Comp GuRus.....some laptop input please

[ajblbv]

Okay guys, looking at new laptops. I prefer to buy local in case of issues....so CostCo, Walmart(don't want to) or BestBuy.

I am looking at laptops with an Intel i3, Windows 7, and a hard drive with 7200 RPMs. Then after a little more research I found that they make 7200 RPM drives with a 16 MB cache that almost no brand seems to use. So I almost want to buy a laptop then upgrade the hard drive separately.

Before I go that route, is mobile computing at the speed point that the 7200 RPM drive is worth it over the standard 5400?

What else should I be looking out for? Looking at $500-700 ideally, because I plan on getting another in a couple years since technology is outpacing. Primary uses are simple media, word processing, and the occasional movie watching. Would like to have HDMI out.

Any questions or input, please post up. Thanks.

 

[jdsbusa]

On a $500-700 budget I doubt you'll see much increase in performance between hard drives. Try to get the best bang for your buck in terms of all around features. Most laptops in that price range should have HDMI, also try for a 4GB of ram so you're not having to upgrade that anytime soon. Look at Newegg and Tigerdirect for good comparison shopping and customer reviews, then armed with that info go to your local store which should have the same models.

One thing, avoid overpaying for things such as BestBuy's "Geek Squad" prepped laptops which I add $120 I believe to the price, all they've really done is create the restore DVD's for you which you can do at home for a couple bucks in black DVD's - not worth $120 service cost. Put that money back into your pocket or get a higher model with more features.

One last thing, and this is just a pet peeve of mine based on some past really bad experiences, look for the charger ports that use a single pin charge plug. Dell had some really bad designs in the past and a few other manufacturers followed suit on some models. They had odd shaped ports with multiple pins that would break over time or become so lose they no longer worked, also had a couple that actually broke off the port on the motherboard to charge so the laptop required a new mobo install - not cheap!

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

Not sure why your buying from ones listed ?
If issues occur what help will you get from any of those ?
Walmart has computer trained techs ?
Don't think so ?
So order it online and save some money !
All I can about that .

Others will chime in on type of laptop you should get.

 

[ajblbv]

Not sure why your buying from ones listed ?
If issues occur what help will you get from any of those ?
Walmart has computer trained techs ?
Don't think so ?
So order it online and save some money !
All I can about that .

Others will chime in on type of laptop you should get.

One of the main reasons is if I don't like it after a few days of use. CostCo at least will take it back no questions asked for 90 days. I think Best Buy is 30 days (might not be anymore, haven't checked)

Though not a huge amount of money, it's something I will use every day so would be peeved if I was not satisfied. Online seems to only save me 5-10%.

Just mentioned Walmart so people would know what my area offers haha.

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

One of the main reasons is if I don't like it after a few days of use. CostCo at least will take it back no questions asked for 90 days. I think Best Buy is 30 days (might not be anymore, haven't checked)

Though not a huge amount of money, it's something I will use every day so would be peeved if I was not satisfied. Online seems to only save me 5-10%.

Just mentioned Walmart so people would know what my area offers haha.

Yes that seems fair . 5-10% more for local to have peace of mind .
I would think most online etailers would offer same though no ?
Has to be some sort of return policy with them as well right ?

 

[ajblbv]

Most have restocking fees + shipping, so just a general pain in the tookus

 

[TheAtomicAss]

Your money is better spent on maxing out the ram, than going above 5400 RPM.

My MacMini has a 5400 RPM laptop drive, and it kills everything connected to the Mini. I achieve write speeds of 15MBps on my external USB drives, and I can transfer from the internal drive to BOTH external drives simultaneously, and still max out their transfer.

Also, consider buying the memory at least online. When I got my MacMini, maxing out the ram in any store I went would have cost me $130 + tax. Crucial was $55 with shipping for the exact same thing.

 

[BIG GUY]

The problem that you are having is why I am glad my mom has the job that she has. She runs the entire network of computers at a local highschool and have some friends that are good at building computers. I'm having one of her friends build my computer for me.

 

[ajblbv]

Found what I want at both costco and best buy.....costco is 320 gb for 700, best buy is 730 for 500 gb, but best buy return policy is 14 days with 15% open box fee.....costco is 90 days no question asked, plus free two year warranty handling.......damn decisions lol

 

[racerV]

I bought my wife a 17" HP from Walmart. After the extended warranty it was around $900, had the screen stop working, called the warranty. They sent a box with a label, shipped it to them, they shipped it back within a week problem solved. I have a 20" notebook that I paid $4200 and have had no issues with it. Having a laptop pieced together by a no name company is a good bet that you will be throwing away money.

 

[ogre]

13 inch macbook pro with a 256Gb solid state hard drive. that'll process all the media you can deal with, and with flash based memory, your seek times are super fast.

 

[ogre]

13 inch macbook pro, just for you...