laptop help

[=112=]

i need to purchase a laptop soon for my mom. a couple questions i wanted to ask the members of got|apex. she's pretty stuck on buying a sony. since i need to get a sony, i was wondering about some of the options. should i purchase a 2.0ghz opposed to a 1.73ghz? its $150 difference. what type of extended service plans do most people get with laptops? the 3 year onsite service plan plus accidental damage protection costs $315.99. do you think thats worth it? is it also worth $100 to go for a bigger battery? i know most of questions depends on the user, but considering that shes an average user, i just want to know what would be the most cost effective solution. besides buying a dell. thanks in advance

[seqiro]

Like you said, it really depends on the user.

What is she going to use the laptop for? If just simple word processing, e-mail, internet and money is a concern, it probably wouldn't hurt to go with the 1.73GHz model. If the laptop is going to be transported heavily, then a three year onsite with accidental damage is probably a good decision. I don't know how much a regular battery costs vs. how much extra capacity the bigger battery has, so it's hard to say. For me, I chose to just have a spare battery. Two batteries will last longer than one battery (both in terms of usage and in lifespan).

[chrisa86wm]

I would go with the 1.73 ghz model. the bump you get from going from 1.73 to 2.0 isnt worth the extra money. as for the extended service, i never opt to go with long service plans, because i can repair what little damage i cause myself. BUT, if you cant do the repairs yourself or your mom is careless, it would be better to go with an extended plan instead of taking it in to a local computer store to get it fixed if there are problems. Now as for the battery, DONT upgrade the battery through sony. just get the battery that comes with it and save your money. if you feel you need more battery life, get another from ebay. it is alot cheaper this way and like the above user said two small batteries are better than one big one in most cases.
good luck with your purchase!