good laptop under $1000 ?

Hippie3 · 12-28-07, 22:51

bought my mom a HP DV6604CL
she's complaining that it's slow as hell right out of the box
and wants something better.
her needs are quite simple, basic, nothing fancy.
any recommendations ?

CoyoteMesc · 12-28-07, 23:05

those are nice laptops hip
do you know what memory you got in it?
im thinking a simple 'added memory'
I looked and you can add up to 4G on those.
What OS is on it? Not Vista is it?

Dell pisses me off but if you get one with XP you can't
beat the speed for your dollar.

Toshiba and Sony are my window running fav's next to the HP.

the jesus · 12-28-07, 23:09

Yeah thats strange, that thing should be plenty fast for basic apps.

Hippie3 · 12-28-07, 23:11

i think it's vista, pretty sure, brand new. said home premium edition as i recall.

CoyoteMesc · 12-28-07, 23:12

Even with Vista, I feel a simple memory upgrade will
have her pinching you cheeks with a smile.

the jesus · 12-28-07, 23:16

It may have come with some terrible security already installed. I know on mine I had to disable the firewall that came installed because it made it slower than shit, worse than dial up.

norcal21 · 12-29-07, 00:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoyoteMesc

Even with Vista, I feel a simple memory upgrade will
have her pinching you cheeks with a smile.

i have to agree with CM it only has one gig and vista....vista as it is takes up more memory than XP on any app. but XP will only reggonize a max of 3.5 gig and vista will recognize and use up to 16 gig provided you can hold that much.
i would say the same thing CM is get faster and more memory and she shouls be FLYING.

take care
norcal21

apokalypse · 12-29-07, 00:04

Stalk dell.com for a week or two, you'll be able to find a nice deal, and iirc you can choose XP or Vista. I wanted to get a dell vostro lappy, but opted to upgrade my computer instead

Nzo · 12-29-07, 00:57

cool laptop

norcal what strain is that in your avatar? looks like transkei but
i can be completely wrong..

Lazlo · 12-29-07, 01:05

I'm no expert as you guys know; but when I first got my PC with Vista to replace my Mac for the time being, it had several problems. If she's on line, tell her to keep sending off the problems and Windows will keep on sending the solutions. At first this PC was a piece of shit, but after all the solutions were applied, it runs flawless. Quick as hell no doubt.

Doctor D · 12-29-07, 01:45

Hippie, look into the Vista feature ReadyBoost.

You can plug in a thumb drive into Vista in order to use the contents of the drive as extra memory. Much cheaper than purchasing more memory. Heck, even if you DO purchase more memory, still purchase a 4 gig or 8 gig thumb drive for ReadyBoost. I bought a 4 gig thumb drive on sale for $20 at Best Buy 6 months ago. You should be able to get an 8 gig one on sale now for that price. It should provide a noticeable performance increase to the system.

Everyone running Vista should have a ReadyBoost thumb drive attached to their system; there's little reason not to and the gains are significant.

Windows Vista: Features Explained: Windows ReadyBoost

floppypeter · 12-29-07, 02:57

some times the web browser you use can affect performance as well. Some work better with vista than others.

dizzydank · 12-29-07, 03:17

out the box puters got alot of background shit running to slow it donw. hit start, than run, type msconfig and enter. then click startup tab and background tabs and u can shut off all the other crap that u dont need.

kjeeks · 12-29-07, 03:27

My guess is the hardware is more than adequate. with a clean install of win xp that thing would be cooking. I know on my laptop vista uses 448 mb memory at idle on startup even if it only came with 1 gb vista plus all the added programs of a oem install is probably bogging it down.

Lazlo · 12-29-07, 10:21

It seemed like I had somewhere in the vicinity of 2-3 dozen problems I had to report for this one. It's easy. Just tell her to keep reporting all of the problems that pop up and Windows will eventually send a solution to it. It all works nearly automatic as well. Tell her to be patient, as the PC will work itself out more or less.

yerbaadam · 12-29-07, 10:40

I have never had a brand new laptop for under $1000 that wasnt riddled with problems right out of the box.

I bought a vaio for $700 last summer. It survived for bout 3 months before stopping working almost entirly. Probably a major hardware issue, like the motherboard or proccesor.

I just took out a loan to buy a macbook pro witha warranty, it came to over $3000.

Most i have ever dropped on a piece of technolegy that didn't have a vagina and liquid metal body for having multiple boobies.

CoyoteMesc · 12-29-07, 11:55

Vaio's are also good quality, You may have over heated it
or god knows. But there are brilliantly crafted and engineers laptops under 1k for sure.

But I do agree, in most cases...of coarse a 3k laptop should be higher quality than a 1k. Thats a no brainer.

livewire420 · 12-29-07, 12:03

my g/f dad just got a laptop with 2 gb in it i think its just a vista thing. takes for ever to boot up too

yerbaadam · 12-29-07, 12:18

I probably poured yerba mate in it and took a shit and mashed it into the cdrom drive.

WoOOpS! Man, I shoUld have reaD thE manUAl. I DIdin't knOW YoU arE noT supoSed to HAndle it That way...

yerbaadam · 12-29-07, 12:24

No, i didn't use it poorly. It spent most of its time in my studio.

It powers on and can run windows but sometimes crashes and can not run my audio software (which I admit is a bit demanding). There is something wrong with it though. sometimes the sounds (the clicks and sounds played by the OS) come out really slow and choppy.

vgn-n130g it is a dual core. i forget the specs exactly.

if anyone thinks they can fix it. you can have it. Maybe trade for a kratom plant, a nice cactus cutting, or some cactus seeds if you want.

Otherwise the computer is up for grabs for the cost of shipping.

CoyoteMesc · 12-29-07, 12:26

pm sent

LocoH · 12-29-07, 14:02

Yea Hip, I recently bought a similiar model HP DV6500, with 2GB memory, and the Duo Core. Was only about 600 at best buy. Vista Home. It runs very fast for our needs, even gaming. Personally as a tech, I would suggest a simple 40$ memory upgrade. Check tiger.com. Also being VIsta is a big problem, i would never use Vista in an office platform, not a big of it at home even. D/L the TweakVista program, and it had some tweaks to cutback on all the major memory losing functions that vista "boasts". Once I did that, my laptop was benchmarking 2x's what it was.

the jesus · 12-29-07, 14:50

Locoh do you have a link to the tweak program you used? I have Vista home premium, if I could get it 2x faster it would read my mind.

LocoH · 12-29-07, 15:50

I'll get that for you, and post here and PM to you. hold on a few

LocoH · 12-29-07, 15:53

Heres a direct link to the program, newer version than i used too.

TweakVista.com - Download TweakVista™ for Microsoft Windows Vista™

You can do the necessary tweaks without buying full version

I recommend doing the suggested tweaks, along with tweaking the toolbar and sidebar. The toolbar/start bar are some of the biggest things that slow vista.

bear · 12-29-07, 20:10

Dell.com/open

Dell sells laptops running ubuntu linux...which is easier on the specs than vista by a mile and works very very well for people who just want to check their email, word process, and surf the web. Every app you ever need comes with the OS and is free, and you don't pay 250 for vista.

Doctor D · 12-29-07, 20:25

I would NEVER recommend a Linux distro for my mother, no matter simple or Windows-like it was.

She would be very disappointed when she bought a $20 game like Bejeweled 2 from MSN.com and finds out it won't play on her Linux machine.

Hippie3 · 12-29-07, 20:26

btw
my mom is 75.

greenweanie · 12-29-07, 20:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hippie3

btw
my mom is 75.

so what ur saying is u need a 1000 dollar or less solitaire machine? joking....

Hippie3 · 12-29-07, 21:06

not at all, she's a very smart, healthy alert 75.
does email, digital photos, shopping, surfing.
but not tech savvy,
a turn-key driver, not a mechanic.

greenweanie · 12-29-07, 21:16

well thats good. i bet if she had a site with detailed specific instructions on how to mod, she could do it. but yea, would be better to have something ready to go.

Hippie3 · 12-29-07, 21:23

she lacks the confidence
and has a son [me] to do it for her...

pneuma9 · 12-30-07, 07:36

Get her a macbook. My gf has the second to cheapest one. she loves it. Easy to use with great tech support.

The Apple Store (U.S.) - MacBook

she'll never have to upgrade her virus protection or other PC hassles. Automatic updates with an internet connection.

Then while you're at the apple store, pick me up an ipod, will ya?

Hippie3 · 12-30-07, 09:32

ain't buying no macbook for under a grand

alounacara · 12-30-07, 09:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hippie3

btw
my mom is 75.

Is she single?

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12-28-07, 22:51	#1 (permalink)
Hippie3 Admin Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 36,133	good laptop under $1000 ? bought my mom a HP DV6604CL she's complaining that it's slow as hell right out of the box and wants something better. her needs are quite simple, basic, nothing fancy. any recommendations ? __________________ GROW SUPPLIES: www.Mycrotopia.com ------------Simply The Best------------ Namaste Temet Nosce

12-28-07, 23:05	#2 (permalink)
CoyoteMesc KEY MASTER Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3,502	those are nice laptops hip do you know what memory you got in it? im thinking a simple 'added memory' I looked and you can add up to 4G on those. What OS is on it? Not Vista is it? Dell pisses me off but if you get one with XP you can't beat the speed for your dollar. Toshiba and Sony are my window running fav's next to the HP. __________________

12-28-07, 23:09	#3 (permalink)
the jesus mayor of boozeville Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 2,579	Yeah thats strange, that thing should be plenty fast for basic apps. __________________ No left turn unstoned newbie? - click here

12-28-07, 23:11	#4 (permalink)
Hippie3 Admin Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 36,133	i think it's vista, pretty sure, brand new. said home premium edition as i recall. __________________ GROW SUPPLIES: www.Mycrotopia.com ------------Simply The Best------------ Namaste Temet Nosce

12-28-07, 23:12	#5 (permalink)
CoyoteMesc KEY MASTER Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3,502	Even with Vista, I feel a simple memory upgrade will have her pinching you cheeks with a smile. __________________

12-28-07, 23:16	#6 (permalink)
the jesus mayor of boozeville Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 2,579	It may have come with some terrible security already installed. I know on mine I had to disable the firewall that came installed because it made it slower than shit, worse than dial up. __________________ No left turn unstoned newbie? - click here

12-29-07, 00:04	#8 (permalink)
apokalypse meow! Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,070	Stalk dell.com for a week or two, you'll be able to find a nice deal, and iirc you can choose XP or Vista. I wanted to get a dell vostro lappy, but opted to upgrade my computer instead __________________ "Aliens fucked over the carbonator on engine number four, so were gonna try to refuckulate it and land on Juniper" - Ricky

12-29-07, 00:57	#9 (permalink)
Nzo Former Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 429	cool laptop norcal what strain is that in your avatar? looks like transkei but i can be completely wrong..

12-29-07, 01:05	#10 (permalink)
Lazlo old hand Join Date: Mar 1970 Posts: 7,033	I'm no expert as you guys know; but when I first got my PC with Vista to replace my Mac for the time being, it had several problems. If she's on line, tell her to keep sending off the problems and Windows will keep on sending the solutions. At first this PC was a piece of shit, but after all the solutions were applied, it runs flawless. Quick as hell no doubt. __________________ How can you have any pudding, if you don't eat your MEAT?

12-29-07, 01:45	#11 (permalink)
Doctor D (Not a real doctor) Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 1,385	Hippie, look into the Vista feature ReadyBoost. You can plug in a thumb drive into Vista in order to use the contents of the drive as extra memory. Much cheaper than purchasing more memory. Heck, even if you DO purchase more memory, still purchase a 4 gig or 8 gig thumb drive for ReadyBoost. I bought a 4 gig thumb drive on sale for $20 at Best Buy 6 months ago. You should be able to get an 8 gig one on sale now for that price. It should provide a noticeable performance increase to the system. Everyone running Vista should have a ReadyBoost thumb drive attached to their system; there's little reason not to and the gains are significant. Windows Vista: Features Explained: Windows ReadyBoost

12-29-07, 02:57	#12 (permalink)
floppypeter tra la la Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 938	some times the web browser you use can affect performance as well. Some work better with vista than others. __________________ WE FUNK RADIO

12-29-07, 03:17	#13 (permalink)
dizzydank damn its humid Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 3,160	out the box puters got alot of background shit running to slow it donw. hit start, than run, type msconfig and enter. then click startup tab and background tabs and u can shut off all the other crap that u dont need. __________________

12-29-07, 03:27	#14 (permalink)
kjeeks stranger with candy Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 68	My guess is the hardware is more than adequate. with a clean install of win xp that thing would be cooking. I know on my laptop vista uses 448 mb memory at idle on startup even if it only came with 1 gb vista plus all the added programs of a oem install is probably bogging it down.

12-29-07, 10:21	#15 (permalink)
Lazlo old hand Join Date: Mar 1970 Posts: 7,033	It seemed like I had somewhere in the vicinity of 2-3 dozen problems I had to report for this one. It's easy. Just tell her to keep reporting all of the problems that pop up and Windows will eventually send a solution to it. It all works nearly automatic as well. Tell her to be patient, as the PC will work itself out more or less. __________________ How can you have any pudding, if you don't eat your MEAT?

12-29-07, 10:40	#16 (permalink)
yerbaadam SpectraL veNtriloQuist Join Date: Jul 1971 Posts: 779	I have never had a brand new laptop for under $1000 that wasnt riddled with problems right out of the box. I bought a vaio for $700 last summer. It survived for bout 3 months before stopping working almost entirly. Probably a major hardware issue, like the motherboard or proccesor. I just took out a loan to buy a macbook pro witha warranty, it came to over $3000. Most i have ever dropped on a piece of technolegy that didn't have a vagina and liquid metal body for having multiple boobies.

12-29-07, 11:55	#17 (permalink)
CoyoteMesc KEY MASTER Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3,502	Vaio's are also good quality, You may have over heated it or god knows. But there are brilliantly crafted and engineers laptops under 1k for sure. But I do agree, in most cases...of coarse a 3k laptop should be higher quality than a 1k. Thats a no brainer. __________________

12-29-07, 12:03	#18 (permalink)
livewire420 VIP Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 2,239	my g/f dad just got a laptop with 2 gb in it i think its just a vista thing. takes for ever to boot up too __________________ lw420's guide to great fungi grow info

12-29-07, 12:18	#19 (permalink)
yerbaadam SpectraL veNtriloQuist Join Date: Jul 1971 Posts: 779	I probably poured yerba mate in it and took a shit and mashed it into the cdrom drive. WoOOpS! Man, I shoUld have reaD thE manUAl. I DIdin't knOW YoU arE noT supoSed to HAndle it That way...

12-29-07, 12:24	#20 (permalink)
yerbaadam SpectraL veNtriloQuist Join Date: Jul 1971 Posts: 779	Actually... No, i didn't use it poorly. It spent most of its time in my studio. It powers on and can run windows but sometimes crashes and can not run my audio software (which I admit is a bit demanding). There is something wrong with it though. sometimes the sounds (the clicks and sounds played by the OS) come out really slow and choppy. vgn-n130g it is a dual core. i forget the specs exactly. if anyone thinks they can fix it. you can have it. Maybe trade for a kratom plant, a nice cactus cutting, or some cactus seeds if you want. Otherwise the computer is up for grabs for the cost of shipping.

12-29-07, 12:26	#21 (permalink)
CoyoteMesc KEY MASTER Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3,502	pm sent __________________

12-29-07, 14:02	#22 (permalink)
LocoH The Sage Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 333	Yea Hip, I recently bought a similiar model HP DV6500, with 2GB memory, and the Duo Core. Was only about 600 at best buy. Vista Home. It runs very fast for our needs, even gaming. Personally as a tech, I would suggest a simple 40$ memory upgrade. Check tiger.com. Also being VIsta is a big problem, i would never use Vista in an office platform, not a big of it at home even. D/L the TweakVista program, and it had some tweaks to cutback on all the major memory losing functions that vista "boasts". Once I did that, my laptop was benchmarking 2x's what it was. __________________

12-29-07, 14:50	#23 (permalink)
the jesus mayor of boozeville Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 2,579	Locoh do you have a link to the tweak program you used? I have Vista home premium, if I could get it 2x faster it would read my mind. __________________ No left turn unstoned newbie? - click here

12-29-07, 15:50	#24 (permalink)
LocoH The Sage Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 333	I'll get that for you, and post here and PM to you. hold on a few __________________

12-29-07, 15:53	#25 (permalink)
LocoH The Sage Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 333	Heres a direct link to the program, newer version than i used too. TweakVista.com - Download TweakVista™ for Microsoft Windows Vista™ You can do the necessary tweaks without buying full version I recommend doing the suggested tweaks, along with tweaking the toolbar and sidebar. The toolbar/start bar are some of the biggest things that slow vista. __________________

12-29-07, 20:10	#26 (permalink)
bear Glasswalker Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 567	Dell.com/open Dell sells laptops running ubuntu linux...which is easier on the specs than vista by a mile and works very very well for people who just want to check their email, word process, and surf the web. Every app you ever need comes with the OS and is free, and you don't pay 250 for vista.

12-29-07, 20:25	#27 (permalink)
Doctor D (Not a real doctor) Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 1,385	I would NEVER recommend a Linux distro for my mother, no matter simple or Windows-like it was. She would be very disappointed when she bought a $20 game like Bejeweled 2 from MSN.com and finds out it won't play on her Linux machine.

12-29-07, 20:26	#28 (permalink)
Hippie3 Admin Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 36,133	btw my mom is 75. __________________ GROW SUPPLIES: www.Mycrotopia.com ------------Simply The Best------------ Namaste Temet Nosce

12-29-07, 21:06	#30 (permalink)
Hippie3 Admin Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 36,133	not at all, she's a very smart, healthy alert 75. does email, digital photos, shopping, surfing. but not tech savvy, a turn-key driver, not a mechanic. __________________ GROW SUPPLIES: www.Mycrotopia.com ------------Simply The Best------------ Namaste Temet Nosce

12-29-07, 21:16	#31 (permalink)
greenweanie Post Whore Extraordinaire Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 470	well thats good. i bet if she had a site with detailed specific instructions on how to mod, she could do it. but yea, would be better to have something ready to go.

12-29-07, 21:23	#32 (permalink)
Hippie3 Admin Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 36,133	she lacks the confidence and has a son [me] to do it for her... __________________ GROW SUPPLIES: www.Mycrotopia.com ------------Simply The Best------------ Namaste Temet Nosce

12-30-07, 07:36	#33 (permalink)
pneuma9 Resident Deviant Join Date: Apr 1971 Posts: 211	Get her a macbook. My gf has the second to cheapest one. she loves it. Easy to use with great tech support. The Apple Store (U.S.) - MacBook she'll never have to upgrade her virus protection or other PC hassles. Automatic updates with an internet connection. Then while you're at the apple store, pick me up an ipod, will ya?

12-30-07, 09:32	#34 (permalink)
Hippie3 Admin Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 36,133	ain't buying no macbook for under a grand __________________ GROW SUPPLIES: www.Mycrotopia.com ------------Simply The Best------------ Namaste Temet Nosce