Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Yep, another laptop rec post...

Jan 24, 2005 5:04AM PST

I'm a law student who travels 3 hours round-trip each day to school. I had an HP computer but had so many problems with it I'm going to avoid that company forever Happy

What I am looking for in a computer is *reliability* and *durability*. While I'll definitely get an extended warranty, I do not have time to part from my computer. I would like one that is quite portable (4-6 pounds), about $1100-$1300 (will go a bit higher if need be). I write about 20 pages of notes/day and 40 pages of briefs/week. The uptime on the computer will be approximately 18 hours/day of heavy typing and internet research usage. I'm not a big gamer (games? who has time for games????!) nor do I watch videos very often. A major plus would be great speakers on the computer, but it's not a big deal if not.

Again, the most important thing to me is that the internet works well for research, and the computer doesn't freeze, or crash or have other major problems on a regular basis. I seriously have no time to have to turn in my computer for weeks. I also really need it to last for at least another three years.

The two I have been considering are the Dell 700m and the Gateway 4540GZ. I wasn't going to upgrade the Dell past the 40G - if I don't use it for games, does this seem ok?

Other than those, what are some very reliable name-brands? Other good computers in that league?

Thoughts?

Frazzled Law Student Happy

Discussion is locked