Hello, new to laptops. need help.

[dixieken]

Hi everyone. I am new to the world of computing and laptops esp. I am looking to purchase one that can do the following:

Burn cds/dvds
Play cds/dvds
wireless internet access, especially for chat on Yahoo Messeger and Facebook
Writing programs with document storage and editing.
Photoshop and digital photo storage/manipulation
some game play(like Call of Duty or MOH), but not main focus.

I am on a limited income(disabled exactly) so i wanna get the most for my money. I can sacrifice some things to gain others, just wondered what would be the most economical setup. The lower the price the better.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Silverion77]

Well first, try looking on Newegg.

Dell and such charge some premiums for customizing and the prebuilts from newegg can chop off a few bucks. I just got an Asus and love it
All laptops now with a drive can Burn and play cds/dvds easy
Look for a laptop with a wireless card built in...its fairly common now

I wouldnt look too much on gaming with a laptop. In general u pay a lot for not much compared to a desktop.

 

[rooseveltdon]

most laptops come with the requirements you are looking for already for light gaming a weak dedicated graphics card or integrated graphics will do (you wont be able to play the games you mentioned on the highest possible settings but they will do the job) laptops are cheap nowdays bestbuy and walmart have some nice deals newegg and tigerdirect have some great deals on pre builts and refurbished laptops so you might want to look there it all depends on your budget really.

 

[dixieken]

Yeah, the games part is optional. I have a PS2 for games if need be. I swould probably download Civ3 or something like that, for downtimes on cahtting and writing. I am disabled so i am on the comp all the time, I just want to get one that can travel with me. I also trade live music, so being able to store shows would be sweet. I use Windows XP at home and like it. I really would like one that has the Microsoaft Office on it for writing. Honestly, keeping in touch with friends online is a big plus for me, since at times I'm immobile due to my medical conditions, so I want something that can handel hours of chat without crashing.

I looked at some on Ebay, but to be honest, I'm not sure what alot of things mean(RAM and GB and stuff. I kinda know what they do, but not really)

I checked out Newegg, and saw a few things. I'd like to keep it under $600 if possible. Is that a reasonable figure for waht I want?

(sorry for any mispellings, its a side affect of my MS. Sucks especially when yer a writer, lol)

Thanks fer yer help

 

[Silverion77]

Ah...

Id try to stay away from Ebay if u can

RAM is flash memory. Any programs u open are stored are taken off the Hard Drive and put on to the flash memory. 4GB is generally the new standard but u could easily get away with 2 if need be. 3GB also seems popular in laptops and is right in between

GB refers to the Hard Drive capacity. Theres 1024 MB in a GB and 1 song (depending on bit rate/length) range from 3-10 (10+ for long songs at 320kbps MP3)
Movies have a huge range...i have compressed vids at 700mb but u can go to several gigs when it comes to movies

 

[dixieken]

Well, to be honest. I dont watch alot of films on dvd. I do check out Youtube alot, but most of tghe nfilms I watch I get at the library or already own my self on dvd. I do have a friend that send me videos of his band, and those i watch on WMP usually. I'm not into say "illegal" downloads ofd films and stuff. I usually like rare and "bootleg" films and shows, not on dvd, but not like new films that will be realeased.

I do make alot of "mix tape" cds for friends and their families(an old habit from the 80's. I was the "punk/alternative" guy in my hs, so I still share alot on cdr), so being able to make and burn discs for friends is a big plus for me.

I dont know alot about brands either. The home pc I am on now was given to me a few years ago. It is a Dell with a Gateway monitor. Its pretty good, but I do have alot of trouble with stuff, but I think its just age, My cd burner started not burning one day. I make setlist in WMP, set to burn the disc, put in a blank, start the burn, it readys the file, claims it is burnt, but then ejects the new disc sying it is already used. I cannot figure what is up, cuz when I gave the blanks I tried to use that were rejected to a friend, he said that there was data on them, but couldnt pull anything off. It was working fine, then just started one day when I tried to make some comp cds for a road trip to limit discs I had to take.

I just figured I'd "start fresh". Any brands youd recommend?
I looked at emachines, since I am on a tight budget due to my disability income, and want the most fer my dollar, but dont want alot of hassels and bs to deal with. Basically, I wanna plug it in and roll.

I know, I'm lazy, lol.

I appreciate yer help, man. And I know what you are saying about ebay
I saw laptops fer $100.00, but I'm not that gullible. Did get a great deal on my camera I just bought, though.

Sorry so long, but like I say, I dont get out much.
Again Thanks.