Recommendations for a Laptop?

[Lee]

I am looking to purchase a new laptop in the next few days, and I thought I would come here since I imagine most of you use your laptops for similar purposes as me--MS Word, Powerpoint, maybe Publisher, web browsing, occasional multimedia, and of course, BibleWorks.

I want to stick with a 17-inch display. I have a hard time with smaller screens, and with the four panes now in BW, going smaller just doesn't make sense for me. I've never really found it too cumbersome to tote around.

I have heard good things about Asus computers although I have never used one. It seems there is a huge discrepancy in price between 17-inch laptops from the same manufacturer. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstemplatemapper.jsp?id=pcat17080&type=page&qp=q7 0726f63657373696e6774696d653a3e313930302d30312d303 1~~cabcat0500000%23%230%23%2311a~~cabcat0502000%23 %230%23%23o~~f510||41737573~~nf534||31372671756f74 3b20616e64205570&list=y&nrp=15&sc=abComputerSP&ks= 960&usc=abcat0500000&sp=-bestsellingsort+skuid&list=y&iht=n&st=processingti me%3A%3E1900-01-01#storeInventoryLink Are these differences relevant to someone who doesn't play video games, and rarely watches movies? Or do I need to pony up to get decent performance for what I want to do? Or am I barking up the wrong tree altogether?

Any help or information from recent personal experiences along these lines would be appreciated.

[ISalzman]

Hey Lee,

I can't really comment on the Asus since I have no experience with them. However a company that has definitely caught my eye and won my admiration is Acer. They seem to be putting out pretty good laptops these days. I am on my third consecutive HP laptop and I have, some time ago, sworn to myself that I would never again get an HP laptop. Interestingly, HP recently revealed that they are going to be divesting themselves of their personal computing division and manufacturing, which is just as well; I have just about had it "up to here" with them. My next laptop will probably be an Acer, though I will probably consider Dell as well. Do you have a subscription to Consumer Reports? You can get an online subscription for about $20.00/yr. They are usually excellent and "spot on" with their ratings. If I were you, I would look up their article and ratings on laptop computers.

Irving

[Michael Hanel]

Not to distract you from your question, but...

Do you really use your laptop primarily for the portability feature or do you want a desktop replacement? A 17 inch laptop seems a bit much to me. I'd rather it be smaller and then when I want to really use it, plug it into a big external monitor.

[Adelphos]

I have a HP laptop with 17" display, 8GB RAM, and it's the best computer I've ever owned. I don't even use a desktop anymore, as this one does everything and more that I coulld hope for. I run Office 2010 Pro, BW 8, Adobe X, Visual Studio 2010, Paint Shop Pro X, etc., and everything is blazingly fast. I do use a wireless keyboard and mouse when I'm at my desk instead of the pad and keys on the laptop itself, but they are both easy to use if I am using the computer away from my desk.

I would recommend that you go with AT LEAST 8GB RAM on whatever computer you get. I'll probably be upgrading mine to 16GB or even 32GB in the future. But as of now, it is already very, very fast.

EDIT: I should add, my laptop is 64-bit, but I think that's all they're really selling anymore for the up-to-date machines.

[Lee]

Hey Lee,

I can't really comment on the Asus since I have no experience with them. However a company that has definitely caught my eye and won my admiration is Acer. They seem to be putting out pretty good laptops these days. I am on my third consecutive HP laptop and I have, some time ago, sworn to myself that I would never again get an HP laptop. Interestingly, HP recently revealed that they are going to be divesting themselves of their personal computing division and manufacturing, which is just as well; I have just about had it "up to here" with them. My next laptop will probably be an Acer, though I will probably consider Dell as well. Do you have a subscription to Consumer Reports? You can get an online subscription for about $20.00/yr. They are usually excellent and "spot on" with their ratings. If I were you, I would look up their article and ratings on laptop computers.

Thanks for the suggestions, Irving. I went ahead and subscribed to Consumer Reports for one month (I think it was $5.95). They didn't have a comprehensive list of reviews, but it had some good ideas. Interestingly enough, they favored the HP (that you warned against) and the Dell (with which I have had significant problems).

One positive thing about Asus is that they have U.S.-based customer support. I'm pretty sure neither Dell nor HP do. I have no idea about Acer.

Do you really use your laptop primarily for the portability feature or do you want a desktop replacement? A 17 inch laptop seems a bit much to me. I'd rather it be smaller and then when I want to really use it, plug it into a big external monitor.

I'm not sure I understand your question. Yes, I carry my laptop with me quite a bit. I bring it when I make Power Point presentations, and I like the large screen because I can see it better at a distance (albeit a slight distance). I also use it on occasions when I am being taught in a classroom setting to take notes. Again, the 17-inch is what I am used to--I could probably adapt if need so dictated, but I would rather stay with a larger screen. I have never found it to be any kind of hassle to carry around a 17-inch laptop--is there some other reason why a smaller screen would be better?

I have a HP laptop with 17" display, 8GB RAM, and it's the best computer I've ever owned. I don't even use a desktop anymore, as this one does everything and more that I coulld hope for. I run Office 2010 Pro, BW 8, Adobe X, Visual Studio 2010, Paint Shop Pro X, etc., and everything is blazingly fast. I do use a wireless keyboard and mouse when I'm at my desk instead of the pad and keys on the laptop itself, but they are both easy to use if I am using the computer away from my desk.

I would recommend that you go with AT LEAST 8GB RAM on whatever computer you get. I'll probably be upgrading mine to 16GB or even 32GB in the future. But as of now, it is already very, very fast.

EDIT: I should add, my laptop is 64-bit, but I think that's all they're really selling anymore for the up-to-date machines.

Thanks for the info and advice. That sounds in line with what Computer Reports had to say about the HP, but they hadn't tested any with that kind of memory. But I will keep what you said about that in mind.

[Adelphos]

HP has reversed itself on the computer issue. With the new CEO, they have stated that they are going to remain in the computer hardware business and even make that their prime effort in computers.

I have an ASUS netbook and I like it, but I would rather go with a US firm on my main computer, especially since the HP has been rated so highly by the reviewers.

Irving, just out of curiosity, does your HP have an Intel chip?

I had problems with an HP desktop that didn't have the Intel chip, but every one I've had with a Intel chip, including my present laptop, has worked flawlessly.

[Michael Hanel]

I'm not sure I understand your question. Yes, I carry my laptop with me quite a bit. I bring it when I make Power Point presentations, and I like the large screen because I can see it better at a distance (albeit a slight distance). I also use it on occasions when I am being taught in a classroom setting to take notes. Again, the 17-inch is what I am used to--I could probably adapt if need so dictated, but I would rather stay with a larger screen. I have never found it to be any kind of hassle to carry around a 17-inch laptop--is there some other reason why a smaller screen would be better?

If you're okay with 17 inch and that's what you're used to, I guess it's no big deal. Some people like to have the best of all possible worlds, and they really don't like carrying around a big laptop, but at times they also like to have the bigger monitor workspace, so they get a smaller notebook (13 or 15inch) and then if they need to they can always plug it in to a larger monitor. This way they have better portability and they can still do things that others prefer to use a desktop for.

[ISalzman]

Hey Lee,

I can absolutely confirm for you that HP does NOT have US based support. It is outsourced to the Asia and the Philippines, etc. No aspersions on those countries, but it is very hard to understand and communicate with the support reps and/with their HEAVY accents. Call quality is not good either. The other thing I've found is that it takes them forever to determine that you have a warranty and support plan. I've been on the phone sometimes for a good half an hour before they were able to locate me in their system. And Scott, yes, every HP laptop I've ever had - and HP desktop too! - has had an Intel chip. For reasons beyond my comprehension, I have just not had good experiences with HP, neither with the hardware, nor with the support. And their printers, supposedly the core engine of their business, forget about it! They have been just dreadful for me. Three different HP All-in-one printers over the last ten years and all of them have been problematic in one way or another. In fact, not long ago, HP lost a class action suit that several plaintiffs launched against their printers. The lawsuit alleged that HP printers would alert their users that they were low on ink prematurely and would stop working. The lawsuit charges were upheld in court and HP was ordered to make restitution to those customers that were part of the class action suit. I didn't join in - I'm not the "class action-type" - but I can vouch from my own personal experience, as to the veracity of the charges. To sum up, I am not really the complaining type - I'm generally pretty easy to please. But my experience with HP has not been very good. And I have bought 1 desktop, three laptops, and 5 printers from them over the years. No more. My next purchase will be from a competitor. No axe to grind; I'm just tired of all the headaches and problems.

[ISalzman]

If you're okay with 17 inch and that's what you're used to, I guess it's no big deal. Some people like to have the best of all possible worlds, and they really don't like carrying around a big laptop, but at times they also like to have the bigger monitor workspace, so they get a smaller notebook (13 or 15inch) and then if they need to they can always plug it in to a larger monitor. This way they have better portability and they can still do things that others prefer to use a desktop for.

Hey Michael,

I know what you're saying is true. But I'm with Lee. I like a 17 inch screen on a laptop. I'm on my second such beast. The last time I bought a desktop computer was in 1999. I prefer the 17 inch laptop because it is a desktop replacement. But it is still portable for times that you travel or need to take it with you. The size and weight differential between that and a smaller laptop is essentially insignificant.

[Michael Hanel]

Hey Michael,

I know what you're saying is true. But I'm with Lee. I like a 17 inch screen on a laptop. I'm on my second such beast. The last time I bought a desktop computer was in 1999. I prefer the 17 inch laptop because it is a desktop replacement. But it is still portable for times that you travel or need to take it with you. The size and weight differential between that and a smaller laptop is essentially insignificant.

Yeah I realize it's all about personal preference. I don't think I could ever give up a desktop. It's so much cheaper and you can build your own with the exact configuration that you want. I don't like putting a lot of money into a laptop because you just don't get the same return for the dollar. I have a 15 inch laptop that I use to bring back and forth to school and such, but if I want to do serious work, I use my desktop. I wouldn't get a 17inch because it's just too big and unwieldy and I don't want it to replace a desktop.

So individual mileage varies. I was just throwing it out there.