Hey guys how is everybody. My name is Steve and I am a nurse so I am not up to date on all the computer lingo. To be honest I do not know much about them at all. My question is I am going back to CRNA school and will be needing a new laptop. Everybody around me is telling me to get a Dell but I am really not sure which Dell to get. I would hate to get one and could have put just a little more money with it and get a big boost in performance!!!! So I am asking you guys what are some things I should look for when buying a new laptop? As far as the Gigabyts and the hard drives and the processors, anything and everything that I need to know would be very helpful. Thanks alot for the replys.

Hi merlebo02,
Firstly, welcome to CompuForums! It's great to have you here. I hope that you can post often in the future and add yourself to our member map.

Dell really is a Marmite brand - you either love them or hate them. I've never owned one myself but I personally suggest against purchasing a Dell PC/laptop. The tech support in India is mediocre, and they often use proprietary components which you can't purchase publicly, so you have to pay Dell to upgrade your computer - and no doubt they'll charge you more than you should pay. And I won't even mention the exploding batteries fiasco - that was Sony's fault anyway.

It's really best to get the best laptop you can afford. That way it won't become obsolete so quickly.

One brand I suggest for value is Acer - you get much more for your money. However, some of the designs are a little flimsy so if you're going to be travelling a lot you might want to consider going elsewhere.


If you could tell us exactly where and how you'll be using the laptop then we can suggest a few models for you.

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I will be using it mainly for school purposes. This would include things such as using the diff microsoft applications (power point, spreadsheets), probably do some turbo tax and finances, I will be using it to surf the web. Im not really into playing many games although I may purchase the Flight simulator from microsoft. Like you say I would like a good lap top so it would not become absolute so fast!!!! Just curious about the Gigabyts and all that, what exactly all that means?

Gigabytes is a unit for computer memory. One gigabyte is equal to 1000 megabytes [technically 1024GB, but I won't get into that]. Both hard drive space, and often, RAM size is quoted in gigabytes.

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Hello,

Welcome to CompuForums, we hope you enjoy the site and that we can provide you with useful information.

I tend to dislike Dell. There components are non-standardized and expensive. My favourite brand, by far is Apple, however some people dont like the Apple operating system, it is very different to Windows, if you are after a Windows computer I would definatly recommend HP, I have never had a problem with HP and there stuff seems decent quality. I have an Apple and a HP machine, both are top notch, hp runs Windows and my iBook runs OSX 10.4.8

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I also tend do dislike Dell. I had an older Dell notebook and it was great, but recently their quality has gone way down and their prices have gone way up. I'd go with Ash's recommendation and try Acer. You might not have heard of them, but don't let that fool you--they're a good-quality brand with great components and better prices than any other commercially-marketed notebooks.

Currently I have a Gateway notebook, and it's great. I got a deal on mine, though I've noticed that on the Gateway website, their prices have gone up a bit. Try Acer, if you can't find one where you're at, then give HP or Gateway a try--I'd go with Gateway over HP, but that's just my preference. I'd recommend something with 1 GB or RAM. Processor speed won't really matter if you're just doing light use like office apps, etc. But if you want to play the newest release of MS Flight Sim, this is a different story. I've heard it's fairly graphics intensive, so it might not be practical to buy a laptop with that in mind, as gaming-oriented laptops are very expensive, and seeing as you'd be using yours mostly for work and light use, it might be better just to put the game requirements on the back-burner for now.

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Hi,
I own a toshiba and am very satisfied with its performance. However I have several family members and friends that have bought Acer. The ones that have owned them the longest love them. Personally the next time I check into buying a PC I will seriously consider an Acer.

mbjones

In my family we have 5 computers 4 laptops 1 desktop.
I bought an acer aspire 3003 LCi in 2005 for $550 and it's great.

In 2004 my older brother bought a HP Pavilion zd 5000 for $999 and it overheats a'lot. I've cleaned out the dust but it still gets very hot on your lap and sometimes just turns off.

My dad has a Dell inspiron 2650 that a friend bought for him in 2001.
It cost $1500 and it still works because my Dad hardly ever uses it.

Another older brother of mine has a Compaq Presorio(desktop) that he got in 2006 and it has been working fine. It cost $450.

I like acer over every other brand of laptop computers because they are easy to clean work fast and don't ware out. I once had my computer in my hands and then accidently dropped it on a vinyl floor and nothing broke.

Acer computers don't cost to much and are very reliable.

I haven't really had any issues with Acer, apart from a laptop battery that they took 6 months to decide to replace, as it wasn't holding any charge at all :S. But oh well, they did it eventually.

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Thanks for all the replies, these will be very helpful. I will go find and acer web site and see if I cant get it in my area?

The Acer website may or may not list a store near you - many shops that sell Acer laptops are not listed. You should be able to find an online retailer that sells them however. If you're in the US, Newegg.com - Buy Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more! sell Acer laptops and ship to most US states.

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sure, if you post us a link to the laptop we'll tell you weather it is adequate for your needs, i expect it will be, office and internet are very basic applications. and we'll also go through each specification and explain it to you, by screen shotting the page and writing on it.

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I am probably gonna get the Acer. I have also narrowed it down to one of the aspire, but which one. Reading over some of the specifications they all look about the same. Aspire
Aspire 9420
Aspire 9810
Aspire 9800
Aspire 7110
Aspire 7000
Aspire 9300
Aspire 5100
Aspire 3690
Aspire 5050
Aspire 5680
Aspire 5630
Aspire 5680-3G
Aspire 5610
Which one of these do I choose lol. I am sorry to be a hassle to you guys but I truly do not know much about computers. I cant tell 2 cents off difference between any of them!!!!!
Acer - United Kingdom - Products

The numbers simply indicate the different models and don't indicate better performance.

I recently purchased the Acer Aspire 5612 and I'm quite impressed.

What country are you in?

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I live in Mississippi in the United States, what about you?