Can anyone on here build me a laptop?

[lb99]

I am looking to get my wife a laptop for her birthday, its something she has always wanted, and for once I have some cash, can any of you computer types help me put togeather something similar to this http://ecomm.apj.dell.com/dellstore/basket.aspx?c=nz&cs=nzdhs1&l=en&s=dhs&itemtype=CFG&oid=479bf685-68fd-48ef-a909-1e3d1d2dbf42

without the branding, with a good guarantee for less cash????

oh, and a pink case (coz she's a girl)

[CookMySock]

That link doesn't work, coz my browser doesn't have cookies set from that site.

Just pick up a cheapie from trademe, or rummage through dse.co.nz

If you want give her something unique, get a intel laptop and hac^H^H^Hinstall Mac OSX onto it.

Steve

[Creeping Death]

That link takes you to some Dell blah blah blah site.Get one off TM.

[Monorail]

it is too hard to build a custom lappy. much cheaper to buy a branded one

[Cajun]

like monorail said.

laptops are harder for some joe bloggs to build and customise.

Best going with something like dell, hp, or simlar, dell seam to do alot more of the custom colours and what not tho

[mujambee]

Asus has some really good laptops at a very reasonable price, if they are sold over there. Here those give the best quality/price ratio.

[peasea]

Laptops, meh, get one of them notebook thingys, with a ball point.

[1vanvan1]

Haha, i am in the saame boat! I want to build a computer!

[YellowDog]

Yep, I get those DELLs really cheaply. PM me what you want and I will get you a price.

[Conquiztador]

Yep, I get those DELLs really cheaply. PM me what you want and I will get you a price.

I had a look at laptops. Spent time comparing and studying. And found that dell laptops tend to have some issues. Add to that service problems. And what I hated was the AC adaptor that has a 3 pin plug where the middle pin sends a signal that is specific for each model making it impossible to grab just any power supply. There is Smith triggers and other crap in the way for the charging.

Do this: once you found a laptop you consider, google the model and you will find sites with Q&A re problems.

In the end I got my self a Toshiba Satellite Pro with 4G of RAM and more HD then I will ever use. Add to that the bag, mouse, headphones and Windows XP (no crappy Vista) and all for $1,300.

Try these guys: www.pbtech.co.nz

[raspygold]

Haha, i am in the saame boat! I want to build a computer!

If you just want a PC built, they're quite easy to put together yourself. Laptop how ever are a completely different kettle of fish.
Its cheaper to buy the parts individually and assemble a PC yourself than to buy a model by one of the mainstream companies.

Toshiba make good laptops, I would either get a Toshiba or an Asus. The main selling point of the Asus is the great support and warranty. I've had to deal with them before, better than any other company I've dealt with about warrantys. Both are good though.

[Slyer]

more HD then I will ever use
Tui. ;)
PBtech are good, I like Playtech in albany as they are a bit more retail orientated.
I would go for an Asus or HP laptop, but if you find a stunner of a bargain for other brands, go for it.
Always research all you can about it first, read reviews of similar laptops.

[Blackshear]

Don't forget pricespy.

[Gremlin]

you can't realistically build a laptop from scratch, due to the physical limitations...

Hell... I don't even know if you can buy brand new empty laptop chassis? You'll then have issues with space between the various components etc... ok ok, you get my point, you can't custom build a laptop (or at the least, feasibly).

Whatever you get, brand, features etc, make sure it has a 3 year warranty, or more. Usually indicative of expected service life the manufacturer has placed on it - ie, longer warranty would tend to indicate the components are of a higher quality.

Don't go and buy the cheapest model out, either, get something mid range. There is no proof of cheap ones being crap, but the thousands of stupid little issues you encounter with cheap crap, so much easier to buy mid range.

[jonbuoy]

Hell no, have you tried getting one of the feckers apart? Its like a jigsaw puzzle only more fragile. Memory and processor upgrades are possible. Dell make good solid laptops that you can customise slightly to your needs.

[JacksColdSweat]

http://www.pricespy.co.nz/cat_22.html

Cheapest places to buy branded gear...

[Lias]

You can buy customized laptops from various places, but expect to pay an arm and a leg, and possibly a kidney.

One example would be http://www.alienware.co.nz/ who specialise in gaming laptops.. Their starting price is not far short of 5 grand and goes up rapildy from there.

Toshiba is "the old faithful" of laptop brands, you cant really go wrong there. Asus are relative newcomers but seem to be doing well. HP's higher end/business offerings are generally pretty good but stay away from their budget home gear. Lenono/IBM are pretty much in the same boat as HP, cheap stuff isnt that great but the pricier stuff is good.

IMHO avoid Dell, avoid Acer, avoid any other brand not listed above.

[jim.cox]

Toshiba is "the old faithful" of laptop brands, you cant really go wrong there.

Asus are relative newcomers but seem to be doing well.

HP's higher end/business offerings are generally pretty good but stay away from their budget home gear.

Lenono/IBM are pretty much in the same boat as HP, cheap stuff isnt that great but the pricier stuff is good.

IMHO avoid Dell, avoid Acer, avoid any other brand not listed above.

I concur

Lias has it pretty much right I reccon.

Or you could go radical and score a MacIntoy...

Personally I went for an IBM tablet off RetardMe - and I'm lovin it

[Gremlin]

The brands are always a hard one...

Toshiba, we've had some hits and misses, HP as you say, avoid the cheap stuff, the mid to high end is quite reliable indeed. Dell, hit and miss, generally miss.

Acer is an odd one, can be quite crap indeed, yet my own lappy for work, a Travelmate 290 has been amazing. 3+ years, abused etc still boots as fast, if not faster than modern stuff. Well, ok, the hard drive, ram is upgraded, and the OS has been rebuilt a couple of times. Sure enough, the replacement model for it... crap again. :(

[Anarkist]

Get a MacBook and use OSX, or put Windows on if that thought scares you.
MacBooks are fucking sexy these days. Expensive, mind you.

[lb99]

awesome responses, cheers guys...

I have homebuilt pcs coming out my ears (mostly made from stuff others throw away) they are like meccanno to me.

However, I have no knowledge at all about laptops (nor do I care), but the wife seems to really want one (she's been mentioning it casually for a couple of years) so I guess I should aim for some points........

I will check out some links, thanks

[smokeyging]

The brands are always a hard one...

Toshiba, we've had some hits and misses, HP as you say, avoid the cheap stuff, the mid to high end is quite reliable indeed. Dell, hit and miss, generally miss.

Acer is an odd one, can be quite crap indeed, yet my own lappy for work, a Travelmate 290 has been amazing. 3+ years, abused etc still boots as fast, if not faster than modern stuff. Well, ok, the hard drive, ram is upgraded, and the OS has been rebuilt a couple of times. Sure enough, the replacement model for it... crap again. :(


I too have an Acer laptop and haven't had a problem with it....must have been made on a Wednesday.....

[Lias]

Acer _can_ make a good product, it's just its a fairly rare thing, and their aftermarket support is utter utter crap, even for multimillion dollar purchase corproate customers. It's even worse for home users.

[Squiggles]

get a mac </10char>

[CookMySock]

get a mac </10char>or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OSx86">build</a> one yourself.

Steve