I need a laptop.

[gWIL 0]

I need a laptop for school. I know very, very little about computers. Money not being a huge issue, I'm looking for something that can do all the basic school related functions (word, spreadsheet, powerpoint, etc.)have wireless internet, the capacity to play Rollercoaster Tycoon, and have a CD burner. I want a PC, but am unsure of what brand to go with. As far as OS, I'm wary of Vista, should I be?

[bobobrazil1984 0]

I just went through a similar dilemma myself... well, any major laptop brand should be able to do what you want, though I don't know how intensive a game Rollercoaster Tycoon is. I'd stay away from Gateway and Acer laptops - they seem especially "cheaply" made.

 

As far as Vista goes, I just bought a laptop with it on it, and it's fine. I'm not crazy about it, but so far it's mostly a prettied-up version of XP from a practical standpoint. If you're getting a new PC laptop, it's pretty much either Vista or scrounge clearance or closeout models for XP loaded ones. For what you need to do - Vista is just fine.

 

Though if you have money to spare, I'd eye something with 2 GB of RAM, this will come in handy for Vista. While upgrading RAM yourself later is easy, I get the sense you're not the kind of person that's going to want to go RAM shopping a couple of months, so go for 2GB RAM built right in.

 

Here's something to consider, make sure you like the keyboard, especially since you're using it for school stuff, I assume for papers and essays stuff too. go to the store and type on it for a little while. I realized that I hated some brand keyboards (Toshiba's was really mushy), and liked others (HP's and Sony's felt better, more of a clicky feel which helps me keep a mental track that I didn't miss any keystrokes). IBM thinkpads for instance are known for having the best keyboards in the biz. just something to keep in mind.

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

The laptop I'm using now is perfect for those features. It's a Dell Latitude 110L -- came from my school, actually. I've no idea about how Vista might run on this type. I've had it since Feb.06 with XP Pro. It came standard with CD Burner/DVD Player, though I recently upgraded to a DVD Burner.

 

As for gaming, well, look at the specs. This type of laptop is decidedly non-gaming - all the new tecchy games is definetly a no go - but I was able to play Indigo Prophecy and Vampire Masquerade: Redemption.

[Guest gordon46]

Perhaps, this one (http://www.smartratings.com/computers/notebooks) can help in you in finding the right one that suits you best. It has reviews, user and expert, compiled for every product that are on the list. I hope it helps.