Hey guys, I figured I'd ask around and see if you had any suggestions about what kind of laptop I need to get. I am currently enrolled in a John Deere Agricultural Technician Training Program and will be taking some online classes next semester and need to get a laptop before January 7th. I have looked around at some on the internet but dont know what to look for, all the numbers and gb,kb,etc....... I need one that will last and is tough, since I will be all over the place I need one I can throw in my truck and then pull out in the shop or wherever. I have seen heavy duty padded cases and figure one of those would be a good investment for what I do, but I still want a tough one if there is such a thing. Also I would like to be able to put lots of music on it and watch dvds on it if possible, I like the widescreens for that reason but thats not to important. Any ideas on what kinds are out there and what I should get, the cheaper the better but its on student loan money so if I have to spend a little more for a real good one I will. Also I need one that I can get wireless internet on so I can get on DTR even when I'm not at home. Thanks guys, any input you have is greatly appreciated.

 

A man with his priorities in order. I like that. In August I bought an HP. Basic system, which had CD&DVD burner and built in wifi, which most now have I believe. I'm not a fan of Vista and wish I went with a Dell, who still offers XP. I've even upgraded my ram to 2 gig and it still won't load anything or download emails after 1.5 hours or so of use. I have to reboot.

I've seen 14" screens, 15.4" which I have and 17". The 15.4 is fine and going larger makes it heavier and might increase the chance of damage if you're lugging it around.

It will take alot of music to fill up the 100 gig this unit has. Now the base units probably have even more.

Mine had the base (6 cell battery) which will play a DVD for an hour before needing a recharge. It recharges fast, but if you think you'll be using it often at places you can't plug in for a few hours, I'd go with a bigger batter. I elevate the back of the unit to keep it a bit cooler, i.e. lets the air circulate. There are fan packs you can buy to keep it cooler, too, but if they run using a USB, that will affect your battery power as well. I'm not sure how they run as I don't have one.
I got a bundle deal @ Circuit City. (printer/scanner/copier, router & internet security software) $550 after all the rebates. I had to send in 9 envelopes, but they print out all the receipts for you. Just fill out a few lines, sign them and some I had to enclose upc codes. Easy to do, but NINE envelopes!

Alot of sales this time of the year and if it's a poor Christmas shopping season, there will be even better deals after Christmas. I'm waiting till then to get a new digital camera as with the price of home heating oil and fuel, I don't think this will be a banner Christmas shopping season for the retail stores, imo.

Good luck with your decision. Hope this info will help ya and good luck with school!

 

First, does the school give you any minimum requirments for the laptop? My wife is in an online school, and she speced out a Dell 520 with what she needed. It is running XP pro. Has WiFi built in that works very well. Most come with dual core processors now. Makes it run faster, and smother on DVD's and things.
Large hard drives are at least 80 gigabites. Memory minimum 1 gig. If you run Vista, minimum 4 gig.
Make sure that it will run the software that the school requires! Some laptops come pre loaded with the latest and greatest software, but it is too new, and the school is running and older version, and they are not compatable. You cant open what they send you, and they cant open your's.
There are ruggidized units out there. IBM (Lavino)has them, not sure what Dell, HP have or Toshiba have now.
Educate yourself in the web sites. It takes time and can be confusing. MOst of them also have "outlet" stores, with refurbished, or new computers that the order was cancled on. It will be worth the effort so you get what you need. No one can say what is "best" for you.
Let us know what you get.

 

I bought one for my daughter for college. If you go on the Dell web site you can build you own with a click of the mouse, I bought the Dell Inspiron with Windows Vista. My daughter loves it and she hasn't had any problems with it so far.

 

Dell will burn down your house, truck and everything else...Toshiba is the only way to go

 

what?

 

Thanks alot guys, you've given me some things to think about. The school hasnt really set up any particulars for me on what I need, they just said I need one so I can get on the internet for the online class I am taking next semester and for research and stuff. I have been looking for some kind of super tough laptop because I am afraid I will break anything else in notime at all. I remember seeing one somewhere earlier this year that a contracter who worked on my school renovation had that looked real tough, it had like rubber pads on the sides and a shiny silver case dont know what it was though? I asked the guy at Best Buy about it and he gave me a dumbfounded look and tried to sell me a little slim one that he said was very tough but I dont see how it could be, the thing was only like a 3/4 inch thick. Anybody ever seen the one like I'm talking about or know what it is? Thanks

 

The labtop you are refering to is the Panasonic Toughbook. Alot of contractors use them similar to what we use in the Army. Little bit pricier than ones that you catch on sale, but if you get one like that you are mainly paying for the protection features thicker case and rubber pads around laptop, etc. No matter what you find and buy there will be something better in 6 months so try to get the best deal for your money when you look.

 

I've always bought a laptop with a MS operating system. However, I know two people who were forced to switch to MAC's. They love them and won't go back.

 

I've had two sony VAIO's and now I have a dell XPS. I would go with a dell I just like it better but the Sony X-Brite screen is hard to beat if you will be trying to use it in the sun or a brightly light shop. The only real complaint I had with the sonys is the sound was really weak the dell is way louder if you will try to watch videos or listen to music using it.

 

Go with a Dell. You can "custom" build it and they have excellent warranty service and phone support. The accidental damage coverage is well worth the extra cost. I wish I had gone with Dell a lot sooner. They also offer Linux on some of their computers now, so you can get rid of worthless Microsoft.

 

Don't believe me..Do a Google on:

Burn Dell Laptop

 

If you want a really tuff laptop, if they still make the GRID. Cost about 8K bucks but was used in the tanks in "Desert Storm."

 

I buy all of our technician laptops here at work - we have about 400 deployed in the field so far, and we use General Dynamics/Itronix. They are strictly a work machine - not geared to video/music/etc. However, when they came in to demo, the rep threw one about 30 ft. across the room against the wall, submerged it running under water for 2 or 3 minutes and then we drove over it with a truck in the parking lot. They are pretty cool.

That said, the Panasonic Toughbook is what we were replacing. They are good machines as well, and a little more user friendly. However they are in the 5 to 7 grand market. I would recommend going with Lenovo or Dell. All of Dell's fire issues have been addressed, and Lenovo is the old tride&true IBM. We also use these laptops as desktop solutions here. 4000+ machines so far.

Something else to think about is a MacBook. They are user friendly and the leader in Music, Video & multimedia management/manipulation, just not a good business class solution corp wide.


EDIT - for a dumb ole country boy from TX who drives a 1st gen I actually sound like I know what I am talking about. What a concept!!!