who here has a laptop?

[Kruten]

Well there's the one I'm trying to get working for my dad (some old Dell <100Mhz lol) and there's the one I got for my bro for college (currently sitting in my room because he never uses it where he now lives because no internet). Then my other brother who took tech classes has some other Dell machine I got and an Alienware that I ment to fix up and keep/resell.

[gillbot]

IMHO, there really isn't much to discuss on laptops. When I advise people about a laptop purchase it usually goes 1 of three or so ways:

Basic User - Get the CHEAPEST on sale Dell there is, if they are a newbie I recommend the onsite service plan. That way WHEN it gets broken, they can easily get it repaired.

Experienced User - Midrange Latitude model or other manufacturer with the CPU and Video you require, everything else is secondary. If you are comfortable with PC's I say get it stripped, smallest HDD and ram possible as you can get cheaper upgrades from other sources and add the parts yourself later. Some will allow you to configure them without HDD's, RAM and an OS but you may have to haggle with them over it.

Hardcore User - Get anything with a socketed CPU such as the higher end HP's. The graphics card can can also be upgraded depending on the model laptop. Shoot for high ram support over HDD space, more ram will give you better performance over HDD space anyway, and with USB HDD's dropping in price, you can move your porn or MP3 collection off your main HDD to save space and gain speed.

Sadly, Laptops don't offer as much versatility as a desktop system so I usually say just buy what you need and save the cash for a desktop system if you want to tweak, tinker and upgrade. Also, with the proprietary nature of a notebook, few models allow upgrades. Usually if you get a model that can be upgraded, the initial cost is VERY high and the parts to upgrade with are pricey as well. If you prefer to save some $, look for one that is less upgradeable as they are usually proprietary but much cheaper.

Otherwise, I can put together other tidbits if you want. I've used many brands and I'm partial to Dell since they are rugged and parts are easily obtained for repairs. They are well constructed and fairly easily repaired by the average user. I use Dell Latitudes at work in an industrial environment far worse than any normal user could dream of and I have yet to have a serious failure that wasn't my own fault. Hell, the system I let tumble (accidentally) down two flights of stairs only suffered a broken keyboard.

[rhino56]

i have an asus z71v with a 40gb 7200 rpm hd, 1 gb corsair ram, m 750 which ill be putting a m 780 in it soon. i have done a few mods to it that i can make how tos on.

[Kruten]

Oh yeah, I have another Alienware m7700 with a FX-57, 7800GTX, 2x 100GB, 8x DL DVD burner, and Audigy 2 ZS card coming in.

[Nettles]

Didn't you just build a monster machine not too long ago...

[Kruten]

Originally Posted by Nettles

Didn't you just build a monster machine not too long ago...

Huh? No, I've just been getting my rig together for when I buy it later.

[Guan Yu]

Are there laptops you actually can upgrade to a greater extent or not really, because I've seen overclocked, water-cooled laptops, and the works but they're certainly rarity. Also they're the question of a case. You really can't mess much with current laptop cases so case mods are almost out of the question and personally I'd like that option. Is their any exception to this rule, since I'll be off at college soon and it would be a massive pain to lug a Desktop up here, but if they're more or less inalterable I might just as well do it and by a cheap laptop to lug around campus for classes, papers, ect. Any options for me.

Btw, nice post gillbot. With a bit of extension that could easily become a sticky on the new portables section, which seems to be shaping up. Some pictures and a review or two might also be nice.

Oh, btw, does anyone have any experience with Toshiba laptops? Structural integrity isn't really the issue, because this one isn't going to be going much of anywhere it would get damaged. I just would like a bit of information of their overall value since my mother brought one and if there's anything I should know about it, recalls, or general information I'd like it very much.

Nice laptop you have their shaping up Kruten. When you're done post some pics. It would be nice to see how it comes and and whats its stats are .

Alright, thats it. Surprised so many people have laptops. Once that poll reaches maybe 12, which it will I'd say we should go through with the Portables section if that hasn't been done already. Alright, that it. Cya all later.

Btw, to anonymous avatar creator. Thanks for the crazy avatar. Lmao, <----its perfect!

[gillbot]

There are a handful of laptops out there that can be tinkered with. Sadly as I stated before they come with a very hefty price tag. Most people wouldn't mind paying the extra but the upgrade options IMHO are not worth the extra expenditure. Most laptops will support a simple CPU upgrade as many OEM's are using base boards across different lines. The benefit of this is a socketed CPU. You can purchase a lower end model and upgrade it yourself for substantial savings.

If you are looking for something Small Form Factor (SFF) to tote to school or lan parties, I recommend the Shuttle XPC or Biostar IDEQ. They are rather small and can be upgraded extensively visually and performance wise. The downside is the motherboard is proprietary and cannot be changed plus the small size limits the number of drives that can be put into the system. With larger IDE drives coming out though, I think this is less and less of a downside unless you NEED 1TB of space. You can also opt for the Antec Aria case and a standard mATX motherboard. While not as small as the XPC or SFF pc's, they offer a bit more case room and the benefit of using a standard mATX mobo that can be upgraded/changed later.

I currently run a Shuttle XPC SN45G myself and it has a clear case cover and neon lights in it. I was Overclocking my Barton 2500+ to ~2.3GHz (I forget the top speed I hit, I think it was around 2.4GHz) but I gave up on all the tweaking for a more stable platform.

[Kruten]

Originally Posted by Guan Yu

Nice laptop you have their shaping up Kruten. When you're done post some pics. It would be nice to see how it comes and and whats its stats are .

I know. Wouldn't it be a great laptop to have?

[pjanaway]

I have a laptop, i don't like desktops

I got the acer aspire 5652