Need Laptop Suggestion

[18rabbit]

Re: Need Laptop Suggestion

I wanted to thank everyone for their input. All of it has been very valuable. Since starting this thread I’ve been following up on all of your inputs it by reading reviews, faqs, primers, getting a contemporary education in laptops.<br /><br />Intel’s Centrino (a.k.a. the Pentium M) is a godsend for saving batt resources and reducing heat build up in a laptop. Also has some advanatges for wi-fi.<br /><br />The performance differences between laptops is negligible for most non-gaming applications. Heavy graphics processing is still best done on a desk top pc. Perhaps some diff in screen brightness, but everyone is now using quality displays. Big diffs in build qualities. <br /><br />Somewhere along the way laptops were defined as being in one of 5 diff categories based on size, weight, and portability. Some are better than others for certain applications. When was a ‘tablet pc’ invented!?!?! I wasn’t paying attention.<br /><br />I guess Wi-Fi wasn’t good enough. It now has to come in three flavors, A, B, and G. When did that happen!?!?! I wasn’t paying attention. And what happened to flavors C, D, E, and F?<br /><br />Right now I am leaning toward a Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad T43. The build quality is unsurpassed for a portable computer, the application I am looking for in a laptop.<br /><br />Dell has a very strong following. If I wasn’t traveling as much as I expect to be, and if I wasn’t living in California, I’d probably go that direction. Seems Dell is pushing the industry on features and performance of laptops for the price. Did any of you Dell owners read the ‘purchasing agreement’ before you bought your Dell? That agreement can be a show stopper for me. You are basically agreeing to negate your protections for product quality and warranty that we have under federal and state laws. It is especially derogatory for anyone living in California.<br /><br />What’s putting IBM on top of the list for me:<br /><br />- Build quality.<br /><br />- Comes with a std 3-year warranty, 1-yr warranty on the batt.<br /><br />- Optional 3-yr accident (drop it, replace it) warranty is $99.<br /><br />- Extensive service centers and support network.<br /><br />- The warranty is transferable to international coverage with a phone call. Free.<br /><br />- For a limited time, free 2nd batt with any laptop purchase.<br /><br />- One of the best batt life/run time of the laptop crowd.<br /><br />- The power supply is voltage sensing, can be used anywhere internationally.<br /><br />This is kind of interesting ... Dell’s “free shipping, just pay $29 handling fee” offer doesn’t look as attractive when you compare it to the typical cost of shipping a laptop, about $12 to $15, as per Lenovo. Fwiw, Lenovo is offering free shipping thru the end of this month. Free, as in “free” ... no handling charges that cost more than the normal shipping.<br /><br />Thanks again to everyone!!!<br />

 

[ratracer]

Re: Need Laptop Suggestion

Note that 'Centrino' is an Intel marketing term for a system that includes all 3 of the following:<br /><br />- Pemtium M processor<br />- Intel 915 Express OR Intel 855 chipset family<br />- Intel PRO/Wireless network card<br /><br />If the system doesn't have all 3 of these, it can't be marketed as having Centrino technology, and it won't have the Centrino sticker on it.<br /><br />The Celeron M is one of the few Celeron-labeled processors that actually isn't completely crippled when compared to its bigger brother. The major differences between the Pentium M and the Celeron M are:<br /><br />- Celeron M has half the L2 cache of its Pentium M brethren (either 512KB vs 1MB for the initial version, 1MB vs 2MB for the current generation)<br /><br />- Pentium M supports the 2nd generation of SpeedStep, which allows the processor to run at a number of different voltages and speeds. If the machine isn't running flat out the CPU will throttle itself back, which reduces both the amount of heat it produces AND the amount of power it consumes. The Celeron M doesn't have this feature, so it can't cut back as much on the amount of power it uses when it is idle. <br /><br />As a result, on the average a Pentium M will give about 10-15% better performance than its direct Celeron M counterpart, while using about 10-15% less power. The Pentium M therefore gets you on the average a somewhat faser laptop with somewhat longer battery life. Whether or not it's worth the price delta is up to you.<br /><br />As for the Pentium M being an expensive chip, it's based on a design by Intel's division in Israel as part of a project to develop a low-cost compatible alternative to the Pentium-4. As it turned out, the design turned out to yield a reasonably fast CPU that was MUCH less power-hungry than the Pentium-4 variants (and as it turned out, Athlons) yet was compatible, and Intel decided to market it as being especially suitable for the laptop market. <br /><br />Scooch_2 is right about the Opterons being very fast processors. Our evaluations at work have shown $20,000 Opteron machines running rings around $100,000+ servers from other vendors. Unfortunately, they're not really suitable for laptops because they are also power-hungry.

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Need Laptop Suggestion

Somewhere in all of the laptop reading I have been doing was something that said a lot of laptops are essentially Centrino except they can’t be marketed as such because they use a 3rd party wi-fi card, not the Intel Pro/Wireless. Somewhere else I also read mention there was some kind of optimization for wi-fi when the three elements of the ‘Centrino’ pkg are altogether, but didn’t mention what the wi-fi advantage was. Anyone know???

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Need Laptop Suggestion

My experience is limited to Dell and IBM.. I crried a Dell for three years. This was used at work in a corporate environment every day and then utilized nealry every night at home.<br /><br />The Dell exhibited the following problems:<br />1) If left in the docking station turned on, it would develop HD overheat problems and would simulate a failing HD. Letting a cool for several hours made this go away.<br />2) the keyboard/integrated mouse and trackpoint became very troublesome. the Trackpoint would drift endlessly depending on how the keyboard was handled<br />3) The dang CD drive would never stay in. I had it fly of its socket several times as I was handling the unit.<br /><br />Other than that it worked fine. I will say I was itching to get rid of it when the lease was up.<br /><br />I switched to an IBM T42. We used to call them Stinkpads but lately they have been very good. The T42 is a very solid machine and works as expected. My only complaint is that the integrated wireless drops the connection alot. I am not sure if this is a device problem or not but my old $10 wireless card I used in the Dell never dropped like this. When using VPN, this is a real hassle.<br /><br />I like Dell, as that is what I have for a home machine (desktop). But the machine I had was very frustrating.

 

[ratracer]

Re: Need Laptop Suggestion

Originally posted by 18rabbit:<br /> Somewhere in all of the laptop reading I have been doing was something that said a lot of laptops are essentially Centrino except they can’t be marketed as such because they use a 3rd party wi-fi card, not the Intel Pro/Wireless. Somewhere else I also read mention there was some kind of optimization for wi-fi when the three elements of the ‘Centrino’ pkg are altogether, but didn’t mention what the wi-fi advantage was. Anyone know???

You're correct that there are a lot of laptops that aren't badged as using Centrino technology because they don't use an Intel wifi card. <br /><br />The "optimization" you're referring to right now is only an optimization of Intel's profits. <br /><br />Intel's marketing tries to infer that you will get better performance/compatability with other vendors wifi equipment if your laptop uses an Intel wireless card, but given that the industry Wi-Fi Alliance has certified a whole range of vendor gear as being interoperable, the Intel claims are more smoke and mirrors than a real benefit.<br /><br />Intel HAS reportedly developed an integrated chip that bundles all the components necessary for wireless operation. IF they are able to bring this to market, it may offer a tangible benefit because of lower power consumption (and the associated benefits that will bring such as longer battery life) than the other vendors hardware, but for now no such benefit exists.<br /><br />Bottom line: there is nothing wrong with the Centrino technology or with any laptop that has been certified as being Centrino-compliant. However, don't be misled by marketing-speak into believing that these laptops are inherently better than those which are not compliant.

 

[KRS]

Re: Need Laptop Suggestion

I just bought a brand new Dell Inspirion 600M with upgrades 3 months ago.... now we are having a financial crisis and I need to sell it <br /><br />I have the Internal wireless, upgraded to 512RAM, DVD player, CD burner, comes with a wireless router for your house (dell brand), only one battery, nice dell upgraded case, I paid $1,200 and will sell for $900. It is in perfect shape.<br /><br />WinXP, 1.6ghz processor, 221MHz, 512 Ram, internal modem, internal NIC, 2 USB ports onthe back, full size printer port, TV output, and fullsize monitor plug, touchpad mouse, etc etc etc.<br /><br />Let me know if you are interested and I can answer any questions you may have. Thanks for considering.

 

[tomatolord]

Re: Need Laptop Suggestion

roger my t42 drops the wifi connection as well. what i noticed is that if i let it go into sleep mode WITH the vpn connected I am hosed..<br /><br />If only the screensaver comes on I am ok.<br /><br />But there are occasions when it drops the single 2 or 3 times. <br /><br />A dell I had never did that.

 

[dhud64]

Re: Need Laptop Suggestion

I recently bought this Acer laptop. http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/Sear...rd=AS3003LCI&searchSection=All&go.x=8&go.y=11 <br />I'm no computer geek but I love it. The battery life is crappy, but for the sale price of 539.00 I couldn't resist. I figured I could buy 2-3 of these things for the price of some of the high end stuff I saw. What sweetened the deal even more, was that when I bought it, you could get a free wireless router and canon printer with the deal! I bought two of them! The other, is my daughters home computer!

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Need Laptop Suggestion

Originally posted by azfyrfyter63:<br /> I have the Internal wireless, upgraded to 512RAM, DVD player, CD burner, comes with a wireless router for your house (dell brand), only one battery, nice dell upgraded case, I paid $1,200 and will sell for $900. It is in perfect shape.

Thanks for the offer. Sorry to hear about the financial hardship. IBM comes with a std 3-year warranty and has an extensive international support network. I will be out of the country more than in it for then next couple of years; otherwise I wouldn’t be buy a laptop. I'm placing an emphasis on the int'l support.<br /><br />Hopefully someone else can use your machine and will give you a fair price for it.

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Need Laptop Suggestion

Originally posted by tomatolord:<br /> roger my t42 drops the wifi connection as well. ...

From what I have been reading wi-fi flavor “B” (most popular, the first wi-fi) works on the same frequency as BlueTooth and cell phones; dropped connections and data loss are not uncommon. It has inherent problems with interference. Flavor “A” (second attempt at wi-fi) doesn’t transmit as far, but is on a diff freq with much less potential for interference; overall a more robust connection. Flavor “G” (the new kid on the block) uses a freq similar to “B” … same issues with interference?!?<br /><br />I’m out of my element with this but...if your wi-fi is 802.11b/g (common default wi-fi with the T42) that may explain the problem. Perhaps your loss of wi-fi signal is due to external interference.

 

[BF]

Re: Need Laptop Suggestion

If you haven't taken the plunge yet, you might want to have a look at the Fujitsu lifebook series. I got one of their smaller ones (one size larger than their ultra small one) about 3 months ago and am quite happy with it. It's much lighter and more battery effiecient than the dell that I replaced. If you are really gonna be luggin it around, I'd suggest you sacrifice some screen size for a lighter smaller package. 4.5 lbs to 7.5 lbs is a huge difference.<br /><br />While you're buying it, buy a good sized (1 G or better) USB memory stick... keep your work backed up on it. Then if you drop/kill/loose it or have your computer stolen, you're not SOL for all your files. Good practice anyway, but especially for mobiles.

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Need Laptop Suggestion

Thanks for the tips. I’ll get one of those memory sticks from Costco.<br /><br />I took the plunge this morning, wouldn't have been possible without everyone's input.<br /><br />THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR ALL OF THE HELP & INPUTS!!!<br /><br />Here's how it played out:<br /><br />IBM T43 ThinkPad (model 2668-H8U)<br />Pentium M 770, 2.13mhz w/2mb cache<br />1gb 533mhz ddr sdram<br />15” TFT UXGA (1600 x 1200)<br />ATI FireGL V3200 w/128mb dedicated graphics ram<br />60gb 7200rpm hd<br />dvd-rw/cd-rw combo drive<br />wi-fi 802.11a/b/g + Bluetooth<br />2 batts<br />wireless mouse<br />a little under 5-lbs w/o 2nd batt<br />4-yr warranty, int’l coverage, includes fix/replace for accidental damage.<br /><br />I asked, if the plane crashes it is considered an “accidental drop” so they will replace the laptop.<br /><br />Fwiw, weight isn’t an issue for me, but might be different for sherpa/woman. Maybe I should get her something with wheels on it?