Decent laptop (er, notebook). (laptops, hard drive, Linux, Ubuntu)

[K-Luv]

Anyone have any suggestions on a decent laptop? I am a long time Mac user, so I do not know what to look for in a PC model. A new Mac Book is out of my price range and used Mac laptops are still ridiculously expensive, and besides, I don't need that much power. I am looking for a good PC to run Linux. I am not looking for the best out there, just something decent that can handle what I would use it for; web, writing, Gimp, some light video editing (working with two to three minute clips at a time, tops), some music editing, and maybe a game or two (not Doom 3 per se, I can still enjoy a good game of Pac Man). Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[chaz longue]

I've had 2 Dell laptops and have been happy. They have refurbished machines at the site as well as the ones you create for them to build. I'm currently in the second month with my 3rd Dell laptop and I'm fairly happy. Try thier site and see how the price strikes you for the specs you want. Or you can phone them and they'll walk you through the process... I have a 17 inch screen, a 2 gig dual core processor and 4 gigs of Ram. I'd have paid just about 1000 more for these specs in a Mac. Then I'd have needed to buy one of the programs to allow me to run Windows, as well as a copy of Windows...I probably saved more like 1500 all told. Then I'd have spent quite a bit of time learning to use the Mac and figuring out how to run the program I make a living with on the Mac...

[61-OH]

I have an HP dv9000. I basically am in love with it. haha I only use it to downoad files, write up school reports, and browse the internet. Maybe a game or two every so often. But it is really a great computer. It has Windows Vista, which is very cool by the way. lol I bought it at Staples in February. It has an AMAZING 17 inch screen, a 2 GB RAM, I think the hard drive is 160 or 250 GB. I cant remember. I've never had a problem with it yet... But I really like HP products, so I would highly recommend this laptop/notebook. If you like to take your laptop outside, I would have to tell you to NOT get this, b/c there is a TERRIBLE glare on the screen no matter which way you look at it! It doesn't bother me though, b/c I never take it outside.

[northbound74]

Too bad you can't stick with Mac. I find myself in the same situation. I really want to get a Macbook to go with my Emac, but it's out of my price range. I'll break down and partially rejoin the Dark Side tomorrow, sadly.
I'm going for a refurbished one through a small, local computer store that services the equipment in house. Not sure what brand, but these guys will probably take care of whatever problems I might encounter. That's the bad thing with PC's, is that you don't always know what's inside the box. Everybody and their brother makes parts for them.

Originally Posted by chaz longue

I've had 2 Dell laptops and have been happy. They have refurbished machines at the site as well as the ones you create for them to build. I'm currently in the second month with my 3rd Dell laptop and I'm fairly happy. Try thier site and see how the price strikes you for the specs you want. Or you can phone them and they'll walk you through the process... I have a 17 inch screen, a 2 gig dual core processor and 4 gigs of Ram. I'd have paid just about 1000 more for these specs in a Mac. Then I'd have needed to buy one of the programs to allow me to run Windows, as well as a copy of Windows...I probably saved more like 1500 all told. Then I'd have spent quite a bit of time learning to use the Mac and figuring out how to run the program I make a living with on the Mac...

Before owning a Mac, I thought that I would have to have some sort of Windows back up just in case, you know, but that simply isn't the case. I have never run into anything in the last 5 years that makes me want to go back to Windows, nor have I really needed to. That's not to say that in some fields of work, there will be times when Windows is necessary, simply because the software isn't available for Mac. That seems to be an increasingly rare thing, these days, though.
I personally find that Macs are a bazillion times easier to operate than Windows. No comparison there.

[mawipafl]

I don't know if @ $1000 is more than you want to spend, but if you can find a college or high school kid to buy a MacBook on your behalf, Apple has a great deal for students (I think the special is still going on.) For the $1000 (probably more like $1200 after taxes and such), we got a MacBook (and this is our first foray into Apple World by the way and have discovered it was no where near a mistake!!), a free HP printer/scanner/copier, and a free iPod (the latter two being free after the rebates).

[CuCullin]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

I am looking for a good PC to run Linux.

IBM is great; horribly expensive. The HP's can be a bit of a pain when it comes to installing linux, they seem to be a-ok with using crappy proprietary stuff.

Best in terms of easy? Dell, Intel-based.

Some Dell's now ship with Ubuntu pre-installed - personally I would immediately install KDE, but I'm just not a Gnome fan anymore (I won't go into that here).

Dell PCs Featuring Ubuntu

The laptop models include:
Inspiron 1525N
Studio 15
XPS M1530
XPS M1330

Starting out in the $500ish range (Inspiron), highest starting around $1000 (XPS), plus upgrades of course.

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

I have experience with Dell Inspiron(budget laptop) and Sony Vaio(pricey). Of the 2, the Dell was definitely the better value. It's a lot heavier than the Vaio, but imo, the added weight is worth it for durability purposes. My Vaio seems a bit fragile and the sound capabilities are poor. Servicing the Vaio is a nightmare also.

[Alanboy395]

I LOVE my new Toshiba Satellite laptop. 3 GB memory, 200GB hard drive, built-in wireless and webcam, and DVD/CD-RW drive. I got it for $500 last week usually goes for around $680.

[visualevo]

When it comes to laptops I would go with a Dell.

Dell's Latitude D600s or D800 Series would most likely fit right in with what you are wanting to do. The 610s you can get in the 400-450 and 810s you can get for 450-550 (just guessing as I haven't priced one over the passed 30 days so no telling what they are at now). The D series Latitudes are pretty easy to find upgrades for still and getting a refurb'd unit from Dell will save you some money.

[Brian.Pearson]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

I LOVE my new Toshiba Satellite laptop. 3 GB memory, 200GB hard drive, built-in wireless and webcam, and DVD/CD-RW drive. I got it for $500 last week usually goes for around $680.

Whoah, I like the sound of that!