Help me buy a new notebook

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SecretCode

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I need a new notebook. Current one, an HP nx9010, has an embarrassingly small amount of RAM and therefore runs painfully slowly with anything serious going on; and it runs far too hot and the fans are noisy.

Please help me decide my specs ... and then I'm someone on the board will be able to quote me a competitive price and supply it! :D


I will use it for documents, spreadsheets, presentation/diagram preparation, image editing, mail, browsing, and programming (various IDEs). On the video side, I need to play videos and DVDs but I don't currently have thoughts of getting into video editing.

My main requirement is to have a lot of open applications (and a lot of pages open in the browsers), and for the thing to respond snappily. I want to be able to run guest virtual machines as well.


Must have:
  • lots of RAM. I think 2GB should do. Should be fast enough too, but I don't know how to rate that.
  • reasonable disk space. I could probably get by with 80GB but the more the better. The disk should also be fast. Afaik notebook drives come in 5400rpm and 7200rpm - is that right?
  • low noise, low heat (as far as possible).
  • Windows XP SP2 (not ready to rely on Vista - or Linux). If it comes with Vista, no problem, but I must get original install discs and I will partition and format it my own way with XP, Vista and pehaps a Linux distro.
Should have:
  • reasonable processor, but I do not run very CPU-intensive apps; currently I have a Celeron 2GHz and when it's not memory-bound it's kind of OK.
  • reasonable battery life. Also the battery must not die after a year under the strain! And spares must be available.
  • as many USB ports as possible; at least 4.
  • DVD writer
  • ethernet
  • wireless (wifi)
Nice to have:
  • diskette drive, but can always use a USB external one
  • serial, parallel and infrared ports - but could use USB versions likewise
  • PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports
  • bluetooth
Don't really care about:
screen and graphics adapter. This is really not a gaming system. Must have an external monitor port though.


As you can see my specs are not very precise.


So ...

What decisions do I need to make?
 
SecretCode said:
I need a new notebook. Current one, an HP nx9010, has an embarrassingly small amount of RAM and therefore runs painfully slowly with anything serious going on; and it runs far too hot and the fans are noisy.
Click to expand...
Oh no. I have the same notebook for work. I feel your pain. Darn thing sounds like a jet when the fans kick in. :sick:
 
OK, I currently use a Dell D820.

Display - 15" (Res 1920x1200)
Processor - C2D 2.16 4MB Cache
Ram - 2GB
HDD - 100 GB SATA 7200
Wifi, LAN, Modem, BlueTooth, IR, 4x USB, DVD Writer

Price is around 20K VAT included. Maybe a little less. It has been replaced by the D830.

Linkage - http://premierconfigure.euro.dell.c...563&oc=LD8301&~tgt=global_cfg&c=ZA&l=en&s=PAD

Best notebook I've ever used and I've had about 15 in the past 7 years.
 
order one from singapore online

or.....

fly to singapore, buy the best you find, come back to SA and still have spent less money than buying a notebook in this country
 
a lot depends on your budget and brand preference, but a decent Asus with 2Gb memory, Intel core 2 Duo 1.7, 120Gb hdd, Bluetooth, built in card reader, DVD writer would set you back about 11K odd, which isn't too bad
 
Thanks guys

Brand prefs: I used to be a fan of HP but now their fans have put me off. I'd trust a Dell machine but I don't know if the price premium really justifies it. What are their service and spares availability like?

Various people I know have bought Fujitsu-Siemens and been very happy - any comments on them? Otherwise - dunno.

@furnic: do you use an Asus? What are the ergonomics & reliability like?
 
Dell will replace any part onsite in 24 hours. Your screen ***s out, you call 0117097700 and report it. 24 hours later you have a new one.

No problem. The price justifies peace of mind. If you push for a better price you might get it. If it's through the company you can write the VAT off. 18K - 14% - special price and it becomes a really good buy.
 
dell=boring, you may as well get a mecer, same thing, different name.

re the asus, you can read here some reviews:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3393&Review=Asus+F3Jc

also it has a 2 year international warranty, with pickup and collection service, carry bag included:

Asus Model F3F17DR:
15".4WXGA screen with Colorshine.
Intel Yonah CPU Core 2 Duo T5300 1.73G (2M L2 Cache)
Intel 945GM Chipset with share VRAM up to 128MB
120GB HDD
8xSuper Multi-Dual writer
2GB Memory
Bluetooth
4 in 1 card reader built in
Carry bag
2 year warranty
 
It is a bit boring yes but it works. The XPS series is not that boring though
 
So nobody wants to sell me a notebook? Are all the dealers on the board more into desktop systems / components? :)
 
no but seriously, singapore is hell cheap

my friend went there this holidays, bought a notebook for R9000

rough specs:

2.0GHz Core 2 Duo 4MB L2 cache
2GB DDR2 (1033MHz if i remeber correctlly)
Bluetooth, card reader, virtual surround sound (louder than my pc :( )
80GB + 80GB
dvd re writer
8600GT graphics card
dont remeber screen size but it was widscreen and huge, id say 17" or 19"
wirless internal modem (up to 54mbps, AND, automatically goes wirless when near a wireless modem, no need for lan cable)

THE WORKS! lol

it also had a touch pad for instant music among a few(i mean a lot) other things
 
also really light, silent(actually, no noise), bit of heat though, not much, and has 4.5hours battery life
 
I have an Acer Travelmate 5624WSMi. It's a big machine but great to work on, especially for development. 17" display, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, Core 2 Duo T5600, webcam, about 5 USB ports, DVD writer etc. Mine came with XP but the newer ones come with Vista Business. You can write a OS DVD when you first get the machine and use that to reinstall at a later date.

They don't sell this model any more but I can source you a 5623WSMi (T5500 Core 2 Duo CPU) with 2GB RAM for R11900 incl VAT but it would have to be cash as it's not really our main line of business so I don't get terms. That includes a 1 year warranty. For another R1000, you can get a 3 year warranty (recommended). I can't check stock tonight, only on monday but it's on a last buy so it probably won't be around too much longer. Warning, it's a desknote type of notebook which means it's quite big. Not so heavy but quite large (17" screen).

On the product side, I have only had one hassle with all of the Acer Notebooks I have purchased or purchased for clients (about 15) so the products are good in my opinion. On the support side, they are not good. The machine with the problem took them 8 days to fix which is unacceptable IMO.
 
boramk said:
no but seriously, singapore is hell cheap

my friend went there this holidays, bought a notebook for R9000

rough specs:

2.0GHz Core 2 Duo 4MB L2 cache
2GB DDR2 (1033MHz if i remeber correctlly)
Bluetooth, card reader, virtual surround sound (louder than my pc :( )
80GB + 80GB
dvd re writer
8600GT graphics card
dont remeber screen size but it was widscreen and huge, id say 17" or 19"
wirless internal modem (up to 54mbps, AND, automatically goes wirless when near a wireless modem, no need for lan cable)

THE WORKS! lol

it also had a touch pad for instant music among a few(i mean a lot) other things
Click to expand...

Cool stuff, boramk, but did you notice a make? perhaps even a model? :confused:;)

btw by "80GB + 80GB" do you mean two separate physical drives? That could be a bonus for performance ...
 
Don't you know someone who can send you a Wholesaler's Price List.
They should have all the Notebooks listed with specs.

Recently I bought a HP6710b. About R11K with Vat.
It only comes with 1Gb of Ram, which I am sure you can upgrade to 2Gb on ordering. I am going to upgrade mine when I get a chance.
I took off Vista Business and replaced it with XP SP2.
You may downgrade to XP and use the Vista Key. Contact MS to activate the product with that key in hand. I scanned my notebook underneath and put the key into storage for that purpose.
Bought a separate Webcam. Only the really expensive notebooks come with built in webcams.

I read that this notebook's fan is noisy. Can't say I have noticed that phenomena as my office is noisy with half a dozen other computers chunking away.:p
 
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