Ideas on Laptop purchase
 

Hi All

Iam thinking of purchasing a new laptop, and have been looking at Toshiba and Dell.

I was wondering if anyone has any opinions about either of these, ie good/bad points??

Any thoughts would be appreciated
thanks:D
Kate

I look up reviews online for any new products before I buy.
Check the manufactures websites for support & information also.

compare warranty
ease of retuning if needed for replacement or repairs

I don't have any hands on experience with either of those brands.

But improvements are made so quickly and laptops are limited by space as to how much they can be upgraded..
I'd buy a basic model that just does what you need it too and not much more.
Because it won't be long before the next faster one comes out.

You might make a list of what you plan to use it for and that will help you sort out what features , speed & memory you need.

Here's a really good Aussie site for comparisons of all things IT, Kate.
http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=WP_Laptop_Suggestions

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=WP_laps_by_price
By Price

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=WP_laps_by_category
By Category

Here's some more review sites for 2009 laptops -

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=lapto...fp=q07gBlqSm5s

I bought a new laptop recently with the help of one of our NT members who steered me towards Dell.

They have wonderful specials from time to time and I got a good discount. I also got a free upgrade, a free printer plus some other add ons that I can't think of right now.

I know you won't always get a discounted deal, but it pays to check out their site regularly if you're looking to buy.

I bought through their Australian website, and basically you build your own computer. You go through everything they have available and tick off what you want. So far I've been happy with my purchase.

Thanks for all your suggestions and links. I have been looking at Dell, but wanted to know if they are any good, as its always nice to know people who have a product and would recomend it. Thankfully I do have a brother in law who will be helping me with all the tech' stuff, ie what i need and don't need.
Once again thanks
Kate

I've never had anything but a Dell laptop, so I can't compare, but I love my Dell. I had to have a keyboard replaced and there was no cost. I like that..:D

Good Luck.

I have a 6 year old Dell pc and just purchased a Dell Vostros 1520 laptop which I love!! I got a really good deal as Dell didn't have the one I wanted so I got upgraded to this one which has more RAM.

I checked Consumer Reports and checked with friends and finally made a decision after two years of hem-hawing around. We are misers so wanted more for less and got it.

There are so many brands it really pays to shop around and compare like everything else.

One thing we don't like about a Dell laptop. Since my cord messed up (part my fault), we found that you can only use a Dell power cord. We have others but nothing works with it so we had to order one online. Now my DDs power cord and my new one are going bad. I can wiggle mine & it starts working again.

After thinking long and hard, I think that I'm going to wait til the end of the year, to see what the new Windows 7 is like, as I've heard not many good reports about vista, and removing it can be hard.......so I will bide my time and coddle this one for a few more months. But thank you all for your input, it helped me decide that its either a dell or toshiba :-) :-)

My Gateway has a sloppy power cord connection too.

I think it tends to be a weak spot in the design... or it can get worn out or loosened over time. {mine is a refurbished laptop}


i usually prop the cord with something to keep pressure on it.

More good ideas.. :)

Get the largest screen you can afford because some of the smaller ones are hard to see and difficult for us with vision issues.

I got a mini mouse on sale as I have tremors and the little mouse makes it so much easier for me.

Oh yeah; just thought of something else. ;)

I am not ready to change to Vista so I ordered my laptop with XP like my desktop. It came with a Vista too so I can install it later if I have to.

my wife just bought a little note book,,,made by Eee[ i thinkthats the logo on it] either way they are nice and are about 300 bucks

I've had Vista on my 2yo desktop from new, and it is perfectly fine. Problems may occur when you install it on an older machine, as compatibility is not always good, even if they say so.
Some older programs may not work as well, either, so you need to update them.
My daughter resisted Vista and stayed with XP, but when the laptop started to playup she bought a new Sony with Vista, and is very happy with it, none of the problems she expected.
You always hear the bad things, but the good ones aren't news.
That said, Windows 7 seems to be what Vista should have been, so why not wait for it?

Looking at new Desktop
 

I want desktop 'cause I 'think' it can hole more Ram, etc. I need something that can use to edit video. Any ideas on a good brand. I have always had Gateway in the past, but I heard they were bought out. ????
Thanks.