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SirKenin -> RE: A**Question for the Computer Gurus Re: Vista and New Laptops** (5/26/2007 4:28:56 AM)
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Acer offers really good bang for the buck, to be certain. They also have very good customer service. I have sold Acers for a while and used one myself that served me very well until some twat threw it on the floor and stepped on it. I have an HP, but it is a top of the line model. It is not bad either, although it is without a doubt the only HP I would even consider owning. Dell Inspiron is also another line worthy of a second look.
For specs, it depends which OS you are going to use. I most certainly would not even bother with XP Home. XP itself is a dead-end street, and Home is the bottom of the barrel. It is refined and well-supported now, but it is then end of the road for XP. Only an idiot buys a new computer now-a-days with yesterday's technology for an operating system. You might as well buy a Porsche and put a Mustang body on it. Equally pointless. Unlike most Mustangs, it will actually perform and be worth driving, but it will rust and fall apart in two years. The exception is if you are a corporate entity, have a specific application that has been coded specifically for you, and you do not want to retrofit an entire operation, and then train, at the cost of several million dollars.
Some vendors offer free RAM upgrades, so you want at least 1GB of RAM, preferably two. At least 80GB of hard drive space. A Core Duo or preferably a Core 2 Duo. Do not even bother wasting your time with AMD. They get their asses royally kicked by the Core2Duo, hands down. They are not even in the same class, yet you pay just as much money for them. Look for dual channel RAM, a built-in wireless network card. Video will not be a big deal for you I suppose, so an Intel 950 or an X1300 will do just fine. I can not emphasize enough the importance to place on the battery. The one drawback of Acers.. and Lenovo... and that shit they call Compaq (is it just me, or does that sound like a brand of tampon)... and entry level Dells.. Is that they come with six cell batteries. On the Acer, I could kill that battery in an hour. Useless. I had to keep a spare one on hand all the time. The HP is a CoreDuo/2GB/200GB HDD/17" display, etc.. and it has an 8 cell battery. That will last for about 3 hours. Dell is offering a 9 cell battery for a few extra bucks. If you are not a cheapskate, you can get the Dell models that you can put two nine cell batteries in.. Now you are talking mobility.
You can import your settings from your current laptop without any problems. Piece of cake.
With those specs, and Vista Premium at the minimum, that thing will be guaranteed to light your fire. And maybe even wash your dishes if you talk nice to it.
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