Laptop vs Laptop - DPChallenge Forums

10/16/2008 12:56:04 AM · #1

Ok i am buying a laptop tomorrow(i found out yesterday so im kinda pressed for time). Anyways, i am comparing the [Toshiba Satellite A305-S6859 15.4" and the Compaq Presario CQ70-120US 17". What do you all think? i curently have a 15 inch laptop and its a bit cumbersom(of course it is really old). Is 17" too much? Both of these laptops use Vista, and i've heard horror stories. My computer guy says not to be worried. Is it a big problem with photos and processing?

Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO IF for Nikon

10/16/2008 01:21:22 AM · #2

bump anyone?

amathiasphoto

Nikon D300

10/16/2008 02:15:41 AM · #3

never had experience with toshibas but have had aweful times with compaqs, though that was several years ago now. If you get vista, get ram!

ShutterPug

Canon EOS-6D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

10/16/2008 02:25:33 AM · #4

I don't care for Compaq myself. As for VISTA, everyone had me worried I would hate it, but I love it.

amathiasphoto

Nikon D300

Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO IF for Nikon

10/16/2008 02:37:45 AM · #5

I love it too, but stick by what I said about ram ! :)

Pug-H

Pentax K10D

Sigma 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical HF for Pentax

10/16/2008 02:41:40 AM · #6

I had a Toshiba Satellite. It was good for about three years, then crashed. I resurrected it and it was good for another year before craching completely. The silver lining of that, of course, was that I was able to buy a desktop computer at last. ;-)

onesaint

Nikon D300

Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8D

10/16/2008 02:53:57 AM · #7

Originally posted by JDubsgirl:

Vista is just a massive resource hog. So here some notes on the two choices, personally I cannot recommend either, but If those are it, Toshiba can be a bit more stable and less plastic. The best way to go is Mac with osX / windows or Lenovo.

Compaq: Vista sucks. 3 gigs of ram works well as Vista uses a gig alone and windows (32 bit) only allows for 2 gigs per application anyway. its an older proc @ 2ghz.

Toshiba: Better processor, still 2 ghz, but more cache (cpu memory). 4 gigs of ram (memory) better as the video will take some (same with the compaq), vista will take some, and then your 2 gigs for apps. this one has a bigger hard drive (more storage).

So all in all the toshiba looks better, but the compaq has a wide screen monitor. The warranty is the same for both, 1 year.

hth!

ETA: get rid of the software they include and get a copy of NOD32 or Kaspersky for antivirus.

Message edited by author 2008-10-16 02:55:54.

Jimbo_for_life

Olympus E-500 EVOLT

Olympus 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital ED

10/16/2008 03:51:07 AM · #8

toshibas run hot, only bad thing i can say about them, compaq i would recommend not getting unless you need something for the toshiba to sit on.

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

10/16/2008 04:13:55 AM · #9

RE: Laptop vs Laptop

spiritualspatula

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

10/16/2008 09:30:47 AM · #10

I just want to reiterate that whole "toshiba's run hot" thing, and if you go toshiba (of those two I would recommend this route), it might be prudent to invest in a cooling stand for when you are doing large amounts of high load activities. Most are made cheaply and crap out semi-quickly, but better to have a cheapo cooling stand crap out than your new laptop. Also, it would be wise to consider a business class system instead (I believe toshiba's are the Tecra series), as they generally have better reliability, performance, and durability. I can't imagine you liking a 17" if you found a 15 clunky, either. At that rate I would suggest looking at 14.1" systems, but they generally take a performance hit due to form factor. Why are you so limited for time and/or choices? A computer should be something more carefully considered since it is so central to life these days.

Ann

Olympus OM-D E-M1

Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro

10/16/2008 10:47:00 AM · #11

I have no opinion about the specific models, just a couple of comments in general.

What are you using it for? For editing photos, get lots of RAM, a big hard drive, and a large, high quality screen. If you're carrying it around a lot, go for light weight.

I personally like Vista, but get 3GB of RAM with it.

Do you really need a laptop? Desktops are cheaper, more reliable, and you can repair them yourself. If you get a laptop, get the extended warranty. It's expensive, but laptops all break sooner or later, and you'll be happy you have the warranty.

OdysseyF22

Panasonic DC-G9

Olympus 12-45mm /f4.0 Pro

10/16/2008 11:07:29 AM · #12

Honestly I'm not a fan of either brand. When I got to college, everybody had expensive Toshibas - and they all ended up with problems.

On the other hand, Compaq is total junk - I'll never buy from them again.

Between the two, if forced to choose, I'd go with the Toshiba, but only as the slightly better of two evils.

dd1989

Fujifilm x100

10/16/2008 11:11:51 AM · #13

Get a Mac lol.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70 f2.8 L IS

10/16/2008 11:14:52 AM · #14

Look at the Lenovo line; they are the former IBM Thinkpad machines, and they are well-built. I've been looking at them myself, my wife needs a new computer and I believe it will be a Lenovo T series machine.

Spork99

Canon EOS M6 Mk II

Canon EF-M 22mm STM Lens

10/16/2008 11:23:15 AM · #15

Originally posted by OdysseyF22:

I agree, I've had similar experiences with Compuke and Toshiba

10/16/2008 12:55:14 PM · #16

isn't is possible to buy more RAM if its needed? and this computer will be used for photos, general stuff, but get carried around all over the place im sure. im going to go look at them today to see if the size is a factor with the 17". the reason time is a factor with this is because i am going to D.C. during the election week, and i require a laptop. The laptop we have now is garbage, and my parents are going to be using it while they're out of town during the same week. so i still dont know what to get, i keep forgetting that asking for advice on this site is a bad idea, everyone has waaay too many different opinions about everything lol

violinist123

Canon EOS-6D

10/16/2008 01:00:00 PM · #17

I've had countless dell's and toshiba's. Toshiba's business class laptops (aka 'expensive') have never failed on me. The dell's got worse and worse.

Best laptop I have ever owned - a $400 Acer from Best Buy that I bought on a whim. I have beat the hell out of this laptop, traveled with it, dropped it, etc and it has never skipped a beat. 2 gig of ram, 15" wide screen, 160gig drive, dvd burner, built in gig-e and a/b/g wifi.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

10/16/2008 01:07:31 PM · #18

okeydoke ive added this one to my list, so i have one of each size down to 14.1. let me know what you think, it looks like the best option so far, overlooking the size(since i dont know which one i'll like yet) HP Pavilion dv4-1020us 14.1"

Prash

Nikon D90

10/16/2008 01:40:21 PM · #19

I have a HP dvt6000t that I configured. I bought it last year around February. The maximum RAM it can have is 2GB. The screen is high contrast.. not just in resolution, but in material quality... you can see the difference if you goto a computer shop and compare an HP with other brands. (In fact thats one reason I sent a Dell inspiron back within 10 days.. the low res screens can really hurt your eyes).

They were shipping it only with Vista at that time.. and I hate Vista.. even till date. I ended up stripping down all the fancy schmancy transparency features from the options and now it is usable.. but not as great as XP. That is just my opinion.

So for me,

Pros:
- High contrast glossy screen (I know the fingerprints..but they can come off if you clean it properly).
- I could configure it for graphics card and memory and processor etc.
- Looks great

Cons:
- Battery life is not great
- Has Vista on it
- Keys seem loose after sometime, but they dont come out.. they are pretty comfortable in fact.

Also make sure you get enough RAM.. Vista in itself keeps eating about 700-800MB of RAM if you turn all the options on for rounded windows and transparency etc.

P.S. I heard the MACBooks are great too.. have never tried them, but another option if you want to explore.

dd1989

Fujifilm x100

10/16/2008 02:09:39 PM · #20

More and more people are going Mac, and for good reason, Microsoft just aren't making a good enough operating system at the moment.

In a recent large poll done by some UK broadsheet newspapers, Apple wiped the floor with every one when it came to reliability and customer service.

OdysseyF22

Panasonic DC-G9

Olympus 12-45mm /f4.0 Pro

10/16/2008 02:22:24 PM · #21

Originally posted by dd1989:

The OP asked about Windows-based systems. It stands to reason that she's comfortable working in that OS environment. Suggesting a switch to Mac comes with a whole new set of problems, not the least of which is learning to use it.

To the OP: HP makes a pretty good laptop.

violinist123's suggestion of an Acer is excellent. I too have a $400 Acer that I take on trips - it works great and was the best laptop I've yet owned. Something to think about, perhaps.

10/16/2008 02:26:41 PM · #22

Originally posted by OdysseyF22:

Originally posted by dd1989:
More and more people are going Mac, and for good reason, Microsoft just aren't making a good enough operating system at the moment.

In a recent large poll done by some UK broadsheet newspapers, Apple wiped the floor with every one when it came to reliability and customer service.

The OP asked about Windows-based systems. It stands to reason that she's comfortable working in that OS environment. Suggesting a switch to Mac comes with a whole new set of problems, not the least of which is learning to use it.

To the OP: HP makes a pretty good laptop.
violinist123's suggestion of an Acer is excellent. I too have a $400 Acer that I take on trips - it works great and was the best laptop I've yet owned. Something to think about, perhaps.

i'll go check that out. i have to get it through Office Max though, so if they dont sell it its not an option for me unfortunatly

10/16/2008 02:32:03 PM · #23

ok i checked out the Acer. Doesn't look like what im looking for unfortuantly. thanks for the suggestion though

violinist123

Canon EOS-6D