Recommendations for a laptop for my daughter

vanagon40vanagon40 Indiana Member
edited July 2008 in Hardware
My daughter just graduated college. She is looking for a laptop for personal use. I think the main uses will internet access; photo storage and photoshop editing; music storage and cd burning. I know she does NOT want a DELL.

I really have no idea. Any suggestions regarding the three she is looking at or something else in that price range?

Here is what she wrote:

what I am looking for is an HP laptop with at least 3 GB memory and 250GB hard drive for less than $800.

At Best Buy, for $650, they have this:

HP - Pavilion Laptop with AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TL-60
Model: dv6812nr | SKU: 8849865


At Office Depot, for $650, they have this:

HP Pavilion dv6830us 15.4" Widescreen Notebook Computer With Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T5550
The computers are basically the same thing (same size, 3GB memory, 250GB hard drive) except that the one from office depot has a webcam (which i don't care about) and office depot one is intel core while the best buy one is amd turion. When I asked a guy at best buy about the two different running processors, he said that the amd is newer and less well known but that he personally thought it was better because each running thing ran on its own as opposed to the intel which all ran together which means that if the computer crashed, then the amd wouldn't lose everything while the intel one would (obviously this is my interpretation of what he said in computer talk). Basically, he recommened the amd despite intel being more well known.

I also found this at Office Depot for $650

Gateway M-1626 Widscreen Notebook, Black AMD Turion 64 X2 dual core TL-60

This computer has 4GB memory and 250GB hard drive and a 15.4" ultrabright screen. I like that this has more memory for the same price, but 1 out of the 3 guys I talked to about computers said that he wouldn't recommend gateway (althought the other 2 did recommend it).

Comments

  • RyderRyder Kalamazoo, Mi Icrontian
    edited July 2008
    Wow.... Nice to see that the techs they employ know something :rolleyes:

    Office Depot one will give somewhat better performance with the Intel over the AMD CPU. All 3 are Dual Core (2 CPU's) units but that has nothing to do with saving everything if they crash.

    Honestly.. Either of the HP's get my vote.. you won't notice a difference with general use. Tell her to make a decision like most young girls do.. buy from the cuter sales rep ;D;D

    All kidding aside.. HP :)
  • edcentricedcentric near Milwaukee, Wisconsin Icrontian
    edited July 2008
    I would go with HP or Toshiba. I have used a couple of HPs and both of my daughters have Toshibas. No real issues.
  • MAGICMAGIC Doot Doot Furniture City, Michigan Icrontian
    edited July 2008
    http://www.woot.com/
    sony vaio for 499
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited July 2008
    If she will be doing photo editing, she needs the best monitor screen in your price range. Unless this is a surprise for her, let her look at the laptops in the stores while they are running. Photo editing will be tough enough as it is on a little laptop screen. You might as well go for the one she thinks is most pleasing.
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