Advice Buying New Laptop

Don't know where to post this so sorry if this is the wrong thread.

So I have a HP desktop with no sound and a HP laptop with a black screen.
Think I need to start looking for new computer soon, probably a laptop first
Price is a huge factor, need to keep it reasonable. Also light weight would be nice.

I will be using it for home office programs, photo editing and storage, edit my home movies, music, play a few simple games, not into gaming just play things like Mahjong, card games and puzzle games and the like.

My question is what processor, features, Windows 7 of course but what hard drive size and memory should I get?
Is there any truth to the rumor that October is the best time for deals on computers?? Suggestions on brands would be nice too keeping in mind my needs.
Always interesting to know what others have had good experiences with.

 

Hi again!

It would help us if we know what's "reasonable" in price. "Reasonable" for me, (married, no children, 32 with good job) is not the same as "reasonable" for someone who's in college, working part time, while trying to feed two kids.

I am very fond of the ASUS brand, since I love their products, however their technical support is, ahem, er, not the best... my customers tell me horror stories. In the past I have had Compaq laptops that are still running fine (they're 6+ years old), and I've seen others here praise their HPs and Dells.

Have you looked at netbooks? They're very light-weight, and tend to come with far more reasonable price tags.

EDIT: Found this on Newegg when I went to look up netbooks. Might be worth looking at.

 

At first I thought I really wanted a netbook for traveling and I might go that route still but since they don't have DVD drive and it might be a while before I could replace the desktop I am not sure.
Since there is no sound on my desktop can't do movies on it obviously. Also with the WinXP reinstall I lost all my programs on the desktop.
I have about $1400.00 in my laptop that now has a black screen:cry so I don't want to sink that kind of money in a laptop this time. Under $500.00 would be good.

 

Don't get a dell xps m1210 laptop. The motherboard on mine fried 3 years in a row.

 

Whenever I give advice for new laptops, I always mention http://slickdeals.net/. As a matter of fact, there are two laptops currently featured there.

One of them is probably overkill for your needs, but won't be outdated any time soon and it should be able to play games well in case you find one you would like to play.
ASUS Laptop for $1000.

The other is only $400, and may be a little sluggish for editing home movies.
Lenovo Laptop for $400

In any case, if you can be a little patient, you can get a great deal on a laptop by keeping an eye on slickdeals.net.

 

You might try this,

http://www.ascendtech.us/itemdesc.asp?ic=LTPGAT2310P6302&eq=&Tp=

or any one of the other LT's available.

 

Drop the "should", that one CAN play games. Play them well too. Mine has a 1.8 i7 instead of 1.6, and an ATI card instead of an nVidia, but the rest is similar, and I can max out current games easily. Definitely an over-kill for what katkat said she wants to use it for though... however, it has replaced my desktop computer as my main system.

What I would say hold back movie editing on either the ThinkPad or Gateway is the integrated graphics adapter, particularly the Intel one. They just aren't built for hard work... you can compensate for it a bit by increasing your RAM, but only a bit. At the same time, for under $500 and if lack of DVD drive is a deal breaker for you, you are going to find yourself in a situation where you need to cut corners. Get one with integrated graphics and live with slow rendering, or get a refurbished outlet model and live without warranty.

(Btw, given how similar the price tag is for the Lenovo and the Gateway I'd take the Lenovo. Better CPU, DDR3 memory, and bigger hard drive. )

 

What is the low limit on specs that I should consider is what I am asking I guess. Anything above that would be a plus right? I am not dead set on price if spending just a little more will make a lot of difference.
Thanks everyone.

 

If a little more will make a difference depends a lot on what you get for that little more. When it comes to computers and computer parts, it's all in getting value for your money. When I look at the specs of the Lenovo Wyatt_Earp linked to I see a steal for only $400... but I also see something that can be considerably improved on by adding another $100 to the price tag. I would also say that Lenovo is your low limit.

If you are set on getting a desktop as well as a laptop, then honestly, if you have to skimp anywhere, skimp on the laptop. Desktops can be upgraded piece by piece, and are a lot easier to repair if a single part breaks so in the long run they are from that standpoint a lot more cost-effective. If I was told I could only have one single computer in my home, I would build a desktop PC, since if something breaks inside, I can replace only that single part, and won't have to replace the whole thing. To draw a parallel to your situation, the only thing broken on your laptop is the monitor. Monitors are cheap... especially compared to laptops. See my point?

 

OK that helps. Thanks!