[YAYitsAndrew]

My gf is headed to college and wants a laptop. She isn't a gamer, she mostly listens to music and watches movies as well as your standard internet/word processor usage. After much discussion we decided that a laptop and an external kvm to sit at home were the best solution. She wants something small (which explains the extra monitor) but I've convinced her that the super compact laptops aren't worth the price/performance ratio. An example of something unacceptable is a dell latitude x1.

The price range is 1000-1500 US. I've configured a dell 600m that seems pretty nice and fits into that range nicely, but I thought I'd come here and ask people more in tune with the laptop market. What other companies should I be looking at for price comparisons? I refuse to buy a compaq product after the shaft they gave me on an older laptop I have with them. Don't care if they've changed.

Some specific questions I have:
I'm an AMD guy and don't closely follow intel. Can anyone give me an overview of the target use for the newer mobile processors (centrino, pentium m, celeron m).
Does loading up a laptop cause a faster drain on the battery? I'm used to chucking 1gb of memory into everything just in case, but if it's not worth the battery hit over 512mb I'd drop the memory down. I'm even more concerned about going with only 512mb because of shared memory with the integrated video card if the laptop has one.
What's the wireless card compatibility like these days? A couple years ago our school network would have trouble with certain manufacturers' wifi cards (dlink specifically).
How can I maximize battery life, besides a bigger battery and aggressive power management settings? Is there a specific processor or battery size I should aim for?
I'm unable to service laptops which is coincidentally one of the reasons I like to avoid them. I noticed dell's limited warranty doesn't cover accidents and you need to pay additional money to get spill/drop coverage added on. Is this trend popular among other laptop manufacturers? An accident warranty is a necessity because my girlfriend is a klutz.

Thanks for answering any of those questions that you can.

[No_Style]

I'm an AMD guy and don't closely follow intel. Can anyone give me an overview of the target use for the newer mobile processors (centrino, pentium m, celeron m).

Intel Pentium M (Centrino) at around 1.7 ~ 1.8 GHz should suffice. Performance/Price ratio is great. I'm also factoring battery performance. Simply, the best laptop platform.

Does loading up a laptop cause a faster drain on the battery? I'm used to chucking 1gb of memory into everything just in case, but if it's not worth the battery hit over 512mb I'd drop the memory down. I'm even more concerned about going with only 512mb because of shared memory with the integrated video card if the laptop has one.

Go for the 1 GB.

What's the wireless card compatibility like these days? A couple years ago our school network would have trouble with certain manufacturers' wifi cards (dlink specifically).

Compatibility is of little concern these days. Centrino based platform solutions will work fine with most institutions.

How can I maximize battery life, besides a bigger battery and aggressive power management settings? Is there a specific processor or battery size I should aim for?

Centrino, Centrino, Centrino. Simply an outstanding mobility platform.

I'm unable to service laptops which is coincidentally one of the reasons I like to avoid them. I noticed dell's limited warranty doesn't cover accidents and you need to pay additional money to get spill/drop coverage added on. Is this trend popular among other laptop manufacturers? An accident warranty is a necessity because my girlfriend is a klutz.

Some cover these kinds of things, like Hypersonic.

Thanks for answering any of those questions that you can.

No problem. Take a look at this article for more info: Intel's Centrino CPU (Pentium-M): Revolutionizing the Mobile World

[SaberZ]

A centrino that is 1.4ghz or higher is fine.


1 gig would be perfect.



you can checkout http://www.gotapex.com for deals on Dell Inspiron Notebooks. These are business deals so when you order put in the code listed and you'll be given that discount at time of checkout. Picked up a nice laptop for 1300 thats after a 750 dollar instant savings for a lappy with a 6800 go . Check it out, and good luck, you can spec out something excellent for under 1k that is far superior to stuff usually that price

[YAYitsAndrew]

Is there any problem with ordering from the small business site despite not being a small business? What about with warranty/accident?

[yoda133113]

Originally Posted by YAYitsAndrew

I'm an AMD guy and don't closely follow intel. Can anyone give me an overview of the target use for the newer mobile processors (centrino, pentium m, celeron m).

If you get a Centrino System, that means that is has a P-M (any > 1.2 - 1.3 is plenty for what she will be doing, and even some gaming, but it won't have a good enough video card so that won't matter) and an Intel B-G wireless card (these things are some of the best).
DO NOT GET A CELERON, celeron m's are basically crippled P-M's just like regular Celerons are basically crippled P-4's. Technically it also means it has one of a certain few chipsets from intel, but they almost all have this.

Does loading up a laptop cause a faster drain on the battery?

Yes, getting EVERYTHING can hurt you, but you shouldn't have a problem with this.

I'm used to chucking 1gb of memory into everything just in case, but if it's not worth the battery hit over 512mb I'd drop the memory down. I'm even more concerned about going with only 512mb because of shared memory with the integrated video card if the laptop has one.

512 is plenty even though it's shared (again it's for what she needs, not what you would get), but 1 gig is future-proof, but you can upgrade later if you need to (but expensive). It's your call, 512 could save you some money, if it's important, it's entirely your call. 768 might be a good idea as a comprimise.

What's the wireless card compatibility like these days? A couple years ago our school network would have trouble with certain manufacturers' wifi cards (dlink specifically).

See above about Centrino, this isn't a problem.

How can I maximize battery life, besides a bigger battery and aggressive power management settings? Is there a specific processor or battery size I should aim for?

If you get a P-M this isn't a problem, (if you can, get a 758 or 748 those are Low Voltage versions of the P-Ms (1.5 and 1.4 gig respectively), but this isn't that important) (you can see my specs down there, and I get 3-4.5 hours on the small battery, and 5-7 hours on the large one. If you get a backup battery then this shouldn't be ANY problem) but getting a good video card will kill your battery life in comparison (I notice it when I play games, my battery life DROPS). As much as I hate IGP that is plenty for what she needs probably, and will give longer battery life, and save money.

I'm unable to service laptops which is coincidentally one of the reasons I like to avoid them. I noticed dell's limited warranty doesn't cover accidents and you need to pay additional money to get spill/drop coverage added on. Is this trend popular among other laptop manufacturers? An accident warranty is a necessity because my girlfriend is a klutz.

Kinda Standard Procedure, it sucks don't it. they are more servicable than most people realize, but finding parts is IMPOSSIBLE (not quite, but close), so get the accident coverage.

Thanks for answering any of those questions that you can.

No Prob


You might also want to look at Gateway, lately some of thier offerings have been really good. (Since they merged with e-Machines). Check out the M250 it also has a better processor than the Dell (Sonoma 533 mhz FSB as opposed to 400 mhz the 730, 740, 750, 760, and 770 are all the sonomas, these are awesome). Toshiba makes good laptops too (Satellite M30X, M45, M50 are possible options)

That's all I can think of for now, good luck.

[RIV@NVX]

Another interesting model to look at is Fujitsu Siemens AMILO L1300. It's 15.4" widescreen, 1280x800 res. It has Celeron M, but it should suffice for what you mentioned. Not sure about memory, as I have only found 512MB version so far. Integrated GFX/Wireless (standard stuff). It's little less than 1100$ in my country, so I'm sure it can be found under 1000$, which isn't bad for what it offers.

[YAYitsAndrew]

The amilos are nice laptops but it doesn't look like they're available in the US.