Any Computer Geeks Out There?

[idratherbeinwdw]

I am going to buy a new laptop, the main purpose of which is to take to WDW to access email and go to webites such as this one. I am not a gamer. I would like a basic computer I guess, but one that works fast.

Anyone have any recommendations? I\'d really appreciate any and all advice. :goodvibes:

[idratherbeinwdw]

Bumping this up in hopes that someone who didn\'t see it yesterday will reply today. :fingerscros

[Stitch]

Are you replacing your current computer, or just looking to get a laptop for trips that you may or may not use as your primary computer when you are home?

[idratherbeinwdw]

Stitch wrote:

Are you replacing your current computer, or just looking to get a laptop for trips that you may or may not use as your primary computer when you are home?

I use a desktop pc at home. The laptop I currently take to WDW is from my job. It\'s an IBM thinkpad and it\'s really heavy, I want something smaller and lighter. Plus I am always nervous about something breaking, as the laptop really isn\'t mine.

As I\'ll only use it 4 or so times a year I don\'t want to spend a lot of $$ on this.

Thanks for replying TW! :stitch:

[TimK]

Stitch wrote:

Are you replacing your current computer, or just looking to get a laptop for trips that you may or may not use as your primary computer when you are home?

That\'s a good question to ask. You really can use a laptop as your primary computer these days.

I have a Dell Inspiron laptop that\'s about 3 years old. Most of the time it is connected to a 22\" monitor, full-size keyboard and mouse, and all the standard desktop peripherals (speakers, printer, etc.) To go mobile, I have 4 cords to unplug (monitor, power, speakers and the USB cord which links the printer, keyboard, etc.)

I bought what you would probably call an ultra-portable laptop. These days many laptops seem huge to me. When I decided I wanted a laptop, it was very important to be able to hold it comfortably in my lap--not to mention carrying it around the house. Mine has a relatively small screen--only about 13-14\". It\'s great for using as a laptop when it\'s held close. But my aging eyes really need the full monitor when I\'m at my desk and the laptop screen is about 2\" away from me.

Anyway, if you use your laptop as a desktop computer replacement, your entire life becomes portable without having to worry about syncing documents between two PCs. Just something like keeping your Internet bookmarks or email folders in sync between the two can be a headache.

If you decide to go the desktop replacement route, chances are all of your current peripherals will plug right into the laptop. Then you can just chuck your old desktop PC, give it away, sell it, etc.

Here are some general purchasing tips:

* Get one with at least 1 GB of RAM--preferably 2GB.

* Aside from the RAM, most other features are standard these days (wireless network, CD-RW / DVD drive, sound, USB, firewire, etc. Graphic cards will vary from one to the next but if gaming isn\'t a concern, you don\'t have to scrutinize that aspect at all.

* I\'d recommend a widescreen display.

* Watch the Sunday paper for deals at places like Best Buy and Circuit City. Each week they typically have a few bundles on sale at great prices.

* I\'d suggest actually trying out different laptops before buying. It\'s definitely one of those products you want to test drive before you buy. You may be favoring one particular model, only to find that you don\'t like the quality of the screen or that a peripheral connection is in a poor location.

* I can\'t recommend any particular name brands these days. I would stay away from generics, but I don\'t consider any of the name brand manufacturers (Sony, HP, Dell, etc.) to be more reliable than another.

* For a laptop, stay away from eBay! By their very nature, laptops take a lot of abuse. Hard telling how many times it\'s been dropped, had coffee spills, etc.

Hope that helps.

[idratherbeinwdw]

Thanks for the invaluable info Tim! My desktop computer is less than a year old, I wish I thought to replace it with a laptop and have a set up similar to the one you have. But as I didn\'t, I don\'t want to spend too much on this \"traveling\" laptop, as I don\'t need it to do much other than access email and websites.

I understand the \"stay away from Ebay\" remark. But is it also recommended to stay away from refurbished laptops? I\'d love to get by with paying under $400, as I will be using it so infrequently I am not sure I can justify much more.

I did see something that interested me at best buy, anyone have an opinion on this?:

Toshiba - Satellite T2330 Laptop - Onyx Blue

Model: A205-S5804 SKU: 8669951

Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core mobile processor T2330; 1GB DDR2 memory; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; 15.4\" widescreen; 120GB hard drive; Windows Vista Home Premium

Reg. Price: $599.99
You Save: $150.00
Sale: $449.99


SPECIAL OFFERS:On Sale

[Stitch]

I bought 2 used laptops, both macs, from a local Mom & Pop store. The way I see it is guy who runs this little shop lives on word of mouth reputation, so he\'s going to stnd by what he sells. With both I also bought an extended 3 year warrnty for $99. One of which paid for itself when a serious issue occured.

So, you can buy refurbished machines, but I\'d be careful to buy them from a very reputable sellers, someone you can drive right back to if there is an issue.

And you can\'t beat the price! One of the laptops cost $399 (plus the extra $99 for the extended warranty.)

[idratherbeinwdw]

Great info again TW, thanks!

I have one more question that might seem stupid, but I am asking anyway: I doubt I will make the new laptop purchase in the next 3 weeks, and that\'s when my next WDW trip is. If I bring along a power cord is there any reason to bring the battery pack in my work laptop? I think a good portion of the weight is in that battery. Can I just remove the battery and leave it home when I travel with the laptop? (Common sense says \"yes\" but we all know the old joke about what happens when you Assume....)

[mwehttam]

idratherbeinwdw wrote:

Thanks for the invaluable info Tim! My desktop computer is less than a year old, I wish I thought to replace it with a laptop and have a set up similar to the one you have. But as I didn\'t, I don\'t want to spend too much on this \"traveling\" laptop, as I don\'t need it to do much other than access email and websites.

I understand the \"stay away from Ebay\" remark. But is it also recommended to stay away from refurbished laptops? I\'d love to get by with paying under $400, as I will be using it so infrequently I am not sure I can justify much more.

I did see something that interested me at best buy, anyone have an opinion on this?:

Toshiba - Satellite T2330 Laptop - Onyx Blue

Model: A205-S5804 SKU: 8669951

Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core mobile processor T2330; 1GB DDR2 memory; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; 15.4\" widescreen; 120GB hard drive; Windows Vista Home Premium

Reg. Price: $599.99
You Save: $150.00
Sale: $449.99


SPECIAL OFFERS:On Sale

While not a big fan of Vista (told my boss when he ordered me a new workstation to keep it XP) the above is a good price for what you are getting. Toshiba makes sound laptops. I used one years ago at an old job and never had problems with it. I like the HD size. It is a goood size for all any digital pics you take while at WDW.

-Matt

[nono]

Vista Home Premium is a good product. Don\'t let anyone sell you Vista Home Basic. You might as well get Windows for Workgroups 2.0 installed instead.

Also, ask if you are maxed on memory or not. Some laptops don\'t have the ability to add much more memory and really you want it. The guy who runs our local liquor store moans to me everytime I see him (which for the record isn\'t much lately!) that he forgot to ask that with his last purchase, and he assumed he could jam more memory in. Well, he can\'t. His system is physically not capable of slotting anymore onboard memory, so he\'s miserable. And, Vista Home Premium alone requires the 1 gb of memory on your current selection. So, if you want to run applications, you\'ll want to have somewhat more than 1 gb RAM.

Good luck!

[idratherbeinwdw]

Thanks for the help/suggestions matt and nono! :goodvibes:

[Stitch]

Hey Mar, are you still looking?

I came across this article this morning. Maybe it will aid your search.

http://ptech.allthingsd.com/

[jbrowna]

If you really want something small and light, check out this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8781464&type=product&id=1205245967446

I got one of the Asus Eeepc 4G\'s for just the purposes you mentioned: email, some lightweight web surfing, etc. (no gaming or video viewing). This unit is no bigger than most DVD players out there, and probably even lighter. I got the linux model, but then loaded Windows xp onto it. It\'s going for $399 at Best Buy.

[idratherbeinwdw]

Yep still looking. Thanks TW and thanks JBrowna, I appreciate the help. :)