Tech Laptop Advice

Dell...the Inspiron series is a pretty solid laptop. check the small business site, though - sometimes those deals are better than the deals people get through their work. it was much cheaper for me to go through that for my 1501 than to go through work. this year they started producing the Inspiron with an AMD core - the 1501 is the only Inspiron i know of that has it. they might have incorporated it into other systems, as well. i CAN say i've had mine for a few months and it comes everywhere with me...and it takes the abuse. don't get the glossy screen - it gets dirty way too easily - and if you have the option for XP, get it (small business might). just make sure you download and burn the drivers to disc first...it gets annoying trying to find them after the fact (as i ended up doing, lol oops).

*edit* i checked - base model AMD 1501 is $499 when configured with XP. the model i have is configured as follows:
My System Details
AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TL-50
Genuine Windows® XP Professional
15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display
1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
Size: 60GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
ATI RADEON® Xpress1150 256MB HyperMemory™ (Integrated)
Dell Wireless 1490 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
Integrated Audio

at this price, with the 1 year service plan, it'll cost $653 without shipping. it's always upgradeable, of course, but this system works fine for normal daily use. i don't do any gaming, and i mostly use it for the internet, watching movies, and Office.

well, whatever floats your boat...just answering your question. Apple only uses Intel, remember...

apple macbook pros arent a bad way to go, great for editing, music, and all that shiz. but i personally am not a apple fan, so imma go for a PC and in august imma get an HP intel core 2 duo, 2 gb ram, 160 gb hard intergrated nvidia, and all the other goodies so yeah...but make sure the laptop your gonna get is an Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Mobile Technology so yeah good hunting...

HP = Compaq...and Vista is a nightmare if you intend to use any of your existing software. it will take you a few days to really get an idea of the new setup. of course, unless you've used OS X before, it'll take about the same amount of time to get used to that, as well.

i'd seriously consider the Dell, if only because their laptops have decent reliability for the price...and if you get a 2 year warranty or what have you, you're protected against most things for longer than the basic 1 year (but that's really up to you). just make sure you get at least a 6 cell battery, as the smaller one drains pretty quickly.

I got my HP dv1000 last and it's been great to me. It's my first laptop and moves pretty fast for a laptop too. I got some kinda warranty too that lets you change out your battery for a fresh one after one year or something like that. My friend got a Dell laptop with his bonus money from work a month or two ago from their website and it ended up messing up on him after a few weeks. We've had two Dell desktop computers and they've both had problem after problem so we just don't use either one of them anymore...so yea, that's my experience with Dell and HP if it was even the least bit insightful to ya...

Dell desktops, aside from the XPS series, are utter trash. the laptops are far better, and can withstand a lot more abuse. we've had to send back a lot of DOA workstations, and powersupplies and mobos are always frying in the ones that aren't DOA.

you can always find good used laptops at Dell Financial Service. Prices are pretty good.
Here's the link if you're interested. Refurbished Notebooks. I'll probably scan through the list and buy another used one.

For your EMachines laptop, it probably needs to be cleaned on the insides. Fans, heatsink, and vents. Re-apply some new artic silver 5 to the cpu if needed.

I usually get Arizona dust mixed in with some cat hair on the insides of my laptop. btw, a lot of those Dell laptops are business returns. I usually don't need anything to good for performance wise.