I want to buy a laptop...
 

... and I'm clueless.

The only things that I do know:

- I don't want to spend more than $1500
- I want a medium-sized screen and nothing too bulky
- I'll mainly be using it to occasionally access my work desktop while on the road or when working from home, to search the web, upload some pictures, and maybe watch a DVD here and there

I'm going to start looking this week, and I just want to kind of be pointed in the right direction before I aimlessly wander in the stores and buy something that I shouldn't.

Does anyone have any ideas?

What brand do you prefer?

As far as PCs go, I've had a Dell and a HP…the HP was better than the Dell. Gateway's not bad. Acer is, from what I've heard, excellent.

I can't imagine life without my MacBook Pro now, though—and you can get one for under your budget…I'd see if your local Best Buy carries them (some do, some don't) or if you have an Apple store local, that's probably a good place to look.

The internet is also a good resource…Computer Shopper could help, they do reviews for many different brands as well as of software and accessories, and have guides for buying a new computer.

I have a Dell that I got for less than $750 after customizing it (I think the base price was like $500). It works excellently, is lightweight, does everything I want it to, and the display makes for awesome movie watching. The only drawback is that Dell batteries tend to wear out quickly. Some people have no problems and some have their batteries crap out after a year.

I have a Dell (it was the 2nd from the top of the line at the time) that I think I paid $600 for. I've been very happy with it so far and it's 2 1/2 years old now. I did have to rebuild it once, but dropping it more than once isn't the laptop's fault!

I would check Best Buy (or similar) online and get down to 2 or 3 choices, then do as I did and ask your favorite geek for a final opinion. I didn't ask my husband because he would ALWAYS say buy the more expensive one. My favorite geek said the 2nd one was perfectly fine for my needs and it was/is.

If you're torn between Mac and PC, one thing I would keep in mind is laptops by their very nature have a shorter shelf life (see above about dropping mine more than once) so the durability of a Mac may not be worth it. In a desktop I think the Mac is a very good choice because you don't have to replace them every 3 years or so like you do with PCs. On the other hand, I don't own a Mac and Mac owners are militantly loyal. There must be a reason! I was strongly considering the big switch, but the travel agent software I have isn't very gui so I thought it unwise to test its limits on a different OS.

My Macbook Pro is still great after 3 years. Every other laptop I've had (Toshiba, Dell, HP) I've wanted to throw against a wall after 1 year.

Both of my kids have MacBook Pros and talked me into getting one. I love the service I have gotten from Apple. I definitely paid less than your $1500 budget. They do have an educational price of approximately $100 off. I have no problem alternating from PC to Apple. Still have to use the desktop for printing since my printer is old and not wireless.

DaffyKD

I'm not sure - this is why I'm here asking all of you fine people! I've had the same Dell PC since the summer before my freshman year of college (9 years ago). It's all I've used, so it's really all I know.

I've heard that Acer is good, but I don't really know anyone who has one.. So I'm not too sure about that.

I did look at the MacBooks. What I'm not really understanding is the difference between a laptop and a notebook. The obvious difference is the size/weight, which is why I would love to get a notebook. But from what I can gather, there isn't a DVD/CD drive in a notebook.. Not ideal, but not a deal breaker, either. What other differences are there, if any?

Also, I've never owned a Mac and have only used one for maybe a total of 5 minutes in my life. I wasn't a huge fan. But I keep hearing about all these converts, who claim they thought they'd never own/like a Mac, they took a chance, and now they love it. Does that describe anyone here?

I've never actually used "the Geeks".. But maybe I'll have to try!

There will be VERY little "real" difference between brands of laptops - most will use similar components (there are like 2 parts manufacturers that OEMs use) and offer similar features.

The main things you'll want to consider:

-RAM drives the train for most of the 'everyday' uses you listed. Pay a little extra and upgrade now, it'll save headaches on the back end.

-Processor upgrades can be extremely expensive in laptops - an older, dual-core processor should still meet your needs for the near-future and save quite a bit of money over an i3/i7/etc.

-Look for something that meets your size needs first, then fit it to your price point (and for $1500 you can essentially go top-of-line if desired, but you can get a solid box for half that). You'll be much happier if the form factor gives you what you need.

-The Mac/PC differences are a little exaggerated nowadays - they're pretty similar platforms now (from chipset to OS). That means it's not particularly hard to go from PC to Mac if you'd like, but also means the perceived advantages to Macs aren't quite as pronounced as in the past. Only you can tell if you'll be a "Mac person" - try out a MacBook, and see what happens ... the other advice will still hold true(-ish).

Also, no difference between "notebook" and "laptop" - just different marketing terms.

However, there are MAJOR differences between a "notebook/laptop" and a "NETbook" ... netbooks are basically built for extreme portability and serve as internet machines with incidental computing ability. They usually come in 7" to 10" size (way smaller than a normal laptop), have very specifically neutered hardware (an Atom processor and 1GB RAM, just enough to surf and open Word), very long battery life (>8hrs) and no CD/DVD drive.

If you're mostly using the computer on the couch at home, most people prefer the notebook/laptop - they're way easier to use, bigger keyboards, etc. I have a netbook, travel a TON for work, and almost never use it, preferring a full-sized laptop almost every time.

My mom just recently got a Netbook,, and while it harvests her Farmville crops just. fine, that's about all it does.

I got a Macbook from being in an education pilot program and while I would not have paid to switch over, now that I have I doubt I'll ever go back. I've had a Compaq (got a virus, couldn't be saved), an HP (LCD screen inverted the colors, couldn't be fixed), and my mom has an Acer (still works but is slow and the hinges broke) and Mac has surpassed them all.

I have had issues with the headphone jack (sometimes it doesn't register that I've pulled the headphones out and so there won't be sound until I put them back in and wiggle it a little) and the LCD broke (but that's because I was an idiot and dropped it), but other than that it's been smooth sailing, and I got it used. Next time I think I'd upgrade to a Macbook Pro because the casing is more durable (Macbooks are plastic, which can break/chip) but I really love it. It feels more intuitive than a PC, and it seems to run smoother, in my opinion.

However like I said I would not have believed it until I had one for awhile, so maybe try out someone else's for a bit and see if it feels better? They are significantly more expensive, but for the reliability that I've experienced, it's worth it (since both my other computers only lasted me 1-2 years before dying and this one, despite the LCD issue, is over 2 years old and going strong). Best of luck whatever you decide. I was a skeptic, but now I'm a convert, haha. :)

I was a skeptic. I bought my HP and was very happy. My husband wanted a laptop and made me go buy my Mac so he could have my laptop for the lab. I didn't want it, but he thought we should try out a Mac. It didn't take long for me to become a convert. We now have a iMac (desktop) and two iPads, too.

I meant your favorite person who IS a geek, not one of the many companies who use geek in their name. In general they are not very highly reputed, although I'm sure there are some out there that are fine.

I agree with all of this. I recently switched back to a desktop from a laptop because I realized I am way too hard on laptops. I constantly dropped mine. And although I will miss watching DVDs on long train trips, my blackberry is just fine for the internet. I may get a tablet one day, though.