Im want to buy a laptop...Help Needed.

[revhead24ads]

Ive been shopping for a laptop reticently..... And im almost ready to buy, problem is i cant decide on what to get. I know the specs i want. Pretty much as good as i can get for around 2 grand, although i saw a Asus today at JB Hi-Fi for 3 grand with 2GB RAM, 512MB Video card, 100GB HDD, 2GB Dual Core Processor. 17" monitor.
But....my requirements are....
at least 1GB RAM, at least 80GB HDD, and about 256MB dedicated video card. all the rest of the features like dual layer DVD and stuff is standard now.
Ive been looking at the Toshiba Satellite A100/U00 its on special at a few places atm. But i dont know weather i should look for something abit better then that and spend more to get bigger/better. What is ASUS brands like? HP/Compaq? Toshiba? they are the only brands ive looked at. But what else is good?
Sorry to be so broad, i just cant make my mind up thats all.
I will be using it for hi-end photo editing, video editing, DVD burning, website design. I also have external HDD so hard drive space isnt too important.

Anyone got any ideas? advice? etc etc

[rayjjj]

dell.com.au you can specify the internals of the laptop to suit your needs. I haven't bought one but have been there dreaming alot.

Ray

[2kool4u]

Never buy anything from dell, dell are the worst of all computer places.

[b2tf]

I have a HP Pavillion and it seems to be pretty good - survived a drop through a glass table landing on a floor with only a few scratches which were fixed with new panels.

[XR8GRL]

If you were in vic, I would have suggested Dick Smith powerhouse. I purchased a HP Pavillion DV8310TX laptop for $2600, that was with a 3 year warrenty. The laptop cost $2300, a big saving as on the net they're fetching $3500 + from what I saw. Mine's a 240GB (2 120BG drives), 2GB memory, 17" screen, bluetooth, wireless, all the usual goodies. Give DS Powerhouse a looksie if there are any in your area.

[BlueRaven]

Always get a 3yr warranty...the extra money is worth it. Stay away from Acer. I don't know enough about the other cheap brands, like Asus.

Just buy a decent spec machine, make sure the build quality is solid. Pick one with good metal hinges too.
Do some research on the net about them and look for bad customer reviews...

[pertuan]

I have an Asus. Its 2 years old. I find that its actually a really good laptop. Build quality is excellent, specs are high. 2 year warranty. I havent had anything go wrong with my Asus so far except the battery which died last year. I would highly recommend an Asus.

Mate's got a Dell. Its actually not too bad. Feels alittle cheap though. Doesn't look like it could survive a fall.

One thing that really ****es me off is that laptop makers will not make a breakaway power connector like the Mag-thing for the Macs. I've been wanting one of those on a lappy for literally YEARS.

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by revhead24ads

Anyone got any ideas? advice? etc etc

Shop around. Check out all the little computer shops. You might find what you want cheaper there than at the big chain stores. You'll probably get better customer service there as well as the small guy would want the sale and the return business. They'll also know what they are talking about, compared to a pimply faced 18 year old sales assistant at a chain store, who at best can only quote what's in the manual or catalogue.

I will be using it for hi-end photo editing, video editing

If you are doing video editing, then I would recommend a desktop over a laptop, simply due to the fact that they have more processing grunt. Not to say that a laptop won't suffice though.

Good luck!

[alpineau]

If you wany quality in a laptop then stick with either a Toshiba or ASUS, both have an international warranty Toshiba 1 year ASUS 2 years. I sell alot of both laptops to my business customers and so far in the 3 years i have been using them i have never had one fail in a way that was unrepairable. I also sell some Acer laptops and there not as bad as alot of people make them out to be - the thing that lets Acer down is warranty repair speeds.

If you look around for a laptop with your above specs and get either of the brands with Duo Core Processor or idealy any Core 2 Duo processor that computer will serve you well for a long time and will also be compatable with Windows Vista that is due out January 30

Cheers
Alpineau

[photn]

once you go mac youll never go back....

[Dave_au]

If your wondering what some big businesses are using, PricewaterhouseCoopers uses T43 and up Lenovo IBM thinkpads - with the intel Core processor Duo T2400 1.83GHz

http://www.lenovo.com/au/en/

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by photn

once you go mac youll never go back....

Cause you won't have any money left after buying it! :hihi:

In all seriousness, Mac's have lead the way for graphic and video editing for years. PC's are only just starting to catch up.

[FreezeR]

I currently have this laptop which is about 3-4 months old. (i think it is anyway)

http://au.lge.com/md/product/prodcat...tId=1100001107

Its got a intel core duo 1.83 GHz cpu, 1 gig ram(DDR2), 512 ATI card, 100 gig sata drive, 5.1 dolby.

Does the lot plays the newer games easy, does photo editing and web design without much hassle either. Got it for around $2300 at harvey norman.

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by FreezeR

...web design without much hassle either

Pffft. You could do that on a Commodore 64! :

[jonk]

Anything as long as it's got a 'Merom CPU' core 2 duo.

[Sledgehammer]

Originally Posted by alpineau

If you wany quality in a laptop then stick with either a Toshiba or ASUS, both have an international warranty Toshiba 1 year ASUS 2 years. I sell alot of both laptops to my business customers and so far in the 3 years i have been using them i have never had one fail in a way that was unrepairable. I also sell some Acer laptops and there not as bad as alot of people make them out to be - the thing that lets Acer down is warranty repair speeds.

If you look around for a laptop with your above specs and get either of the brands with Duo Core Processor or idealy any Core 2 Duo processor that computer will serve you well for a long time and will also be compatable with Windows Vista that is due out January 30

Cheers
Alpineau

Got a couple of these and they are fine for what you will need. My tip, dont spend more than $1500 on anything and you get a computer that will do what you need to.

[S3SR]

Originally Posted by BlueRaven

Always get a 3yr warranty...the extra money is worth it. Stay away from Acer. I don't know enough about the other cheap brands, like Asus.

agreed with warranty bit and Acer dont buy them and another is dell...<< crap

but where are you getting your Asus's from that theyre a cheap brand?
asus is by far the BEST brand 1st to toshiba and thats being HIGHLY biased but very true.

go for a toshiba Centrino or centrino duo with 1gig or more these usually are 80gig hdd or bigger.
asus basically only have a few models that are cheap but still better than their equivilant acer/hp/compaq/dell/optima.

go for an Asus or toshiba

[XR8-260]

Originally Posted by 2kool4u

Never buy anything from dell, dell are the worst of all computer places.

Dell is cheap though...

I bought my desktop from dell and my cd burner broke a few months later. Because you have to buy online (in perth anyway) customer support is pretty crap.

[chich]

I went through the same thing last month. Take a look at this thread..

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...hlight=toshiba

I ended getting the Asus F3JM..

[robjh80]

Originally Posted by 2kool4u

Never buy anything from dell, dell are the worst of all computer places.

The organisation I work for has around 6000 PC's on site, Dell has just recently won the contract to supply all of the new PC's and Laptops which is around 1500 units per year.........."their customer service is extremely painfull to deal with", even to a business that has a multi-million dollar contract hanging over their heads........"good luck to the average Joe buying just one of the things!!"

Do you really need a laptop?.....you will get far more for your money if you get a desktop, and if you do your homework you can buy something that is at least upgradeable down the track.......with a laptop what you buy today is what your stuck with, very limited upgrade path with laptops, not to mention very expensive!!........the only benefit to a laptop is that it is somewhat portable, thats it, other than that they are totally and completely inferior to a desktop in every way......for the $2000 ya looking at spending you will get a very nice desktop so long as you stay away from the brand name junk.

[dps]

If you want to do serious video editing then get a desktop. You get twice the grunt for the same price plus an upgrade path. Brand doesn't really matter just the components and warranty. You are in Sydney so have a great choice of vendors - Pacstar, Altech, Plus Corp get good reviews.
If you must have a notebook then stick with brand names. For $2k the video editing won't be strong - look at Pioneer, BenQ and Acer.

[the_scotsman]

ive bought several laptops and desktops through Dell, and have had no problems...they are great value for money...I wish people wouldnt bag Dell just cause they can...

[robjh80]

Originally Posted by the_scotsman

ive bought several laptops and desktops through Dell, and have had no problems...they are great value for money...I wish people wouldnt bag Dell just cause they can...

I dont think Dell are particularly great value at all, they are perhaps a little bit better value than the other "brand name" units, "which wouldn't be very hard to achieve".........a hell of a lot better can be bought if you know what your looking for and do ya homework first, if ya buy brand name you are basically paying a premium for the "name".........they absolutely and totally rely on people who have little or no knowledge of computers in order to sell their products, which of course is most of the population.

Because you've had no problems and are happy with the products and you believe they meet your needs I have no doubt you will purchase from Dell again.......but then that's what it's all about isn't it, "having a good experience with any brand or service = repeat business".

[ondori]

I have have three dells, 1x8200 had sence 2002, its always on and have never had a problem, 1x9150 from dell-outlet great basic top-end system , and XPS laptop form the US, for work. The hardware is great and never a problem with service.

You can buy from Dell-outlet or Graysonline they don't come with screens but there are alot better screens the market. alot cheaper

[It'sTheVibe]

Originally Posted by 2kool4u

Never buy anything from dell, dell are the worst of all computer places.

The worst of ALL computer places. Just a slight exaggeration maybe.
If they were that bad, do you think they would be the 2nd largest supplier world wide? I believe HP are the biggest now since they merged with Compaq.

I've just ordered my 2nd Dell notebook, and for it's specs and price no other system came close. Then again, I got it during one of their $1000 off sales. Watch their web site for a few weeks and they'll have some promo on the system you want.

Dell were developing a poor reputaion for after sales service, but check out some of the computer forums and they seem to have turned this around.

[robjh80]

Originally Posted by It'sTheVibe

Dell were developing a poor reputaion for after sales service, but check out some of the computer forums and they seem to have turned this around.

"Huh........maybe they just forgot to inform their Indian call centres of this new found after sales lip service blurb!!....... :

[BlueRaven]

Asus are a cheap brand because they are...well cheap. I haven't used an Asus laptop before, so I don't know whether they are cheap and good or cheap and nasty, however Asus has a good reputation in other fields so i'd be surprised if they were bad.

Dell has a bad reputation which at times is well deserved. The support isn't the best, but they have done a lot to improve it through the website.

At our work we use Dell desktops and we always use the website to contact support now, because it is so much easier than trying to explain to the indian call centre that you know what you are doing and just want them to replace the faulty part. However, once you get the message across they are fantastic. They replace something within 2 days.

We use IBM/Lenovo laptops at work which are ultimately fantastic for no-fuss durability and performance. They do have problems, like everything else, but they just last. The Dells we have had in the past just fall apart after a while as they tend to be more flashy.

We have about 20 Inspirons at work at the moment from December last year and the are a lot better than they used to be, but its still a mixed package.

[Paris Hilton]

Apple.

The build quality is amazing, you'll never be able to go back to a PC.

Hell, you can run windows on them now if you want, no idea why you would want to, though.