Laptop Shopping - What Laptop To Buy
I am in the market for a laptop and it is actually my first one. Hard to believe that a computer engineer would never have owned a laptop, but it's true.
Anyhow, I have been shocked by the variance in prices and features from store to store and even within a store. I have a few basic requirements for my laptop. I have found very few models that contain all of these. They all seem to lack in one area or demand a huge price to upgrade to them.
The best packages for the cheapest price I have to say have been the Acer lineup so far. They even throw in an HD-DVD drive which I wouldn't even expect at this price range nowadays. A close second has been the custom configurations available with Dell.
| Feature | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Price | Under $1,000 |
| Processor | Intel Core2 Duo |
| RAM | Easy to Upgrade |
| Hard Drive | 120 GB |
| Video Card | Not integrated |
| Wireless | 802.11a/g and Bluetooth |
| Sound Card | Integrated |
| Operation System | Windows Vista Home Premium |
| Screen Size | 15 inch or less and widescreen |
This is a seriously hard setup to find in a lot of cases. I don't know why, but most places seem to skimp on one of these areas. The OS, Sound Card, Wireless, Hard Drive, and RAM I feel are very basic too. I'm not asking for anything great. The video card is usually the kicker. Very few notebooks that are considered high end have a discrete video card (not integrated).
Why I Want These Requirements
Here are a few explanations as to why I want these things for me. My goal is the best performance for my needs, at a reasonable price, that will last for a few years.
Price
That is just my budget range. I will go over it a bit if the deal looks okay, but I don't need to spend a bunch on a laptop.
Processor
You do pay more for having an Intel chip and especially for a Core2, but they have proven they have better power saving performance and better processing performance for multimedia applications. I re-encode a lot of video for my iPod, PSP, and DS so shaving time off it would be really handy. I also use Photoshop on a weekly basis.
That being said, if I found a laptop that had all the above requirements I would take an AMD Turion chip as well.
RAM
RAM can be a real rip-off when you are upgrading it through the store. I want at a least 2GB, but some places charge $100 for this. I was on Dell's site and configuring a laptop. They wanted $500 to upgrade an Inspiron from 1 GB to 4 GB of RAM. I can purchase that RAM for $140 from a local computer store and upgrade it in 10 minutes myself.
Hard Drive
Having a huge hard drive isn't critical for me. I have USB external drives that are far cheaper and more for storage anyways. I just need basic apps, the OS, and extra storage for some pictures and video. 120GB will do that for me. Plus, hard drives get cheaper over time so if I feel the need to buy another one, I will.
Video Card
I do occasional gaming and video cards themselves just improve responsiveness of a system. I have edited video on occasion and I use Photoshop, so having a discrete video card is important.
A discrete video card is one that has its own memory and isn't integrated onto the motherboard. They offer far better performance than the integrated cards. The technical specifications for a notebook video card should state whether it has shared or discrete memory. An excellent reference for video cards in notebooks is Notebook Reviews Mobile Graphics Card page.
I am not just interested in games either. Windows Vista has what is called the Aero interface. It just looks and feels a bit nicer (this is an opinion). Not all of the low end, integrated video cards are capable of even displaying it.
Wireless
You need 802.11 for internet today, that is no question. The bluetooth just gives you the extra flexibility for enabled devices to be wireless. The headset for Skype, mouse, keyboard, printer, cell phone, and the list goes on. Whatever will help cut down on wires in the future saves on the mess and the money to buy cords/cables.
Sound Card
Integrated sound cards are the cheapest and I don't really care that much so the cheapest one will be good enough for me.
Operating System
I want Windows Vista Home Premium because it is the basic new Windows OS that has the Aero interface. No sense in prolonging the inevitable, so I might as well get it now.
Screen Size
I don't want the 17 inch or desktop replacement types. The smaller the better, so 15 inch is as large as I will go.
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Category: Computers
Original Post: Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
2 Comments
Craig Ferguson Says:
2007-12-19 14:07:47
Hi mate, welcome to my world. I am also in the market for a new laptop, and one for Tanja. Although my requirements are similar to yours, I'd like a small screen - as small as my $1.5k budget will allow. The Dell XPS series (13.3") seem to be the frontrunners right now. This might be the one you are looking at... however it's priced at AUD$1,499 on www.dell.com.au Must be your proximity to the states that gives you cheaper prices than us... Also - you don't get Office preinstalled?
Hope all's well. Happy holidays.
Cheers.
David P. Says:
2008-08-13 18:04:56
My parents bought this for me for my 21st birthday. I use it as it was meant for: school work, personal works, and web browsing. I also would like to play older games on it like Brothers in Arms (2005). However, like most machinery does to those who will not dedicate many waking hours to it, my Extensa 5420 is acting up. Internet connectivity was severed after installing AVG Antivirus and it has a hard time running an old game like Brothers when it has the requirements to run something like Half-life 2. I write to you to know what developments your laptop came to. And (of course) if you combated them or simply returned it to the store. I still have my receipt.