OT: laptop experts please help.

[Beez540]

I'm lookin' for a low priced laptop... I've narrowed it down to two.


Gateway MX6438 (http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/147195/rpem/ccd/productDetailSpecification.do#tabs) for $779



Or...

Dell XPS M140 (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsnb_m140?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn&~tab=specstab#tabtop) for $778 (configured with 1gb ram, and glossy screen).



Any ideas?

[632 Regal]

the dell link says you have to sign in... I know nothing bout laptops anyways...lol

[Beez540]

fixed

[Alexlind123]

Generally i would say go for the Dell, but the Gateway has an AMD chip and im rather partial to those.

[SharkmanBMW]

I heard Acer is selling great stuff much cheaper than anyone else... My friend bought one.. $1100 CAD
15" wide screen...
pretty sweet.

[SchnellE34]

I used to be a computer tech at a small repair shop. Acer is cheap crap, don't every buy an Acer. Between Dell and Gateway, I would go with Dell. The parts are better quality, and tech support/warranty replacement is better. I have owned a Dell Inspiron for four years and have had barely any trouble with it. If you don't neeeeeed a laptop don't buy one, they are more expensive to fix becuase of the proprietary parts.

[Evan]

What will you be using the laptop for...

[Beez540]

wireless net, music & DVD, some photo/vid editing (only minor), general productivity (resumes, finances, etc.). Yes, It's gotta be mobile.

[kyleN20]

apple i book g4 14in
should cost about all the same

[misfortune]

apple i book g4 14in
should cost about all the same

Don't buy an old apple.

You can't go wrong with either book. My sister has a gateway, I work on dells everyday. Dell is really good about their warranties and such like. Some have dubious build quality and feel flimsly but their hardware is true, rarely has problems outside of the heavy wear items like hard drives. Rarely see dead dell motherboards. And my sisters gateway is sleek, very light, runs like a dream even though its a celeron. Can't go wrong with either in my opinion.

[Alexlind123]

Apple? do those even work with the wireless networks?

[DaCan23]

I hate Dells, they suck and are so cheap, GF has had 2 business Dell laptops, many friends have had Dell laptops also the business models and they suck, everyone I know who's had a Dell via work say they'd never buy one themselves, the consumer ones are worse. Dell uses very cheap parts.

The Gateway may be better than the Dell.

Check Ebay for IBMs/Lenovos or Toshibas or Compaqs or Sonys. I have had 2 IBMs and got my dad an IBM, my current one and my dads I got on Ebay, you can find a nice new late model or refurb'ed on Ebay if you know what to look for.

[smcgowan]

Check out this site. Every Thursday for the past couple of weeks you can find some really good deals od Dell laptops. The E1505 they been pushing lately.
http://www.hot-deals.org/

We configurated and the following DEll last week with 256 vid ram,and 1gig system RAM, and the true life screen for a total of $843 included and that's 40% off retail. I'd recommend looking at the site frequently, and jump and the deal quickly because the coupons expire quickly. The base unit before
upgrading below!

Dell EPP - Inspiron E1505 laptop: 15", Dual Core, 512MB, 40GB, CDRW for $575
(expired)

Seems like a pretty good deal.
Intel Core Duo 1.66GHz CPU
15.4" WXGA screen
512MB single channel memory (dual channel is a $40 upgrade)
40GB Serial-ATA drive
CD-RW drive
Dell Wireless 1390 802.11b/g
Intel graphics (ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 available for $143)
6-cell battery
1 year warranty
Coupon code SR9HHZFC93V6T0 takes 40% off of most systems in the Dell EPP department. It brings the above $999 configuration down to $599. Also an automatic 2% discount applies in your cart, making it $575 with free shipping.

If you upgrade the memory to "1GB Dual Channel" and the media drive to a "CD/DVD Burner", the final price would become $668.

If you have a Dell Preferred Account, you can follow the 2% off instructions to get 3% off in EPP.

Dell Home $35 coupons will not function.
see other recent deals involving: Dell, computers
see more information on this deal. Email this deal to a friend.

[misfortune]

I hate Dells, they suck and are so cheap, GF has had 2 business Dell laptops, many friends have had Dell laptops also the business models and they suck, everyone I know who's had a Dell via work say they'd never buy one themselves, the consumer ones are worse. Dell uses very cheap parts.

The Gateway may be better than the Dell.

Check Ebay for IBMs/Lenovos or Toshibas or Compaqs or Sonys. I have had 2 IBMs and got my dad an IBM, my current one and my dads I got on Ebay, you can find a nice new late model or refurb'ed on Ebay if you know what to look for.

One could argue round and round about notebooks and build quality or whatnot, but its pretty much fact that IBM makes the most well built notebooks. If you have IBM money, get one.

Asking questions like this on the web is so funny. By the end you should be even more confused about what to do.

[Evan]

You need a Dell Inspiron B120 with a Celeron processor:

$499 including wireless and cdrw/dvd & 256MB RAM/40GB HD/14" TFT LCD
$100 for a 1GB stick of PC2-4200 DDR2-533 SODIMM RAM
$24 shipping
$25 tax
=
$648
-
$100 rebate
$35 Dell Home Coupon
=
$513

I purchased more than 100 Dell PCs last year alone... new, refurbished, and scratch and dent...

Try this link... let me know if you need more help
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=ib120T1&s=dhs

[misfortune]

You need a Dell Inspiron B120 with a Celeron processor:

$499 including wireless and cdrw/dvd & 256MB RAM/40GB HD/14" TFT LCD
$100 for a 1GB stick of PC2-4200 DDR2-533 SODIMM RAM
$24 shipping
$25 tax
=
$648
-
$100 rebate
$35 Dell Home Coupon
=
$513

I purchased more than 100 Dell PCs last year alone... new, refurbished, and scratch and dent...

Try this link... let me know if you need more help
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=ib120T1&s=dhs


So you're one of those power seller dudes. I have a question: is that your living or what? How much do you make? If its too personal than thats cool, I just wonder how that works.

[smcgowan]

Well Ibm sold off it's Laptop division to Lenovo(China Owned). So if you buy an IBM laptop the profit goes overseas....

[tim s]

they are obviously more expensive, but i have yet to meet an insurance adjuster that did not use one.
i have sold a few to clients with great results.
they are sold with 3 years parts & labor warranty.
tim s.

[Evan]

No matter what you do with your money, it goes overseas:

"U.S.A. -- Selling Our Children's Future Since 1897"
Spain
Phillipines
France
Germany
Japan
Saudi
UAE
Yemen
Iran
Iraq
China
Israel
Turkey
Poland
Greece
Serbia
Czech
Latvia
Nicaragua
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Yourmommastan
someone help.. i'm running out of places we've wasted hundreds of thousands of lives and thousands of billions of dollars

[HDhandyman]

Dell laptops are crap--I have four sitting in front of me right now for four different clients. IBM is ...--what a joke---more expensive--you're kidding, right. If Gateway isn't out of buisness yet, they oughta be--tech support is terrible.

Apple computers rule the earth! Applecare is awesome--better service than any other company on the face of the earth. Spend more money on a PowerBook with a duo core or wait for the new ibooks. Run windows naitively with BootCamp for free, or use OSX Tiger (the world's most advanced operating system to perform all of your listed requirements flawlessly with preinstalled software that rules!

$0.02

:)

[misfortune]

Dell laptops are crap--I have four sitting in front of me right now for four different clients. IBM is ...--what a joke---more expensive--you're kidding, right. If Gateway isn't out of buisness yet, they oughta be--tech support is terrible.

Apple computers rule the earth! Applecare is awesome--better service than any other company on the face of the earth. Spend more money on a PowerBook with a duo core or wait for the new ibooks. Run windows naitively with BootCamp for free, or use OSX Tiger (the world's most advanced operating system to perform all of your listed requirements flawlessly with preinstalled software that rules!

$0.02

:)

Your post sounds like an apple promo. You'll spend at least $600 extra for the privilege of using OSX. It's clear their hardware isn't superior (RISC LOLOLO) since they now use x86.

Don't get me wrong, I love gadgets, if I had the money, I'd buy an apple. As far as I'm concerned, its a novelty, and an expensive one at that. If you're a designer or artist, knock yourself out, spend bigtime money on your tools and its totally worth it. For everyday use, email, word processing, gaming and whatnot, why would you buy an apple if you're used to windows? With very little effort you can keep a windows box clean of viruses and what not...

Talking to mac people is so funny. Its as if they've discovered the cure to cancer and they have to let you know that apple is the best thang EVAR and the whole world is stupid for using windows.

By the way, I've used OSX. Its wonderful. It looks clean and its well designed. Not sure if that means it better than windows because windows is quite useful in its own way. It's just useless for me for the premium you have to pay. Ive done my research. I've checked the student discount. OSX has nothing to offer the average user for the extra $600.

[SRR2]

IBM? What IBM is that? Do you mean the communist Chinese company that IBM sold their notebook business to? You buy an "IBM" notebook and you're sending more money to China. Just what we need. The computers in question don't say "IBM" on them any more, for that matter. They say "Thinkpad". The company is Lenovo. Another fine communist Chinese enterprise.

[ThoreauHD]

Yes, Lenova bought IBM's pc division. Do not buy from them. Besides being communists with their nukes aimed at your family, the IBM support contract in the states runs out in a year. Which means whatever is cheaper for them is what you get. And nothing is cheaper than something.

Anyhow, on the topic of the off topic.. topic.. thing- Dell just bought Alienware and are integrating it into their XPS line. Alienware uses AMD Opterons/64bit processors. It isn't merged yet, and that's why you don't see much, but that's the story.

You are looking at something small and light from what you posted. That dell is your best bet of the 2. Do not buy from gateway. They aren't communists bent on killing your grandmother, they are simply circling the drain.

While people complain about Dell's tech support- at least they have tech support. Gateway does not. I don't mean "I click on this outlook thingy and it makes a fart noise". I mean when your laptop is under full warranty and on fire from a battery made in singapore- they will blame it on you and then pass you around until you reach the designated BOFH that hangs up on you. That click is the best you'll ever get from them.

Here are 2 things that you should do:

1. Buy Dell or Alienware. They are both the same thing on paper. Alienware currently has the best quality laptops, period.

2. Get the longest most insane warranty possible. Max out the warranty. Get the roadside with Jeeves assist if it comes with it. The reason for this is that in the near future- your laptop will no longer be made(6 months). The parts will be impossible and/or expensive as hell to get. And you will drop it. And it will break. And it will cost more than half the price you originally paid for it. And that's just the first time. Max the warranty, even though it'll add 400 to the price. It's worth it. Parts, labor, shipping, time, loss of all your data- it adds up very quickly. You are fighting entropy with the warranty. You cannot repair a laptop with radioshack parts or bma OEM parts. It has one production source and they will ream you if you don't have a full warranty.

And that's about it. Oh, and BOFH means Bastard Operator From Hell. More geek stuff.. sorry. Oh, and also I didn't mention apple because if you want OSX or FreeBSD(which is what it is), you can install it on your laptop. Or better yet, linux. But that's a whole different discussion. Apple is now commodity hardware, so there's no point going there unless you want to think different.

[SRR2]

This post cracked me up, especially the Jeeves part. Every word is true, too, so I've saved it to hand out or repost as required. Thank you.

[jplacson]

I'd go with the new IBM Z60

[Tiger]

Staples has the best deal on laptop now... $699 for Gateway... similarly equipped as the Gateway you are looking at but newer model. They also have Acer laptop... similarly equipped. Gateway is 6 pounds which is tolerable.

If you want lightweight laptop, like 5 pounds... you have to wait... CompUSA or Staples has deal for like $499... Compaq with 14.1" screen like the Dell, but way lighter.

For what you need, the cheaper, the better... the lighter the better. Weight is one thing people don't think about until they own it... It is a real bear to carry heavy notebooks... lots of cheap notebooks or even expensive one weighs a ton.

Gateway has good build. Dell is okay, HP has a good build but getting cheap. Business grade HP are great but lacks bells and whistles. Out of all consumer grade, I'd go with Gateway, they are decent in build and weigh just right... at 6 pounds.

For my second laptop, I'd go with super light one... You can buy like Lenovo x40... which weighs like 4 pounds and super thin... can be had for under $800. If I'd like to save money... go with 5 pounds Compaq one that CompUSA and Staples deals for $499.

[jplacson]

Yes ... THOSE IBMS... hahaha... the Z60 still has "IBM" on the unit itself, and still carries the badge "IBM Thinkpad", with a small text "Lenovo" printed on the lower corner of the LCD casing.

Hmmm... if I'm not mistaken.... ALL computer parts are now made in China... so one way or another... you're still sending money over there. :P

If you're really out to NOT buy the new Lenovo notebooks... get a refurb from IBM.

[emw525E34]

I second that for DELL. Used 3, they broke. They reset. Toshiba's used to be real good, they were pricey but worth the money. Gateway is not far off from DELL, a bit better but cheaper.
Old IBM ThinkPads are tough as nails, if you can find a used one, buy it. The new Lenovo crap are just like the Acers, more crap with a nicer older American brand.....

[kyleN20]

i sure as hell dont plug into anything, and im typing right now, about to post this at my kitchen table while having some chocolate lucky charms

[kyleN20]

who gives a **** where yer money is going, you drive a BMW, seems like you just buy the best quality and value. thats what i do, i drive a BMW. and i buy the best product avaible that i can afford. its a global economy

[kyleN20]

agreed, the new books are called MacBook's. my next computer will be an apple, had mine for a year with NO problems. thinking about a mac mini.

[kyleN20]

my total for my computer was 1100, included a ipod mini (i think they were trying to get rid of them and make way for the nano) and a 3 in 1 printer and apple care warrenty. so it wasent to expensive for a 14in laptop.

[Beez540]

wow... I got more responses than I get with E34 related questions. Hell, I think I'd have ilicited less opinion had I posted a political thread.

I appreciate all the ideas though, it gives me a lot to think about... and since I'm not one to make to quick a decision...


How bout some preferences on chipsets/processors, and what BRAND of notebook you would choose regardless of configuration or price?

[genphreak]

Don't buy an old apple. Have to disagree here....

Apples are the BMWs of computers now, anything that runs OSX has all you need to kill an Intel machine: OSX.

Until Intel machines run this instead of Windows, buy Apple. When Intel machines to run OSX, many will still buy Apple for superior build quality. One look at it tells you. Everything is designed whereas on an Windows laptop its simpy 'fitted'.

I'm not talking about old shitty ones, I'm on about G4 and G5s. I use A Sony Vaio (still) and hate it, Dell and all the other Windows laptops I've ever had... the new Apples do so mcuh better than the new Windows machines do, there is no other choice, esp the new Dual core jobbies... ANd if you are thinking a decent Linux can save you from Windows, think again. Linux does not match with OSX on the desktop, let alone a mobile desktop (yet). :( Nick

[genphreak]

wow... I got more responses than I get with E34 related questions. Hell, I think I'd have ilicited less opinion had I posted a political thread. I appreciate all the ideas though, it gives me a lot to think about... and since I'm not one to make to quick a decision... How bout some preferences on chipsets/processors, and what BRAND of notebook you would choose regardless of configuration or price?Yea everyone has an opinion as we all get so much out of computers... and I said Apple APple Apple... so we'll see how the debate rages now. ;)

The first will be price I suspect. I don't care. Comparing Wintel laptops against Apples is exactly like comparing anything from a Daiwoo or a GM to a Bimmer.

I don't care if Apple costs 2x as much, one can get that much out of it as it does everything reliably nad sensibly, which saves you time- which saves you know what.

Works for me but not everybody. I know some people actually like fixing Windows all the time. Not me, I'm getting a MacBook Pro as soon as the dollars are thru...

[Bruce Kennett]

Apples are the BMWs of computers now, anything that runs OSX has all you need to kill an Intel machine: OSX. :( Nick

i was going to make exactly the same analogy. i'm a book designer and photographer, so of course i have worked on apple for years (the apps necessary for my particular work were always developed on mac first and later migrated to windows). i would even go beyond the OSX thing -- i think there's a kind of tactile satisfaction and "beauty feedback from the tool" that you get from using a mac, that simply doesn't exist elsewhere, and it;s this as much as anything that reminds me of bmw. the industrial design of the apple stuff is so refined, and things *work* together so well, it's reminiscent of the road feedback you get from a fine car. sure, you can go the same speed down the road in a z28 camaro, and it can have just as many horsepower (probably far more!), but will you feel as happy and refreshed when you get out at the end of the drive? and did you have as good a time during? i spend most of the day at my computers (1 laptop, 1 desktop) and am constantly supported by the ease of use of the software, and the just plain ol' human interface of both software and hardware. every gesture, every plug-and-play aspect has been carefully considered by appel's engineers.

so i would encourage you at least go try one. i know compatibility issues could get in the way of what you need to do, but it really is a superb design. my powerbook is light, gorgeous, has a wonderful screen (i have 15-inch), and i couldn't be happier. the ibooks are also very nice and use all the samesoftware, just don't have quite the same gorgeous bodywork and lack some of the features of the more expensive powerbooks.

hth,

bruce

[genphreak]

...but it really is a superb design. my powerbook is light, gorgeous, has a wonderful screen (i have 15-inch), and i couldn't be happier. the ibooks are also very nice and use all the same software, just don't have quite the same gorgeous bodywork and lack some of the features of the more expensive powerbooks. hth, bruceCouldn't have said it better Bruce. Everyone I know with one says the same thing as your last paragraph... whether they are the type to appreciate nice things or not!

For me it's cool cos Apple used to use a dinky OS so they were worth avoiding. Now they run on UNIX, it is not in any way like it was and (other than some of the interface bits where they were really good) and in many ways, as Windows still is. 2k3 and Vista are better, but still crumby in the areas and beset by all the usual Windows troubles and some strange bastard design idiology.

Once Apple gains serious market share, it will have trouble too- its just a matter of what is better at the time for one's needs. :) nick

[DaCan23]

If I had to buy a new laptop tomorrow I would consider things like this. I've had T, R, X laptops. T's are great, but expensive. My current R is great, bigger than the T, but not too big like the G & A line. X's are too small.

This was just from a quick search, sure theres more out there too. If you want Thinkpad value & quality, the R line is the way to go, check for R50s, R51s, R52s... dont know what model # they are up to. Stay away from the R5Xe's, because some of them are not upgradable for some dirves & stuff.

IBM R50

http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-THINKPAD-R50-P-M-1-5GHz-512MB-60GB-CDRW-DVD_W0QQitemZ6875151119QQcategoryZ80211QQssPageNam eZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

IBM T40

http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-Thinkpad-T40-2374-75U-Pentium-M-1-5Ghz-512-40-WiFi_W0QQitemZ6872267604QQcategoryZ31554QQrdZ1QQcm dZViewItem

[genphreak]

I like IBMs more than most. Problem will be that they are now made (and supported) by Lenovo not IBM. I can't imagine anything worse for the product (given time) as the quality will take a nose-dive once their engineering starts to filter into the new models. They could always break the mould and make a good go of it, but I'd expect them to go for mass-market acceptance (like other Chinese corporations) as opposed to enhancing the market-leading product engineering IBM is known for. Vaios have the worst service despite a great product; again a major culture issue (hangover from Sony being a consumer product manufacturer as opposed to business systems maker). HP is good, but having big internal pains that can be bad for unlucky customers. Asus is coming up, but I wouldn't trust it. If one had to go PC, the Medion laptops from Aldi stores is so cheap it might make the decision worthwhile (as it is ugly and cheap as it gets, yet actually works)

However at the present time, any laptop that won't run OS-X is a productivity drain. My 2c yet again. OK I'll stf up now.

[ThoreauHD]

I'm not sure why you folks are harping on apple. The difference is a 64-bit proessor versus a 32-bit processor. Apple use powerpc processors, and now they use Itanium processors. They are now 64-bit commodity. For the Operating System. You can use any Linux 64-bit OS- Linux was the first to support 64 bit outside of AIX/HPUX/Solaris. Windows does not support it yet. Only Linux, the BSD's(MaxOSX), and Unices support 64 bit.

I would recommend you get and AMD 64 bit processor on the laptop. You can do twice the work in the same amount of time. Whoever you choose to put it together for you, get that and the warranty. Laptops aren't cars. They don't last more than 6 months in a product cycle. You will be looking for support and wondering wtf? It'll be gone. Get 64-bit proc's and my recommendation is Suse/Novell/Oracle 10.0 or 10.1(whichever is newest). It'll do stuff that windows has never even thought of. The beta rendition of Windows called Vista is a security nightmare and is not production. It supports 64-bit, but it's windows. Darwin is the i386 aka intel based free distribution of OSX. You can install that too if you are comfortable. http://www.opendarwin.org/downloads/7.2.1/ Although I'd recommend linux(64-bit) or WindowsXP(if you are a newb and don't want to use 64-bit processing).

Linux was the first to fork a kernel over to 64-bit commodity processors- like Intel or AMD. The powerpc motorola and alpha/sparc procs are server only processors which have been supported by all unix OS's for some time, but that doesn't affect you. It isn't available for laptops.

When you buy a laptop you are fighting entropy. You want to get the fastest thing available with the best warranty because you cannot upgrade it. You can only upgrade that ram and ram ain't **** insofar as speed is concerned. Get 512 or better of ram for any architecture and you will be fine. And again, back to apple. No point. Everyone is moving towards commodity hardware. Jut get the best of commodity hardware and you will be fine. Apple != BMW for computers. Apple= Dumbass Hippy for computers. Have some foresight and go with the flow. Open is good. Closed is bad.

If it was any other way this forum would not exist. We couldn't fix **** if Apple = BMW. Our hoods would be welded shut and we would be sued by BMW for modifying it. Consider the future when buying a laptop. The turnover of laptops are shorter than anything else sold in the world.

In the end, it's about what you want to do and for how long. Don't box yourself in.

[genphreak]

I'm not sure why you folks are harping on apple. The difference is a 64-bit proessor versus a 32-bit processor.... I would recommend you get and AMD 64 bit processor on the laptop. You can do twice the work in the same amount of time. Whoever you choose to put it together for you, get that and the warranty. Laptops aren't cars. They don't last more than 6 months in a product cycle. You will be looking for support and wondering wtf? It'll be gone. Get 64-bit proc's and my recommendation is Suse/Novell/Oracle 10.0 or 10.1(whichever is newest). It'll do stuff that windows has never even thought of. The beta rendition of Windows called Vista is a security nightmare and is not production. It supports 64-bit, but it's windows. Darwin is the i386 aka intel based free distribution of OSX. You can install that too if you are comfortable. http://www.opendarwin.org/downloads/7.2.1/ Although I'd recommend linux(64-bit) or WindowsXP(if you are a newb and don't want to use 64-bit processing). A lot of what you say is valid; but the hardware is less and less significant now, it is really about the merits of the OS. You seem to advocate Darwin or other 64-bit Nix's, but the fact is they are not laptop ready yet. Suse 10, Linspire, and the 'k/ubuntus are the first consumer OSs I have seen 'almost' ready for the desktop (but not laptop). Whereas OS-X is. Have you tried ever tried getting Linux going on a laptop? Reality is ACPI, APM and hardware support, closed source Windows-centric vendors make life really hard for pros & practically impossible for n00bs...

OS-X also supports (though perhaps not by its true desire) many more open software packages than Windows (as it is FreeBSD based) and just works, for noobs or pros.


If it was any other way this forum would not exist. We couldn't fix **** if Apple = BMW. Our hoods would be welded shut and we would be sued by BMW for modifying it. Consider the future when buying a laptop. The turnover of laptops are shorter than anything else sold in the world. In the end, it's about what you want to do and for how long. Don't box yourself in.Fair point, but Apple is no longer running a closed as **** OS. It is more open than Windows, and the components (HDD/RAM etc) are as swappable/commodity as PC hardware these days. Also, PC hardware lasts less long, is far worse made and a lot of it made by vendors witha dumbass closed-source approach. One can do more now and later on, with an Apple, and you don't have to change OS at all. Perhaps ever; so you don't have to unload Windows when you get it and then risk a laptop unsupported by its manufacturer and the troubles inherrent with beta software- etc, or go through updates every hour and run truckloads of software to save you from holes in so much OS level software that is developed within a group with too few professional peers.

The only Linux laptop that could be worth getting is a Linspire one- from any WalMart. Cheap but slow. They sure do work though. More are to come... but as i said, laptop support is really (one of) the major problems we are yet to overcome in the Linux community.

[Zeuk in Oz]

wow... I got more responses than I get with E34 related questions. Hell, I think I'd have ilicited less opinion had I posted a political thread.

Don't want to hijack the thread, but I am starting to get the impression from many of the responses to this and Bill R's glasses thread that the US government must be spending a fortune trying to convince all of you good citizens to buy only American products.

Are they doing this by advertising ?

Here in Oz we sold the manufacturing sector off to foreigners in the '80s and we are now trying to destroy all of our (and they are all unsubsidised) primary industries and import instead.

With disasterous effect on our economy !

Some Buy Aussie campaigns here died out due to lack of product - they couldn't find enough stuff made here.

Soon the only foreign income we get will be from selling minerals we have mined and tourists.

[joshua43214]

Why isn't this thread dead yet?

[misfortune]

CLOSE IT DOWN DUDE, THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS.

I'd begin arguing again, but between the AMD, Apple = BMW, Intel, Linux, and all the other half truths floating out there, you'd be better off choosing a notebook from an office depot lineup blindfolded. The main problem is that nobody is completely wrong, yet noone is right either.

Apple isn't the bmw of computers. Besides the obvious apples to oranges comparison, a computer is a mix of parts. With Apple using x86 hardware now, the only difference between an apple and a dell is the screen, and maybe the motherboard/keyboard. Do cars use the same parts?

Ugh. Linux just isn't there for everyday desktop use. 1 reason. Compatibility. Install linux, go looking for a compatible printer.

Also, 64 bit vs 32 bit. In theory what you are saying would work, but in reality, there are no real advantages to running 64 bit right now. Everything is written in 32 bit because nobody has 64 bit and it'd be pointless to write software for the smallest .0001 percentile. There are some 64 bit softwares out there, but its hardly a selling point.

Reading the point above, it looks like I just plagiarized all his points. I did think of this on my own. I also said I wasn't going ot argue and I did.

Regardless dude, I think you'd be fine with a Dell Core Duo machine with 1gb of memory. If you keep your head up you should be able to get a deal on it for around $800-$900. Check out www.gotapex.com and see if you can jump on a good deal. If the dell breaks, you got a warranty. Its not a horrible computer. Sure the most anal of the anal (people who post on msg board forums) woould complain about it (its the internet, what isn't complained about on here) but really for most people, dells are just fine.

[632 Regal]

your post educated me the most, not jumping into one but bookmarking it.


CLOSE IT DOWN DUDE, THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS.

I'd begin arguing again, but between the AMD, Apple = BMW, Intel, Linux, and all the other half truths floating out there, you'd be better off choosing a notebook from an office depot lineup blindfolded. The main problem is that nobody is completely wrong, yet noone is right either.

Apple isn't the bmw of computers. Besides the obvious apples to oranges comparison, a computer is a mix of parts. With Apple using x86 hardware now, the only difference between an apple and a dell is the screen, and maybe the motherboard/keyboard. Do cars use the same parts?

Ugh. Linux just isn't there for everyday desktop use. 1 reason. Compatibility. Install linux, go looking for a compatible printer.

Also, 64 bit vs 32 bit. In theory what you are saying would work, but in reality, there are no real advantages to running 64 bit right now. Everything is written in 32 bit because nobody has 64 bit and it'd be pointless to write software for the smallest .0001 percentile. There are some 64 bit softwares out there, but its hardly a selling point.

Reading the point above, it looks like I just plagiarized all his points. I did think of this on my own. I also said I wasn't going ot argue and I did.

Regardless dude, I think you'd be fine with a Dell Core Duo machine with 1gb of memory. If you keep your head up you should be able to get a deal on it for around $800-$900. Check out www.gotapex.com and see if you can jump on a good deal. If the dell breaks, you got a warranty. Its not a horrible computer. Sure the most anal of the anal (people who post on msg board forums) woould complain about it (its the internet, what isn't complained about on here) but really for most people, dells are just fine.

[Beez540]

Yes... close it down...

Like I said, this ended up being as bad as a political thread. I don't think anyone's feelings got too hurt though.

Either way, I have used Macs in the past I like em, and I like OSX...

but..... Dude, I'm gettin' a dell. My employer has a discount & incentive program as well that I just found out about. So I'm going with a customized XPS. Centrino, extra ram, 7200rpm HD so I can edit vid, DVD burner, WS, photo printer, all for under $800 shipped. I think it will be swell.


Thanks again, everyone.


B

[misfortune]

Yes... close it down...

Like I said, this ended up being as bad as a political thread. I don't think anyone's feelings got too hurt though.

Either way, I have used Macs in the past I like em, and I like OSX...

but..... Dude, I'm gettin' a dell. My employer has a discount & incentive program as well that I just found out about. So I'm going with a customized XPS. Centrino, extra ram, 7200rpm HD so I can edit vid, DVD burner, WS, photo printer, all for under $800 shipped. I think it will be swell.


Thanks again, everyone.


B

Good deal man, enjoy.

[swenpro]

a Dell deal courtesy of gotapex.com:

HOT! Expires TONIGHT! DellHome - Inspiron E1505 Laptop with 1.66Ghz Intel Core Duo T2300 Processor, 15.4" WXGA TFT, 1GB DDR2 SDRAM, 80GB 5400RPM HD, 8x DVD+/-RW, 802.11b/g Wireless for $699 with FREE Shipping! (Posted by: Apex)
Thanks to a huge $535 instant discount, there`s a deal on Dell Home`s popular Inspiron E1505 (equivalent to the Dell Small Business Inspiron 6400) right now. This one comes with a 1.66Ghz Intel Core Duo Processor T2300 with 677Mhz FSB (normally $100 cost), 1GB DDR2 SDRAM ($100 value), 8x DVD+/-RW dual layer burner ($60 value), and 80GB 5400RPM hard drive ($75 value)! It also comes with a 15.4" WideXGA TFT, Dell Wireless 1390 802.11b/g wireless, Windows XP Media Center 2005, and a 1 year warranty! Shipping is free right now too.

Start here through the following link to this specific laptop at Dell Home: DELL INSPIRON E1505 CORE DUO NOTEBOOK DEAL
All of the options for the lowest possible cost are already selected including the free DVD burner. Upgrade whatever else you may want.
Click Continue on the right side until you can Add to Cart. Ground Shipping is FREE. Expires TONIGHT, 5/1/06!