I can’t decide what laptop to buy? Can you help, please?

January 28, 2009 32 Comments
Topics]HardwareAuthor]

My old Laptop.The time has come to buy a new Laptop, and I need some help. My old Toshiba is slowly heading towards retirement, it has been for quite a while, I have grown quite attached to it, and have been refusing to acknowledge the inevitable (we do get attached to computers, don’t we? Maybe it’s just me). It might be the thought of a new laptop, and starting all over again. (Is this starting to sound like a love story?) All settings were just perfect on that old laptop, I can’t remember exactly how I did it.

Why is it so hard to choose a new Computer or Laptop, I never, ever know what I want or what I might need. I am not a gamer, so a super-high-singing-dancing-lights-bells-whistles Laptop is not for me. I also don’t want a laptop with RAM that is lower than my age that crashes as soon as you whisper the word Photoshop. Somewhere in the mid-range would be perfect, to me that is $500 – $800, and not $1500 – $2000 as quite a lot of sites seem to think. Ok, I will settle for lower-mid range, how about that.

Where do I get it from, who can I trust, whose reviews are honest and have my interests at heart? I have read a few reviews and they all tell me how great the specs are, how great it looks. I am not looking for that, tell me how reliable it is, tell me how responsive it is when I am running 20 applications in a single session, tell me will it find its way home when I leave it on the train (that would be great).

Here is a thing, I don’t like Vista, I do love XP. So that narrows down my search even more, unless someone can tell me why I should use Vista and how it will make my working life easier. As for a MAC? It is great, the price is a little steep. Not only that a MAC looks that pretty, I always think you would be more of a target from thieves, better with a generic looking style, nothing flash.

The laptop needs to have a 15inch screen, nothing bigger. Anything bigger can not be classed a laptop, are they not called a desktop replacement? The laptop needs to sit on my lap and not make my legs feel like I have stopped sending a decent supply of blood down there, nice and light then. But not light enough that I will forget its still there when I stand up for the toilet, and drop it on the floor.

In a nut shell, I am looking for a laptop with the following specs: Just like my old one, not too cheap and definitely not too expensive, big enough for my lap, not to light as it falls, XP, enough RAM for two dozen applications and (most importantly) that it will find its way home after I have left it on a train (I really have done that).

Oh, one more thing, I don’t like smooth touchpads, my old Toshibas was rough (I should say it had grooves), I actally felt as though I was moving the cursor (do you know what I mean?).

Can you help? Please? I know I have put a humorous slant on this article, but really I am struggling to find a laptop I like.

About the Author: (552 Articles)

Paul Andrew is the editor and founder of Speckyboy Design Magazine. You can follow Speckyboy on Twitter, on Facebook, on Digg or you can subscribe via RSS.

Comments and Reactions

  • http://elitebydesign.com Brian

    Personally, I have a hard time believing you will meet all of those specs in the low $500-800 range. I’m a Mac guy, and have been for the past two years – my MacBook with one gig of RAM has been running Photoshop like a breeze alongside other apps with no problems. Plus, the $999 MacBooks just upgraded their specs, so now they are much better for the same price.

    If you aren’t looking for a Mac, than I guess I can’t help you out. Best of luck finding a new PC!

  • Anonymouse

    MAC is a Media Access Control, aka a MAC address.

    A Mac, on the other hand, is a computer made by Apple.

  • http://webstandard.kulando.de Webstandard-Team

    What’s up with an ASUS Eee PC 1000H? Too small?

  • Bascule
  • Adam Foster

    Anything amazing that happens to me I want to spread to the people I love and trust. I have bene a PC user for my entire life. I switched to a 15″ macbook and I have not looked back. I now have a 24@ iMac and my children have an older iMac. You will absolutely not look back. This is my promise to you.

  • http://siolon.com Chris Poteet

    For PC’s I always suggest Sony Vaio. I think they make the best PC laptops.

  • cssProdigy

    Invest in a Mac. It’s worth the money.

  • http://makinmyway.wordpress.com Marco

    A Dell studio 15 could be the laptop for you. Cheap but powerful, starting at $650 i think.

  • Jeeremie

    Sony’s laptops are greats but way too expensive. It is like buying a macbook. But yesterday, I came accross a dell called XPS. Nice stuff. However it had windows vista. In my company they were only using Dell. The support was great. If your motherboard was dead, you had a guy come with a new one the day after and replaced it in just one hour. But it was for a company as I said. I believe it is a different story for an individual.

  • http://www.webmaster-source.com redwall_hp

    You could go with a refurbished last-gen MacBook. You can get one for $850 with 1GB RAM and 120GB HD. Just order some more RAM from NewEgg and slot it in when the laptop arrives. http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

  • http://brams.dk Torben

    Make the move and go for a MacBook – you will not regret it…

  • Sylvain

    You can buy a Dell Latitude : you can configure the specs, component are good quality and you can have accessories like extra battery !
    P.S. : Look at the E-Port ;)

  • Andrew

    My vote goes to Apple – Since I made the move last year I’ve neva looked back. Had the intention of using Windows and Leopard… I’ve neva used Windows since.

  • http://stylelion.com Merewald Valletta

    I have a Sony Viao, and I love it to death. Not sure if that helps. But it does suit my needs perfectly (and it runs photoshop well).

  • http://www.imagomedia.be Tom Hermans

    I had the same problem as you, couldn’t decide, ’til I bought myself an Acer Aspire (with Vista) last weekend and am loving it already. Installation went super smooth, all my apps installed like a breeze etc..

    dual HD 640GB, 17in screen, Core 2Duo processors etc..

    MacBook is nice, but I got myself a HD videocam for the extra money.
    Plus: it feels in fact “just like my old one”, don’t have to throw away all those little apps I’ve collected and got used to working with.

    type: Acer Aspire 7730G-734G64MN

    greetz,
    Tom.

  • http://marketfuse.net Jim Wagner

    I just bought a Toshiba Satellite PSLE8U, for $600. Has 3g memory, a huge and bright 17″ screen, 320g hard drive, webcam. Love it. My girlfriend threw coffee on my older Toshiba, which lasted me 5 years. Miss that great laptop. Lost all my files too. Oh well…

  • http://phastafrican.wordpress.com phastafrican

    A dell studio 15 or xps m1530 would be a wonderful acquisition mate… if Vista is a real deal breaker, checkout the dell outlet. same warranty as newer computers, much cheaper. (www.dell.com/outlet)
    Like many of the guys here, a macbook would be a sweet investment.. 6hr battery life, loads of fun blogging with it too.. i know we’re suppose to be helping you decide instead of throwing tons of options so here’s my personal pick.. DELL STUDIO 15 (4GB option) Its a wonderful machine.

  • gabel

    ————————
    Macbook recommendation:
    ————————
    As some other comments already did, i just can recommend the macbook (got a 13″ – i like it more portable and work on a large tft @ home for development). i was a windows user and still am (except server administration) and after 1 year i’m really happy to have a macbook (including a upgrade to 4gb ram for 33€ = 42$).

    every application i need runs fine
    - Adobe CS (of course it does :D)
    - Eclipse Ganymede PDT/JBT, Aptana
    - JBoss Application Server + Seam
    - XAMMP
    - Office Mac 08′ (no VBA support *damn*)
    - Remote Control on Windows Systems is even easier and if you really need Windows (XP, Server 03, Se7en) some times u can run it smoothly in a VM (Parallels 4 or VMWare Fusion)
    - X11 SSH Connections
    - WebDAV, SFTP, mail, calendar, music
    …running simultanious

    The new macbooks are damn expensive, but if u can get your hands on a “old” one (the model with 2,4 Ghz C2d!!! aka. MB403D/A) for less than 1k$ u get a pretty nice piece of laptop! You should check out the display differences in a store.

    And if you won’t feel happy with Mac OS you can install native Windows byside..

    This seems like a Apple Ad or applehpile comment, but i just love the quality of the macbook
    + 3 to 6h without AC (clearly depends on what you’re doing)
    + magnetic AC adapter
    + a native shell :D
    + silent!
    + not as hot on my legs like other laptops
    Of course you can run all of these apps in a Windows/native Linux environment to.

    ————————————
    General advises/alternatives:
    ————————————

    Alternatives for me are the Dell XPS Laptops Series and the IBM/Lenovo X Series (>1000$). But you need to check driver support for WinXP.

    I think it’s clear, that you can forget all Netbooks if you ‘really’ work on your laptop.

    You should defenitely look for a good CPU (Intel T8300/8400) and at least 2GB RAM (depends on OS aso.)
    Check the real without AC runtime (if it is important for you) in forums, comments, reviews.
    i can recommend notebookcheck.com because they collect reviews for nearly every notebook.

  • gabel

    Addition:

    you can check also out the Lenovo IBM ThinkPad R61 with Intel C2D T8300 with a 14.1″ display, up to 5h without AC available from 599€ (775$)!! the best value for money offer i could find that fast.

    PS: great work u do with that blog!!

  • hakim

    Things to care:

    Are you always on the move with the laptop? (3-5 places to stop by in a day) Try the standard laptop, look for laptop around 1.5kg.

    If you’re really on the move, 6+ places a day, try Atom or small sized laptop. They should be less than 1kg (usually 900g) If you designs in photoshop with 200ppi res a lot, then don’t get Atom because of its small screen.

    Take care of your body. We get to be young ONCE.

    If you CAN, try buying laptop with its replacement battery that is cheap. You can carry that extra battery for long journey, without worrying having to recharge at random place and wait for hours.

    Rats know their place around like the back of their hand, when and how to lose and escape from their chasers. If you know what I meant.

    For me, I always had these two in minds before looking at specs.

    2 dozens apps on XP? Try laptop with 2GB DDR2 RAM (4GB is good, if you use stuff like photoshop on 300ppi res; complex designs)

  • http://blog.emobilez.com/ Sajid Iqbal

    I’ll suggest your DELL Inspiron 1525. It perfectly suites your requirements.

  • Venkatesh

    i am dell user for last 3 years. dell laptop price is reasonable and worthable. now i m using dell studio 15 its good laptop for web developers and designers. it works fast. better buy DELL

  • Bascule

    I’ve just noticed that my Medion link below doesn’t quite do what I thought it would do – It was the Medion® Akoya® S5610 Laptop that I had in mind for you. Not sexy exactly but a good machine for the money. Worth a look…

  • Zack Mayo

    I’m in nearly the same position as you, and have been browsing the Web looking for an answer. I haven’t decided yet, but did you ever notice how, even though Mac users only make up a small proportion of the marketplace, they routinely make up, like 50-100% of the user comments? It’s inevitably, “Buy a Mac!” “Get a Macbook!” “I used to have a PC but now I have a Mac…” Even though you specifically stated that you don’t want one, you’ve got at least 10 people telling you to buy one.

    To Mac user, their computer isn’t a computer, it’s a lifestyle choice. Asking their opinion on computers is like inviting a door-to-door missionary into your home, which is exactly why I’ll probably never buy one.

    I’m leaning towards a Sony or Lenovo myself, although my price range is about double what you are looking for. Would stay away fom HP/Compaq unless you get a looong term warranty.

  • Pugz

    http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9164343&type=product&id=1218040476937

    If you liked your Toshiba than I think this fits your bill. Only knocks I have are 5400rpm drive is slower than I like, and warranty isn’t very long if you’re hard on your systems. 2ghz C2D, Wireless N, and 512MB dedicated video are the key reasons I recommend. 64-bit Vista is the way to go if you have already invested in Windows software. Windows 7 will be out soon and you can drop 80 bucks or whatever to upgrade if you want. I think piling on Vista should be a sport at the Special Olympics. (Every 1-legged hater likes to knock something they’ve never used, XP is dead).

    Don’t let the fanboys try to talk you over to the darkside (Mac)… Do you really want to relearn how to do EVERYTHING? Oh, I forgot it’ll read your mind and make you a sandwich… Last I checked Photoshop usually doesn’t ship with dual licensing… Unless you want to dual boot Windows, which will add to the price of an already overpriced product. Vaio’s are great if you like paying for a name (and so you can see it in movies, which is what you’re money will go to).

    I’ve only worked with a handful of brands, but I’d rank em Dell, Gateway, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba, Acer, Asus. Obviously not every product from Dell is better than the others, etc, etc. The D Series Latitudes are everywhere and solid, but don’t waste your money on used stuff if you’re spending $600+

    Hasta

  • Pugz

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220342R

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220459

    http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10009447

    Couple more links for ya, as I love to window shop. I have heard HP and Acer might be lacking a bit lately, but I wouldn’t recommend against any of the brands I mentioned really. If you find a good deal online, go find a similar model at the store and toss it around to check the build quality, etc.

  • http://www.secureonlinecasino.org/ SecureOnlineCasino

    always depends on what will be its use

  • menekse

    i want a laptop to but im gonna get a shiny bright one

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  • Nickie

    Oh…..my dilemma too! What did you decide in the end?

  • Admin

    I eventually Bought a Dell Studio 15 Laptop, with 15.6 inch screen. I am very happy with it.
    Thanks for everyones help.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TK2O6O3T7USB47OOIR76L5RXYU Prateek Panchal

    I would tell, which ever you buy just go for the brand HP or Compaq……Cheers!!!