Laptop investment…

[seocourse]

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So, it’s time to get a new laptop… but I can’t forget that usually my laptop suffer of the most horrible virus in the world.

Virus No 1. German Shepperd spreads hairs everywhere , specially when I work outside
Virus No 2. Dominic (18 months) usually tends to pull the cable and the laptop tends to fall, 2, 3 times per week from the sofa.
virus No 3. Sebastian (5 year old) tends to put play with the scree after after having vegemite and toast .

Obviously no anti-virus can solve this problems or even an anti-trojan….

so, my idea of investment is to go as cheap as possible… mainly because virus 1, 2 and 3 will destroy the laptop in less than 12 months.

So question to FS members: Is there any clear difference in the quality of the laptop you get vs the investment.

I can get a 4G RAM Laptop with Win 7, and all the tweaks and stuff for less than $800… so what’s the real point of paying more?

Any laptop geek to give me ideas?

[IT Advocate]

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Hi Seocourse,

These sorts of evaluations are exactly what I specialize in as an IT Advocate.

Buying a cheap laptop is fraught with danger, actually, let me rephrase. Buying an incorrect laptop for your purpose is fraught with danger (price has nothing to do with it).

I can relate countless stories of seemingly good value computer purchases going bad. These really have nothing to do with price, specification or brand.

[easychris]

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Do you have a link or a bit more information about the $800 laptop? I should be able to give you some advice with a bit more info, although desktops are usually my specialty.

Would a desktop as your main workstation (in a closed off room by the sounds !) and then a cheap laptop for your mobile needs be a more permanent solution for you? I hope you keep lots of back-ups

[seocourse]

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Hey EasyChris

Gab here… my home office is similar to the Batman Cave… 2 big PC monsters, with 2 big lovely flat screens… and on my left a lovely xbox and a flat LCD so I don’t loose my mind checking rankings and counting backlinks .

both laptops with 1Tetra-Book backup … many cables…

I’m looking at something like this (warning… ebay link)
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/HP-dv7-Pavilion-17-LAPTOP-2-80Ghz-BLU-RAY-HDMI-BEATS-/150515237332?pt=AU_comp_laptop&hash=item230b6841d4

I know is not a ferrari… but it seems OK… I mean… I will love the idea of selling the PC’s and being able to work ONLY on laptops.. but I don’t know it that idea is even possible..

cheers

[seocourse]

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IT Advocate, post: 58886 wrote:

Hi Seocourse,

These sorts of evaluations are exactly what I specialize in as an IT Advocate.

Buying a cheap laptop is fraught with danger, actually, let me rephrase. Buying an incorrect laptop for your purpose is fraught with danger (price has nothing to do with it).

I can relate countless stories of seemingly good value computer purchases going bad. These really have nothing to do with price, specification or brand.

Thanks mate.

The problem is I don’t know what the big difference of having an “expensive laptop” … keep in mind I don’t travel to clients sites and try to impress them with my laptop… so that’s why something under 1K seems fine…

[JohnSheppard]

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You can’t answer this question without knowing what you are using it for?

1GB RAM is ample for most uses (press control shift esc and go to the performance tab to see what you currently use)
The cheapest CPU is ample for most uses
The smallest hard drive is ample for most uses

The only thing that exceeds most uses above are;
Video editing
Higher end games
Higher end Photo Editing
Storing video
Probably a few other things I haven’t thought of

Other than that choose on screen size, keyboard quality, battery cells and trackpad you like…then just buy the cheapest..

IMO brand counts for very little in terms of quality.

[seocourse]

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may be I should ask…

what type of laptop do you have? (brand… model… happy with it.. cost?)

anyone working ONLY on their laptop?

[easychris]

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JohnSheppard, post: 58891 wrote:

You can’t answer this question without knowing what you are using it for?

1GB RAM is ample for most uses (press control shift esc and go to the performance tab to see what you currently use)
The cheapest CPU is ample for most uses
The smallest hard drive is ample for most uses

The only thing that exceeds most uses above are;
Video editing
Higher end games
Higher end Photo Editing
Storing video
Probably a few other things I haven’t thought of

Other than that choose on screen size, keyboard quality, battery cells and trackpad you like…then just buy the cheapest..

IMO brand counts for very little in terms of quality.

1GB RAM isn’t really ample anymore, and the rock bottom processors will end up giving you a less than desireable user experience.

OP:
Knowing what you are mainly using it for would be helpful but really, the $800 ebay listed one should satifsy most peoples needs. The only thing that concerns me is that it’s on eBay, otherwise it’s a good price for the features. Just note that it’s not exactly the most portable laptop around with such a big screen.

I agree with the “brand doesn’t really matter” sentiment, however you will notice a difference in the feel from brand to brand, and I’m personally not a fan of HP’s usually “plasticy” builds. ASUS have nice products.

[IT Advocate]

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seocourse, post: 58890 wrote:

the big difference of having an “expensive laptop”

Your missing the main point of my post,

“Buying an incorrect laptop for your purpose is fraught with danger (price has nothing to do with it).”

I can tell you the Holy Grail of answers to your question. But I’m not about to post it here into a public forum. Contact me directly for enlightenment

One thing I will state publicly, be carefull of Ebay. Why use ebay when there are many many long standing, well established e-tailers on the net offering great prices.

[IT Advocate]

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JohnSheppard, post: 58891 wrote:

You can’t answer this question without knowing what you are using it for?

1GB RAM is ample for most uses (press control shift esc and go to the performance tab to see what you currently use)
The cheapest CPU is ample for most uses
The smallest hard drive is ample for most uses

The only thing that exceeds most uses above are;
Video editing
Higher end games
Higher end Photo Editing
Storing video
Probably a few other things I haven’t thought of

Other than that choose on screen size, keyboard quality, battery cells and trackpad you like…then just buy the cheapest..

IMO brand counts for very little in terms of quality.

No offense, but this is terrible advice.

Microsoft minimum requirements for Windows 7:
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit).

These are minimum requirements, then add Office 2010, a few browser windows, anti virus, flash, java, PDF. Then throw in some headroom to cover for WIndows 7 updates and other software creep.

[JohnSheppard]

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IT Advocate, post: 58911 wrote:

No offense, but this is terrible advice.

Microsoft minimum requirements for Windows 7:
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit).

These are minimum requirements, then add Office 2010, a few browser windows, anti virus, flash, java, PDF. Then throw in some headroom to cover for WIndows 7 updates and other software creep.

Yeah the RAM is probably best off being 2GB…but….I’ve been running around with an Lenovo S10 Atom based with 1GB for several years, suited me back then still suits me now…there is NOTHING it doesn’t run quiet well from office 2010 through to visual studio other than video (which is fine in high power mode). What sets me back more than anything is the screen size.

I run a windows 7 64 bit install on on a old amd athlon thats about 4 years old (cheapest cpu at the time)…runs everything perfectly fine…and processors have come along since then.

But anyway, as I said, depends on what is being done with it, which hasn’t been answered yet and depending on what it is….yes the above may be terrible advice

[SalenaKnight]

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I can’t help you on all the specifics, but I can tell you I had mine imported from the US using priceusa.com. For 5% of the total cost, which in my case was $599, they bought and then shipped it over for me. On arrival, there were keyboard issues which HP fixed fine under warranty, though I did have to wait 4 weeks for the model to be uploaded onto the system

So my laptop cost me about $700AUD inc shipping, for a model that IF it was available here (it’s not) would have been close to $2k

FWIW I have the HPDV4

[AgentMail]

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I have the HP DV6 for one of my laptops. My use extends from web surfing, to catching up on the odd episode of the latest tv shows.
Have Windows Vista on it and Office 2007. Have never had any dramas with it, but then I don’t use it for much at all.

Having said that, I do more with my Dell desktop which is older and has a lower spec!

[WhereAreThey]

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Hi Seocourse,

The best laptop / notebook for your needs is the one that is best suited to your needs lol

What is needed from you is more information on software, hardware and general use of your current computer before anyone can give you any advise on what best suits your needs.

If as you have said the laptop will need to withstand impacts from falling of the couch and rough treatment from the kidlywinks then I would rule out a cheaper one however if you are of the mind that you expect your laptop to only last 12 months because of the treatment it will receive and are prepared to shell out for a new one every year then go for a cheaper one.

On the other hand if you are sick of replacement every 12 or so months then I would suggest that you look at going with the more robust laptop brands that are known for there ability to withstand more of the rough and tumble and are less likely to succumb to the usual affliction that laptops suffer.

A little bit more spent now may save you a lot in the long term.

[Jexley]

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Considering they sell direct and have stuffed customer service, nothing beats Dell’s website for a laptop price.

I operate my business solely off my laptop and, much like you Gab, have several viruses running around including a cat that likes to stick her head in any cup of water, spilling it onto any computer nearby.

I’ve been on a Dell since 2001 from back when I was in the US still, and as long as your willing to have stuffed customer service, you can get on their website and build your own for about $1000-$1500 and get a decent laptop.

Good luck mate.

[Author]

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