alfreda89 | This is the month --

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This is the month --

I'm looking for a new laptop, one I can use as my main computer. I want to be able to plug into it a full sized keyboard and large monitor for extra ease.

It's been suggested that I get a faster dual processor, so I can watch movies through it if my ancient TV suddenly craters. I will want Word, unfortunately, since it's the publishing standard, but I am considering Open Office.

Any suggestions? Warnings? Worthwhile features, brands to avoid?

This will probably be my computer for at least five years, so I need to get it right the first time. It will be a PC, since Apple, even re-manufactured, is pricy.

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Lenovo, especially the Thinkpad line, tends to be pretty awesome and well made.

I am also looking for a laptop as well. :( I'm waiting until this Mercury retrograde biz is completely over though. It went direct yest.

I'd wondered about that brand, it's new to me. I'll check it out, thanks --

And that's part of why I waited! But now that it's direct, I thought I'd start asking questions.

it's always a good time to research! :) I really want another Mac but it's not in the budget atm.

A Mac would be wonderful, but right now I'd have to win one.

Something to consider. (Just a thought - if the money's not there, it's not there.) You want this to be a machine to last - can you afford the OS upgrades and software that go with them? One of my friends has been on that roller-coaster. Macs typically are more usable longer.

The thing with Mac is, it still has the same potential to blow up -- that happened to a friend of mine. She lost all her photos on that machine. Granted, she should have had them backed up somewhere -- but the computer guys could not recover her drive. I could have lost my backups off all my work in progress, my web sites -- the works.

It can happen to an Apple, too, and at a much higher price.

yeah, but there is cloud computing now. Back it up!

I will add a caveat to that. My old laptop was a Lenovo, and it was EXCELLENT. I loved it so much that when it was time for me to get a new laptop, I didn't even hesitate--I just ordered a new Lenovo. And then it came, and the screen resolution wasn't quite as clear as it had been on my old one. We tried everything we could to fix it, but eventually the Lenovo rep agreed that it must be defective, and we sent it back.

And then we went to Best Buy, and they had a Lenovo laptop on display, and it had the same problem! It seems that Lenovo has switches suppliers in the last few years, and their laptops are no longer as high quality as they used to be.

They may still be perfectly good laptops, but they are slightly more on the higher cost side. I'm willing to spend that money for quality, but I am just not sure the quality is there with Lenovo the same way it used to be.

A couple of my writer and editor friends have Thinkpads and really love them. So, do check.

Oh, that's too bad -- I was really excited there for a moment. Why do manufacturers screw with success? I can see striving for better, but undercutting to see if you can get by with lesser quality without losing what made you magic?

Have you found something else you like? A monitor you like using?

Ok, here's advice from an IT pro. Avoid Lenovo. It's the line of computers IBM sold to China which makes them now. Warranty work is not easy.

Most of the computers at the big box stores are crap. They are cheaply designed low-end consumer models that will not give long service, and are usually loaded with crapware that slows you down. I tell people there are two main choices for a quality computer (if not going the Mac route, which is my real recommendation but understand the Mac cost is too much for many folks). One is Dell, and the other is to find a computer store that sells the pro/business line of HP laptops. These are NOT the HP computers sold by the big box stores. They are crap. The higher end HP material is only sold by authorized computer companies that cater to the business market. Those HP laptops are quite good.

Otherwise, look into Dell. We buy almost exclusively Dell in my college. That said, know which Dells to buy. You want the Latitude line of laptops, not the Vostros or Inspirons. The Latitude are their pro line, and if you get the 3 yr warranty (heavily recommended) they can be serviced on site. The other lines usually have to be shipped back to Dell for repair.

As for specs, avoid the celeron processor, go for one of the dual core or quad core intel chips. 4 gig of RAM. I also recommend a video card with built-in dedicated video memory to better play movies, games, etc. Minimum of 256 meg graphics card, better is 512 meg. Either Nvidia Geforce or ATI Radeon brand. For operating system, stick with Windows 7 32 bit. 64 bit is only if you need more than 4 gig of RAM because of big datasets and if you have specific 64 bit applications. 32 bit is best for most home users, because it's also much more backward compatable with older programs. I run 64 bit at home, 32 bit at work, and have much more problem running old stuff on my home computer.

Accessories to consider would be a docking station. External keyb, mouse, monitor plug into it so all you do is disconnect the laptop from the dock and you're off.

And feel free to contact me if you want more detailed help. I hate seeing friends waste money on crap computers.

Bless you, my friend, for taking time to write this out. It's exactly what I needed to know. If a miracle happens, I would get a Mac and heave most of the PC crap into GoodWill. But I don't think it's in the cards this year (a Mac.) Since the laptop has already died, and the desktop is acting up, precautions are necessary.

I was already thinking it might be Dell, but didn't think I could find what I wanted on sale. I'll do some poking around this week with the parameters you suggested, and let you know what's available.

The tiny variants in models are driving me nuts -- and Dell had only a couple of Latitude models available, last I looked. What they are comparing is like apples to oranges to me, because the Dell site explains nothing as to why these features are worth adding in (rightly assuming that most of their clients will know what these terms mean, or not care.)

What do you think of the Fujitsu computers? A friend has carefully watched Fry's ads and picked up several for his family, loading them up and using them to even run their television interface with the Internet. They've dropped cable and use the computers and things like Pandora and Hulu exclusively now.

However, he's in Thailand for the foreseeable future, so I cannot question him at length. And I know from others' experiences that I cannot call Dell to get these machines explained -- their reps are expected to build a computer for you, save it and move on.

My TV died, so I'd like to get a computer for $600 or so, if possible, saving $300 for a TV in four months or so. One friend suggested getting the most reliable laptop I can currently afford, figuring that changes in the next three years may make me want something else at that time.

But -- laptop reviews are often not useful. They rate things like styling a fill 1/6 of the rating. I really don't care if it looks cool (yeah, I know, their demographic I am not) I want a machine that is a workhorse, comfortable to use, reliable and with decent support if I get a lemon.

Can you recommend a review site to stick with?

A laptop for $600? You're not going to be happy with anything in that range. A good workhorse laptop that will be powerful enough to do everything and last long enough is going to start at the $1400 range. Does it have to be a laptop? You can get a desktop cheaper than a laptop, saving even more if you can still use your old monitor.

I don't recommend Fujitsu. They are not a traditional computer maker. Same reason for Sony. You want a laptop made by a quality computer manufacturer.

Tell me your absolute top dollar and I'll go onto the Dell website and see how good of a computer I can spec out for you, and let you know it's strengths and weaknesses in practical terms.

The reason I want a laptop is I cannot afford two computers anymore, and sometimes I will need to travel with it (assuming I get a job that requires travel ever.) I'm trying to be ready for anything. Packing up a desktop is the pits.

But I need a screen I can see, and a keyboard I can work on all day. So -- if the laptop is otherwise good, I need to be able to get a docking station and plug another monitor (or my current monitor of 17") and a new keyboard into it (another $100 there.)

If I sell the Alfredas this year, spending on a computer won't seem so bad. It may be that the TV will just have to wait. Maybe I'll end up not wanting a TV, I don't know. I'm pretty busy right now -- I watch Daily and Colbert, and a couple other things, period.

So I figure $1000 top dollar for everything computer-related. (I have a good Logitech mike I can use, if necessary, Going to set up a full-feature Skype account soon.) They actually sell moving kits for desktops, I found out last night. I could get one and keep it for car travel. So...are there any lightweight desktops I should consider? Maybe I cannot afford a laptop, because I don't do a lot of surfing for pleasure -- most of my computer is work, researching, typing. And I want enough drive and memory to handle this and a movie, if I have no TV.

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