Computer n00b needs help on what laptop to buy

Bakes · #1 06-12-2006, 09:06 AM

The title speaks it all. I have anywhere between 800 - 1200 dollars to spend on a new laptop, as mine is currently BUSTO. I was planning on just going to Best Buy and looking around, but maybe someone here can help me out.

What brand should I be looking for?
How much RAM do I need to 4-8 table party sngs?
Is there any sort of video requirements I need to attach another monitor to the laptop?
What other statistics are important in determining whether the laptop will be fast?

Thank you for your time,

D. Baker

terrellk11 · #2 06-12-2006, 09:45 AM

I have no where near enough information to answer most of these questions, but I can say with absolute certainly that nothing you find at Best Buy is going to match the prices at Dell. I just bought a laptop at Dell for $1,600 and the closest comparable model at Best Buy was over $3000.

Bakes · #3 06-12-2006, 09:59 AM

Ugh but the comparable dell is that Inspiron 1700 I think that is the ugliest laptop ever. My friend has it and I don't like a it a bit. I guess I could be persuaded to buy it though.

tomhunter · #4 06-12-2006, 12:23 PM

3 words DELL DELL AND DELL, do NOT go to pc world or some crap like that www.ebuyer.com and dabs.com are both very good, but i recommend dell for no fuss top quality laptops

terrellk11 · #5 06-12-2006, 12:24 PM

And search the web for coupons you can use at Dell. I got $750 off my laptop because I found one at some obscure site my wife recommended. Fatwallets and Slickdeals usually have some good ones.

terrellk11 · #6 06-12-2006, 12:33 PM

Just did a quick check on Fatwallet.com and saw that they have another of those $750 off Inspiron laptops that cost $1999 or more (replaces the sale Dell is having but is a better bargain) and Dell is still running their deal for free shipping. You can build a pretty solid poker laptop for $2,000 and get it for only $1250.

flash8pro · #7 06-12-2006, 01:33 PM

Terrell,

You've been doing a fine job helping others with their laptop buying. Keep up the good work.

BakingAce:
1. I've had the most experience with Dell, but I personally also like Toshiba and HP laptops in general. Any of these brands has a good reputation, but I prefer Dell laptops.
2. For your laptop I would recommend at least 1GB of RAM; you don't need this much to multitable, but it's just good policy to have at least this much. You may want to upgrade to Vista in the future, you may want to play games, etc. Also, if you have PokerTracker and many other apps open, you don't want to run out of RAM. Keep in mind that if you are going to stick with XP in the future and you want to be able to use the hibernate feature, the most RAM you can have is 1.5 GB.
3. Any video card offered with the current lineup of Dell laptops that has at least 128MB of memory should be able to handle a 2nd monitor without a problem. Personally, I would try to get at least a 256MB video card in the laptop for the simple fact that upgrading these components in a laptop is much more involved for someone who isn't technically savvy.
4. Other important things: Make sure you are getting a Dual-core CPU, even if it's slower than a P4 chip you might get. This will come in handy when you're multitabling, running PokerTracker / PAHud , etc. at the same time. I'd also recommend a 7200 RPM hard drive (for PokerTracker). Hard drive size is up to you - depends mostly on how many PC games and/or music/media that you plan to store on the computer. One last thing - if you go with a Dell, upgrade to the Sound Blaster sound card - the default integrated sound puts too much noise on the line (this is unrelated to poker, BTW). You'll notice the difference primarily when using headphones.