Need to buy a Laptop - HELP!!! (laptops, RAM, hard drive) - Computers -PCs, laptops, hardware, software - City-Data Forum

Twinkle Toes · 08-24-2009, 12:24 PM

Hi everyone, I never come in here because well .... I'm just not that computer or tech savvy!

I want to buy a laptop computer. I want to be mobile and wireless. I want to be able to take my computer with me when I go out and be able to access the internet and word processing programs.

I looked on Ebay and there are thousands of laptops and I am confused. At home I have a regular Windows computer. However, all of my friends say to go Mac! They all say I don't want a Windows based laptop.

Can you guys help me out? I need your input, feedback, and opinions. What should I get? Is there any particular thing I need - a certain number of gigabytes or ram or something?

Thanks!!!

mensaguy · 08-24-2009, 12:40 PM

Have you considered getting a Netbook? They are small and lightweight. They can surf the Internet and run a word processor, but because they are small and light, they are not good Internet gaming machines. Did I mention they are cheap? One thing a Mac is not is cheap.

Twinkle Toes · 08-24-2009, 12:43 PM

Thanks, Mensaguy. Price doesn't matter to me.

beachdiver · 08-24-2009, 01:03 PM

About 3 years ago I switched from an older pc to a Mac Book (laptop). Now, I wouldn't take a pc if you gave it to me. I haven't had any trouble; I don't need to worry as much about viruses, etc., and best of all, I don't hear my husband (who's not tech-savy) call for me to "come and fix the computer!" when it freezes or whatever! That alone was worth spending the extra money! lol!

Seriously, though, they are worth considering. It wasn't hard to learn Mac, and if you are close to an Apple store they regularly have free workshops to teach you how to use the various programs installed on it - iPhoto, iTunes, etc. The only drawback is that there is not as much software written for the Mac. If you use your computer for something special, that's something you want to look into.

I got the middle sized Mac book (not the Mac book Pro). It is speedy enough for me with DSL, and has enough room for lots of photos & music. I think I have used about 1/2 of my hard drive.

Sayantsi · 08-24-2009, 01:55 PM

Based on what you said, I'd say get a 13" MacBook Pro - they are portable, light for a laptop, and of course, they run Mac OS X. They come with wi-fi, bluetooth, a built in camera, and quality hardware components, plus free apps for word processing, music, mail, web browsing, photos, etc. Add RAM so you have 4GB and get AppleCare and it will last you forever. I'm a strong believer in maintenance-free computing so I will always tell the average user to get a Mac over any Windows PC.

If you want a really small and portable computer, a Netbook is good as they weigh around 1 pound, but you don't get much memory, optical drives, or a large screen. They also run Windows, which can be troublesome for average computer users.

Twinkle Toes · 08-25-2009, 07:36 PM

I think everyone has me convinced to get a Mac. Everyone who I've spoken with who has one just loves it and would never go back to a Microsoft based computer. I guess "Once you go Mac you'll never go back" could apply here! LOL

Anyway, a lot of my peers have said that they had Microsoft based laptops in the past and got tired of the crashes and the viruses, then decided to go Mac.

From the responses I've read here, it appears everyone is in favor of the Mac as well. So ... Mac it is!

Thanks guys!!!

grannynancy · 08-26-2009, 07:13 AM

Well, it depends on your needs - I would not go Mac because some of the SW I need does not have a Mac version and I need to be able to freely work with Word and Excel and - some of the folks in the same volunteer organization I was in had Macs and document sharing was always an issue. If those kind of things are not issues [that most of the world is not on Macs] then I would go for it; I have heard they are better computers.

triplesmickey · 08-26-2009, 07:52 AM

I love Mac, but, I havent bought even one of them, since some programs work not so smoothly on Mac. Such as games, excels, .... sometimes Mac is hard for me to control it. sometimes my friend's Mac got bugged, then needed to w8 like ages for the Apple Store. But w/t Windows, i am free to do those things, n if my windows com gets bugged i can go fix it anywhere nearby. However I think that Mac's outward appearance is the best, which Windows cant have...

but if u ask me to go Mac, u will get a 'no'.

Sayantsi · 08-26-2009, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twinkle Toes

I think everyone has me convinced to get a Mac. Everyone who I've spoken with who has one just loves it and would never go back to a Microsoft based computer. I guess "Once you go Mac you'll never go back" could apply here! LOL

Anyway, a lot of my peers have said that they had Microsoft based laptops in the past and got tired of the crashes and the viruses, then decided to go Mac.

From the responses I've read here, it appears everyone is in favor of the Mac as well. So ... Mac it is!

Thanks guys!!!

You will enjoy it - if you have any questions, feel free to ask or PM me.

SookieStackhouse · 08-27-2009, 05:07 AM

Once you go Mac, you'll never go back. I got hooked on them a couple years ago.

I am assuming too that if you have not yet bought it... wait til tomorrow and it should have the new Snow Leopard OS on it.