laptop technology? Looking for a replacement.

[Fat Tone]

I've had my (work) Ferrari 3000 laptop now since 2003/4, its been repaired twice, is very heavy, runs hot/noisy and is in regular demand for presentation use by others, so I think its time I replaced it.

I want something for office applications to be used when I have my feet up in the evenings. It mustn't be sluggish (as that would just annoy me too much and it wouldn't get used) or hot (fed up of burned thighs) or noisy (fed up of complaints). A battery that lasts all evening under light use would be good, and a hi-res screen is a must (doesn't have to be large).

So what should I be looking for? I'm totally out of touch with what makes a good laptop these days.

Thanks,

T.

[VJ]

I like my Fujitsu Siemens (ultra compact, but runs hot), my brother likes his large format Fujitsu Siemens (aparf from the fact that the outer shell is scratch-prone). I've always liked the build quality of the IBM/Lenovos...


Jörg

[Fat Tone]

Thanks Jörg. I'm also asking what CPUs, memory, chipset, gfx etc to look out for. Connectivity is vital too. And XP drivers I guess.

I saddens me to say, but I really am past gaming now. My gaming almost never goes beyond Flash stuff. My main rig at home only has a HD2600 and that does nicely with 1680*1050 + 1920*1200 screens attached.

[VJ]

Ha... sorry, can't help you there (am also a bit out of it - haven't needed a laptop in over a year).

Connectivity will all be fairly standard (networking/bt/wifi/usb), apart from perhaps the express-card slot (dunno how mainstream that is) and the external monitor connection (hdmi, dvi or vga).


Jörg

[az]

Core2Duo-ish stuff - what else is there, anyway?

I find my 13.3" MacBook just tolerable, size-wise. I really wouldn't want anything bigger.

Have you thought about a Tablet PC?

[UtwigMU]

You can pry my thinkpads away from my cold dead hands . HPs are OK.

Stay away from Acer, other no-name brands. Apple is OK if you need to pose infront posh chicks in trendy bars.

[Fat Tone]

You've just given me an idea. I suppose I could dabble with the white side provided I can dualboot to XP. Mac support is not something we do well (macs are 'tolerated' rather than supported, at best) and this would give us a chance to explore. Not sure if I'd get the ok for the price-premium though.

[ZokesPro]

As far as CPU goes, Core2 Duo. Celeron just pain sucks and AMD is lagging far behind.
Chipset, i965, I don't think there are many other chipsets you can choose from either way.
Memory, PC-5300 dual channel, 2Gb minium.
Graphics, well if heats an issue, then stick with the iGMA x3100, not a gamers GPU but shouldn't heat up much. Otherwise the benchmarks for the GeForce 8400 GS ain't so bad.

Brands: I'd recommend Dell, and yes, stay away from Acer (I know you have one but drivers and such are a nightmare on the newer models), and Gateway (I see way too many refurbs out there, hint hint). HP isn't too bad. Asus' quality has dropped severely. I've heard good thing about Thinkpads. Apple is alright, best of both worlds, although I've heard that that get really damn hot though.

You can also check out http://www.notebookreview.com/ and http://www.notebookcheck.com/Mobile-...ste.735.0.html

[az]

There isn't much of a premium on ordinary 13.3" MacBooks. The cheapest ones without the "SuperDrive" only have a DVD reader/CD burner, though! And upgrade RAM yourself, Apple makes you pay through the nose for that. And MacBooks only have integrated graphics, but if you don't play, that doesn't really matter. They are almost inaudible under light loads, and only get loud for a short time when load peaks. The screen is a bit low-res, though (1280x800)

Dual-Booting XP works, with the right software (Parallels or VMWare Fusion) you can even run windows within OSX. You can even run Windows Apps almost like they are Mac apps (no Windows desktp visible).

The MacBook Pros are quite expensive, unfortunately But have a look for yourself... Apple does have student discounts, I don't know if they also do Uni discounts.

[Paul79UF]

The top three brands for reliability that I have repeatedly seen in Consumer Reports are Apple, Lenovo (IBM), and Toshiba.

I love my Toshiba A105. It runs very cool, and has a battery life of about 3 hours with the screen brightness turned all the way up.

[Kooldino]

Acer makes that Ferrari laptop, right? I hate Acer.

I'm partial to IBM (Lenovo) and Dells are decent too.

[Sasq]

Try the white side Tony, the macbooks are pretty good value in the bang for buck laptop category.

Yes dual boot is viable on them. as Az said, paralells works quite well - but I would recomend maxing out the memory in that case.

As for too hot, stay well away from the Pro's, they come with little sticker warnings that read - if you use this on you lap, you will not need a vasectomy, nor will your wife need to ever claim headache's again

[Fat Tone]

Thanks for all the suggestions. The white idea has been nixed on the grounds of complete lack of support. We are an unashamed MS campus and actively discourage macs. 'Tolerate' was putting it too gently. I'd have a big fight on my hands that I don't have the time/inclincation for.

As to Acers, my experience has been good. The Ferarri has suffered physical damage (my fault) but has otherwise been fine. I know of 3 or 4 people with consumer-level Acers that are used in place of desktops and in that scenario they are just fine. I wouldn't want to see them being lugged around too much though.

Traditionally we have bought Toshiba laptops (because of nationally negotiated agreements) but I've never been impressed with their price or reliability.

And I've already had the op, but continue to bug the wife so will stay away from anything too hot

[Jammrock]

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/m1730_wow?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&dgc=EM&cid=26383&lid=601037

You could always get a WoW Edition Dell XPS laptop. They only start at $4500 USD.

[Helevitia]

Asus laptops are the best bang for the buck hands down. I own 2 and have recommended them to a few people who are all happy with them. Almost all of them come with a bag and external plus a 2 year warranty.