Hey Sam, it's Sam here!

Just my 2 cents but I have owned three Sony Vaio's and have loved every one of them, I am typing this on my "Z" series which costs quite a bit with the setup I chose, but I use it for my work so it needs to be the best. I find the Sony's are always a bit expensive but they seem to work well.

I have owned many others such as Toshiba, HP, Dell and eMachine but have had the best luck with Sony's. Stay away from HP, the service is terrible and some of their machines are prone to trouble.

Good luck with your purchase, I'm sure you'll get more feedback from other members.

 

+1 on no HPs girlfriend has one it's been in for failed hard driver 4 times, had the screen replaced twice (and already dead pixels in the new one) and this computer is under 2 years old. Every time it's sent out it's gone for about 3 weeks.

Not reliability in those computers at all.

 

Found this in my inbox from Fatwalet. It's US $ but the model seems close to what I'm looking for ?
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...724&PID=361116

 

She needs it to be portable so she can work anywhere. Laptop is her only option.

 

I bought an asus u series notebook when it first came out. Super light and crazy specs. Best 13'' I ever bought. I would also recommend an asus for the warranty alone.

I had a lenovo, hard drive died on me within a year. It was actually pretty decent aside form the middle of the keyboard scroll ball.

I also had an hp, had to replace the dvd-rw drive and the hd within a couple of years. Least favourite of my three.

Make sure you buy it with a credit card that has extended manufacturers warranty. Visa avion as an example, will add one year extra warranty for all purchases. Definitely useful for notebooks/laptops.

 

I cant agree with the other guys on HP.....I used there products very often and i've been completely happy with them.

Where on the other hand I have had issues with SONY and TOSHIBA. To be honest.....it's not necessarily these companies fault that parts fail. 90% of the internals are exactly the same. e.g. a Sony and HP will have the same WD hard drive.....so why is either one of there faults if is faulty?

When buying a computer is comes down to personal preference.....which company do you like that best that configures windows the way you like

 

I think you're definitely in the right ballpark with specs now Sam.
That setup is a little more current than my Lenovo T series (except we run Win 7 Enterprise - 64bit).
With mine I run AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 which, anyone who knows will tell you, is a memory pig when working on large 3D projects. I have no real issues.
Our company uses 100's of Lenovo's and rarely have troubles. They may not be as 'pretty' as others but they work. Personally, I prefer the 'business' look of the IBM/Lenovo's.

 

I also like the Business Look as well. But it's not for me, so ......
On a tangent, how's the new G feelin?

 

That laptop looks good! graphics card and hard drive are on the slower side but that shouldnt affect too much. you cant go wrong with ibm technology

 

 

Thought so

 

I would also recommend getting some kind of extended warranty/accidental damage care. on a regular desktop i wouldn't get it cause the parts are cheap enough and easier to get to fix on your own, (if you choose to of course). But on a laptop, it can be a PAIN to take apart, and certain items are proprietary and can be expensive to buy on your own. (mainly motherboard/video card, and LCD).

We work with Dells at my job, and the business class laptops/desktops are SUPER easy to work on and built tougher. (Dell business laptops have metal cases instead of plastic.)

It's easier just to have the warranty, call up, and have someone come over and fix it on site.

its up to you how long, and what level of warranty you want to pay for, cause if it breaks, the laptop might be old enough that you can say F it, and just buy a new one.

 

On a laptop, used in coffee shops etc. I agree. Cost is about 300 after taxes and I'd only want a "no exceptions" one that covers everything from water to dropping.

 

and a laptop in a house with any pets and/or small children.

although, i had a user come in with his laptop saying it "Just stopped working." I took it apart and there was half a can of semi dried soup inside...

 

Yuck! Chicken soup would help, must have been tomato or mushroom