STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

TheLovelyLady71 · Hermes

HI! Looking for my 1st Laptop

Boots · Gucci

We have a new Dell and so far we like it.

relrel · Marc Jacobs

Well, I think the first step is to decide if you want a PC or an Mac. I've been using a PC (Dell) for a long time now and it's held up fine (even after repeatedly spilling liquids on it) but I would definitely go with a Mac next time around. But that's totally a personal preference thing.

After that, you need to figure out size, in terms of both weight and screen. Well, I guess before that, price would be a big consideration.

Also, beware of sale prices that are really low. Most often, those computers don't have enough memory/RAM/whatchamacallit or aren't pre-loaded with things that you might need.

Claudia · Gucci

I have a Toshiba Satellite and I really like it. I've had it for over a year now and I haven't had any problems.

Kel · Coach

I had a Dell and I hated it. I called customer service (in India) about weekly. However, I hear mixed reviews about Dell. Some people have no problems and some people have a lot of problems. I have a Toshiba now and I love it.

XtinaStyles · Marc Jacobs

What features are you looking for?

-great color and speed of graphics?
-lots of storage space for photos?
-good sound for music?
-lightweight enough to carry around everywhere?
-stylish and not boxy?

My laptop that I got freshman year of college was about $900, I custom built it from Dell and it still runs! (8 yrs later)

Once I started using Mac's at work I became a convert and would never buy a PC again. Supposedly the lifetime of Macs is increased partially bc most viruses are built to run on Windows so Mac's aren't affected. Problem with a Mac is that you pay a lot more for the same specs on a PC so you may have to sacrifice some features.

This is what I use and <3 - I'm hoping my job lets me keep it (since they cheated me out of a severance)

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

XtinaStyles wrote:

Once I started using Mac's at work I became a convert and would never buy a PC again. Supposedly the lifetime of Macs is increased partially bc most viruses are built to run on Windows so Mac's aren't affected. Problem with a Mac is that you pay a lot more for the same specs on a PC so you may have to sacrifice some features.

Ditto! I luuuurve my MacBook. I would never buy a PC again.

One brand of PC not to buy (if you go with a PC): Sony Vaio. I used to have one and I had a ton of problems, and I have two friends who have Vaio's who've also had lots of problems with them.

CarrieS · Marc Jacobs

I will ALWAYS recommend Mac.....I'm a Mac girl till death! I think they are worth the money and they're super user friendly. They never get viruses either (though I know that's because viruses aren't really written for them either).

TheLovelyLady71 · Hermes

WOW! Thanks for all the advise. I'm just a 'tad bit' clueless on Mac vs PC. LOL I see the commerical on TV all.the.time., but don't know the difference. Looking to keep it under $500......

-great color and speed of graphics? YES!
-lots of storage space for photos? YES!
-good sound for music? I don't download/listen to music, so that's no biggie.
-lightweight enough to carry around everywhere? YES!
-stylish and not boxy? YES! YES! YES!!

Thanks again!

relrel · Marc Jacobs

Well, the price range will kick out any Mac.

I would start with looking at reviews on CNet (website is simply www.cnet.com). Right now they have 433 laptops listed as starting under $500 (but that includes "parts" of computers as well). There's also a really great buying guide which does a great job of explaining what some of the more confusing terms are.