NFB: Purchase Laptop

[pete]

My son needs a laptop for school. I would like a "Namebrand" (already did the Gateway.....being returned for the 3rd and final time). It doesn't need all kinds of power (not running AutoCADD), just for access to internet, and to view and maybe burn DVD's.

Have already checked Tigerdirect.com and CDW.com, any others?

Thanx!

[Jeff_in_Atl]

A friend of mine bought a desk top case from Tiger Direct. When it was delivered, there was a problem that I can't remember what it was. Damaged or missing something. So he went and bought one locally because he didn't have the time to wait to send it back and wait for them to examine it and send him another one. So he went and bought one locally. He then tried to send it back and get his money back and they wouldn't do it. They said exchange only. So he sent it back figuring to get a case he didn't need and they ended up refunding the money. Big PITA. He said he would never go back there. Just an FYI so buy at your own risk. That's the bad thing about mail order. You can't go get in their face if their is a problem.

[Black97]

Check Circuit City website or store.

Most Toshiba, Compaq & HP are very good. Make sure to get a 15" screen. If your budget allows do not buy a Celeron (Their performance su...s in my opinion.) It's like buying a V6 instead of a V8. No offense guys.

Most have a DVD/CD-RW combo drive. If you are wanting one with DVD burning capability you have to shell out a little more money.

There are other places (Website or store) like BestBuy, Office Max, Business Depot.....

www.c-net.com usually has reviews or notebook pc's and customer comments. So if you like one check it out before you buy.

[Black97]

Never liked TigerDirect. Heard to many bad things about them.

When you go to a store you can bring it back. You may pay a little more but if you order online you pay for shipping and it may arrive damaged. More hassles.

Circuit City has a 30 day exchange policy I believe. If you do not like it they take it back and you buy another one from the store.

[WICKED LT1]

New Lappie

Check out http://www.gotapex.com and look for deals on the Dell laptops. There are usually a couple per month and they have gotten quite good over the last couple years. There is even some talk every once in a while about student discounts. I have a Compaq X1000 that I got on a deal and I love it. You should be able to get something nice for under 1200 bucks. Have fun.


-Paul

[Flash 97 WS/6]

Might want to check out http://www.internetishop.com I have purchased and resold a few of desknotes from them an been had no problems. No affiliation with them, just FYI...

(Hope I entered that URL correctly for the link to work )

[00 Ragtop Z]

Suggest you check out Dell. As a student he gets an educaitonal discount, and I have been using them for 4 years now (work as an auditor/fraud examiner so it gets toted around a lot) and have had only one problem--bad CD-RW drive after nearly year of use. Dell sent a new one to repalce no quesitons asked.

I rate them high on usability and service.

[FRMLAV8]

I'll second 00 Ragtop Z, I love Dell. I have been using the exclusively at work for a couple of years, and am very satisfied.

I have had a couple hardware failures(floppy drive, cdrw, & Harddrive) but that is out of 75 PC's and all were replaced next day under warranty!

Randy

[thom1]

I've had nothing but trouble with Tiger systems, (desktops) and know several others who were just as unhappy.

However I've had two DELL laptops that I've been very satisfied with.

[tabahr]

give Dell a shot... If you budget is really tight you can even purchase reman. notebooks.

[Jeff02GAGT]

Dells are sweet

I just got a Brand Spankin New Dell inspiron 5150 with a P4 2.8 GHz, 60 gig hd, 1 gig ram, dvd/cdrw burner. it's great... Haven't had ONE problem with it. I think Dell's are awesome. They're really dependable.. I got mine a month ago for like $1300... Not too bad.

Jeff

[AmericanZ28]

I have an HP...

I bought an HP almost 2 years ago with a DVD/CD-RW, 20Gig HD, 256MB of Ram, and an AMD 900MHz Athlon Processor. ($1199.00 @Best Buy) This thing works great and has never given me any problems! Its really fast and even comes with a built in NIC Card for Broadband use. You could save a couple bucks with the AMD processor instead of a Pentium, and assuming youre not a hard-core gamer, AMD will be more than enough. Actually many hardcore gamers opt for the AMD instead of Pentium for price, reliability, and performance. However, HP's tend to be pricier than almost any other brand with the exception of maybe SONY. Just make sure you get the extended warranty for it, it just may come in handy later on.

[Stealth Performance]

http://www.techbargains.com/

Dell all the way

[Formulaboy95]

Another vote for DELL

As a Techie/Geek(GearHead too!) with multiple certifications, and years of experience... save yourself the headaches and get a Dell, you will not be dissapointed. The customer support is well worth it.

[pete]

It seems that dell.com has the best pricing for a name brand too.

thanx for the input!