Preserved Topic: Which notebook to buy?

I don't like notebooks but a friend of mine loves them.
He wants to buy a new one. His wife already has a Dell and he says they are happy with it.
But Dell is not the only brand in the market, so, do you have experience with notebooks?
Which brand is a good and trustable one?
Dell, Toshiba, Gateway?
Which kind of notebook do you recommend, like processor speed, memory, etc?
Which model?
He has around $1,700 to spend.


EDIT: I forgot to say that the one condition the notebook has to satisfy is that it must have a DVD burner.

[This message has been edited by viol (edited 12-30-2003).]

you mentioned the two that I've used and would recommend, Dell and Toshiba so uuhhh, I second that

daggum you can get a lot for 1700 these days (E-Value Code: 6V601 - 5100SAP)


Jason

No recommendations on a specific product but on a related note.

Was listening to a couple of computer retailers on a radio show the other day. When the talk turned to extended warranties both agreed that if there is any one style/computer related product that you should spend the extra cash for that extended warranty...it would be notebooks. Both said every laptop they've ever sold start to show problems after about 3 years.

And something else that was interesting... you don't necessarrily have to buy the extended warranty from the retailer where you purchased the computer. Suggestion being phone around to various retailers in your area...see which one has the best extended warranty plan.

Anyway fwiw =)

NoJive, thanks for the tip.

But, my friend is from Peru, just as me (I'm from Brazil), and before the end of next June, we must be leaving, or the INS guys will start hunting us
So, we never think about extended warranties or even regular warranties.
That's why we need to buy the most reputable mark around so to have a lesser chance of getting into trouble after we arrive in our countries. If any problem happens, usually we have no way to fix the part (I always buy only parts, not whole systems). I'd have to throw them into the trash.

For instance, I want to buy an LCD 19" monitor before going back, because here it's much cheaper than there. But I have to take the risk of taking the monitor to Brazil and, if in a small period of time, I run into trouble with it, I'm screwed. If this happens, I lose it all. We, in Brazil, do have some vendors that sell the same products as here, but the price is much higher and they do not accept to honor a warranty of a product of their brand, if not bought inside Brazil.

My last monitor was a Samsung 17". It was bought in the grey market of Brazil. I could buy from a regular store, but it'd be more expensive. From the grey market, there is no warranty from Samsung, although the same monitor bought from an official store does carry a warranty.

The prices in the grey market are also higher than here.

USA is a paradise for buying electronic stuff, for us, Brazilians. That's why there are lots of restrictions to enter legally with this stuff in the country.

At this point, you wanna get a Centrino (a designation Intel gives to notebooks with a special chipset, built-in wireless, and a Pentium M processor). Fast, wireless-ready, and better battery life as well. The prices have come down in the past few months too.

Regarding brands, well... I've used Dell laptops before that I've been quite satisfied with, and some of the Toshiba ones I've tried (not owned) aren't bad either. I guess it kinda depends on what you'll be using it for. Sonys are strong for audio/visual work, IBMs are reliable and good business notebooks, Dells are probably the best values, etc...

never owned a laptop, but did shop for one once..... Dell has a refurbished area on its website, where there are some remarkable deals..... if it helps....