Best laptop for me?

[GirlDotson]

Hey guys! I am looking to replace my Dell Inspiron 1300. I need 3-4 GB of memory, CD/DVD Burner/Reader,webcam, hd screen, media card reader (at least the mini sd and regular sd card) and number pad. Mu budget is $600 before tax. Any hlep would REALLY be great!

 

[JackNaylorPE]

If gaming part of the mix, I can't hit ya budget .... $725

http/www.pro-star.com/index.cfm?mainpage=productdetail&model=KHLB2

W/ 4 GB RAM, 7200 rpm HD's, WiFi and BT added.

 

[bliq]

number pad will push you into the 16-17in category. There are some HPs that are in that price range. some Sony's too.

Check out some of these.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&Subcategory=32&Description=&Type=&N=2034940032&srchInDesc=&MinPrice=&MaxPrice=&PropertyCodeValue=398%3A40014&PropertyCodeValue=398%3A6696&PropertyCodeValue=398%3A47205&PropertyCodeValue=398%3A48346&PropertyCodeValue=398%3A39989&PropertyCodeValue=398%3A44336&PropertyCodeValue=398%3A16356

You don't have gaming listed as a necessity and these are not going to work for that.

 

[trnddwn33]

If you nixx the number pad, something like this ASUS would do the trick nicely.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220693

As was said above, number pad pretty much guarantees a 17" (16" isn't really all that prevalent), which increases the price by a good deal just because of the screen and whatnot.

 

[welshmousepk]

a USB numpad would be a better choice. cheap and does the job, but without forcing a larger keyboard (and therefore, laptop).

im guessing you don't care about gaming, so a sony vaio or ASUS laptop would probably be the best route.

 

[bliq]

actually some of the choices are 15.6". I was surprised too. I wonder if there's any compromise in the shape or size of the keys. 16" is becoming very prevalent- I noticed many as I was shopping for a laptop for my son about a month ago.

 

[GirlDotson]

Wow! Thanks, ya'll! I can live without the number pad...it just took me forever to get used to the one on my current laptop after using my regular desktop. Anyhow, Iwill check these out. If you ahve anymore suggestions, I am totally open.

I found this on craigslist, can some one check it out and tell me what you think, please. Thanks!

http/tallahassee.craigslist.org/sys/1597977769.html

 

[bliq]

here's a bunch of info on it

http/www.amazon.com/Pavilion-TX1320US-Entertainment-Notebook-Processor/dp/B000W0XTJ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1266032363&sr=8-1

So long as it meets your needs, it would appear this is a pretty good deal. That's a lot of extras for $570. And the 4GB is a worthwhile upgrade.

EDIT:

just got this my inbox...

http/www.amazon.com/Pavilion-DM3-1040US-13-3-Inch-Windows-Premium/dp/B002ONCDSI/ref=pe_17140_14302240_as_txt_6/

battery life is big for me- this one gets 10 hours. I'd guess the CULV Intel SU4100 is about as good as the processor in that tablet. Perfectly adequate but not a speed demon. Should be able to play hi def videos just fine. Non-game apps should be fine.

 

[wleigh]

I would look at the new HP g62...

http/www.shopping.hp.com/series/category/notebooks/G62t_series/3/computer_store?jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

(sorry if the link doesnt work, I am new to the forums)

anyways, for $599 before tax, you will get:

new core i3-330 processor
free upgrade to 4gigs of DDR3 memory
free upgrade to 320g 7200rpm hard drive
regular integrated graphics ...etc etc from there

The nice thing about this laptop is the styling change, from the normal g60 series to this, they dropped the 10 key numerical pad, but the look of this is really spiffy.
IMO, one of the best things about HP is that you can set up a student login which will save you about 10%, this exact spec'd laptop would be $550.99. You end up with one of the newer processors on the market, ample speed ram, great speed HD and a good looking machine under budget.

Regarding the DM3 and that TX series that you are looking at, the Intel CULV processors are nice in the DM3, but only the higher end ones (SU7300 and SP9300). I would only build something with the SP9300 at the moment otherwise you are putting something together pretty slow (SU7300 speed is ~1.6ghz and the 4100 ~1.3ghz). That TX series for sale is only a single core and one of the earlier generations of touch laptop/tablets, I would not spend the money on it (though the add on accessories are nice) you would be wasting money on an older machine you would need to upgrade within a year or so.

Hope that helps.

 

[bliq]

actually the SU4100 and SU7300 are both 1.3GHz parts, the only difference is that the SU7300 has 3MB of L2 cache vs 2MB in the SU4100. The SU9300/9600 is a much higher price point, 1200-1500 I believe. The difference in performance of 1MB more L2 for most tasks is imperceptible. A "power user" such as myself may be more likely to be performing tasks that might take advantage of the extra cache, but I figure any heavy lifting will be done on my desktop.

That said, SU4100 and SU7300 are both capable of doing everyday tasks and playing Hi def video while delivering 10 hours of battery in the DM3. i3 will probably deliver less than half that.

The TX, if the specs are the same as the one on amazon, uses a dual core Turion 64 TL-60.

 

[GirlDotson]

Best answer selected by girldotson.