Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

I am fairly adept at choosing systems however when it comes to laptops
I am little uneducated in a few areas.

I know I need USB 2.0, Hard Drive 60GB or better, Windows XP of
course, 802.11g built in, memory at 256/ideally 512mb, decent screen,
(will use external mouse), decent video card integrated-same with
audio, etc..

I used to be a Dell fan but have had too too many people complain
about their tech support.

HP and Sony seem viable to me as does perhaps Compaq and may be even
Toshiba.

Ran into a guy today who had a Toshiba Satellite to replace his Sony
Vaio that could not be fixed properly by Best Buy s they gave him a
new one.

Will only be used for Internet surfing, Word Processing Quicken, and
that is about all. No gaming machine needed. Will network into home
network with 802.11g Linksys with speed booster I think.

****My question comes from the following areas:
-Reliability-who is good?
-Good warranty from mfg or store?
-Who has good tech support without being on hold every 2 minutes while
a newbie looks up scripted answers.
-And then the CPU:. I saw a laptop from Circuit City with an AMD64
chip-now that might be great for growth BUT might be a power hog.

At one time I thought I should ONLY get an INTEL 2.6ghz (with HT
perhaps) or faster CPU and never a Centrino or Mobile M processor. I
guess I equate those to the Celerons and their lack of stated speed
due to cache memory in the CPU.
But after conversing with this fellow today he said his Toshiba
Satellite with Mobile M is fine.......



Thoughts friends......?

Thanks
Patty

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"Patty Amas" <pattyjamas@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e5e9337.0410181142.c30a1b2@posting.google.com...
|I am fairly adept at choosing systems however when it comes to laptops
| I am little uneducated in a few areas.
|
| I know I need USB 2.0, Hard Drive 60GB or better, Windows XP of
| course, 802.11g built in, memory at 256/ideally 512mb, decent screen,
| (will use external mouse), decent video card integrated-same with
| audio, etc..
|
| I used to be a Dell fan but have had too too many people complain
| about their tech support.
|
| HP and Sony seem viable to me as does perhaps Compaq and may be even
| Toshiba.
|
| Ran into a guy today who had a Toshiba Satellite to replace his Sony
| Vaio that could not be fixed properly by Best Buy s they gave him a
| new one.
|
| Will only be used for Internet surfing, Word Processing Quicken, and
| that is about all. No gaming machine needed. Will network into home
| network with 802.11g Linksys with speed booster I think.
|
| ****My question comes from the following areas:
| -Reliability-who is good?
| -Good warranty from mfg or store?
| -Who has good tech support without being on hold every 2 minutes while
| a newbie looks up scripted answers.
| -And then the CPU:. I saw a laptop from Circuit City with an AMD64
| chip-now that might be great for growth BUT might be a power hog.
|
| At one time I thought I should ONLY get an INTEL 2.6ghz (with HT
| perhaps) or faster CPU and never a Centrino or Mobile M processor. I
| guess I equate those to the Celerons and their lack of stated speed
| due to cache memory in the CPU.
| But after conversing with this fellow today he said his Toshiba
| Satellite with Mobile M is fine.......
|
|
|
| Thoughts friends......?
|

A Pentium 4 should be your last choice. The Pentium-M, in particular the
Dothan cores, perform as good or better than the P4 in most apps while
producing less heat and requiring less power. If performance is your #1
priority, then look toward A64. If battery life is your main, or a large
concern, get a DOthan based Pentium-M (Centrino) notebook. All that being
said, with your stated usage, a celeron (or celeron-m) would actually be
fine though. You really have no need for the A64 or Pentium-M with your
intended use.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Thanks. Am leading toward the Pentium M. If I understand it right
(correct me if I am wrong); the Pentium M should be about the same as
the Centrino. Is this correct?

I also noticed that Intel just cut chip prices a few days ago so
hopefully that should trickle down soon.

I would think a 1.7ghz Centrino (or Pentium M) with 80GB hard drive
should be pretty good on battery life and performance.

Any suggestions on models with decent tech support?

Thanks again as always--willing to learn
Patty


"Thunder PC" <reply@board.nomail> wrote in message news:<SIVcd.16109$qH3.4032@bignews6.bellsouth.net>...
> "Patty Amas" <pattyjamas@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:e5e9337.0410181142.c30a1b2@posting.google.com...
> |I am fairly adept at choosing systems however when it comes to laptops
> | I am little uneducated in a few areas.
> |
> | I know I need USB 2.0, Hard Drive 60GB or better, Windows XP of
> | course, 802.11g built in, memory at 256/ideally 512mb, decent screen,
> | (will use external mouse), decent video card integrated-same with
> | audio, etc..
> |
> | I used to be a Dell fan but have had too too many people complain
> | about their tech support.
> |
> | HP and Sony seem viable to me as does perhaps Compaq and may be even
> | Toshiba.
> |
> | Ran into a guy today who had a Toshiba Satellite to replace his Sony
> | Vaio that could not be fixed properly by Best Buy s they gave him a
> | new one.
> |
> | Will only be used for Internet surfing, Word Processing Quicken, and
> | that is about all. No gaming machine needed. Will network into home
> | network with 802.11g Linksys with speed booster I think.
> |
> | ****My question comes from the following areas:
> | -Reliability-who is good?
> | -Good warranty from mfg or store?
> | -Who has good tech support without being on hold every 2 minutes while
> | a newbie looks up scripted answers.
> | -And then the CPU:. I saw a laptop from Circuit City with an AMD64
> | chip-now that might be great for growth BUT might be a power hog.
> |
> | At one time I thought I should ONLY get an INTEL 2.6ghz (with HT
> | perhaps) or faster CPU and never a Centrino or Mobile M processor. I
> | guess I equate those to the Celerons and their lack of stated speed
> | due to cache memory in the CPU.
> | But after conversing with this fellow today he said his Toshiba
> | Satellite with Mobile M is fine.......
> |
> |
> |
> | Thoughts friends......?
> |
>
> A Pentium 4 should be your last choice. The Pentium-M, in particular the
> Dothan cores, perform as good or better than the P4 in most apps while
> producing less heat and requiring less power. If performance is your #1
> priority, then look toward A64. If battery life is your main, or a large
> concern, get a DOthan based Pentium-M (Centrino) notebook. All that being
> said, with your stated usage, a celeron (or celeron-m) would actually be
> fine though. You really have no need for the A64 or Pentium-M with your
> intended use.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Patty Amas <pattyjamas@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks. Am leading toward the Pentium M. If I understand it right
> (correct me if I am wrong); the Pentium M should be about the same as
> the Centrino. Is this correct?

All Centrinos are PentiumM based, but not all PentiumMs are Centrinos!

In order for a laptop to be a "Centrino" it must have an Intel Chipset, a
PentiumM processor and an Intel miniPCI WiFi card.

If you replace the Intel WiFi card with a different (and usually better)
miniPCI card, the laptop is no longer a "Centrino" but it's still a
PentiumM.

It's marketing, pure and simple.

> I would think a 1.7ghz Centrino (or Pentium M) with 80GB hard drive
> should be pretty good on battery life and performance.

Mine is.

> Any suggestions on models with decent tech support?

IBM Thinkpad.

--
Regards,

James

Checkout the NEW Thinkpad Forums: http://forum.thinkpads.com

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Hi Patty:

First of all, there is no company out there that will give you instant,
uninterrupted tech support responses over the telephone. Expect delays.
Expect to be put on hold. The same can be said for ISPs and just about all
companies (even those conducting non-computer-related businesses). That is
just the way it is these days.

Since, as you said, you will only be using your laptop "for Internet
surfing, Word Processing Quicken, and that is about all ", you do not need a
super fast CPU, a huge amount of memory, or a gigantic hard drive. In those
areas I suggest a CPU speed ranging from 1.2 GHZ to 2 GHZ, 256 to 512 MB of
memory, and a hard drive capacity of 40 to 80 GB. For your applications, a
Celeron CPU would be just fine.

As for reliability, who knows? I have had both good luck and bad luck with
HP and Dell laptops. I have only had one Gateway, and it has been great so
far. The important thing is, buy from a reliable source that you KNOW will
take it back if something goes wrong while it is still under warranty.

Hope this helps,

Papa


"Patty Amas" <pattyjamas@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e5e9337.0410181142.c30a1b2@posting.google.com...

<snip>
>
> Will only be used for Internet surfing, Word Processing Quicken, and
> that is about all. No gaming machine needed. Will network into home
> network with 802.11g Linksys with speed booster I think.
>
> ****My question comes from the following areas:
> -Reliability-who is good?
> -Good warranty from mfg or store?
> -Who has good tech support without being on hold every 2 minutes while
> a newbie looks up scripted answers.
> -And then the CPU:. I saw a laptop from Circuit City with an AMD64
> chip-now that might be great for growth BUT might be a power hog.
>
> At one time I thought I should ONLY get an INTEL 2.6ghz (with HT
> perhaps) or faster CPU and never a Centrino or Mobile M processor. I
> guess I equate those to the Celerons and their lack of stated speed
> due to cache memory in the CPU.
> But after conversing with this fellow today he said his Toshiba
> Satellite with Mobile M is fine.......
>
>
>
> Thoughts friends......?
>
> Thanks
> Patty

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Well at least Intel made it simple to understand. What are they going
to do next to confuse people?-not use GHZ numbers to describe their
processors? OR perhaps not make a Pentium 4 since they cannot cure
cooling issues. But I doubt those things will ever happen.

Thanks
Patty


"JHEM" <James@ESAD_SPAMMERS.thinkpads.com> wrote in message news:<U10dd.2995$7d7.1461@trnddc04>...
> Patty Amas <pattyjamas@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > Thanks. Am leading toward the Pentium M. If I understand it right
> > (correct me if I am wrong); the Pentium M should be about the same as
> > the Centrino. Is this correct?
>
> All Centrinos are PentiumM based, but not all PentiumMs are Centrinos!
>
> In order for a laptop to be a "Centrino" it must have an Intel Chipset, a
> PentiumM processor and an Intel miniPCI WiFi card.
>
> If you replace the Intel WiFi card with a different (and usually better)
> miniPCI card, the laptop is no longer a "Centrino" but it's still a
> PentiumM.
>
> It's marketing, pure and simple.
>
> > I would think a 1.7ghz Centrino (or Pentium M) with 80GB hard drive
> > should be pretty good on battery life and performance.
>
> Mine is.
>
> > Any suggestions on models with decent tech support?
>
> IBM Thinkpad.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Patty Amas <pattyjamas@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Well at least Intel made it simple to understand. What are they going
> to do next to confuse people?-not use GHZ numbers to describe their
> processors? OR perhaps not make a Pentium 4 since they cannot cure
> cooling issues. But I doubt those things will ever happen.

I can't decide if you're asking a rhetorical question or are being
un-intentionally ironic!

http://www.intel.com/products/proc [...] /index.htm

--
Regards,

James

Checkout the NEW Thinkpad Forums: http://forum.thinkpads.com

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"Patty Amas" <pattyjamas@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e5e9337.0410181923.4350eb74@posting.google.com...
| Thanks. Am leading toward the Pentium M. If I understand it right
| (correct me if I am wrong); the Pentium M should be about the same as
| the Centrino. Is this correct?

A Centrino is a Pentium-m with an intel wireless card.

|
| I also noticed that Intel just cut chip prices a few days ago so
| hopefully that should trickle down soon.
|
| I would think a 1.7ghz Centrino (or Pentium M) with 80GB hard drive
| should be pretty good on battery life and performance.

It should be.

|
| Any suggestions on models with decent tech support?
|
| Thanks again as always--willing to learn
| Patty
|
|

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"Patty Amas" <pattyjamas@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e5e9337.0410190838.355f61bf@posting.google.com...
| Well at least Intel made it simple to understand. What are they going
| to do next to confuse people?-not use GHZ numbers to describe their
| processors? OR perhaps not make a Pentium 4 since they cannot cure
| cooling issues. But I doubt those things will ever happen.
|

Actually the P4 is pretty much gone (they have already cancelled plans for
the 4GHz), and they are dropping the GHz naming of their chips (they finally
see AMD has been right that technology is more effective than GHz).

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Thanks. I was being sarcastic about a P4 4ghz and such. I realize they
were dropping it.

Dell had a great sale I noticed on morestuff4less.com. Almost bought a
laptop ($750 off). However when speaking to the sales rep (from Dell
on the phone) he mentioned the Pentium 4 3.0ghz with HT would last
3-4 hours on the battery. I thought that could not be true as it was a
Mobile Pentium 4. Now if it was a Centrino or true Pentium M at 2.0ghz
then I would have beneived it.


Thanks,
Patty




"Papa" <bikingis@my.fun> wrote in message news:<P68dd.1185$%h1.591@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net>...
> Hi Patty:
>
> First of all, there is no company out there that will give you instant,
> uninterrupted tech support responses over the telephone. Expect delays.
> Expect to be put on hold. The same can be said for ISPs and just about all
> companies (even those conducting non-computer-related businesses). That is
> just the way it is these days.
>
> Since, as you said, you will only be using your laptop "for Internet
> surfing, Word Processing Quicken, and that is about all ", you do not need a
> super fast CPU, a huge amount of memory, or a gigantic hard drive. In those
> areas I suggest a CPU speed ranging from 1.2 GHZ to 2 GHZ, 256 to 512 MB of
> memory, and a hard drive capacity of 40 to 80 GB. For your applications, a
> Celeron CPU would be just fine.
>
> As for reliability, who knows? I have had both good luck and bad luck with
> HP and Dell laptops. I have only had one Gateway, and it has been great so
> far. The important thing is, buy from a reliable source that you KNOW will
> take it back if something goes wrong while it is still under warranty.
>
> Hope this helps,
>
> Papa
>
>
> "Patty Amas" <pattyjamas@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:e5e9337.0410181142.c30a1b2@posting.google.com...
>
> <snip>
> >
> > Will only be used for Internet surfing, Word Processing Quicken, and
> > that is about all. No gaming machine needed. Will network into home
> > network with 802.11g Linksys with speed booster I think.
> >
> > ****My question comes from the following areas:
> > -Reliability-who is good?
> > -Good warranty from mfg or store?
> > -Who has good tech support without being on hold every 2 minutes while
> > a newbie looks up scripted answers.
> > -And then the CPU:. I saw a laptop from Circuit City with an AMD64
> > chip-now that might be great for growth BUT might be a power hog.
> >
> > At one time I thought I should ONLY get an INTEL 2.6ghz (with HT
> > perhaps) or faster CPU and never a Centrino or Mobile M processor. I
> > guess I equate those to the Celerons and their lack of stated speed
> > due to cache memory in the CPU.
> > But after conversing with this fellow today he said his Toshiba
> > Satellite with Mobile M is fine.......
> >
> >
> >
> > Thoughts friends......?
> >
> > Thanks
> > Patty

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Actually it was a Mobile Pentium 4 with HT, Inspiron 5160.

Patty.

"Papa" <bikingis@my.fun> wrote in message news:<P68dd.1185$%h1.591@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net>...
> Hi Patty:
>
> First of all, there is no company out there that will give you instant,
> uninterrupted tech support responses over the telephone. Expect delays.
> Expect to be put on hold. The same can be said for ISPs and just about all
> companies (even those conducting non-computer-related businesses). That is
> just the way it is these days.
>
> Since, as you said, you will only be using your laptop "for Internet
> surfing, Word Processing Quicken, and that is about all ", you do not need a
> super fast CPU, a huge amount of memory, or a gigantic hard drive. In those
> areas I suggest a CPU speed ranging from 1.2 GHZ to 2 GHZ, 256 to 512 MB of
> memory, and a hard drive capacity of 40 to 80 GB. For your applications, a
> Celeron CPU would be just fine.
>
> As for reliability, who knows? I have had both good luck and bad luck with
> HP and Dell laptops. I have only had one Gateway, and it has been great so
> far. The important thing is, buy from a reliable source that you KNOW will
> take it back if something goes wrong while it is still under warranty.
>
> Hope this helps,
>
> Papa
>
>
> "Patty Amas" <pattyjamas@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:e5e9337.0410181142.c30a1b2@posting.google.com...
>
> <snip>
> >
> > Will only be used for Internet surfing, Word Processing Quicken, and
> > that is about all. No gaming machine needed. Will network into home
> > network with 802.11g Linksys with speed booster I think.
> >
> > ****My question comes from the following areas:
> > -Reliability-who is good?
> > -Good warranty from mfg or store?
> > -Who has good tech support without being on hold every 2 minutes while
> > a newbie looks up scripted answers.
> > -And then the CPU:. I saw a laptop from Circuit City with an AMD64
> > chip-now that might be great for growth BUT might be a power hog.
> >
> > At one time I thought I should ONLY get an INTEL 2.6ghz (with HT
> > perhaps) or faster CPU and never a Centrino or Mobile M processor. I
> > guess I equate those to the Celerons and their lack of stated speed
> > due to cache memory in the CPU.
> > But after conversing with this fellow today he said his Toshiba
> > Satellite with Mobile M is fine.......
> >
> >
> >
> > Thoughts friends......?
> >
> > Thanks
> > Patty

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

On 20 Oct 2004 00:43:49 -0700, pattyjamas@hotmail.com (Patty Amas)
wrote:

>Actually it was a Mobile Pentium 4 with HT, Inspiron 5160.
>
>Patty.
>
>"Papa" <bikingis@my.fun> wrote in message news:<P68dd.1185$%h1.591@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net>...
>> Hi Patty:
>>
>> First of all, there is no company out there that will give you instant,
>> uninterrupted tech support responses over the telephone. Expect delays.
>> Expect to be put on hold. The same can be said for ISPs and just about all
>> companies (even those conducting non-computer-related businesses). That is
>> just the way it is these days.
>>
>> Since, as you said, you will only be using your laptop "for Internet
>> surfing, Word Processing Quicken, and that is about all ", you do not need a
>> super fast CPU, a huge amount of memory, or a gigantic hard drive. In those
>> areas I suggest a CPU speed ranging from 1.2 GHZ to 2 GHZ, 256 to 512 MB of
>> memory, and a hard drive capacity of 40 to 80 GB. For your applications, a
>> Celeron CPU would be just fine.
>>
>> As for reliability, who knows? I have had both good luck and bad luck with
>> HP and Dell laptops. I have only had one Gateway, and it has been great so
>> far. The important thing is, buy from a reliable source that you KNOW will
>> take it back if something goes wrong while it is still under warranty.
>>
>> Hope this helps,
>>
>> Papa
>>
>>
>> "Patty Amas" <pattyjamas@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:e5e9337.0410181142.c30a1b2@posting.google.com...
>>
>> <snip>
>> >
>> > Will only be used for Internet surfing, Word Processing Quicken, and
>> > that is about all. No gaming machine needed. Will network into home
>> > network with 802.11g Linksys with speed booster I think.
>> >
>> > ****My question comes from the following areas:
>> > -Reliability-who is good?
>> > -Good warranty from mfg or store?
>> > -Who has good tech support without being on hold every 2 minutes while
>> > a newbie looks up scripted answers.
>> > -And then the CPU:. I saw a laptop from Circuit City with an AMD64
>> > chip-now that might be great for growth BUT might be a power hog.
>> >
>> > At one time I thought I should ONLY get an INTEL 2.6ghz (with HT
>> > perhaps) or faster CPU and never a Centrino or Mobile M processor. I
>> > guess I equate those to the Celerons and their lack of stated speed
>> > due to cache memory in the CPU.
>> > But after conversing with this fellow today he said his Toshiba
>> > Satellite with Mobile M is fine.......
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Thoughts friends......?
>> >
>> > Thanks
>> > Patty


Patty;

Don't know if/what you finally settled on but the prior response was
certainly correct. If you are only going to do Internet access and
WP, then you will be wasting your dollars on high power. So, your
budget is the dictator here.

For laptops you might want to get the largest LCD screen you can
afford. Also, if you are going to use Win XP then you will need a
minimum of 256MB but 512MB is better. You might want to consider a
CD-RW/DVD combo drive as you might want to burn some data you
downloaded from the web.

CPU wise you might want to look for a unit that uses AMD processors
like the Athlon XP+ series or their new Semperon (Celeron competitor).

You might also want to search for "refurb units" which many
manufactures offer online for significantly less $$$. If you are not
going to be abusing it then that should suit you just fine.

One other consideration is to look at the iBook from apple. I just
purchased one for my college age daughter for $900 including wireless
and a free printer to replace her broken HP Pavilion. She likes the
iBook better and even I, as a true PC type from the get-go, was very
impressed. In fact, although I work with PC's all day long, I will
seriously consider an Mac (iBook or PowerBook) next time around.

Good luck and let us all know what you decided on.

Bob