Laptop - which brand?

[oynaz]

I am in the market for a new laptop. Unfortunately, it is quite a jungle. The hardware specs are easy enough to judge a laptop by, but the very important build quality is something else.
I have written a short summary of my experiences with specific brands. Feel free to add your own:

Acer:
Always breaks. I did a survey on my university, which showed that 98% of the Acer users had had to RMA their laptop, mostly from failing displays are HDDs.
My advice: Stay away.

IBM:
Tough, reliable, and very expensive.

Lenovo:
I have no experience with Lenovo.

Toshiba:
I have no experience with Toshiba.

Dell:
Reasonably priced, but their cheaper models tend to fail after 3-4 years of use. Their more expensive models are good, and the special offers might be worth considering as well.

Packard Bell:
Never works as advertised, and breaks down constantly. Stay away.

Fujitsu-Siemens:
Generally fair priced and reliable. A good buy, in my experience.

Sony:
Nice looks, high price, and idiotic design laws. Stay away.

HP:
Nice looks, good price and well thought-out design, which helps tremendously with reliability. Has had some problems with the optical drives, though.


Overall, I recommend HP of the many brands I have experience with, but I would really like to hear your guys opinion.

 

[corkyg]

I have had 6 laptops since 1995. Currently havd a new Lenovo T60 and a 2 year old HP dv1000. The HP has performed perfectly at home and on the road, domestic and foreign - never a blue screen even. The optical drive is noisy, but it works.

The Lenovo is formerly IBM - the quality continues, and good deals on sales are more plentiful. It (Thinkpad T60) performs very well even with Vista. Now have a 200 GB/7200 RPM drive in it. It lacks a Firewire port, but I have a PC card for that. In that vein, it has BOTH a PCMCIA and PC-Express slot - sort of an upper and lower arrangement. The A/C/charger connector is very robust - a big plus.

I also had a big Gateway, and it was an excellent performer as well. Before that - two Winbooks and a Soundbook. 'Nuff said there.

If I wanted extreme lightness, I would probably seriously consider the Toshiba Portege R500.

Dell is currently tring to climb out of a QC hole created by financial problems.

Today I would have no qualms about recommending a Lenovo T61.

 

[TheStu]

Packard-Bell is still in business?!

I would Apple to the list

Apple: Reliable, sturdy, can be expensive at the end of a life-cycle.

 

[asdftt123]

Dell: Flimsy, ugly, problems with USB ports, overheating, pgup key fell off, plasticky feeling (from my experience with 3 year old Inspiron). Well priced compared to many others but you get what you pay for.

Asus: Stylish and extremely well built, a bit more expensive, not widely heard of in North America but very popular in Asia. Americans here are stupid, IMO, for only purchasing Dell. I plan to purchase an Eee PC when they come out. I've never had a problem with any of their products and I suggest looking into Asus. I would purchase motherboards from other vendors such as Gigabyte though.

 

[oynaz]

Thanks for the replies, keep 'em coming.

I saw an MSI laptop today. Anyone have experience with those?

 

[pukemon]

Most people who have a machine that works well won't say anything. People who get a lemon will bitch and moan all day about how their particular machine was a steaming pile of monkey crap and then go on and trash that particular brand even though it might not be warranted.

My last three notebooks were/are from Apple (bought this year), Toshiba (2 years old), and Sony (4 years old), and I haven't had any problems with any of them them so I have no complaints. They all still work.

 

[oynaz]

"Most people who have a machine that works well won't say anything. People who get a lemon will bitch and moan all day about how their particular machine was a steaming pile of monkey crap and then go on and trash that particular brand even though it might not be warranted. "

True, but other people, like me, have a experience with a lot of laptops from the same brand. Those are the guys (male or female), I would like to hear from.

 

[TheStu]

My MacBook is my first laptop, but various members of my family have had almost every major brand...

Dell: Their business line (Latitude) is very good. Sturdy, nice components, and long lasting.

Acer: Sort of a mixed bag. Sometimes they last forever, other times you can't keep them out of the repair shop

Apple: It seems that they are generally well built, even their consumer line (iBook, MacBook) which is ordinarily where OEMs skimp. However, they are sometimes more expensive since they never have coupon deals or anything like that.

Sony: Nice looking outside, silliest layed out inside

Toshiba: See Acer

HP: The new models are quite good looking, and I have been hearing very good reviews

 

[i game with a gateway]

Lenovo = :heart:

 

[oynaz]

OK, you like Lenovo, but why? Good value? Reliable?

 

[tatteredpotato]

Originally posted by: oynaz
OK, you like Lenovo, but why? Good value? Reliable?

Lenovo bought IBM's PC line, so if you liked IBM, you'll like Lenovo.

 

[postmortemIA]

Regardless of brand, get long-term warranty. notebooks have highest failure rate amongst known electronics.

 

[alimoalem]

add apple to the list. you can run windows on them now so it should be up there on your list.

i've only had an HP dv2000t and my dad's had several IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad T-series laptops throughout the years.

HP: i got HP because of what i have heard about the company. the people i know still are happy with it. I, on the other hand, have had an awkward experience as of late. it won't turn on now and they replaced the system board, cpu fan, and lcd screen. it worked for a couple days after i got it back but not anymore. about to send it back a second time. service is moderate...people are friendly, they do their best, but it is outsourced.

IBM/Lenovo: the thinkpads my dad has had have been strong throughout their lives. they can be had for cheap (considering their build quality) these days. service is excellent. only downside: looks.

Apple: i have only heard good things from, especially for the macbook pros. there's a premium but if you have the money, it's definitely a good choice. service is excellent, from what i hear.

Dell: inspiron is fugly as f*ck and i don't generally hear good things about it, although one of my professors had an older gen one and he liked it. my roommate had a Dell Latitude D620 and a good friend has a Dell XPS M1210. both are amazing laptops and look good. these are good laptops from dell to consider.

Asus: I have no experience with it and know no one off AT that has one, but i've never heard anything bad about them. pretty good build quality and definitely should be your top pick if you want a gaming laptop.

 

[Commodus]

One thing to note is that Apple's support is typically very good, but conditional: their phone support isn't 24/7, but if you're in North America you'll talk to someone from the same continent who's actually been familiarized with the hardware. The default warranty is short (1 year parts, 90 days software) but you're less likely to call on it. Definitely buy AppleCare if you intend to get a MacBook and use it for a long time.

 

[TheStu]

Commodus has that right, the few times that I have had to call Apple Support I have talked to people that actually were named Susan, or Bobby, or Fred instead of someone that just tells you that is their name so you are more comfortable. They natively speak english, they are almost always incredibly considerate, and do know what they are talking about. This is not something that can be said about all companies Support Lines, though I have heard great things about IBM/Lenovo

 

[gobucks]

I just got a Lenovo Thinkpad t61 and I have to say I'm really impressed with it so far. They are having lots of sales on these things right now, so they aren't as expensive as they used to be - I got a pretty nice 14.1" widescreen one with a T7300 and quadro NVS 140M for under $1000 (of course, the total price was a bit higher after spending $200 on 4GB of RAM and $160 on a 250GB HDD, but hey...). Anyways, the build quality on the thing is fantastic, the keyboard is definitely the best in the business, it runs very quietly, and it actually looks a lot cooler than it did in the pictures on the website (except for the off-center LCD screen, which is a bit annoying but not a huge deal). It isn't heavy (i think it is under 6 lbs with the extended battery and charger included) but because it is so small and compact I always expect it to be lighter than it is when I pick it up. I was definitely very impressed with the weight and size relative to comparable Dell vostros/inspirons. Performance is great, the T7300 is more than fast enough, and I was pleasantly surprised with the quadro graphics as well. I managed to get my 140M (basically an 8400GS) from 400MHz core/1200MHz DDR3 memory to 650/1800, which yielded a pretty impressive score of 2400 in 3dmark06.

I do have to say that I haven't been overly impressed with the customer support so far. When I ordered one of the coupons I had used did not get applied properly, and I had to talk to like 10 different people to get them to price match with the proper price. Even so, I'd prefer to have a well-built machine even if it means putting up with sub-par customer support - after all, I only have to deal with them occasionally, but I have to use my laptop every day. So anyways, I give Lenovo a thumbs up (so far).

 

[herm0016]

a friend of mine has an hp, he got it about 6 months ago and has already had to replace the hard drive. yesterday his motherboard fried. it looks and feels great still though. I have not seen a newer hp without a problem yet. i hope they get there act together soon, they have some great features in there laptops.
I have never had any problem with my dell in 4 years, it has been great, still runs fast and strong( with only one format and reinstall of xp pro. It lives in my backpack or messenger bag, gets abused all around campus with presentations, lab work, testing of stuff etc. etc. I am actually somewhat attached to the little dell. it has even been on a bunch of trips and summer jobs with me.
if you get an hp, plan on some down time.

 

[Rottie]

my old roomie who is hearing impaired and he bought Apple MacBook Pro after a year owning a Dell m300 notebook he said that the Apple Customer Service is great and very friendly. He is haapy with his notebook so far. (I suspected he switched to MacBook Pro cuz he was drooling over OSX and looks).

I have owned Dell Latitude XP4200, Toshiba Satellite, Compaq Presario 1255, and Presario V6420 they have been runnibg great ever since I owned them.

Compaq/HP Consmer Service is ok but bit disappointed with their lack of knowledge about tech specifition for my V6420.

 

[Bill Brasky]

Originally posted by: gobucks
I just got a Lenovo Thinkpad t61 and I have to say I'm really impressed with it so far. They are having lots of sales on these things right now, so they aren't as expensive as they used to be - I got a pretty nice 14.1" widescreen one with a T7300 and quadro NVS 140M for under $1000 (of course, the total price was a bit higher after spending $200 on 4GB of RAM and $160 on a 250GB HDD, but hey...). Anyways, the build quality on the thing is fantastic, the keyboard is definitely the best in the business, it runs very quietly, and it actually looks a lot cooler than it did in the pictures on the website (except for the off-center LCD screen, which is a bit annoying but not a huge deal). It isn't heavy (i think it is under 6 lbs with the extended battery and charger included) but because it is so small and compact I always expect it to be lighter than it is when I pick it up. I was definitely very impressed with the weight and size relative to comparable Dell vostros/inspirons. Performance is great, the T7300 is more than fast enough, and I was pleasantly surprised with the quadro graphics as well. I managed to get my 140M (basically an 8400GS) from 400MHz core/1200MHz DDR3 memory to 650/1800, which yielded a pretty impressive score of 2400 in 3dmark06.

I do have to say that I haven't been overly impressed with the customer support so far. When I ordered one of the coupons I had used did not get applied properly, and I had to talk to like 10 different people to get them to price match with the proper price. Even so, I'd prefer to have a well-built machine even if it means putting up with sub-par customer support - after all, I only have to deal with them occasionally, but I have to use my laptop every day. So anyways, I give Lenovo a thumbs up (so far).

I just picked up a T61 last night with a very similar configuration (except w/ employee discount woohoo), but I'm curious how the gaming is on the 140M. I thought it was technically a CAD chip, and not really meant for gaming. Also, what app did you use to do the overclocking?

OP: I'm partial to lenovo/IBM. I think they are great business laptops, but if you're really interested in gaming you should probably look at something like an alienware or dell.

 

[Oil]

Originally posted by: Zaitsev

Originally posted by: gobucks
I just got a Lenovo Thinkpad t61 and I have to say I'm really impressed with it so far. They are having lots of sales on these things right now, so they aren't as expensive as they used to be - I got a pretty nice 14.1" widescreen one with a T7300 and quadro NVS 140M for under $1000 (of course, the total price was a bit higher after spending $200 on 4GB of RAM and $160 on a 250GB HDD, but hey...). Anyways, the build quality on the thing is fantastic, the keyboard is definitely the best in the business, it runs very quietly, and it actually looks a lot cooler than it did in the pictures on the website (except for the off-center LCD screen, which is a bit annoying but not a huge deal). It isn't heavy (i think it is under 6 lbs with the extended battery and charger included) but because it is so small and compact I always expect it to be lighter than it is when I pick it up. I was definitely very impressed with the weight and size relative to comparable Dell vostros/inspirons. Performance is great, the T7300 is more than fast enough, and I was pleasantly surprised with the quadro graphics as well. I managed to get my 140M (basically an 8400GS) from 400MHz core/1200MHz DDR3 memory to 650/1800, which yielded a pretty impressive score of 2400 in 3dmark06.

I do have to say that I haven't been overly impressed with the customer support so far. When I ordered one of the coupons I had used did not get applied properly, and I had to talk to like 10 different people to get them to price match with the proper price. Even so, I'd prefer to have a well-built machine even if it means putting up with sub-par customer support - after all, I only have to deal with them occasionally, but I have to use my laptop every day. So anyways, I give Lenovo a thumbs up (so far).

I just picked up a T61 last night with a very similar configuration (except w/ employee discount woohoo), but I'm curious how the gaming is on the 140M. I thought it was technically a CAD chip, and not really meant for gaming. Also, what app did you use to do the overclocking?

Gaming is almost the same as a 8400GS (same core chip). The drivers are the only thing holding it back from performing exactly like the 8400GS. There are supposedly better drivers out at laptopvideo2go but I haven't tried them yet

 

[VinDSL]

Toshiba Satellite multimedia lappy here, with Vista Home Premium and glossy display.

Couldn't be happier!

No whore's remorse...

I'd do it again!

 

[oynaz]

Strange with Apple. In Denmark they are known for their downright lousy support, and some retail chains have started boycotting Apple as a result.

Additionally. government-sponsored Forbrugerklagenævnet are running an important case against Apple. Right now, Apple has 14 days to comply, or they will by hung out to dry on the official "do not deal with these companies" website (the site sponsored by the government as well). Ouch!

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: oynaz
Strange with Apple. In Denmark they are known for their downright lousy support, and some retail chains have started boycotting Apple as a result.

Yeah, it's an American thing!

We always go with the lowest standard! And, that's no joke...

To digress, HDTV is still in the process of being implemented here, and ppl are going, kicking and screaming, "How about my 13-inch Sony? You mean I gotta buy a stupid ^%$& box if I wanna keep it? That's BS, man, forcing us to buy stuff we don't want!!!" LoL! In the meantime, the rest of the world is, like, 10 generations ahead of us...

The great thing about this country is you can start a computer company in your garage... as long as you keep the noise down... steal someone else's code and call it your own... and become a billion dollar corporation with lousy support.

That's Apple for you...

Toshiba, on the other hand, sold missile technology (out the back door) to the Russians during the cold war. They're probably still pointed at us. This country loves cheaters and crooks - rewards them even!

That's why I bought a Toshiba Satellite...

An honest company with great support doesn't have a chance in the USA. We'll eat 'em alive! So, take our recommends with a grain of salt!

 

[TheStu]

Or you can quit school, start a company that sells software that you don't even own yet, become HUGE!!! and make billions of dollars while offering lousy to decent support

That's Microsoft for you...

I figure might as well be fair to all the companies!

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: TheStu
I figure might as well be fair to all the companies!

Heh!

To be fair, the only reason Apple computers are still around is because they got assimilated by the Borg - started using Intel processors - making it possible to run pirated software from the Redmond Menace!

The whole economy of this country is based on the (mis)perception of getting something for nothing, not buying the best...