Recommendations for a Good PC Notebook

[topgunn]

I just configured and bought a new work laptop for myself (had to be windows). I wanted/needed a large screen, integrated number pad, decent video, fast hard drive, docking compatible and good build quality. Little did I know that one desire would severely limit the field. Very few laptops comes with integrated 10-key pads.

Long story short, I found the Gateway M680. It has a 17" widescreen, 1.6GHz Pentium M, 512MB RAM, 40GB 4200RPM HD, 10-key num pad, x700 64MB RAM, 4 hours battery life typical use from my experience, and very light for its size all for $1,199 + tax. That was a steal in my opinion. I added a 7200RPM HD, another 512MB of RAM, overclocked the 1.6GHz PM to 2.13GHz, bought a dock and carrying case all total for an extra $350.

The build quality on the computer is great. It's not a Powerbook but it is better than Dell or HP in my opinion. I have always like Gateways laptops.

Edit: Apparently the M680 is now the NX850 (Catchy new name). Here is a picture

The new price is $1,399 but it now comes with X700 w/ 128MB, 80GB 5400RPM HD, 1.73GHz Pentium M, and a DVD Burner.

 

[sushi]

Hi Folks,

I already have a sweet PowerBook 15" 1.67ghz that I'd never trade away.

But I'd like to have a windows laptop on the side just for games and that occcasional software program that won't run on the Mac.

Price Range (1,500-2,000)

Centrino or Athlon?

Definetely a Dedicated Video card, none of that integrated intel "dynamic" video crapola, and a nice screen.

What do ya'll recommend?

Thanks in Advance.

I won't recommend a specific model, rather I will give you some points to consider/test.

1st: Check the display. Make sure that it is suited for your intended purpose. Many new laptops come with reflective type displays which are great for DVD viewing but suck for extended text/spreadsheet type data. Also, as you know via the PB15, a cinema type display is very handy.

2nd: Test the keyboard. To do this, recommend that you try typing some text that you have never seen before. This way you can get a feel for the keyboard. Many laptop keyboards leave a lot to be desired.

3rd: Check your connectors. Make sure that they are spaced so that you can use them as you desire (when you have everything plugged in that you want.)

4th: Check the form factor with regards to your carrying method. I've seen numerous laptops damaged when someone is in a rush and puts them in the carrying bag too quickly (which is easy to do). Doors, PC card slots, connectors, etc. can be damaged. So if you are in a situation where you are going to be carrying your laptop often, this can be important.

5th: The Power Brick! Some are huge and heavy. If you travel internationally, the voltage range is important...and so is the frequency. We Apple users are spoiled in this regard. Our power supplies are 90-240 volts and 50-60 Hertz.

6th: Fan noise. Some can really be noisy. This is okay if it doesn't bother you. Depends on your use. Something to consider.

7th: Athlon good. Others not so good! Just a rule of thumb. Pentium Ms can be okay. If I have a choice, I will go with an AMD product.

8th: Warranty and support. This can vary greatly. Also check what it will take to get your laptop fixed. Can you go to the local store, or do you have to return to the headquarters?

9th: WiFi access (802.11b/g). One thing that I have discovered, on average the WiFi works great with Apple laptops but not so with all other brands. Some have terrible receiption. One of my students could not get his to see my AirPort Express 10 feet away. Granted there were obstacles in between, but my PB15 easily picked up the signal where as his did not. I've seen this with other PC laptops to the point that it seems almost common.

10th: Hard Drive size and speed. Unless you need the space, I would suggest at going with a low end size. You can always upgrade in the future when the prices drop and the capacities go up. You could even get a new HD for your PB, move the PB one to the PC, and the old PC one to an external HD.

There are many great PC laptops out there. Sometimes it can be hard to choose. I hope my comments helps a little.

Good luck.

Sushi

 

[Euan]

There are many great PC laptops out there. Sometimes it can be hard to choose.

I totally agree. They are lots of models with similar specs and only 1 or 2 different features/specs that separate them.

 

[zelmo]

/\
Great post, sushi.

Got my wife a Sony Vaio laptop last November (S170: Pentium M 1.5GHz, 512 RAM, 40GB hdd, CD-RW/DVD, 802.11b/g, 13.3" screen, 4.2 lbs, XP Pro), which she loves. It has run great and, between SP2, Firefox, and some MacAfee s/w, we haven't had any issues with security or slowdown of the machine.

If I had to ditch my PB for a PC, I'd go with another Vaio in a heartbeat.

 

[homerjward]

ill put in a vote for the 6000d. i think the newer ones are available with hypermemory cards! (pretty much half dedicated memory, half accelerated system memory, but with a dedicated gpu and a hell of a memory clock.) with the 9 cell it gets great battery life. but one warning--the way it keeps so cool, even with a 2ghz pentium at 100% usage is it's as loud as my emac! (which is why i returned it--also gotta love dell's return policy and also complete care. you can literally throw it down the stairs and they'll ship you a new one.)
edit: the screen's only good if you get the wsxga+ or the wuxga+. the wxga is crap.

 

[sushi]

/\
Great post, sushi.

Thanks!

/\ Got my wife a Sony Vaio laptop last November (S170: Pentium M 1.5GHz, 512 RAM, 40GB hdd, CD-RW/DVD, 802.11b/g, 13.3" screen, 4.2 lbs, XP Pro), which she loves. It has run great and, between SP2, Firefox, and some MacAfee s/w, we haven't had any issues with security or slowdown of the machine.

Sounds great!

A general suggestion for PC using folks. Windows XP is fine, but it gets garbled (for a lack of a better term) after using a while. Usually about the 3-6 month point it will start to slow down.

What I recommend, is to set up the laptop (or desktop for that matter) the way that you want it. Then back it up via Ghost, Drive Image or ???

Then when your computer goes South, it is a matter of restoring vice reloading everything.

I usually partion my HD into two portions. One for the OS, Apps and such. About 10GB. The other partition is for my files.

I save the images to an external USB FAT32 formated HD. Then burn CD/DVD of the images. The reason for the external drive, is that I usually format with NTFS and sometimes the protection system messes accessing the images to burn to CD/DVD.

Just had to restore a computer yesterday. Took all of 50 minutes (Faster than using the XP CD to repair the installation). BTW, most of the time was spent waiting on the computer. Sure beats 3-4 day set up time to get everything tweaked.

YMMV...

Sushi

 

[sushi]

I totally agree. They are lots of models with similar specs and only 1 or 2 different features/specs that separate them.

I hear ya.

Here in Japan, it's gotten to the point that it makes my brain hurt at times trying to figure out which model is best for a particular need.

Only thing that I am tending to shy away from, based upon much feedback from other users, is the bright reflective type screens. They are cool to look at, but to use is another thing. Playing DVDs and such are okay. Using one for text type work is a bear after a while.

In my case, I can look at my PB15 or similar screen for many hours before I need an extended break. With the reflective type screens, I last about 20 minutes before my eyes tire. I hate seeing my face (reflection) and objects behind me while I type. It is totally distracting. Especially under bright overhead lighting.

Sushi

 

[shadowmoses]

I would definatly go for an IBM Thinkpad, ugly to some but personally i find its design minamilistic and professional....They are superbly built machines which will last you ages, i'd definatly go for a Thinkpad over a Vaio, and i wouldnt go for anything but a Thinkpad or a Vaio if looking at PC laptops,

ShadOW

 

[budugu]

Wait till the IBM wide screens?

Lenovo has recently said that it is going to roll out Z series a widescreen version of T series in black or titanium finish! If you need it now i say look at HP/Compaq nc82xx or nw82xx (x600 128MB or ATI fireGL 3100/51xx) or think pads T if you want something on terms of the powerbook (both are 1.1 inches or less thick! with magnesium alloy casing and atleast a pound lighter than powerbooks!). If you want multimedia + Media center + other fancy stuff remote control etc ... try DELL inspiron 9300/XPS 2.

 

[moonislune]

Go Dell not Sony

Just my 1 cent, but I've gone through at least 6 pc laptops in the last 5 years (all new) including compaqs, dells, and vaios. Dell gets my vote (if you're going to buy a laptop pc).

Parts and upgrades always seem to be readily available, cheap, and their quality has been consistent (especially compared against compaq, hp, and sony).

While I prefer Intel, your choice on intel vs athlon really isnt that significant as you're going to have to replace this laptop in a few years anyway, because it will be outdated (PCs have a short shelf life).

I liked my 2ghz vaio notebook (the screen was also very nice) but Vaios have a long history of poor engineering. I've had 2 new ones both with memory problems (for some reason, Sony can't solder the memory housing on right). Vaios also run a little hot. Sure they look great but you probably wont get the longevity of your powerbook with a vaio.

 

[0098386]

Gericom make very cheap feeling but very powerful systems. heck, the model i paid £999 for almost 2 years ago is still going tough. runs HL2 no problems. and the screen is unbelievable. 15" at 1400x1050. its good.

but its no OSX

id wait for Mactel. even if you can't install Windows like you can onto a standard PC, then emulating in Virtual PC will provide a near 100% speed, i reckon!

 

[drake]

I agree with everyone who said "IBM" T-series. You rarely hear complaints about this line of computers, Sony's, you hear lots of complaints. Sonys are all style, no substance.

 

[Dunepilot]

I have Dell laptop which I can't fault and value for money there was no competition. However I wouldn't buy another, the service from Dell (at least in the UK) is appalling.

The current machine was replaced by insurance so I let the insurance company endure the pain of delivery. If it was left to me I would have looked elsewhere. In fact if it was left to me I would have gone the Apple route.

One of my workmates had her Dell stolen and then replaced it with an iBook with the budget the insurance company gave her. Needless to say, she's spent the last two weeks in Nirvana with the iBook (her first Mac) after the spell with Dell.

 

[Dunepilot]

I would definatly go for an IBM Thinkpad, ugly to some but personally i find its design minamilistic and professional....They are superbly built machines which will last you ages, i'd definatly go for a Thinkpad over a Vaio, and i wouldnt go for anything but a Thinkpad or a Vaio if looking at PC laptops,

ShadOW

Sorry for the double-post. When I used to sell all of these differerent brands of PC laptops, Sony had a very poor track record of reliability, and IBM were the tanks that everyone says they are. The Thinkpads are very robustly built, and if I ever had to have a laptop to run Windows (God forbid), I'd choose a Thinkpad.

<-throws iBook into rucksack, unprotected, loving its solidity.

 

[berkleeboy210]

I just configured and bought a new work laptop for myself (had to be windows). I wanted/needed a large screen, integrated number pad, decent video, fast hard drive, docking compatible and good build quality. Little did I know that one desire would severely limit the field. Very few laptops comes with integrated 10-key pads.

Long story short, I found the Gateway M680. It has a 17" widescreen, 1.6GHz Pentium M, 512MB RAM, 40GB 4200RPM HD, 10-key num pad, x700 64MB RAM, 4 hours battery life typical use from my experience, and very light for its size all for $1,199 + tax. That was a steal in my opinion. I added a 7200RPM HD, another 512MB of RAM, overclocked the 1.6GHz PM to 2.13GHz, bought a dock and carrying case all total for an extra $350.

The build quality on the computer is great. It's not a Powerbook but it is better than Dell or HP in my opinion. I have always like Gateways laptops.

Edit: Apparently the M680 is now the NX850 (Catchy new name). Here is a picture

The new price is $1,399 but it now comes with X700 w/ 128MB, 80GB 5400RPM HD, 1.73GHz Pentium M, and a DVD Burner.

Just Ordered one of these.

The Specs of mine are the following:

1.73GHZ Pentium M
1Gig 533mhz DDR2 RAM
80gb 5400RPM HD
8x DL DVD Burner
x700 Graphics