I have a budget of $2000 CDN – approx. $1450 U.S. from my Ph.D. Advisor to buy a laptop.
I need something that is not top-class but mediocre in features and functionality, and I would be ecstatic if I end up spending much less on the notebook and save a couple of hundred dollars for travel money to conferences etc.
If anyone’s recently bought one, let me know. I also need to talk myself out of “needing” a DVD or “needing” a CDRW … what features should I be definitely looking for in my purchase?
sony vaio at fry's electronics : p4(2.4 ghz processor), 40 gig diskspace, 512 meg ram, 15 inch screen, dvd-cdrw combo etc for around 1400 bucks. You can get a compaq AMD with more or less the same for about 200 bucks cheaper.
Totally depends on your requirements.
If you are going to use the notebook for a lot of complex computations, or activities which require a lot of processor power, then you definitely need a top of the line processor. Otherwise you don't need to spend extra money to buy a P4.
Secondly, if you travel a lot, then you want ultra-portibility + long battery life.
Check www.dell.com/tv for some good deals. Sony is also out with ultra-small, ultra-lightweight notebooks, which cost under US$2,000. Maybe you can find something for under US$ 1,500 too. Dell, I know is about $1,400.
You don't need Centrino, unless you are totally wireless. Their battery life is much better, but the price premium, atleast for now, makes them unpalatable.
Screen size 15" is more the norm. But 14.1" also do the trick.
Hard disk 20GB is minimum. You will need more, depening on your use. For normal business use (where you can back up older stuff to your uni server) 20GB should be enough.
256 MB RAM is recommended... but 128MB or 512MB are fine too.
So, the clincher is the processor. The notebook prices start from $700 all the way to $3,000 plus. Better brands are IBM, Dell, Sony and Compaq/HP. Toshiba is also nice.
You can get a laptop with dvd/cdrw for less than $2000cdn. Be more specific with your needs. Able to settle for Celeron? Or do you want a Centrino or P4? I personally skip the centrino, and buy a wireless card for a P4 or Celeron. But you might need built in wireless capabilities and longer battery life that centrino provides.
You might not need a P4, so go for a Celeron. A really good deal is theHP ZE4420 Celeron 2.0GHz Notebook at Futureshop. Its for $1,400cdn. It comes with a dual dvd/cdrw drive.
40gb, 256mb ram, 15" monitor, 2ghz celeron, dvd, cdrw, and others
It should be perfect. You can also get no name laptops, but I would’nt recommend them. If you want 512mb ram, theres theSony FRV23 2.0GHz Notebook . It’s for 1,700cdn.
When buying online, remember to equate the shipping and handling fee
^^ being an HP laptop user...i'd say avoid HP and Compaq. u never know what can just go wrong in HP. dells a pretty safe bet...and so is toshiba i think. and u can get a pretty decent dell for 1450USD.
wat is this M step technology (somethign like that) for pentium processors
Just buy one on e-bay (2nd Hand).
It may not be the latest processor, but you will be able to get all the accessories you want for a low price. Or look in the local papers and buy a 2nd hand one. I don't know about Canada, but you can buy one less than a year old for £700 in the UK with all the gadgets !!
£700 translates into $1525 canadian. Thats more than enough to buy a new laptop.
I recently bought a dell for canadian $2087(with tax).It's a p4 2.66 ghz 256 mb ram.I'm expecting it by the end of this week.:)
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*Originally posted by hskhan: *
£700 translates into $1525 canadian. Thats more than enough to buy a new laptop.
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yea but the new one in UK cost same in pounds what you speant in dollors there.
I would still agree to buy a decent 2nd hand , i bought Compaq e500 two years ago for 1500 pounds and its not worth more than 500 :(
anyway, in general dont buy DELL or Sony, they give you problem afer sometime and build quality is not that much nice.
go for toshiba, Compaq/ HP or IBM.
ok so here u go with no name notebooks in Richmond Hill, Tornto
Asus A2H Notebook
( With Built-in Battery )
Celeron-2.0G $1369
P4-1.8G $1459
P4-2.4G(533) $1519
P4-2.6G(533) $1559
256MB DDR RAM
AGP Video
30 GB HardDrive
DVD & CDRW Combo Drive
56K MODEM
Sound Card
10/100 Network card
Speaker / Microphone
4 USB Ports
15" TFT Display
Free Carrying Case
2#
Asus Portable D1
Celeron-1.7G $1179
P4-1.8G $1279
P4-2.4G(533) $1339
P4-2.6G(533) $1379
256MB DDR RAM
AGP Video
20 GB HardDrive
DVD & CDRW Combo Drive
56K MODEM
Sound Card
10/100 Network card
Speaker / Microphone
4 USB Ports
15" TFT Display
3#
ECS Laptop G731
( With Built-in Battery )
Celeron 2.0G $1199
Intel P4-1.8 $1289
Intel P4-2.4 $1349
256MB DDR RAM( 200pin )
20 GB HardDrive
DVD & CDRW Combo Drive
56K MODEM
Sound Card
10/100 Network card
Speaker / Microphone
4 USB Ports
15" XGA Display
............
4#
ECS Laptop G732
( With Built-in Battery )
P4-2.4G(533) $1529
P4-2.6G(533) $1569
P4-2.8G(533) $1669
256MB DDR RAM( 200pin )
Ati Radeon 9000 64M Video
20 GB HardDrive
DVD & CDRW Combo Drive
56K MODEM
Sound Card
10/100 Network card
Speaker / Microphone
4 USB Ports
15" XGA Display
............
5#
ECS Desknote
$899
Via 1GPro CPU
128MB SDRAM
4X AGP Video(Shares upto 64M)
10 GB HardDrive
8X DVD-ROM
56K MODEM
10/100 Network card
Speaker / Microphone
4 USB Ports
14.1" TFT Display
ok if u want more good deals just goto www.canadasys.com
looks like my work here is done
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Shak killS: *
anyway, in general dont buy DELL or Sony, they give you problem afer sometime and build quality is not that much nice.
[/QUOTE]
Have you ever owned a Dell, or even be near one? Their products are among the best. Perhaps their products are'nt the BEST. But they are equal to Toshibas or IBMs, or not far from them. And, I'm saying this as an owner of a Dimension 8100 desktop, and a user of a Latitude C840. Their tech support the best available. My cd drive died, and they sent a tech to replace it the next day.
Sony laptops have had a few problems, but that doesnt mean they are'nt worth buying. A friend of mine had a sony, and sony fixed all the problems without a word.
I'd fear these no-names above, not Sony or Dell.
whatever you buy..just make sure its not too heavy..a friend of mine bought a laptop from dell..its pretty loaded with all the features and for good money..but the damn thing probably weigh as much as she does..just make sure its not too heavy if u need to be traveling with it