Beto needs help

So a buddy of mine calls and asks what kind of laptop should I get? Well he has the following cirteria:

• Wants to spend less than $1000


• Needs it for basic web, email, pictures, movies and music


• Wants it to be somewhat portable as he is going to run around quite a bit

Well ultra portables are out because they cost more than $1,000 but that would be perfect. However this is what I suggested for him:

Hey Beto:

So I did a little research for ya and here are my recommendations:

Although I'm not the hugest fan of Dell laptops except their XPS line but that is a little more expensive that what you're willing to pay. They have a new "Studio" line that is in between their shitty Inspiron Line and their top of the line XPS.

They have two Studio configurations that would work well for you:

The Studio 15 "Good" configuration is $749 and this has the specs that would satisfy your requirements such as email, trading, web surfing, music, pics, videos and it's somewhat portable. It has the good Intel Core 2 duo processor at 2.00 ghz, this processor has two processing cores or it's really like having two processors. It has a large 160 gig HD, CD/DVD burner, WiFi, and 2 gigs of memory. This laptop used the integrated Intel graphics chip set which is ok but not as good as a dedicated video card.

The Studio 15 "Better" configuration is $899, this has all the same things as the "Good" configuration however it's got more memory 3 gigs, a bigger hard drive 320 gig HD, and a dedicated video card, 256 MB ATI card. It's only an extra $150 dollars but you get so much more, I think it's def worth the extra money.

Both Studio Laptops are about 6 pounds W 14'', H 1'' front and 1.3'' in the back, D 10.3''

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop_studio_15?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

Your other option is to get a refurbished Macbook from the Apple website:

The white Macbook is $899 and has a 2.1 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1 GB of memory, 120 GB HD, and a CD burner and Reader. The down side of the Mac is that it's new you'll have to get used to how to use it but trust me it's really easy, you don't get a DVD burner, and it has an integrated video card. But the build quality of the Macs are the best. Macs use very high quality parts and are typically very reliable. This laptop is also a bit more portable because it's only 1'' think all the way around, has a 13.3 in screen and only weighs 5 pounds. The other advantage is that Macs have no viruses, pop ups, spy ware etc. Plus you get the awesome Mac software included at no extra cost for your music, videos and pictures. I use my Mac to make all those movies of when we used to go out a couple summers ago. And lastly the Mac OSX operating system is waaaayyyy better than windows. don't worry about it being refurbished, it comes with the same warranty as new laptops and statistically speaking new laptops have a repair rate the same as new ones, so they're not any worse than a new one, they just can't be sold as new.

Here's the link:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB402LL/A

If it were up to me I'd get the Mac, they're just that much better than lame ass windows. But if you're more comfortable with Windows I'd recommend the Studio 15 "Better" configuration. That should be a great laptop for you.

Email me back if you have questions.



Richard