If you were getting a new laptop,

[Diannecp]

and wanted to stay around or under $1,000, would you go for a Dell, have your local computer shop build you one, go for a refurbished one from Tiger Direct, or one with an alternative processor (Celeron, AMD)?

I desperately need one, and we are probably going to need a new desktop for my husband too.

[Barry]

Hi Diannecp,

It is somewhat a tough call. Depending on preferences. You ought to definitely be able to stay under $1000 this day and time. I would go for service and warranty. Just as with the auto, you can get a proverbial lemon in anything. I used to think stay with the big three, Dell, Compaq and Gateway, but who knows. I have a Dell Demension 8300 desktop purchased last October and did have a problem and had to twist their arm to get it fixed. My twin brother stands by Gateway. Not familiar with the Tiger Direct you mentioned, will have to research. It will be interesting to see your follow up post and see what everybody thinks.

Good Luck and God Bless,
Barry

[wgjones3]

HP and Compaq are now owned by the same company. I personally like the HP line of laptops very well.

AMD mobile chips are great. I'd take a mobile Athalon over a Celeron any day.

My vote--an AMD powered HP.

[dhparker]

For whatever it's worth, we got a Toshiba notebook awhile back (on sale for about $800). We don't give it heavy use, but so far it's been great. My niece's husband, whose job is in computers, also has a Toshiba. He thinks they're the best.

donna

[DrRita]

I have a Toshiba and it's been super. I would suggest a Toshiba refurb. Make sure it has enough ports and wireless capability. When I bought mine I looked at the consumer reports and it helped a lot.

Good Blessings on finding just the right one. !thumbsup!

[Diannecp]

I was looking at this: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1512156&Sku=A180-1126.

[David Meigs]

I was looking at this: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1512156&Sku=A180-1126. I peeked at it & it looks nice. Do you know what the battery is like? Have you tried Costco?

Curm

[woking]

I desperately need one.

Dianne, what are you going to use it for? There are other options out there.

[wgjones3]

Toshiba is good... where I worked, they bought one in 2002 and they're still using it. It's a 900 mhz Celeron w/ DVD-ROM and 128 megs SDRAM & WIn XP home. But, my pastor had a Toshiba and it only lasted a year before the keyboard quit working... you could hit keys and sometimes what you wanted would come up on screen, sometimes something else would come up. Wierd, but keyboard replacement is fairly simple. I've seen a 6 month old Dell have a bad keyboard too, so it must be fairly common.

I've heard a few complaints about Acer laptops breaking around the screen hinge--not just read it on the net, but heard people who owned them complain. So be sure to check out and make sure that the model you're looking at doesn't have a bunch of complaints against it.

[Diannecp]

HP huh? Well I've been a long time fan of HP printers and if they bought COmpaq, maybe their PCs are worth considering now. I'll definitely look into them. Must haves: integrated wireless, excellent battery power, good graphic handling ability (Adobe Photoshop - not game graphics!)

Thanks for the input.

[wgjones3]

Most laptops that I know of (unless you're getting into high-dollar desktop replacement systems) share system memory to handle the graphics. So make sure you get plenty of system RAM.

Dare I say it? If you're interested mainly in photoshop / writing, have you looked into an iBook or an iMac?

[whitehawke]

I want a laptop.
Grumble :(

[Diannecp]

I think I'm getting close to settling on a HP DV1000. . . refurbs scare me and new Toshibas seem over priced. One other question - HP Home or Pro? We have a wireless router but I'd really only use that connection for Internet; don't have a big need to share files from PC to PC here. Oh well, we'll see what happens - we take such a long time spending money :)

Someone suggested Apples but I don't want to go down the road of having to have everything Apple!

[writegirl1949]

Dianne:

I have a HP Laptop and love it. It was a little more expensive as I got the HP Pavilion Entertainment Notebook PC but then, buying it at the post exchange in Germany left fewer options and it was something I bought at the end of 2004. I've been extremely pleased with it.

If you do purchase it, make sure you look into the warranty. We didn't purchase the extended warranty (after the first year) and when the computer crashed, it cost a flat $300 for repair. But I'm not sorry -- (and I have since purchased another warranty).

Not sure about the networking as we just got DSL. We will be going wireless and will have a main server with two other computers (the laptop being one) running off the server. My husband is setting all that up. As long as I can get to email, do research on the net, and write books, I'm happy.

Francine

[ellenjames]

Hi you all!
I don't own a laptop. Maybe someday? :confused:
However, I can recommend Dell for their excellent customer service. I bought my PC from them. It crashed about 9 months later, but they replaced it free of charge and paid the shipping.
Recently, I bought a Canon A520 PowerShot Camera. It didn't work; but again I received a new one, that works beautifully, free of charge. They paid the shipping and even sent UPS to pick up the defective one. I would recommend Dell.

That's my information, for what it's worth!

Ellenjames/Bertha
www.freewebs.com/wayber

[Raycapps]

Check out pricewatch.com, you will find your cheapest prices there. Also, check out the new 17” screens, because of the notebook width, they should have a wider typing surface also.

Ray

[screenwriter]

I think I'm getting close to settling on a HP DV1000. . . refurbs scare me and new Toshibas seem over priced. One other question - HP Home or Pro? We have a wireless router but I'd really only use that connection for Internet; don't have a big need to share files from PC to PC here. Oh well, we'll see what happens - we take such a long time spending money :)

Someone suggested Apples but I don't want to go down the road of having to have everything Apple!

I got a Compaq laptop which is the same company as HP and I had to return it because it made too much noise and the fan came on constantly. I found complaints all over the internet about those two brands because they make a high-pitched sound. So, I would recommend doing more research. I got a Gateway on clearance because I read that it was quiet and it's true. I love it. I bought a chill mat and the fan never comes on. I've also heard Dell is quiet but I've never used that brand myself.