Lap top / notebook purchase

[Stoker1]

Looking at the Sony Vaio VGN-FJ290PCR

The Exchange has them for $1400 & no shipping costs.


My main uses are:

• Photo editing
• net surfing
• and maybe a game or two such as Flight Simulator

Needs:

1. Must be fast
2. Must be fast (did I say it needs to be fast?)
3. memory isn't a big deal as I have an external storage for the gazillion pics we take.
4. wireless connection is a huge plus
5. Must last me the next four years

I'm not well educated on the laptop PC's other than the few magazines I've read at the jon. We can have a decent conversation about desktops but not with these boogers.

My window is 1500 - 2000$.

Please give me a moment of your time again & thanks to those that reply.
Kind regards,
Jamie

[stokernick]

I'd say check with Maureen,she just bought a new one,but I don't know the brand!

[Jay R.]

I like the viao, nice stuff. I think Maureen has a Dell. Dell's are really good and can be gotten really cheap. I'd check their website.

[Lockjaw]

Maureen does have a Dell.

I have an HP, and it was my happy divorce to me present. I got it about 3 or 4 years ago, and it is still going strong. The only thing I added was .5 gig of ram.

I would get max ram, and get a good processor. Mine has an AMD-m athelon at 1.73 gighz, so its not a rocket, but it ain't slow either. I am starting to wear off the letters on certain key's now.

It hasn't given me a lick of trouble. My boss has a Dell and his mother board is fried. Its not even a year old.

I used a VAIO for a while, its a nice pooter.

[Stoker1]

Did a few hours research last night and came up with that I need a lot of memory (RAM) in the 2 GB range. Processor of 1.86GHz / 2 MB also.

Dang if that RAM isn't expensive :O

Like I said, I'm learning as my money is hard earned and it will be well spent. Again, thanks a bunch. At least now we've got the camera out of the way.... (can't wait to get my hands on that D50)~

[Scream And Fly]

My advice is simple: Get the best machine you can afford. Pass on the Sony VGN-FJ290PCR, since it uses the Intel GMA 900 onboard graphics chip that shares system memory for its frame buffer. Translation: Its video performance will be terrible.

If you're not interested in ultimate portability, get the Dell Inspiron E1705, and be sure to get the GeForce 7900GT graphics option. This machine has the 17" screen, which is available in different resolutions. Get as much RAM as you can afford, which is very important for photo/video editing and games. Myself, I wouldn't work on any machine with less than 2GB, but for most applications, 1GB will work just fine.

If the E1705 is too large for you, go for the Inspiron E1505 with the ATI X1400 graphics option. This model has a 15.4" screen - again, with some resolution options. As always, higher resolution is better, since you can manage more windows at once on the screen.

Both models have wireless and bluetooth capability, as well very large hard disks and DVD writers. Both machines also have Firewire ports (IEEE1394) which is important for video transfer.

I own both of these machines, and with all of the use I get from laptops, I can tell you from experience that Dell makes a very good machine. My machines get a lot of use. I've been using Dell laptops for a long time now, and they never let me down yet.

Whatever you get, I suggest the following options:

• At least 1GB of RAM. 2GB is ideal, especially if you plan on running Windows Vista in the future.
• Intel CoreDuo processor
• 80GB hard disk - 100GB would be better. Go for the 7200 RPM models.
• Dedicated graphics (NVidia or ATI option)
• DVD writer is a must today as well

Also check TechBargains for Dell coupon codes to get some great discounts. If you need help with this, let me know.

[NicePackage]

Greg's got expensive taste....

I've got a Dell C840. It's 4 yrs old, 2.0GHz, 512 ram, 30gig, weighs 10lbs with both batteries in it. I LOVE the screen. This thing has been to hell and back, it's literally on 24/7 unless it's in the car or in a hotel room. It's used all day, all night, and left on overnight for the automatic backups. It's never let me down. I love this thing, but it isn't cheap. I'll be shopping for another one soon and I'm leaning towards the lenovo z60t which is 1/2 the size. I'll loose screen resolution but 10lbs is getting heavier and heavier.

[Stoker1]

I am your humble grasshoppa'.

4th of July is coming up so it makes me wonder if the coupons will be better in the next few days.

Either way, I'm buying a Dell now. Thats why I come here for my boating and daily advice.

Peace.

[Mark1]

Just get a Radio Shack TRS-80. It is all the machine you will ever need

[Scream And Fly]

Stoker, these coupon codes will come in VERY handy if you order online:

$750 off SELECT Inspiron notebooks $1999+ (Excludes XPS) Code:
5?90WS6GLWXRSZ

30% off SELECT Inspiron notebooks $999+ (Excludes XPS) Code:
R99GSKKQQ23S4$

450 off select Inspiron Notebooks $1499+ (Excludes XPS) Code:
FQ509HF$$R6QF7


Configure your machine on Dell's website, and when you go to the checkout page, paste one of the qualifying coupon codes into the coupon code text box and click "apply coupon". They expire today though.

[NicePackage]

Where do you get coupons for Dell? If I could get it in my personal price range I'd love to get another Dell.

[NicePackage]

Just surfing the net seems to get me some, but so far it looks like the ones in Canada suck.

[Markus]

If you want something stylish like a Sony Vaio, check out the new MacBook and MacBook Pro. The Mac has great software for both professional and non-professional photo editing.

As to the cheap Dell stuff, I use Dell laptops at work and Apple laptops at home. I would take the Mac hands down. And these days, you can even run Windows on the Mac if you have to.

[Scream And Fly]

If you want something stylish like a Sony Vaio, check out the new MacBook and MacBook Pro. The Mac has great software for both professional and non-professional photo editing.

Sure, I like Macs too - too bad they are slow and could never ever compete with native Windows-based laptops in terms of raw processing power. The Macs do look nice and are built very well though. Both PCs and Macs can run their respective versions of pro-level photo/video software, but the PC can take much better advantage of multicore-threaded applications.

As to the cheap Dell stuff, I use Dell laptops at work and Apple laptops at home. I would take the Mac hands down. And these days, you can even run Windows on the Mac if you have to.

Have you ever run Windows on a Mac? I have, and it's slow... Painfully slow. Have you run Tiger on a PC? Did that too (non-emulated), and it's faster than a Mac could run it - but video driver support is not good (to be expected).

For number-crunching power, a PC-based solution will decimate a Mac. No contest. Need proof? Run Mathmatica on both machines with a nice long macro and get back to me on that. Better yet, run some 3D benchmarks. The Mac will cry for mercy.

Greg

[1BadAction]

awesome.