Laptop Advice

[ace6453]

Do not buy a Dell. They are poorly built, almost everyone I know that has a Dell laptop hates it (8 out of 11 people). Many have had to resend their laptop back into Dell for a new one with in a year of receiving it because it had so many problems. While dell makes perfectly fine desktops their laptops are pieces of crap! STEER CLEAR of DELL!!!!

Mac's are good, but only if you enjoy the whole apple experience. You will need different software than you have for your computer now. Most programs are now offered for a Mac version, but some still require windows.

Gateway and IBM make excellent products. If I were to purchase a laptop today, I would buy gateway, IBM, or compaq. Also, always buy the 3rd best processor offered and put as much RAM in as you can afford. If you buy the 3rd best processor, you are getting the most out of your money you can and with the speed of processors today it will be pleanty fast enough. Get lots of RAM, no less than 1 gig expandable.

 

[rtmcfi]

Just to muddy things up a bit, I am using a Panasonic toughbook. I had a dell, and broke 2 screens on it. I don't even bother with a case for the toughbook. I leave it in my rollaboard, even when checking it, instead of carrying it on. The wireless works great. You do give up some perf in favor of durability, and the sound system is lacking. You can find them in your price range used on ebay. If you don't mind being extra carefull, the others are a better choice, but if you don't want to worry about it breaking, and don't mind sacrificing a bit of perf, the toughbook is (pun intended) tough to beat.

 

[Hobbs]

100% Apple

I highly recommend Apple. We switched a couple years ago and never looked back. Even with the occasional incompatibility issue we are so much happier. There is even a good logbook program: Logten Pro.

Simple, no hassle. Plug in and work good last long time.