we_tard_it

Are there any recommendations?

Right now, I'm looking at the Dell Inspiron 1525. I'm not positive about this choice yet since it runs on Vista and I've heard that has a lot of problems.

srunni

Check out the HP Pavilions. I would recommend the Thinkpads, but I'm not sure if they're below $1200.

Don_Quixote

I'm pretty sure you can get an XPS 1530 or 1330 starting at $999... XPS's have better customer service and are probably better quality than Inspirons, so I'd probably suggest one of those over your 1525.

lilblewskydragon

Eventually the majority of people will be running vista, I've had it on my computer for about half a year and haven't had problems.

The HP laptops are pretty good deals, be sure to check out amazon too, I saw a post somewhere on this board with a pretty good deal.
Amazon doesn't have any taxes and has free shipping.

You can always save quite a bit of money by getting the lower RAM options and just upgrading it yourself.

My friend got a pretty decent thinkpad for under $1200 by getting lower RAM and then buying her own.

kkei08

I'd sell you a Dell XPS m1530 for $1,200+shipping. Unopened...still in the original shipping box. Comes with laptop, headphones, Lord of the Rings Online, soft laptop case, soft CD case

2.4 ghz Penrynn Core2Duo
4gb ram
WSXGA+ LCD Screen 1680x1050
Geforce 8600GT 256mb GFX Card
Fingerprint Reader
2yr Warranty

I know this isn't a buy/sell/trade forum, so PM me if you're interested and I'll give you my contact details.

we_tard_it

kkei08, no thanks.

don, what makes a Dell XPS better quality than a Dell Inspiron? Isn't Dell a reliable laptop brand?

Chipmoney

XPS uses higher quality components and provides better customer service for that line of laptops.

we_tard_it

Should I wait until July or August to buy a new laptop? I don't really need one now. Will there be more powerful processors and updates to the XPS and Inspiron lines between now and 2-3 months later?

Dabu

We_tard_it,

If you wait until then, the laptops will be upgraded to the new Montivina platform from the current Santa Rosa generation. You should see a minor performance boost (10-15%) with the change, along with a few other improvements/additions. If you can wait, I would advise it.

Don_Quixote

yep, i'd wait till at least june or july. Personally, I'm hoping they'll have some nicer graphics card options by the time i'm ready to buy... a GeForce 8800 is a pretty big step above the current 8600... and chippy had it right, the customer support is much better on XPS systems (although their tech reps still have odd accents...)

bennis

Dell Outlet - Refurbished Computers - Refurbished Laptops - Refurbished PCs

There are some good deals there.

alduhkneel

i'd definitely recommend going with the xps as well. i've heard a lot of complaints about the inspirons. my dad has one, albeit the very large/heavy one (i think they have new ones out that are a bit smaller?). still, the xps m1330 is very lightweight and sturdy. also agreed on their tech support -- it's specialized for xps owners, which is a plus.

masterdebater

I was set on the xps m1530 until the new toshiba satellite came out. With facial recog tech, intel core 2 duo T8100 processors, and dual 200gb sata drives for cheaper than the xps, it is the better deal for me. I have the old inspiron series and its hardware is pretty cumbersome. Plus, i believe the toshiba came out literally days ago if im not mistaken.

kyledavid80

Go for the ThinkPad T series. They're on sale right now, and they're top-of-the-line.

Chipmoney

One thing about that is that one of those 200 GB harddrives is a 4200 RPM drive, which is slower then any drive you're going to get in another laptop. Its the same speed as the drives in ipods.