What laptop manufacturer do you like?

[imported_goku]

Post laptops that YOU think are good and why, I don't want anybody flaming each other.

**Please**

Please limit the # of comments on the suggestions people make,[/u] I just want a gereral consensus of what people think are good and why. People with laptop experience under <4 years is preferred as a lot has changed in the past 5 or so years in terms of laptops.

So, post what laptop and manufacturer you think is good and why. I said it once and said it again, avoid making comments on other's suggestions, if you have something to say, please make it your own. Thanks.


If you want, you can post what laptop manufacturers you DON'T LIKE and why, but please make it a separate post.

Please make it clear at the beginning of the post whether or not you like that brand of laptop and or specific model only or not

**Thank You**

I believe this will be very informative for a lot of people if we get seemingly unbaised opinions on laptops people own. I ask for no comments and separate posts for posts that discredit certain laptops as to make it easier which

 

[imported_goku]

I hate this laptop


Sony Vaio PCG-F480
I'll start this off.


It's a 6 year old laptop, had abysmal battery life, build quality was fairly decent though the mouse key broke internally and the screen flickers intermittently (or at least did at one point 3 years into owning it), the HDD is on it's way to dying. The screen though, at 1024X768 is very pretty and bright, a very beautiful screen at that.

I don't remember whether or not reading the screen in direct sunlight is a problem but I don't recall it being so. The laptop was good when I first got it but after owning it for many years it hasn't exactly 'lasted'. Not very upgradable, proprietary sony drivers that are an absolute must for semi stability. Not as reliable as other systems. Best battery life I've managed with dual batteries was 3 hours with wifi card just browsing the internet.

 

[masteraleph]

I like Lenovo/IBM for the Thinkpad series laptops (not the Lenovo C100 or other non-Thinkpads) due to excellent build and durability.
I like Dell for their Latitude notebooks, especially the D*20 series, which are very well built, though not quite to the Thinkpad level.

 

[Ayah]

Likey

Dell 9300. Sig specs.
Great performance, godly price (about 700usd)
About a year old, about 50 minutes of battery life with the stock battery (I don't really use battery power too much)

 

[SoundTheSurrender]

I love my Asus S96J, so I like ASUS a lot!

It was a barebone and I got to choose my ram, processor, hard drive, and dvd burner.

 

[postmortemIA]

I don't like any laptop with XGA or WXGA resolution.

 

[corkyg]

This would have made a good poll. I have had 5 laptops. Two have been near perfect. Although I have never owned one, I still respect IBM/Lenovo.

My top performers have been: HP dv1000, and a Gateway 9300S Solo.

Dell should be OK, so I put them in my top 3 choices. As a general rule, I prefer to touch anf fell before buying. And, I discount those that are highly proprietary such as Sony.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

Asus is freaking great imo, atleast their Ensemble units, specifically speaking the W3J.

In corollary, the Apple Macbook (asus made) is a work of art imo. Form and function, check.
Apple laptops are great in general. (That's right Goku, Apple = teh great.)

Lenovo/IBM is respected without a question.

 

[Brainonska511]

I second the Asus recommendations. Great quality, great brand in general. :thumbsup:

 

[WackyDan]

Lenovo ThinkPads. Best build and durability, and best suite of tools for connectivity, backup and recovery.

 

[thraxes]

pretty much tied for first place in terms of build quality and service these are the only Laptops I would personally buy (can't afford one? - save more money until you can!): Thinkpad T-Series, Apple MBPro
HP comes in second, I really like the design on these and HPs service is good aswell.
I would recommend a cheap DELL if you really need a laptop while saving up to afford a Thinkpad or Apple (I know a few people that went this route...)
I just can't recommend ASUS right now - the machines are great and I would put them on par with HP, BUT: Here in europe ASUS's customer support is continuosly ranked worst in the business, hence they don't get my business.

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: thraxes
I just can't recommend ASUS right now - the machines are great and I would put them on par with HP, BUT: Here in europe ASUS's customer support is continuosly ranked worst in the business, hence they don't get my business.

Good point - I respect Asus products, but unfortunately, they are not available in any store for purposes of touch and feel. It's a lot of money to buy a pig in a poke.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

Originally posted by: corkyg

Originally posted by: thraxes
I just can't recommend ASUS right now - the machines are great and I would put them on par with HP, BUT: Here in europe ASUS's customer support is continuosly ranked worst in the business, hence they don't get my business.

Good point - I respect Asus products, but unfortunately, they are not available in any store for purposes of touch and feel. It's a lot of money to buy a pig in a poke.

Asus is known to have crap support in Europe. But in Asia and NA they're supposed to be pretty decent about things.

 

[oynaz]

Good:

I have an old Dell Latitude C610. Its solid and dependable.

 

[oynaz]

Bad:

Sony Vaio. Very poor construction. I doubt you will get one of those for more than 3 years.

 

[oynaz]

Crap:

Mitac. The worst piece of junk I have ever experienced.

 

[AmigaMan]

Love:
Apple, HP
My MacBookPro is probably the best laptop I've owned. It's fast, light, sexy, has an awesome LCD, light, and OSX is perhaps the best OS I've used. I also had an HP NC8000 for a couple years which was a sweet laptop. Very sturdy, light, awesome screen, fast, and durable.

Hate:
Dell, Acer
I've owned a Latitude C840, and Inspiron 9200. Both were "plasticky" and not as reliable. The C840 creaked when you picked it up and tended to overheat while playing games to the point it would just freeze. The 9200 was a decent machine, but the LCD developed a problem after just over one year of owning it. The Acer I bought for my father-in-law was cheap, plasticky, and just slow. It didn't inspire a lot of confidence in me and I doubt I'd buy another one.

 

[RollWave]

i love Apple and Fujitsu. And now that i've seen a DV2000T (HP) i love that thing too. I have to say that after owning an apple and a fujitsu for a number of years their products are sturdy well built and completely quality. Both provide excellent customer service.

 

[stash182]

Another vote for Fujitsu. A bit expensive compared to all the $300 Dell laptop deals, but they make great notebooks and hot formfactors

 

[senterprises]

Working as a computer technician the ones we see needing repairs the most are HP's, toshibas and compaq. The ones we see the least are Viaos and Asus.

I personnaly have had a bad experience with Asus but i also know that they have got a good record, and i was just unlucky.

 

[senterprises]

Originally posted by: goku
I hate this laptop


I don't remember whether or not reading the screen in direct sunlight is a problem but I don't recall it being so.


Yeah the Vaios have the best screens in the industry without a doubt. They all have a dual filtered (X-Black) system which looks alot like clear-brite on other screens but when you take it out in the sun or a bright place you really notice the difference.

You just have to be prepared to pay for it.

 

[nealh]

Yeah the Vaios have the best screens in the industry without a doubt. They all have a dual filtered (X-Black) system which looks alot like clear-brite on other screens but when you take it out in the sun or a bright place you really notice the difference.

You just have to be prepared to pay for it.

I have owned a Fujitsu N5010...You have a never seen there screens if you think the Vaio is the best....there is no better laptop screen made..this laptop bought 2.5 yrs was light years ahead on the screen IMHO(I am an Ophthalmologist BTW)

The quality of the build has been excellent..I bought an extension to the warranty and my ac adapter died and they shipped one out 2day fedex and sent packaging to return the defective unit

 

[Parasitic]

Dislike:
1. Sony Vaio's. Trendy but poorly designed. Seems like their R&D division consists of fashion designers who have no real sense of engineering or grasps of real work environments.
2. Pre-HP era Compaqs. My first laptop was a Compaq...halfway decent battery life, too many propietary components and locked-down drivers. Completely not future proof.

Like:
1. IBM Thinkpad series. Might be slightly biased here since my dad used to work at IBM but we've had IBM machines in the family for a long time. Nevertheless the Thinkpads are top notch
2. Post-HP Compaq. My recent Compaq laptops have been very solid performers with some very decent craftsmanship. I highly recommend the low- or mid-end Compaqs for those on a budget. I like them much better than the low-end Dells.

 

[imported_goku]

bump

 

[fbrdphreak]

Lenovo, duh

All models except the C100