Question for computer experts

[Sara Micelli]

In the next few months, I will be getting a new laptop. What kind(Dell, Sony, HP, Mac, etc) would y'all suggest? Thanks in advance for any help.

[I am Roboto]

Originally Posted by Sara Micelli

In the next few months, I will be getting a new laptop. What kind(Dell, Sony, HP, Mac, etc) would y'all suggest? Thanks in advance for any help.

Most of the top-teir brands will work fien for laptops, I have always hated Dell, but I'm biased there. There is nothing wrong with their laptops. I generally would avoid Apple Mac laptops as it tends to make things easier, but if you are familiar with *nix-baed operating systems and the software you want to run has OS X-equivalents then my concern woudl be the fact that they tend to be way overpriced. You can also run Windows both natively and in hardware-accelerated emulation mode, but this is extra work.

I would be more concerned with teh specifications of the laptop - what are you planning on doing with it?

[Sara Micelli]

Originally Posted by I am Roboto

I would be more concerned with teh specifications of the laptop - what are you planning on doing with it?

It's mostly just for college. For instance, word processing and slideshows. The reason I was considering Apple, however, is because I also really love multimedia stuff(video editing, music stuff, etc).

If you don't mind my asking, why do you hate Dell?

[I am Roboto]

Originally Posted by Sara Micelli

It's mostly just for college. For instance, word processing and slideshows. The reason I was considering Apple, however, is because I also really love multimedia stuff(video editing, music stuff, etc).

If you don't mind my asking, why do you hate Dell?

Hehehe, my hatred of Dell comes mostly from their desktops. I have a bias against all OEM PC's. It's typically watered-down, BIOS-locked crap.

For laptops, however, you typically dont have a choice. You cant build your own. As OEM PC's go, for desktops and laptops, there is nothing wrong with Dell, it is merely my geek-related bias .

For multimedia stuff, you will typically want to get at least a dual-core processor. (Core 2 Duo or Turion 64 X2 - anything marked Centrino Duo is dual core as well) and most likely two gigabytes of RAM. This applies to Apple computers as well, though you wont have a choice of any CPU other than Core 2 Duo (which is fine because it is the reigning champ) You will also want a laptop with discrete (non-integrated, system memory shared) graphics abilities, something like a GeForce Go 7600 or higher, or ATI's equivalent is fine. I'm not sure what graphics Apple ships their notebooks with now. It used to bte the Mobile Radeon X1600 Pro, which is a capable (certainly not crappy) card, but it far from the best and is getting a bit dated.

As long as your applications run well in OS X, or you are happy using Windows as a dual-boot or emulated setup, an Apple computer is fine. I simply think they are overpriced, but that's going to be a person-by-person decision.

Wordprocessing and slideshows dont require much power (I can do wordprocessing on a 386), its the video editing that drives up the requirements & price tag. That & gaming are the two most power-hungry things as far as computing goes. Just something to think about when buying (evaluating the specific app, ect).

[Chelsea]

This is just my experience with laptops, as my experience with their desktops has generally been better (but only because I usually only use their desktops at home, and only some of the time. I'm mostly a laptop guy).

First laptop was an Inspiron 1150. Purchased in 2004. From the GET-GO there was nothing but problems. In the ONE YEAR I owned it the connector in which you plug in the AC Adaptor to charge the laptop broke off 3 times. I had a screen go bad, I had the ethernet (broadband) connector do the same thing as the AC connector (break off) twice....the thing was a piece of garbage.

Bought an Inspiron 6000 the next year as a replacement. Part (bottom corner) of the screen died, the shift key broke off, the touchpad broke, the laptop was extremely prone to overheating, and now I'm starting to have the same problem with the ethernet connector that I had in the first laptop. Also had a DVD burner lose the ability to play pressed (IE: Storebought) DVDs.

And the tech support is horrible. Most is outsourced, usually to India, so I had to frequently repeat myself to make myself clear. And recently it's gotten to the point they've been shipping me the parts and making me repair the problem myself.

I'll NEVER purchase a Dell laptop again. NEVER again.

[Sara Micelli]

Originally Posted by Seth

First laptop was an Inspiron 1150. Purchased in 2004. From the GET-GO there was nothing but problems. In the ONE YEAR I owned it the connector in which you plug in the AC Adaptor to charge the laptop broke off 3 times. I had a screen go bad, I had the ethernet (broadband) connector do the same thing as the AC connector (break off) twice....the thing was a piece of garbage.

This is what I have now, and it's given me some problems too. It overheats after about 30 minutes even if it's on a flat surface. I'm actually sort of reluctant to go with Dell again. Thanks for your input.

I am Roboto
It used to bte the Mobile Radeon X1600 Pro, which is a capable (certainly not crappy) card, but it far from the best and is getting a bit dated.

If you don't mind my asking, why do you say that it's dated? What are its shortcomings? Are Apple computers generally better for video editing or am I wrong about that? Thanks.

[theshark8777]

Macs will run Windows now too, so you can have the best of both worlds.

[I am Roboto]

Originally Posted by Sara Micelli

This is what I have now, and it's given me some problems too. It overheats after about 30 minutes even if it's on a flat surface. I'm actually sort of reluctant to go with Dell again. Thanks for your input.



If you don't mind my asking, why do you say that it's dated? What are its shortcomings? Are Apple computers generally better for video editing or am I wrong about that? Thanks.

The x1600 was a mid-range card when introduced and that's been awhile. It supports all current technologies (save SM 4.0 DirectX 10) but it's getting a bit long in the tooth for the most recent applications. It will do what you want, but it might be slower.

Apple's nowadays are the same as any other PC. Another reason I feel they are overpriced. The main difference is that they run a BSD/Unix-derived operating system (Mac OS X) instead of Windows. If your applications work fine on the Mac, and that's what you wish to go with, then it's probably fine - it's mainly a personal choice.

The Shark notes that you can run windows now, too, but that will require either running it in emulation (through Parallels) and taking a large performance hit (though not as much as it used to be as the newer Intel chips have some hardware virtualization assist capabilities) or using BootCamp and installing Windows yourself. This is an extra step which you may or may not want or feel comfortable doing.

[Sara Micelli]

So, what would be a good reason to switch from a PC to a Mac? I've been talking to people with Macs, and their main argument is that they're easier to use.

[Number 9 Dream]

I have a Gateway laptop that is pretty good so far I purchased it about 2 months ago and haven't had any major problems...

The only thing I can't stand is this Windows Vista

[Sara Micelli]

Thanks for the help, everyone.

After talking to you all, talking to people on other sites, and researching on my own, I've decided to get a Macbook.

[Chelsea]

Originally Posted by Sara Micelli

Thanks for the help, everyone.

After talking to you all, talking to people on other sites, and researching on my own, I've decided to get a Macbook.

Yay!

[theshark8777]

Originally Posted by Sara Micelli

Thanks for the help, everyone.

After talking to you all, talking to people on other sites, and researching on my own, I've decided to get a Macbook.

Yay!!

[Sara Micelli]

I take it y'all are Mac people? LOL

[Hollow]

Originally Posted by Seth

First laptop was an Inspiron 1150. Purchased in 2004. From the GET-GO there was nothing but problems. In the ONE YEAR I owned it the connector in which you plug in the AC Adaptor to charge the laptop broke off 3 times. I had a screen go bad, I had the ethernet (broadband) connector do the same thing as the AC connector (break off) twice....the thing was a piece of garbage.

that's been my experience. the piece of **** AC adaptor costs about $80 to replace and i just bought my fifth or sixth one in the two years i've had this laptop. there's just no preventing them from breaking. i always wondered if i was doing something wrong until recently when i read customer reviews for it that all said it broke every few months no matter how well they took care of it.