laptop suggestions (mainly processor)

[DHonks]

Hey all, I am upgrading from my old netbook (damn Atom processors!). I want an affordable 13.1-14.1 laptop, optical drive optional. I'm focusing on HP because I love my 6 month old quad-core processor.

 

The big issue for me is that I know little about the seemingly endless lines of processors...core duo, core 2 duo, i3, i5, i7, CULV, Turion II, amd athlon neo x2, etc. my desktop does heavy computing. My laptop is for web browsing, Brewerfan.net viewing, brewers game-tracker viewing, emailing, and--occasionally--work emailing. So basically, it's web and email. The netbooks sucked because they slowed to a crawl if I had 2 browser windows open. I tend to over-shop for computers, putting in too much RAM and too impressive a CPU given my needs. Today's officemax circular in the paper included the hp dm3-1130US for $500 (click here). Anyone want to check it out and see if it might work for my needs? Also says it should get 5+ hrs of battery life.

[1992casey]

A friend of mine has a new HP that's way too slow for Windows 7 (yes, it was sold with 7). I think the issue might be that she has a single core processor (whatever AMD's equivalent to the Celeron is).

 

I see that the computer you're looking at has a dual processor, but I'd still check it out personally for speed.

[mothershipconnection]

I picked up this one a while back for $549 with free shipping and it has worked flawlessly. I use my laptop just a little more intensively than you (light data analysis, downloading podcasts, browsing with 3-4 windows open at all times, organizing powerpoint presentations, etc), and it hasn't been the least bit sluggish.

[DHonks]

mothership, thanks for the link. I'm really interested in the 13.3 sizes as an updrade over my old netbook. I just want to know if this processor will be passable or annoying.

[theavrock]

DHonks

I think if you are questioning it, it will be annoying. The way I am with my computers is that even if I don't need all the processing power I hate to ever have to wait on them so I always over spec them out.

Take a look at this website for CPU benchmarking

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/

Its a total pain to read but that way you can compare what you had in your old machine to what is in the ones you are looking at. Also if you are going to be running Win 7 make sure you get 4 gb of RAM.

Finally on a side note: Good choice on the HP's (I work for the company).

[DHonks]

i went for it and will post my thoughts later this week.

[Patrick425]

My 4-5 year old laptop is at it's end and I'm looking to buy a new one. After much research and looking through CR recommendations, I have pretty much narrowed it down to a Toshiba from Best Buy. I will always buy an extended warranty when I purchase a laptop, but I have heard so many bad stories about Best Buy extended service plans, that I would like to avoid purchasing any plans from them. I understand that I can purchase an extended warranty directly from Toshiba. Does anyone have any experience with buying an extended warranty directly from Toshiba or any other manufacturer?

[DHonks]

no experience Patrick, but I'll follow up. I love my laptop. It's plenty peppy, very portable, has good battery life, etc. I see myself using it for 2-3 years, rather than the 1 year I got out of the netbook

[Patrick425]

This is what I am looking at, any feedback would be greatly appreciated:

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+Satellite+Laptop+with+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i3+Processor+-+Quantum+Black/9703393.p?id=1218153394199&skuId=9703393

 

 

I know that there are cheaper laptops out there, but I was looking for something that was a little more robust than the $400 Wal Mart special.

[Tailgat0r76]

I have the HP Dm3 as well and I absolutely love it. I got it for $500 too the day after Thanksgiving at an online sale. The trackpad is the only part I don't love, but other than that I've never had a problem with the processor slipping up too bad. 1080p video on YouTube and the like isn't great typically, especially with other processes running, but for $500 and an ultra-portable size, I don't find that to be a huge concern. It's also definitely fast enough to run Windows 7, that's not a problem at all - 4 GB of RAM is more than enough.

 

I'm interested to hear what you have to say about it.