What Is The Best Notebook On The Market?

[Boater]

I am looking to purchase a new notebook, i am looking for the best performing laptop, with excellent memory and all the features IE Bluetooth ect.

Can anyone advise, i look to spend around 40K

Thanks

[tjo o tjim]

What are your needs-- compact, easy travelling; universal appeal; or big assed screen? Are you looking for something that will last a long time or just a couple years? Are you hard on your posessions-- is physical durability more important than performance? What programs do you use?

[hughden]

This recent discussion may help:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=131325

[TexasRanger]

Get a Macbook pro, they rock, you will never use windows again.

[Wolfie]

This recent discussion may help:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=131325

I can never read your posts, Hughden... too busy looking at that avatar!

[HomeSeekAsia]

Get a Macbook, even non pro: 1000usd no viruses nor spyware EVER !

It comes bundled with wifi, BT etc. and LOTS of software !

Where: Fly to Singapore, goto the visitor center on Orchard to (a) Check if any Apple promotions ( Get a `duty-free' card, then head for the Apple authorized retailer in a mall across the street on Orchard.

Your macbook pro or not will come with LOTS of bundled software, and you can add many good GNU freeware/ or cheap third-party apps.

Just make sure you get iWork'08 ($79 for better than MS Office) and a couple of Mac magazines (Mc World, Mac Addict)

with CD or DVD to help you transition and give you an idea of the `Best-of' Freeware / Cheap great software.

I personaly also like to have a copy of Appleworks (also similar to Office, but it has great drawing capabilities): 79 us$

A modem will cost approx 50 usd for those times where a landline Internet access is your only option.

If you're creative, pick up a copy of Adobe elements.

If you really need MS office, the Spore price is also excellent: get the academic version.

But if not spend the money instead on beefing up your macbook's memory !

Once you leave Spore, get your VAT refund at the airport: a bit over 3% cash

And yes, you can install XP on an intel mac, but it's like bringing a Mc Donald's meal into a 5* restaurant ....

For windows, use an emulator...

If you REALLY want a pc, Averatec has cheap reliable notebooks...

[Firefoxx]

There is no best notebook. Never was. It all depends on the individual. Asking for advice from another individual for a personal purchase will usually only bring you grief, unless you share interests, needs, lifestyle, etc. It's not that you shouldn't ask, but if you do ask, you should provide information on yourself, what you need, how you intend to use it, what you really want, what you really don't want, etc, or the responses will be as wild and misleading as all of the above.

[HDRIDER]

HI

Mine is the best (have to say that i just bought it)

[Guest Reimar]

Get a Macbook, even non pro: 1000usd no viruses nor spyware EVER !

Simply Bull..it! If that's true why there exist Anti-Virus software for MAC?!That kind of speech can come only from: A MAC FREAK!

Mac freaks classify them self as the only perfect humans (may related to computer only) which NOT exist as most of the "normal" humans know! I'm happy to be a very imperfect human!

[ballbreaker]

I don't think there is a best notebook. I don't think any brand is better than others because all have put out lemons from time to time.

Sit down and make a list of everything you would like in one then go buy.

[Gary A]

My IBM Thinkpad 600 was not only the best laptop I ever owned but also the best computer I ever owned. I now have another IBM Thinkpad (Lenovo). It is a T43p and has ALL the bells and whistles. Unless I have problems with this one, the next one will also be a Thinkpad. The worst laptop I ever had was a Hitachi.

[Firefoxx]

As Gary's comments suggest, it's all a matter of *very* personal preference. Me, I'd think that IBM Thinkpads were fairly rugged, but not very well spec'ed and not indestructible. Although Gary considers the specs of the T43p to have all the bells and whistles, I consider them to be quite marginal. I personally would never consider buying a Thinkpad, since they're too expensive, they lack a lot of features, and they lag behind in technology.

Now, OTOH, Gary would probably look at my notebook purchases and shake his head in pity, since he would probably consider them to be bad purchases. I, however, would be very happy with my purchases, since I have a whole different set of criteria for what makes a good notebook.

Not to bash you or anything Gary, just making a point, that different people have vastly different ideas about what makes a good product.

[britmaveric]

Topline Asus models are superve.

[Gary A]

As Gary's comments suggest, it's all a matter of *very* personal preference. Me, I'd think that IBM Thinkpads were fairly rugged, but not very well spec'ed and not indestructible. Although Gary considers the specs of the T43p to have all the bells and whistles, I consider them to be quite marginal. I personally would never consider buying a Thinkpad, since they're too expensive, they lack a lot of features, and they lag behind in technology.

Now, OTOH, Gary would probably look at my notebook purchases and shake his head in pity, since he would probably consider them to be bad purchases. I, however, would be very happy with my purchases, since I have a whole different set of criteria for what makes a good notebook.

Not to bash you or anything Gary, just making a point, that different people have vastly different ideas about what makes a good product.

Here are the specifications. I really can't see anything marginal about it. I'll admit it wasn't cheap. If there is anything lacking, I haven't missed it.

Key Features

Processor Pentium M 2.26 GHz Installed Memory 1 GB (DDR2 SDRAM) Hard Drive 100 GB Ultra ATA 100, 7200 RPM Display 14.1 in. SXGA+ TFT Active Matrix Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional Mobile Technology Intel Centrino Mobile Technology Processor Processor Type Pentium M Processor Manufacturer Intel Processor Speed 2.26 GHz Motherboard Chipset Intel 915PM Express Bus Speed 533 MHz Memory Installed RAM 1 GB RAM Technology DDR2 SDRAM Max Supported RAM 2.048 GB RAM Speed 533 MHz Installed Cache Memory 2048 KB Hard Drive Hard Drive Capacity 100 GB Hard Drive Rotation Speed 7200 RPM Storage Controller Type Ultra ATA 100 CD / DVD CD / DVD Type DVD?RW Optical Drive Read Speed 24x (CD) • 8x (DVD) Display Display Tech SXGA+ TFT Active Matrix Display Size 14.1 in. Display Color Support 24-bit (16.7 million colors) Display Max. Resolution 1400 x 1050 Video Graphic Processor ATI Mobility FIRE GL V3200 Installed Video Memory 256 MB Graphic Bus Interface PCI Express External Video Resolution 2048 x 1536 Audio Audio Output Type Headphones • Sound card • Speaker(s) Audio Input Type Microphone Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional Recommended Use Corporate Business, Small Business Platform PC Technical Features Expandability 1 x Type I/II PC Card Slot, Docking Station/Port Replicator, 1 x ExpressCard Expansion Ports 2 x USB 2.0, VGA out, RJ-11 (modem), RJ-45 (NIC), S-Video out Security Features Finger Print Sensor, HDD Password, Slot For Cable Lock, Power-On Password, IBM Embedded Security Subsystem 2.0, Administrator Password Input Method Keyboard • Touchpad • Trackpoint • Ultranav Networking Networking Type Bluetooth • Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card • Infrared Port • Integrated Wireless LAN Data Link Protocol Bluetooth • Ethernet • Fast Ethernet • Gigabit Ethernet • IEEE 802.11b • IEEE 802.11g Modem Modem Type Fax / Modem Analog Modulation Protocol ITU V.92 Battery Battery Run Time 5.7 Hour(s). Battery Technology Lithium ion Dimensions Width 12.2 in. Depth 10 in. Height 1 in. Weight 5.97 lb. Warranty 3 Years World Wide Warranty Yes

[A_Traveller]

If I recall the thread about you buying your system it was just after the dual core CPU's were available in notebooks and IBM/Lenovo were offering them. You got a good deal on a Pentium M 2.26 GHz based system, but not the advantages of dual core.

To the OP I'd ask can you provide an idea of what you want to use the system for & give a rank of features, e.g. weight, screen size, connexions etc.?

Regards

/edit PS Yes dual core, even with XP does make a noticeable positive impact of performance.//

Edited August 29, 2007 by A_Traveller

[Prakanong]

As others have said it's a pretty personal choice - I have a Thinkpad T60 for work which does all I need in that sphere.

I just bought a Vaio TZ as its so light and has excellent battery life. I can use it all over the place on wireless in many of Singapores hotspots plus use it to take notes in my MBA classes with software I can not install on my work laptop.

I was considering goin Mac but I have lot's of Windows software and did not fancy starting over with a different system right now - who know's in the future.

My home PC is a self build Shuttle.

[A_Traveller]

As others have said it's a pretty personal choice - I have a Thinkpad T60 for work which does all I need in that sphere.

I just bought a Vaio TZ as its so light and has excellent battery life. I can use it all over the place on wireless in many of Singapores hotspots plus use it to take notes in my MBA classes with software I can not install on my work laptop.

I was considering goin Mac but I have lot's of Windows software and did not fancy starting over with a different system right now - who know's in the future.

My home PC is a self build Shuttle.

Apologies to OP but which TZ and how much {if you don't mind} in Singapore? Last Sony I bought there was a huge differential between Malaysia and here {BKK}.

Regards

[Prakanong]

As others have said it's a pretty personal choice - I have a Thinkpad T60 for work which does all I need in that sphere.

I just bought a Vaio TZ as its so light and has excellent battery life. I can use it all over the place on wireless in many of Singapores hotspots plus use it to take notes in my MBA classes with software I can not install on my work laptop.

I was considering goin Mac but I have lot's of Windows software and did not fancy starting over with a different system right now - who know's in the future.

My home PC is a self build Shuttle.

Apologies to OP but which TZ and how much {if you don't mind} in Singapore? Last Sony I bought there was a huge differential between Malaysia and here {BKK}.

Regards

I got the bottom of the range model VGN-TZ11MN/N I think it is - I paid 2999 SGD but got quite a few freebies thrown in such as wireless mouse, thumb drives, cheap MS Office at 100SGD etc

It is much cheaper than the UK if I am looking at th corect model and list price - I bought it from Harvey Norman at the Vaio 10th anniversary roadshow but all prices were the same from each shop - the difference was the amount of freebies and cost of memory upgrade (it only has one slot so you basicaly have to dump the 1mg to put in two)

It is COMEX 2007 this weekend at Suntec and looking at some of the offers I bet it would have been cheaper at this show

[Norrad]

Get a Macbook, even non pro: 1000usd no viruses nor spyware EVER !

Simply Bull..it! If that's true why there exist Anti-Virus software for MAC?!That kind of speech can come only from: A MAC FREAK!

Mac freaks classify them self as the only perfect humans (may related to computer only) which NOT exist as most of the "normal" humans know! I'm happy to be a very imperfect human!

There are no known viruses for OS X.

The virus scanners only exist to prevent Mac users from forwarding viruses on to Windows users. Macs are as of now, still virus free and generally hack proof. Apple even offers free Mac book pro's to anyone who can hack into a mac system (direct from the box).

[Gary A]

A friend of mine bought a dual core Toshiba about the same time I bought my Lenovo. I was teasing him about his one year warranty and my three year Lenovo warranty. He told me that if they run for a year they will run forever. Just after his warranty was up his LCD monitor died. The last time I talked to him I forgot to ask what went wrong but I'll try to remember the next time to ask.

[nikster]

Mine is the best. However, I am not selling it so tough luck!

Seriously the OP seems to be long gone, hasn't answered any questions so it's kinda moot to discuss new and old notebooks here. It's a moving target anyways.

Reimar, you need to up your knowledge of Mac OS X viruses - they don't exist. It's not impossible to write viruses for OS X, and the month of Apple bugs has exposed quite a few flaws that can be used for remote exploits. However, the number of actual out-there viruses which turn your machine in a spam bot or steal your passwords are zero. 0. Nilch. Nothing. Nada. A thing to keep in mind.

I read a pretty interesting interview with the guy who won the MacBook Pro by writing a remote exploit in 24 hours. It's kind of frightening, actually. There are some soft targets in OS X, like QuickTime. QuickTime is very old code, can do loads and loads of things (most of them never actually used by anyone), and can be invoked remotely by putting a QT movie on a website. I am willing to bet good money that QuickTime has many more flaws that could be exploited. The only way to secure that would be to sandbox it or disable it, sort of like ActiveX on the windows side.

Of course Windows is much worse because it has many more ancient technologies that were made to "enable everyone to do anything", all intentional, so there are many more soft targets than in OS X. I am also willing to bet a hacker could find new zero day exploits in Windows within 24 hours any time.

Edit: Or another hacker who cross-checked all the open source libraries that Apple is using with the latest versions. For those were Apple wasn't using the latest version, the hacker just looked at the publicly available changelogs to see which bugs were fixed and therefore could be exploited in Apple's outdated versions. Very simple, and very effective. Apple is lax about security, no doubt because there are no viruses for Macs out in the wild.

Edited August 29, 2007 by nikster

[Firefoxx]

Gary, I might have hit a nerve. Really, I was just illustrating the fact that different people have different priorities. My priorities are for a notebook that can do almost everything my desktop can do, and nearly as fast, and yet not break the bank. The IBM Thinkpad would be, for me, marginal, but for you, absolutely perfect. Neither of us is wrong, it's what we want.

OSX don't have viruses, period? This is really why I hate it when the fanatics get involved in a discussion. Things that are just not true are tossed around like there is no tomorrow. Do a simple google on OSX virus, and you'll find that OSX is not as bullet proof as you think. The OS is also only one component of a system... you really can't work squat with just an OS. If the software being used is vulnerable, you're going to get infected even if the OS itself is secure.

[ukjackthai]

i am looking for the best performing laptop

Dell XPS M1710 is the best performing laptop on the market.

T7600G

4GB DDR2

WUXGA Display

GeForce Go 7950 GTX

Yours for around $5000