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Thread: laptop suggestions needed

  1. #1
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    laptop suggestions needed

    Hi,

    I am thinking about getting a new laptop for educational purposes. Budget is < $1300. I see you can now get laptops pretty cheap but that's if you run w/ a celeron processor...I've not used a celeron since they first came out and knew that they completely sucked compared to the P3 at the time. How good are celerons now? are they still piles of excrement or do they have acceptable performance? I fell fine about using an AMD system or P4 system as well.

    Qualities/requirements i'm looking for:
    54Mbps wireless
    internet browsing & office applications; non-cpu/graphics intensive games
    lightweight
    15" monitor
    3-4+ hour battery life

    Also, I feel a slight bias towards (evil) dell because they do all come with warranties...

    Please give me some feedback =)
    The more I study, the more I know.
    The more I know, the more I forget.
    The more I forget, the less I know.
    So why study???

  2. #2
    Ultimate Member rraehal's Avatar
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    I use a Celeron 3.0Ghz in my laptop. I did nto intend to play games on my system that required much power so it performs perfectly well for me. It runs Diablo 2 perfectly. I haven't tried much else on it as far as games are concerend.

    Works flawlessly for internet and office applications.

    Most laptops offer an option to get an integrated Wirless Card or you cna still get a PCMCIA card.

    The weight will vary with what you buy. I purchased an Inspiron 1100 and it weighs about 5 1/2 pounds and can meet all your requirments.

    I would look at the Inspiron 6000 - it meets your requirments but has a wide screen diaply for DVD movies on trips. It would be the laptop I would buy off Dell with their current offerings. It starts at $1059. After customizing for me it would cost me $1800 but its not a bad system at the base price.
    -- Mathias

  3. #3
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    What about battery life (while running non-intense apps like office/web browser)? I would like/need it to run 3+ hours if I'm in class and don't sit close to an outlet.

    Thanks!
    The more I study, the more I know.
    The more I know, the more I forget.
    The more I forget, the less I know.
    So why study???

  4. #4
    Ultimate Member rraehal's Avatar
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    Get the extended life battery that dell offers. It is a 9 cell (80WHr) battery versus the standard 6 cell (53WHr).

    I currently take classes and usually am in class 3.5 to 4 hours. My battery will last the whole class if I close the lid when I am not using the system.

    I take notes using word and surf the internet without any issues.
    -- Mathias

  5. #5
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    update -

    I ended up getting the Dell Inspiron 6000 with a bunch of stuff that brought it up to ~$2k then got the $750 rebate...pretty good =)

    So far after a few months use it's been pretty awesome, however, if you're not technically inclined to fix your own problems I wouldn't get Dell because their tech support blows (see my posting about dvd drive speed for the whole story if you're so inclined)
    The more I study, the more I know.
    The more I know, the more I forget.
    The more I forget, the less I know.
    So why study???

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