r45 4 Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 THis is a few years ago now, but the best notebook I ever has was an IBM ThinkPad. THey are expensive but it was a really nice machine. Anyone have one now? Link to post Share on other sites
TheOrange 0 Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 I have a notebook not to lug round with me but just because I prefer them to big chunky desktops. I do move it about a bit, but I don't have it primarily for its moveability. Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 I'm the same the orange, for how I use it my notebook could almost be replaced by a desktop - I hardly ever move the thing. I just prefer them. Link to post Share on other sites
xxx 2 Posted April 3, 2004 Share Posted April 3, 2004 Gateway closing down all their shops in the US as well apparently, must be mad cow over there too. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted April 13, 2004 Author Share Posted April 13, 2004 Intel Centrino Sounds cool. But what exactly is it? I have looked over the web an' all, getting more confused in the process. Anyone here have a new notebook with this, or know SIMPLY what it all is and how I will benefit? Link to post Share on other sites
nagoid 4 Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 I'm thinking of getting a new Dell. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 I think the Centrino is supposed to be a step back from the "faster must be better" philosophy. In recent years especially, the competition between AMD and Intel has had them going hell for leather to ramp up processor speed, XX MHz or (for non-Mac people ) XX GHz. They do this by packing in more transistors and forcing the circuits on the chip to work harder. The downside to this is that the chip needs more power and becomes very hot. Higher power consumption means shorter battery life, while higher heat production means all manner of bodgey low-tech cooling solutions (noisy fans, heat shields for other components, etc) that increase case size and weight. With the Centrino (and another chip called the Crusoe made by Transmeta), I think the focus is more on power consumption and reduced heat dissipation than processing power. Since laptops are never going to be as fast as a desktop, it makes sense to focus on aspects that are beneficial for mobile computing. Centrino chips also have some kind of WiFi connectivity onchip, though I don't know much about WiFi standards or whether this is a better arrangement than separate circuitry. I'm in the market for a laptop myself, but the most important things for me are 1. the weight and 2. the keyboard. I don't want anything over 2kg, and I want a nice keyboard with a properly sized control key bottom right, not a function key, so I can use keyboard shortcuts. I'll have to go and poke about on one in the shop, but the Fujitsu MG ones are my main contender at the mo. It's got a 13.1" screen, but weighs only 1.63kg with the DVD drive attached. If you buy online from Fujitsu, they give you a three year guarantee. If you don't intend on moving your laptop around much and always run it off the adapter, one of the larger brick-like ones with a faster chip would probably be better. Link to post Share on other sites
LiquidX 0 Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 I had a Fujitsu a couple of years back and had real problems with it - I have a really bad impression of their stuff now. Apart from the fact that the software they put on it kept on screwing things up, the battery was awful and I thought the machine wasn't built well either. It seemed flimsy. It may have just been the one I had of course, but I didn't like it at all. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 I recently bought an IBM ThinkPad. Link to post Share on other sites
LiquidX 0 Posted April 14, 2004 Share Posted April 14, 2004 Which one, sir? Link to post Share on other sites
emulator II 0 Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 I've always gone with Dell and always been happy with them, especially the notebooks. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted April 15, 2004 Share Posted April 15, 2004 Quote: Originally posted by LiquidX: Which one, sir? ThinkPad R40, the basic model with 17" screen. Most TP's were about 200-250k, minus most features mine was 170k. Link to post Share on other sites
lin 0 Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 My friend had a Fujitsu and didn't like that. Sorry, don't have any details just know he didnt like it. Link to post Share on other sites
ChocoPie 0 Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 Short while ago got a new Pentium M Dell Inspiron - 1024MB memory, 40GB HDD, 128MB graphics card.... I'm so far very impressed with it, beast of a machine. And the screen is absolutely amazing. Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 That must have cost a fair bit. All this talk has me thinking longingly about a new powerbeast.... Link to post Share on other sites
amandanism 0 Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 my dell inspiron started causing problems 8 months after i bought it. i dont think id get another one. the battery is rubbish aswell. Link to post Share on other sites
kintaro 0 Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 which Inspiron model? Link to post Share on other sites
curry 0 Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 Dell - had it for 2 years, not 1 problem and will more than likely get my next one from them. Surely you're going to be getting stories and problems with any make of machine from time to time. Dell do have a generally very good reputation. Link to post Share on other sites
ChocoPie 0 Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 Mine is a meaty version of the 8600: http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/inspn_8600?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs Link to post Share on other sites
amandanism 0 Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 its the dell inspiron 2600 celeron processor. dont really know the specifics, its just over a year or so old. its true though, every type of computer is going to have problems. and yes, dell does have a fairly good reputation. Link to post Share on other sites
Roger's head 0 Posted April 20, 2004 Share Posted April 20, 2004 Nice machine chocopie Word of advice - dont order with Dell online. Give them a call and haggle to get a bit more off even than they "web only" deals. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted April 23, 2004 Author Share Posted April 23, 2004 Been spending hours and hours 'researching'. I reckon I might go with Dell this time. Fingers crossed I'll be happy with it. Link to post Share on other sites
fantastic 0 Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 I used to always get Gateways from the US and then from here before they departed from Japan, then moved on to Dell. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 i bought my dell 3 years ago in england, the keyboard started going a bit dodgy the other week (shift key wasnt working), so i called up support here in japan and someone came to my house the next day with a new keyboard (not a japanese one might i add, but the correct one for my english laptop) and fixed it for me. that was the first problem id ever had with it and i was very happy with the support they gave. long live dell. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted April 26, 2004 Author Share Posted April 26, 2004 bobby12 - is that the basic support pack that you get when you buy from them or is that an extra that you paid for when you bought? Link to post Share on other sites
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