Help finding a laptop

[RogerWilco]

I have been looking around for a good laptop computer. I want to spend in the +/- 2000 range. I have looked around for about a week, both in Calgary stores and on the net. Right now i'm thinking about either a Toshiba Satellite A70-RT1 Pentium 4 2.8Hz or a Dell Inspiron 5160. they both are about the same. The dell is about $140 more but comes with Home office (which the Toshiba doesn't have) and a DVD burner that the Toshiba also doesn't have. The Toshiba has just a CD rite re rite with DVD readable only.

I will mainly use Autocad and a simple 3-D modeling program called Sketch-up on it.

Does anyone with more computer skills have a better suggestion for me?

Edit by the way, they are both in the 1700-1800 range.

[Yellefan]

I recently picked up a dell for my office, and although it is a really impressive performer it seems kind of flimsy and really creaks every time I open it up... a little bit on the heavy side too-- if I had to do it over again I think I would have picked the toshiba instead.

Nothing wrong with the dell really, I am just not overly impressed with the quality of it.

[JiriHrdina]

Surprisingly this is not the first time this has come up:

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/index.php?sho...=2000&hl=laptop

I don't point this out as a Fata, just because that thread has some good info for you.

[RogerWilco]

Thanks Jiri that has helped alot. I had my mind on the dell and think that is what I will go with. I had many other opinions too, just wanted to take a look here as well on a big buy.

Edit: Most of the guys I work with have a Dell and they, for the most part, seem to like it. I don't need much, the medium range dell will be fine. The DVD burner will be a good addition. Thanks for the help.

[CaptainCrunch]

I've sold a lot of these Compaq Laptops to clients of mine who are looking for a nice price sensitive well balanced notebook with lots of features. They're good quality with a really nice wide screen

Compaq 3240A


This would fit into your price range as you can probably find it for about $2000

[RogerWilco]

Thanks CaptainCrunch, but I pretty much had my mind set on the Dell. I just put my order in for one. Thanks to all for the help. I think I will enjoy the new comp. This will be my first laptop so i guess I will have my own opinion soon enough. I was all ready to get it before this post. Just wanted some last second opinions. Thanks all, I made my choice.

[icarus]

I've got a Toshiba Satellite A70. I like it. No problems so far.

I was talking tonight to a girl who said that her Dell laptop is on the fritz. She's had troubles with the monitor on and off for the last couple months. The Dell people tell her nothing is wrong when something clearly is. Worse, her Dell laptop is actually a replacement for her previous one which also malfunctioned. A lot of people at school have been grumbling about their Dells, but I can't give you any more info than that.

[Wolfwood]

Apparently someone told me the other day that on dell laptops that there is an incorrect setting in the bios that makes it so the fans turn off when the laptop is gets to a certain temperature instead of turning on. There is an update to the bios etc... from what I've heard. I don't have a dell laptop though so I can't confirm this but this can cause some major problems for a laptop if it isn't fixed. I don't know if the new ones have this problem though.

[greerb]

The Aplle iBooks are really nice I have a 12" G3. The new 14" G4s look great as well.

Apple iBooks

[Incinerator]

I should warn you that the Dell 5100 series is REALLY Heavy, I have a Inspiron 5100, in fact, I'm posting on it right now

[Andrew]

anything with a pentium-m or centrino is good. light and long battery life.