Notebook/Laptop Buying, need advice.

HaltAndCatchFire

HaltAndCatchFire

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Hi all, I need to buy myself a notebook/laptop what ever you wana call it.

I have never owned a laptop, and only have experience in buying pc's.
This is what I have gathered online, not a rule of thumb but something in these lines is what i have in mind:

Core2duo say at least a 1.83gig
With at least 1 gig of ram
Graphics isn't that big of a concern, but dedicated graphics would be preferred.


I have looked at a couple of options but can't make up my mind.

I will be mainly using it to code in vs.net2005 and eclipse(java), some web dev and photoshop. This needs the Ram and processing as some of the apps I dev need cpu power and have high memory demands.

If any one could maybe share some experiences with a certain make model, it would be most greatly appreciated.
 
I just bought a MacBook on Sunday (The mid-level MacBook) and I have to say, it is the best purchase I have ever made.

Core 2 Duo 2.0 Ghz
1 Gb RAM

It is great for all the apps you listed (Well, I haven't tried Eclipse, but I'd imagine it would be fine). Plus it can run OSX and all great Mac apps
 
ASS_SAZiN` said:
Core2duo say at least a 1.83gig
With at least 1 gig of ram
Graphics isn't that big of a concern, but dedicated graphics would be preferred.
Click to expand...
Try www.laptopdirect.co.za as a guideline.
They list most models available in SA and you can do a search according to manufacturer or price. Then you further filter according to screen size, CPU, h/drive, OS etc. Very handy. I finally settled on a 17" Acer 5626 (Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz, 2Gb RAM, 128Mb dedicated video RAM, 160Gb h/drive) which I bought a week ago. I don't like the glossy screens though (too much reflection for my taste), so I opted for LCD.

If the laptop you order ships with Vista, then I recommend at least 2Gb RAM; everything just runs so much smoother. :) Also, make sure it's Vista Business or Vista Ultimate because those are the only two Vista OS' where the OEM license includes a downgrade to XP, just in case you feel Vista is not working out for you, yet.

With the requirements you mentioned, a HP NX7300 Series Notebook comes to mind as well as a few Acer TravelMate laptops (4200 and 6400 Series). All 15.4". If you want 17", then you could look at the Acer 5620 series and the HP 9420/9440 laptops.
 
Bought an Acer recently as well...good buy for the specs I got. Got a Travelmate and it's decent. Suggest you go for 2gig of RAM since you will be developing software with the laptop. Careful how you will be utilising your RAM slots. Mine initially came with 512Mb RAM and they offered a free 512Mb on top of that. I asked them to take the original 512Mb out and give me two gigs which I paid for the extra 1 Gig. Buying a laptop with 2x512Mb RAM really limits you since most laptops only have 2 memory slots so see if the dealer is willing to make a provision for u.
 
http://www.makro.co.za/ProductDetail.aspx?cat=6367&prod=34246&SKU=000000000000109845|EA
 
JStrike said:
I just bought a MacBook on Sunday (The mid-level MacBook) and I have to say, it is the best purchase I have ever made.

Core 2 Duo 2.0 Ghz
1 Gb RAM

It is great for all the apps you listed (Well, I haven't tried Eclipse, but I'd imagine it would be fine). Plus it can run OSX and all great Mac apps
Click to expand...

It'll be a cold day in hell before I buy a Mac :sick:
 
Chances the laptop will come with Vista, if you are developing, Go for at least 2gb Ram. PS. Acer sucks!
 
Thanks guys all your inputs have helped me a whole lot! I think I am a step closer in buying my ideal/perfect/dream laptop! Any further inputs will be greatly appreciated!!!
 
Yeah I browsed the notebook review site and gave some great insights espicially liked the Graphics card comparisons it helped allot! My biggest concern now is:

I can get a laptop with a 2ghz Intel Core2Duo T7200 and 1.5 gig ram or a 1.83Ghz T5600 and 2gig of ram for about the same price, what would be the most beneficial for me considering what I described above I will be doing. I kind of feel the more ram the better but the T7200 has 4mb cache and it feels like it just has that much more of an edge over the T5600.

As always any input into this regard will be very much appreciated.
 
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