Laptops

[05Mazda3GT]

It seems I always come here when I have a question about electronics...

I'm purchasing a laptop within the next week or so and I'm not sure what to get.
I've been to Best Buy and i'm leaning towards an Asus ultrabook but I'm still hesitant.

I'm looking for a laptop/ultrabook with a fast processor.
Aside from the usual surfing the web, listening to music, watching movies, etc. I need something that is good for making music.

I'm flexable on price. That being said, what should I get? I'm open to both mac and pc.

[lcianf01]

My only input on laptops are Lenovo's are very realiable. I got mine first year university 5 years ago haven't even needed to reformat. I run symantec

[genericmoniker]

Realistically, anything with an i5 or i7 will do what you need to do. I'd look more into the features of the laptop you can't change that you like (keyboard, screen, multimedia keys, inputs for peripherals, outputs, etc.). The stuff that's easy/cheap to change should come as a secondary goal (RAM & HDD).

All in all, as long as you're happy with the way your laptop looks/performs I wouldn't be too worried about trying to find a "better" deal.

[Impressive]

MacBook Pro (I'm biased)

13" is enough...then again, that's what she said

[S.F.W.]

I would suggest you avoid buying retail from futureshop, bestbuy, staples etc. The items they carry are generally lower end, targeting price over quality.
I would suggest looking online at Lenovo(Thinkpad,formerly IBM Thinkpad) or Dell Lattitude(avoid Inspiron).
if you must buy retail due to time constraints look at Ncix, and Canada Computers.

[schmat66]

macmacmacmacmac

[Thrizzl3]

love my MBP...

[lcianf01]

I would suggest you avoid buying retail from futureshop, bestbuy, staples etc. The items they carry are generally lower end, targeting price over quality.
I would suggest looking online at Lenovo(Thinkpad,formerly IBM Thinkpad) or Dell Lattitude(avoid Inspiron).
if you must buy retail due to time constraints look at Ncix, and Canada Computers.

+1

[MarkWB]

I'm running a Sony Vaio from 2010 and I haven't had the slightest issue with it since I bought it. Resolution is great, doesn't lag when I play games/movies and run other programs, and definitely has a large/comfortable keyboard for my bear paws. Downsides are the fact that my model is a 17.5 inch screen, so it's large, and since it's large, it's also heavy as f**k. Not such a big deal for me, but everyones got their preferences. My friends sister has one older than mine that runs just as well, I recommend looking into these if you haven't already considered them (especially if your big into videos/movies/gaming).

[zzz3]

Thinkpad T/W/X, Fujitsu or Latitude. MBP if you're scared of 1s and 0s.

[zoomahh]

Dude if you want muscle, go here;
http://www.alienware.ca/

.......................................nuff said

[VQ Junkie]

some great deals right now at staples, they also have coupons regularly available on their website for anywhere from 10 - 15% off your purchase. retailiers will be doing some crazy things in the next two weeks to drive BTS footfall into stores so sit tight and wait for the flyers - and dont hesitate to ask for a price match on a similar spec, most will bend backward to get the sale whereas the smaller channel guys (ncix/canada computers) will not.

good call on Asus btw, excellent notebooks which are aesthetically pleasing AND they have the lowest failure rate in the industy - better than mac. If it's an Asus you're after, Staples is your best bet.

[SilentJay]

I would suggest you avoid buying retail from futureshop, bestbuy, staples etc. The items they carry are generally lower end, targeting price over quality. I would suggest looking online at Lenovo(Thinkpad,formerly IBM Thinkpad) or Dell Lattitude(avoid Inspiron). if you must buy retail due to time constraints look at Ncix, and Canada Computers.

+1, Well said.

[XTOTHEL]

Personally, I would go basic 13inch MBP, replace HDD with SSD, upgrade RAM to 16GB, purchase external redundant storage solution and extra monitor and you're good to go! Also there's the optical bay, you can replace that with a mechanical HDD adapter and have the old 500GB hard drive in there if you want to have more temporary storage while on the go.

[05Mazda3GT]

Thanks for the input guys. My main priorities are something that is lightweight and powerful. Screensize, brand, etc aren't that important.

Personally, I would go basic 13inch MBP, replace HDD with SSD, upgrade RAM to 16GB, purchase external redundant storage solution and extra monitor and you're good to go! Also there's the optical bay, you can replace that with a mechanical HDD adapter and have the old 500GB hard drive in there if you want to have more temporary storage while on the go.

I know I said i'm flexable on price but that sounds like a lot of money lol. Was looking at under $1500 with everything (upgrades, microsoft office or mac equivalent, tax, etc).
...I know your going to say mac is better then pc if I ask you. So is it worth the extra money?

I would suggest you avoid buying retail from futureshop, bestbuy, staples etc. The items they carry are generally lower end, targeting price over quality.
I would suggest looking online at Lenovo(Thinkpad,formerly IBM Thinkpad) or Dell Lattitude(avoid Inspiron).
if you must buy retail due to time constraints look at Ncix, and Canada Computers.

Thanks. I was looking on Dell's website last night and they have a lot of clearance stuff. I was customizing the Inspiron 14R and 15R, upgraded a bunch of stuff and the price wasn't bad. What do you think of those two?

Didn't see anything I liked from Lenovo.

[S.F.W.]

I am not a fan of the Inspiron line. It is basic consumer stuff and support is horrible. The business lines Dell Lattitude or Lenvo Thinkpads will be more expensive than what you see retail. However, the components and support will be much better.

[leungalv]

I've been using Lenovo's since 2004 ... dropped one down 20 flights of stairs, still works till this day (T42). I just recently got an X220. Great little laptop, not necessarily as durable it seems as I've already chipped it and the matte finish is coming off. But the laptop itself runs like a champ! It's a 12.2" screen, lightweight but no DVD. Mine is running an i5 and I do video editing on it from time to time. Adding additional memory to make it 8GB also made it happier.

Also, if you're looking for software, if you're a student, check out digital rivers Microsoft products for students. They're the official distributor for MS stuff.

[05Mazda3GT]

I am not a fan of the Inspiron line. It is basic consumer stuff and support is horrible. The business lines Dell Lattitude or Lenvo Thinkpads will be more expensive than what you see retail. However, the components and support will be much better.

Do they only make the Lattitude in the states? It's on the U.S website but not ours.
I'm looking into the Thinkpads now. Which one would you recommend for what i'm looking for?

[05Mazda3GT]

I've been using Lenovo's since 2004 ... dropped one down 20 flights of stairs, still works till this day (T42). I just recently got an X220. Great little laptop, not necessarily as durable it seems as I've already chipped it and the matte finish is coming off. But the laptop itself runs like a champ! It's a 12.2" screen, lightweight but no DVD. Mine is running an i5 and I do video editing on it from time to time. Adding additional memory to make it 8GB also made it happier.

Also, if you're looking for software, if you're a student, check out digital rivers Microsoft products for students. They're the official distributor for MS stuff.

Thanks, I'm looking into Lenovo a bit more now. How are their warranty's?

[zzz3]

I am not a fan of the Inspiron line. It is basic consumer stuff and support is horrible. The business lines Dell Lattitude or Lenvo Thinkpads will be more expensive than what you see retail. However, the components and support will be much better.

I've been using Lenovo's since 2004 ... dropped one down 20 flights of stairs, still works till this day (T42). I just recently got an X220. Great little laptop, not necessarily as durable it seems as I've already chipped it and the matte finish is coming off. But the laptop itself runs like a champ! It's a 12.2" screen, lightweight but no DVD. Mine is running an i5 and I do video editing on it from time to time. Adding additional memory to make it 8GB also made it happier.

Also, if you're looking for software, if you're a student, check out digital rivers Microsoft products for students. They're the official distributor for MS stuff.

that's the problem. if op is going to judge laptops based on appearance (inferring from his decision to consider inspiron to the contrary), then and latitudes/thinkpads are probably not for him (business grade laptops look very utilitarian, to say the least)...

the t400 in my house has been dropped numerous times, in a car accident etc. and still runs like a champ. best part was i got it for under $1300 new during one of lenovos sale in combination with cash back.

[leungalv]

Thanks, I'm looking into Lenovo a bit more now. How are their warranty's?

Speaking strictly of the Thinkpads, the warranty is 1 year. I haven't ever used it.

[asyed]

go to Canada Computers

http://www.canadacomputers.com

they have good prices ( better than the big box stores)

Also I would go for something made by the less known brands such as asus and MSI and Lenovo

Ive had too much problems with HP/Acer/Toshiba laptops...

[05Mazda3GT]

that's the problem. if op is going to judge laptops based on appearance (inferring from his decision to consider inspiron to the contrary), then and latitudes/thinkpads are probably not for him (business grade laptops look very utilitarian, to say the least)...

the t400 in my house has been dropped numerous times, in a car accident etc. and still runs like a champ. best part was i got it for under $1300 new during one of lenovos sale in combination with cash back.

Just finished building a T530 online and I liked what I put together. I'm going to do a bit more research on them and see where i'm at.

Speaking strictly of the Thinkpads, the warranty is 1 year. I haven't ever used it.

Thanks. Whatever I get i'm going to be getting a 3 year warranty.

go to Canada Computers

http://www.canadacomputers.com

they have good prices ( better than the big box stores)

Also I would go for something made by the less known brands such as asus and MSI and Lenovo

Ive had too much problems with HP/Acer/Toshiba laptops...

They have good computers but they are mostly customized towers...didn't see many laptops.

[XTOTHEL]

I know I said i'm flexable on price but that sounds like a lot of money lol. Was looking at under $1500 with everything (upgrades, microsoft office or mac equivalent, tax, etc).
...I know your going to say mac is better then pc if I ask you. So is it worth the extra money?

13-inch: 2.5 GHz
2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
4GB 1600MHz memory
500GB 5400-rpm hard drive1
Intel HD Graphics 4000
Built-in battery (7 hours)2
In Stock
Free Shipping
$1129 <- Education discount, find a friend or someone here in school to buy it for you maybe?

OCZ Vertex 4 256 ~$200

You'll obtain the biggest performance increase by doing the above combo. After tax, that should bring you to about $1500.

Office for mac is an extra $120, after tax about $140ish. <- though there might be other alternatives (google docs(free), iWork suite($20 per app, Pages, Numbers, Keynote), Open Office (free))

The RAM upgrade to 16GB might not be necessary right now, at this point in time, it is an $200 upgrade, but that price SHOULD drop later.

The 500GB harddrive you switch out of the MBP could be put into a $10 enclosure and be used as a portable.

As for data backup, you said you have a few towers, so maybe just remember to copy the important files to a few computers instead of keeping it all on the laptop.

MBPs are made out of aluminium, they have a nice solid feel to them, it has that "it'll last me ages" feel to it. Also it isn't just a rumor that Apple's got top notch support. Of course you could go with the 13inch Macbook Air, it will be lighter for sure, but it lacks the flexibility for adding on more storage and RAM later on. Also the optical bay MIGHT be useful for you if you do some music work.

My work computers are Dell Latitude E6410s, Windows 7 x64, first gen i5s and 8GB of ram with a Samsung SSD. They're pretty solid as well, but the silvery cover scratches and shows the black plastic underneath, they also have docks for them, so pretty useful in that way, otherwise no complaints.

Asus is a good company, but with ASUS any warranty work will require you to ship the laptop back to them, so there will be a period where you are out of a laptop. (There is also an incident where a friend's Asus laptop broke, he shipped it to them, got it repaired, got it back two weeks later and found out that they replaced the screen with a different resolution screen, so then he had to ship it back again, might be a isolated issue)

I wouldn't recommend HP, many of my friend's HP laptops from university broke first year.

I've had a Toshiba laptop for ages, it is dying(super slow), but still working fine. I would recommend one if you're going PC.

Acer -> You get what you pay for, no specific experience with those, but I feel like they're a budget brand.

[zoomahh]

go to Canada Computers

http://www.canadacomputers.com

they have good prices ( better than the big box stores)

Ive had too much problems with HP/Acer/Toshiba laptops...

+++111 what he said. Pm gabbygenier. He works there (in Ottawa) but he's the man that could give you lots of Product specific stuff. Give im a try
Also I would go for something made by the less known brands such as asus and MSI and Lenovo