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Thread ID: 88938	2008-04-15 09:51:00	Buyer Guide for Notebooks	Extra200 (13630)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
659034	2008-04-15 09:51:00	The buyer guide on the PC World site is dated February 2006. Can anyone recommend an up to date buyer guide for notebooks? Just looking at the Asustek NZ site alone, there's a huge range of specifications. Thanks.	Extra200 (13630)
659035	2008-04-15 10:46:00	What's your budget? We can probably help you out more than a guide can ;) Welcome to PF1 BTW :)	jwil1 (65)
659036	2008-04-15 11:08:00	I don't buy laptops anymore, $$ and not upgradeable and I don't need mobility. I tend to look at the budget. Look at what is the better brand cos the whole dang thing is together as one piece. I look at the main specs that I need. I then look at the things I like, like pref size and weight, battery, memory card slots if I want, drive bay options but do keep them down to a must have, because one can go overboard and one does need to pay for each of these .. ie., are you going to be using a 2nd HDD for example .... I think generally for laptops, the more mobile it is the more $$. But this may not be for features or speed, because $$ lightweight laptops may cut back on the features to make them portable and still charge the earth for it. One of my earlier laptops which I am still using now for a couple of yrs was initially sold new for $5,000 which I got it used 1yr over at eBay and imported from the states.	Nomad (952)
659037	2008-04-15 22:00:00	Thanks for the prompt responses. My budget is flexible and depends on what specifications are presently considered essential in a notebook, ie how much RAM should it have? There's no point in having a budget which will allow only enough RAM to be useless in a short time given the continual bloating of all software. So my question is: what specifications are essential in a reasonably (about 2 years) future proof notebook?	Extra200 (13630)
659038	2008-04-15 22:11:00	There's no such thing as future proof. Laptops aren't upgradable so its even worse. Look for QUALITY not just specs. The longer the warranty the better. Stuff the 1 yr warranty models. I'm forever getting faulty ones in here, especially Acer.	pctek (84)
659039	2008-04-15 22:32:00	What are you going to be using it for? Games, Photoshop, Video rendering, just normal website and email and the spreadsheet/wordprocessor? How portable do you want the laptop, how big screen do you want? What you may find with the more portable ones is they are more $$, slower CPU and smaller screen and maybe less upgradeable RAM. The only thing you can upgrade is the RAM, and to an extent the internal hard drive. I had a quick look the RAM can be upgradeable to 4GB which should be plenty for most users. That particular one is around $2500 and weigh 2.6kg which is about 2x the weight of some of the lighter ones. If you are wanting more RAM, you really should not be using a laptop and be using a "workstation" with 64bit windows. For these days 1GB or 2GB is v good for normal work. So a 4GB should be plenty IMO.	Nomad (952)
659040	2008-04-15 22:52:00	I'm using my 3rd IBM and its v solid, all bought used, but because laptops are generally $$ and non upgradeable and I don't need the mobility, I am not getting anymore. The reason I got IBM because it was solid, it was black :D, the keyboard design is the same as the normal PC keyboards without some keys squashed at the sides, I know the earlier Toshiba was like that .. like the Page up/down etc buttons are in the same 6 formation but just placed above the backspace button. It has a lot of drive bay options, should you wish to use that. Just my current laptop I had to use the warranty which had a 3 yr after buying it 1yr used - I got great service from IBM - overnight courier new HDD and overnight courier new modem/lan card and the CDROM was replaced when the fabric sleeve at the door was loose. It has a few neat things like a lamp on the screen do you can continue working in dark (like in an aeroplane), flash/compact flash card reader, titanium top cover.	Nomad (952)
659041	2008-04-16 05:04:00	Lenovo Thinkpads are absolutely awesome! Rock solid and as Nomad said, they look good too.	beeswax34 (63)
659042	2008-04-16 06:49:00	I'll have a go with the question . IBM makes great laptops . To answer your specifications question . We need to know what you use it for . For normal work or university etc . I would suggest just a cheap new laptop . Get 1GB of RAM for XP windows or 2GB for Vista windows . You should not need to worry about CPU and stuff . Memory are so cheap, you can easily sell a old module and replace it with a larger size . 2yrs ago I bought a PC RAM 1GB for $100, today it cost like $30 . If you are using the laptop for normal stuff, I prefer to buy a new cheap laptop each yr or two, than buy an expensive laptop and hope it will last me for a 2 or 3yr . Why spend $1500 or $2500 for a laptop, when you can just get one for $1000 or less . I would 4GB of RAM supported is a good one but if you have to pay more money for that laptop, I am not sure if its worth it . Cos why not just buy a new laptop after 2yrs when its had its time . If you are into more heavy applications, you would need to spend more bucks, likewise if you are after a more portable version . The more portable laptops may not support as much RAM . . . that is something to be aware of . . . . . If you wanna pay big bucks for a laptop and just hog it for 2 or 3yrs, then I suggest spending around $1500-2500 . But I still prefer 2 or 3 new cheap laptops via that time .	Nomad (952)
659043	2008-04-17 02:54:00	My brother is a senior manager in Houston working for HP/Compaq and he reckons Toshiba is one of the very best brands. Having said that, I bought a 2 y/o IBM Thinkpad from Trademe. It never came with recovery discs so I called their support and, surprise, surprise - spoke to a techie (in aus) that tried to talk me through it and we found I had a corrupted recovery partition so he asked my address and 2 days later a set of 6 recovery discs arrived free of charge. Most impressive service, indeed. There you go Toshiba or Lenovo (IBM).	Fishb8 (484)
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