My Dad needs a new laptop and I've read through these last posts but have no idea which route to go.

All he needs is something fast, light with a nice screen. Gaming is not important. This is purely a business computer.

He's had 2 dell laptops over the years and they're nice, but I think he wants something really light this time.

A mac is out of the question.

<font color=red>God</font color=red> <font color=blue>Bless</font color=blue> <font color=red>America!</font color=red>

Try Toshiba - I had one and they're brill.

<font color=purple><b>Techie2001</font color=purple></b>
<i>(Crazy Alien)</i>
If it ain't broke, Don't fix it.

Sony Vaio imo will be perfect for him. God I love their design.

What if your life moved.....2 inches to the left?

I had to send my toshiba away to have a bios password removed - The battery trick didn't work. And the machine was back to me in less than a week. no fuss no hassle. Plus they leave the Hdd intact rather than cleaning it like some companies do when you send your machine in for repair.

<font color=purple><b>Techie2001</font color=purple></b>
<i>(Crazy Alien)</i>
If it ain't broke, Don't fix it.

Right now, Dell has an awsome deal for their Inspiron 4100 series. PIII-M 866mhz, 256mb RAM, ATI 16mb video, 20 gig HDD, and more for only $1,199!!! And FREE shipping too! The XGA screen is very nice too, the Super XGA is amazing, the Ultra XGA is outstanding!

See a real naked pic of Britney Spears <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/stick_e_mouse" target="_new">here</A>!!!

Ok, I've got him thinking about what he wants exactly. He'll be flying from one side of the state to the other once a week which is the reason he'll want a nice and big screen, lightweight, etc etc. There is only one problem that I just found out. The company he'll be working for is exclusively Mac. He can still get a PC, but I now have to consider the Titanium G4 (I don't think the other apple laptop is going to cut it for business. Too fruity). I need to find a PC that has everything a Titanium does thought to make this simpler. I don't really want him getting a Mac since I can't mooch off his software then I see that you can get a 15" screen just about anywhere, but what do the different types mean? What's a good, average, and top of the line screen?

Note: I think you just answered my last question, but are those the only screens out there nowadays?

<font color=red>God</font color=red> <font color=blue>Bless</font color=blue> <font color=red>America!</font color=red><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by dhlucke on 12/28/01 11:47 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

SXGA and UXGA are different in the number of pixels they have. IMO, UXGA is ridiculous- 1600x1200 resolution on a 15" LCD??!! No way! Even SXGA is slightly too small, but uhe can live w/ it. Definetly don't get UXGA...unless u get a 19" screen (19" viewable).

My rice car will leave your R8500 in the dust!

SXGA and UXGA are different in the number of pixels they have. In addition to having the highest resolution, the Ultra XGA is also the sharpest, brightest, and clearest out of the three. Note, your dad can also change the resolution to whatever fits his taste.

Hmmm....something equal to a G4 Titanium....probably nothing unless he plans on spending $2000+. Sure you can get the 8100 Inspiron model with the top-o-the line specs, but at a hefty 8 lbs. plus! IMO, I still think the 4100 Inspiron has the best balance between price, performance, and weight. Add the fastest PIII-M CPU and an ATI Mobile Radeon with 64mb of DDR, you have something that can compete with the G4.

See a real naked pic of Britney Spears <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/stick_e_mouse" target="_new">here</A>!!!

SXGA is as clear. Guys, you do realize that b/c each pixel is controlled separatly on LCD, resolution lower than the native won't look as good. therefore, the lower # of pixels in an LCD for laptop, te greater chance u can keep it at native.

My rice car will leave your R8500 in the dust!

I can't sleep so you are getting advice if you want it or not. You mentioned that you wanted a light laptop but did not indicate the features you want. All the really light laptops are lacking something. Also a 15" is not going to be anywhere near as light as even a 14". ProStar has a 14" loaded with everything for under $1800.00 and a price drop is comming a matter of days (see next post for price update). When I say everything I'm talking 1.26GHz, 40GB, 512ram, dvd player/cdr/cdrw writer combo drive, 100base, 56k, li-ion, case, ac adapter, floppy, firewire and xp. Check out the 2273 at <A HREF="http://www.pro-star.com/" target="_new">http://www.pro-star.com/</A> under web specials. I weighs about 6.5lbs and has everything. Can you tell I want one? My little company sells ProStar and we have really good luck with them. You can get a ProStar direct under web specials for about what we pay for them so you would have no advantage in buying from me nor would I make any money so if you want one go ahead and buy direct. I just mentioned that we sell them so you would know something about how reliable they are.

You could find a lighter laptop if you are willing to give up a spindle or two. For example you could loose the floppy and save some weight. Be careful some makers rate the weight at a minimum configuration. ProStar is not the prettiest but I believe they offer great price for what you get. They do have a couple of 15" setups but the old one is really heavy(9.5lbs) and the new one is really expensive ($2400).

Remember if you ain't Muslim you ain't Shiite.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by lakedude on 01/05/02 05:49 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

Update:

The 2273 had a price drop and a slight config change. Now you can get the above described system for $1595.00 except you only get a 30G HD instead of a 40. When it hits $1200 I'll have me one. I figure less then a year.

Remember if you ain't Muslim you ain't Shiite.

Good info. Thanks. I'm just waiting for my Dad to let me know when he's ready. I'll look into them as well.

<font color=red>God</font color=red> <font color=blue>Bless</font color=blue> <font color=red>America!</font color=red>

ok, I hope youhave not bought anything yet, because here is as good as it gets.

http://www.sonystyle.com/vaio/gr/index.shtml

This sony Vaio is the bomb, and it is loaded with features and only 6.4lbs. Sony products are total quality and their reliability is awesome. I own a FXA-36 but that would be too heavy for you dad, though it is awesome. It is the only notebook that I know of with a 200MHZ FSB. This one should be perfect, even if it is a PIII.

Buy a Tohsiba Tecra. I work as a Systems Engineer and first bought Toshiba's back in 1994. My Company buys Toshiba exclusively. However through testing, we found that the only model is the Tecra. (The 8100 or 8200 is good). I've installed Windows 2000 on models of Toshiba's that are three years old and never have a problem installing the operating system. Toshiba keeps up with the driver updates. I personally own a Gateway Solo and they quit building drivers for my laptop. I can't even upgrade to XP or 2000. I talked to Gateway about it and pretty was told tuff.

Good Luck

Check out the new rides at good prices at Pro-star:

15.0" SXGA+ TFT Intel PENTIUM 4, 2.20 Ghz 20.0GB 256MB $2,115.00
15.0" SXGA+ TFT Intel PENTIUM 4, 2.00 Ghz 20.0GB 256MB $1,915.00
15.0" SXGA+ TFT Intel PENTIUM 4, 1.80 Ghz 20.0GB 256MB $1,735.00
15.0" SXGA+ TFT Intel PENTIUM 4, 1.60 Ghz 20.0GB 256MB $1,665.00

A 30G is $40.00 more and a DVD player/cd-rw recorder is $220.00 more. It is a 15" and weighs 8.8 lbs. It is not all that light but they are fast and not to bad expensive.



Remember if you ain't Muslim you ain't Shiite.

While I'm sure that Pro-Star's prices are very good, I would go with a big brand name on a notebook, if I were you. Dell, (some of the best, but you do pay a premium) Compaq, (their desktops are crappy, but their mid-to-high end laptops have always been good) Sony, (great-looking laptops that come loaded with features and software for the multimedia user) and Toshiba. (Probably the best bang for the buck as far as balancing performance and features)

Why would I recommend them over a company like Pro-Star or Seager(sp?) or other no-name brands? Support. Mobile users are going to find that if they need support, it's not like a desktop, where their techie friend can throw a few new components in and get it back to spec. Notebooks are proprietary beasts, and parts are expensive. Plus, the work generally has to be done by the manufacturer or by someone authorised by them do work on their machines. All the brands I listed come with good support and service options, and the non-Dell ones can be purchased at quality retailers who offer their own service and maintainence options above and beyond the manufacturers' own.

Also, as was mentioned elsewhere, those Pro-Star deals look suspiciously like desktop CPUs jammed into notebook form factors, which can cause all sorts of problems with heat and power consumption.