Need input on specific laptops

[pinkwarrior40]

Hi. I'm new to these forums and I came here specifically to get some information about getting a new laptop. Please move this if this is not in the right place. Today, I went to Best Buy to look at their laptops. I'm set on going there because I have gift cards for there to specifically put towards buying a new laptop.

I know that Best Buy has reviews on the laptops but sometimes it is hard to really take those for what it's worth. Some people on there may completely bash the laptop for something they did.

My current laptop is an HP Pavilion dv6000. I will NOT go back to using an HP. I want a laptop that will be fast and will hold enough memory. I use a laptop for researching and surfing the web. I'm a graduate student going for my Master's. My other uses for the laptop is for downloading songs from iTunes and uploading pictures. I'm not that big on games, except I would like to put The Sims back on my laptop. My price range is nothing more than $600....unless someone on here could point me to a very good laptop.

To begin with I would like input on these brands:

• Toshiba
• Acer
• Lenovo

I stayed away from HP and Dell. But how are Sony and Samsung on laptops? I wasn't too sure, so I didn't look at them that long.

Now, here are the specific laptops that I looked at:

• Asus. Intel Core i5 Mobile Processor Laptop. It has a 15.6 screen, 6 GB DDR3 memory and 640GB hard drive
• Asus. Intel Core i3-2230M Processor Laptop. It has a 14 screen, 4GB DDR3 memory and 500 GB hard drive
• Asus. Intel Core i5-2430M Processor Laptop
• Lenovo. Intel Core i5 Processor Laptop. It has a 15.6 screen, 6 GB DDR3 memory and 750 GB hard drive
• Lenovo. Intel Core i3-2330M Processor Laptop. It has a 15.6 screen, 4 GB DDR3 memory and 500 GB hard drive
• Toshiba. Intel Core i3-2330M Processor Laptop. It has a 15.6 screen, 4 GB DDR3 and 500 GB hard drive
• Toshiba. Intel Core i5 Processor Laptop. It has a 14 screen, 6 GB DDR3 memory and 640 GB hard drive
• Toshiba. Intel i3-2330M Processor Laptop. It has a 15.6 screen, 6 GB DDR3 memory and 640 GB hard drive

Some of the laptops that I looked at said that "NETGEAR Push2TV adapter" was required. Is it REALLY required? If so, why? Because can't you just use an HDMI cord to connect from your laptop to the TV? That's what I have done in the past for my laptop as with my fiance's laptop.

Alright, I realize that I said that my price range was not more than $600. However, given that I could do the 18-month finance plan at Best Buy, I could be persuaded on getting a Mac. I'm told that Mac is the way to go and "once you go Mac, you never go back." I've never used a Mac before and I always avoided using the Mac desktops on campus because I was unfamiliar with them. But as with any new electronic you have to adapt to it (like I adapted to using a smartphone).

So, what is your opinion on Mac's? IF I would go that route, I would like to stay in the price range of less than $1,500.

[Indigo]

Sony is a waste. They have pulled things on me both personally and professionally that will make me avoid them for the next 5 years. I don't say it lightly, it was basic stuff that most companies back in the 90's had already figured out. /sigh

Toshiba used to be on my crap-list too, but it's been a while since I've tried them, so I'm starting to cautiously recommend them to people. Their hard drives are still crap though.

Lenovo is win. We buy them all the time at work, their website is a joy to work with for drivers, and their support is fast to answer my questions. Acer is also OK, but is more budget than high end. They're trying to change that, so watch out for deals.

Don't worry too much about the Netgear BS they're trying to sell you. If they weren't that easy, we'd be seeing a lot more online from people upset about it.

Don't go Mac. You'll turn into an evangelist, PCs will be lesser life forms, and most people will never talk to you again. Even if you are the father of their child.

I jest, but seriously... Macs aren't all they're cracked up to be. The best you can do, and I tell everyone this - try it out, see if it fits your style, but be prepared to spend massive amounts of money for technology that was generally at its prime a few years ago, and God help you if anything breaks. A coworker of mine recently had a hard drive crash, and Apple, even under warranty, told her "basically it's dead - nothing we can do about it" - and it wasn't even her fault. Any technician with half a brain could tell. It's so irritating to see them charging prices like that and get away with customer disservice. Though, I've also heard cases where they bend over backwards... so as with most things, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).

Most of the Macs I've seen that are worth owning are far north of the $1500 price tag, for what it's worth.

[01001010]

Originally Posted by Indigo

The best you can do, and I tell everyone this - try it out, see if it fits your style, but be prepared to spend massive amounts of money for technology that was generally at its prime a few years ago, and God help you if anything breaks. A coworker of mine recently had a hard drive crash, and Apple, even under warranty, told her "basically it's dead - nothing we can do about it" - and it wasn't even her fault. Any technician with half a brain could tell. It's so irritating to see them charging prices like that and get away with customer disservice. Though, I've also heard cases where they bend over backwards... so as with most things, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).

Apple dominates PC customer satisfaction, HP, Dell, Acer improve | ZDNet

...and your blurb about "technology that was generally at its prime a few years ago" is full of it.