Laptop recommendation?

[geekbot]

I am looking for a laptop for my brother. He just starting teaching high school. Requirements: small, lightweight (portable), not too expensive, playing DVDs/games is a bonus.

Any suggestions or thoughts on the computers below?

Also, what are minimum requirements to play starcraft? Is it playable on a laptop?


== LAPTOPS ==
$1300 dell inspiron 600m
Intel Pentium®M,1.4GHz,14.1XGA ATI 32MB Video
384MB,DDR,266MHz 2 Dimms
30GB2 Ultra ATA Hard Drive
24XCD-RW/DVD Combo Roxio's Easy CD Creator®

$900 gateway m305x
Mobile Intel® Celeron® Processor 2.2GHz with 256K cache
256MB DDR SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive
Integrated 6 in 1 memory card reader
Integrated 24x/10x/24x CD-RW / 8x DVD combo
15" XGA TFT Active Matrix
Integrated Intel® graphics with dynamic video memory technology

== PRINTERS ==
$200 hp laserjet 1000
$75 cartridge (2500 pages)

$50 hp deskjet 3550 color inkjet printer
$18 black cartridge (220 pages)
$22 color (190 pages)
Up to 14 ppm black/Up to 10 ppm color
Up to 2400-optimized dpi color (up to 2400 x 1200-optimized dpi color and
1200-input dpi)

$80 hp deskjet 3820 printer
$30 black cartridge (600 pages)
$35 color (450 pages)
up to 12 ppm black/up to 10 ppm color
4800 x 1200 optimized dpi color printing on premium photo papers with 1200 x
1200 dpi input resolution

[Dameon Angell]

its playable, but blows playing an RTS w/ those touch pads. you definately won't be fast enough to create a ling rush as effective as if you were using a normal mouse.

if you get a laptop....

Price is no object - Alienware Area 51m
or ... if you're like most people, get the Gateway, and upgrade the graphics card to an ATI Mobility Radeon.

[Bioture]

The man is asking if the laptop will play freaking starcraft. Not whether it will play Doom 3 or some shit. The alienware notebooks are nice, but theyre very impractical (as are all high-end gaming pcs, unless you build one yourself).

I am partial to the new centrino procs - just because they run apps faster and comes wifi enabled. If you do want high end grafx on a notebook - be ready to shell out the $$$$$ ... and i mean alot more $$$$$ than a desktop equivalent.

(btw i can play starcraft on my old-ass Pentium 166 MMX with 32mb ram flawlessly over 56k AOL)

Just get a mouse to go with it.

[Mr. Peanuts]

Dell Inspiron 5150
--------------
P4 3.06GHz
RAM: 256MB
HDD: 30 to 60GB
15" Screen
--------------
Price: around £1,300.
Which is about $2,000.

definitely. My mate has that one and it owns for anything.

I dunno how much u would get it across the pond but its the best laptop for any work and great for dvds and games.

[ConcreteSchlyrd]

Buy anything but a Gateway. They're built like poo these days. I swear to god all their OEM stuff is refurbished.

Ahh, but for the days of yesteryear, especially about 6 years ago, when Gateway still actually shipped a decent product.

[ZeUs!!]

I just got myself a Compaq Presario 2100Z last week and its brilliant. I got it for £900 on offer and its 2.6mhz, 64MB graphic, 30GB RAM, makes the tea, 15" screen, you name it.

[RabbitRapist]

check out the Sony VAIO laptops.

-RR

[Fit of Rage]

Originally posted by ZeUs!!
30GB RAM

For the name of all that is holy- how?

Geek, make sure your brother gets as much RAM as he can afford (but not 30 GB worth ).

[genocidal]

Originally posted by RabbitRapist
check out the Sony VAIO laptops.

-RR

[Yojo]

What conc said, and is custom made an option?

[Verthanthi]

Originally posted by ConcreteSchlyrd
Buy anything but a Gateway. They're built like poo these days. I swear to god all their OEM stuff is refurbished.

Ahh, but for the days of yesteryear, especially about 6 years ago, when Gateway still actually shipped a decent product.

Also, no compaq.

[Ralex]

Well I suggest an IBM Thinkpad or a Compaq. IBM Thinkpads are all very sturdy and great notebooks. Compaq is also a great manufacturer of notebooks as they are the only company I've seen who sell their notebooks with AMD chips.

As for your question about StarCraft, I've actually played it before on a 133 mhz comp with all the minimum components.

[geekbot]

I'll try looking at some of those. I was kind of leery of the Gateway. I've heard similar about their desktops and I was wondering how can a similar computer be $400 less...

My brother is teaching 4 classes. If he can't play computer games, that might be a good thing.

[Mr. Peanuts]

Originally posted by ZeUs!!
I just got myself a Compaq Presario 2100Z last week and its brilliant. I got it for £900 on offer and its 2.6mhz, 64MB graphic, 30GB RAM, makes the tea, 15" screen, you name it.

and while fit was nitpicking, 2.6mhz? wth?

[ZeUs!!]

First off I know bugger all about how it works etc, it just said 30GB on the sticker in PC World and I've got over 20GB left according to my pooter so it must be right. Secondly, its 1.7mhz but its got a specially thingy-ma-jig which means although its slower it can process more info at once. The bloke said think of it as sweeping the floor. The intel will go beserk, super duper past but only get one tile done, where as the athlon will go half the speed but do the whole room in big sweeps. Ta daaaaa.