I'm on the verge of going to work for Chesapeake Energy and one of the tools I need to buy is a new laptop pc. I'm not into the latest techtalk and need some advise.

I'd like to stay in the $600 to $800 range. In looking at the Best Buy flyer in Sundays paper, several including Toshiba, Gateway, acer and Sony are in that range most have 120gb hard drives, and lots of other stuff about which I don't have a clue.

The main use I see for the new addition are GPS related, maps, and waypoints as they relate to new pipelines. And of course email, and word.

(Which brings up another thought and that's a gps unit.)

I'll be working out of my truck most of the time if that should be a factor. I can see the need for Wifi and a inverter.

Thanks, RR

 

For what you need, any basic model should do. I would recommend checking out the Dell outlet or the Dell small business section. You can still get a notebook with Windows XP on. You may have compatibility issues with Vista. I would get one with at least 512MB RAM (almost all of them do), 1GB if you can afford it. Good luck and let me know if you have any specific questions. I got my dad one from dell outlet (still has warranty and return policy (for $489+shipping and it works well. So you should be able to stay under $700 with what you need.

Nick

 

I would recommend staying away from DELL , and stay away from VISTA

get one any other brand with a 'dual processor'
they are twice as fast and half the temp...NICE
a couple of these for back up http://www.techdeals.net/2007/04/01/...mp-drive-4998/

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site//olspage...&type=category


Dell Like GOOGLE ....spy ,track, whatever and wherever you go ...every click of your keyboard... they say it is to better serve the public...yea right
thats why I say anything but...

 

I've had a Dell for many years with no problems. You can go to there website and click on the specials and pick up a good computer for a great deal. Also i think you can get gps card for your laptop.

 

I've had a Dell for many years with no problems. You can go to there website and click on the specials and pick up a good computer for a great deal. Also i think you can get gps card for your laptop.

 

I like my Dell OK, but I wish I would have gone with a Toshiba or HP. If there is any way you can afford it go with 1GB of RAM, Intel Core2 Duo processor, 7200 RPM hard drive, and a really good monitor.

 

My dell has been beat on, dropped, abused and is still working as I type this. Going on five years now and couldn't be happier. If you can afford to spend the few hundred bucks get the 3 year warranty. That applies to any of them. Most of them are all capable, but look into the warranties to see how long it will be till you have to start paying to fix it. Ive had to send in my Dell once for a monitor cable being bad. It was under warranty, they sent a delivery guy with a box ready to go and had it back in two days. They also have the at home service as well which is even more convienient. Get whatever your happy with.

Good luck with your search. Thats my .02

Oh avoid Vista like the plague too.

 

I personally use and highly recomend HP.

 

I used dell for years at work, the desk tops were great the laptops were a real pain, I had 3 at one time trying to get 1 to work, my home laptop now is an Acer, 120 gig harddrive 1 gig ram wireless, its in the $700 dollar range, and so far have had no trouble in over a years use, it travels with me where ever, the main thing also is to get a good case so they dont get banged up, good luck.

 

Advice, stay away from Gateway and Acer. Wife just got a new Dell E520, 80GB, 5800 rpm HD, 2 GB ram duel core. Purchased thru the small biz section of Dell, the outlet did not have any that met the specs. She uses it for school, it is spect out to what the school required. The HD is more than enough for what she needs. The 7200 speed HD is faster if you are a gammer or do a lot of graphics. Cost was also a factor. It is running win XP
GPS microsoft streets and trips available at office supply stores has GPS, but is only for streets.
When I was working for my gps program I used ALK technology's CO-Pilot Laptop-10. it is easy to put in lat-long locations. I had to go to remote pipline pumping stations, no street address, just lat/long. What worked best for that was the company issued E-trec. It would point the direction of the location, and with the AWD truck I would be able to go down the pipeling/powerline right of ways, or across fields.
Check on line at the GPS store, a lot of information, and good prices. Look in sporting goods stores for small GPS units. Not too expensive.
Have fun with the new tools.

 

I have a com-crap. (compaq). It has quit on me twice in a year, thats with weekly defrags and virus sweeps. Everybody i know with a dell has no problems and if they do, their service is quick. My computer was danced around India for 2 months before I got it back.

 

This is a very important purchase, being for your job!
You shouldn't cut corners here.

IBM (Lenovo) R50 or better the T60

This is for your business and that is a business class machine.
If you were buying a server then it would be HP/Compaq all the way, that's what they do right.

 

I'll vouch for the IBM(Lenovo) as well.

I was a 'road warrior' for more years than I care to admit, and my IBM Thinkpad(s) (now Lenovo) never let me down.

 

You can have one built from generic off the shelf (replaceable parts), that way a year from now when a fan goes out you'll be able to fix it and not have to replace it. Computer Nerds will build you one to your specs for 7-8 hundred. HP, Toshiba, Dell, compaq, etc are all built with proprietary parts, that you won't be able to get in a year or so. Make sure you get windows XP, vista is too new! and make sure you specify MS office so you'll have the real excel and outlook.

(JMHO)

Good Luck