Larian Studios Forums General Chat Advice about buying a laptop

when considering a laptop;

1. what is your need? office work? internet/network? graphic/sound editting? this alone will determine the kind of laptop u need & the specs required for u to have your needs fulfilled.

2. research. this is where our friendly forum comes to play. acer has quite a few scary stories (i have a colleague who had an acer which broke down a month after the warranty is over. currently serving as a fancy doorstopper) while dell has quite a few votes. what about toshiba(lifebook series) or fujitsu? & alrik's right about the warranty bit. make sure the warranty is a full one & not just service warranty. since upgrade is a b*tch for laptop, u might as well get a good laptop that can last u for quite sometime before it becomes antique. also find out about the bundled software, whether they're worth it or are they just demos & light versions.

3. shopping. instead of upgrading your RAM by buying from your vendor, it can be cheaper to buy it from another shop or establishment. for example, in london u can buy RAM from crucial website & have it delivered free to your doorstep. & it's cheaper than shop prices too. now, u have to consider having the RAM installed by the vendor of your laptop or u'll risk having your warranty void because u tamper with the insides & broke the warranty seal/sticker.

4. second thoughts. sometimes it's good to have second thoughts as u may come up with better ways to solve your problems. for example, if u only need the laptop because it's mobility helps u to transport your files & u need it to have connectivity(network or internet). if that is the case, u can consider an alternative, which is a combo of desktop, USB thumb drive & palm or pocket pc. u still have mobility in the thumb drive & pda, which the latter can provide basic connectivity. & depending on your location on earth, the combo can be cheaper than a laptop. this is true in malaysia. a decent laptop that has bells & whistles (cowbells excluded <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> ) has price range from RM7500 upwards.
USD$1 approx. equals to RM3.80

Well summed up my friend, iow very good advice especially the bit about second thoughts <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />