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Trading PC for Laptop?

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isaku5

isaku5

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 15, 2005
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I currently have my computer, printer etc. on the dining room table. We are doing a home reno and I''d like to have the dining room available for its intended purpose. I don''t want to move the setup to a bedroom upstairs as my arthritis is not stairs-friendly anymore. Also, I''d like to have the flexibility of a laptop.

As I''m not using the PC for business and do realize that my files would have to be transferred to the laptop, do you forsee any problems?

Any suggestions for a particular laptop choice?

Thanks for any help you can offer.
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I love my Toshiba lap top, it''s the brand I choose hands down. Good luck!!
 
I like my Thinkpad, but I needed something very "business-friendly" and I had very specific criteria that were best met by my Thinkpad (with a Toshiba coming in close second). Is there anything particular you like to do on your computer, other than surf the internet? For music, graphics, and photo work, an Apple is usually a good choice. For basic email, word-processing, and stuff like that, I''d choose a Toshiba. If you''re going to be lugging it around, something more ruggedized might be in order. My parents have recently had a spell of rotten luck with Dells, and I''ve never a big Dell fan anyway, so personally I''d stay away...but they can be economical if you don''t need to customize too much.

As for transferring files, some computers come with software to do it -- you just hook the computers together, press "start," and voila. My choice is to back up your old hard drive onto an external hard drive, and then hook the external drive to the new computer and transfer in only the files you actually need. You''ll still have the rest on the external drive if you ever need them, but they won''t be junking up your nice new computer.

Hope this helps a little!
 
I love HPs, but everyone has their favorites. Generally, there are three major classes of laptop; bargin, light and workhorse. From what you describe, a workhorse might be best because they are the most durable and have the most options. They also have much larger screens.

Keyboard. Laptop keyboards have a very different feel from PCs and I find many, like those on the Sony Viao, uncomfortable to use. ince you will be doing a lot of typing I suspect, try it out a bit in the store, it can really make a difference.

Mouse type. There are differences that can matter. Some toshibas for example, use a little button in the keyboard as the mouse. I hated that those things because my hands would brush it and suddenly I would be typing in another part of the screen.

CD/DVD drive. In this day and age a DVD drive is really the better way to go and very common. It is up to you if you think you need a writable drive for burning CDs.
 
I''m going against the trend here, but I love macbooks! Not the air, that thing is awful, but the regular macbooks are great!
 
I love my Lenovo (formerly IBM Thinkpad). It was suggested to me by a HP/Toshiba technician friend of mine. The Think pad''s are notorious for their awesome keyboards, so if you''ll be writing on it frequently, I highly suggest it. One thing I should mention is that it''s not the most pretty laptop either as this is one serious machine.
 
I love my Macbook!!! It is so incredibly awesome.
 
My ibook kicks patooty and I highly rec.

So much so that my DH now drives a mac, and my father, an all-time PC user (the kind who had the internet back in the days before AOL existed) who would say awful things about mac users, called me last weekend to inform me that he was in the middle of purchasing a new macbook too.

The switch from PC-mac is super easy and you won''t lose any of your files. It literally took me 10 minutes to get running. Battery life is much better than anything else on the market, too.

If you''re interested in a PC laptop though, I''d stay away from Compaq (or are they all HP now since the companies merged a few years ago?), Toshibas are good, and I also tend to like Sony Vaio. I had horrible issues with my Compaq - blue screen of death type thing, and it wouldn''t do it regularly, so every time I sent it out (and lose my computer for weeks at a time) they''d return it to me saying there was no problem. Several friends of mine have experience the exact same problem. Dells tend to get mixed reviews too - people love them, but those who have had to send it in for repair, don''t.

Also, the problem I see with new PCs though is that they all come with Vista, and that OS is a freaking mess, if you ask me. It''s like they crossed Windows with Mac OS and thought it would make sense! My dad had been planning on getting my mom a new PC laptop last Christmas, and when we went to shop, we couldn''t find anything we liked that was comparable to a mac.
 
I have 2 Sony Vaio''s and I wouldn''t trade them for the world.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions! I''m going to have to do some test runs at a store to get a better idea of what meets my minimal needs.

Kaleigh: Thanks for the Toshiba recommendation. I''ll definitely have a closer look

Octavia: Thinkpad or Toshiba. Both will get a test run.

Brazen irish hussy: Sony Vaio; uncomfortable keyboard noted.

LadyPirate: Macbooks. I was under the impression that the Mac products were a whole different can of worms, that I would have to re-learn "the system". True or not?

heraanderson: Lenovo ( formerly IBM Thinkpad). I think this is the one that our daughter uses at work. She loves it, but says I really don''t need what it''s capable of. How does she know this?
A case of ass-u-ming, methinks
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. The fact that it''s not pretty doesn''t bother me.

LitigatorChick: Another recommendation for Macbook. Please see comment above for LadyPirate.

Elmorton: ibook. Is that a Mac? Showing my ignorance here
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Legacy Girl: Sony Vaio- thanks
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. Keyboard uncomfortable?

Just a few notations here: I type slowly with one finger as I opted out of typing class to take latin
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and have never taken the time to reverse my bad typing habits. Also, I currently wear acrylic nails (as does DD who can type faster than I can think). I can manage fine on my current keyboard( HP), but wonder if any laptop is more fake nail friendly than another.

I know, I know: Vanity, thy name is woman! Whatever....
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The Macbook is to intuitive - you need about 10 minutes to figure it out. And everything after is so easy.

Example - we are setting up the MacBook, and I say to DH "where is the disk for the printer, cause I need to instal it". No I don''t. You just plug it in. Yes, that''s it. Plug it in. The Mac knows and recognizes the printer and it works perfect everytime. Even with my dictaphone for work, the IT department said the software is only for PCs, etc., but finally said, just try plugging it in. AND IT WORKED!

So unless you really enjoy installing applications and generally being frustrated, the Macbook is the way to go IMO.
 
I like the sound of intuitive. Thanks LitigatorChick.
 
I have to agree with Litigator Chick. My partner has a MacBook Pro and it''s amazing. When he has to use Word or PowerPoint, we switch computers and it''s fun to play around on his computer.

If you get a PC, I would probably get a Toshiba, Lenovo (IBM ThinkPad), or and HP - in that order. Sony computers are awful.
 
Thanks, pennquaker, duly noted
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The transfer to a Mac might come easily to some, but I''m a little leary about my own capabities.
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I have a couple of Dells - one custom built Latitude x300 and a smaller notebook.

I've had the first one for 3 years now and other than having the mother-board replaced last year, touch wood, it has been great. I had paid for the extra warranty and they came out to my office and put in the new mother-board within 24 hours of my call.

I have it super-full of CAD programmes and it gets at least 7 hours use a day, so I'm pretty impressed. I'd definitely buy another Dell.

I'm embarrassed to say that FI and I have 5 computers between us, which is a bit excessive! The PC, we both use for heavy-duty stuff like film editing and downloading RAW files from cameras etc, and I back all my files up onto it every week in case the laptop goes kaput.

If I had to choose, I'd go for a laptop - but get a back-up device to keep my files/photos safe.

ETA: MAC v PC, I'm a PC fan.

It's a bit like pixel versus vector for design software. I use CorelDraw which is vector based and really don't enjoy using pixel based software. I'm sure if I'd started with Photoshop I'd find Corel hard though. Horses for courses....
 
Hey isaku5,

My husband and I both have built lots of computers in the past and we''re big techies, and my honest opinion is that you can''t go wrong with any of the majors brands these days. In the last year or two especially, quality has gone way up even on lower end models. I own an HP that I enjoy, we also have a Compaq (still HP) laptop, a Toshiba, and an Apple.

I think the most important thing when purchasing a laptop is to buy a good warranty, even an accident warranty if you can swing it. When a PC breaks, you can usually swap out the part for little cost -- but when your laptop screen goes out, you might as well buy a new laptop. It does happen -- it happened to me last year on the Compaq, but with my warranty I had it replaced no problem. Also, laptops are prone to motherboard overheating, which can melt your power supply... not good. So my recommendation is get whichever laptop you like, and buy a good warranty. Have fun!
 
I''ve had a laptop and no desktop for several years, and I recommend it. One bonus is wireless--you can do your computer stuff while watching TV or whatever. But the space savings is the biggest convenience.

I have a Dell and have had a fairly good (but not ideal) experience, but I''m sure other brands would do the job too.
 
iBook is the older model of mac''s cheapest laptop series, it was discontinued a year or two ago. They''re all macbook or macbook pro now. The cheapest macbook will run you about $1300 with the apple protection plan (which is EXCELLENT). When you see the price, it may seem like a lot more than the entry PC, but the entry mac blows the entry PC out of the water in terms of speed, reliability, and capability.

What Litigatorchick said was basically true about macs - no more software installation! But you may experience some problems depending how obscure your items are. For example, my ibook recognized my canon printer right away, but DH''s mac mini will not recognize his el cheapo printer that he got for $20 at Walmart a few years ago. Also, he had the one type of speakers that don''t flow with mac input jacks. But, for those things, he was also able to find people who had the same problems (and solutions!) by googling for info. So, there are exceptions to the rule, but very, very few problems.

OH - and the only thing that I really truly hate about mac - it comes with a trial version of Word and basically no word processor (that''s worth anything). You''ll have to buy Microsoft Office for mac and it''s not cheap. However, DH and I have managed to find ways around this - businesses and schools often have licensing agreements so you can either purchase at a discount or somehow borrow a program...I got mine for $75 through my alma mater, and I think my dad has found that he can purchase Word for $10 through the student bookstore where he teaches.
 
Maybe I am the only one, but I never liked Macs. I grew up with them and that is what my mom has now and I find them counter-intuitive to the way I think. The screens are disorganized and nothing is automatic, you have to tell the computer to eject things you can just remove from a pc. My mom has a top of the line desktop and while she gets great customer service, she is always using said service because the mac constantly has problems. Consumer reports says that mac laptops need more repairs than any other brand they keep track of, so it isn''t just her.

Besides, if you are like me, you will have to use other computers which inevitably causes problems. For example, the pictures in powerpoint presentations turn upside down when converted from a mac to a PC. It makes no sense, but it always delayed class on presentation day.

I agree that Vista isn''t great, but I configured mine so it runs almost exactly like my xp desktop.

My brother builds computers and programs for a living and his recommendations are:
Alienware-best keyboards and upgradable
HP-best options for the price, good keyboards and VERY durable
Lenova-most comfortable ergonomics and keyboard, best customer service aside from Mac
 
I agree with you 100% re: Mac computers, brazen. I HATE them. I remember when I was in elementary school and we had Apples in all the computer labs, and even at 8 years old I knew they weren''t for me. But I know a lot of people who love them, so to each her own.
 
I bought myself a Dell Inspiron E1505 maybe a year and a half ago (Dec. 2007) and I don''t use anything else now. DH has his office in the basement of our house and uses our desktop...all I had to do was buy a linxis (sp?) router through Dell and everything worked wonderfully from the outset. I wouldn''t trade our setup for the world. If DH feels like coming up for air, he can use my laptop anywhere in the house, or outside, etc. We also are setting up an upstairs office so he can get out of the basement, everything works up there on the top floor too.

I take the laptop everywhere, friends'' houses, traveling, you name it. I love it, it has never been a burden, has only served as a piece of equipment that keeps me connected at all times. DH has a blackberry and texts/checks emails all the time, but hates that it is so tiny. I like the laptop for the 15" LCD screen...I can do everything with this thing, watch movies, chat, email, etc., and I''m not squinting. Just my two pennies.
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I bought a Dell Inspiron almost 4 years ago and I love it. Yeah, it''s heavier than my mom''s and my sister''s iBooks/Macbooks, but I don''t travel with it like they do. I went with a Dell when I decided to stop using my bulky iMac -- I really wanted a laptop. I didn''t need anything fancy but I was told to get Windows X Pro, so I did (I think that''s what it''s called). I''d defintiely get a Dell again. Who knows, my laptop may be considered a dinosaur by now since it''s almost 4 years old, but I''ll use it until it dies.
 
One sony is 13.3" and the other is 15" both keyboards are fine with me and I do a lot of typing.
 
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