Are there any Laptop Geeks in the House?

[Gomboman]

I would like to buy a family laptop for X-mas. It will be used mainly for surfing the net, emails. and occasional work related stuff--nothing too heavy duty. I was going to buy a laptop six months ago but never pulled the trigger. I'm glad I waited since prices have dropped and the technology has improved somewhat--what else is new.

Anyway, I'm considering the Dell XPS M1530. The selling price starts at around $1,000. The reviews seem decent. One drawback is that the resolution is only 1280 x 800. Some reviewers are expecting the resolution to be increased in the near future.

Is this a decent machine or should I look for something else for around $1,000 or less. If I do go the Dell route, is it best to purchase through Dell online or is there a better source? I would appreciate your feedback.

Here is the link to the review.

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4135&review=Dell+XPS+M1530+%28Intel+Core+2+Duo+T5250+1%2E5GHz%2C+120GB+HDD%2C+2GB+RAM%29

[96SC]

Gombo, I'm far from a laptop geek (you hit the 'what' button to turn it off?) so take this for face value.  We purchased a Dell laptop for our son a few months ago (I don't recall what model it was only that it has Vista and a 15 1/2" screen).  The next time I talk to him I'll find out the model.

We purchased it through the website and I am pretty sure we bought it through their refurbished/remanufactured or whatever they call it, section.  My wifes boss bought a remanufactured/rebuilt Dell for their office a few years ago and it worked fine for them.  So from the experiences of others, you may want to look into a Dell reman/refurb computer.

The only problem we had with the computer purchase was we bought Microsoft Office 2006 through Dell, they shipped the computer with UPS and the software through DHL.  The computer arrived within 2-3 days as promised the software however, took 10 days (not the 2-3 as promised) because of DHL's delivery shortcomings.  Nothing that Dell did.  We complained to Dell and they were very good in responding to our concerns, DHL kept giving us the ol' run around.

My 2¢.

[Brewman]

Dell should be okay.  Getting them thru Dell's website is probably as good a way as any- it's easy to get exactly what you want.  I've purchased 2 PC's from them so far and am happy with their delivery- they were not laptops, though.  

I don't buy computers off the shelf from local retailers, since they are never configured the way I want, and the employees at Best Buy, etc.... are often clueless and less than useful.  Some retailers just use kiosks to order from the factory anyway, so I figure to do it myself.

My company (2500+ employees) issues both Dell and Lenovo laptops.  We have a bit more trouble with the Dell's.  They aren't as durable as the Lenovos.  
 The Lenovo (formerly IBM thinkpads) are physically built stronger and better quality cases- which I like since I'm constantly hauling mine around.  They'll stand up better to physical abuse.  
They're also a bit more expensive.  
I prefer them to any other laptop I've used, but Dell should be okay for the use you've described.

[Bonibelle]

I believe Staples is now carrying Dell products, so you may want to stop in and touch one before you decide. Sometimes I use my husband's laptop and I have to say I HATE the keyboard. So we set him up with a docking station at the desk and an LCD screen and wireless keyboard and mouse. That configuration lets you have the best of both worlds, portablity and the comfort of a desk top. You may want to shop the deals on the Dell website.

Good luck

[Pathfinder]

The one issue you need to remember is most of the parts on a Dell are proprietary and can become expensive outside of warranty. I personally prefer a Toshiba or a Mac

[Richs100]

The one issue you need to remember is most of the parts on a Dell are proprietary and can become expensive outside of warranty. I personally prefer a Toshiba or a Mac

If we are talking about Laptops, isn't it true that most laptops are made from proprietary parts anyway?  I always assumed that the proprietary/non-proprietary argument was valid when looking at desktops, but that laptops were necessarily proprietary due to the compact design issues.  I could be wrong.....

[NE-Phil]

The one issue you need to remember is most of the parts on a Dell are proprietary and can become expensive outside of warranty. I personally prefer a Toshiba or a Mac

Pathfinder,
I agree with Richs100. Laptops have always been proprietary. What parts/accessories are you talking about specific to the Dell? And how does that differ from Toshiba, IBM or Mac?
Too add to that, I thought Mac's were more proprietary than anything other brand. Or, is that a Windows User's myth?

Phil

[Pathfinder]

Of course a Mac is a Mac & it sort of negates my initial post about proprietary parts.
Some may disagree but on Laptops I have worked on for friends, it was much easier & cheaper to find parts for a Toshiba then it was for a Dell.  Back to the topic though if Gombo is looking for a fairly basic comp then anything will be fine. If anything major were to go wrong you could just buy a new one  since the repair cost would be close to the purchase price.

[Bonibelle]

Probably the only extended warranty that I purchase is for my computer. And this is for the same reason that I like a nice warranty on my hot tub. I can fix some software problems, but for hardware, it is worth it for me to have a warranty that assures in home repair within 24 hours (but this is on my desk top). My husband's laptop has taken some pretty hefty hits and physical abuse...but thankfully, so far, no problems. He has a Gateway!

[Josh]

The one issue you need to remember is most of the parts on a Dell are proprietary and can become expensive outside of warranty. I personally prefer a Toshiba or a Mac

That's not really true.

I work in the IT industry and over the years I've used and/or serviced hundreds of laptops (all brands including Apple). "Most parts" are not proprietary at all.  Like a PC, there are certain types of memory and graphics cards that will work with certain motherboards and the notebook hard drives are fairly universal.  

There are things like additional drive bays that are specific to the manufacturer (or batteries)....but that's the case with any laptop brand.


If you're looking for a family laptop for email and web stuff, the Dell XPS series is fine.  I'm rocking the 1210 myself (I like the smaller footprint for plane trips and meetings).  I also own a Toshiba Portege that I use for general surfing.  For work, I've used all sorts of others including assorted Dells, the Compaq Armada, a Sony Vaio and an IBM Thinkpad.  All of them were great browsers.  Never had an HP laptop before, but I hear they're good too.

If you're leaning towards a Dell, you'll do just fine buying it online.  Watch slickdeals.net to find big coupons to use on their website, and try to stack them if you can.

[wmccall]

I'm not big on extra warranties, but with laptops get the accidental damage protection. Families do damage.  If you pay $700 for a laptop and break the screen they will charge you $600 to replace it.  If I had a dollar for every broken screen I've seen, I could buy a new laptop.

[Gomboman]

Thanks Josh and everyone. What about the 1280 x 800 resolution? Is this an issue with a 15" screen?

[mattNY]

For what you're using it for, I'd go with one of the $399 deals that they routinely run every weekend now.  They're plenty powerful.

Best Buy had this last week, instore only:

Compaq Presario C714NR
    *  Intel Pentium Dual Core T2310 1.46 GHz Processor
    * 1GB DDR2-533 Memory
    * 120 GB Serial ATA Hard Drive
    * Double Layer DVD+/-RW Drive
    * 15.4" WXGA BrightView Display (1280x800)
    * Intel GMA X3100 Video
    * Wireless 802.11b/g
    * 10/100 Mbit Ethernet
    * 56k Modem
    * 6-Cell battery
    * Windows Vista Home Premium

$399 for the above config.  They had a similar one the week before for $399 (the 713).  I've seen a Gateway as well around the $400 mark.  You don't have to spend $1,000 to get a powerful laptop for home use.

If you decide to go Dell, the Vostro series (1000 or 1500) are a good value for the money, and often nice configs are around $500 shipped.

[ndabunka]

Gomboman:
Resume - My title is a bit elusive but I am about as deep into computer technology as is physically possible without being an android.  I contract to Lucent technologies and am currently helping Sprint to design and deploy their next generation networks across the country.  Thanks to Lucent and Sprint, in the future you will not only get the 3rd generation stuff like email and music downloaded to your phone, you will also be able to get things like LIVE full motion TV and video conference calls, etc.  I used to build PCs and even ran a systems integration storefront for one of the largest integration companies in the States (at that time).

Recommendations - Buy the Cheapest "name-brand" product you can afford.  Duo Core processing is essential (for future 64- bit Operating systems).  I bought my wife a wide-screen HP which typically sells for about $900 on a special deal for $750.  There were two additional discounts.  one from HP and the other from Circuit City that added up to another $200 off so in the end I got a $900 laptop for $550.  Granted, the rebates were a pain in the butt, but they did save me a lot of money.

How to do it TODAY - CompUSA is going out of business.  Most everything they sell is SUPER Cheap.  A buddy of mine picked up about 10 sets of hi-def cables (normally $110/each) for under $10.00/each.  I think he may sell some of them on eBay and make a quick $50 times 10 for a quick $500.  Buy a name brand from them  (Toshiba, HP, Compaq, etc).  You can probably get it for something like 50% off and maybe as much as $75% off if you time it right.  But you had better be quick, you probably only have about 3 days before all the good stuff is gone.

[Micah]

You really need to consider a mac.  As a computer geek and a big time windows fan I never gave mac a shot untill a year ago.  Now all I want to use is my mac book pro.  The more I use a mac the more I realize I will never go back to windows for my laptop