Quote:
Originally Posted by DestinyInKC
my 3 main things are:i need a keyboard because I type A LOT
i need a cd drive
and i need easy internet access.
i looked at those chrome books and they seemed cool but i think its saying they do not have a cd drive??
Looking for something NEW 100% for less than $400
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CD drive: old and gone, they all have DVD drives now. Go with that.
Yes, chromes are "stripped down" internet access, email only type machines.
Easy internet access: Yes, insist on this, and just be aware of the different systems that travel locations have. What you should get should have a wireless card with the most recent three of the 802.11 frequencies (b, g & n), and a 10/100 network port. A lot of travel locations have not upgraded their radios to the “n” frequency yet. And some are only hardwired. Thus, the 10/100 network port (RJ45 port) is a required item on all my machines. And it's the same port for when I plug the machine into a router on a work or home hard wire network.
royamcr has a good suggestion with his microcenter link to a dell inspirion. My only issue (and a minor issue) with that specific machine is that the wireless card does not have the older b & g frequencies. But it does have an actual 10 key number pad, which is very nice for a 15" laptop, and active fingers. Take a second look at the 17" Lenovo link. Once you go to that size, you'll never go back to a smaller. I have a 17", but my road warrier machines are 15" (and older).
My closing suggestion for shopping is to take the list of components from the Dell & Lenovo links, maybe add the older b & g wireless frequencies if not already included, and compare those specs to other machines. As I mentioned before, at least 4gb of memory, more if possible, and at least a 500gb hard drive (I've seen smaller drives get filled, however see a comment below on portable hard drives).
I'll probably get jumped on for not discussing the different main chips that are available, but seriously, we're talking business use, not design graphics for movies or power plants.
This is business equipment, if a good buy and if taken care of, this will help take care of business for quite a while. So get a nice protective carry case for it. I've seen carry bags made out of Kevlar of all things
Closing comments:
1. Get a top of the line virus program, usually what comes preinstalled is a piece of shix.
2. Consider picking up a portable hard drive for backups/data storage, etc. (a 1 or 2 terabyte drive is less than $90 and just as easy to use as a flash drive but the size of a very large smart phone). Very useful if you don’t want to leave any data at all on a laptop, or simply preventive in case a laptop disappears when you least expect it. And most come with encryption software.
