ladyskydiver 0 #1 October 7, 2007 I'm now in the "fun" process of ordering a laptop for school. There's certified on-island support for the above two brands - hence the reason I'm looking at them and not others. Here's the specifications that I'll have to go by: Laptop Specification: at least 80 GB Harddrive at least 1 GB RAM (2 GB if affordable) at least 3 GHz processor intel (single) or 1.8 Ghz duo processor (intel) DVD reader/CD burner (DVD reader/burner if affordable) Windows XP professional or Vista MS Office 2003 or 2007 (package must include MS Word, Powerpoint and Excel as they are use heavily on campus.) In-built wireless capability Antivirus program Recommend obtaining warranty for more than 1 year if affordable Should not spend more than US 1,800 Which brand would you choose and why?Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #2 October 7, 2007 I've had two IBMs for work at previous jobs and I really like them a lot - they're built rock solid and seem to have very good quality control. If price wasn't an issue, I'd buy one. My current company uses Dell, and so far the laptop I have is fine; generally Dells are quite a bit lower priced."There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RhondaLea 3 #3 October 7, 2007 Have you checked with local systems builders? It's a little more expensive--maybe--but in the long run, you will be a much more satisfied customer. I will never, ever again order pre-built, and if I'm forced to (kicking and screaming), it sure as shit won't be from Dell. Also, when you buy antivirus, avoid Symantec and McAfee like the plague. I recommend Outpost (firewall) and Nod32 (antivirus), but if you think you'll be happier with a suite (all-in-one protection), the top of the line is Kaspersky.If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #4 October 7, 2007 I have had Toshibas SONY's Dells and HP and 2 Stinkpads... the two at the end spent more time in for repairs than any others. Get the Dell. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #5 October 7, 2007 No offense to Cora intended ... But you only come out of lurkdom to answer a really boring question like this? Who are you and what did you do with the real RhondaLea? Good to see ya! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RALFFERS 0 #6 October 7, 2007 This is sort of a tough 1... I personally have a Dell and have no complaints; have had it for almost 3 years now and there were no problems that I was not the cause of... IBM's on the other hand have been around forever, and if NWFlyer says they're built like a rock I'd take her word for it. In the end, it depends on what you need; both companies have produce a good quality product and have good customer service. My 1 piece of advice to you is get the "full damage" coverage or whatever it's called, especially since you're buying a laptop. Granted, it costs a few hundred bucks, but if it's ever damaged you pay nothing to get it fixed or get a new 1. Some plans even cover the shipping I believe. Generally speaking, just dont buy a Vaio and you'll be fine. Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself - "from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #7 October 7, 2007 Quote IBM's on the other hand have been around forever, and if NWFlyer says they're built like a rock I'd take her word for it. I'm not an IT manager, but I do play one on TV. Oh, wait, I am the IT manager. But only by default and because I work for a startup and I'm required to wear as many hats as possible!"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RhondaLea 3 #8 October 8, 2007 Quote No offense to Cora intended ... But you only come out of lurkdom to answer a really boring question like this? Who are you and what did you do with the real RhondaLea? Good to see ya! Addendum for Cora: Get XP Professional for now. Vista will remain utterly useless until at least the release of SP1. Note to Krisanne: I haven't been lurking much, actually. The truth is that I check (with heart in throat every time) the incident reports and the memorial forum, but not much else. The six months or so before July were trial by fire, and it's nothing short of a miracle that I'm still here (exacerbation of existing thyroid disorder), so my perspective on some things has changed drastically (and on others, not at bit). All in all, I'm a lot happier when I'm trying to be helpful than when I'm just bullshitting around. (Not that there's anything wrong with the latter, but the former is better for me.) Besides which, I have somehow become responsible for the network (such as it is) at work, so the subject matter is at the top of my mind. Also, I just had to have the fan replaced in this piece of shit darling little Dell laptop (it shattered in the casing, probably from the excessive heat generated by the poor design), so Dell is also at the forefront of my thinking. How're you? If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #9 October 8, 2007 Ever tried a local built laptop???? Yikes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 643 #10 October 8, 2007 IBM/Lenova for durability and performance...features too... Dell for budgetary reasons. And Vista is fine...well except for some games, Admin tools for Windows servers (specifically DHCP admin), and IP KVM programs from HP and Dell... other than that...I kinda like Vista! except for the activation process that require a SEPARATE SERVER!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #11 October 8, 2007 Strangely similar experience the last couple months ... I've become the "IT gal" at my startup despite the fact that I only know enough about technology to annoy the developers. We have bought tons of Dell stuff as well, which has (for the most part) served us well; when we've tried to go even cheaper that's when it's really bit us in the ass. The Dells don't seem to age well, though - we've got one of our desktops in AZ being cooled by an office fan at the moment (where's the icon when I need it). But we've hired a kick-ass outsourcing firm to replace the idjit network admin who quit on us in August (mere moments before I fired him), so I am almost done handing things back to the people who know what they're doing and get back to just doing IT strategy ... and the other five hats I'm wearing. Back on topic. Dell cheap and could be good could be bad. IBM more expensive but more reliable. And I have to disagree with the "get it built" suggestion. In the months I've been running IT, I've confirmed the one thing I know about end users who aren't particularly tech savvy and don't want to be - they just want it to work. And they want someone to come fix it when it's broken. With Dell & IBM providing local support on Gilligan's Island, sounds like that might be the right thing for Cora."There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #12 October 8, 2007 Wow!! Big things on the horizon for you huh?! Anyway, if it were me looking at the "requirements" I would simplify it a little bit: --Don't do Vista... --Don't worry about anti-virus as a preinstalled program, Norton and McAfee are resource hogs. AVG is very good, and it won't cost you anything. Download it after your purchase. --For additional "security" download ZoneAlarm, and buy a router (like a Netgear Wireless G) when you get there. --My wife bought the extended maintenance/warranty on her Dell, and she hasn't had to pay for a single hardware repair, including a new hard-drive. --For processors, I would look at whatever consumes the least amount of power, so you have a long battery life (like my Dell 700m, I get a solid 5 hours). --If you don't want to pay for extra HD space, you can also look at a Western Digital USB external HD, you can get 120GB for under $100 now. My- $.02... So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladyskydiver 0 #13 October 8, 2007 yes - just a few big things. Come April will be my panic posts - i.e. "How do I move all this stuff?," "What do I take with me?," "Coming to a city near you...(as I do the "see as many people as I can before I leave thing"), etc. Can you even get XP anymore? Seems like all the systems that I'm looking at come with Vista only. ARG!!! I'm definitely going to buy a router , a printer and a webcam (as I'm probably not going to have a phone since all my calls will be international and as a result not cheap). I already have the student version of Office so I'm just going to install that. I may have to update my license, but I'm sure that'd be cheaper than buying a whole new copy. RL - Nice to see a post from you. I definitely appreciate everyone's input (and please keep the suggestions coming). Thank you! My goal is to select a system and purchase it this week.Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bolas 5 #14 October 8, 2007 For phone service I recommend Vonage. You could even get a number in your mom's home town so she could call you. I just got my mom a Dell Vostro with 1 GB RAM, 80 GB drive, Windows XP, DVD burner, wireeless, and a dual core AMD chip for $500. The only complaint is the video card uses the system memory. She seems to like it. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Froggy 0 #15 October 8, 2007 I'd vote for Dell. OUr company uses Dells (~500 or so), me and my wife have ours, too. Never had any problems with them. And if someting happens, Dell support for workstations and laptops is far superior to their support for servers (THAT I would avoid at all cost). IBMs used to be extremely well-built and reliable laptops -- I mean real IBM ThinkPads, until they sold the business to Lenovo... Quote Can you even get XP anymore? Seems like all the systems that I'm looking at come with Vista only. ARG!!! Yes, technically you can. Sometimes it's advertised, sometimes it's not, but you can always request it. If you look at Dell's web site, some laptops do have both options listed. The thing to know is that Micro$oft just recently has decided to let OEM manufacturers supply XP with their PCs until mid-2008. Kinda gives you some idea about how well Vista is doing... :)-------------- We were not born to fly. And all we can do is to try not to fall... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Broke 0 #16 October 8, 2007 Go Mac and don't bother with VistaDivot your source for all things Hillbilly. Anvil Brother 84 SCR 14192 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #17 October 8, 2007 Heretic (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #18 October 8, 2007 Quote Go Mac and don't bother with Vista Mac is top of the line in my book. I've had Macs since '88 and neve have had a problem that I couldn't fix myself - NEVER a hardware problem. I also have a Dell (desktop) that I love. I've had it 5 years with absolutley no real problems. I did have an issue one time that I called on Dell in-home service. They responded politely and quickly. They guy that came arrived on time and on the actual day planned (imagine that!). But, he was just as stupid as me and couldn't fix what turned out to be a software problem that I later fixed myself. Since I've only owned a Dell laptop, I can't compare with IBM so I would have to go with Dell. I never had ANY problems with it other than, just like ANY laptop, having to deal with that stupid touchpad. I always carried a mouse with me to use instead of those dumb-ass touchpads. Good luck, Cora! PS: Why not just hire a cabana boy and let him handle the computer chores? Just think of the perks and bennies! My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kbordson 8 #19 October 8, 2007 Quote PS: Why not just hire a cabana boy and let him handle the computer chores? Just think of the perks and bennies! I like that option. But if that isn't an option, go for the mac. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #20 October 8, 2007 Quote Quote PS: Why not just hire a cabana boy and let him handle the computer chores? Just think of the perks and bennies! I like that option. But if that isn't an option, go for the mac. Cant any of you MAC nuggets read, Cora said she only has support for Dell or IBM and is not looking at anything other than those twoYou are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kbordson 8 #21 October 8, 2007 Quote Quote Quote PS: Why not just hire a cabana boy and let him handle the computer chores? Just think of the perks and bennies! I like that option. But if that isn't an option, go for the mac. Cant any of you MAC nuggets read, Cora said she only has support for Dell or IBM and is not looking at anything other than those two HEY! I voted for the cabana boy! Don't discount that vote! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #22 October 8, 2007 Quote Quote Quote Quote PS: HEY! I voted for the cabana boy! Don't discount that vote! I'll support that vote provided i can be said Cabana Boy. You can visit Cora and I'll Cabana you asswell You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2fat2fly 0 #23 October 8, 2007 I can't compare and contrast but I've had a Dell for the past 3 years and have had no problems. And this thing has taken some abuse.I am not the man. But the man knows my name...and he's worried Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladyskydiver 0 #24 October 8, 2007 Quote Go Mac and don't bother with Vista As much as I'd love to, the head IT guru at Ross stated that they do not support Macs. So...that leaves Macs out - until I get my DVM and can buy a 2nd computer. Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladyskydiver 0 #25 October 8, 2007 Thanks, Andy! Quote PS: Why not just hire a cabana boy and let him handle the computer chores? Just think of the perks and bennies! hmmm....a cabana boy with IT skills....oooooh....I likey that idea. Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
