Okay, I'm gonna be looking for a laptop soon. I don't need any bells or whistles, I'm pretty much gonna be using it for internet (maybe) and music. Thing is I have A LOT of music (I wanna put my entire CD collection on there, and that's a lot) so I'll need something with lots of space. Again, I'm not gonna be doing any gaming or any graphics-intensive stuff, just music and possibly internet. I don't really wanna spend more than $700, and I don't want anything that's gonna crash all the time. Mac or PC, doesn't matter. Just looking for best overall value. And it should have a CD burner/ripper.....anyone got any ideas?????

one piece of advice - you should get an external hard drive to store all those music files. that way, if you trade your laptop in for something else on down the road, it's less of a hassle for you to transfer your music from the old computer to the new one. plus, it opens up more space on your computer's hard drive, which is never a bad thing. and if you have a huge music collection and you fill up the external hard drive, well, ya just go get another one. they're not terribly pricey.

Anxiety said:

Zakly.

Volitan, get a cheap laptop and an external. They've got loads of space and are cheap as hell.

Anxiety said:

Yeah, I'm probably gonna get an external HD, but as for the comp. itself, what does everyone suggest???

Volitan said:

i'll be lurking in this thread waiting for people to respond, too...i've been thinking about getting a new laptop myself.

Couple questions...

Why do you need a laptop over a desktop?

Do you know a techie guy that builds machines?

Whatever you do, don't get a Dell, Gateway, or HP.

Dance said:

No room for a Desktop. I'm on one now, but it has so many issues and BS going on with it, I'm just gonna let my dad do what he wants with it....and also, I can't get all my music on here...

No I don't know any techie guys

And that's the exact reason I started this thread, because I asked around (friends, etc) and people told me to get an Dell, or a gateway or an HP

the laptop i have now is a dell. i'd consider getting another one. the one i have now was a christmas gift and i know the person who got it for me didn't know much about picking out the right specs, but it does the job all the same. i've had my dell laptop for about 2 years now and i haven't had any major problems with it at all.

I'm on a dell right now, I've never had any problem with it in four years (!) other than a power supply dying.

Volitan said:

Do you live in a rabbit hutch? You have room for a desktop. A lot of people are getting them or want them simply because it's trendy and cheaper, but they don't stand up to the abuse most casual users will put them through.

What issues are you having with your current system?

And can you list the specs?

Dance said:

My room is very small. I'm mostly getting it so I can listen to tunes and/or go online whenever I want, without having to worry about if my dad is on the computer or not. Plus I'm 18, so I'm sure there's an independence thing in there somewhere too But seriously I'm mostly on my computer for music, and when my dad's home I can't play music on the computer in the living room. Not that I can't but I don't think he wants to hear music and stuff when he's trying to watch tv, relax from after work, etc.

My current computer just has a lot of stuff wrong with it. The music I have on here now has made it run slow as hell and just a bunch of crap is wrong with it. Strange problems coming out of nowhere, certain applications working certain days and not working others. CD burner is fucked, etc. My dad just wants to do a complete wipeout and start from scratch, blah, blah.

here's a good article i just scanned about what to look for when shopping for a new laptop:

http://blogs.techrepublic...ngs/?p=250

Even in a small room(especially with today's systems)you can comfortably have a desktop in there and a desktop is hella cheap.

For nearly half the price of a cheap lappy you can have a monster desktop. You really should consider it, especially if you're thinking about storage, BUT when it comes to storage you should take the advice of others here about external storage. How many songs/albums are we talking here in terms of your collection and what you estimate you'll be adding?

As far as annoying pops, get some good headphones.

Your dad's right about wiping it and starting over.

Again, if it's not too much trouble list the specs.

Also, do you have any of the system software that came with it?

Ok I’ll give this a shot!

Remember that Notebook PC’s have tiny speakers… there sound is more treble than bass.
The speakers are often not very loud. I recommend a set of small speakers or headphones if you plan on listening to music for any extended period of time.

I can’t help you with the MAC side, but if you choose to go with Windows, make sure you buy some additional RAM… most machines only provide 512mb Ram (you should opt for 1 gigabyte of ram).

If you’re feeling experimental, you can always install a FREE LINUX DISTRO and have a Dual OS system with Vista/XP and Ubuntu Linux.

Sometimes it’s better to buy ram elsewhere instead of buying it from Dell or Gateway.

I recommend Tiger Direct or New Egg if you know which spec’s you need.
http://www.tigerdirect.co...-Notebooks

http://www.newegg.com/Sto...-Notebooks

As for XP vs Vista, I personally feel that Win XP runs PEPPIER than Vista… Performance is important for me as a GAMER that does some light Video/Photo editing. (some retailers still sell windows XP PRO!)

Vista may not be compatible with older hardware (like Printers/Scanners/Video Equipment). If you have Vista, make sure you have 2 gigs of ram if you like to multi-task.

External HD sound like a Great Idea… you can by your own drive and put it into any Aluminum Case.

Take advantage of the Tiger Direct deals!

http://www.tigerdirect.co...HD-500AA16

http://www.tigerdirect.co...u=ULT33051

Remember to read all the comments on Tiger or New Egg listed by buyers… especially the negative ones!

Also look up the notebook model under amazon and read all the comments there as well.

Looks like everyone here is used to reading formus; here are two that I use when making my purchase decisions.

http://www.notebookreview.com/

http://www.notebookforums.com/

Pay attention to battery life and how warm the notebook gets.
Pay attention to the speed of the hard-drive… most notebooks come with a slow 5400rmp drive… I think it’s worth the few extra dollars to have a 7200rpm drive.

Pay attention to keyboard size / screen size / Screen Glossyness!

If you’re not comfortable installing operating systems, make you are given/sold the recovery disc’s.

As soon as you buy your machine, please use a WHITE background and look carefully for DEAD or SLOW pixels. If you see any, make sure you exercise your warranty.

I Wish you guys luck… you do need to do your homework to make sure you get your money’s worth.

r/f

Dance said:

My room is seriously small. I don't really have room to barely walk. 3 dressers, and a Bunkbed don't leave much room in an apt. bedroom.

I have probably 20 or 30 (tops) CD's. Plus I'll be buying more when I start getting the cash.....on the current comp I have now I have 499 songs

I've got no idea as far as specs. On the tower is says
**2.80Ghz Intel Celeron Processor
**512MB RAM
**80GB Hard Drive

Outside of that, I have no idea.

Actually...nevermind
[Edited 2/26/08 21:41pm]