Computer advice

[James1902]

hello all,
I recently made the decision to purchase a laptop computer and I was wondering if ya'll had an advice as to what some of the better laptops are. I just need it for school, a little gaming, and any design/drafting programs that I might need in a mechanical engineering major. I was looking at the HP Compaq tc4200 PC mainly for it's ability to convert into a tablet. I was wondering if any of you have used a tablet PC before and if so, was it any better than a laptop.

Thanks in advance
James Austin

[EHaskins]

Originally Posted by wpdrummer

I was looking at the HP Compaq tc4200 PC mainly for it's ability to convert into a tablet. I was wondering if any of you have used a tablet PC before and if so, was it any better than a laptop.

Thanks in advance
James Austin

I've been using a Gateway Tablet for over a year. My recommendation is that if you're a student who wants to take notes in class, then you should get a convertible tablet. The handwriting recognition in Vista is amazing, I can barely read my writing, but my tablet can interpret it almost perfectly. IMHO, the only disadvantages to a convertible tablet, are the price($25 to $200 over comparable) and the small screen sizes.

Personally I've had good luck with the Gateway tablet, my brother even bought one since he liked mine so much. The main reason I chose the Gateway line was due to the 14'' screen, where the HP and Toshiba only had 12''. That might not sound like much, but it is very noticeable when writing on it.

BTW, HP says the tc4200 series is discontinued. It has been replaced by the tx2500z series.

Cost info:
HP(Customizable) Starts at $900, recommended config $1200
Gateway $999(-$250 instant discount) or $1300(-$150 instant discount)

[EricH]

My school-issued Gateway tablet is fine for me. Taking notes during class...pretty good, though handwriting recognition is annoying sometimes (I write an E and it thinks it's an S, or vice versa). Screen spins around, making it into a notebook/flat surface. (As a side note, that's what I'm on right now.)

[i_am_samus]

I wouldn't recommend a tablet, unless you can write faster than you can type (I type faster). We had tablets in school, and I've had bad experiences with them myself. They're a little slow, and I prefer a mouse and keypad over touch screen any day.

I've been looking into laptops myself for college, and found a great deal. I like power and price, so I found this laptop: http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0290541

I haven't found a better laptop for the price, but it's not a tablet. Graphics processor isn't that great, but I don't plan on gaming myself...

[EHaskins]

Originally Posted by i_am_samus

I wouldn't recommend a tablet, unless you can write faster than you can type (I type faster). We had tablets in school, and I've had bad experiences with them myself. They're a little slow, and I prefer a mouse and keypad over touch screen any day.

I've been looking into laptops myself for college, and found a great deal. I like power and price, so I found this laptop: http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0290541

I haven't found a better laptop for the price, but it's not a tablet. Graphics processor isn't that great, but I don't plan on gaming myself...

First, I agree with you about slate(no keyboard or mouse) tablets, but with a convertible(flip screen) tablet you have both options. Also keep in mind that one of the places where Vista has outstanding upgrades from XP is the tablet support, so if you're basing your judgment on XP you're not doing justice to the hardware. From what you said I'm guessing you only ever worked with slate tablets, most likely running XP Tablet Edition, but I may be wrong in which case you can ignore my ranting.

Second, that machine you linked to looks good, but be careful when choosing a 64 bit OS. Although I'm currently running Vista x64 on my desktop, I won't claim there aren't compatibility issues. Do research into compatibility issues with software you use frequently. Also IF you would ever want to downgrade to XP, which I still don't understand why people do, you may be unhappy with the XP x64 driver and compatibility issues.

[Molten]

I am also a draftsmen and went through a similar search.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=62143

I ended up going with the 1700 vostro. Works great. My suggestion: Make sure to get a number pad if your going to draft. I've done it without a number pad before and it takes alot longer.

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

Some of the suggestions above are great. I would like to add a few things for you to consider as you go into your purchase, outside of just computer qualities.

- Portability
Given that you're looking at laptops, especially tablets, I am assuming that portability is a priority to you. Given that, make sure that you are comfortable with the weight of your computer if you want to carry it around to class or between meetings / at robot competitions.

- Wireless capability
I would strongly suggest making sure you have good wireless capability. Very good wireless capability, in fact. While many colleges are currently phasing in strong campus networks, you won't always get a great connection everywhere you go in every building. You might get the worst connection precisely when you need the best one. If this is a priority for you, make sure that you read up on wireless cards. The one that came with my laptop isn't spectacular - but it isn't that hard to make do with everything.

- Warranty and Support
If you are near a campus (I am not sure whether or not you are a university or high school student), you can sometimes get access to university laptop assistance services. The university I attend has an excellent student-run laptop assistance service. You may also want to consider, however, the reputations of various companies for taking care of you as a customer and repairing you computer should you need that sort of service.

- Video cards
You'll find debates about this everywhere. If you're already a gamer you probably know what you're looking for better than I do, but it's something you may want to be confident in prior to purchasing your computer, whether you get one sent with it for your use or you purchase one on your own.

Have fun!