I agree with most of what everyone else said. You can get a pretty good laptop for far less than any top of the line model. If you plan on using it on you lap, or portably a lot of the time, you don't want a 17" screen. While that is a wonderful size for working at a desk with, they really are a little cumbersome sitting on your legs. They also get heavy to lug around if you plan on doing a lot of walking. High performance processors also mean more heat and it's very important not to block any air intakes on the bottom if sitting on your lap or on a soft surface.

I have a 17" wide screen, with a normal full size keyboard that I though I'd love, and it is a nice powerful machine and plays DVDs great, but it is definitely not a laptop. I use a small portable table if I'm sitting in the living room with it. I use it for PLC programming and CAD for work, but most of the time at home I just use my desktop machine.

Good luck with your decision.

Quoting mediadogg:

Quote:

Oh man, I totally misread that. 
"Never mind ..." sorry about that.

No problem,
while reading your post I already came to the conclusion that either you misread something, or we have totally different opinions on what a notebook might be. 


Please note the highly advanced dual-display-technology!
It seems though that this notebook is somewhat under-RAM-ed (see hourglass in the middle of main-display)

       

As far as brand, the branding companies are usually just that, brands. They change ODMs (designer and maker) and CMs (makers) all the time. The person who had a bad experience with a dell could have bought a n HP laptop made by the same company on their next purchase

In terms of finding the best price, if you are i the US  I would look at slickdeals.net and fatwallet.com

I purchased what were good specs averaging $600 for $300 two years ago.

In terms of the specs and the mix it really really depends on what you want to do with it. Is it a primary or secondary machine. Are you actually a road warrior? are you carrying it to class every day?
Are you planning on any gaming or video edit which require the highest specs adn if not you want a moderate to low spec laptop.

you must -- MUST include in your purchase plan an external drive to keep a back up. Which brings up the point that someone mentioned extended warranty. I say: Don't get an extended warranty. There is a REASON why the consumer groups advise against extended warranties. And it is especially a bad purchase for laptops. If you are a smart buyer you can shave down the retailer profit on your laptop to $10 or $20. It is crazy to then buy a warranty which has a 50% profit for the retailer. Laptops rarely just break. they are dropped or stolen or left under a airplane seat. the warranty doesn't protect you. spend the money on an external drive instead.  If your laptop has a 200 to 400GB drive you can get a 1 TB external for $9 and have a full backup plus room for other files.

As far as screen size and battery life that is highly variable on individual use. Lots of people use their laptops 90% traveling and 25% away from power outlets but the great majority just use it occasionally for traveling and rarely off of power. If you are like most in the latter category, get a nice good size screen and don't worry too much about battery. smaller screen and bigger battery is great for road warrior but is a mistake for most buyers. Same thing for ultra thin. they look sexy, and are easy on the arm for carrying but you pay more for thinness and lose features.

Remember:
- you pay for thinness either in more cost or less features.
- You pay for battery life either in more wight or smaller screen and weaker processor
- There is a good chance it will suffer catastrophic loss, from theft, misplacement, fall, coffee spilled into its keyboard could destroy the whole machine etc, much higher chance than a desktop --  so always include in your costs an external drive to backup!

Quoting Kulju:

Quote:
Quoting aiax:

Quote:
I say: Don't get an extended warranty. There is a REASON why the consumer groups advise against extended warranties.

Man, what ever you are on, I want some too. There is two options, eather you are classic case of nerd who have had a few computers and jump to conclusions based on that or you just don't know anything about computers. In a place I work we purchase about 1000 computers per year. First rule of thumb is NEVER to buy anything less than with 3 year warranty.

Couldn't agree more. it's like an insurance. You hope you never need it, but when you do, you are glad you have. A 3 year warranty extension for HP costs about 100-150€. If your LCD should break down, the cost alone is easily 250€, probably more for larger models, not including working hours.

I would advise against paying for more than 3 years. The cost for a 4th and/or 5th year makes it less interesting. If my laptop breaks down after 3 years, I'll toss it out, and get a new one.

I never buy the extended warranties either.  I did on my big screen TV because the free bulb replacement almost covered the cost of the warranty, but other than that I skip them.  With the money I've saved skipping extended warranties over the years (that I've not needed), I could easily replace any device in my home and still have money left over.

Of course I'm also a techno-geek and can handle most problems that arise.

I also fall on the side of brand not being as important these days.  Laptops are old technology and companies know how to put them together now. Plus they all buy their parts from the same suppliers.  Its not like HP uses special HP components that are better than than the components from someone else.

Quoting Ace_of_Sevens:

Quote:
I never get extended warranties on electronic. They lose value to the poitn where you are generally better just buying a new one if something big breaks.

Me eather, because I don't buy anything with less than 3 years standard warranty. +3 years, I think it is a waste of money.