Computer recommendations

[perry]

Good morning Guys and Gals

I need you to help me on this one as a friend of mine who is visiting Argentina next week is bring me a computer from the USA .

Can anyone tell me the best computers under 1300 dollars that are laptops. I wish for a medium to large laptop . Your recommendations greatly appreciated.

 

[igor]

Pericles,

Since he has only one week, buying and shipping a laptop from an online store is out of question.

I your best bet is to ask him to go to the closest BestBuy ( http://www.bestbuy.com ) and to buy a laptop from Dell, HP, Sony or Asus with Intel® Core™2 Duo processor (at least P7450, higher number preferred, modern ones are >9000) and at least 4Gb memory, monitor 15' or bigger in 900-1200 dollars range.

What he will get depends on what they have on the shelves in a particular store and current specials.

 

[amat]

Sony's (Vaios) are overpriced in my opinion. I have one - it works fine but it was more expensive than similar laptops by other companies. Dell is a pain to get fixed because I've heard you have to do it through Dell. I would def go with HP.
Also, shop around. I was in the US a couple months ago buying a laptop, and Best Buy was never actually the best buy. I found great deals on Amazon. Even Walmart and Costco has good stuff. If you do Amazon, you can usually pay a little extra for next day or 2 day shipping.

 

[igor]

I agree it is very rare that brick and mortar store offers a better deal than online one. Frankly, if time is limiting I would't be so comfortable dealing with Amazon. I think they resell and product is shipped from actual seller and dates depend on availability. In this case one or two days shipping does not mean much.

Regarding online stores, my preferred choices are NewEgg and TigerDirect , and it mostly depends whether they change sales taxes in your state of residence or not.

FatWallet forums is a good place to check for current bargains.

 

[igor]

Sony's (Vaios) are overpriced in my opinion.

Yep, but it is more about personality. I think if you are a graphic designer, for example, Sony Vaio is a reasonable choice. Programmers stick with Dells and HPs.

 

[citygirl]

Pericles - have you thought about a Macbook? I have to say, I swore up & down I would never have a Macbook. Bought one before I moved down here as its less prone to viruses, etc and now I am a Mac addict.

It's virtually indestructible, incredibly easy to use, runs microsoft office, great graphics, music players, etc.

In the last 2 years - my Thinkpad has broken 2x, my Dell laptop has crashed multiple times but my Macbook just keeps humming along despite being dragged all over the globe, dropped, etc.

 

[Harleygirl]

Hi, Pericles
I bought an Asus Model X83V at Best Buy and I love it!!! It has Windows Vista and will allow you to upgrade for free to the next operating system Microsoft comes out with (I think this Fall). Intel Centrino, Core Duo, Graphics by Nvidia, etc, etc. (you can get all the details on this model at Asus website). and.....drumroll please.....I paid $549.00. It is glossy black and has a 15 inch screen.

 

[citygirl]

Lee - I think you will love it! It took me a few weeks to get used to using the Mac vs a PC but honestly, now I find my PCs really awkward to use, hard to navigate and generally much more cumbersome. I use them for work because I have to but far prefer the Macbook. And I (knocking on wood) have not had one virus with the Mac.

I have drunk the kool-aid