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what PC notebook to buy?

jefhatfield

jefhatfield

Retired
Original poster
Jul 9, 2000
8,803
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i have my macs at home but since i need a pc for my work and school...cisco ios, ms visual basic, etc, does anybody have any recommendations?

it does not need to be a monster multimedia or gaming machine, by today's standards, and the main thing is that it is not too heavy

i have been looking at averatec laptops...does anybody know anything about them?
 
dell has a pc laptop for about $700. My dad has a dell and it does whatever it is pc's do fairly well. It's no mac, but.......
 
Originally posted by kuyu
dell has a pc laptop for about $700. My dad has a dell and it does whatever it is pc's do fairly well. It's no mac, but.......
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it sounds like an option

i just wish some of the pc based languages made compilers for macs so i could stay totally on the mac side of things and it's sad that even java coders have to wait for 1.4.1 just because they use a mac...at least java compilers are available for macs
 
IBM offers the best PC laptop out there. However, it will cost you. Sony has the most asthetic laptops and a lot of travel options, but they will also cost you. Gateways and Dells are cheap...but the service with Gateways are wretched.

If you want a simple system that will not cost a lot, get a Dell.

If I was not jumping PC ship and I had to buy a laptop again, I would get a Dell (just because I could not afford the IBM). Everyone who has bought a Dell that I know, has been pleased.
 
I've had 4 Sony Vaios, (I upgrade every couple years) and they've all been great, I'd recommend them in a heartbeat.
 
Originally posted by kuyu
dell has a pc laptop for about $700.
Click to expand...
One thing to realize about some entry level PC laptops like the Dell is that there is no video card- it shares video memory with the system. If you don't really need any graphics performance, then go ahead, but if you do need a bit, step up one model level or so and they start to incorporate video cards.
 
Originally posted by kanker
One thing to realize about some entry level PC laptops like the Dell is that there is no video card- it shares video memory with the system. If you don't really need any graphics performance, then go ahead, but if you do need a bit, step up one model level or so and they start to incorporate video cards.
Click to expand...


My presario 2100 came with a video card that shares memory. It performes great on games like UT 2003. Havent been on one map that has slowed it down. Go Compaq :D
 
Hmmm...

The choices for PC laptops, while suprisingly cheap, aren't really much to be impressed by. The Dell's are heavy, but I've got one in the office and it seems okay, we haven't had any problems, the Compaqs have always been mediocre, and the Sony Vaios have been difficult little beasts. However, the IBM laptops I've seen and used have always seemed very good.
Note, Dell has made a shift in their policy regarding spyware/adware, they will not help you to remove it nor suggest where you can go to do so.

http://www.spywareinfo.com/

This strikes me as poor customer service, but I know the market won't punish them for it.

If you can swing the cash, the IBM is certainly worth it, but the Dell will do, barely.
Also, what about Virtual PC, wouldn't this suit your needs in programming?
 
Do you have any cost restrictions? Also, what are you going for, desktop replacement, ultra-portable, or somewhere in between?
 
You should look for a used Thinkpad. An older laptop may not have a good battery, but you'll get more machine for your money.

Yes, Dell has a $700 (after rebate) laptop, but it's heavy, slow, and uses shared memory. They have an ultralight model (300m) which is similar to a Powerbook 12", but it costs more and has shared memory video.

Consider the VPC option. It might turn heads - and open minds - when folks see the Apple logo...
 
Fujitsu makes some nice looking and decently feature rich laptops. I've also seen some Sharp laptops with loads of features for a decent price. My sister has a Toshiba Satellite series that was about $1200 for 2.4 GHz and 512 megs RAM and she loves it besides its excessively noisy fan. For under $1000 I'd look at both Centrino and AMD laptops since they are generally thinner, cheaper, and overall better suited than the Pentium 4 versions. My roommate has a HP that has been in the shop 3 times this semester and my suitemates have a Gateway and a Dell laptop and the Dell has been (and still is) in the shop since October and the Gateway is a real heat/noise monster so I wouldn't want to recommend those as much. I'd say IBM hands down but they are too pricey if you are on a budget.
 
the dell's with centrino aren't halfway bad if you have 1500 or so, you'll get a little battery life they aren't as heavy as the other ones and aren't too too hot
 
Originally posted by Freakk123
Do you have any cost restrictions? Also, what are you going for, desktop replacement, ultra-portable, or somewhere in between?
Click to expand...

it's not the cost as main factor but the fact that i have to have a pc for some of the things i need like compilers or timely released complilers if that is lucky enough to be made in version for mac os :p
 
Originally posted by primalman
If horsepower is not an issue, why not an iBookG4 and VirtualPC? About the same money as a decent PC notebook that won't be dead in a year.
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i have never owned virtual pc and wondered if that would work

will cisco ios or microsoft visual basic compilers run on it?
 
Correct me if I'm wrong but the acronym PC stands for Personal Computer, right? A buddy of mine keeps prodding me to buy a PC. His only argument is for the "amount of games". Well his propaganda doesn't faze me and my retort is always "I already have a PC, a personal computer. Personal meaning that it is mine and last time I checked, my Power Mac G4 was a computer". He stays silent after that until the topic is brought up again whereas I simply reload my response and the game is afoot once more.
 
Originally posted by jefhatfield
i have never owned virtual pc and wondered if that would work

will cisco ios or microsoft visual basic compilers run on it?
Click to expand...

Visual Studio (as a whole) doesn't run on Macs using VirtualPC. I'm not a VB person, but VS C++ definitely doesn't. (and of course, C# and J# don't...)
 
Originally posted by Gymnut
Correct me if I'm wrong but the acronym PC stands for Personal Computer, right? A buddy of mine keeps prodding me to buy a PC. His only argument is for the "amount of games". Well his propaganda doesn't faze me and my retort is always "I already have a PC, a personal computer. Personal meaning that it is mine and last time I checked, my Power Mac G4 was a computer". He stays silent after that until the topic is brought up again whereas I simply reload my response and the game is afoot once more.
Click to expand...

Yes but the "PC" delineation occurred a long time ago and is now supported, rightly or wrongly, by both sides of the fence where PC=="IBM compatible x86"

I, too, am not a fan of such a broad stoke, but today, your argument doesn't hold much merit (unless you're willing to sway the majority of the user bases for both platforms.)
 
Originally posted by legion
Yes but the "PC" delineation occurred a long time ago and is now supported, rightly or wrongly, by both sides of the fence where PC=="IBM compatible x86"

I, too, am not a fan of such a broad stoke, but today, your argument doesn't hold much merit (unless you're willing to sway the majority of the user bases for both platforms.)
Click to expand...

Sorry to hijack this thread but, who is this all knowing governing body that defines what a "PC" is? Breaking down the acronym PC dicates one's own computer and last time I checked, Apple built computers and be damned I'm the one signing the check to pay off Apple's loan. The term PC is open ended and is rightly so open to interpretation.
 
Originally posted by legion
Visual Studio (as a whole) doesn't run on Macs using VirtualPC. I'm not a VB person, but VS C++ definitely doesn't. (and of course, C# and J# don't...)
Click to expand...

thanks for the info

i could have saved some money and just got virtualPC for the two macs i already use, but i guess i will have to update my old PC laptop or when it gives out...my teacher friend, who does command line coding (no gui or graphics) still uses his old 486 for his work from home and post doctorate research stuff...and oh yeah, surfing the net for non work realted topics:p
 
I woudl suggest the dell becuase they can offer enxt day on site service.
We loved the SOny Vaios, but stopped buying becuiase repairs could take upwards fo two weeks.
 
Etymology of sorts

Originally posted by Gymnut
Sorry to hijack this thread but, who is this all knowing governing body that defines what a "PC" is? Breaking down the acronym PC dicates one's own computer and last time I checked, Apple's built computers and be damned I'm the one signing the check to pay off Apple's loan. The term PC is open ended and is rightly so open to interpretation.
Click to expand...

PC is a big catchall, I agree and I think it came from IBM compatible PC, which then got shortened to PC. Trouble is Wintel, Windows-based PC are both hard to say. I can easily say Mac and people understand what I am talking about, but the Intel/Windows/IBM x86 genus doesn't have a convenient short-hand except for PC.
I try to use Wintel versus Mac.

And now back to your regulary scheduled programming.
 
Wintel doesn't exactly work if you are dealing with a PC with an AMD processor or one that has Linux on it, though, so it is much more accurate to just say PC rather than Wintel.
 
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