High Spec Laptop

[alan-d]

As a one-off purchase for our PE Dept I'm looking for a high spec laptop.

 

Preferences

 

Pentium 2 to 2.3 (ish)

min 60GB HD

512 to 1 GB memory

min 128 for graphics

DVD writer

 

As you've probably guessed they want to upload movies and edit them onto a DVD.

 

Any recommendations?

[mac_shinobi]

A mac book or a mac book pro ( as you can dual boot it with windows xp )

 

http://www.apple.com

[alan-d]

Be reasonable - this is for a PE dept. Dual Boot? It's bad enough with a single boot

 

Besides we don't have any macs and it has to connect to our domain. Too much effort just for one mac

 

Thanks anyway

[bossman]

Try the Acer models i have found them to be very good for almost anything

at a pretty reasonable price.

 

http://www.acer.co.uk

 

just watch your licensing OK

[StewartKnight]

The thing with iBooks is, they aren't that good, they are just expensive, which people mistake for good. You could get a similar spec'd machine for less dosh than having a shiny apple logo on it!

[Guest]

I know someone who has just got one of these.

 

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/notebooks_Q2_W5_inspn_9400_N06945?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

 

Great piece of kit and good spec for the price.

[MkII]

How about that new Toshiba that bounces?

[indie]

Besides we don't have any macs and it has to connect to our domain. Too much effort just for one mac

 

It's a pitty that you don't know how easy it is to get a Mac to authenticate from AD.

 

At under £800 for a well specced MacBook with 1GB RAM, 60GB HD, Bluetooth, WiFi and Firewire. It even comes with Video Editing software, DVD+/- Dual Layer Burner and DVD Authoring software. It's a shame that it's "too much effort" though.

 

Honestly, what is it that people have against macs? They serve a purpose as much as a Windows machine or a Linux server does.

[EvLPhenom]

Sysman_MK:- I know someone who has just got one of these.

 

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/notebooks_Q2_W5_inspn_9400_N06945?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

 

Great piece of kit and good spec for the price.

 

Just had a look at that dell one and looks good and not bad for price... nice find sysman

[CyberNerd]

Its SO easy to get OSX Authenticate to a Windows DC ! - be reasonable ! looks at the specs !

[indie]

The thing with iBooks is, they aren't that good, they are just expensive, which people mistake for good. You could get a similar spec'd machine for less dosh than having a shiny apple logo on it![/Quote]

 

Pitty that for the £779 price tag it's only a 1.66Ghz CPU and it comes with Windows MCE so you'll need to upgrade it to Pro to hook it up to your domain. So when you add the 2Ghz CPU and bring it up to the same spec as the MacBook it suddenly jumps in price to over £1000 ex VAT.

 

That <£800 MacBook just keeps looking better and better

[E1uSiV3]

The thing with iBooks is, they aren't that good, they are just expensive, which people mistake for good. You could get a similar spec'd machine for less dosh than having a shiny apple logo on it![/Quote]

 

Pitty that for the £779 price tag it's only a 1.66Ghz CPU and it comes with Windows MCE so you'll need to upgrade it to Pro to hook it up to your domain. So when you add the 2Ghz CPU and bring it up to the same spec as the MacBook it suddenly jumps in price to over £1000 ex VAT.

 

That <£800 MacBook just keeps looking better and better

 

And its an inspiron so dont expect it to last...

 

Personally id go with the mac book.

[indie]

I have 3 generations of Powerbook here (G4 Ti, 17 G4, Intel MacBook Pro) that all work perfectly. Which is more than can be said for the Inspiron's with dodgy screens and hinges that we've had.

[indiegirl]

As I'm about to give my school laptop up, I'm looking to buy as high a spec for as cheap as possible.

 

I think I'm gonna go with EuroPC, get one of their Dell return/refurbs with a 3yr Warranty... if nothing else, at least I've got 3yrs peace of mind...

[bossman]

Most will come with 3year rtb warranty its what goes into them afterwards cos laptops usually if taken care of will last for quite a number of years. I have a dell ispiron 5000 which is about 7 years old still going strong but other dell laptops have bin and gone so i tried acers and for the money and the specs with warranty they have done us proud for the last two years. so you pays yer money and yer takes yer choice there is good and bad in all.

[Geoff]

Lenovo ThinkPad R series should do the job.

 

http://www5.pc.ibm.com/uk/products.nsf/Products?openagent&brand=Thinkpad&series=ThinkPad+R+Series

[alan-d]

Thanks guys - some good options there

 

 

It's a pitty that you don't know how easy it is to get a Mac to authenticate from AD.

 

Yep - easy to get a Mac to authenticate - but double the effort installing all the other software ie a Mac version and windows version.

 

As I've already said - it's for our PE dept - not the sharpest tools in the box!!

[Sylv3r]

http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10285825&pid=5&rstrat=3180

 

Check this one out.

[indie]

Yep - easy to get a Mac to authenticate - but double the effort installing all the other software ie a Mac version and windows version.

 

As I've already said - it's for our PE dept - not the sharpest tools in the box!!

 

Sounds like you're not the sharpest tool in the box! You've obviously never installed software onto a Mac!

 

If you're only looking after one machine then a child could do it, the majority of software you can simply copy to the Applications folder.

 

On large installs Apple Remote Desktop simplifies even further the install process. Select machines, select Copy Items.

 

Yes there are programs you can't install like this, but Windows isn't perfect too.

[Norphy]

Sounds to me you've missed the point he tried to make. I don't think he said anywhere that it is twice as much effort to install software on a Mac, just twice as much effort to install the same software on OSX and Windows on the same machine.

 

Frankly, if a Windows machine was required, I would prefer to have a Dell/IBM/Acer/Whatever than a Mac. Are you seriously telling me that using an unsupported, beta dual boot system on a Mac with alleged stability and driver problems when running Windows is a good thing? That it is a preferred option to getting a Dell/whatever that is designed to run Windows with signed drivers? Thats not to say that the iBook isn't a good machine, just inappropriate in this instance.

[indie]

Nope, I didnt mention running Windows on it, quite frankly I don't like running Windows on my MBP. The keyboard layout is screwy, I can't use the Brightness/Volume keys and the backlit keyboard doesn't work.

 

My point was that if you bought a MacBook, for <£800 it's of a higher spec than the £779 Dell laptop and you get iMovie and iDVD thrown in for free.

[MkII]

@ Indie: I find your comments offensive.

 

Get over the hurt m8 - macs are now mainstream - war is over.

[alan-d]

http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10285825&pid=5&rstrat=3180

 

Check this one out.

 

Nice one

 

@ indie A single Mac in our environment would not be cost effective as the laptop has to run windows apps to carry out other tasks. If I were creating a new suite then that may be a different story.

 

As for your other comment - I'll assume that it was hot on a late Fri night and you were tired

[indie]

Fair doo's, maybe they couldn't cope with a Mac then!

 

I appologise for last night, i'd had a few beers!