question

[dream_labyrinth]

Folowing up a conversation I had with wolflady26, I snooped around the notebooks at the store today. (Went in to buy some cd cases)
And I noticed once more that I have no idea whatsoever about what I'd need.
But hey, know your limits and know whom to ask!
So here goes:
I'm thinking about buying a laptop/notebook. I would want to use it to watch movies on DVD, to play media files (Sandra, what was the format of the Ranma and Gilmore Girls episodes?), to write. It should have a decent Windows version that has the usual Windows games because I like to play Solitaire, Freecell and Spider Solitaire.
Maybe, as soon as I have my own place, I could use it to go online, but I am not sure about that yet as I still think a desktop computer would be better for that.

I don't mind it to look good, either.

So anybody can give me information on what I should look for and how much that would cost?


Oh, and as I had something in my last post about things just being WRONG: A VIVA vj announced Gigi D'Agostino's "La Passion". But even thought he got the article right, he pronounced "passion" like the English word. WTF???? Do you homework, dude! (My brother suggested VIVA finds their moderators under a rock somewhere.
MTV is a long way from Ray Cokes and similar geniuses, but they're not that far down yet. On German MTV, people like Markus Kavka still hold up a certain standard.

And I am a lemming. I went back and started tagging my entries. I think I wrote better posts with more interesting contents when I started back in June 2004.

Comments

[wolflady26.livejournal.com]

The video files are usually .avi.

I'm guessing that you could get a laptop that would suit your purposes just fine for 400-600€ quite easily. You might be able to get one cheaper, if you were willing to risk buying used or some suck. You can get one that far exceeds your needs for 800-900€. And I still don't quite grasp what it is you think you need from a desktop computer that would make it more suitable for web surfing and the like. The laptops you can get for those price ranges are probably more powerful than my desktop (which was given to me - the only reason why I didn't buy a laptop). You could hook your laptop up to a monitor, mouse, and regular keyboard for far less than the price of a separate desktop, it would be more convenient for travel to your parents, and would cost (nearly) half as much as buying two computers for the same purposes.

For basic specs, I'd recommend:
1.6 Ghz Processor OR Athlon 2000+ minimum (faster is better) (Athlon tends to be more powerful and cost less).
256 MB Ram memory minimum (more is better)
DVD drive (burner is better)
80 Gig hard drive (bigger is better)
Modem (for dial-up) or Network card (for DSL) for web surfing in the future.
A decent graphics card (64MB minimum)
A soundcard (just about any that they'll sell today should work)

[wolflady26.livejournal.com]

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/inspn_1300?c=de&cs=dedhs1&l=de&s=dhs

Dell.de, for example, has a serviceable laptop for 529€ - and Dell is usually not the cheapest place to find computers!

[wolflady26.livejournal.com]

Ralf today happened to mention that Intel processors tend to run cooler than Athlon, so while he recommends Athlon processors for desktops, he prefers Intel for laptops. I thought I'd pass that tidbit on to you while I was at it :D

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

Oh, thanks! I'll keep that in mind.

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

Thanks!
My computer guy at work always said that desktop computers are usually faster and better than laptops. But I think he isn't a friend of laptops in general, so he might not be the best resource for that information.

[wolflady26.livejournal.com]

Well, if you were doing something seriously processor-intensive and needed the best and fastest computer on the market, then he might be right. But since you're not looking at shelling out 4000-5000€ on the newest and fastest computer on the market, then you don't really have to worry about it. A laptop can do what you need it to do quite easily and inexpensively.

If you were definitely going to use a computer in only one location, then getting a desktop would be fine. But with travelling home nearly every weekend, the mobility of a laptop will be really useful for you, and it just doesn't make any sense to me to pay for two computers that are both capable of performing the same functions.

Though of course, once you actually use your laptop, you'll be in the best position to decide whether you still need a desktop or not.

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

Having a laptop will definitely give me more options for its use. Even if I don't drive home all that often once I get my own place, it'll still be nice to not be confined to one room to use the computer.

The more I think about it, the more appealing does the idea sound...

[wolflady26.livejournal.com]

To put it in perspective, the specs I recommended are basically on par with our desktops. Our desktops have 512 MB RAM memory, which you can probably get for a decent price with your laptop, and more hard drive space, which is always a bonus but not necessary for performance. Especially when you have a CD/DVD burner to store extra stuff.

Our desktops are capable of playing the latest games, graphics manipulation, web surfing, and everything else that we normally do with our computers - which, considering that you are (so far) not that into games, is probably a bit more intensive than what you will need to do. Even if you do get hooked on games, it shouldn't be a hinderance to use the laptop.

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

that you are (so far) not that into games
So far??? You got me hooked on Gilmore Girls and Ranma, and you make me drink alcohol. Isn't that enough? ;-)

[wolflady26.livejournal.com]

Nope :D

[quietselkie.livejournal.com]

Yep, what wolflady26 said.

I use laptops exclusively. A Mac at home (skip that, they are too expensive for add-on software) and a Dell at the office.

Both surf the internet beautifully. The Dell at work has an extra monitor that is bigger and gives more screen room for graphics, but the newer laptops and notebooks have very good screens, and many of my co-workers do not use the extra monitor because they feel they don't need it.

I would suggest a wireless card if any of the internet cafes or places like that where you are provide wireless internet.

I use iTunes for my music, on both machines. There is also the Windows Media Player that comes with a Windows operating system, usually, and it does OK on sound and DVD.

The only real reasons to go desktop instead of laptop:
1) if you REALLY want to add more stuff (drives, memory, other equipment etc.) to the machine, desktops have more expandability and usually more ports on the machine. In the 5 years I've had my Mac for writing and playing, I haven't needed them.
2) After a while, the moving parts on laptops can fail. Like the hinges and ribbon cables between the screen and the machine. But I haven't had trouble with that on either of my laptops because I don't treat it harshly.

If you go laptop, get a good bag for carrying it and all its stuff.

Thanks!

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

AFAIK, none of the places around here have wireless internet access. So a network card should probably do. I hate to wait, so I'd likely try and get DSL connection once I have a home. Should be faster than dial-up.

[jonthedull.livejournal.com]

256MB of RAM will be Ok, but I think getting 512MB would be a better investment. The computer will be a bit faster because it won't need to access the harddrive as much.

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

I'm all for a fast computer, so 512MB sounds like a good idea. Thanks!

[lucie-p.livejournal.com]

If you do not want to play any action games that require high graphic standards, any laptop on the market will do, I guess. What you should be looking for is how long the batteries hold when charged. And maybe check the monitor, some flat screens only let you see things from a very narrow angle, which can be quite a nuisance. In those cases, even someone sitting next to you would be fairly unable to clearly see what is on the screen, which is bad if you want to share pictures or stuff like that. But it would of course give you privacy on long train rides...

I think there is no way around Windows XP for a new ready-to-use laptop, but that should work fine for any movie formats.

What might be useful would be the ability to hook it up to a tv to watch said movies on a larger screen when you get the chance, so a "tv/video out" connection might be an option to look for.

If you have a digital camera (and/or mp3 player or PDA), a slot for your CF or SD cards would be handy, as would be enough USB slots to connect them and other stuff (WLAN stick, external mouse) you might not think of right now, but as you will have the laptop for a couple of years, it would be best to be prepared.

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

Thanks you!
I've seen you can get USB hubs so you can add extra USB slots. (Tchibo had one recently, I think) Are those a feasible way to add USB slots, or does the connection become very slow then?