quote:
Originally posted by wacky
"Intel® Pentium processor T4500 (2.3GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) with Enhanced Intel® SpeedStep® technology"
"AMD Athlon™ II dual-core processor P340 (2.2GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) with AMD PowerNow!™ technology"
The .1 GHz probably won't make a different, but PowerNow! is actually something I dislike; I always find it to be laggy when throttling the speed or bringing it back up. Although, to be fair, my bad experiences with AMD probably don't help my judgment; I find myself disliking the computers before even being on them.
quote:
Originally posted by wacky
hmm I don't know much about the Thinkpads. Where can I go to look at them?
If you don't mind, could you ask about the C650? I want to know if there have been a lot of problems with them and I know if I go to ask they'll just say no to try to sell the product 
You can take a look at www.lenovo.com . You have to order them online. The difference is basically that Thinkpads are professional models, like Toshiba Protege series, HP Probook, etc. These kind of machines usually last longer, and usually also have better support in case you need it.
quote:
Originally posted by wacky
I guess I just want something that will last me at least 5 years. I really don't want to have to change it anytime soon. I just do school work (I use Word and do scientific research, etc.) so nothing big. I've been using my father's laptop for a few years now and it's a Toshiba. I've never had any problems with it, which is why I guess I'm leaning towards getting my own Toshiba, but (at least when it was bought) it was one of the better quality ones which might be why I've not had any problems with it (oh and I take care of it 
).
I hate to break it to you, and go against what a lot of people think, but the new consumers laptop are not made to live 5 years.
Yes, I know, a lot of people have laptop that lasted 8 years; these laptops were conceived 8 years ago. They were 2000$ a piece, could be used as a gym thanks to their huge weights, and you were lucky if you had a CD player that came with it, let alone Wi-Fi.
Nowadays laptops are 400$, comes fully equipped with webcam, microphone, sd card reader, cd/dvd write, hdmi port, firewire port, etc. They have one purpose and that is to be
affordable, making their quality lesser and therefore their life a lot shorter. 5 years IMO is pushing it.
quote:
Originally posted by wacky
my brother uses a Compaq. He end up having problems with his screen. I also have a friend who had 3 HPs. he had problems with all of them so I'm not very temped to get an HP hmm unless I can be convinced otherwise
Every series and every model is basically different. You will find a lot of troubles with HP, but keep in mind that they're also one of the biggest sellers on the market. I personally swore it off my list because of their customer service (ironically they were ranked first for a couple of years in a row), but they still make "good" pcs when comparing to other brands. The truth is, I've heard bad stories about all of the brands, so don't put all your trust and faith into that.
quote:
Originally posted by wacky
Edit: also, I often have many apps open at the same time. I need something that will run smoothly even with the taskbar filled!
Dual processors and over 2GB of RAM will take care of that. It seems clients always had a hard time believing it, but a Pentium processor can handle a good amount of multi-tasking provided it has enough RAM. Try going to a FutureShop or BestBuy, open up a T4500 PC and open IE, WMP, MSN, Word, Excel at the same time. Switch between a task and another, you'll see it actually goes pretty fast!
If you really want something reliable, take a good look at Thinkpads. Professional laptops are more expensive, but are made to last longer; their priority is quality, not afford-ability.
I've gotten a T400 for me (higher end model), and a SL410 for my little sister (more media-oriented), and I haven't for 1 second been disappointed.
edit: I've just checked lenovo's site to show you a couple of models I was talking about, and weirdly it seems they removed a lot of customization options..
edit2: check them out on BestDirect.ca if you want:
http://www.bestdirect.ca/search/?kw=thinkpad&p=3
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