Recommend a laptop?

[DaFunkyUnit]

It'll be for my sister, who will be using it as a desktop replacement and as the main computer. She'll want to carry it around, so no bigger than 15". She also wants a PC laptop, so Macbook is out of the question, and she's leaning toward the HP brand. You guys know any particular laptop or any specific configuration is the most "bang for the buck"?

Oh, she's in school, so it doesnt have to be an uber-733t gaming machine, but she does use Photoshop from time to time, so I'm thinking:

1GB RAM
at least 80gigs in HD storage
a integrated webcam is not necessary, but would be nice.

now here is where I get confused: the processor
Intel Core Duo
Intel Core Duo 2
Intel Dual Core

I'm dont even know where to begin for the AMD chips.... :confused:

wheres/whats the sweet spot?

and finally, is it even wise to get a laptop now? or wait until late summer when they start having their "back to school" sales?

thanks for your help,
-daUnit

[Jeffbx]

There's never a 'perfect time' to buy a laptop - it will always be true that the longer you wait, the cheaper the machine will be, or you'll get better components for the same price. So I always tell people when you're ready to use the machine, buy it.

Most important question - what's her budget?

As for brands, I'd stay away from HP. Not great build quality. Depending on her budget my first recommedation would probably be a Dell - the Inspiron 6400 if she wants widescreen, or the 640M if she wants something lighter.

I'd recommend the Core2 Duo proc (to clear up your confusion a little - Core Duo is 1st gen, Core2 duo is 2nd gen. Both are dual core).

One more thing I'd STRONGLY recommend is that if she's actually going to be carrying it around that she spend the extra $$ on the completecare coverage to cover accidental damage.

[a-10tankkiller]

Check out the laptops at powernotebooks.com. I haven't purchased there yet, but they rank all 10's at resellerratings.com. I have been looking at getting a new laptop and have spoken with Ron there and he had recommendations based on my needs, didn't push the sale, answered all my questions on the phone or email promptly, and they seem to be competitive price wise to any that I've looked at. The reason I haven't purchased yet is I keep waiting for price drops on the core2 duo's. A lost cause and the wife just got her bonus, so I am most likely calling Ron back in the next week to spend her money. :))) She'll be out of town on a business trip next week, so I'll surprise her...Pay back will be coming on Mothers Day I'm sure!

[DaFunkyUnit]

ah yes, the budget.

absolute maximum willing to spend: $999. Of course, the cheaper the better, but then again, this should be an investment that should last at least 2-3 years.

Yea, I realize that Core Duo is the 1st gen, and Core Duo 2 is the 2nd gen, but there was a deal on the G|A? front page advertising a HP laptop with a Intel Dual Core T2060, and that completely threw me off. Did a quick Google and found that some netizens call it a souped up Celeron. but I really don't know. If anyone can explain the difference between Core Duo and Dual Core, please enlighten me. :shrug:

My sister is silly, the only reason why she's leaning toward the HP brand is purely because of aesthetics. :rolleyes:

[johnnymk]

Brainsmile's Dell laptop looks exactly what she's looking for.

[bachviet]

I got in on the Dell SB 640m deal on Monday (04/16) and bought one with a Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.0Ghz), 2GB RAM, 80GB hard drive, 14.1" widescreen, built-in video card, and bluetooth. The total after tax is $996.xx.

The Dell SB deal on Deals page is not that bad but a bit more expensive than the one I got.

[Jeffbx]

If anyone can explain the difference between Core Duo and Dual Core, please enlighten me. :shrug:

The Dual Core T2060 is a dual core Pentium 4 - 533MHz FSB and 1MB L2 cache, and only comes in 1.6GHz. The Cure2Duo is based on the Centrino architecture, and has a 1066Mhz FSB and 4MB L2 cache, and ranges from 1.66 up to 2.66GHz. I would expect to see a rather substantial difference in performance between the 2.

$999 should be enough to get a decent machine with a Core2Duo - check the Dell Outlet for good prices.

[ArkiStan]

For the layman, can someone describe how much improvements in speed I could expect in general from the dual core -> Core Duo -> Core 2 Duo ??

Let's say for graphics-intense work, e.g. 3d modeling, rendering, gaming, etc. and also for regular work, web browsing, 2D Graphics work, etc.

thanks

[Sir_Froggy]

Core Duo vs Core 2 Duo is about a 10-15% increase in speed from what I've read. For AMD they're almost at Core 2 Duo last time I checked which would be their amd64 x2. Right now its faster than Core Duo, if that answers any questions

[renovation]

i bought a gateway and love it . i bought a new hp and was not happy with it at all .
i did by a used hp from a friend only becouse i got it for good deal .
but i not buy a new hp again or compaq again ! i also have had good luck with dell laptops .
and toshiba is not to good from others i hear .

[Jeffbx]

For the layman, can someone describe how much improvements in speed I could expect in general from the dual core -> Core Duo -> Core 2 Duo ??

Let's say for graphics-intense work, e.g. 3d modeling, rendering, gaming, etc. and also for regular work, web browsing, 2D Graphics work, etc.

It'll be a small but noticable difference for graphic intensive stuff, esp. between the dual core P4 & the Core2 Duo. For everyday stuff (web browsing, office apps) you won't notice a difference.