First-time laptop buyer

by Sweet-N-Petite88 Jun 20, 2009 1:57AM PDT

Hello!

I'd like some opinions on what type of laptop is good for me... I have a Dell desktop with a Pentium III processor, I've had it for almost ten years. It's a great pc but I've fallen behind in the technology age and need some versatility. So I'd like a laptop that's built good and has plenty of what I need, and is like what I'm already used to.

Since I can only buy from Wal-Mart because of financial reasons, I don't have much to choose from. However, I have picked these out but I want to know what the best one is.

There are plenty of less-expensive laptops there but... I -really- don't want a Celeron processor. The Pentium III I have beats it to pieces, or so I read. I'm a graphics person. I take and store photographs, and draw with my tablet, so I need something with good display and horsepower to boot. I also might play games on it, but nothing serious. Maybe just the Sims or something.

Here's my top picks:

#1 The Acer 6930-6067. This one is my favorite. It's the only one with 4BG of memory for the price of $598 (this one is not on Wal-Mart.com, but is available at my local Wal-Mart). http://us.acer.com/acer-v2/productv.do?LanguageISOCtxParam=en&kcond61e.c2att101=39857&sp=page16e&ctx2.c2att1=25&link=ln438e&CountryISOCtxParam=US&ctx1g.c2att92=447&ctx1.att21k=1&CRC=1846012562

#2 The HP G60-231wm. A nice looking laptop. I've heard though that you can't put XP on HP/Compaq Vista-loaded pcs because of a coding thing... - http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11038078

#3 The Acer AS5516-5474. I'm not sure about this one. It's a good price but only has a single core processor and 160GB hard drive... I'd be afraid that I would already be out of the tech age within a year or so. - http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11068044

#4 The Acer AS55365165 - http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11068297

#5 The MSI EX630-034US - http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11049973

So out of those, which is the best buy from a tech point of view?

Thank you!

Discussion is locked

I understand just how daunting the buying process can be. I also understand your limitations in where you can purchase and there are certainly systems at Wal-MART that will meet your needs. A few of the PCs will better meet your needs than others. There were solid recommendations by andresabc.blackhole who highlights the Toshiba Satellite L505-S5993.

Let me point out a few additional things that will make the most of your investment, reaffirm your decision and help simplify the buying process.
1. Don?t purchase a single core laptop. You will be disappointed with performance.

2. Purchase the highest performing cpu you can afford . Why ? because all of your file sizes are getting larger - graphics, photo sizes (number of mega pixels), quantity of photos, quantity and quality of video ? more video is going high definition. This means you need as much horse power as possible. You can see a quick comparison of cpu performance by AnandTech @ http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3705&p=3

3. Intel Processors offer unique advantages over other CPU?s. Turbo and Hyper-Threading. Both technologies do as much for overall system performance as they do lowering the amount of heat dissipated. In other words, your lap won?t get as hot from your laptop. Read more on Turbo Boost @ http://www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/ & Hyper-Threading @ http://www.intel.com/consumer/products/processors/core-family.htm

4. One other good resource for you to consider is the Intel microsite on CNET. You can find it here http://reviews.cnet.com/intel/ The microsite has a good articles to help educate you more on the benefits of Intel cpus and reaffirm your purchase decision.

Remember you need to be really well educated on systems considering most Wal-Mart stores don?t have extensive staff in the electronics section of the store and you really need to know what it is you want before you get into the store.
A couple of systems that caught my eye on Wal-Mart.com ? I don?t like to make a specific brand recommendation. My intention about listing the systems below is not to tell you to purchase this specific system ? only to highlight they have solid tech specs.
? HP Gray 13.3" Pavilion dm3-1040us Laptop PC with Intel SU411 Processor & Windows 7 Home Premium ? this has a new technology that will makes the system fairly light and longer battery life
? Acer 15.6" Aspire Timeline AS5810TZ-4784 Laptop PC with Intel Pentium SU4100 Processor & Windows 7 ? same cpu as above
? Toshiba Black 13.3" Satellite T135-S1305 Laptop PC with Intel Pentium SU4100 ULV Processor & Windows 7 Home ? same cpu as above
? Sony 15.5" VAIO NW310F Laptop PC with Intel Pentium T4400 Processor & Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium ? Another solid reliable cpu for entry level computing.
? HP 17.3" G71-449wm Laptop PC with Intel Pentium Processor T4300 & Windows 7 Home Premium . The Pentium T4300 is a solid cpu for basic computing. Old reliable.

Michael Taylor works for Intel in their America?s Marketing Group as a Consumer Marketing Manager. He has been with Intel for 17 years and enjoys working with the latest and greatest technology solutions available. You may follow him on Twitter at: MATaylor67 where he shares his thoughts on technology, and the occasional killer technology deal.

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