New Laptop Help

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jdoggivjc

Well-Known Member
Sep 27, 2006
59,423
20,940
113
Macomb, MI
I've had good luck with my Toshiba for 2 years now.

I wouldn't spend extra money for a huge hard drive, considering how cheap external hard drives are now.

I have 3gb of ram and it's fast enough. Mine is expandable up to either 6 or 8 gb. Faster is always better, I'm not the most patient.

I've bought my last two laptops from Best Buy. I've always taken advantage of their extended warranty too, which has paid off for me multiple times over with my previous laptop (Gateway). It's definitely a handy place to look, and their accident proof extended warranty basically covers everything for 3 years.

My laptop is still good, but I already can't wait for it to take a dump so I can get a new one. I want an HDMI output so I can link this up to my tv better. I stream a lot of movies and tv and I don't pay for cable so this would be a nice feature for me.

EDIT: Also, every computer nerd I've ever talked to has recommended ASUS. I don't know why.

I think it depends on the kind of laptop you're getting. If you're looking at buying something that will primarily be an "internet machine" but something that will also manage your digital media files and some other minor things, odds are you're not going to spend much more than $500, if that, and in that case I would not buy the extended warranty. Something like that would just be more cost-effective to replace the machine, and if the warranty is $100-$200, you're looking at an insurance policy on a machine that is 1/5 to 1/3 of the cost of the machine, all upfront. That just doesn't make sense to me. However, if you go the route I'd go, where you buy a "desktop replacement" machine where you're using the machine to play some games that have intense 3D graphics and playing large video files, where the machine is going to be in the price range of $1000-$1500 or even greater, then yeah, the $100-$200 warranty up front probably isn't that bad of an idea as you're protecting a much bigger investment at that point.
 

bos

Legend
Staff member
Apr 10, 2006
29,671
5,256
113
I'm normally a Mac guy, but I'll behave :smile:. I actually do have a PC related question.

I own a PC laptop (an ASUS eee 701) and love the little guy. Anybody know anything about their full-size hardware?

I have always liked their boards. Not sure about their systems, but if they are affordable enough, take a shot.
 

dmclone

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
20,690
4,810
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50131
I usually just buy a cheap dell and have never had any issues besides one dead battery. This time around when my wife needed a new laptop I found a Gateway and I really like it. I think these are pretty close to the specs.

HDMI out-Really like this
4gb ram
500gb HD
Intel I3
Don't know the video card.
 

joefrog

Well-Known Member
Apr 29, 2008
8,075
2,371
113
Clive, Iowa
I'm normally a Mac guy, but I'll behave :smile:. I actually do have a PC related question.

I own a PC laptop (an ASUS eee 701) and love the little guy. Anybody know anything about their full-size hardware?

My laptop for over a year has been an ASUS. Love it. Bluray player, HDMI out, 1gb vid card, and all for less than a grand.

Browse for yourself:

Asus Laptops & Notebooks at TigerDirect.com
 

jdoggivjc

Well-Known Member
Sep 27, 2006
59,423
20,940
113
Macomb, MI
I usually just buy a cheap dell and have never had any issues besides one dead battery. This time around when my wife needed a new laptop I found a Gateway and I really like it. I think these are pretty close to the specs.

HDMI out-Really like this
4gb ram
500gb HD
Intel I3
Don't know the video card.

Intel I3 is always going to be paired with Intel integrated graphics - which isn't a bad thing if you don't plan on doing anything that requires a GPU that can handle intense graphics.