LAPTOP Help

[trickydoc]

Guys,
I have to very soon buy a laptop good for general use as well as small business. It has to be a non VISTA, perferably Windows 7 professional. I thought I could go online and search to fine a decent machine, but is has been so long for me I am still stuck in the Pentium days. I have no idea what to get. I do know I want a decent machine for around $1500.00 including Microsft Office with small business contact assist? At least I think that is what it is called. I have looked online at the HP EliteBook 8440w. Is this decent? Or do you have a recommendation? I need help. I use a iphone and need to sync contacts , calanders and emails through outlook. That is about all I know. I look forward to your informed comments. Thanks. Around4 GB RAM and 120 GB HD sound right???

Get as big hard drive as you can want, ram, ram, ram Get as much ram as your computer will hold, or until your wallet is flat.

 

[walleye]

Wow, thanks for all the quick and informative replies. I should mention that the $1500 needs to include needed software such as Office small business and Adobe Acrobat. So far, the info from all of you seems to go with what Iceman says:
-4Gb RAM (more the better)
-320Gb HDD (500Gb is my min)
-17" WideScreen Display (larger = bulkier/heavy)
-8-cell battery (battery life is critical when traveling)
-Win 7 OS (Vista replacement)
And also as metioned a Pentium i5 or i7 chip. Loaded with this information I should be good to go and seem like I know what I am talking about when I go to buy it. I will likely go tio Best Buy. I want to but local VS the net for service reasons. THANKS EVERYONE.

 

[Hoople]

Guys,
It has to be a non VISTA,

You have that part right. There should be a Class Action Lawsuit against Gates & Microsoft for producing that UN-operating system.

 

[Jack Klarich]

Try Dell, they will build it to your specs over the phone or Newegg.com I think thats it my son builds and buys all of his gear here and gets double life time warranty on hard drives and video cards

 

[walleye]

OK, I did it. Just returned from best buy. I was very impressed with the guy that helped me. It will be ready for pickup in 3 hrs. It is a Samsung NP-R580-JSB1US. Machine was $810.00 and after 3 yr warranty, Anti Virus, Office Small Business upgrade, set up and very nice bag, I stayed right under my budget at $1496.65. It has a Blue Ray reader as well, not that I needed it.....
Here are the specs: Hope I did OK. Thanks all.


Intel® Core™ i5-430M processor
Features a 1066MHz system bus and 2.26GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost up to 2.53GHz.
Intel® Core™ i5 processor
Features smart 4-way processing performance with a speed boost.
4GB DDR3 memory
For multitasking power.
Blu-ray Disc-enabled DVD±RW/CD-RW drive
Features read support for next-generation Blu-ray Disc.
15.6" LED-backlit high-definition display
With 1366 x 768 resolution delivers intense detail and clarity.
500GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
Offers spacious storage and fast read/write times.
NVIDIA GeForce GT 310M graphics
Feature up to 512MB GDDR3 video memory for lush images and vivid detail. HDMI port for connection to an HDTV. High-definition audio with SRS Sound.
Built-in webcam and microphone
Makes it easy to chat with family and friends.
3-in-1 media reader
Supports Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity and MultiMediaCard formats.
4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
For fast digital video, audio and data transfer.
Built-in wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)
To connect to the Internet on the go.
Built-in Gigabit Ethernet LAN
With RJ-45 connector for quick and easy wired Web connection.
Weighs only 5.7 lbs. and measures just 1.2" thin
For easy portability.

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

Good choice Walleye, Best Buy is one of the better retailers, no games, no only the 1st 10 people silliness or limited inventroy...just stock the good stuff, pick up it up and your done! Early on they were like the others, but I guess they got a lot of complaints, so now they beat the competition "F"urther down the alphabet.

 

[fin_676]

That seems to be a pretty good spec and should do you for years

Brian

 

[Mattman4403]

You got some stuff that does not do that much for business use but that is kind of what you get this day and age. You want to pick up an external drive and be really serious about doing backups.