Best laptop computers?

[dnewhous]

Who makes the best laptop computers? And by best I mean who puts the best parts in their laptops? Since I can't make a laptop from scratch by myself...

Also, who is it that makes the extra large sized laptop computers, the ones in the ads with Mini-me and that asian basketball player?

[Nephewkp]

That was a mac commercial. and it is possible to buy a laptop minus the hd, optical, ram, and mini-pci...and put the rest in yourself. I am building my own based on the Aopen 1557gls barebones notebook. I choose that one because it is weighs less than 6.5lbs which makes it very portable for a lappy with a 9700 in it.

[David]

What are you using the laptop for? I have an Acer Aspire 1353XC and it rocks for everything except gaming.

Its an XP2400+M/256MB/20GB/CDRW/DVD laptop with a 14" LCD i think.

[tfr2087]

9800's are in laptops now, and they are 8pipelines, unlike the 9700 version for the laptop. Dell is selling them now, but I like Sager better. http://pctorque.com/5690.php

[dnewhous]

Must laptop video cards be integrated?

I have some other requirements that are important - integrated serial port and integrated network port. Will your Aopen idea still work for me?

It isn't really worth requiring, but an integrated analog modem would be nice just in case.

I know Dell laptops will do all of these things. Will any others?

[Nephewkp]

most laptops don't have legacy support (ps/2 connectors, serial, and sometimes parallel). The 1557 has a parallel port, but you would have to use a usb to serial adapter if you really need serial(the 1557 has 3 usb ports so it shouldn't be a prob). And just about all laptops have integrated 10/100 nic's in them. the 1557 also has a 56K modem and mini-pci if you want integrated wireless.

[dnewhous]

if you really need serial


Since when does a requirement imply ambiguity? Aopen is out of the question.

A parallel port would also be really nice but not required. I don't give a rat's ass about integrated wireless network. I would be perfectly happy to buy a PCMCIA card if and when the need arises.

I should add, not only do I need a serial port, I need one that can be jacked all the way up to 115200 baud. Dell laptops can do this. I know from experience there are serial ports that only let you go up to 9600.

Since Dell does this with no ifs,ands,buts, or adapters (which potentially introduce error) about this, I see no reason to consider anyone else unless they offer the same thing.

[dnewhous]

I must eat humble pie, Dell no longer offers serial ports. They used to on their Inspiron 8000 line.

When I talk about high quality components I don't mean hair splittings like who has the latest Radeon on their mobos, I mean obvious things like offering ATI video at all (Sony doesn't, though they make carbon fiber laptops that weigh less than 2 pounds). What I'd like to hear is someone warn me that "integrated XXXX on brand YYYY really sucks."

Right now I am eyeing Gateway laptops because they are fragging huge. I hate laptop keyboards so bigger is definitely better, whatever the consequences in battery time may be. Gateway does put parallel ports on their laptops.

Who makes laptop burners? Plextor doesn't make any retail, and if it no Plextor, it crap! From my past experience with Gateway, they put really low end burners on their desktops, and I'm concerned they would do the same with their laptops.

[Stedeman]

Dell Inspiron XPS starting at 9.1 lbs!
http://catalog.us.dell.com/CS1/cs1page2.aspx?br=7&c=us&cs=04&fm=10849&kc=6W300&l=en&s=bsd

[dnewhous]

A firewire port is essential.

Now that that is out of the way I want to talk about what I don't want.

I don't want a "gaming" notebook. Dell's marketing label for their ultimate laptop line turns me off. Even when I play games I hate FPS and would find the hardware in a cheaper model to be more than adequate for my tastes.

I don't want a DVD burner. If the time comes for one I will get an external firewire model from, you guessed it, Plextor.

I don't want a built in subwoofer or > 2 speakers. If I want that sort of thing I have prosumer headphones and WinDVD HRTF processing will serve me well.

The most intensive things I will be doing on my computer are using Visual C++, MATLAB, and MathCAD.

[Stedeman]

Dell Inspiron 5150: 15" LCD, firewire, usb2.0, P4 w/HT, and 2GB RAM still heavy at a starting weight of 8.25lbs

[dnewhous]

Nothing from Dell has the 17.1" display that the Gateways do.

Is a Bluetooth module integrated or is it an add-on?

To answer my own question: If you buy it aftermarket a Bluetooth adapter is USB. I consider Bluetooth essential because of the ability to use a wireless mouse without LOS. Gateway does not offer internal Bluetooth. Sager has laptops with 17" panels and internal Bluetooth, it's just that their laptops are in many ways overspecced. The minimum video card I can get is a Radeon 9700 with 256 MB of RAM. OVERKILL.

My affection for the idea of wireless mice is caused by the fact that I despise the mouse pads on laptops.

I lost the faith too soon. The top line from Sager does have a serial port!

http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=18065

[Enigma422]

Two words: IBM ThinkPad