What's your favorite Laptop/Notebook?

[foldedspace]

I'm looking to buy a laptop, because I'll be doing a lot of travelling over the next 2-3 years. I began with the cheapest, but am drawn to the Centrinos. Especially since I'll be toting it around. I got a good quote for an Acer Travelmate TM800Xci ($1250), so that's probably what I'm going to get.

Any other ideas or suggestions? :)

[Locksmith]

I bought a Compaq 2570CA a few months ago. 2.4mhz P4, 15" screen, 60gig hd, 500mb of ram. Basically a desktop type system you can carry.

Definately not the lightest one in the bunch, but I'm really happy with its performance. I wanted the higher speed for flight sim and video editing.

[Kati Compton]

I love my laptop, but I really splurged. It's an IBM Thinkpad T40. 1.6GHz, 768MB RAM, 80GB HD, 14" SXGA+, and a really cool keyboard light. ;)

It also has a *3* year warranty, as opposed to most models that have a 1 year.

[Pat Logsdon]

I really like my Thinkpad, too. It's an older one (a T23), but it's rock solid and extremely well built.

[Falstaff]

What do you need your laptop for? Are you going to use it just for some light work, or do you need a lot of power, basically a portable desktop device? Is battery life a big concern for you, if so how much do you need? Do you do a lot with video (iow, do you need a dedicated video processor)? Is size a big concern? Do you want a name brand or do you not care (Sager laptops are great, they aren't a name brand though they are made by the same people as other name brand systems, including AlienWare)? Laptops are so varied, you have to look for one that fits what you need.

[Kati Compton]

Oh, and it's ~ 5lbs. I forgot to mention that. That was a big selling point for me. I need <= 5lbs, and there are few laptops with resolution better than XGA in that category.

[foldedspace]

It's going to be my only machine, and weight is important. I won't be doing anything more intensive than watching DVD's or playing games. I like the ATI 9000 64mb it comes with, plus the 4 USB 2.0 ports. And it's about 5 pounds. It's more than I wanted to pay, but the retail is around 1600-1800, so it's real hard to pass up.

[dh]

I really like my Thinkpad, too. It's an older one (a T23), but it's rock solid and extremely well built.
T23 here as well. I've had 4 Thinkpads now and I will get another when I need a new laptop. Kati's sounds great.
I wouldn't consider any other laptop.

[Falstaff]

You might want to check out the Sager notebooks at PCTorque (http://pctorque.com/pre-notebook.php) and PowerNotebooks. (http://www.powernotebooks.com/) They are great power devices (although the smallest one is 7 lbs and battery life isn't great) with tremendous expandibility. They also have really good waranty options. The price is also great, $1700 for a 7 lbs, 17" WXGA screen, 3.06 GHz P4 (I know this is a battery killer), 512 RAM, DVD/CD-RW, camera, and optional bluetooth and wi-fi. It's a nice system. They also have bigger systems with dual bay drives, TV-Tuner, and more.

[Steven Cedrone]

Man, I have a T20! Guess it's time for an upgrade! I will be watching this thread very closely. I do have to say that the IBM's are very solid machines, I have never had any problems with them! (As you can see, that's the direction I am leaning in)

Steve

[foldedspace]

http://www.tomshardware.com/mobile/20030528/index.html

Here's a comparison between the Acer Travelmate 803Lci, (an 800 series with bigger screen and more memory) and the IBM T40. Both of these are out of my price range, but the Acer 800Xci has all the goodies of the higher model sans some memory and display.

[Kati Compton]

If anyone gets a T40, make sure to check on this: Some models come with the extended battery *standard*, which is nice, but I also bought the regular battery (doesn't stick out, is about .5lb lighter, and holds enough charge for my non-plane needs).

I *had* wanted the T40p, as it has 64MB graphics memory and a 7200RPM drive. But unfortunately, ordering directly from IBM was a horrible horrible experience, so I got mine from CDW-G (I work at a university).

[foldedspace]

I also got a quote for a 12inch IBook G4 for 900. But I'm a bit leery about getting a Mac for my only machine.

[foldedspace]

I understand the new eMachine laptops are pretty decent. I guess they licked the quality control problems from years back.