A Good PC Laptop Alternative

If I were to buy a PEECEE laptop it would be an IBM laptop with Linux on it. Sony has the style but IBM in my opion has the power. Also if I bought something from IBM maybe a fraction of that money would go to IBM's Power PC chips.

Well I actually did get a Dell Inspiron 4150:

2.2ghz P4, 512k L2.
384MB RAM, up to 1024MB supported.
400mhz FSB, 266mhz DDR RAM.
32mb ATI Radeon Mobility 7500.
5400 RPM 40gig disk.
14" 1024x768 screen.
Neato "green" color panels (different color depending on light angle actually, I like the effect a lot).
Basic DVD drive, one battery.
3 year warranty, including protection against some mistakes on my part.
About $2500.

Screens up to 1600x1200 are available for this model (but I didn't want that), and it wieghs in a perhaps 6 pounds, much less than the Inspiron 8200 and it's 15" screens (plus better disks and video cards). Combo drives and CDRWs are available as well, but I didn't want them.

Dell may have stupid commercials but I think it's hard to beat them at their game (as in, making PCs).

agree with al256 - Sony laptops are stylish and have built in firewire (albeit 4-pin only) but IBM make the most rock-solid notebook PCs in the business.

If i do not buy an updated tibook, i will be buying the new compaq presario 2800 with the following specs.


Processor

Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 2.0GHz

256 Meg 266MHz DDR SDRAM Integrated Hard Drive

40GB UltraDMA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)

8X DVD/CDRW (8X/8X/24X)Combo Drive (MultiBay™)

15.0" TFT SXGA+ Active Matrix Display

NEW ATI Mobility™ RADEON™ 9000 w/64MB DDR dedicated graphics memory.

All for $2500. Not too shabby.

http://www.thenewhp.com

oops the site should be

http://thenew.hp.com/

Originally posted by ddtlm
Well I actually did get a Dell Inspiron 4150:

2.2ghz P4, 512k L2.
384MB RAM, up to 1024MB supported.
400mhz FSB, 266mhz DDR RAM.
32mb ATI Radeon Mobility 7500.
5400 RPM 40gig disk.
14" 1024x768 screen.
Neato "green" color panels (different color depending on light angle actually, I like the effect a lot).
Basic DVD drive, one battery.
3 year warranty, including protection against some mistakes on my part.
About $2500.

Click to expand...

I will be buying a PowerBook when the new ones are released but one of the things I DO NOT like about it is the fact that you can only get a 5400 RPM drive on build to order. 5400RPM drives should be standard on laptops, IMO, like 7200RPM drives on desktops.

I could see why you might put a 4200RPM drive into an iBook, if you were Apple, but in the PowerBook???

I've been poking around, and the ONLY 5400rpm drive I could find for laptops is the 60gb IBM TravelStar. Not many people would WANT that much space for it to be a "standard" feature.

I could be wrong though, there could be other notebook drives runing at 5400rpm at lower capacities. If not, I can understand why it is just an "option".

madamimadam, losfp:

I'm sure it doesn't surprise you that faster spinning hard disks use more power and generate more heat... the enemies of laptopness. For this reason if I were deciding on PBook specs, I would offer the 5400 (as big as possible) as an option in only the top machine, and go slower as standard on them all.

taeclee99:

People here often make fun of Dell and their "ugly" laptops, but in my view HP and Compaq both look much worse. And so does Sony. Their idea of "style" just doesn't work. It's either Apple style or Dell value (which looks good to me anyway), no middle ground at this time. In my humble opinion.

my dad's laptop (PC) crashed the other day and lost everything..luckily it was all backed up...

Sony makes great hardware... but the tech support is a joke.
Dell has great tech support but the inspiron 4150 and the 8200 feel flimsy and the Latitude series (which is actually fairly good) is over-priced.
The new HP's look interesting and have garnered good reviews but historically the Omnibook is a flawed line.

I admit, the Titanium Powerbook feels a little naked... like it could use some kind of heavy duty impact resistant coating. Maybe in the future... I really miss the Pismo chassis design, my friend got a G4 upgrade card put in his and has Jaguar installed.

He says it rocks, it definately sounds good!

it's really good to see some PC notebooks that are looking alright. i might have to go to PC at some time in the future, and my only reason would be because if Apple gets too expensive for me. and if that does happen it'll at least be good to get a PC notebook that look OK.

i just had a look at the vpr Matrix ™ 120 -180B5. looks alright at 1.16" H.

why is it that there aren't more PC notebooks that are this thin? what makes the VPR Matrix so different that theirs is 1.16"?

:shudders: Are you kidding?

i mean Really!
"High-Performance Laptop Chassis (Standard)
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 2.8GHz 533MHz FSB w/ 512KB Cache
Hi-Performance Heatsink/CPU Cooling Fan
Intel® 845E+ICH3M Chipset - FC-PGA 478PIN DDR
512MB DDR PC-2100 - Two SO-DIMMs
40GB IBM Travelstar 5400 RPM ATA100
ATI Mobility RADEON 9000 64MB DDR
Sound-Blaster Compatible 3D Audio
3.5 3-Mode Floppy Disk Drive
24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD w/Software MPEG2 Decoder
Integrated 10/100Mb Ethernet NIC
56K Modem with V.92 Technology
Targus Sport Standard Computer Backpack - Platinum/Black
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Intellivision Lives! 50 Retro-Style Gaming Classics
Free Alienware® T-Shirt - Black
Bonus 12-Month Subscription to Computer Games Magazine!
Alien Autopsy: Automated Technical Support Request System
Aliencare Toll-Free 1-Year 24/7 DEPOT Warranty
Personalized Owner's Manual
Optimized & Configured for High-Performance

Price: $2899.00

"

that things massive!!! good if you just want to sit in bed playing games though...

but why aren't there more PC notebooks that are slimmer? like the vpr Matrix?

BTW, I think that Alienware machine is available with DUAL processors! If you go to the customize page at Alienware's site there is an option where you choose a processor and it adds like $700 to the price. It looks like it's dual to me.

cb911:

If you try to play games in bed with a modern laptop the thing is gona melt. When working hard my Dell will heat the table clear through the wooden surface so that I can feel it radiating heat through my jeans, and heat just radiates up from the keyboard. At 100%, the fan blows louder than the DVD drive spins. I can't imagine how much heat that Alienware pumps out... seeing as how it's running a 2.8ghz standard desktop P4 in a (big) laptop body.

tjwett:

Standard P4's will not work in dual setups. The Intel Xeon is a P4 that will, and it costs more, plus runs on only a 400mhz FSB.

Alienware cannot be offering a dual laptop with either standard P4's or with the 533mhz FSB.

ddtlm: that AleinWare notebook would probably be too heavy to play in bed as well.

Originally posted by ddtlm
madamimadam, losfp:

I'm sure it doesn't surprise you that faster spinning hard disks use more power and generate more heat... the enemies of laptopness. For this reason if I were deciding on PBook specs, I would offer the 5400 (as big as possible) as an option in only the top machine, and go slower as standard on them all.

Click to expand...

I must say, good work soldier, I had never even thought about that

Originally posted by ddtlm
tjwett:

Standard P4's will not work in dual setups. The Intel Xeon is a P4 that will, and it costs more, plus runs on only a 400mhz FSB.

Alienware cannot be offering a dual laptop with either standard P4's or with the 533mhz FSB.

Click to expand...

right on. i know nothing about Intel chips. what in the heck is with the processor option then? it's really non-descrpit at the Alienware site. oh well, just weirdness i guess.

L0L, yes these laptops would probably Crush you lap... hehe, but still they have Very nice specs. The price is no factor I would get me an alienware or the powerbook.

What is the battery life like on these PC notebooks? PC manufacturers seem keen to advertise every spec except that one.