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Bubba1
Less is More
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join:2006-09-21
| Laptop recommendation?
Hi .. my first post here. If this is an acceptable topic, I'd appreciate any thoughts on a laptop purchase.
First, I've never owned/used a laptop .. though I've been 'puter'n many years. Just never had the want for one before now.
Recently, we moved from satellite internet (the only "broadband" access we've ever known prior) to DSL. I intend to network/share this DSL connection between our single desktop and a laptop.
(If network discussion is allowed here, I've never networked anything .. so, any advice anyone might wish to share about networking a desktop with a laptop would also be welcome. I've got it in my mind to do it wireless, but could also hardwire it. If such discussion isn't allowed, please disregard)
Later, I'm thinking, I may add a second laptop making it "his/hers" .. with intention to also include it into the network.
Primary uses for a laptop would be .. lazy-boy chair, family-room, at HD-TV (use with HD-TV system?? or, is this a different machine?) and access to general surfing, email and gaming (like Oblivion, in which, I'm still trying to find time for progression).
The only thing I've settled upon with the laptop is that it will be Intel based.
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"Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything" --Wyatt Earp | |
koam
Pink Pecker
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| I just got a pretty advanced 17" HP for $1050....and you could get if for a lot less depending on your selections...
$500 off coupon still works last I heard.
»[HOT Deal] $500 off HP Laptops- 17" C2Duo 2.5GHz under $1G
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Bubba1
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| Gadzooks!
Obviously, I didn't know this "Notebook" forum existed.
Lots of information here about laptops! 
Thanks for your reply, koam. I've never owned anything HP but have always regarded them highly as being well built.
Lot's of reading to do ..
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"Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything" --Wyatt Earp | |
PeteC2
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| Bubba1, although knowing where you are using your notebook (home/work/on the road etc.) is helpful, equally, or more important is "What are you planning to do with it?"
This is not all that complicated a question, but real, real important insofar as recommendations go!
I personally could care not very much about brand, or even if it is Intel versus AMD...that is not really at all important!
What is important is what you will use it for, and how you will use it.
For example: Are you a "gamer" in need of a discrete graphics card, or not? Makes a real difference in cost!
Do you require large amounts of storage space, or are you going to utilize an external drive for some of your storage? Do you keep lots of music files, or video content on your computer?
How about screen size? Are you going to travel a lot with this notebook, keep it primarily around the house, or for only occasional travel, or even perhaps use it primarily as a "desktop-replacement?".
If you can fill us in with some of this. then recommendations become tremendously easier (and accurate!)
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Bubba1
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edit:
April 7th, @12:10AM
| said by PeteC2  :What is important is what you will use it for, and how you will use it. Hi PeteC2 .. appreciate the reply and info. My delayed response due to reading and "building" units.
Well, as I kinda indicated in the initial post .. real desire is to network the machine. I near retirement. I see myself sitting in the LazyBoy (straight away from family-room TV), feet up (or, outside on decks or porches) .. surfing, email and some game playing. My game playing desires are to actually restart/and finish some of those older games I've never found time to play to completion. The Baulders Gates, Oblivion and such. I've never played online games and, though the new DSL affords first capabilities, am not very interested .. at least not now.
As for building units (HP, Gateway, Dell .. and looking on NewEgg), I'm a bit deflated. Thinking that a decent laptop could be obtained in the $700 to $1000 range (and, indeed, that may be a "decent" unit) .. allowed to select what I "think" I want easily pushes the price over $3000. I'm not going to spend $3000 for a laptop (I don't think) .. so, I'm going to have to scale my wants back.
Too, as I hinted at in initial post, we've just purchased an HDTV setup (TV, A/V Rcvr - 5.1 speakers, Blu-ray, DirecTV) and I also want to get that hardware integrated with a computer/net access. So, I'm not really sure if this requires a machine other than the laptop or, could the laptop be easily used in that role also?
edit: could be that, rather than purchase TWO machines (HDTV machine and laptop), I might would spend $3000 for a single laptop that served nicely in the HDTV/blu-ray area .. I don't know.
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"Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything" --Wyatt Earp | |
PeteC2
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| Well, it is easy to "scale up" what one would like in a notebook. If I just bought anything that I'd like...it would have a quad cpu, Nvidia 8800 sli, 4+gb ram, 500gb drive, and so on...
...but then the reality is that as a non-gamer, I really did not need all that much at all to be perfectly happy...and so I did get myself a $700 notebook...and it has been absolutely fine!
As I said, define your use, then buy accordingly. It is very easy to get carried away by features that you will never use. For example, although a ruggedized case sounds great, apparently your use is to be mainly around the house, yes? If so, why spend a lot of money on that feature? If you have the bucks to spare, no problem, but if you are trying to stay within a price range, decide what your uses are, and what machines meet those needs, and see if it ties in with your desired amount to spend.
It does not sound like you are going to be heavily involved with high-end gaming, so you don't seem to have a tremendous need for high-end video, although possibly something with a Nvidia 8400 to 8600 would give you some flexibility game-wise, without going overboard price-wise.
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Bubba1
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| said by PeteC2 :As I said, define your use, then buy accordingly. It is very easy to get carried away by features that you will never use. Sound advice, PeteC2. Thank you. I'm going to attempt just that.
Decisions .. decisions. 
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"Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything" --Wyatt Earp | |
PeteC2
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| said by Bubba1 :said by PeteC2 :As I said, define your use, then buy accordingly. It is very easy to get carried away by features that you will never use. Sound advice, PeteC2. Thank you. I'm going to attempt just that. Decisions .. decisions. Heehee, Yep, never said that it would be easy! So many laptops...so many features...only limited by how much we are willing to spend...
Of course, the one important thing about notebook buying is that you do want to tbuy every function that you will need...hard to add on to these little suckers, unlike desktops! It makes the decision-making process that much more important!
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...something is happening here but you don't know what it is...do you, Mr. Jones? | |
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