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 Posted: Mon Jul 26th, 2010 02:52 am
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Graham
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As I have stated in a different thread, I will be in the US again from August 20th thru September 18th.
My laptop is tired and I'm planning on getting a replacement while there.
Being a complete computer ignoramus, I have to rely on some guidance.  If anyone in the US can point me in the right direction, it will be great.
I mostly use a desktop, so my usage of a laptop is for basics only - no gaming or complicated computing programs.
My basic requirements:
email, internet, downloading of pics and DVD reader / writer.  Also basic word processing and wireless networking.
I don't mind a cheap / unknown brand, as long as it comes with references.  Preferrably something I can mail order or buy at a national chain (Bestbuy?).  I will need it within a day or two of getting there.
I will even consider offers of a used laptop meeting the requirements.
Please post or PM if you can help.

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 Posted: Mon Jul 26th, 2010 04:41 am
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ndburley
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In my experience Dell are a good world wide make and customisable. I have used Dell for many years now and the set up of thier desktops are quiet and very neat.
I would not hesitate in recomending one of these. I would say stick with a known brand such as Samsung for example.
As for your office needs download OpenOffice as it is free and very close to MS Office.
Antivirus as it is a laptop use Comodo Internet security (also free) this includes a good firewall, proactive defense and antivirus. Second choice would be MS Security essentials.
I would reccomend for email using Thunderbird as this to me trumps Outlook Express and again free. It is easy to set up and use.


Neo
MCITP - Microsoft Certified I.T Proffessional

Last edited on Mon Jul 26th, 2010 04:44 am by ndburley

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 Posted: Mon Jul 26th, 2010 09:03 am
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Skipdawg
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For about a decade I have been buying computer parts and software from these guys and just bought a Acer laptop from them back in March. They have never let me down.

http://www.newegg.com

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 Posted: Mon Jul 26th, 2010 09:37 am
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Paxman
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Newegg is indeed a good spot to get good products at a good price. If you are going the Windows route brand name isn't important imho.

 

Having said that I'll say something I never thought I would... for your needs a MAC might be the ticket. A little more pricey but not plagued with all the Windows type issues!!whichone.gif

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 Posted: Mon Jul 26th, 2010 09:48 am
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ndburley
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Paxman wrote: Newegg is indeed a good spot to get good products at a good price. If you are going the Windows route brand name isn't important imho.

 

Having said that I'll say something I never thought I would... for your needs a MAC might be the ticket. A little more pricey but not plagued with all the Windows type issues!!whichone.gif



Be careful this is what happened last time PC and a Mac met up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLbJ8YPHwXM

oh and my fav review below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEAGmBRC1dc

(this is all for fun dont take me serious)

 

Last edited on Mon Jul 26th, 2010 10:07 am by ndburley

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 Posted: Mon Jul 26th, 2010 09:59 am
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tenbosch
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I would definitely consider buying a Dell as well.  However, there are quite a few brands out there which may provide a better deal.  PC World does a great job on 'Top 10' lists for all things electronic...  I always start here.

You may want to check out some Netbooks as well.  They're smaller, but very capable and portable.

http://www.pcworld.com/products/computers/laptops.html

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 Posted: Mon Jul 26th, 2010 10:00 am
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tenbosch
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ndburley wrote: Paxman wrote: Newegg is indeed a good spot to get good products at a good price. If you are going the Windows route brand name isn't important imho.

 

Having said that I'll say something I never thought I would... for your needs a MAC might be the ticket. A little more pricey but not plagued with all the Windows type issues!!whichone.gif



Be careful this is what happened last time PC and a Mac met up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLbJ8YPHwXM

oh my fav review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEAGmBRC1dc

(this is all for fun dont take me serious)

 

Awesome video Neo!

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 Posted: Mon Jul 26th, 2010 10:06 am
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ndburley
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tenbosch wrote: I would definitely consider buying a Dell as well.  However, there are quite a few brands out there which may provide a better deal.  PC World does a great job on 'Top 10' lists for all things electronic...  I always start here.

You may want to check out some Netbooks as well.  They're smaller, but very capable and portable.

http://www.pcworld.com/products/computers/laptops.html


Becareful of PC worlds own makes they are terrible to support, ADVENT are normally patched together and only a few of the drivers are available from thier website. They often have "refer to hardware supplier" for the rest of the drivers, then you have to find out what board is in it which may vary from time of manafature although the model name is the same. This is from experience I am not making it up. Good driver and website info are key especially if you are trying to maintain and support, that is why I mentioned well known brands. You are less likely to have to pay a 3rd party to figure this out for you.

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 Posted: Mon Jul 26th, 2010 11:20 am
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ivster
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Neo PC World the Store in the UK, we dont have any of the stores in the US, its not the same as PC World the Magazine :)

If you want to look at laptops in person rather than buying online, look for Tigerdirect stores along your route, they took over alot of the old CompUSA stores.

Been using MSI these days for a laptop, been really good so far, plus comes with a 5 year warranty for us in the USA, I bought it from Newegg too, but you can find them in stores.

Last edited on Mon Jul 26th, 2010 11:23 am by ivster

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 Posted: Mon Jul 26th, 2010 01:40 pm
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ndburley
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ivster wrote:
Neo PC World the Store in the UK, we dont have any of the stores in the US, its not the same as PC World the Magazine :)

If you want to look at laptops in person rather than buying online, look for Tigerdirect stores along your route, they took over alot of the old CompUSA stores.

Been using MSI these days for a laptop, been really good so far, plus comes with a 5 year warranty for us in the USA, I bought it from Newegg too, but you can find them in stores.


Cool I thought they had gotten everywhere!...lol.
MSI are good if they are the same over there.

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 Posted: Tue Jul 27th, 2010 02:28 am
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Graham
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The responses are appreciated, guys!ThumbsUp02.gif

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 Posted: Tue Jul 27th, 2010 05:16 am
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deadlyapp
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Avoid dell if you can. Unfortunately they've been getting a bad rap lately because of shipping many computers with defective motherboards and knowing about it, but neglecting to recall or do anything about it. Personally I feel their business has gotten too large and they now have no quality control.

Ones that I like at the moment:
Asus
HP
Gateways

Asus is still kinda out on its own and small, but they've been putting out good laptops and have always backed them up from what I've seen.

I've had two HP's now, my current one has been fantastic and their service department has been very good when I had an overheating issue. Less than a week turnaround time and I didn't pay a dime.

Gateway and emachines are now the same company, but Gateway still retains a lot of the higher fit and finish when compared with other laptops.

I got my HP because it was a "Black Friday" special, so I got a fantastic price with good specs, perfect for what I need.

All I can recommend is going into the store, looking around, and maybe asking the salespeople a few questions, but watch out for some of them. The last time I went in they were trying to sell us on a bigger computer than we needed (it was for my grandma) and kept trying to bundle stuff with it. Just know what you want and be forceful with them.

Specwise - You can probably get by with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an AMD turion X2, or an Intel Core i3/i5. You don't need quadcore.
Memory - I'd look at at least 4GB with windows 7.
Hard Drive - 500 is pretty standard now and is big enough for most people
Video Graphics - Not important in your case

The rest is just how you like the setup, what size screen you want, etc etc.

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