help buying a laptop

[natas.308]

as the title says , i need help buying a laptop.
i dont know much about computers at all, so any help would be appreciated.
In the next few weeks i am purchasing a laptop, but dont know what to get, i dont want to walk into a store and get taken for a ride and pay for a heap of stuff i don't need. im looking at spending no more than 2k.

i am pretty happy with my current set up (pc). it is a hp pavillion a1040a.
pentium 4 stocka
i mainly use my computer just for surfing the web and networking with friends,the odd bash on WoW, and a lot of time on another game .emw.

i would like a laptop that also has webcam, is able to use for skype, and a wireless broadband connection, divx , and thats about it,
does anyone have a good recomendation of what would be good for me, what brands to look out for, and what brands to stay away from, and also how much i should be paying for it,
i am grateful for any help or ideas

 

[Fr3ak+--]

i have recently gone shopping for laptops for my girlfriend

do not go to big stores like harvey norman or dick smith.. they are absolute rips

go to office works.. buy a dell.. or even better buy one online

 

[Haydz]

Get an asus m51 best value for money laptop at the moment

 

[50LTRv8]

For value for money on a laptop, you can't go past a dell.
I just don't see how they sell at prices they do. There are a few things to look out for.

Try and get as much RAM as you can, it is far easier to upgrade on purchase than afterwards, and Vista likes RAM

Get one with a seperate vid card (a gforce go card is good for a lappy)

Get longer warrently if you can. Lappys are a lot harder to fix than a desktop. My HP needed 3 motherboard replacements because the power supply connection was a bad design. I would hate to think of the cost in doing those repairs without warrenty.

Post up your spec here before you buy and get some feedback first.

Good luck :thumbsup:

50LTRv8

 

[bezz]

I reckon asus offer better value for money than dell. Toshiba and HP can be good also. Just be smart and look for one with a current promo, such as a cash back or a free portable hard drive or something. You could get an awesome laptop for 2k, honestly though in your situation I'd look at spending around $1600 unless you want things like bluray drives etc. Toshiba have a new range of laptops just out with the new series of intel core2duos and geforce video cards which i believe is in the $1600 price range.

 

[crazyspoon05]

For that budget you're going to get something pretty good anyway

If you aren't after a fast gaming machine consider a business spec laptop, will usually be more solid, have all the wireless connectivity you need, usually has far better battery life and can usually be found cheaper than a 'home' spec laptop depending on the specs

 

[Astranomical]

Get a Dell with an extended warranty. Dell is pretty good, but you're best off with an extended warranty for any laptop - apart from RAM, HDDs and optical drives, laptops are usually all proprietary, so you're best off with an extended warranty just for ease of getting parts. Also, buy it online if you can, it will probably be cheaper, plus you can get a custom config.

Also, stay away from Acer. They are total crap.

 

[Shounak]

Best way to buy a Laptop is to do it through eBay and I've found Asus to be the best value.

Laptops are like DVD's, you buy what's in the box. The identical model laptop sold at e-online shops and Dick Smith are no different. Except for the 20-40% markup at retail shops.

Most big eBay laptop sellers are established computer stores with online shop fronts. I bought my laptop with a full tax invoice and Asus even honoured my warranty for my Dvd drive after it had expired, out of good faith.

I paid about $1000 for my laptop off eBay. I ordered it on a Friday and had it on Monday morning.

A friend from uni bought pretty much the same laptop as mine with less features for about $1400 from Computer World, which usually sell stuff pretty damn cheaply.

So I would definitely recommend a proper shop on eBay, for the best deal. Make sure it has a tax invoice though, or else the warranty won't be worth a thing.

 

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

It comes down to what you want to use it for. Word processing or office applications, you don't need the latest whiz bang lappy, as long as it has a bit of ram and a decent hard drive, the processor speed isn't that important unless you are into a lot of graphics or video