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.
Question QUESTION: Hi, I'm in the market for a new laptop. I'm a grad student so I use mainly wordprocessing, Internet, and powerpoint. I have always had dells in the past, but have found their support services to be lacking in the past few years. Also, I seem to have heard a lot of negative comments about Vista. I am wondering about going to a mac. What are the limitations when using a mac in a world built for windows? Also, would I be better off trying to find a machine with windows xp rather than vista if I stick with a windows machine? Do you feel Toshiba is any better made than the Dell laptops? Thank you for your help, Hillarie
ANSWER: If you learn how to work Dell tech support, it can benefit you greatly. The online chat helps a lot to break through the communication barrier. You have to keep in mind that they are legally obligated to keep your computer working to your satisfaction, so you can't just get frustrated and let them off the hook because you feel like it isn't going anywhere. I have fought with Dell a lot but I have also gained a lot from having their warranty. I think I profited from the last desktop I purchased from them. I also have numbers to high up US based Dell tech support that I can give you.
Most of the negative comments you have heard about Vista came from people using the 64-bit version, which is very buggy. And it isn't even so much that Vista is buggy. It is that they are using the 64-bit version in a world that still runs in 32-bit. I personally have the 32-bit version of Home Premium in my laptop and the 32-bit version of Ultimate on my desktop. I have had both since the day Vista was released at the end of January and I have been problem free. I use pre-Vista printers, monitors, keyboards, mice, etc without problems. The only "problem" I ever had was that I had to download a Vista driver for my XP based wireless USB adapter. Otherwise, I really like Vista and I have never thought about going back to XP. The rest of the problems that people complain about are features designed to protect the user. People who actually know how to mess with system files get frustrated because a lot of that is blocked so that people don't ruin their computers. If you don't plan to do extreme system modifications yourself, you will be quite fine. If you don't like some of the other safety features, I can help you turn them off.
My opinion on a Mac is that they are extremely overpriced without as good of a warranty without any benefits. If you are in school I would definitely recommend staying in the PC world so you can avoid all compatibility issues. the Mac OS/Windows OS Parallel still has some problems and my Mac friends get upset with it quite often. Unless you are in a program such as architecture, music creation, or graphic design that benefits from a Mac, I would advise staying away from them because you won't get any benefits from it, but you will run the risk of compatibility issues and you will pay a lot more for the computer.
Overall, Dell still is as good as it gets in terms of computers. HP makes good computers as well, but their warranty isn't as good (I think the at-home-service is vital while in school) and they tend to lack slightly behind in staying up to date with the technology. Sony has a nice warranty and does a good job of staying up to date and has the good warranty, but they are very overpriced and their customer service isn't as good because computers are not their main thing. I'd recommend avoiding the other brands.
If you want any help/advice on dealing with Dell tech support and getting your way with them, feel free to contact me :)
Also, let me know if you'd like help customizing a computer and what route you'd like to go as well as your budget!
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QUESTION: That's very kind of you. I use the computer for word processing & powerpoint, as well as internet research for papers and projects. I do a small amount of excel. I don't really bother much with games, but frequently have more than one program running at a time. I do have a PDA that I would like to be able to sync with outlook/calendar. I have to admit it would be nice to be able to have some music running while I am working, something this computer can't manage. I also have the possibility of wireless networking at home, but the signal isn't quite strong enough to be reliable. Is there any sort of booster for reception? I would consider a Dell again.
Budget- what's the least I can get a way with? I had looked at refurbished machines until I saw some of your previous answers. I think I'd like to stay under 2 thousand. On the other hand, I don't want to settle for less of a computer, if spending a few more dollars would make it a more usable system. Looking forward to your suggestions, Thank you, Hillarie
Answer The new N wireless is in the processor replacing G wireless. However, very very few people have N wireless routers yet, so you wouldn't be able to fully utilize the new N wireless cards without it. However, even with just a G wireless router, you can still pick up a stronger signal. I'll make sure to build you a computer that has it!!
I am also going to splurge and get you Vista Ultimate because some school's will not let you connect to their network with Home Premium. Mine does, but I have heard a lot of stories that they also accept the extra security with Vista Business. However, with Vista Business you lose all of the entertainment features of Home Premium. Vista Ultimate gives you both!
I can definitely get you a wonderful computer for under $2,000 :).
Details for computer with 4 year hardware warranty:
My Components
SYSTEM COLOR Jet Black edit
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate Edition edit
DISPLAY High Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch display (1440x900) edit
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GS edit
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz edit
HARD DRIVE Size: 120GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive) edit
WIRELESS NETWORK CARDS Dell Wireless 1505 Wireless-N Mini-card edit
INTEGRATED WEBCAM No Webcam Option edit
BATTERY OPTIONS 85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell) edit
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0 edit
My Software & Accessories
ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE No Subscription (30-day trial) edit
OFFICE SOFTWARE No Productivity software pre-installed edit
My Service
WARRANTY AND SERVICE Get $75 in Dell dollars with 4 yr LTD Warranty and At-Home Service edit
DATASAFE ONLINE BACKUP Free 3 GB Online Backup for 1Yr edit
DIAL-UP INTERNET ACCESS No ISP requested
Final Price: $1,454.00 + tax
--this also includes an instant $75 in Dell Dollars and a $200 Dell gift card to arrive later in the mail. Feel free to use this towards anything that Dell sells (a lot more than computers) or sell it on eBay or something :)
If you'd rather have a 3 year warranty, instead of the 4 year, that also includes 3 years of accidental damage coverage and 3 years of theft recovery, go this route.
My Components
SYSTEM COLOR Jet Black edit
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate Edition edit
DISPLAY High Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch display (1440x900) edit
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GS edit
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz edit
HARD DRIVE Size: 120GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive) edit
WIRELESS NETWORK CARDS Dell Wireless 1505 Wireless-N Mini-card edit
INTEGRATED WEBCAM No Webcam Option edit
BATTERY OPTIONS 85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell) edit
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0 edit
My Software & Accessories
ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE I chose Security with Value, Plus,or Premium Warranty Bundle edit
OFFICE SOFTWARE No Productivity software pre-installed edit
My Service
WARRANTY AND SERVICE DellCare Plus edit
DATASAFE ONLINE BACKUP DataSafe included with DellCare Service bundle edit
DIAL-UP INTERNET ACCESS No ISP requested
Final price: $1,507.53.
For some reason, the $200 gift card isn't showing with this option. It should and you should talk to them about it if it doesn't show for you and you'd like to go this route.
If you have any questions about ANYTHING I said or recommended or didn't recommend, please feel free to ask.
se code ZDWPS9CZT37LLB to save $300 off any $1,199.00+ Dell Inspiron notebook. (valid 12/6/2007 12:00:00 AM - 12/13/2007 11:59:59 PM)
