[plug] Buying a laptop

[Richard Meyer]

On Mon, 2005-07-11 at 13:08 +0800, Benjamin Woods wrote:
> Hey guys,
> 
> I am buying a new laptop for my 21st birthday (yesterday).

The day after you turn 21 and you can spell, and make sense - I've never
attended any such 21st parties before .... ;-)    Congrats
> 
> 2 Options: Dell or IBM.
> Summary: Dell gives better features for cheaper (and can customize!)
>          IBM has a record for higher quality but at expense of $$$!
> 
> Dell Laptop: 
> http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/notebooks_Q2_W11_2005-
> 07-09_inspn_9300_M510729?c=au&l=en&s=dhs
> 
> Price: $3,073 ( minus $150 discount i get for working at Tyco)
> CPU: Intel Centrino Mobile 2.0 GHz, 2Mb Cache, 533 FSB
> RAM: 1 GHz
> VIDEO: 256 Mb nVidia GeForce 6800
> CD/DVD: 8X Max DVD+/-RW Combo Drive with Dual Layer Write Capabilities
> SCREEN: 17" Wide Screen UXGA TFT Display (1920x1200 res)
> NETWORK: 10/100 and 802.11g wireless
> HDD: 100Gb
> 
> I know a guy that works for a IBM distributing company.
> He is gonna come back with a price for us on an IBM laptop.
> Dont know the specs on it yet.
> He said we can get it for cost price... so i imagine it will be a similar 
> price as this Dell one.

People working for IBM can order a certain amount of kit for family and
friends for a certain discount - don't know what it is. This may be what
he's talking about.

AFAIK IBM doesn't make any with wide screens, which may be a problem for
you.

That said, I have never felt a keyboard that suits me as well as the IBM
keyboards do. YMMV.

Personally, I'd go for IBM, and that's IN SPITE of being retrenched by
the #@$%ers last year. I just like their lappies more than any others
I've seen. I have a Toshiba, and it's OK, but the IBMs feel solid (very
solid) and professional.

Caution, I've never owned a Dell ... and only touched two briefly.  ;-)
> 
> What do you guys reckon of dell laptops in general?
> Ibm?
> 
> Is the graphics card linux compatible?
> Will need to recompile the kernel for nvidia?
> 
> cheers
> 

-- 
Richard Meyer <meyerri at westnet.com.au>
Cutting the space budget really restores my faith in humanity.  It
eliminates dreams, goals, and ideals and lets us get straight to the
business of hate, debauchery, and self-annihilation.
                -- Johnny Hart