I want to buy a new laptop, but it’s been a while since I’ve been in the market for a computer so I decided to ask you, my readers, for advice. I want it to be light and not prone to overheating as I’ll be using it mainly as a net-surfing and blogging laptop (and maybe programming). I would like to be able to play games on it if possible (but the be able to play the most modern games on a laptop seems to mean having a GPU with dedicated memory which means it will be much more expensive, heavier, and it runs hotter). Anyway, I’m hoping to spend under a thousand (well-under, actually), and extra points if it’s available at Best Buy since I have a couple hundred on a gift card for them (though would it still be cheaper to get it from a place like NewEgg.com?).
Oh, and does anyone know how much of the cost of the laptop I can deduct from taxes since I’ll be using it a lot for blogging (a home business) and occasionally working my day job from home?
Thanks for any help.
UPDATE:
Wow. Lot of advice. Okay, let’s be more specific. How is this computer? Probably won’t run the newest shooters, but otherwise seems decent. What say you?
The new Toshibas are reasonably priced, light, and run cooler than most. Sonys are good, but expensive. If it says hp, just say no.
I must disagree with Plenty just a bit. Or a lot, actually, at least in this regard.
I have been needing a new laptop for many moons, and finally broke down a while back and got a new one. It’s an HP G60-120US. I love this thing. After many years of owning Dell-only laptops I was a bit nervous, but have been convinced.
Dual-core 2.0ghz AMD processor which seems to work well even for just-above-moderate, graphics intensive gaming. The GPU is a bit undersized, but you are right about power/heat/price problems with going greater.
I have it on a fan-pad, but the few times I’ve used it without the fans rarely kick on, and it doesn’t seem overly hot to the touch when off. Nice basic setup (3gb RAM, 250gb HDD). Great HD/Blu Ray capable screen. Comes stock with a dual layer DVD RW. A good set of USB2.0, multi-media flash, etc. ports.
Shipping and all, I paid 640 for it. Not available at Best Buy, I don’t think, and it’s a bit behind the curve, but for basic stuff it’s serving me just fine.
Ooops…. almost forgot what is probably my favorite feature. It has a completely separate 10-key numeric keyboard. That was a major selling point for me.
Just to give you an idea…. http://computers.pricegrabber.com/laptop/m/91619318/search=hp%20g60%20120us
(I got mine on eBay, brand new, in the box)
If you wish to save money and have less headaches, I suggest buying one without a windows license. Look through the companies listed
here, or try
Dell which has laptops preloaded with Ubuntu.
I would recommend HP Pavilion dv5z series, because it’s not to fancy, not to expensive, it has a average performance, and its not to heavy(5.84lbs).
If you would a machine with more performance I recommend HP HDX 16t Premium series, because it is useful in everything, HD screen, subwoofer built in, and remote control.
I just wanted to now what IMAO meant. I know it know after looking at Wikipedia.
If you have Best Buy gift cards, buy some more gift cards for Best Buy on E-bay, then get it there.
I have a Toshiba, and my only complaint is that it has gotten slower over time. I have tried to run different clean-up programs, but to no avail. I wouldn’t try to play any top end games on a laptop for the reasons you cited.
As for tax purposes, you can deduct the whole cost if it is used for business, but I don’t think you can deduct it all in one year. (I think there are ways, but not sure) If you use turbotax(or alternative ones) they should walk you through those expenses.
Most small businesses don’t carry computers as assets anymore. 100% expense in the first year just like paper clips. They’ve only got a one-year life anyway.
I’m due for a new laptop, too, so I can’t help, Frank. But good luck.
Costco has a good basic net surfer for around $500 with their excellent warranty. No disc drives but plenty of memory card slots and USB ports.
Toshiba has lousy support. I am very happy with my Asus G1S which is a gaming computer, and can play most any game at a reasonable resolution. I am sure you could get it for under a $1000 now adays. Newegg is good but you can probably get it for a $200 cheaper by just searching around google.
P.S. GET LEFT4DEAD it is awesome co-op, TF2 is good too.
I have an HP Pavilion dv2000. $559 at Best Buy & it’s done great for me. Runs most games well (though I’m not a PC gamer) & has nice features like a LightScribe DVD burner, multi-media remote, web-cam, dual head phone ports, etc. I’ve had it for about 5 months & there have been no overheat problems. Plus, it travels very well.
Dude, check out newegg.com or ibuypower.com. If I were shopping, and I will be in a few months, I’d look to a build to spec machine to get what I need. You’ll spend a few more hundred but the machine will last you longer with resulting saving.
For off the shelf machines I liek Toshiba and Lenovo.
Just keep an eye on the Sunday ads.
Avoid Compaq, always, under any circumstances.
Avoid anything with a keyboard so small that you will hate it passionately.
The ee netbooks are cheap, but you have to scroll around to the screen.
I’m happy with HP overall, but I’m using a desktop.
Mainly, watch for fully loaded systems under $500 or more limited systems $400. I think there’s an Acer or HP that actually has a fair amount of memory and HD space, but an Atom processor, in the $400s.
Windows 7 is supposed to require fewer resources (run faster and need less memory) than Vista, and possibly even XP, but still be easier to use. So the next Windows OS will not make your hardware obsolete like, well, all the rest of them have since Win 3.1.
This Acer Aspire is pretty loaded and $400. That’s more than twice the power, memory, and HD space as my very old Pentium 4.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9101928&type=product&id=1218022587285
I’ve got a HP Pavillion dv6000 and it’s pretty great. Keyboard is very nice, it is light enough that I can carry it around campus fairly easy (I got a nice carrying case called a ‘yakpak’ that makes it easy to carry around and has nice padding to protect it). I haven’t tried any cutting edge computer games on it, but it runs Neverwinter Nights 2 pretty well on lower graphics settings and handles my music production software, which is pretty CPU and memory intense.
That 10″ ASUS looks pretty slick, except it doesn’t have a DVD. I’ve been looking at all the netbooks for traveling, but none of them seem to have the DVD. Since I want to be able to watch DVDs while flying, that’s a problem. I could drag along an external, which would be fine in the hotel, but it would be a hassle to maneuver on those little airplane tray tables.
By the way, Best Buy Sucks!
With Windows7 coming out in a year or so are you sure you want to get Vista?
This gives a pretty good ballpark of where notebook GPUs fall in a spectrum:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Comparison-of-Graphic-Cards.130.0.html
Some of the best sites (consumer spotted deals) to check for about anything over time, give or take a week or 3:
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals
http://forums.slickdeals.net/forumdisplay.php?sduid=0&f=9
http://forums.anandtech.com/categories.aspx?catid=40&forumid=1
what, no Mac suggestions?!? I have a MacBook and love it. I switched last year from PC/Windows and have not looked back. No viruses, faster, no freezes, less headaches, easy to load and post pics, graphics, play games, etc. Best Buy sells Macs too.
We have HPs at work. They have a nasty habit of pausing for a minute while they cool off their CPU. This is very embarrassing when you have NSFW material (like IMAO) on your screen and your supervisor walks up behind you. My super-nerd friend at work just bought a Dell and swears it is a heap sight better that the HP crap=top.
Why no Macs? Because most of us are on budgets that do not allow us to spend a minimum of $1000 for a laptop when there are so many that work almost as well for $500. Otherwise, if money were no object, sure – I’d totally get a mac and run parallels on it for anything Windows I needed.
A few more things…
If given a choice between a PC with Vista Home and one with Vista Premium, get the premium. Not because it does more necessarily, but because Vista Home is only installed on the lowest performance machines.
Speaking of Vista (and Mac) be prepared to upgrade a LOT of software (Quicken, etc.) to get something that runs on the new machine. Vista’s a pain for that. If you ever were considering moving to Mac, consider going there rather than Vista, because you’ll have to replace your core apps either way, and that can cost as much as the machine if you have a lot of them.
Tax Deductions. You need to figure out what percentage of the time you actually use the machine for work, then set up a depreciation schedule based on that. Considering you are talking about a cheap laptop, don’t expect more than maybe $300 out of $500 back, and spread out over 3-4 years (I don’t recall the deduction table for that). Ironically, I bought this C2D HP desktop for home and ended up using it for work. The upgrades I put in for games actually make it possible to run full server and DB environments in virtual machines for work and training. Pretty sweet actually.
Actually Frank, I think you already have one of the finest laptops in the world.
Right Sarah?
Gaming on a laptop? Well, Alienware laptops with the power to game start at about $1,300. BestBuy has a Gateway they say is a gaming laptop that starts at $1,049.
If you omit gaming as a criteria, your options increase greatly.
Me? I use a MacBook. I run Windows XP for apps that need Windows, but normally use (and really like) OS X 10.5 (Leopard) very well. Minor adjustment, but I have no problem using Windows XP at work or on The Wife’s computer, and OS X on my MacBook.
Biggest drawback with a Mac would be if you have a particular Windows app you really like that doesn’t come in a Mac version (for upgrades; current version of the software would work under a Windows boot/virtual machine). Oh, and the fact Macs cost more. Plus the extra cost of a Windows OS, if needed.
If you prefer Windows, I have no experience with HP (the top PC seller), but have been very happy with my Dell computers (the number 2 PC seller). The Wife likes her Dell laptop (Windows XP); my daughter likes her Dell laptop (running Vista SP1).
If you’re wondering about the number 3 PC seller, we’re back to Apple. So there.
If I was buying a new laptop for me, I’d buy a new MacBook. If I was buying a new laptop for me and wanted to keep it under $1,000 (or wanted Windows), I’d buy a Dell.
The old rules still apply: there’s no such thing as too much RAM or too much hard drive space.
Oh, taxes? I’m not saying jack. Except that if you used TurboTax or Tax Cut (I use Tax Cut) last year, they offer guidelines regarding usage of equipment and the amount you can claim over what period of time. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, I have no advice.
Hmm… you want a light, cool-running, gaming laptop for under $1000? Pretty demanding. I’ve got two cheap laptops I’m happy with (Gateway and Dell) after lugging two expensive ones I wasn’t so happy with (a oft-broken Apple and a heavy Lenovo). The Gateway is a T6836 which was $600 on sale at Best Buy: 14″ and a built-in DVD, so it’s not ultra-light, but it’s fast for everything I’m doing (which, admittedly, doesn’t include gaming). The Dell is a D430: 12″ and an external DVD, so it’s really light, though the much-cheaper Gateway could probably outperform it. The screen is tiny, though, making programming a bit of a pain without an external monitor. (Almost all new laptops are 16:9, more suited to slack-jawed video viewing than computer programming.) However, unlike the Gateway, it has an external attachment for a docking station, so it can be easily converted into a desktop-type computer.
One thing to keep in mind is that, if you want Linux, a new laptop is likely to leave you cold, at least without dozens of extra hours of tuning and research. My Gateway needed a new window manager and some tweaking for the touchpad, but wireless still doesn’t work, “full screen” doesn’t do full screen, and its top volume is lower than Windows’, meaning it’s useless for watching full screen streaming video in Linux. I didn’t even bother with Linux for my Dell, though virtualization – Linux on top of Windows – would get around a lot of the problems.
Lenovo is often a good choice if you don’t mind buying stuff from a company plurality-owned by the Chinese government
which manufactures laptops which often come without a touchpad. Also, I haven’t really factored in battery life, but it didn’t sound like you much cared. But sometimes something you don’t care much about when you buy – lack of touchpad, no internal Bluetooth, odd placement of a certain key on the keyboard, no docking station ability – can be the bane of your existence after a few weeks with the laptop.
Best Buy is, of course, The Devil. You know that don’t you?
Sweet.
I just picked up a new HP Mini Netbook this evening. No disc drive but it will help me do more blogging since everything at work is so strictly monitored.
Also try swapagift.com. you can buy cards at lower prices there.
ducky
Okay, long story short, if you want the most value for your dollar with laptops, Toshiba is the way to go. They provide the best equipment for the lowest price, as far as laptops go. Anyone complaining about slowdowns has likely encountered some troublesome malware which programs like AVG can help get rid of. I also suggest getting Wopti Utilities, which will help optimize your RAM and the rest of your computer as well. While it’s true that laptops aren’t primarily designed for games due to their compact nature, I’ve had no trouble playing games like Black and White 2 and Civilization 4 on my Toshiba, especially after I recently upgraded to higher RAM. I’ve also had not trouble with internet gaming (I play World of Warcraft) and have had no troubles with performance whatsoever.
For desktops, get a friend who knows how to custom build ’em if you don’t know yourself, as pre-built systems are a waste of money.
I’d encourage you, if you have an XP disc lying around, before you buy a computer make sure you can get drivers for XP for all the hardware. If you can, then get that computer, put XP on it. Then, you’ll have a computer you can use to game with that’s a lot cheaper than $1000. We just did that with my husband’s Compaq, and it runs WoW very well, now. His computer is a Compaq with a 1.9 GHz processor, 2 GB of memory, and a 160 GB hard drive; which is great, except it originally came with Vista. But we recently put XP on it. It was a bit of a hassle, because we had to do a lot of searching for drivers for some of the hardware, but it was well worth the effort. It now runs his game really well.
Windows 7 is supposedly going to resolve all teh driver and installer isues that have been bugging MS lately.
It does consume less resources than XP and Vista. I have 3 or 4 co-workers who are running Vista with the new SP and they are actually happy with it now.
If you are a gamer than the Alienware option is a good one. Killer machines but $$$.
Firstly, must agree with RWKiller that Windows 7 will be out pretty soon, and it will fix all of Vista’s problems, so don’t worry too much about the OS. Secondly, I’ve owned several Gateway computers, and while none of them has won any prizes, they’ve all been very reliable and maintained reasonable performance.
What’s your source for your claim that Win 7 will use less resources than XP? I’ve read that Win 7 will outperform XP, but only if the machine has the extra hardware requirements that it requires. XP will still run on hardware that Win 7 won’t because XP has a smaller footprint.
Kent, you beat me too it! LOL! As a MAC user at home I would give them a look. Their super slim laptop is way cool. It’s pricey, however but the OS (Leapord) is what I run at home and it is amazing!
I would never EVER buy a DELL! EVER!!! They did just come out with a new program you may wish to sign up for! For an extra 13.00 per month they will guarantee that you can speak with a support person that speaks understandable English! BWAAAAAAA! Our Best Buy’s in Minneapolis are great! Possibly it’s because they are based here?
Get a Mac Book… it costs more now but it will be much cheaper in the long run. It’s worth the extra $$ at the start. You can also buy them at Best Buy.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9023959&pageNumber=1
Hmmm, ussjimmycarter lives in minnesota (spit) and uses a mac? And you want advice from him? just sayin 🙂
Just remember Linux rules and mac drools!
I own a Gateway very similar to the one that Basil links to in #22. It’s *not* light at all, but if you can get over the idea of a) spending a tiny bit more than a grand, rather than “a lot less” and b) trading horsepower for portability, it’s a fantastic gaming system. I run Fallout 3 at max settings on the (beautiful) 1920×1200 display and it’s *smooth*. It gets a tiny bit toasty when you’ve been running at full-stops for a while, but not nearly as bad as some other systems I’ve been stuck with.
Sadly, the realities of the world still apply — I think you can have it fast, light, or cheap — pick one.
OK, as long as we’re dog-piling on computer advice.
AVG antivirus comes in a free version, but is dead-slow. Get it for your friends who use their computer once a week to check e-mail and can’t cut and paste. Kaspersky is the best antivirus program in terms of complete protection, but it tends to screw up your other software even if Kaspersky is uninstalled. I’ve loved Norton 360, which occasionally is on sale for $20-50 bucks. You basically tell it at night to do everything, and it does it, including backups.
Linux is interesting to run in a VM as a secondary OS, and it has some interesting tools. I’m not sure why anyone would say a Mac is cheaper in the long run for personal use. OS upgrades are expensive, software is the same price, and so on. Unless you do video work or photos a lot, I’m not sure if there is any justification other than it’s cool and in a sense inspiring. I am deeply tempted to get a used Mac Mini and KVM it into my system, along with a new Mac keyboard, which also works with Windows. Don’t underestimate the power of a machine asthetic or office asthetic, or music, or system performance, in either kicking you up to your creative A game or downgrading you to your C game. One issue with the early days of Citrix and its slow performance was that I don’t think bean counters really took into account that if it takes your computer a half second to do everything, you will adjust your thinking accordingly or loose your mind. I currently use a dual, 19 inch monitor set up and even the fact that one monitor (also a TV) is silver and the other black is annoying.
I actually love Best Buy, because price-wise they have always been better than Borders, B&N, and Circuit City. My only problem with BB is that it annoys me when the fourth nerdy boy offers to help me find something when there’s a perfectly hot 20-something girl in that blue polo shirt who could annoy me far less during that ten second interruption. By the fourth “can I help you find something?” by some pimply dude, I just want to turn around and shout in a fake shakesperian accent, “Belabor me not with these constant banal interruptions! I know every aisle of this store like your jack arm knows your nether regions, foul child!”
Kent:
If we’re throwing in antivirus advice, I’d add Avast as a free alternative. I’ve used both AVG and Avast to clean up PCs where someone has let Norton (or other some such) expire and got virused. For a paid solution, Windows Live OneCare actually has been good for us, particularly for those where a smoothly integrated interface is important. McAfee works, but is a pain in the interface.
About the Mac, I’d disagree about the OS upgrades being expensive. $129 from Apple (slightly discounted at some places) vs Windows Vista upgrades running (at BestBuy) $99 (Vista Home Basic upgrade), $129 (Vista Home Premium upgrade), $199 (Vista Business upgrade), and $219 (Vista Ultimate upgrade).
As for hardware, Macs are more expensive is you compare cheapest Mac vs cheapest PC. But, if you configure a PC to the same specs as a Mac (HD, RAM, video, sound, etc) the price isn’t that far apart.
Having said all that, your Shakespeare reference compels to to offer that my computer advice may be nothing more than “a tale, Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”
I used to work for several of the companies listed in previous posts in the respective notebook computers division (I was a hardware design engineer). The vast majority of notebooks, regardless of whose name is on the outside, are manufactured by just a handful of companies in Taiwan and/or China (Quanta, Compal, Asus/Wistron, and Acer together probably account for more than 80% of total production). Electronics-wise, there is very little difference between any of them. The quality of the computer comes mostly from the mechanical design, which varies greatly among the OEMs. If it were my money, I would buy Asus.
If we are talking antivirus, I just run Spybot Search and Destroy and don’t have any problems whatsoever, it’s a pain in the ass sometimes, but it works great.
Forget the Chinese buyout, get a Thinkpad. They still offer XP, Matte finish LCD panels and all the other important stuff the other vendors have forgotten about. Yes most models waste space with the pad thingy but they still put an eraser head pointer on and once you get used to one of those you won’t touch anything else. And while I’m not quite as happy with the build quality on the latest lower end products bearing the Thinkpad name it still beats the crap out of anything Gateway, Dell or HewPaq will sell you for under $2000.
As for the Mac zealots posting here, guess the icons have dulled your reading skills to the point where Frank says he is looking to spend UNDER a K buck goes right past ya nitwits without comprehension. The cheapest, most useless Mac starts over that budget. A decent Thinkpad can be had for under $700; and that is after paying for the pretty much mandatory upgrade to XP. Granted you are getting integrated graphics at that price but ya can’t have everything and anyway, gaming laptops are heavy power guzzling beasts.
I never will buy anything from toshiba. During the cold war, they sold to the Soviets submarine propeller technology allowing the Soviet subs to be more silent, thus putting US subs at increased danger.
As for the tax deduction, you’d better buy in the next two weeks. After January 19th, there will be no tax deductions for anything. /sarc
jj, Toshiba did not sell the propeller technology to the Soviets…they sold a 3D milling machine that was capable of producing the complex curves that helped reduce cavitation of the propeller blades. The Soviets got the specs for the curve from Johnny Walker Red and approached several companies that made the milling machines looking for someone with the capability. Only Toshiba had the machines that could do the job (since they were selling the same machines to the US). Yes, Toshiba knew what the Soviets wanted the machine for, and yes, they could have said no, but if it weren’t for Johnny Walker Red, the Soviets wouldn’t have know what they needed. Being an ex-submariner, I have mixed feelings about Toshiba. On the one hand, they did put US submarines at risk, but on the other, you can’t fault them for engaging in a capitalistic exchange. Ironically, when I switched careers from the US Navy to the notebook design industry, I once sat next to the CEO of Toshiba at a Chinese New Year party that one of my suppliers hosted for all of their customers and suppliers. We had an interesting discussion about that particular transaction.
Frank:
The ASUS (a Free China — not a Red China — company) looks like a good deal. I’ve not dealt with them, but customer reviews appear generally good; most “downside” comments relate to keyboard lighting and mouse (touchpad?) buttons.
To me, the downside is the Centrino processor. You’d be the best to determine if it’s up to your standards. I’d say it’s not a gaming machine. To me, though, that’s a non-issue; I don’t game.
Looks like a good computer for the money.
[Well, I’m not looking for a gaming machine, per se; just something that can make a good college try at modern computer games. With the amount extra I’d have to pay for a good gaming machine, I could just buy an XBox 360. -Ed.]
Looks pretty good, except the Centrino (cheapo) processor, that is the same price that the laptop I have cost, and has better specs except for the processor and soundcard, and I love mine and have need for a stronger processor/sound card than you probably do, so it could probably play plenty of games, surpasses the required specs for Red Alert 3, which hasn’t even come out yet.
Oh and my sister just got an Asus Mini Laptop this Christmas and while it looks a little cheap (none of the fanciness of an HP), it feels solid and she hasn’t broken it yet, so I’d say Asus seems like a good brand.
I have that exact computer – bought it on sale for the same price about two weeks before Christmas. It’s a good machine. The only complaint I might have is that the glossy keys tend to show fingerprints. Speed, hardware, display, etc is all fine. Look on the web, there are a few fairly intensive reviews of it.
Do yourself a favor and pay the extra cash for an XP operating system, or Mac, or Linux, or anything but Vista. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Sure, Vista runs better now than it did a few months ago, but it still sucks.
Get a 360 if you want to play games.
Your only choice on the windows side is going to be vista. Vista likes memory… Feed it. 3gb of ram at least and I would go something a little more powerful then the centrino processor it isn’t the ‘cheap’ processor as someone previously said but it is the power saving uber-mobile processor. Don’t be afraid to go with the AMDX2 but the Core 2 Dou’s are great processors.
Also, if the laptop comes with 4gb+ of ram make sure it has the 64bit OS installed on it because if it isn’t you won’t be able to make use of all your ram. You may want to take a look at Acer laptops as the clients I have sold them to have had pretty good luck with them.
I personally would find something that is fully linux compatible and run OpenSuse or Ubuntu. Mac is also a good alternative but more expensive(although you do get a better product) because they don’t have a low end budget laptop.
And if you do get a 360 get Left4Dead. We can team up and prepare for the zombie apocalypse. 😀