About Lauren Bennett Expertise I am a computer science major and my dad is an Electric Engineering, so my life has revolved around computers. For as long as I can remember, I have been buying and selling computers. I tend to travel a lot, so I have always had a laptop. I have bought 5 of them for myself, and bought around 30-40 for friends and family. I have dealt with the good and the bad of various version and brand names. If you are in need of buying a laptop, feel free to contact me and I'm sure I will be able to guide you into purchasing the laptop that will be the best fit for you. I will custom build you computers for you to choose from so you can get an exact idea of what to go and buy when you do it yourself and so that you have an exact price. However, I am in the USA and am only knowledgeable about computers here in the US. I do not know about foreign currency or the quality of computer brand names outside the US.
Experience B.S. in Computer Science. Buying and selling for years. Assisting friends/family.
I'm trying to decide between buying a Mac or PC laptop and was wondering if you could outline some of the main advantages/disadvantages for each. I plan to use the laptop for basic word processing, internet use, email and perhaps some photoshop and dreamweaver. I have heard that macs are better when working with videos or images, but basically I want something with a good amount of storage space that will not have a lot of operating problems. I would probably be running the mac with the windows operating system. I know macs are a little pricier than most PCs, so am wondering if it is worth the extra money, or if there is a type of pc you could recommend that would suit my needs? Money is not really an issue.
Thanks so much!
-Lisa
Answer They are a lot more pricy than a PC and I have yet to find a real advantage. I can't get anything out of a Mac user besides "i just like them." My best friend has a Mac and her using the Windows operating system on it has been a complete disaster. I'd say it only works about 15% of the time and it costs a lot. You need to buy Windows software and Apple software. The word document on the Windows side won't open on the Apple side. In addition, there is not much customization, the software is a lot more expensive, there isn't nearly as much software available, it costs a lot more, and the warranty isn't nearly as good. If you are a huge musician or architect, a Mac might be a good route. However, you can do all the same stuff on a PC.
I've done extensive research on PC's and the quality of the computers, the quality of the customer service/tech support, and the value. I've also owned IBM, Dell, HP, Toshiba, Acer, Gateway, and Sony. If you've ever wondered why Dell's seem to break a lot, it is because they outsell everyone else combined. In actuality, they have the least amount of problems.
Right now, I own a Dell XPS M1210 and my sister owns a Dell Inspiron E1505. Here is why I love them both.
1. I had almost 100% control over how the computer arrived. I could customize every single aspect of the computer.
2. I got 10% off just for getting the 3 year bundle
3. The 3 year bundle (or 4 year) is great. It includes: 3 years of 24/7 technical support, 3 years of overnight shipping on anything you need, 3 years of on-site service (something breaks, they send a tech to you in under 48 hours to fix it wherever you are - no waiting or shipping involved), 3 years of anti-virus subscription, and 3 years of accidental damage coverage (drop it? spill coffee down it? no big deal). Finally, they give you 3 years of theft recovery so if your computer is stolen, no one can access it and they can find and recover it.
4. I like how technical support can be done via online chat. I had a problem where certain aspects of a certain website would not work. A Dell tech took control of my computer (which you have control over - you give them access, you can chat with them while they do it, see exactly what they do, and end their control at any time). He found that a certain part of a random program was blocking it and fixed it for me. I haven't found anyone else that is willing to do that. Another thing was that I got online and told them that my space bar was being sticky sometimes and not always working. The next day I had a dell technician at my apartment replacing my keyboard. They have been there at all hours of every day to help me with any issue that may arise - you can't beat it.
In terms of quality, HP is second best. Their computers are also great. Their biggest downfall is that they don't offer the at home service. As a result, you have to ship your computer to them so they can fix it. This is all free, but it still stinks to have to put your computer through the shipping process and lose it for a week.
Sony is third best. However, their computers are WAY overpriced. I saw a Best Buy ad the other day and they had an HP and Sony computer on sale. They two computers were 100% identical except for the brand name. The Sony was $900 more. I was shocked. The quality isn't quite as great as Dell and HP, but they do offer the at home service warranty.
Personally, I would recommend the Dell Inspiron E1505. It is an excellent award winning laptop. You can't go wrong with it. I've guided many people on here towards buying it and everyone has told me they love it. One guy bought his son one and ended up buying another for himself because he liked it so much.
Now it is a tough call between getting XP or Vista. Personally, I have Vista, I love it, and I haven't had any problems. It has been out for a while and a service pack should be coming out very soon to fix little bugs that a lot of people experience. However, all Dell computers can be customized with XP still and you can always upgrade to Vista later. It's your call. If you go with Vista, I'd definitely go with Vista Home Premium.
I would go with the Intel Core 2 Duo Processor. It is the best processor out there (there is a quad core, but it only comes on $6,000 desktops right now). I have a 2.0 GHz in my laptop and a 2.4 GHz in my desktop but anything 1.60 GHz or faster would work - you do have two processors after all :).
I would probably go with the 1 GB of RAM @ 667 Mhz (it is an upgrade). That is what I have in my laptop and it works great. However, if you have the money, you can always upgrade to 2 GB. It's always better, but you probably won't notice a difference between the two.
I think a 120 GB hard drive also sounds great for you. It isn't super huge, but should store plenty. I'm only using half of my 80 GB right now.
You'll definitely want to get a DVD burner. Even if you don't intend to burn movies, a DVD holds over 5 times as much as a CD so it is very important to back up your computer onto one. You can do it on one DVD but it may take 6 CDs to do the same thing.
I personally think it is worth it to get the super fancy screen. It helps your eyes out, things look beautiful, and you can see a lot more.
I wouldn't get any software on the computer except Microsoft Office if you need it. The rest is just trial software that is annoying and expires in 30 days. If possible, choose to get no preinstalled software.
I'd go with a 256 MB video card and try not to get one that has Hypermemory in the name. That means that the video card memory is shared among other things on the computer and not nearly as powerful. A nice video card will greatly enhance your Vista experience (if you choose one) as well as just make things look better and run smoother.
The sound card is totally your choice. In my laptop I just have a crappy one and I put a super fancy one in my desktop. I guess it depends on how much loud music listening your intend to do :).
I think I covered all the basics on what you'll want in a laptop. If you decide to go with the Dell, let me know and I can probably get you $300 off, in addition to the already great prices they have and the 10-12% you'll get off for the PC Care Bundle.
I'm always around if you have any other questions :).
