Something simple for my cousin

user226 · Joined: Apr 17, 2008 Posts: 25

[Message edited for content by moderator. AG]

My cousin wants a laptop, and she needs something niiiiice and simple.

shes COMEPLETELY computer illiterate. she only knows how to click and download off of the internet, and can play in photoshop.

oh and she can install if all it requires is clicking next.

she needs something with a good ammount of space becaause shes a "camera enthusiast" as she so fondly calls herself.

whats cheap and a bigger sized laptop that fits her needs?

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 979 Location: Central FL, USA

Well, almost any laptop you'll find in the stores today will have Vista on it, so she better have SOME computer savvy.

Next, the bigger the screen and Hard Drive, the more you're going to pay for the unit. So "Big" and "Cheap" don't work in the same sentence.

Have you done any "Shopping" yet?
That would be my advise.... "GO Shopping".
Girls still like to shop, don't they?
You never know what kind of bargain you'll find till you go into the stores and "Shop".

I was just browsing through the computer dept at Wal-Mart a few days ago, and found an eMachine with Windows XP on it for $299, without monitor.
I wish I had the finances to grab up a couple of those! Wink

That's my best advise for a Sunday morning.

The Doctor Cool

goretsky

Hello,

Acer, Asus, Dell, Hewlett-Packard (and its Compaq division), Lenovo, Toshiba all sell notebook computers which meet your requirements.

Since the requirements are rather relaxed, I would suggest shopping around for whatever happens to be on sale.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

user226 · Joined: Apr 17, 2008 Posts: 25

mmm yes. i assumed an HP would be perfect because arent they more photo spiefic?

*sigh* and i know "big" and "cheap" dont work in a sentance together... but this is what she wants.

OH! i forgot to mention one teeny thing!

she wants good graphics. something that wont make her games mucky or dirty looking.

she also wants to play the sims 2 (but she wont be as vigrious as me, i hope. or else she'll NEED the expensive laptop to run it) and maybe rollercoaster tycoon, but thats such an old game, doesnt it basically run on any graphics card out now? Laughing

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 979 Location: Central FL, USA

User226,

Laptops were never designed or meant for Gaming Machines. They were designed for data entry/capture. Maybe a little 'Solitaire'.

By their very nature, they seldom have enough ram and they also have very slow hard drives. The SATA2 hard drive was a God's Send to the laptop industry. They are many times faster than the old IDE drives.

However, since some folks insist on using a laptop for Gaming and Advanced Graphics, some companies actually build laptops for just that purpose. I even saw one advertised with two SATA2 drives in RAID configuration.

For Gaming, you're going to need all the ram the laptop will hold and a SATA2 hard drive. Did I mention a high end video chip set?

One company that builds Gaming Laptops is "Sager Notebook".
Just for grins and giggles, take a look at them Here.

Happy Shopping!
The Doctor Cool

PS: I recently went laptop shopping with a lady customer of mine.
After bombing out at several stores, we finally found a beautiful little Acer Notebook with a 17" screen at "Staples" for under $600.
It very nicely serves her needs.

goretsky

Hello,

Do you know what the system requirements are for the games your sister wishes to run on the new notebook? I believe that The Sims 2 and Roller Coaster Tycoon are older (~3 year old) games, so I would expect any currently-manufactured notebook to be capable of running them, although the graphics may be slow on the least-expensive models.

Running newer games, editing video or performing other intensive tasks might require a more expensive notebook computer.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

Toastpaint · Joined: Mar 21, 2008 Posts: 3

My Suggestions to yourself, after what I have seen with people like this in Real Life; is to go for a EeePC or a ThinkPad.

The EEEPc is a real consumer laptop. The ThinkPad will definetely give you 99% more power for your dollar. http://www.lenovo.com

My main point for ThinkPads are that they are durable, and their warranty does mean something. I have a horrible experiences with companies such as HP/Compaq and more recently, Toshiba ( Sad

I miss the old guys)

But yeah. Depends on your budget, but Thinkpads are relatively cheap. And they can still come with XP. Thankfully.