[Not Blonde Solid]

Hi there,

I was hoping someone would be able to help me with this…..I am currently in the market for laptop, but my problem is that I don’t have too much experience with today’s systems. I have been out of the loop for a few years now. I am looking to spend up to $1500, but I would love to get one for less. Here’s what I am hoping to do with the system.

- Wireless Internet (perhaps)- depending on monthly rates and such.
- Using it for gaming- I’m not a big gamer, but wouldn’t mind checking it out. Possibly hooking up to my big-screen and entertainment centre?
- Downloading (and uploading) as much as possible….I feel out of the loop with the whole bit torrent thing. I figure I should jump in at some point
- Burning cd’s and dvd’s

Anyone have any ideas what I would need to accomplish this sort of stuff on a laptop?

Does anyone currently use wireless internet? Any problems with it? Is it worth the additional cost?

Any advice would be great.

Thanks,

Joe.

[chris]

I'l get my Go For A Mac! bit out of the way and share some thoughts.

Wireless internet - what do you mean? Wireless within the confines of your home/office - or wireless everywhere? Within your home/office you'll need a wireless card and a wireless base station/router.

I've had great success with wireless in my ofice. One of my clients subscribes to a wireless provider, and they love it, although they don't like the cost.

Gaming: there are more games, more readily available for PC than Mac, but both systems will work.

Downloading, surfing the net, email, word processing, burning CDs & DVDs, etc, etc... is the same on both platforms.

The iBooks are great computers that carry good price points. I haven't been shopping for a PC laptop in a long time, so I can't share any insight there. Unless you feel the need to have all your files with you all the time, get a big internal hard drive and a bigger off board drive - you'll save money, and get more storage.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/canadastore?family=iBook">http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/W ... mily=iBook</a><!-- m -->

[theAryanTwang]

Nearly every laptop on the market comes standard with the things you described. Lower end models have a CD burner/DVD reader combo, but for another $50 you can get the CD/DVD burner driver. Wireless is standard on every laptop.

If you're going PC, and you want gaming, go for the P4 models, or the Centrino processor. P4 is very fast, but sucks on the battery. Centrino is a mobile processor, so it's good on battery life, but there is a small performance decrease. I've heard that AMD doesn't really have a great mobile processor so I'd stick with Intel. Also, you DO NOT want a celeron, big fat waste of money.

512MB RAM is a must, don't get anything less.

Most models come with roughly the same mobile graphics card, so not much to worry about there. However for gaming on the TV you'll have to check if it comes with a TV out jack. I know my 5-year-old Dell has one so I'm sure most new PC laptops will also.

You don't need anything but a fast internet connection for downloading torrents, etc.

Chris covered the wireless situation, and I'll throw in my 2cents and say the base model iBook is a piece of gold and would highly recommend it if you don't care about gaming.

[the Doctorb]

Go HERE
Mac baby!!!
It's all you'll ever need.
D

[chris]

Apple is releasing a whole slew of new gear today, so watch for price drops and package deals.

As well, if you, or someone you know is a student, get them to buy your computer for you as they get a much better deal - in August, all students who bought an iBook, got a free iPod Mini!

[Not Blonde Solid]

Thanks guys....very helpful info.

I've been checking out the links to the ibooks....they look pretty sweet. To be honest, i do have hesitations about going Apple. I have spent my whole computer life on windows applications and switching now and learning a new o.s is a little scary....especially after spending a chunk of cash on something that i know little about.

Chris, I was thinking about doing wireless within my house...i guess a wireless router would be what i need then. A free mini ipod sounds pretty tempting, especially when the little sister is still in university.

Does anyone here (or know anyone who does) use their notebook for gaming or as "Dj service" with their receiver/entertainment system?

Info like what theAryanTwang gave will be really helpful when trying to figure out what i should look for while shopping around. ie. Centrino > Celeron...

Thanks all,

joe.

[PurposelessPlay]

- Wireless Internet (perhaps)- depending on monthly rates and such.

Your monthly rates are whatever you would pay for high speed interent plus a one time charge of approx $75-100 for a wireless router. (Assuming you buy a router at a 3rd party store and dont buy/rent from your ISP)

[theAryanTwang]

I know a couple DJs, and another guy who plays guitar and has it all hooked up to his setup, and they all swear by the mac. However gaming is nearly non-existent on apple platform... but if its any consolation, the only good gaming machine is a high performance desktop unit, not a laptop.

And don't fear the Mac OS. The features and usabiilty of it far exceed Windows, but you shouldn't have much trouble picking it up at all. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Tiger is like Windows, but the general feel of it is closer to Windows than previous versions of the max OS.

[chris]

As far as I'm concerned, the Mac OS is much more intuitive than Windows which makes it a breeze for newbie and experienced users to learn.

As well, there are no more Blue Screens of Death, no viruses, and full crashes are almost unheard of...

The musical capabilities of a Mac are incredible. And if you want to use it as the hub of your digital lifestyle, check out the news from the Apple Keynote speech today by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. As well, this is a pretty cool device: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rokulabs.com/products/soundbridge/index.php">http://www.rokulabs.com/products/soundbridge/index.php</a><!-- m -->

Or use Airtunes - which goes hand-in-hand with Airport Express (Apple's wireless networking solution) and iTunes.

GarageBand is a another killer application, built on the technology of Pro Tools (essentially the standard in professional studio recording software) and it is included with most, if not all, new Macs - this will allow you to do all kinds of digital music magic.

[soquester]

I got an iBook at the end of the summer... And it's amazing... I've got the base version of the 14" model, so it's a little more than the 12, but it also comes with the DVD burner standard.

And mine came with the iLife stuff (so it came with GarageBand)... it's awesome... It's going to suck when I have to pass this to my brother next year (long story... but I won't have this after this year )

[cferneyh]

Thanks guys....very helpful info.

I've been checking out the links to the ibooks....they look pretty sweet. To be honest, i do have hesitations about going Apple. I have spent my whole computer life on windows applications and switching now and learning a new o.s is a little scary....especially after spending a chunk of cash on something that i know little about.

Chris, I was thinking about doing wireless within my house...i guess a wireless router would be what i need then. A free mini ipod sounds pretty tempting, especially when the little sister is still in university.

Does anyone here (or know anyone who does) use their notebook for gaming or as "Dj service" with their receiver/entertainment system?

Info like what theAryanTwang gave will be really helpful when trying to figure out what i should look for while shopping around. ie. Centrino > Celeron...

Thanks all,

joe.

I did the big Windoze => Mac switch a couple of months ago and it took me all of half an hour to be adjusted to the differences - and prior to the switch I had never even touched a Mac.

Short of Steve Jobs coming to my house and slapping my kid, I really can't see me going back anytime in the near future. The Mac is just a fun machine and makes the whole computing experience much more engaging. What I would recommend is give it a go - you've got two weeks at most major retailers to return it no questions asked - to see if the differences are really an issue.

PS - my wife, who dislikes change in general and was leery of the Mac absolutely loves it.
PSS - Chris is an excellent resource for any and all Mac questions, and he'll get back to you faster than Keith Tkachuk finishes a cupcake. Best of all - he encourages questions!
PSSS - Airtunes via Airport Express kicks serious ass.

[LaminarFlow]

I use the airport express (or airtunes) for wireless in my house on my 17" powerbook and I couldn't be happier.
As for DJ-ing - using iTunes is a nice way to make your playlists, all you need is a reciever and some kickin' speakers.

[chris]

I did the big Windoze => Mac switch a couple of months ago and it took me all of half an hour to be adjusted to the differences - and prior to the switch I had never even touched a Mac.

Short of Steve Jobs coming to my house and slapping my kid, I really can't see me going back anytime in the near future. The Mac is just a fun machine and makes the whole computing experience much more engaging. What I would recommend is give it a go - you've got two weeks at most major retailers to return it no questions asked - to see if the differences are really an issue.

PS - my wife, who dislikes change in general and was leery of the Mac absolutely loves it.
PSS - Chris is an excellent resource for any and all Mac questions, and he'll get back to you faster than Keith Tkachuk finishes a cupcake. Best of all - he encourages questions!
PSSS - Airtunes via Airport Express kicks serious ass.

Thanks Chris!

And Joe, from one former Danbury Road resident to another, I'll gladly answer any of your questions should you decide become a Mac user... :thumb:

[chancellor]

everyone loves the blue screens of death. my comp used to get them daily,if not hourly... awww fun times

[Not Blonde Solid]

Thanks all for the help.

I have chosen to go with this model

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10066878&catid=">http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/prodde ... 878&catid=</a><!-- m -->

I think this model will accomplish everything i need it to and the price is right.....

I know it's not a mac.....maybe one day.

Again thanks for all the help and advice.

Joe.

PS- Chris, I just went down Danbury the other day....things just aren't the same since we all left.