ShadowFoxLSU Posted February 27, 2004 Report Share Posted February 27, 2004 Well, I've been knowing that this is coming, but my poor little Pavilion N5425 laptop is on it's last legs. My 2 year service plan ended a few months ago and the second LCD is dying (I had one repleaced because the LCD died). This slow thing will be turned into a server, but I still use a laptop for my day to day biddings at work/school and at coffee shops. I dont really need one that I can play games on, but a decent graphics card would be nice. Any suggestions? Right now I am leaning towards an Apple iBook/Powerbook or a Centrino based laptop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmack Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 I'd suggest you take a look at Acer. I have been very happy with all my Acer products and have many friends that I recommended Acer too and they are pleased too. Acer gives great value for the money. I am ordering a new Acer TM 803LCi and should have it in about 2 weeks when I return to the US. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pipplo Posted March 15, 2004 Report Share Posted March 15, 2004 I've really enjoyed my sotec (now averatec) it's small, light and quick enough. (the new averatecs are even better), only problems i've had with mdk are the wireless card but thats silly me bought a generic wireless card Everything else works fine. The new averatecs use athlon mobile xp and buy.com has(had?) a special that came witha free wireless router and the internal wireless option. although if i wasn't such a pc person (and a student :( $$$) i would have bought an ibook/powerbook those things are just beautiful and amazing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roland Posted March 15, 2004 Report Share Posted March 15, 2004 For a laptop, better take a well known brand. Also, better check where the one you like is repaired. Not too far from where you are is better and faster to fix. Me I'm happy with my old Toshiba. I had a cdrom that went down, I took my car, I bring it to there workshop 10Km away from home and got it repaired immediately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtweidmann Posted March 15, 2004 Report Share Posted March 15, 2004 My Compaq Presario hasn't given me any problems, and works well with MDK. That said its getting on a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzylizard Posted March 15, 2004 Report Share Posted March 15, 2004 Whatever you do, do not buy a Dell notebook that uses integrated video. Due to a bug in the BIOS, they are a pain in the neck to try and install Linux onto. Supposedly this has been fixed in XFree 4.4, but then no one is shipping distros with the new release, so you can't win either way. Any Dell that uses a 'real' video card I would highly recommend. I have been very happy with my Inspiron 1100. Only two complaints are the video bios thing and I only got the laptop with 256megs of ram, which is way to little. Hint: Make sure you get at least 512 megs of RAM with your notebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sirtaldon Posted March 15, 2004 Report Share Posted March 15, 2004 Now is a great time for a new laptop, and the immediate future looks even better. Your choice should be dictated by your needs/wants. If you don't care about gaming so much and want great battery life, the Centrino based Pentium M units are good. I ordered an IBM R50 a few days ago. Pricey, but I need something that will last. Other makers also have Centrino systems that are somewhat inexpensive, such as HP/Compaq, Dell, and Gateway. I think if you want Mdk compatability, HP is a good one to start with since they have been selling Mdk based systems for a while outside the US and are beginning to increase their US offerings. I almost chose the HP Pavilion z5000 series.(Not sure if I am remembering the model# right). It is an AMD Athlon64 system with high-end ATI mobility 9600, chock full of top-of-the-line stuff. In the end, I went with the IBM because I really needed longer battery life/lower weight, and I didn't like the screens on the WXGA and WSXGA systems I looked at. (really, now, 1280x800 ? looks lousy in anything other than the desktop, imo) Still, this was a hard choice. My advice to you is for new machines use the company's online configurator to help you get the most for your money and this also helps to ensure you know what hardware you get. If it doesn't specify the brand of nic/wireless/modem, call their 800 sales number and ask them ( I did this, and thank goodness I did.) If you are looking at used or older/low-end models, you will have to take whatever is in stock. Still, try to call and ask if you have questions about hardware it has before you buy. Some good deals on older models are often available at different shopping sites if you are patient enough to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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