laptop shopping

[zombieSquirrel]

I'm looking for a laptop computer, and I think I found a good one, but I would appreciate your opinions on it or other options.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115675

 

This is really pushing my budget, but I'm hoping for a holiday deal sometime soon. Some of the things I'll be doing are game programming, surfing the web for educational material, and some gaming. Since gaming will be the most difficult of these tasks for it to perform, I decided to use a laptop's ability to play games as the decision maker.

[Phi for All]

Why would you want *our* opinions? You just joined and you don't even know us! I think you just want me to click that link for some reason.

[zombieSquirrel]

I'm sorry. I was under the impression that at least some of the people here would know a little about computers. I'm new to computer shopping, and I want to be sure I'm buying a good one.

 

Edit: Would you prefer I posted the specs on the computer?

[iNow]

I think he'd prefer you contribute to the forum and demonstrate that you are a part of this community prior to posting a link to a site selling computers (especially that you not do such a thing as your very first post ever). Too many of us have become exasperated with spam, want to stab spammers in the throat then defecate down the hole and skull frak them, and your post looks exactly like spam so has inspired these feelings in some of us. Hope that clarifies.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Newegg isn't a spam site (I've bought from it before), but of course you're right to be suspicious -- spam is getting to be more and more sneaky these days.

 

The laptop you linked to seems to meet your needs just find, I think.

[Phi for All]

We frequently get spammers who join just to boost the hits for certain websites and sell products they pretend to shop for. You passed the test by replying and not just doing a "hit and run".

 

Looks like a nice machine for the price. It's even got a fingerprint reader. You may want to upgrade the battery to a 9 cell if they have it available, but only if you tend to roam the house like I do with my laptop.

 

I'm not a big power gamer, so I can't tell you much about that, but it looks like it's got the right stuff. The Aspire is sort of an entry level model with Acer, but that price is pretty tempting. 2.2G is not the fastest processor by any means, but it should be fine for what you want it for. The Acer Aspire looks a lot like the HP Pavillion, so you might want to compare prices on a Pavillion.

[zombieSquirrel]

Yeah, I can see how it looks like spam. Sorry about that.

 

I don't think I'll need a battery upgrade. Most gaming will take place at home, near some outlets.

 

Thanks.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Don't worry, it's not your fault, it's the spammers'. We've been getting more and more clever spam, so we're on high alert. People will post spam links in the same color as the background of posts, so they're invisible; people would register, post a "hi I'm new here" post, then two days later add spam links into their signature; people would make a post with links with the colors changed to look like ordinary text; and so on. It's really quite frustrating.

 

None of them, however, have apologized for it

[Phi for All]

If you don't really need the portability of a laptop, you can get more muscle from a desktop for the same money, or the same muscle for less. I love my laptops but for most things I use a computer for, I could just as easily stay at a fixed station.

 

But since I have laptops, I move around a lot.

[zombieSquirrel]

I still need the portability. Can't get video on the phone, and can you really surf the web without speed? Thank goodness for free wifi at the library.

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I found an HP pavilion that's almost identical to the Acer, only with a better graphics card and free shipping, for the same price. It doesn't have a fingerprint reader, but that's no big deal.

 

Thanks again.

[Phi for All]

Sweetest words on the net, free shipping! w00t!

[Lifeson]

It looks good, but I have heard horror stories about Acer. I've read that Gateway, HP and Acer are the three worst brands to buy a laptop from and from my experience with gateway, I can say that Gateway definitely belongs on that list. Dell is probably your best bet, my entire college runs on dell and they only time they act up is when IT does something retarded to them.

[JillSwift]

It looks good, but I have heard horror stories about Acer. I've read that Gateway, HP and Acer are the three worst brands to buy a laptop from and from my experience with gateway, I can say that Gateway definitely belongs on that list. Dell is probably your best bet, my entire college runs on dell and they only time they act up is when IT does something retarded to them.

You just never know. I've owned HP and Acer laptops and they just go and go and go.

A friend's Acer likewise was a stalwart little machine.

Someone else I know had an Acer that was essentially a $1500 paper weight. A co-worker had an HP that only seemed to work if you pressed down on the screen hinges before you started it up - and even after several trips to HP's repair center, no one was the wiser as to why.

 

What it boils down to is, buy from somewhere they have a liberal return policy, and consider extra warranties. 'cause you just never know.

[npts2020]

I was given a new Asus EEE laptop today and it is pretty amazing. The whole thing is about 10 x 6 x 1 inch, weighs about a pound, and is a much better computer than my 5 year old e-Machine desktop. If my hip pocket was a just little bigger, it would fit in.