Help stop the shopping impulse

CathJ

CathJ

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I've been considering getting a new notebook for a while now. I don't need one; my old one works just file and is totally sufficient for my needs. But.... I want one :D

So I decided I'd wait until Win7 comes out, and then buy the new notebook and the new OS together.

But yesterday I saw the Lenovo ad on MyBB, saw the T400s, and then got a fright when I saw the price (lovely, but over R20K!). So now I'm hooked. I've seen a few that I like, and one which is cheap enough for me to buy now and then buy win7 when it's available. But this is all online research, I haven't seen any of these physically. And I really should wait and stick to my original plan... but I'm finding it difficult :o Please give me reasons not to rush out and buy the first cool one I see!
 
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20k just because its portable? OMG one can buy a pc with TRI-SLI nVidia GTX 285's in it, along with like 3TB's of hard drive storage space

DON'T DO IT!
 
Cath do what i have been doing, not so successfully i might add but ask yourself do you really need it?

Nothing worse than getting a new piece of hardware and realizing you just waste tons of cash for nothing :D
 
Keeper said:
20k just because its portable? OMG one can buy a pc with TRI-SLI nVidia GTX 285's in it, along with like 3TB's of hard drive storage space

DON'T DO IT!
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No, don't worry, I'm not even considering that one!

I'm looking at the Lenovo G530 for around R7.5k, or the Samsung R530 for around R5k. My max budget would be around R10k.

I haven't really done enough research, those are just two I saw that look good. There's so much out there, it's really difficult to evaluate them all and make an informed choice. And I'm not as up to date with the laptop market as I was when I got my last one (a Dell - I would go for a Dell again, but they seem quite overpriced)

killadoob said:
Cath do what i have been doing, not so successfully i might add but ask yourself do you really need it?

Nothing worse than getting a new piece of hardware and realizing you just waste tons of cash for nothing :D
Click to expand...

No, I don't need it... but I will get one, it's just a question of now or in a few months time :) The cool thing is that then I will set up my old laptop for my nieces, and install Qimo (a kiddy operating system) for them, so it won't go to waste.
 
alf101 said:
Go to an iStore have a look at the macbook air.
Check out the price.

That'll cure you.
Click to expand...

That's what started the whole thing a few months ago. I saw it, loved it, saw the price, fainted, then started what I could get for a reasonable price :D
 
I always think about the money, how long I had to work for it, and what else I could buy, and remind myself that what I have currently is more than sufficient.
 
killadoob said:
Cath do what i have been doing, not so successfully i might add but ask yourself do you really need it?

Nothing worse than getting a new piece of hardware and realizing you just waste tons of cash for nothing :D
Click to expand...

This works for me, sometimes.

I have heaps of hardware I have hardly used that I bought on impulse.
 
Brawler said:
This works for me, sometimes.

I have heaps of hardware I have hardly used that I bought on impulse.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have something along those lines as well. Come next week I'll be starting a clear-out of my "stock". Anyone need a Cooler Master Stacker case? :D

As for the T400, similar spec to some top SONY VAIO I hear and near indestructible. I'd want one if I had tons of money to waste and needed a new notebook. I was looking at the Lenovo U350 the other day and that seems quite nice even with just a Core2 Solo in it, but I wouldn't put money on it doing much business and office work.
 
TheRift said:
Yeah, I have something along those lines as well. Come next week I'll be starting a clear-out of my "stock". Anyone need a Cooler Master Stacker case? :D

As for the T400, similar spec to some top SONY VAIO I hear and near indestructible. I'd want one if I had tons of money to waste and needed a new notebook. I was looking at the Lenovo U350 the other day and that seems quite nice even with just a Core2 Solo in it, but I wouldn't put money on it doing much business and office work.
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That does seem nice, although the screen's a bit small.... I'm so confused :(

Basically I'm looking for around a 15" screen, 2gb memory (or more), 160Gb HDD (or more), plenty of usb ports, dvd writer, and lan/wireless lan built in. Something powerful enough to run Win7, do some internet browsing, iTunes, handle photo editing and viewing, general spreadsheet and doc processing, and a bit of coding using C# Express. Simultaneously :) Okay, not everything simultaneously, but at least iTunes and photo editing. Oh, and a cool & quiet running fan - I'm more interested in the experience of using the laptop than the specs, so while it must have good enough specs to handle the things I want to do, I'm almost more concerned with the quality of the speakers, the feel of the keyboard, the sound of the fan, the clarity of the screen, etc. For a max budget of around R10K. (and I'd love a 15" screen with an overall portability of a netbook, but I have to accept that's not going to happen :p)

Now if only I could type that into Google and find my ideal laptop :D
 
I'd head off to a brick 'n mortar shop and go play with the notebooks they have on display and then see which one you like. So difficult to tell how a notebook will act from reading the spec. You see some have a massive screen in the spec, but in reality that screen winds up looking crap. Some have a tiny screen, but the quality is just perfect. And so it goes on. Go wander around to some shops in your spare time and abuse the notebooks on display.

I like to drop them and see if the casing holds up as that is a very important and often overlooked test. :) j/k
 
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for your budget under 10k I suggest you have a look at either:

Sony VAIO VGN-NS330J/S 15.4-Inch Laptop for about R8500
or
HP Pavilion DV6-1230 15.6-Inch Entertainment Laptop for about R8900

both have similar specs with 320gb hdd and 4gb memory - I am not a fan of HP but this model oozes style
 
TheRift said:
I'd head off to a brick 'n mortar shop and go play with the notebooks they have on display and then see which one you like. So difficult to tell how a notebook will act from reading the spec. You see some have a massive screen in the spec, but in reality that screen winds up looking crap. Some have a tiny screen, but the quality is just perfect. And so it goes on. Go wander around to some shops in your spare time and abuse the notebooks on display.

I like to drop them and see if the casing holds up as that is a very important and often overlooked test. :) j/k
Click to expand...

That's probably good advice. And then if I tell myself I have to test them out physically first, it means I can't go off and order one online this afternoon, so it delays that shopping impulse as well :o
 
Go to a travel agent and pick up some brochures for holiday package specials. A sightseeing trip overseas is never money wasted. Go see the pyramids and valley of the kings in Egypt. Or take a cruise ship between Greek Isles, Croatia and Italy. Or go diving inZanzibar :) Don't waste money on a notebook if you have one that works fine!
 
Sensorei said:
Go to a travel agent and pick up some brochures for holiday package specials. A sightseeing trip overseas is never money wasted. Go see the pyramids and valley of the kings in Egypt. Or take a cruise ship between Greek Isles, Croatia and Italy or Zanzibar :) Don't waste money on a notebook if you have one that works fine!
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And notebooks are cheaper overseas, so pick one up while you're there :D
 
Sensorei said:
Go to a travel agent and pick up some brochures for holiday package specials. A sightseeing trip overseas is never money wasted. Go see the pyramids and valley of the kings in Egypt. Or take a cruise ship between Greek Isles, Croatia and Italy. Or go diving inZanzibar :) Don't waste money on a notebook if you have one that works fine!
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Been there, done that :)

TBH, if I buy a laptop this year, it doesn't stop me from going overseas next year (and I went to Rome earlier this year, too - so I'm not depriving myself of holiday time :D)

Anyway, I figure a holiday will last a week or two, whereas a laptop will last 4 or 5 years. And I can use it to edit and view my holiday photos!
 
lived666 said:
for your budget under 10k I suggest you have a look at either:

Sony VAIO VGN-NS330J/S 15.4-Inch Laptop for about R8500
or
HP Pavilion DV6-1230 15.6-Inch Entertainment Laptop for about R8900

both have similar specs with 320gb hdd and 4gb memory - I am not a fan of HP but this model oozes style
Click to expand...

I love the HP specs, but it's a bit shiny for me.

Thanks all - at the very least you've convinced me I don't really know what laptop I want, so I shouldn't go out and buy one yet.
 
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