I used a Dell laptop for 5 to 6 years and I never had

a problem with the monitor.  I did turn it off at night though and used a screen saver.   I now have a Toshiba that I've had for about 18 months.  I turn it off for the weekend because I also have a desktop I use for non-MT stuff, but I leave it on most of the time otherwise, unless going out of town.  I have not had a problem with this monitor either.  I also have an HP laptop that I've had for about 5 years.  I don't use it on a daily basis, but I have never had a problem with the screen on it either. 

I have never used an external monitor, though I do use an external keyboard. 

• Laptop user question... please advise... - tbpmt
  • I used a Dell laptop for 5 to 6 years and I never had - me
    • Would anyone be willing to...sm - Share
    • I use laptops exclusively...sm - LaptopMT
  • I use a laptop most of the time - gotlatte

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu

was a piece of junk, so I'm not the one to ask if you should buy a Dell.   I'd get at least double that processor speed.  My computer is about 10 months old and I have 5 times that, which means that there is probably something faster out now, or soon will be.  It is more than I need for work, but I also use computer to download music/pictures, and a bunch of other stuff.   The Dell I had had 650 mHz and it was slow and that was almost 6 years ago.   You may have to customize anyway to get XP unless you buy one previously owned, which you can also buy from Dell.   It is always a good idea to buy bigger than you need currently just to allow for updates to any software or new software you may add.    You need to also think about tech support.  I know Dell has tech support in India, which can be extremely frustrating.  I don't know that other computer companies don't offshore their tech support, but that would be a question I would ask and find out if there is a locally authorized dealer to handle warranty repairs or if you need to send off the computer.    I would not recommend a Gateway computer and I would not recommend any computer that has a Celeron processor.   They tend to be in all the lower end computers. 

Hi Everyone!

For those of you who use laptops, I was just curious if you would share your brand preference.  I currently have a Dell and I love it.  I am thinking of getting a second laptop so my son would be able to use this one for school and I would then have one just for work.  Like I said I have a Dell and love it (and will probably purchase another Dell) but before purchasing another, I want to make sure I am not missing something with another brand. 

TIA.

and an HP desk top.  The Dell is a piece of junk and I'm fixing to piece it out.  I haven't had any problems with the Toshiba but I still prefer my HP and if I were to get a new computer it would be HP. 

The cheaper computers of any brand tend to have Celeron processors and they are really a cheap processer and I personally wouldn't buy one, but otherwise there is nothing wrong with the computers, they just don't have all the bells and whistles.  If they last 2 years you've gotten your money out of them and they have become practically dinosaurs by then anyway. 

It was used when I bought it and I want to make sure that I have everything I need to work from home on it.  The PC I'm on now will be going back to the hospital.  It is a Dell Latitude.  It has a Pentium IV processor, 512 mg of RAM, 40 gig hard drive, wireless internet plus ethernet card, Windows 2000.  Will that laptop suffice for working from home?  I assume it will, but I just want to make sure before I starting applying places.

Thanks!   

We had to call them because then the mouse broke down and so they finally replaced the own keyboard etc..best use of buying a 3-year warranty that I ever saw...especially with Dell.

I have a 17-inch screen and use an external keyboard 99% of the time.   

Definitely need an external keyboard and I would also recommend an external mouse instead of using the touch pad, unless you have a keyboard that has a touch pad.    Unless you plug in an external monitor too, the smaller screen may be an adjustment, although several of the newer laptops have 17 to 17.5 screens now.   A major plus to a laptop is if the power goes out and you download via wav files you can work, at least for a little while, using the battery.   I have cable internet, but I also get 20 hours/month dial-up with that, so I can use the dial-up to download/upload and use my battery to work for 3+ hours.   You can also get  an inexpensive inverter to plug into your cigarette lighter in your car and plug your laptop into that to charge your battery, or use for working in the car while traveling.  I have a box about 1-1/2 inches tall that all my power cords plug into and I have my laptop sitting on that and it makes it the right height for typing. 

Laptops generally run considerably more than a desktop, though you can find a decent laptop now for $800.00 or less, though most will run you around $1000.00/more depending on what bells and whistles you want. 

 I use an external keyboard 99.9% of the time, use the laptop keyboard if I'm in the car.    I'm used to the monitor, but if you're used to a larger one you can also hook up an external monitor.  Not sure how many USB ports computers have now, but I have 3 on my laptop and I have a USB hub I can connect if I need more.   I haven't used a desktop in so long, but I can't think of an advantage of one over the other.

I have a power box that all my equipment hooks into that I sit my laptop on top of.  You will need to elevate it in some way or you'll get a crick in your neck. 

meant to be mobile, at least that what a salesman told me.  I was looking at the Sony Viao and he said there weren't really meant to be mobile, at least not as their main function.   Get a good padded case, use an external keyboard.   Anything you get off the shelf these days should be enough for you to work on.   I'd get one that had a DVD player just in case you want to watch movies while traveling.  I'd get a minimum of 512 RAM, preferably twice that. 

With all the back to school sales now is a good time to be buying a laptop.  Also, if your state has a tax-free weekend (ours is this weekend) you can save another $200.

I'd make sure you had enough USB ports to plug in everything you need.  You can always buy a USB hub for $20 or less if you need more.  

Be sure and get the extended warranty.  If you need repairs it will pay for itself the first time.  

Whatever you get don't get Vista.  It might be hard to find one without it unless you order it.  I'm not sure if you can dump Vista and install Windows or not.

Whatever you get give yourself a couple of weeks to try it out at home and make a check list of all you need to take with you.  I've traveled and left my external keyboard at home, I've left the adapter to convert my PS/2 keyboard to USB, and I think I even left my power cord once, so it is good to have a checklist so you don't forget stuff.  

When I upgrade my Stedman's I get the electronic ones so when I travel I have them on my computer and don't have to worry about carrying my books, or not being able to look things up if I don't have constant internet access. 

Make sure you get the extended warranty, again, MAKE SURE YOU GET THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. And, here is why.

My first laptop went out on my, though it was a couple of years old.  Because I had the extended warranty, a service tech came to my house, replaced motherboard, hard drive, heat sink, and keyboard.  He was able to back up everything first and restored it once all the new stuff was in place. 

One of my PCs kept giving some weird blue screen error and I couldn't get to go even in safe mode. I called up Dell, told them the problem, they looked up my extended warranty and they sent someone out to repair it.

Overall, I have been happy with Dell products.  The only drag is that everything Dell sells regarding accessories is proprietary and you have to order it through Dell.  No generic accessories will work.  My suggestion is if you decide to buy a Dell laptop, make sure you get the car power supply and you might even get a 2nd regular power supply because I have been known to leave town and forget the power supply at the house.  Now, I have everything in my laptop bag for when I go out of town and can just throw my laptop in the bag and know everything is there.

Lastly, some Dell laptops require a special aircard to connect to the internet.  I ended up getting a 2 cabled USB air card and I'm glad I did because 2 USB plug ins give better reception than one.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. I'm happy to help.

I have LOTS of peripherals on both my laptop and desktop Dells and they certainly didn't come from Dell. You've been misinformed.

I love my Dells.

My computer is an Inspiron 5150... it ran about $1200 and I have had it going on 3 years  now.  Probably more computer than I needed, but I figure if you can afford it  try to get the best, especially since I use it mainly for work and got a tax write off for it. Mine has a CD burner and other stuff which I probably could have done without, but I have been very happy with it.

Dell has been a lemon, no problems with HP.  I do not have a docking station, not really needed unless you plan on moving the laptop a lot without using any of the peripherals such as foot pedal, external keyboard.

Just about any laptop you buy off the shelf will have 256 RAM, I would recommend more if available.  I have a 15" screen, which is pretty standard, although I have seen some with I think 17" screen.   I have a serial port, game port, and USB port.  These are pretty standard too, but you can get adapters for any of these if your computer doesn't have them.

I don't understand why laptops confuse people.  They perform all the same functions as a desktop, come with the same options, just in a smaller package.