Argh - NEED LAPTOP

[ferret]

I still haven't been able to decide this. I'd like a performance laptop, but I want a decent amount of battery life to it, on the scale of at least 2 hours. I want, at minimum, ATI Mobility 9600 /w 64 Megs of RAM, and hyperthreading P-4 (Athlon 64 is also an option, but if its Intel, it has to be HT, 800mhz FSB.. I don't want the crappy old 533mhz ones, even if the laptop's ram isn't DDR400), 512 megs of RAM minimum, 1024 prefered. I'd prefer a 7200rpm HDD, but 5400 will do in the end. About 40+ gigs. DVD read is desired, but don't care about DVD write. Most seem to come with DVD/CDRW combo drives anyways. 15.4"+ display is cool.

I also unfortunately must like the case design :( ..

My budget is capped around $2000.

[ds91]

WTF GET A DOTHAN BASED THINGY :roll:

[NewBreed]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=783154&Sku=H24-ZD7160US&CatId=1345
Here is one, but it uses GeForce

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=783161&Sku=H24-ZX5190US&CatId=1345
I liked this one but I know you said you are not a fan of HP computers.

[StealthMonkey]

You are a loser for not considering Dell because "the case looks funny"

[ferret]

You are a loser for not considering Dell because "the case looks funny"

Sorry, if I find the case outright ugly, and beyond my price range besides, that's that. Besides, Dell's are really shitty construction, and the tech support is all in India. I don't speak the language.

[StealthMonkey]

With dell you can upgrade from 1 yr limited coverage to 3 yr full coverage (dropping, spilling pop, etc) for $288 if you are worried about something happening.

And they got the new Dothan core in the Inspiron 8600. Yay, I'm getting one real soon. The one I'm getting will probably really close to (if not) the following one:

It comes to $2,161. Currently shipping is free.

Intel® Pentium®M Processor 745 (1.8GHz)
15.4in WSXGA+
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
512MB DDR SDRAM 2 Dimms
128MB DDR ATI's MOBILITY® RADEON™ 9600 PROTURBO
60GB Hard Drive
24X CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps)
Dell™ TrueMobile™ 300 Bluetooth Internal Card
3 years full coverage (including spilling, dropping, etc)

[StealthMonkey]

And also...

Intel P4 HT + Battery Life = Impossible

If you want HT, you get 1.5 hrs battery life.

If you want battery life, you get Pentium M.

:?

[ds91]

StealthMonkey knows where its at :X

[StealthMonkey]

StealthMonkey knows where its at :X*dances*

[[NAKED] Mithis]

I bought a dell desktop about 2 months ago and it's been pure hell dealing with them. The support is in india, they refuse to let you talk to managers. They are unresponsive and uncaring. Screw the warranty in my opinion if i had a choice unless dell moves thier support back to the usa i will never buy from them again.

[StealthMonkey]

I bought a dell desktop about 2 months ago and it's been pure hell dealing with them. The support is in india, they refuse to let you talk to managers. They are unresponsive and uncaring. Screw the warranty in my opinion if i had a choice unless dell moves thier support back to the usa i will never buy from them again.Why does support matter... I don't understand... Unless you need to get something under warrenty fixed... why the hell would you ever call dell?

[[NAKED] Mithis]

I bought a dell desktop about 2 months ago and it's been pure hell dealing with them. The support is in india, they refuse to let you talk to managers. They are unresponsive and uncaring. Screw the warranty in my opinion if i had a choice unless dell moves thier support back to the usa i will never buy from them again.Why does support matter... I don't understand... Unless you need to get something under warrenty fixed... why the hell would you ever call dell?

I had a bad pixel on my monitor. They tried to tell me and i qoute. All monitors mad with lcd's have bad pixels. The dang red dot was on the middle of my screen. Besides lcd's were invented 30 miles from here and i told them they were full of it. Finally after over an hour on the phone i got transfered to someone in the usa and they were like. They said what!!!! Then the retards sent me 2 replacement monitors. Then tried to make me pay to send the defective and the extra one back to them. I was lilke you got to be kidding why don't i just send the whole dang system back. So after about amonth they finally agreed to pay for the shipping but get this they said the pick up had to go to the address it was shipped to. Hmmm let me think about this one since i had moved that was impossible. Then finally they agreed to pick it up at my new place then the shipper never showed. So then they switched from airbrone express to ups. But the problem there is ups does not do residental pick ups when you request times. They do it when they can come. Well they came 2 times well i was at work so i had to take part of a day off just to be able to send the two monitors back.

[StealthMonkey]

That will teach you to order a screen with dead pixels...

[nOOB]

I didnt read all the reply because of lack of time but i got a Dell for $1200. the specs are below. It is from their outlet store.

www.dell.com/outlet/

P4 3ghz /533FBS
512mb ram. i think pc2100
40gig drive
nVidia go5200 32mb video card
cd-rw/dvd drive
high res screen <- very importent. make sure you get one.
overall nice little lappy. I get about 4 hours battery time with normal use.

[Uthor]

When I was looking at laptops about a year ago, many had an option of having two batteries. The second battery would take the place of an extra hard drive, or and extra optical drive, or the floppy drive. You'd get at least 3 hours on a setup like that. Of course, the extra battery cost some money, so I'm not sure how that would fit into a budget.

[ferret]

I could live with a 8600. Problem is, with the stats I want, its hefty price :P

Inspiron 8600
Date & Time: May 12, 2004 1:18:41 PM

SYSTEM COMPONENTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inspiron 8600 Qty 1
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 755 (2.0GHz),15.4in WUXGA, Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Unit Price $3,213.00

Inspiron 8600 Intel® Pentium® M Processor 755 (2.0GHz),15.4in WUXGA
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional WPXP
Memory 1GB DDR SDRAM 2 Dimms
Video Card 128MB DDR ATI's MOBILITY® RADEON™ 9600 PROTURBO
Hard Drive 60GB Hard Drive at 7200RPM
Dell® Wireless 1450 Internal Wireless (802.11a/b/g, 54Mbps)
72 WHr Primary Battery
48WHr Additional Battery for Modular Bay
Floppy Drive for Modular Bay

Goddamn Dell is expensive.

[nOOB]

like i said if you dont care if that thing is refurbed then look at www.dell.com/outlet i got my p4m 3ghz for $1,200 bucks. I love it. and glade i bought. now I just have to get interweb for it at work.

[ThriKreen]

Me personally, if I ever had the money for a laptop I'd aim for the Toshiba Satellite Pro M30.

It's a Centrino 1.5GHz machine though, but with 512mb RAM, 60gb HD, DVD/CD-RW, 15" wide screen LCD, wireless LAN, GeForceFX Go 5200, 32mb, firewire, built in Harmon-Kardon speakers.

Of course, it only fits my needs, I don't really care for high end gaming on the thing, even though it can still pull its own weight in that dept. It's a nice on the go media laptop I could use to do 3D modeling or watching DVDs while out of the house.

But damn, it was light and pretty nice for $2200cdn (website says $1550us).

[S.e.V.e.N]

ferret 7200 rpm are rare from what i hear. go with dell. my laptop kicks ass. and you can pay it per month. makes it a bit less painfull.

go for inspiron xps its about 2900$ but worth it.

Inspiron XPS Pentium®4 w/HT Technology 3.4GHz,15.4 WUXGA IX34PHN [221-4766] 1
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [420-3885][412-0408][410-0334] 11
Memory 1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz 1GB2D [311-3408] 3
Video Card 128MB DDR ATI's MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9700 AGP 8X Graphics ATI128M [312-0183] 6
Hard Drive Free 80GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive 80GBP [462-8272] 8
Optical Devices FREE 4x CD/DVD burner (DVD+RW/+R) Upgrade! (from Combo Drive) 4DVDRWP [462-8515] 16
Wireless Networking Cards No Wireless Option Chosen NOWIR [430-0799] 19
Bundled Software Productivity Pack with WorkPerfect® and Microsoft® Money Standard ICOREL [412-0398][412-0552][412-0556] 22
Security Software Norton Internet Security 90-day introductory offer NIS2004 [412-0628] 25
Digital Music Dell Jukebox powered by MusicMatch MMBASE [412-0516] 26
Primary Battery 96 WHr 12-cell Primary Battery with Subwoofer 12BAT [310-8836] 27
Carrying Case Exclusive XPS BackPack XPSBP [310-4771] 28
Limited Warranty, Services and Support 1 Year Limited Warranty plus 1 Year Mail-In Service ST111RR [950-9057][950-3337][950-3830][412-0361] 29
XPS Specialized Support Inspiron XPS, Specialized Support XPSSUPP [970-5927] 31
Dial-Up Internet Access No ISP requested NISPFSS [461-3063] 37
Digital Imaging Dell Picture Studio, Paint Shop Pro Trial, Photo Album Starter Edition DPS [412-0521] 38
Mail-In Rebate Offer SAVE $250 with mail-in rebate! System price shown before rebate Q2DH250 [462-9839] 56
Color Choice SKULLZ QuickSnap™ Cover SKULLZ [311-3452] 60
Peripherals for Home Setup No Floppy Drive Option NOFD [340-8972] 91
TOTAL: $2,949.00

[steaLer]

i bought a lappy last week. hp5120 for $999 from Circuit City.

15" WXGA
2.8 Intel M
512 DDR SDRAM
40 GB HD
128 MB ATI VCARD
DVD/CR-RW
802.11g

[NewBreed]

i bought a lappy last week. hp5120 for $999 from Circuit City.

15" WXGA
2.8 Intel M
512 DDR SDRAM
40 GB HD
128 MB ATI VCARD
DVD/CR-RW
802.11g

Very similar to my current laptop, I love mine and they are reasonably priced.

[StealthMonkey]

ferret... don't get the Pentium M 755... you pay a major premium for the fastest... get the 745... you'll barely be able to tell the difference... that's a $250 save.. is that really worth 200 mhz?

And ferret... get over floppy... that was so the 90's

And ferret... you should of acted soon, they raised their prices A LOT since I got mine laptop just last week. They had 15% before.. now its just $150 off... and at $3000, 15% is $450... which is $300 more than the curreny $150 gives you

[ferret]

And ferret... you should of acted soon, they raised their prices A LOT since I got mine laptop just last week. They had 15% before.. now its just $150 off... and at $3000, 15% is $450... which is $300 more than the curreny $150 gives you

I can't exactly 'act' until I have the money. :) *shrugs* Unfortunate that their sale ended, but there's always another.

[AirFoam]

ferret = patient grassh0pper

[steaLer]

chip prices are going up, i think. so are the memory prices...

[StealthMonkey]

my laptop has been in "pre-production*" for almost a full week now

* = time where we sit on our thumbs while you patiently wait for your laptop

****ing bastards, i'm calling them tomorrow if it isnt in production stage yet

[ferret]

Hrms. Top-tier Gateway 450 laptop.. decked out:


Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
Application Software: No application software selected
AntiVirus Software: Norton AntiVirus Software 90 day Introductory Offer
Processor: Intel® Pentium® M Processor 1.8GHz (2MB L2 Cache)
Memory: 512MB DDR SDRAM (2-256MB modules)
Hard Drive: 60GB 7200rpm Ultra ATA hard drive ........[ +US$30.00]
Additional Hard Drive: 2nd Modular 40GB Hard Drive ........[ +US$150.00]
Floppy Drive: Modular 3.5" diskette drive ........[ +US$29.00]
Optical Drive: Modular 4x DVD±R/±RW/CD-RW recorder ........[ +US$140.00]
Extended Service Plan Including Limited Warranty: Portable Value Service Plan -- 1 year parts/labor/no on-site/1 year technical support
Expansion Slots: Two Type II or One Type III PC Card Slots
External Ports: (2) USB 2.0, IEEE 1394 (FireWire), VGA, Parallel, Serial, and PS/2
Screen: 15" UXGA TFT active matrix and ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 w/ 128MB DDR video memory
Keyboard and Mouse: Full-Sized Keyboard, EZ Pad® and EZ Point® Pointing Devices Fingerprint Reader ........[ +US$10.00]
Multimedia Package: Integrated sound and stereo speakers, headphone/speaker jack, line-in and mic jacks
Speakers: External speakers not selected
Battery: High-capacity lithium ion battery with AC pack and 1 yr. limited battery warranty ........[ +US$22.00]
Additional Battery: Additional modular lithium ion battery and 1 yr. limited battery warranty ........[ +US$119.99]
Modem: Integrated V.92 56K modem
Network Adapter: Integrated Intel® 10/100/1000 Ethernet (Gigabit) adapter
Internet Service Provider: Six months America Online® Internet access
Integrated Wireless Networking Adapter: Integrated 802.11b/g wireless networking card featuring Intel® Centrino™ Mobile Technology
Carrying Case: Not Selected
Part Number: 1008112

$2600 .. $400 of that is extra modular stuff :)

[ferret]

Same thing, but minus the modular extras and with 1gig RAM instead of 512.. $2591

Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
Application Software: No application software selected
AntiVirus Software: Norton AntiVirus Software 90 day Introductory Offer
Processor: Intel® Pentium® M Processor 1.8GHz (2MB L2 Cache)
Memory: 1024MB DDR SDRAM (2-512MB modules) ........[ +US$310.00]
Hard Drive: 60GB 7200rpm Ultra ATA hard drive ........[ +US$30.00]
Floppy Drive: Floppy drive not selected
Optical Drive: Modular DVD-R/-RW/CD-RW recorder
Extended Service Plan Including Limited Warranty: Portable Value Service Plan -- 1 year parts/labor/no on-site/1 year technical support
Expansion Slots: Two Type II or One Type III PC Card Slots
External Ports: (2) USB 2.0, IEEE 1394 (FireWire), VGA, Parallel, Serial, and PS/2
Screen: 15" UXGA TFT active matrix and ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 w/ 128MB DDR video memory
Keyboard and Mouse: Full-Sized Keyboard, EZ Pad® and EZ Point® Pointing Devices Fingerprint Reader ........[ +US$10.00]
Multimedia Package: Integrated sound and stereo speakers, headphone/speaker jack, line-in and mic jacks
Speakers: External speakers not selected
Battery: High-capacity lithium ion battery with AC pack and 1 yr. limited battery warranty ........[ +US$22.00]
Additional Battery: Additional modular lithium ion battery and 1 yr. limited battery warranty ........[ +US$119.99]
Modem: Integrated V.92 56K modem
Network Adapter: Integrated Intel® 10/100/1000 Ethernet (Gigabit) adapter
Internet Service Provider: Six months America Online® Internet access
Integrated Wireless Networking Adapter: Integrated 802.11b/g wireless networking card featuring Intel® Centrino™ Mobile Technology
Carrying Case: Not Selected
Part Number: 1008112

[Kamie]

Notice me being the good wife and encouraging him to get the extra "protection" for if something bad happens to the laptop.

I also want to be on record as saying I want ferret to get a good laptop and do not mind spending a little bit extra if it means he is happy.

[kas]

Ferret is lucky to have you =p course I am sure their are hidden reasons behind that because I am sure you will get to use it as well Kamie! Hehehe. I want to get a laptop but I am just gonna use my dads spare old sony vaio one soon as I can reformat it. Not that I really need it I don't travel as much now.

[Kamie]

Nope. No hidden reason. ^_^ Other than the fact I will use his current computer much more frequently :)

[ferret]

:/

Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
Application Software: No application software selected
AntiVirus Software: Norton AntiVirus Software 90 day Introductory Offer
Processor: Intel® Pentium® M Processor 1.8GHz (2MB L2 Cache)
Memory: 1024MB DDR SDRAM (2-512MB modules) ........[ +US$310.00]
Hard Drive: 60GB 7200rpm Ultra ATA hard drive ........[ +US$30.00]
Additional Hard Drive: 2nd Modular 40GB Hard Drive ........[ +US$150.00]
Floppy Drive: Modular 3.5" diskette drive ........[ +US$29.00]
Optical Drive: Modular 4x DVD±R/±RW/CD-RW recorder ........[ +US$140.00]
Extended Service Plan Including Limited Warranty: Portable Value Service Plan -- 1 year parts/labor/no on-site/1 year technical support
Expansion Slots: Two Type II or One Type III PC Card Slots
External Ports: (2) USB 2.0, IEEE 1394 (FireWire), VGA, Parallel, Serial, and PS/2
Screen: 15" UXGA TFT active matrix and ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 w/ 128MB DDR video memory
Keyboard and Mouse: Full-Sized Keyboard, EZ Pad® and EZ Point® Pointing Devices Fingerprint Reader ........[ +US$10.00]
Multimedia Package: Integrated sound and stereo speakers, headphone/speaker jack, line-in and mic jacks
Speakers: External speakers not selected
Battery: High-capacity lithium ion battery with AC pack and 1 yr. limited battery warranty ........[ +US$22.00]
Additional Battery: Additional modular lithium ion battery and 1 yr. limited battery warranty ........[ +US$119.99]
Modem: Integrated V.92 56K modem
Network Adapter: Integrated Intel® 10/100/1000 Ethernet (Gigabit) adapter
Internet Service Provider: Six months America Online® Internet access
Integrated Wireless Networking Adapter: Integrated 802.11b/g wireless networking card featuring Intel® Centrino™ Mobile Technology
Carrying Case: Not Selected
Part Number: 1008112

$2,910 ... But it has EVERYTHING available. The only remaining performance upgrades possible would be more than a gig of RAM and/or a 2.0ghz Dothan Pentium-M. It has a 1.8ghz Dothan Pentium-M right now.

I can dump the extra modular HDD and bring it to $2760... $2730 without a floppy but I'm "old school" and a bit nervous of not having one for emergencies. I don't really need the HDD with a full featured DVD burner, but it'd be good to keep static files on, MP3s, AVIs, etc.

[ferret]

Inspiron 8600 Qty 1
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 745 (1.8GHz),15.4in WUXGA, Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Unit Price $3,120.00

Dell EPP/FSS customers: Save 10% off Dell Inspirons!
Expires Thursday, June 03, 2004 View Details
-$312.00

Catalog Number: 23
Sort
Module Description Product Code Sku Id
Inspiron 8600 Intel® Pentium® M Processor 745 (1.8GHz),15.4in WUXGA LP18PHN [221-4654] 1
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional WPXP [420-3231][313-2174][313-2208][412-0408] 11
Memory 1GB DDR SDRAM 2 Dimms 1024M2D [311-3188] 3
Video Card 128MB DDR ATI's MOBILITY® RADEON™ 9600 PROTURBO ATI128M [320-2902] 6
Hard Drive 60GB Hard Drive at 7200RPM 60G7200 [340-9766] 8
Power Adapter AC adapter - 65w, 19.5v 65W [312-0176] 9
CD ROM/DVD ROM 4x CD/DVD burner (DVD+RW/+R) including Sonic RecordNow and MyDVD LE 4XDVDRW [313-2194][430-0685] 16
Wireless Networking Cards Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps) IP2200I [430-0916] 19
Productivity Software Productivity Pack with WorkPerfect® and Microsoft® Money Standard ICOREL [412-0398][412-0552][412-0556] 22
Security Software McAfee Security Center w/ VirusScan, Firewall and Privacy, 90-day trial MCAFE90 [412-0636] 25
Digital Music Dell Jukebox powered by MUSICMATCH MMBASE [412-0516] 26
Primary Battery 72 WHr Primary Battery ADDBATT [312-0066] 27
Limited Warranty, Services and Support 3-yr Ltd Warranty w/3-Yr At Home Service + Complete PC Trg - SAVE $20 ATG3ST [412-0360][950-1000][950-1002][950-3339][980-4107] 29
CompleteCare Accidental Damage Service No Warranty Complete Care NWCCADP [970-1017] 33
Internet Access Options 6 Months EarthLink Internet Access Included ERTHLNK [412-0584][412-0625][420-3224] 37
Digital Imaging Software Dell Picture Studio, Paint Shop Pro Trial, Photo Album Starter Edition DPS [412-0521] 38
Additional Battery 48WHr Additional Battery for Modular Bay BATT2 [312-0063] 80
Peripherals for Home Setup Floppy Drive for Modular Bay FD [340-9639] 91
TOTAL: $2,808.00


Same thing from Dell, but without a modular HDD, and the DVD burner only does + mode, not - mode. Note the $3100 price tag. Its only cheaper than the Gateway above because of a 10% off promotion. Otherwise its the same stats, plus $300, and without the above two mentioned features.

Oh. The promotion also expires before I'll get around to ordering.

[StealthMonkey]

Oh. The promotion also expires before I'll get around to ordering.They will have another (possiblity better) as soon as the current one ends. They had the free shipping and 15% off.... then followed in up right the next day with a new one.

[ferret]

Oh. The promotion also expires before I'll get around to ordering.They will have another (possiblity better) as soon as the current one ends. They had the free shipping and 15% off.... then followed in up right the next day with a new one.

I still like the Gateway better :)

[Scorpion]

Dude your getting a cow!