Generally, which laptop brand do you have the most confidence in?

[Nebbers]

Only ever owned one laptop and I'm not sure who's king these days. I realize that it'll certainly vary from model to model, but if you had to pick one go-to brand for a dependable laptop that's the least likely to have hardware issues early on, which would you choose?

 

[JWade]

Overall, I would have to say I like Dell the best.

how about making it a poll?

 

[Nebbers]

Good call. Hope I covered everything. Not looking for an Apple so that's out.

 

[mshan]

Business line, for me, used to be Dell, now I would say HP (Apple would be first choice, but you said not to consider Apple).

 

[Nebbers]

Nothing against Apple, that's actually what I have. Just a price point issue, this information isn't really for me

 

[ther00kie16]

What price point though?
Cheap basic laptops: Lenovo (g series are built solid) or Samsung (if you can find them on sale at the $400 price point).

Mainstream: Toshiba, Sony (nicely built but less bang for buck and few driver updates - think windows 8) and select Asus models.

High-end: Any business line but the cheaper Dells just don't last.

 

[Nebbers]

Basically the very low end of the price spectrum. I don't think this person has a specific number in mind but the lower the better, doesn't need to be a powerhouse.

 

[Mide]

I've always liked Thinkpads

 

[mshan]

I just bought an HP Probook 4530s (it's still in transit right now, so can't give my actual impressions).

It was $426 + $9 ship (no rebate) a few days ago.

A lot of very positive customer reviews all over the web (e. g. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157822)

 

[Trader05]

The past couple months i've been trying out different laptops: Dell XPS17, HP Envy 17, Lenovo T520, and an Asus G53SW. Out of all them in my opinion the Envy 17 was the best built laptop with minimal problems.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Love my x220 Lenovo.

 

[roguerower]

Had a Dell Precision M70 during college that I loved. Currently have an Asus netbook that's been pretty good.

 

[Axon]

ASUS.

Lenovo.

Just about all the other companies listed above come from the same ODM.

 

[kevinsbane]

Love my x220 Lenovo.

Rocking an x220 as well. The screen if you get the premium HD is ridiculously good for a laptop.

 

[corkyg]

Since 1993, I have owned 5 laptops. The last two were Lenovos, a T60 and a T510. Neither has ever had a problem, and they function perfectly at home and on the road.

 

[biostud]

I've owned two laptops, both HP Business line (nc4000 and ProBook 6360b), they both had the best look/size/hardware combo for my needs.

 

[gmaster456]

Dell and Lenovos Business line. I've had great luck with both. For consumer laptops I tend to stick with toshiba.

 

[Schadenfreude]

Personally I've had decent luck w/ Dell and Asus (for the wife and I) and had terribad luck w/ HP - but then again w/ companies cutting costs/brands changing hands it's really best to research the make/model at time of release to really get a good grip of what' you're getting.

 

[illram]

My brother and I both have had Toshiba Satellites chugging along since 2005. Most of my friends have laptops for work, Thinkpads have an excellent reputation and HPs have a bad one. Can't speak for Dells.

 

[Euchrestalin]

I used to be a big Dell fan but I don't feel that they offer the best performance/$ anymore. I now prefer Lenovo. My laptop is only used for word processing and internet browsing. If I was to purchase a gaming laptop it would be an Asus.

 

[vbuggy]

My price point would be at the upper end of Apple, and I'd say HP at those points, then Sony. Apple would be below even Dell.

Obviously these are opinions for flagships, so if Apple is not in contention I presume it's a sub-$800 deal, and would say any cheap notebook is going to be much of a muchness. The HP Probooks, especially the 5000 or the 6000 series, may be worth a look though if they're within budget.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

It depends on the line, but overall as a brand I'd say ASUS. For particular models, the Lenovo ThinkPad is by far the best, and the HP ProBook is great as well.

 

[zCypher]

I've heard countless complaints about the HP consumer line but haven't heard anyone ever say a bad thing about the HP business laptops, which should be very similar to Lenovo - a pretty damn safe bet.

 

[flexy]

Very bad experiences with my wife's toshiba, she's got a Lenovo now. It's "ok".Toshiba had problems and just stopped working from one day to the other.

 

[PowerRanger]

Have had experience with 4 brands so far: Sony, Dell, Acer, Asus. The Sony looked great, but way overpriced. Pretty average laptop overall. The Dell was pretty good overall, nothing really stood out, but it worked (until a cup of water sealed its fate). The Acer was pretty much horrid. Crap build quality, overheated, screen crapped out. Would not buy Acer again. Asus was/is pretty much a step above Dell in my experience. Good quality and also priced very fair. Currently running 2 Asus laptops happily (knocks on wood). So my vote here goes to Asus.