Buying a new laptop

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by Adam Shapiro

A number of people I know with Dell machines have issues with excessive heat. One friend even has to go so far as to keep his on a fan-cooled stand almost all of the time so it doesn't overheat. Dell does have some very nice deals pricewise though.

Were they desktop replacement notebooks, like the XPS? Those are probably your worst offenders in the heat department.

I currently have a Dell Inspiron 2200 that I got two years ago, and I've never had any problems with it in regards to excessive heat. Then again there's only so much heat that a 1.4 Ghz Celeron can make...

If you're looking at a mid-range laptop, I have a few friends who have Dell Inspiron 1420's, and are satisfied with them. And if you're into Ubuntu, you can purchase them with Ubuntu instead of Windows and save $25.

Originally Posted by Billfred

I wouldn't be so fast to rule out Apple. Even if you completely ignore Mac OS X and its included software, their hardware is rock-solid and reviewed several times over as great for running Windows through Boot Camp. Right now, a refurbished MacBook almost like mine (the difference being that it carries only 1 GB of RAM, which can be upgraded through a user-accessible slot) for $1,099, and it's still eligible for AppleCare.

Apple doesn't make cheap hardware, but it's worth the investment.

When you find Windows computers with more or less the same specs as Apple computers, they usually aren't that far apart in cost nowadays, especially when you factor in the cost of equivalent Windows software to iLife.

Plus, if you're eligible for their Education discount, that knocks another $100 off the price.