Laptops

1

Some advice required please. hi5

I am considering purchasing a laptop and have a few questions I’d like answered (in 100 words or more):

What is the best laptop currently available on the market?
How much does it cost?
Is there any cheaper laptops that are better value despite having lesser functionality or whatever?

I also have a broadband question. My use for the laptop would obviously be for downloading hardcore p0rn from the internet. The thing is one of my housemates, a complete cock by the way, already has his own laptop and uses the NTL broadband service. Will that have any impact on my broadband decision? Should I go wireless? Can you use the same provider for 2 separate laptops or do you need 2 providers in 1 house if there’s 2 people, each with their own laptop?

Don’t have a clue to be honest.

2
  1. Will you edit your first post for what you intend using the laptop for? It’s asking to get picked up by work firewalls. Disappointed I had to explain this to a moderator.
  2. No problems in sharing internet connections. You’ll get half the speeds if you’re both fully utilising the connection at the same time but it won’t cause any real problems. Is your internet currently wireless around the house or do you connect the laptop to the modem via a cable? You should get a cable wireless modem/router anyway to enable ye both to have laptops anywhere in the house. If the connection is already wireless then you’ve no issues.
  3. Presuming your main use for the laptop is internet and Football Manager 2007. You should prioritise hard disk space (for films and music), processor speed and RAM (memory for running intensive applications like FM07) over fancy stuff you won’t need like a brilliant graphics card.
  4. The easiest way to buy a laptop (and most customisable) is just to create one from www.dell.ie
3

Thanks. Didn’t realise saying the word ‘p0rn’ was off limits. It’s something to be enjoyed, not embarrassed about.

Anyway, his laptop is connected to the modem with a cable.

Explain to me what a cable wireless modem/router is please. If I get a laptop and one of these things then I can access the internet using the existing NTL broadband connection, is that right?

4

get a mac for bigger memory space and much better battery time,
make sure you’re got a rooter with your ntl broadband thingy so that your wireless laptop can recieve the signal, all new laptops come with wireless recievers,

there’s one called a compaq presario; i tink thats the name, it’s around 700 and has a bigger screen than a mac and a dell, but if your used to microsoft then don’t bother with a mac, i would though coz of battery time and memory size

5

I wouldnt get windows vista just yet. A lot of apps still dont run on vista. Get a vista ready laptop so that you can upgrade at a later stage. Macs are good and they handle multimedia very well but their browsers dont support a lot of things, like paddypowerpoker and gmail instant messaging, is what i know of.

6

Excuse my complete ignorance but what’s windows vista?

7

Windows Vista is a new operating system, the latest version of Windows. I’d concur that you’re better sticking with Windows XP for the time being as it’s more stable and better supported by various applications.

8

And what’s the router thing?

Does that mean my laptop would be wireless?

9

Any laptop you get will be wireless. The router will connect your broadband to the laptop. Is that currently done over a wire or wirelessly. Either way it’s not a huge deal but you need to make sure that the router you get is suitable for an NTL (cable) connection.

10

It’s currently done through a wire.

What I’m getting at is if I’m in the gaff and my annoying and ugly housemate is there too and he’s using his laptop which is already connected to the NTL cable connection then will I be able to get internet access using the router even if he’s using his laptop at the same time as me?

11

Yes it won’t be a problem. In fact you can both use it wirelessly at the same time. Even though your attractive housemate currently connects through a cable he too has the functionality to connect wirelessly to the router once you get the hardware (60 euro at a guess).

12

Two more (hopefully final) questions:

How do you connect wirelessly to the router?

Where is my nearest guess shop? I’m in Dublin 4.

13

It’s very simple - you’ll get instructions with the wireless router most probably but there’s not much to it at all. You can even look for wireless signals on the laptop now and you should see other wireless signals in the area that are from people next door etc.