Need Suggestions for a Laptop Computer

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Discussion Overview

The thread centers around participants sharing their experiences and suggestions regarding laptop computers suitable for business use, particularly in the context of Pampered Chef activities. Participants discuss various brands, models, and personal preferences while seeking advice on what to consider when purchasing a laptop.

Discussion Character

  • Anecdotal
  • Opinion-based

Main Points Raised

  • One participant, identifying as a consultant, is looking for a laptop around the $500 range and is unsure about mini laptops and Mac computers.
  • Another participant shares their positive experience with an HP Pavilion laptop, noting a good deal found at BJ's wholesale club.
  • Several users mention their satisfaction with Dell laptops, highlighting features like wireless connectivity and webcams.
  • One participant expresses a strong dislike for Gateway laptops, citing personal issues and urging others to avoid the brand.
  • Another participant shares a negative experience with an Acer laptop, detailing problems with customer service and product reliability.
  • One participant discusses their positive experience with a Compaq Presario laptop, emphasizing its value and performance.
  • Another participant mentions their Dell Inspiron laptop, praising its performance and reliability over several years.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is a clear consensus among several participants against purchasing Gateway laptops due to negative experiences. However, opinions on other brands like Dell, HP, and Acer vary, with some participants expressing strong preferences while others share mixed experiences.

Contextual Notes

Participants are primarily discussing laptops for business use related to Pampered Chef, with specific requirements such as wireless connectivity and webcams being mentioned. The conversation reflects a range of personal experiences with different brands and models.

Who May Find This Useful

Consultants within the Pampered Chef community who are considering purchasing a laptop for business purposes may find the shared experiences and brand discussions relevant.

J
Jess_K
Messages
447
OK so I know there are a few threads talking about laptops. Well I read some and don't really have a bunch of time to keep digging. My DH informed me the other night he wants me to get a laptop for my PC biz for Christmas.

So I've been shopping for one around the $500 range. Not sure about the mini ones? anyone have one of those?

I see some posts about a Mac, but I've never owned one and not sure if I'd like it.

Any suggestions would be great, I haven't shopped for a laptop for about 10 years! yikes!

I'd mainly be using it for PPP and maybe some online time. Some of MY requirements are a wireless connection, webcam..
Thanks in advance! Happy Holidays
 
Jess_K said:
OK so I know there are a few threads talking about laptops. Well I read some and don't really have a bunch of time to keep digging. My DH informed me the other night he wants me to get a laptop for my PC biz for Christmas.

So I've been shopping for one around the $500 range. Not sure about the mini ones? anyone have one of those?

I see some posts about a Mac, but I've never owned one and not sure if I'd like it.

Any suggestions would be great, I haven't shopped for a laptop for about 10 years! yikes!

I'd mainly be using it for PPP and maybe some online time. Some of MY requirements are a wireless connection, webcam..
Thanks in advance! Happy Holidays
Click to expand...
I have an HP Pavvilion Laptop and I love it:love:I have a Gateway Desktop and have all sorts of problems with it. I am not sure if you have a BJ's wholesale club near you but we were just pricing them to get another laptop for our house and BJ's had a really nice HP laptop on sale for 699.99 with 4gb memory. I was a great deal I know when I purchased then HP laptop I have now at best buy it was much more then that. Good luck.
 
I love my mac book. It has wireless and a webcam, unfortunetly it's not within the price range you requested.
 
DO NOT GET A GATEWAY!!!! Refer to the email I sent you yesterday! ;)
 
DH just ordered me a Dell 15 in laptop last weekend. It has wireless and we had to purchase a router, plus I got a carrying bag for it and it was around $800. I cannot wait for it, I know I am going to love it, and I'm going to be using it for the same thing as you, mainly P3 and some internet.

There are some good deals out there and I've only ever dealt w/ Dell. I saw some nice ones at Best Buy this past weekend.
 
I got a Compaq Presario CQ50 from HP. It cost me $579 and it came with a 2GB flash drive. I have had it for about 2 months now ans I love it.
 
ragschef said:
DO NOT GET A GATEWAY!!!! Refer to the email I sent you yesterday! ;)
Click to expand...

I TOTALLY AGREE NO GATEWAY! ! ! !:mad:
 
I have a compaq presario V5000 and LOVE IT!!! I have had it for 2 years (DH bought me for me as a starter comp for my business, he was very excited I was going to be selling PC). I wouldn't trade it for the world!!
 
I have a Dell Inspiron. I LOVE it!! I agree NO GATEWAY! My husband's school has Gateway's and not they are in such horrible financial shape they cannot get them serviced and they have a contract with them. They do not know what they are going to do when something happens that their Techs cannot fix.
 
I don't know what's good but I would not go with Acer. My hubby got me one last year for christmas when I started my PC business. It broke after 2 weeks and I had terrible experience with customer service as well and was sent an older used model and that didn't work at first. It works fine now but when I can afford to upgrade to a better quality and brand I intend to and always down Acer because of my experience with them.
 
I am on my 3rd laptop and I have had a gateway and loved it and I had a dell insprion and totally hated it but I got a acer from walmart very resible and it works awesome and for everything I got with it the prices was under 600 and it was well worth it.
 
Check out delloutlet.com - type it exactly that way. No www. or anyting else on the address line of your browser. I had a little more to spend but what I kept putting together was about $1700. Way over budget. A friend - the network, PC and laptop guy where I work full time, pointed me to the dell outlet site. I got exactly what I wanted - although refurbished - for only $989! I saved over $700!!! Also, he said some spesification I should look for as P3 is a bit of a processing hog, so to boost the speed, T7200 or higher processing speed, Intel Core Duo2 or Celeron processor and a 7200 RPM Hard drive. I have a T9400 Processor, 7200 RPM hard drive and 4G of memory for that price! I got a Dell Latitude E6500. 5400 RPM is actually a slow speed for a hard driv enow. And as they keep adding to P# this may become an issue. Not to mention every party you add makes it slower. No lie, I did 28 updates for Vista Ultimate in less than 15 minutes! That was downloading, installing and restarting the laptop! WOW! It is an amazing machine compared to my IBM.
 
LOVE MY DELL!!!! We have 3 Desktops and 2 laptops (so far) and they are AMAZING!!!!

Much prefer Intel Celeron processors over AMD. They just plain work better.

Also, Duel Core processors allow your pc to do more than one thing at once. VERY recommended.

Not sure about the minis either. I always shy away from newer products til they work out the bugs. Plus there is very little hard drive and the memory is typically limited (no place to put extra cards). It's nice that it's lite, though.

Get as much memory as you can (speed) -- best to look for 2-3gb anymore. Also, hard drives are usually minimally 160gb. Great for keeping lots of music and pictures on it.

(Yes, I have a degree in Computer Technology)

I highly reccommend Dell. I have a Small Business account with them. They were very generous with the credit limit and when you call as a small business customer, you speak to someone in the U.S., otherwise, you get an India call center. Found that out the first time I called them. I said how nice it was to get an American to speak to and he told me that the Small Biz customers get an American every time -- out of Salt Lake City or Florida call centers.

LOVE IT!!
 
Last edited:
I LOVE my Dell Inspiron.. It has served me well for the past 5 years. I am thinking about getting a new one and giving the one I have to my 15 year old. I will of course get another Dell.
 
Just got my Dell laptop last week, & I love it! We got it on sale during black friday, & it was about $600. There was a cheaper one, but this was a higher dollar one on such a good sale that dh was sure I needed!
 
I have a Dell Inspiron too ... and love it. DH has an HP for work and has had countless problems with it. I had an Averatec prior to my Dell, and four of the keys melted on the way to one of my shows last year. :( My dad even bought my mom a Dell ... and he's pretty picky about his computers!
 
I am going to agree with the early posts here about GATEWAY, do not get one, I have had so much trouble with mine when I first started PC after 9 months I had to get a new Hard drive and it had other problems internally, etc... However as an early Christmas present my Hubby bought me a HP Pavillion it was not in your price range, but it has a 5 hour battery when fully charged and a webcam and its 4 gb its soo awesome its onlt 2 weeks old and I love it....
 
jrstephens said:
I have a Dell Inspiron. I LOVE it!! I agree NO GATEWAY! My husband's school has Gateway's and not they are in such horrible financial shape they cannot get them serviced and they have a contract with them. They do not know what they are going to do when something happens that their Techs cannot fix.
Click to expand...

This is what I have also and I love, love, love it!
 
  • Thread starter
  • #19
here's what I bought, but I'm not opening it until I see tomorrow's ads

HP G60120US it's a widescreen with a number pad, ,I like that and wanted one with a key pad.

it's a duo processor
3 GB
250 GB
webcam.. was $649 at Circuit City still not open so we'll see..
 
Jess_K said:
here's what I bought, but I'm not opening it until I see tomorrow's ads

HP G60120US it's a widescreen with a number pad, ,I like that and wanted one with a key pad.

it's a duo processor
3 GB
250 GB
webcam.. was $649 at Circuit City still not open so we'll see..
Click to expand...

Jess, a lot of stores, even if the item is open will do a price adjustment if the price drops. Around here they usually give you any where from 2 weeks to 30 days and as long as you bring the receipt in they will adjust the price. I've done that several times on products.
 
That will be a decent laptop. I have a HP Compaq 6715b for about 10 months now - working great. Company HP laptop before that lasted 6 years. We also have Dell laptops at work that have been good.I've been please with the AMD Turion 64 processor so far. That is a great price for all you are getting. My system cost double that. Of course I added an accidental damage warranty since I use it for shows and have 2 little kids.
 
Hey Jess - don't forget your $50 mail-in rebate through Circuit City on that model.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #23
ok we took that one back.. got an HP g60-125NR, on it now :) got it at best buy for $579 and it came with an HP fax/scanner/printer .. so I think it was a good deal.

thanks for all your input always appreciated!
 

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I consider when choosing a laptop for direct sales work?

When choosing a laptop for direct sales work, consider factors such as portability, battery life, processing power, and storage capacity. A lightweight laptop with a long battery life is ideal for on-the-go presentations and meetings. Additionally, ensure it has enough RAM and a fast processor to handle multitasking and any software you may need for your sales activities.

Are there specific brands that are recommended for direct sales professionals?

Popular brands for direct sales professionals include Dell, HP, Apple, and Lenovo. Each brand offers a range of models that cater to different needs and budgets. Dell and HP are known for their reliability and customer support, while Apple laptops are favored for their design and user-friendly interface. Lenovo offers great performance and durability, making it a solid choice as well.

What specifications should I look for in a laptop for presentations?

For presentations, look for a laptop with at least an Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a Full HD (1920x1080) display. A good graphics card can also enhance visual presentations. Additionally, ensure the laptop has multiple connectivity options, such as HDMI or USB-C, to easily connect to projectors or external displays.

Is a 2-in-1 laptop a good option for direct sales?

Yes, a 2-in-1 laptop can be a great option for direct sales professionals. These devices offer the flexibility of both a laptop and a tablet, allowing you to switch between modes for presentations, note-taking, or casual browsing. Look for models with a responsive touchscreen and a sturdy hinge for the best experience.

How much should I budget for a laptop suitable for direct sales?

Budgeting for a laptop suitable for direct sales can vary widely based on your needs. Generally, you should expect to spend between $600 to $1,200 for a reliable machine that meets the necessary specifications. Higher-end models may offer better performance and features, but there are also budget-friendly options that can serve your needs well.

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