some purchasing advice

[evilwrench1975]

I'm in the market for a new laptop... this hp pavilion seems to be on it's last leg... any advice on something portable (yes, it has to be a laptop), dependable and durable... I travel all over the world, and alot of the places aren't the most accomodating, so I can't have a cheap-o that the screen and keys fall off. I want a decent amount of RAM (2GB or better) would be nice. ROM is nice, but I have external hd's to cover storage space (200GB and 750GB, not to mention the 8GB secure thumb drive). I just don't know who to trust, and what's the best bang for my buck

[jbennet]

Depends on how much you are willing to spend

Durability and quality wise its (in no particular order):

lenovo
toshiba
hp

If you want vista do NOT get under 1gb EVER.

As a rule, 2gb on vista yields the same actual performance as 1gb does on XP.

The biggest laptop drive you can find on a normal laptop is ~160gb, with the smallest being ~60gb.

I personally find lenovo to be very durable (i have a really old IBM thinkpad from about 2000 and its still going strong after being flung down the stairs etc...).

[scru]

The biggest laptop drive you can find on a normal laptop is ~160gb

They got those 250Gb fastish drives now, but you gotta pay up.

I wouldn't really recommend Toshiba for Vista. The firm where I work is also an importer, and a lot of people return theirs because of screen black outs. It seems the power management features on them aren't really ready for Vista, because the guys in repiars just turn them off to fix the problem.

I agree on the extra gig, and honestly, it really wouldn't run you that much extra as the manufacturers seem to know this and are beginning to offer cheap upgrades to 2GB for computers on Vista Premium.

I would also recommend Sony. From my experience these are built strong, and they also sort of look elegant. Beware though, of the bloatware they pack on and according to where you buy you might find yourself paying a little extra than you should, just for the brand.

[evilwrench1975]

thanks... but I'm pretty sure I just read some ads on geeks.com for 200GB and 250GB hd's. I have 2G/80GB right now, and this thing constantly has issues (hp even). I've seen some lenovo ads, can't remember what they're selling for... I've heard alot of people pleased with thinkpads though... toshiba? I didn't realize they were that good... thanks for the advice, I'll keep looking until I find the right one

[evilwrench1975]

sounds like solid advice there too scru. I have been looking mostly at the Sony Vaio series and again hp... I'm just very wary of Vista... everyone I talk to says that vista is evil... as far as power management... i have to go with the repair shop guys... I always turn that crap off... I run mostly on AC power anyway, with the battery there as a back up, more like an UPS... to let me shut things down Thanks scru

[jbennet]

if you do get XP instead of vista get pro, not home.

Lenovos are faurly expensive and not that amazingly specced but are good build quality. Aimed strictly at the business market.

[evilwrench1975]

hmmm... so if I'm lookin for a primarily personal computer, with business usage, for some gaming (pogo.com, and bass-pro or other basic games)... but mostly to talk to my wife and family when I'm half way around the world. I want something fast and reliable... but durable enough to travel frequently and far... and yes, I think xp is probably more reliable than vista

[K7AAY]

Lenovo boxen are the best, IMHO. They take abuse which break lesser machines, and they have worldwide service.

[jbennet]

yeah but low spec

they are durable though, i have an old IBM thinkpad and its taken all sorts of abuse