[redoak]

Rich: Thanks for the link and recommendation. However, I really do want a 17" screen. Plus, I am dissuaded by some of the negative criticisms among the reviews.

{redoak}

BTW, I am now a registered participant at your site! Just now saw the lionk in your TSG "sig."

[Rich-M]

Kewl redoak Welcome! Hey I missed the 17" and Lenovo 17" are seriously expensive and hard to find but as for reviews, most pros recommend Lenovo over everything. You know that is the old IBM made in China now? I never read on site reviews as only the extremely "po'd" usually write them IMHO!

[redoak]

Rich: Thanks for the "welcome". You probably will not see but a few posts from me on your site.

'I never read on site reviews as only the extremely "po'd" usually write them IMHO!" This is not true at all re the HP I am considering. There are nothing by praises being sung!

{redoak}

[Rich-M]

Originally Posted by redoak

Rich: Thanks for the "welcome". You probably will not see but a few posts from me on your site.

'I never read on site reviews as only the extremely "po'd" usually write them IMHO!" This is not true at all re the HP I am considering. There are nothing by praises being sung!

{redoak}

Some day peruse the Newegg site which has a pretty in depth program for reviews and you can walk away wondering why the majority of posts are negative. Besides that if I want to read a review, I want to read it from a professional, there is no way to tell what level the people writing these are at.

[redoak]

Rich: I don't want to "argue the point," since I am not an argumentative person. However, the reviews I care about are those from users, like me. I have seen what I consider to be valid opinions, good and bad, a number of times over the years when I have considered purchases of various kinds. Those at the HP site and at the Lenovo site make sense to me as a USER. The hardware aspects I leave to folks like you; but specifications, if understood, allow comparisons of the technical aspects of products, too.

At the recommendation of a trusted friend who owns one, I just looked into Dell Lenovo laptops. There are only two with 17" screens. Both appeared to have good specs after I made one or two options choices. However, I came back to the HP last mentioned above, since it has a few specs that are better;e.g., an optional 12 cell vs.8 cell std. battery which does not bring the cost higher than the Dell. The long and short of it, I am going to buy the HP G71t laptop that I outlined above.

{redoak}

{redoak}

[Rich-M]

Please read this first before buying HP...everyone is entitled to their opinions so none are right or wrong but this study should be helpful....

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/mos...tops,9102.html

[redoak]

Rich: Thanks for the link!! I take it that the study was done by reputable people from good data. Please conform. I respect your opinion(s).

My present laptop is an Asus. I bought it some 3-4 years ago. Has run fine. It is quite "powerful," certainly plenty more than I will ever need. For example, the 80 GB HDD is less than one half full after 3-4 years! I have "XP Pro," about 125 installed programs and many MBs of misc files, too. But I know that operation of software/os is enhanced by more than minimum hardware. The pricing of Asus is more than I want to spend for a "backup" machine- some $1500, which is what I spent for my present computer.

I will go to the Toshiba and Sony sites today!

{redoak}

[aka Brett]

Dell has good deals at the moment...I dont know if this link will work but here it is
400 bucks dual core intel 15 inch display 3 gigs of ram.
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...en&s=dhs&cs=19

[redoak]

Brett: Thanks for making a post. I definitely want a 17" screen. Yesterday I spent a good bit of time at Dell's site, particularly the business section, as recommended by a friend. I did not find what I wanted/liked, etc.

Already this morning I have looked seriously at what Toshiba offers, and I am definitely leaning that way now. The HP dependability ranking at the link above is very troubling, so HP is no longer in my mind. I have put together a Toshiba package that exceeds what I now have, which is more than adequate, for just $599. I have a few ?s for a sales rep when I can reach them at 0800 EST USA.

{redoak}

[etaf]

I have in my Home and immediate family
1x Advent, 2x Acer, 1xFuji, 2xHP, 1xSony, 4xToshibas (3 where an amazing deal just over a year ago, so daughter, son, wife have these - BATTERY LIFE IS POOR though)
so i would check the battery life out a little more.

Also think about that memory - i would go for 3GB, if 32bit software, but if price does not change - 4gb DONT pay extra for 4gb if its 32bit software

If i extended that to friends - we would cover every manufacturer out there

The advent was the worse machine, my son impluse purchase and now replaced with a Toshiba

Basically

You will find that all manufacturers have good and bad machines - I used to look for the bargains, which every manufacturer had - very high specification and cheap price - although that's not so easy these days as the minimum specs can be so high

You will also find that you will get replies here of poor service and great service.

[redoak]

etaf: Thanks for the comments. Your rec re 3GB memory backed up a decision I made an hour ago when I read about some aspect of the machine needing to draw on the memory since it didn't have enough of its own. Even "took" over one GB in some cases.

I am going to buy a 12 cell battery, so, hopefully, battery life will not be a serious problem. Besides, Toshiba like HP, uses LEDs in the screen.

I keep thinking about more and more details as I try to make a choice of machine. Right now I don't like the numerical pad that comes with the Toshiba. I will never use it, and it must take space away from the regular keyboard, which means small keys. I don't want small keys, since I have big fingers! I type one fingered, too, but from both hands simultaneously.

Decisions, decisions, decisions!!

{redoak} .

[etaf]

Decisions, decisions, decisions!!

Yep that's how it goes - I regularly get called up about what laptop to buy and it often goes like that - I just want something basic - and develops from there

hen I read about some aspect of the machine needing to draw on the memory since it didn't have enough of its own. Even "took" over one GB in some cases.

That maybe for internal integrated graphics which will use the main memory - I dont think you need 1GB assigned -

I have a 128mb dedicated card in my HP that works fine -
Any my HD Sony uses 256MB - again no problems playing bluray DVDs and Online High Quality Videos

I keep thinking about more and more details as I try to make a choice of machine. Right now I don't like the numerical pad that comes with the Toshiba. I will never use it, and it must take space away from the regular keyboard, which means small keys. I don't want small keys, since I have big fingers! I type one fingered, too, but from both hands simultaneously.

If you can get to a shop and try out the keyboard - they all have there + & -ves
more so for my wife - who types .. and hates the touchpad

i played with a big toshiba with the keys you mentioned - i use onefinger on each hand to type - and it was fine
i like my sony keyboard the best

What about bluetooth for mobile phone etc

[redoak]

etaf: No need for "bluetooth" capabiity.

I am confused by the T site re 32/64 bit. They say it is Ws 7 with 64 that is speced. But I saw some fine print that 32 would be installed. I would prefer 32, since I have the download "exe" files for every program in my present computer, with updates replacing earlier versions. Therefore, I don't believe I would have to download these programs from scratch if a 32 bit version were installed. Is this correct? Of course, now that I have satellite the downloading of programs isn't the problem it was when I was on dial-up.

I have already had one disappointment with Toshiba. I called to talk to a sales rep five minutes after they opened the lines, and I was sent to four different people and then put on hold for longer than I wanted to wait! Maybe they have coffee before answering calls?

{redoak}

[etaf]

I have already had one disappointment with Toshiba. I called to talk to a sales rep five minutes after they opened the lines, and I was sent to four different people and then put on hold for longer than I wanted to wait! Maybe they have coffee before answering calls?

I did add a sentence to my post about service but then deleted it -
It went along the lines of
and then there's also customer service and guess what you will get a lot of different opinions on that as well, I have had great service from toshiba on the phone - only used twice, good service recently from HP about a printer - even got a cartridge sent for the problems caused, poor service from linksys .
so that will be varied too..

oh the bluetooth comment was about how requirements start to change

I also noticed on some websites - you can choose if you want 32 or 64bit windows 7 - no difference in price , not sure what toshiba mean by installed 32bit installed and speced at 64 - its going to be one or the other i would have thought. Maybe they are saying can run 64bit but supplied only with 32bit. Dont know would need to ask i guess

[Rich-M]

Originally Posted by redoak

Rich: Thanks for the link!! I take it that the study was done by reputable people from good data. Please conform. I respect your opinion(s).

My present laptop is an Asus. I bought it some 3-4 years ago. Has run fine. It is quite "powerful," certainly plenty more than I will ever need. For example, the 80 GB HDD is less than one half full after 3-4 years! I have "XP Pro," about 125 installed programs and many MBs of misc files, too. But I know that operation of software/os is enhanced by more than minimum hardware. The pricing of Asus is more than I want to spend for a "backup" machine- some $1500, which is what I spent for my present computer.

I will go to the Toshiba and Sony sites today!

{redoak}

Redoak, that link is from "Toms Hardware" who to my way of thinking, and most hardware pros, are the most reliable hardware reviewers in the industry. Personally I have seen way too many motherboards replaced in recent HP laptops way early and too many hard drives in Dell Laptops as well.