Looking for advice on purchasing a laptop

[aalexander]

Hi,

I'm going to be purchasing a laptop soon, and am interested in getting some guidance. I'm not necessarily looking for recommendations on specific models (although all input is welcome) more for general recommendations on what sort of features and specifications I should look for.

I travel quite a bit, both US and internationally. What I'm looking for is something to do general Internet surfing, run skype to communicate with folks back home, play the occasional movie on DVD, display (and occasionally edit) PowerPoint presentations, do some limited photoshopping, read manuals in pdf format. I'm not a gamer and don't foresee becoming one.

A few things I'm wondering about, in no particular order:

What do I need to know about wireless modems? Much of my use will be via wireless in hotels, coffee shops, etc. Any potential pitfalls? Are all modems equally compatible? are there compatibility issues, say in Europe? How fast a modem should one get, or is that even an issue?

RAM: How much should I look for? I'll be working with documents and powerpoints in the 50-100Mb range. Is there a minimum amount of RAM for acceptable playing of movies from DVDs?

Optical drives: Is blu-ray compatibility fairly common? expensive/inexpensive? Seems like it would be a good thing to have, cause that appears to be the next standard for entertainment media.

Operating System? I'm so far behind the times on this, I don't even know what to ask. What do I need to know?

Non wireless Internet: Some of the places I stay have Internet available, not wireless. Comes through a wire with a plug that looks a little like a telephone plug, but larger....LAN connection? If I have one of those same type connections in the laptop, does that mean I have everything I need to tap into non-wireless Internet, or is there more to it than that?

Displays? Again don’t know much about this, are they all satisfactory for watching movies ore are there types to avoid?

Bottom line is, I’m not looking to get a top of the line, bleeding edge machine, but I don’t want to get something that doesn’t serve my purposes. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[atentora]

1 RAM: How much should I look for? I'll be working with documents and powerpoints in the 50-100Mb range. Is there a minimum amount of RAM for acceptable playing of movies from DVDs?

2 Operating System? I'm so far behind the times on this, I don't even know what to ask. What do I need to know?

3 Non wireless Internet: Some of the places I stay have Internet available, not wireless. Comes through a wire with a plug that looks a little like a telephone plug, but larger....LAN connection? If I have one of those same type connections in the laptop, does that mean I have everything I need to tap into non-wireless Internet, or is there more to it than that?

4 Displays? Again don’t know much about this, are they all satisfactory for watching movies ore are there types to avoid?

1. You'll want a minimum of 1gb of ram. Although RAM does help with video play (not too much though) the GPU (Graphics Prossesing Unit) is more important. Most decent laptops will be sufficiant to play movies so you shouldn't have to worry too much about this.

2. Most likely you will end up with Vista. If you do you'll want to make sure you have at least 2gb of RAM and a decent CPU.

3. It's called a eathernet. It will work depending on weather or not there is a network configured and how it is. Most hotels will allow you to just plug in or will have instructions for you once you connect and try to go online.

4. Since you are getting a laptop you will be getting a LCD screen. These have a bright and crisp picture. You will mostly just need to decide on a size of your monitor.

With out a budget we can't help too much. Post that and we can start to find you a laptop. Just make sure to post what you plan on getting before you order it so we can make sure it's a good system.

 

[aalexander]

Thanks for your response

3. It's called a eathernet. It will work depending on weather or not there is a network configured and how it is. Most hotels will allow you to just plug in or will have instructions for you once you connect and try to go online.

OK, so If the computer has the ethernet connector in the case, then it's a pretty good bet I have all the hardware I need to connect (assuming I can follow the instructions for configuring)?

4. Since you are getting a laptop you will be getting a LCD screen. These have a bright and crisp picture. You will mostly just need to decide on a size of your monitor.

So you're saying that the only real meaningful variable is going to be screen size? I've seen some literature where manufacturers are trying to differentiate between displays. Are they just trying to blow smoke, or are there real differences?


WHat about 64 bit operating systems. Is that sonmthing I should even be concerned about for my type of application, or is that something that's only going to make a difference with really demanding applications?



[/QUOTE]With out a budget we can't help too much. Post that and we can start to find you a laptop. Just make sure to post what you plan on getting before you order it so we can make sure it's a good system. [/QUOTE]

I'm still trying to figure that out. I have the funds available, just trying to figure our how much I need to spend to get something I'm happy with. somewhere around $700-$1200, I suppose.

I'd be interested in thoughts on these two:

HP P8400

HP Pavillion

Particularly, for the uses I've described, will the pavillion be satisfactory, or will I find myself kicking myself for not spending the extra $250?

 

[atentora]

The 64x bit operating system will only really determine if you can use more than 3gigs of memory. As for the computer, I'll look for something later today (I'm not at work, not at all >_>)...

 

[daisymtc]

RAM: How much should I look for? I'll be working with documents and powerpoints in the 50-100Mb range. Is there a minimum amount of RAM for acceptable playing of movies from DVDs?

2 GB is the minimun standard


Optical drives: Is blu-ray compatibility fairly common? expensive/inexpensive? Seems like it would be a good thing to have, cause that appears to be the next standard for entertainment media.

blue-ray is still expensive.


Operating System? I'm so far behind the times on this, I don't even know what to ask. What do I need to know?

Most laptop come with vista. But some ppl don't like it. You need to make up your mind before purchase as if you get vista, it could be difficult to downgrade to XP due to driver issue. And you can find some XP laptop available.


Non wireless Internet: Some of the places I stay have Internet available, not wireless. Comes through a wire with a plug that looks a little like a telephone plug, but larger....LAN connection? If I have one of those same type connections in the laptop, does that mean I have everything I need to tap into non-wireless Internet, or is there more to it than that?

build-in LAN is the standard nowadays.


Displays? Again don’t know much about this, are they all satisfactory for watching movies ore are there types to avoid?

Unless you want blue-ray, you don't need delicated graphic card.


For the blue-ray, here are some option
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2E16834220278,N82E16834117753,N82E16834110326

The $800 one is powerful enough for your purpose. If you really want a 64bit OS version, here it is.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834147744
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834147767

By the way, since you seems to be travel a lot, will the weight & size of the laptop matter?
You may need to check out the size before you purchase.

 

[atentora]

Newegg doesn't ship to Alaska... Unless the location is different than the one posted he needs too look else were. Does newegg.ca ship to Alaska?

 

[diduknowthat]

First of all, how big of a laptop do you want? Do you want it to be ultra portable, or do you want to bring around a bigger laptop? Generally 14.1" laptops strike a good balance between portability and screen size. 15.4" is more mainstream, and 17" is giant and are usually considered as desktop replacement laptops.

 

[aalexander]

Thanks, all for the Input. Good comments on hte portabliity, yes, I'm going to be packing this arouns through a lot tof airports so that is a factor.

Unless the location is different than the one posted he needs too look else were.

Yeah, I'm in Alaska, but the posted links are useful anyway, from a "getting an idea of what's available" perspective, eve if I can't buy from them.

Most laptop come with vista. But some ppl don't like it. You need to make up your mind before purchase as if you get vista, it could be difficult to downgrade to XP due to driver issue.

Can you give me the cliff notes version of why I might not like VIsta? (I use XP curently on my desktop), or if that's too broad a subject, maybe a link or to that explain the issues?

The 64x bit operating system will only really determine if you can use more than 3gigs of memory.

SO, is it accurate to turn that around and say that anything over 3Gb with a 32bit OS is a waste? Or is that simplifying too much.

If you really want a 64bit OS version, here it is.

No, not something I *want* just wanting to know if it's something I will wish I had later. Looks like the answer to that is probably "no".

 

[atentora]

If they are advertising more than 3gigs with a 32bit OS then they aren't being to honest. RAM is sold as either 2x1gig or 2x2gig for the most part.

 

[magichater]

go to a local computer shop for a personalised quote they can be a bit dearer but they will get you one that is suited to you not just the off the shelf type!

 

[aalexander]

go to a local computer shop for a personalised quote they can be a bit dearer but they will get you one that is suited to you not just the off the shelf type!

Unfortunately, that's not really an option here. Not much avaiable in terms of computer stores. The "big boxes" have put them all out of business. Options are limeed to places like Best Buy, Costco, Office Max, and other discount stores. So far I haven't been too impressed with the "help" I've gotten in any of the places I've looked. Your advice would be good if there were some smaller, specialized computer retailers with knowledgable staff around. Unfortunately, there's not.

 

[aalexander]

If they are advertising more than 3gigs with a 32bit OS then they aren't being to honest. RAM is sold as either 2x1gig or 2x2gig for the most part.

Thanks. I didn't mean I'd actually seen this, I was just trying to get a better handle on what you were saying