Genius
Posts: 985 
Location: CsL, Mtl, Qc, Ca, NA, Er, SS,MW, Un
Location: CsL, Mtl, Qc, Ca, NA, Er, SS,MW, Un
September 10th, 2006, 01:38 AM
Today, I was looking at laptops and the more I was learning the more I was getting confused.
So, I decided to come to forums to know more things about them.
I will post some question, if you answers to any of them, it will be really helpfull.
About the pricing, it range from $600 to $2000 CDN. Why is it so? What makes them to be so highly different in price?
About companies, brands, which one do you prefer, and why?
(in store) They said that laptops dont come with microsoft office, anti-virus and other softwares. And I calculated that all the softwares that i need would be like $250-$400 CDN. Is it true with computers as well?
It will be really helpfull the answer to any of this question. With many "why"s I didn't mean to question, I just couldn't express myself more politly. sorry.
Today, I was looking at laptops and the more I was learning the more I was getting confused.
So, I decided to come to forums to know more things about them.
I will post some question, if you answers to any of them, it will be really helpfull.
About the pricing, it range from $600 to $2000 CDN. Why is it so? What makes them to be so highly different in price?
About companies, brands, which one do you prefer, and why?
(in store) They said that laptops dont come with microsoft office, anti-virus and other softwares. And I calculated that all the softwares that i need would be like $250-$400 CDN. Is it true with computers as well?
It will be really helpfull the answer to any of this question. With many "why"s I didn't mean to question, I just couldn't express myself more politly. sorry.
Bright Spark
Posts: 495
Location: Oakville, Ontario
Location: Oakville, Ontario
September 10th, 2006, 03:05 AM
The difference in pricing has alot to do with the kind of stuff that's in the computer, like graphics card, memory, hard drive space, the brand of computer, ect.
Me I prefer HP's (Hewlett-Packard) because their more trustworthy then Dells and i've never had problems with HP's at all.
The people in the store we're lying to you, they do have some software on it, but alot of the times it's just a trial. My computer came with the full Nortons anti-virus (which i don't use, I use McAfee) and Microsoft Office. It also came with some photo programs, a video maker, 2 different music players, 2 dvd playing programs, a dvd burning program.
The difference in pricing has alot to do with the kind of stuff that's in the computer, like graphics card, memory, hard drive space, the brand of computer, ect.
Me I prefer HP's (Hewlett-Packard) because their more trustworthy then Dells and i've never had problems with HP's at all.
The people in the store we're lying to you, they do have some software on it, but alot of the times it's just a trial. My computer came with the full Nortons anti-virus (which i don't use, I use McAfee) and Microsoft Office. It also came with some photo programs, a video maker, 2 different music players, 2 dvd playing programs, a dvd burning program.
Bright Spark
Posts: 313
September 15th, 2006, 06:28 PM
We have 3 laptops. Two high end models from work loaded and each over $2,000. We also bought an Acer Aspire 3610 for our nephew when he visits. It cost $549 at Staples and is every bit as good as the high end laptops. Came with software, plays DVDs, remote wireless card, etc. We liked it so much my wife bought one for her mother.
note: I don't play games (last game I played was 'pong') so no idea what the requirements are for the gamers out there.
We have 3 laptops. Two high end models from work loaded and each over $2,000. We also bought an Acer Aspire 3610 for our nephew when he visits. It cost $549 at Staples and is every bit as good as the high end laptops. Came with software, plays DVDs, remote wireless card, etc. We liked it so much my wife bought one for her mother.
note: I don't play games (last game I played was 'pong') so no idea what the requirements are for the gamers out there.
Member
Posts: 242
Location: Vancouver
Location: Vancouver
September 15th, 2006, 07:33 PM
Like Riyko said, the price of the computer depends on what is inside. However, on the issue of laptops, price is also affected by portability. The small, sexy, and not as powerful laptop could cost more than the heavy bulky more powerful one.
Usually, the lower priced laptops are laptops with older technologies in them.
What you need depends on what you are going to do with it. Laptops are generally not as powerful as their desktop counterparts because of space and heat restrictions. So, everything must be engineered around this.. causing the price to go up. So even though you see $2000 laptops, they still won't be able to play the latest and greatest games at acceptable speeds because of this.
Regardless of what you want a laptop for, I would go with a laptop that has at least a dual core CPU (core duo, core duo 2, Turion X2),has 1 gig of ram, a decent graphics card from Nvidia or ATI, and built-in wireless 802.11g.... as a minimum starting point.
Ergonomics-wise, get a laptop which has all the ports and drives in places that makes sense to you. Normally, the optical drives are swappable... meaning that you can take it out and put something else in it's place... such as an extra battery or a different optical drive (blu-ray, hd-dvd).
Also make sure that vents to exhaust the hot air from inside the laptop are *NOT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE COMPUTER*. Sometimes laptops, when you put them on the table, have a small gap on the bottom to let air flow underneath. What some engineers haven't figured out is that some people put their laptops on their bed or on their lap which eliminates this gap... If the vents are on the bottom, you are at risk of overheating your laptop.
Also, look at what is cooling your laptop... fans? How loud are they and how often do they come on? How many fans are there? I used a couple of Dell laptops and when the fans (2 of them) came on... it was like a jet engine was starting up... it was loud.
Ask if the memory is upgradeable, how much will it cost, and what is the max memory capacity allowed.
One of the biggest complaints about laptops is the keyboard. Laptop keyboards come in all shapes and sizes and they feel different when typing on them. So make sure you get a laptop that has a keyboard you are comfortable using and all the buttons are in places you expect them to be and sizes you expect to be at. There is nothing more annoying than having the backspace button the size of a regular button because it is one of the more common keys people press. It should be a wide button... like the space bar... but not as wide. You know what I mean.
Screens nowadays are becoming a concern. I've seen the newer laptops with the fancy glossy screens. They look awesome in regular office lighting. However, my coworker has one in his office and he sits with the window to his back and so when it gets sunny, the glare is extremely annoying. It's like you can see what's happening behind you without even turning around.
Anyway, I hope I've helped you with some of the experiences I've had with laptops.
Cheers.
BTW, if you are specifically asking for brand, the most reliable laptop I have ever used is a Sony Viao. It was damn expensive.. but after 6 years, I still have a use for it as a test web server. It is a Pentium II 266mhz, 192mb ram, 4 gb hard drive, and built-in graphics card with 2mb video memory. I think the calculators you can buy today are more powerful than it, but it's still got value
Like Riyko said, the price of the computer depends on what is inside. However, on the issue of laptops, price is also affected by portability. The small, sexy, and not as powerful laptop could cost more than the heavy bulky more powerful one.
Usually, the lower priced laptops are laptops with older technologies in them.
What you need depends on what you are going to do with it. Laptops are generally not as powerful as their desktop counterparts because of space and heat restrictions. So, everything must be engineered around this.. causing the price to go up. So even though you see $2000 laptops, they still won't be able to play the latest and greatest games at acceptable speeds because of this.
Regardless of what you want a laptop for, I would go with a laptop that has at least a dual core CPU (core duo, core duo 2, Turion X2),has 1 gig of ram, a decent graphics card from Nvidia or ATI, and built-in wireless 802.11g.... as a minimum starting point.
Ergonomics-wise, get a laptop which has all the ports and drives in places that makes sense to you. Normally, the optical drives are swappable... meaning that you can take it out and put something else in it's place... such as an extra battery or a different optical drive (blu-ray, hd-dvd).
Also make sure that vents to exhaust the hot air from inside the laptop are *NOT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE COMPUTER*. Sometimes laptops, when you put them on the table, have a small gap on the bottom to let air flow underneath. What some engineers haven't figured out is that some people put their laptops on their bed or on their lap which eliminates this gap... If the vents are on the bottom, you are at risk of overheating your laptop.
Also, look at what is cooling your laptop... fans? How loud are they and how often do they come on? How many fans are there? I used a couple of Dell laptops and when the fans (2 of them) came on... it was like a jet engine was starting up... it was loud.
Ask if the memory is upgradeable, how much will it cost, and what is the max memory capacity allowed.
One of the biggest complaints about laptops is the keyboard. Laptop keyboards come in all shapes and sizes and they feel different when typing on them. So make sure you get a laptop that has a keyboard you are comfortable using and all the buttons are in places you expect them to be and sizes you expect to be at. There is nothing more annoying than having the backspace button the size of a regular button because it is one of the more common keys people press. It should be a wide button... like the space bar... but not as wide. You know what I mean.
Screens nowadays are becoming a concern. I've seen the newer laptops with the fancy glossy screens. They look awesome in regular office lighting. However, my coworker has one in his office and he sits with the window to his back and so when it gets sunny, the glare is extremely annoying. It's like you can see what's happening behind you without even turning around.
Anyway, I hope I've helped you with some of the experiences I've had with laptops.
Cheers.
BTW, if you are specifically asking for brand, the most reliable laptop I have ever used is a Sony Viao. It was damn expensive.. but after 6 years, I still have a use for it as a test web server. It is a Pentium II 266mhz, 192mb ram, 4 gb hard drive, and built-in graphics card with 2mb video memory. I think the calculators you can buy today are more powerful than it, but it's still got value
Genius
Posts: 985
Location: CsL, Mtl, Qc, Ca, NA, Er, SS,MW, Un
Location: CsL, Mtl, Qc, Ca, NA, Er, SS,MW, Un
September 30th, 2006, 01:41 AM
thanks guys,
got one.
very much considered your advice.
it's hp, amd turion, ram is slitly bigger then 1gig, graphics by nVIDIA, comes with norton anti-virus, and microsoft office, trial, lol, the price is not that high
it's good ... for now, because it's new
thanks guys,
got one.
very much considered your advice.
it's hp, amd turion, ram is slitly bigger then 1gig, graphics by nVIDIA, comes with norton anti-virus, and microsoft office, trial, lol, the price is not that high
it's good ... for now, because it's new
Genius
Posts: 985
Location: CsL, Mtl, Qc, Ca, NA, Er, SS,MW, Un
Location: CsL, Mtl, Qc, Ca, NA, Er, SS,MW, Un
October 11th, 2006, 07:05 AM
I got AVG, it's not good. it capture only 50% of total viruses.
Quoting cdn_bc_ca
why? Norton is no good?
The first thing I would do is uninstall norton and get something that doesn't take over your computer...
like ZoneAlarm (free) and AVG antivirus (free).
like ZoneAlarm (free) and AVG antivirus (free).
I got AVG, it's not good. it capture only 50% of total viruses.
World Police
Posts: 4,440 
Videos: 1
Location: toranna
Videos: 1
Location: toranna
October 11th, 2006, 08:52 AM
Norton is bloated and no better then avg in my opinion. If you are going to use Norton, purchase the corporate edition.
Norton is bloated and no better then avg in my opinion. If you are going to use Norton, purchase the corporate edition.
Member
Posts: 242
Location: Vancouver
Location: Vancouver
October 12th, 2006, 02:44 PM
Here's something you can read:
http://review.zdnet.com/AnchorDesk/4...6-5554923.html
I currently use Avast. It is free, but you need to register. I has saved me a few times from trojans hiding in zip files and emails. I don't know if it is the best or how many viruses it can capture, but it has served me well.
Nearly everything that Norton offers can be had for free on the Internet.
Quoting dekhqonbacha
It's no good in that it takes alot of system resources to run. It slows your computer down. I don't know about the effectiveness of the virus scanner because when I had it installed, I didn't get any viruses.
why? Norton is no good?
I got AVG, it's not good. it capture only 50% of total viruses.
I got AVG, it's not good. it capture only 50% of total viruses.
Here's something you can read:
http://review.zdnet.com/AnchorDesk/4...6-5554923.html
I currently use Avast. It is free, but you need to register. I has saved me a few times from trojans hiding in zip files and emails. I don't know if it is the best or how many viruses it can capture, but it has served me well.
Nearly everything that Norton offers can be had for free on the Internet.
