[yaeri]

right now i'm choosing between a fujitsu lifebook s6240 and a sony vaio fj290. they're actually pretty different laptops. i was going to buy the vaio but i went to a notebook shop where the guy recommended the lifebook. i'm using it for school and i dont need a whole lot of battery life 2-3 hours is good enough for me. if you have any other suggestions in the price range of $1000-1500 please tell me. thank you.

[Godotology]

right now i'm choosing between a fujitsu lifebook s6240 and a sony vaio fj290. they're actually pretty different laptops. i was going to buy the vaio but i went to a notebook shop where the guy recommended the lifebook. i'm using it for school and i dont need a whole lot of battery life 2-3 hours is good enough for me. if you have any other suggestions in the price range of $1000-1500 please tell me. thank you.

the Fujitsu will be superior in terms of build and features..and especially battery life.. but both are already EOL and are either being replaced or has been replaced by more recent models.

Asus Z62J, Asus Z35f, IBM x60 are some choices you may want to consider that are more recent. I haven't followed Fujitsu for a while but I believe they have a new S series thats Core Duo.

[luvelyasian]

hi again i'm sorry to keep bothering you with this..

but i think i'm settling with the Dell 1505 even though its heavier.. i found the better deals on this model over the 1405..

but would you recommend the standard 6 cell or the 9 cell battery?
how many hours is a 6 cell anyway? the 9 is about a 5 hour i've read..

my concern is that the 9 cell would be really very heavy since the laptop itself is already almost 7 pounds

btw the reason i ask is the deals i've found are about a 50 dollar difference in getting a 9 cell battery

may i ask which laptop you use and how much is weights and whether the weight bothers you, ect)

thanks so much

[Godotology]

hi again i'm sorry to keep bothering you with this..

but i think i'm settling with the Dell 1505 even though its heavier.. i found the better deals on this model over the 1405..

but would you recommend the standard 6 cell or the 9 cell battery?
how many hours is a 6 cell anyway? the 9 is about a 5 hour i've read..

my concern is that the 9 cell would be really very heavy since the laptop itself is already almost 7 pounds

btw the reason i ask is the deals i've found are about a 50 dollar difference in getting a 9 cell battery

may i ask which laptop you use and how much is weights and whether the weight bothers you, ect)

thanks so much

its up to you. only you know how much battery life you need and how mobile you need to be. If you're constantly moving it around.. 15.4" will be noticeable. however if you're leaving it on your desk, then its better.

I don't have a laptop now.. the 3 laptops Im considering.. 1 is a 13.3" thats 4.3 lbs and 2 are 14" that are 5.3 lbs. My last laptop I owned was a 15" that was near 7lbs and before that, a 14" that was 4.9 lbs. for me carrying it in a backpack, rather than those strap around laptop bags, made it alot "lighter".

[palindrome6]

hey range,
i wanted your opinion on the hp dv2000t. i am currently picking between that one and a asus w7j, and like them both the same. i dont really need a graphics card, especially if it takes away from battery life, but i dont really mind it, as i'm mostly going to be using the laptop plugged in anyway. hlep please!

[Godotology]

hey range,
i wanted your opinion on the hp dv2000t. i am currently picking between that one and a asus w7j, and like them both the same. i dont really need a graphics card, especially if it takes away from battery life, but i dont really mind it, as i'm mostly going to be using the laptop plugged in anyway. hlep please!

figure out if you really need a video card or not, and what screen size you want. you got one thats 14" and the other thats 13.3".

the video card is important because it takes up more battery life, produces more heat, and will make the laptop cost more. If you don't need it..go for the Asus Z35f instead.. its cheaper, has no dedicated graphics, and should run cooler and have more battery life.. OR if you want a 14" from Asus, consider the A8jm, it is the same price as the W7j and has a far better video card.

between the two you listed.. the W7J is much better built but has warm palm rests and a bad battery life.. no more htan 3 hours doing very little.

[siren]

figure out if you really need a video card or not, and what screen size you want. you got one thats 14" and the other thats 13.3".

the video card is important because it takes up more battery life, produces more heat, and will make the laptop cost more. If you don't need it..go for the Asus Z35f instead.. its cheaper, has no dedicated graphics, and should run cooler and have more battery life.. OR if you want a 14" from Asus, consider the A8jm, it is the same price as the W7j and has a far better video card.

between the two you listed.. the W7J is much better built but has warm palm rests and a bad battery life.. no more htan 3 hours doing very little.

Range,
What's your personal thoughts about HP laptops? I'm also interested in HP dv2000t, but I've heard a lot of complaints about HP laptop breaking and not realiable, is that true?

[luvelyasian]

Is 60 GB really too small for a laptop? i'm going to be downloading stuff but i just wonder if 60 GB initially makes for a slow performance or whatnot?

[Godotology]

Range,
What's your personal thoughts about HP laptops? I'm also interested in HP dv2000t, but I've heard a lot of complaints about HP laptop breaking and not realiable, is that true?

depends on which HP laptop, they've changed ODMs within the last 5 years so the quality can vary. the DV2000t is a decent budget model. The one with the Nvidia 6150 is a good option for those who don't need a high performance video card, but don't want to settle for integrated intel graphics. It doesn't seem to have anything outstanding or bad about it from what I hear.. may want to ask in tne HP section of a notebook forum.

Is 60 GB really too small for a laptop? i'm going to be downloading stuff but i just wonder if 60 GB initially makes for a slow performance or whatnot?

depends on what you download. HD size doesn't affect performance, RPM speed does.
if you're like me, no amount of HD is big enough.. in the end I'd get external "Desktop" HDs as they are bigger and cheaper.

[chicanerist]

(If you don't want to read, skip to the last paragraph and answer that. Thanks.)

Hi, like a few others here, I'm also looking for a laptop for college. I heard that the Merom Core 2 Duos will be coming out in late August for Notebooks, but I'm afraid that if I order one I won't be able to receive it before mid-Sept. Merom will also be supporting 64 bit which is a requirement to run the complete Windows Vista when it comes out next year. Although it will only be a new OS, I'm not too sure if I'll have much use of it, and I can always opt for the 32 bit version. (This is all assuming that I buy an Intel Core Duo instead of an AMD) Uhh...some of the things I'm looking for and how much I'm willing to spend:

My college is an authorized service provider for Apple, Sony, Dell, and IBM, so it'd be a plus to have a notebook from one of these companies.

Budget: $1500 USD max. (before tax/shipping)

Notebook Size: 12.1" Ultraportable or 13.3"-14.1" Thin and Light

Portability: I'll be carrying this around school and prefer it to be sturdy and less than 5.5 lbs.

Tasks: basic college work (word processing, excel, ppt, etc...), internet, messaging, and occasional gaming (most intensive game would probably be WC3 haha). Obviously a lot of multitasking...

Battery life: at least 3 hours with standard settings and no gaming.

Screen: I don't really have a preference between widescreen and standard. I think standard makes the notebook appear..more normal? haha. I also don't have a preference between glossy or matte...

HDD space: uhh...60-80 GB is fine.

Optical drive: I'd like to have a CD-RW/DVD drive although a DVD burner would be a plus. I also prefer to have it internal.

Oh, I'm also not really into Dell's Latitude or Inspiron line. Although they're extremely cheap, I'm a bit suspicious about their build quality. They're also very common and I kinda want something outside the norm.
I've been eyeing a couple of laptops lately that fit most if not all of my requirements:
Dell XPS M1210
Lenovo 3000 V100
Lenovo Thinkpad X60
Lenovo Thinkpad T60
Sony Vaio SZ

Any other notebook suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Out of the five, I'm leaning towards the T60 because it has an excellent build (don't trust dell...), decent battery life, ultrabay optical drive (X60 is external, right..?), and an outstanding keyboard (unlike the SZ). Lenovo currently has a back to school sale (ending soon! 7/31/06 is the last day =\) where I can get the T60 for $1400 with an extra 512 mb of memory, free shipping, and a three year warranty.

Here are the specs:
Lenovo Thinkpad T60 2623D6U
Processor: Intel Core Duo processor T2400 (1.83GHz, 2MB L2, 667MHz FSB)
Operating system: Genuine Windows XP Professional
Display type: 14.1 inch SXGA+ (1400x1050) TFT
Memory: 512MB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM (Additional 512MB will be added with their special offer. Might manually take out the second 512 and add 1GB if necessary)
Graphics: 64MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1300
Hard drive: 80GB, 5400rpm Serial ATA
Optical device: 4X Max DVD Recordable ATAPI Ultrabay Slim drive
Integrated data/fax modem: 56K V.92 Designed Modem
Integrated Ethernet: Integrated Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG and Bluetooth
Battery: 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
USB ports: 3 USB 2.0
Security: Client Security Solution and Integrated fingerprint reader

Oh, I'm not too familiar with graphics cards. Does that X1300 have 256MB hypermemory? And does that mean since the card itself has 64MB, it'd have to take up the rest from the notebook's memory? Also, if I decide to run Half Life 2, how well will it perform? What settings should I have it on? Keep in mind I'm not looking for a gaming notebook nor do I think I'll have time for HL2 haah; I'm just curious.

What I'm wondering if I should take up this deal (Lenovo Thinkpad T60), consider another ultraportable/thin and light notebook, or wait until the Core 2 Duos come out... As you can tell, I really don't have much time left since the 31st is approaching soon haha... so a quick reply with anything would be appreciated. Thanks for the help and sorry for the long post.

[superivystar]

i just got my dell e1405 laptop..i was slightly disappointed on the HD though. i opted for a 100gb HD but the actual capacity was just 88gb something..came with a lot of programs though haha.

i found the screen a bit too small..but i'm pretty satisfied.

[Godotology]

I've been eyeing a couple of laptops lately that fit most if not all of my requirements:
Dell XPS M1210
Lenovo 3000 V100
Lenovo Thinkpad X60
Lenovo Thinkpad T60
Sony Vaio SZ

you've a pretty decent budget, so I'd take off the Lenovo 3000, since it's Lenovo's budget line.
first off I think you need to see which screen size you're comfortable with. 12" widescreen vs 14" standard ratio is a big difference. However the T60's sxga screen will give you, by far, the most screen real estate out of all of them.. and it makes a big difference for some people.. (especially programmers as you see more lines of codes).

I owned an Ibm T42, so I can tell you that there will be no notebook with a better keyboard.. none! the Sony SZ is at the opposite end of the spectrum.. it's keyboard is utter crap.. I don't know why they gave it sucha keyboard. If you have the chance to use both..you will see what i mean.. nothing holds up to an IBM keyboard. however Sony has nicer brighter screens, and outside of the keyboard..the SZ has a pretty nice palm rest and build (yes its screen is very very thin.. although it doesnt ripple when u bend it).

I'm leaning towards the T60. as for the x1300.. i think its 64mb dedicated and maybe another 64 from hypermemory..but definitely not up to 256mb. as far as gaming goes.. its ATi's lowest card for this generation.. but I remember some one running Half Life 2 on an x600 with 64mb dedicated pretty nicely.. so if an x600 can do it.. an x1300 can definitely do it.

as for Core Duo 2. It won't be out in time before school starts.. let alone seeing major brand notebooks having Merom processors coming out by then. The only ones i've seen offering those are whitebook resellers.. who are offering a Merom upgrade to their laptops, which will not void the warranty. However you should take into account how long you will intend to keep this notebook. if its a year or so.. you can just settle for this, and by the time u get a new notebook.. Vista will mature and stabilize, Directx 10 and its associated video cards will be out..and you have a more functional and developed laptop by then.

i just got my dell e1405 laptop..i was slightly disappointed on the HD though. i opted for a 100gb HD but the actual capacity was just 88gb something..came with a lot of programs though haha.

i found the screen a bit too small..but i'm pretty satisfied.

all notebooks are like that, that's because they have a hidden partition where emergency files are stored.

[chicanerist]

Thanks Range, I think I'm going to order the T60 then. I was able to test out the T43 and the X60 side by side and did prefer the larger screen; it seemed more comfortable to work on. I also tried on the Sony SZ and I did notice a couple discrepancies with the keyboard such as the faulty space bar =\. Alright, I'm going for the T60. Thanks again Range.

[Godotology]

Thanks Range, I think I'm going to order the T60 then. I was able to test out the T43 and the X60 side by side and did prefer the larger screen; it seemed more comfortable to work on. I also tried on the Sony SZ and I did notice a couple discrepancies with the keyboard such as the faulty space bar =\. Alright, I'm going for the T60. Thanks again Range.

before you order, you might want to check this out
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=67641
i believe its the same exact config you were considering.

[seductive secret]

I've been shopping around, and I think I may be down to 2 choices:

The Acer 5500 and the Dell Inspiron 640m.

The Acer Specs (747.00):
Intel Pentium M 735A Processor (2MB L2 cache, 1.70GHz, 400MHz FSB)
14.1" WXGA Acer Crystal Brite display
512MB RAM
60GB Hard Drive
DVD Dual Optical Drive
Built in wireless 802.11b/g
56k modem
10/100 Ethernet NIC
Microsoft Windows XP Home, English
9.4 X 13.2 X 1.2-1.3
5.2 lbs

Inspiron specs (899.00):
Intel® Core™ processor Duo T2500 (2MB Cache/2.0GHz/667MHz FSB),
14.1 inch WXGA+ UltraSharp™ TFT Display with TrueLife™
512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHZ, 1 DIMM
80GB Sata Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
13 X 1.5 X 9.6
5.3 lbs

I'm unsure which to buy.. I know the Inspiron has a better processor than the Acer but I wonder if my needs require such a computer. Then again, I do plan on using it for 4 years.. The price difference is only 150, but a penny saved is a penny earned right? ..I think. The Acer IS slightly smaller.. Do you think the Dell would weigh a lot more than 5.3 lbs? (5.3 is the weight Dell claims the 640m starts from. Does an increase in GHz increase weight?) I was hoping you could help me out. Maybe you know things about Dell or Acer I should know about... Anything would be helpful!

Basically, I'm looking for something under a grand, that is 14' and around 5 lbs. I plan to just use MS word and surf the net. Nothing fancy. Watch the occasional movie..

[Godotology]

I've been shopping around, and I think I may be down to 2 choices:

The Acer 5500 and the Dell Inspiron 640m.

The Acer Specs (747.00):
Intel Pentium M 735A Processor (2MB L2 cache, 1.70GHz, 400MHz FSB)
14.1" WXGA Acer Crystal Brite display
512MB RAM
60GB Hard Drive
DVD Dual Optical Drive
Built in wireless 802.11b/g
56k modem
10/100 Ethernet NIC
Microsoft Windows XP Home, English
9.4 X 13.2 X 1.2-1.3
5.2 lbs

Inspiron specs (899.00):
Intel® Core™ processor Duo T2500 (2MB Cache/2.0GHz/667MHz FSB),
14.1 inch WXGA+ UltraSharp™ TFT Display with TrueLife™
512MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHZ, 1 DIMM
80GB Sata Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
13 X 1.5 X 9.6
5.3 lbs

I'm unsure which to buy.. I know the Inspiron has a better processor than the Acer but I wonder if my needs require such a computer. Then again, I do plan on using it for 4 years.. The price difference is only 150, but a penny saved is a penny earned right? ..I think. The Acer IS slightly smaller.. Do you think the Dell would weigh a lot more than 5.3 lbs? (5.3 is the weight Dell claims the 640m starts from. Does an increase in GHz increase weight?) I was hoping you could help me out. Maybe you know things about Dell or Acer I should know about... Anything would be helpful!

Basically, I'm looking for something under a grand, that is 14' and around 5 lbs. I plan to just use MS word and surf the net. Nothing fancy. Watch the occasional movie..

the Dell is more modern, and I seriously doubt you will keep it for 4 years.. 2 years tops. People tend to over esitmate how long they'll use their laptops. I dunno how much your inspiron is costing you exactly..but in no way should it be more expensive than the Acer. Go use a coupon code when it comes out.

[luvelyasian]

Hey Range, thanks for all of your answers

just purchased a Toshiba Satellite A105-S4070 and a Dell e1505

both are 15.4 inch screen, Duo Core, 120 GB, DVD-Burner

one question, which one do you think is better?

btw both are about
$700

[Godotology]

Hey Range, thanks for all of your answers

just purchased a Toshiba Satellite A105-S4070 and a Dell e1505

both are 15.4 inch screen, Duo Core, 120 GB, DVD-Burner

one question, which one do you think is better?

eh.. you bought TWO laptops?

[luvelyasian]

^ LoL sorry about that. one's for my sister and techically my dad bought them ... hehe just wanted to see which one you thought was better without telling you who got which one..

[Godotology]

^ LoL sorry about that. one's for my sister and techically my dad bought them ... hehe just wanted to see which one you thought was better without telling you who got which one..

what's the specs on both of them?