Can't decide which laptop to buy!

[Muse]

Okay, so once again I'm looking for a laptop to buy for my sister and being the non gadget and anti technology person I'm not sure which one to buy.

I don't have any specific preferences towards any brand or company. I just want something light in weight and not too big [so that it can fit into those big handbags we girls like to carry], but it should have good RAM and Hard disk capacity since it's needed for a lot of soft wares and program running with a battery that last a long time. Top notch performance - in short.

The maximum price range is around £800. I've read reviews and they're all so confusing. I've looked at and liked some Sony VAIO and HP and I've used Toshiba and Acer before. Please share your opinion about whichever laptops are better while keeping those few of the preferences I mentioned above.

And I'd absolutely love it if I could get some replies by today. I need to figure out which one to buy by tomorrow :(

Thanks a lot!

[DemonGod]

hmm...
well lets start from the basics here, as your spec requirements confuse me a little.

you're looking for a portable pc.
in this you want the following:
- it has to be small and lightweight
- good RAM and HDD size
- battery that lasts a long time
- performance as good as you can get for 800 pounds


now from these specs, especially combining the ones about battery life and performance i'd rec a macbook.
however that will put you in price ranges way above your 800. (prices can go up into the thousands)

now if you ask me you have 2 things left for this prize:
1. a notebook, these are medium to large sized. have good HDD and RAM capacity and good specs.
the downside of these is the battery life which will go for about 2-3 hours on average. (from my experience, given you are connected to a network, if you are not the battery can last you for 4 hours)

2. a netbook: these are smaller and lightweight. have average HDD and good RAM. average specs.
the upside, battery lasts longer than a notebook. downside: they are smaller, screen is rather tiny (but of course small size was a requirement for you) and the specs are lower than those of a netbook.

once you decide which one of these 2 you want to pick you can start wondering about a brand and specs for your laptop.

[Muse]

A notebook would work fine. I suppose a medium sized laptop might serve well enough. I've carried my own around in my handbag and mine was pretty heavy and big.

[DemonGod]

okay then a notebook..
now it's hard to say what laptop is actually better.. unless you have a specific set of laptops from different brands to choose from..
what are you planning to use it for?

[Muse]

It's for my sister doing her phd. So lots of office thesis work, big storage space and related programs to run for mathematical and bioinformatic lab work she does. She needs speed and performance above all else but she also wants it to be pretty so I guess she's willing to settle for something in the middle of these two.

She personally likes VAIO and Mac when it comes to outward appearance but somebody confused me by saying that many programs might not be compatible with a macbook? :s

So I decided to post here and leave it to the people who actually know about computers :D

[DemonGod]

if you want certain compatibility a macbook isn't the best choice no..
there is a good chance it will be compatible though, but of course always the small chance that it aint..

however if you only have 800 pounds to spend.. o.o' you can buy a cheap model macbook for that i guess..
but i'd spend it on something else..

in any case for that purpose i'd say..
2 to 4GB ram would suffice.. (2 should be enough for programming, 4gb is getting into video editing/gamer level)
programs don't take up that much space.. 320GB should suffice and that's keeping it on the safe side..
screen size, at least 13 inch. this is about the minimum comfortable size for writing papers.

try looking up a few notebooks with these specs and then you can try comparing them.
processor, battery life, price to quality ratio, looks, what the reviews say, etc.
the things you didn't look at yet when picking the notebooks.

[Muse]

Hahaha, I guess she could spend more since she really isn't spending it herself. But I think we'd probably leave the mackbook out of this.

Yes, I'm looking along these specs. Just wanted some confirmation that I'm looking at the right stuff. I was initially considering 11" screens too but I guess you are right. o.o' Reading and writing might not be the best on a screen smaller than 13"

Thanks for helping me out DG ^^

[DemonGod]

again on brands.. that is really something to look for after you made a list of laptops you consider buying..
the only difference really lies with costumer support and in some cases the integrity of the laptop..
and even that depends really..
a lot of people say Acer's are crap and break really quickly..
i have absolutely no problem with mine on that matter, so yeah.. if you ask me it doesn't matter that much

just make a list of laptops you'd consider buying and compare those to see which one you like best..
if you have any trouble choosing from the list just post it here and then i can help with it ^^'

[versusmc]

2 should be enough for programming

Think again.

In that pricerange, i'd recommend a Lenovo laptop. Check out what you can get there, they're pretty awesome (rebranded IBM hardware, with full IBM support).