Laptop recommendations

[nikimcbee]

My laptop died and I'm trying to decided if I should replace it. Can anybody recommend a good laptop that's not too expensive.

[SUBMAN1]

My laptop died and I'm trying to decided if I should replace it. Can anybody recommend a good laptop that's not too expensive.You should really have only one requirement on a laptop. Make sure it either has an ATI or NVidia GPU. CPU isn't as important as it once was.

Another thing laptops suffer from - slow HD speed. I'd go for a 5400 RPM HD, avoiding all 4200's. The 5400 RPM HD is the best compromise between batt life and OK speed. Steer clear of 7200 RPM - while fast, don't expect much more than an hour in batt life out of one.

XGA screen is another point. You want a nice bright clear screen.

Just some thoughts if I were buying right now.

Now to throw off everything I just said! - I kind of like that ASUS 900 Eee! Cheap and I'd get the Linux one and then put XP on it!

-S

[Frame57]

I have an HP dv9815 and the keyboard sucks. I should have went with the Toshiba.

[Tchocky]

7200 rpm drives also throw out a lot of heat.

Frame - My main pc is a dv9*** series, and I love the keyboard, especially the full numpad. Most 17in widescreen laptops tend to fill that space with rubbish media buttons and the like.

[SUBMAN1]

7200 rpm drives also throw out a lot of heat....True words, but also a given. Anything that sucks down power generates heat. Its the way of the universe.

-S

[antikristuseke]

7200 rpm drives also throw out a lot of heat....True words, but also a given. Anything that sucks down power generates heat. Its the way of the universe.

-S

We should stick politicians into powerplants as heating elements then:88)

[Platapus]

why the insistence on a laptop? I think you can get better and cheaper in a desk top system?

[Frame57]

7200 rpm drives also throw out a lot of heat.

Frame - My main pc is a dv9*** series, and I love the keyboard, especially the full numpad. Most 17in widescreen laptops tend to fill that space with rubbish media buttons and the like.My keys stick all the time on the HP for some reason. I use it for word processing a lot. So it gets a lot of use when i travel/

[bookworm_020]

why the insistence on a laptop? I think you can get better and cheaper in a desk top system?

Not to mention the ease of upgrading any part later on when it gets worn out or superceeded.

Though it's a little hard to lug a desk top around with you and the extension lead is a killer!:doh:

[nikimcbee]

why the insistence on a laptop? I think you can get better and cheaper in a desk top system?

If they could make a power cord long enough for airplanes, then


plus I'm typing on my new laptop:cool: right now:cool:

[d@rk51d3]

Sooooooooooo.......

What did you get...?
What did you get...?
What did you get...?
What did you get...?

What did you get...?:D

[nikimcbee]

Sooooooooooo.......

What did you get...?
What did you get...?
What did you get...?
What did you get...?

What did you get...?:D

Fogive me father, for I have sinned. I have done business with the great harlots:
1. vista 4bit
2. intel centrino duo core blah blah blah.

The AMD comp was smaller (in size), and I like the larger laptops, so I sinned greatly.

The intel one was on sale it has the wireless H, ati video card, 512 meg, 4 gig RAM, processor 2.0g.
It was a great deal.

And the worse part, vista isn't that bad, so far.:oops: :nope:

[Thomen]

Fogive me father, for I have sinned. I have done business with the great harlots:
1. vista 4bit

Yes, you shall be very ashamed of your self for using a 4 (FOUR) bit OS :down:

:rotfl:

[nikimcbee]

Fogive me father, for I have sinned. I have done business with the great harlots:
1. vista 4bit

Yes, you shall be very ashamed of your self for using a 4 (FOUR) bit OS :down:

:rotfl:


yeah, it's a VIC-20:roll:

4 gig RAM

[Thomen]

Fogive me father, for I have sinned. I have done business with the great harlots:
1. vista 4bit

Yes, you shall be very ashamed of your self for using a 4 (FOUR) bit OS :down:

:rotfl:

yeah, it's a VIC-20:roll:

4 gig RAM

I loved the VIC-20 with the Datasette. ;)

[SUBMAN1]

Fogive me father, for I have sinned. I have done business with the great harlots:
1. vista 4bit
2. intel centrino duo core blah blah blah.

The AMD comp was smaller (in size), and I like the larger laptops, so I sinned greatly.

The intel one was on sale it has the wireless H, ati video card, 512 meg, 4 gig RAM, processor 2.0g.
It was a great deal.

And the worse part, vista isn't that bad, so far.:oops: :nope:Sounds good. Now find out if you have really sinned. Load up Dangerous Waters and see if it plays fine. If it does, with graphics maxed, you are golden!

-S

[StdDev]

Fogive me father, for I have sinned. I have done business with the great harlots:
1. vista 4bit

Yes, you shall be very ashamed of your self for using a 4 (FOUR) bit OS :down:

:rotfl:

Remember IBM's OS/2 ?
Who would use "half an Operating System"?

[Digital_Trucker]

Remember IBM's OS/2 ?
Who would use "half an Operating System"?

Why, a half-wit, of course!

[Platapus]

My first computer was a Radio Shack PC-1.

It had 1.9k of memory :rock:

And I was the big kid on the block. :up:

[SUBMAN1]

My first computer was a Radio Shack PC-1.

It had 1.9k of memory :rock:

And I was the big kid on the block. :up:My first computer was a CP/M system, with dual 320K floppies, and built in monitor in 1977! Some company couldn't pay my father so they dumped that demo on him instead. My father had no idea what to do with it, so he dumped it on my desk shortly after! :D

In 1977, this kind of horsepower costs about $10K.

I upgraded to the MC-10 in 1983.

http://www.slowcomputing.org/ssouth/mc10/

I had 4k of memory, but one day, I splurged for a massive 16K module! I mean, I was used to 64k all these years! The MC-10 was an upgrade though - it had graphics! Only text on the CP/M system. Graphics was a distant thought in those days.

-S

[SUBMAN1]

Here is my second system I ever had!:

http://oldcomputers.net/mc-10.html

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/8434/mc10rs5.gif

Super cheap, barely useful computers were sold by the millions in the early 80's. The scheme worked great for Sinclair of the UK - the Sinclair ZX-80 (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/zx80.html) ($199) in 1980, and the Sinclair ZX-81 (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/zx81.html) ($99) in 1981, combined easily sold over 500,000 units.

The Timex/Sinclair 1000 (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/ts1000.html) ($99) in 1982 sold more than that all by itself, and the new and improved Timex/Sinclair 1500 (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/ts1500.html) from 1983 sold for less than $80.

The TRS-80 MC-10 (MC=Micro Color) is a scaled-down version of the original TRS-80 Color Computer (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/coco.html) computer from 1980. The reason for this is apparently because cheap, simple computers seem to be popular, and the MC-10 has a few things going for it which most of the Sinclairs lacked - a better keyboard, and a color display.

To keep the price down, the MC-10 has only 4K of RAM, but just like the Sinclairs, an external 16K RAM module ($69.95) can be added, as seen in the pictures here, for a total of 20K of RAM.

While the MC-10 may be superior to the "competition", like them it is too small and limited to be useful for either work or play

Another inexpensive color system, the Mattel Aquarius (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/aquarius.html) computer from the same year, sold very poorly as well.

There were just too many new computers in the year 1983, and competition was fierce. The price of older systems was dropping, making them a better deal than the simple micro-computers like the MC-10.

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/5148/mc102mj8.gif
The optional "Low-Cost" TP-10 Thermal Matrix Printer ($129.95) is a nice addition for hardcopy.

-S

PS. I had that printer too!

[Tchocky]

The first computer I remember was a 33Mhz 486 :)

[SUBMAN1]

The first computer I remember was a 33Mhz 486 :)DX or SX? Scary that I remember these things, no? :p

-S

[nikimcbee]

I found the ads for my computer:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FGj56PLYUSI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTMdXZ_QwTo&NR=1

[SUBMAN1]

The Compaq Portable 2 was the fist computer I ever played the F-16/F-18 sim JET! on.

-S

Try it! http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/abandonware/pc/simulations/games_i_o/jet.html

http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/ss/1612_0.gif

http://free-game-downloads.mosw.com/ss/1612_0.jpg

http://www.mobygames.com/images/covers/large/963278225-00.jpg

http://www.mobygames.com/images/covers/large/963278568-00.jpg