15.6+ sizes are too large and the 10" notebooks too small. Good battery life is a concern but more importantly strong WIFI reception as she is normally uses it on the floor above the home WIFI modem. I had to hook up a USB antenna receiver to her current laptop (an old Dell) to get acceptable reception. That can be pain on a laptop as the antenna is always in the way and prone to getting knocked out of the port. A responsive keyboard and mouse pad are also concerns. Win7 PRO is preferred by me (the reluctant administrator) but I suppose I could settle for home premium. 4GB RAM seems to the sweet spot for that operating system. A method of reloading Windows is an absolute must as she knows nor cares much about viruses (despite my lamentations) and is usually online 4+ hours per day. If I can get it for $400 then I could get a backup enclosure & hard drive for use on both of our comps, so Estata capability to match my work station would be a plus! A high density (4GB) smart card port for transferring pictures from cameras is also a need. Yea, I have a USB adapter but the little bugger seems to either be hiding somewhere about the house -or- left at home when she and the computer are out. To reiterate: 1. 14" laptop 2. Win7 w/ 4GB RAM 3. Esata port (not a necessity but would be nice). 4. HD camera card port 5. Quality keyboard and mouse pad 6. Excellent WIFI reception. 7. Average (business range) graphics and processor. 8. Better than average battery life (4+ hours). 9 $500 or less. 10. And of course the usual accessories like a CD/DVD burner/reader, USB2 ports, etc. Any satisfied consumers out there using recently purchased lappies/notebooks that could satisfy most or all of the above criteria? Thanks, John |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop recommendations.
Win7 PRO is preferred by me (the reluctant administrator) but I suppose
I could settle for home premium. Just out of curiosity: What does Pro give you that Home Premium does not? |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop recommendations.
On 6/25/2011 2:39 AM, Grinder wrote:
Win7 PRO is preferred by me (the reluctant administrator) but I suppose I could settle for home premium. Just out of curiosity: What does Pro give you that Home Premium does not? Mainly ability to join a domain and encrypting file system. http://www.intowindows.com/differenc...mate-editions/ |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop recommendations.
On 06/25/2011 02:39 AM, Grinder wrote:
Win7 PRO is preferred by me (the reluctant administrator) but I suppose I could settle for home premium. Just out of curiosity: What does Pro give you that Home Premium does not? XP app. compatibility to start, home premium does not have it. John |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Laptop recommendations.
Somewhere on teh intarwebs John wrote:
Laptop recommendations: The wife needs a new laptop used mainly for Internet and online low-res gaming (java board games *not* Duke nukem and the like) along with the occasional home business app. Word processor & spread sheet can be had for free so pre-loaded MS stuff isnt' needed here. It must run Windows as she seems allergic to Linux and is about as far from a techie as one can get. I really don't want to spend more than $500 and she prefers a medium sized comp in the 14" range as its almost always on her lap rather than on a desk. She says the 15.6+ sizes are too large and the 10" notebooks too small. Good battery life is a concern but more importantly strong WIFI reception as she is normally uses it on the floor above the home WIFI modem. I had to hook up a USB antenna receiver to her current laptop (an old Dell) to get acceptable reception. That can be pain on a laptop as the antenna is always in the way and prone to getting knocked out of the port. A responsive keyboard and mouse pad are also concerns. Win7 PRO is preferred by me (the reluctant administrator) but I suppose I could settle for home premium. 4GB RAM seems to the sweet spot for that operating system. A method of reloading Windows is an absolute must as she knows nor cares much about viruses (despite my lamentations) and is usually online 4+ hours per day. If I can get it for $400 then I could get a backup enclosure & hard drive for use on both of our comps, so Estata capability to match my work station would be a plus! A high density (4GB) smart card port for transferring pictures from cameras is also a need. Yea, I have a USB adapter but the little bugger seems to either be hiding somewhere about the house -or- left at home when she and the computer are out. I find it odd that people use card readers. Every camera that I've used has a mini / micro USB port. shrug To reiterate: 1. 14" laptop 2. Win7 w/ 4GB RAM 3. Esata port (not a necessity but would be nice). 4. HD camera card port 5. Quality keyboard and mouse pad 6. Excellent WIFI reception. 7. Average (business range) graphics and processor. 8. Better than average battery life (4+ hours). 9 $500 or less. 10. And of course the usual accessories like a CD/DVD burner/reader, USB2 ports, etc. Any satisfied consumers out there using recently purchased lappies/notebooks that could satisfy most or all of the above criteria? Thanks, John I wouldn't buy a 'new' laptop at all. I'd buy a 14" T60 ThinkPad (the last with IBM input, best ThinkPad made) in good condition, one with integrated graphics would be sturdier even than an ATI-equipped one, and get an eSATA expresscard for it. Max RAM is /only/ 3GB but they're bulletproof machines. Also there's that certain cache about using a *real* laptop rather than the flimsy bling things that everyone's making today. -- Shaun. "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Need laptop recommendations | MZB | Dell Computers | 3 | July 22nd 06 12:22 AM |
New laptop recommendations... | GT | General | 1 | May 18th 06 06:48 PM |
Buying a used laptop recommendations | leegold | Homebuilt PC's | 8 | December 11th 05 03:28 AM |
Laptop recommendations | rile | General Hardware | 3 | August 2nd 04 10:51 PM |
Laptop Recommendations | willjay | Compaq Computers | 0 | July 7th 03 04:39 PM |