Laptop buyer advice

[iqnone]

I know it's probably not what this message board is meant for, but i need some advice about which laptop i should buy.
I want to spend up to about 1500 ex VAT.
I need to store lots of music and pictures, and definately want bluetooth and WiFi. Other than that, all it will be used for is internet, word processing and some large excel files.
256MB+ RAM, 40GB+ HD and a DVD writer would be nice.
The slimmer the better, and pref 15 inch screen.
Any recommendations would be great.....there's so much choice i don't know where to start. Is apple worth a look?
Thanks

[DMR]

My $0.02:

I just got a new IBM Thinkpad T-41 which just about fits those specs, and I love it- I've hardly touched my desktop systems since it arrived. I've used a few T-40s in the past, which is what prompted me to check out the T-41.

Thinkpads aren't the prettiest things in the world, but they're very well-built and comfortable to use.

[oalee]

I second that... I personally think that IBM's Thinkpads are one of the best and reliable laptops on the market...

[viperman224]

Same here, I have an IBM ThinkPad T22 haven't used my desktop much since i've recieved the T22 at christmas. I belive most of the IBM laptops (please correct me if I'm wrong) have some type of like shock portection in the hard drive so if it gets droped by acident you can pull the hard drive and it should still work.

[DMR]

I belive most of the IBM laptops (please correct me if I'm wrong) have some type of like shock portection in the hard drive so if it gets droped by acident you can pull the hard drive and it should still work.

The newer models definitely do. It works sort of like the "tilt" sensors on a pinball machine- if it senses excess vibration, jostling, tilting, etc. it immediately suspends drive activity and parks the heads so they don't crash into the platters.

[Slade]

Plain and simple advice: Do not rush into purchasing a laptop.

I've been there, done that, and spent $4000 on something that was DEF. not worth it, and I could have done a whole lot better. Just make sure the system is what you want and you should probably have a budget to stick to. For real, make sure ten times over that you want the machine before you buy it. Or else $4000 later you'll be cranky like me :D

Slade

[Pteryxx]

The newer models definitely do. It works sort of like the "tilt" sensors on a pinball machine- if it senses excess vibration, jostling, tilting, etc. it immediately suspends drive activity and parks the heads so they don't crash into the platters.

May I ask, is tilting actually a problem for laptops? I ask because I've been using my Dell 8200 as a portable mp3 player for weeks - start the music, close the machine, and slide it into my backpack sideways. I assumed it would stop me by complaining somehow if I were doing something dumb.

-Piece, Pteryxx

[Slade]

I have never heard of that one lol. Are you running the mp3's off your hard disk? Mine has never done that.

[chanto!]

My $0.02: I just got a new IBM Thinkpad T-41 which just about fits those specs, and I love it- I've hardly touched my desktop systems since it arrived. I've used a few T-40s in the past, which is what prompted me to check out the T-41. Thinkpads aren't the prettiest things in the world, but they're very well-built and comfortable to use.

Right on... I was gonna suggest the ThinkPad X31. Battery is amazing on this thing... I get 4 - 4.5 hours wifi-surfing on a full charge. The X31 is light, only 2.9lb. My 4.9lb PowerBook feels like a brick in comparison. Yeah it doesn't have a builtin cd/dvd drive, but how often do you use it anyway? The only thing that sucks on the X31 is the builtin 802.11b wifi..but then again, that's part of the reason for the long battery life.

[DMR]

May I ask, is tilting actually a problem for laptops?

No, tilting isn't a problem per se. My bet as far as the sensor mechanism goes is that it thinks that in the case ofexcessive tilting, that might indicate that the laptop is on its way to doing something bad, like sliding off your lap or a table.

I will say that I find the mechanism to be a bit sensitive on my particular machine, though- I first triggered it just by tilting it up to see how much heat was being dissipated through the bottom of the unit.