Need a new laptop...

IranianHobo · Post by **IranianHobo** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 1:37 am

Not sur eif this is a hardware question since it's kinda a mix of hardware and software...yeah..kinda.

//Or i just enjoy posting in general forums

Anywho got into college and get to pick my own Pine Tree Day Gift (Muslim you see.) So I pick a laptop... Always liked the Dells, nice family, good values, daughter has a nice rack. The Toshiba's are somewhat foriegn but should I consider them too? What about the Alien[ware]s that just landed across the street?

It's 1:30 AM and I'm looking foward to sleeping at 2:00 t'nite.

Immortal · Post by **Immortal** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 1:38 am

IBMs or Dells maybe top of the line Compaqs. Toshiba is good alternative too.

boo everything else for college usage. and what not.

Hopeful · Post by **Hopeful** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 2:16 am

I actually like the apple laptops... is anyone fully against them?

9mmprincess · Post by **9mmprincess** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 5:18 am

personally ive got a sony vaio-its the second one down from the top of the line one, and its great, i love it, im so addicted to it. but ive never used any other kind of laptop so i dont know how the others stack up.

be sure and post a pic of yr new laptop when you get it

vaios are a bit pricey tho-dont know if thats a concern but mine was a little under 2 grand.

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 7:57 am

Couple of things in laptops. Up front...each maker usually has 2 levels of laptops..an entry level series for the home user, and a more business grade series for the office/business user. The entry level series are usually cheap in price, quality, only 1 year warranty. The business grade line is usually much better made all across the board, and often will have a 3 year warranty, or options to purchase that warranty. Always strive for the business level laptops.

Also..try to purchase from a place that can repair it for you. You see..when laptops fail, under warranty, here's where you can get stuck. You'll need to either bring it to an authorized repair center, or ship it out for a while. Ideally, you want to purchase it locally from a place that's also an authorized repair center.

IBM Thinkpads...more business class driven. Awesome quality, yes steep in price...but you get what you pay for here...good stuff.

Compaq Evo series laptops...nice business grade models, I like them. Good quality too, and support. But their Presario line, that's their home series...stay away from. Both in laptops and desktops..Presario series is what gave Compaq their bad reputation.

Dell Inspirons...home line. Dell Latitudes...their business line...very nice laptops. Support..well, they're in midst of change, trying to get it better again.

Toshiba...good quality and features...but when it comes support time...they can be tough, unless you have a Toshiba authorized repair center nearby.

Sony...lots of neat bells and whistles...but from my years in the IT field...one of the worst ever in any means of support for their products. Just a few days ago I was again reminded on how bad their support is. Friend asked me what to do, she had just gotten a Sony dvd-rw drive, came DOA out of the box..brand new. Sony support said she'd have to send it back to them, and they'd replace it with a remanufactured one. EXCUSE ME? I purchase a new drive from you that is dead out of the box, and you'll only replace it 2-3 weeks later with a used one?

Alienware..their support for their gaming rigs is overall rated to be pretty good, I've not seen or worked on one of their laptops...if I were to buy another laptop now, I sure might take a look at them.

zooner · Post by **zooner** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 7:17 pm

daughter has a nice rack

damn!!

Altema · Post by **Altema** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 7:21 pm

Originally posted by zooner
damn!!

Oh god

Anyways, Dell ~_~. Bought a laptop from them and it was pretty nice, but support was close to nonexsistant. All responses were scripted and when i posted about my network here people questioned why i had certain protocols in my network settings. Dell told me to put that so yeah

. But their actual laptops are nice, but support is just crappy. Returned the laptop soon after finding it was defective but they wouldnt replace it or give a new hd.

IranianHobo · Post by **IranianHobo** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 9:37 pm

HEy thanks for all thew replys.

I can't see what im typing..b/c apples suck so apple laptops are out

eold + altema thnx for the input on dells, they are def frontrunners for me right now.

yeold dunno if i can get an evo from the place im buying

so maybe ill end up with a dell

gonaa do some more resaerch post back when i know more

thanks for all the replies

wink · Post by **wink** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 10:28 pm

I purcahsed a Compaq 3015us back in march this year pretty good machine I have to say.

P4 2.4ghz, 1GB Ram, 80GB HD, DVD/CDRW, 64MG Video, 4USB, Built in Wireless, 16inch LCD plus some other goodies..

I rate it 9 out of 10...

I have a Dell I bought back in 1998, It was a Inspiron 7000 series and its still running today. So Dell is also a good choice aswell..

Just my 2cents.

Mehmet · Post by **Mehmet** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 11:14 pm

to give you some second hand experience..

my friends dell laptop broke down 3 times these last 2 years. Had to send it in for repair 3 times, and again he's having problems. The lcd flickers, turns gray once in a while. His brothers, which he bought later on, broke too, his top right portion of the keyboard doesnt work, and has many hardware problems. My friends friends built in ethernet broke, and now he has to get a cheap PCMIA one. good thing my friend had the 3 year warranty or all this was going to cost him a pretty penny..

Now, my powerbook on the other hand, ive had it for about 3 years. NO PROBLEMS AT ALL. The keyboard still works great ( i use it as my main computer mind you ) the frame is still kickin, the slot-loading drive is perfectly fine, the LCD is as bright as it was when i first got it. The hinges for the LCD is great, no HW problems WHAT-SO-EVER. No software problems either (panther rocks).

I would definetly consider a mac as a laptop, others might disagree with me, but maybe because they havent actually tried them out for more than 5 minutes!!
A superdrive sure would be sweet to have in your laptop now wouldnt it, burn DVD's on the go...

shadrach · Post by **shadrach** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 12:50 am

I'm personally looking at a Dell Inspiron 1100, mainly becuase it's the cheapest new laptop I can find.

Originally posted by Mehmet
A superdrive sure would be sweet to have in your laptop now wouldnt it, burn DVD's on the go... [/B]

"haha...first time I read that sentence I was thinking "oooh, a high density floppy drive!"

zooner · Post by **zooner** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 1:04 am

you should look into the compaq x1000 series. Best buy is currently running a deal on a x1050 for under a $1000, it's regular price is over $1500. It's a kick arse laptop for the money.

http://www.x1000forums.com

you can read about the x1000 series there.

zooner · Post by **zooner** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 1:06 am

the inspiron 1100's suck. they really, really, really suck.

I recently purchased one for resale. I opened it up to see if i liked it and I couldnt believe how cheap it felt and slow it ran. My p3 500 latitude laptop was running circles around it, no joke.

Perhaps it just needed a reformat and winxp reinstall, I'm not sure. I simply was shocked at how pathetic it ran.

Ghosthunter · Post by **Ghosthunter** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 8:54 am

I have the dell inspiron 600m, and I did have inital hardware issues, the motherboard had to be repalced, had to send it back got it back in 5 business days, but they put the wrong video card in, I was kind of pisst...so they sent me a brand new laptop...been happy ever since, have not had any issues and it runs really fast..heck I can play Everquest on it! lol

Good price too paid around $1200 or so at the time.

Altema · Post by **Altema** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 9:31 am

If you have a Gateway store near you, you may want to pay the extra 50 bucks or so and get the gateway equivilant of the compaq x1000. It costs a lil bit more but it has a 9600 instead of a 9200 radeon and a subwoofer, and then you have piece of mind if the store is near you.

But.....if price is what your looking for then Dell wins hands down. My gateway barley beats the Gateway i bought now and it costs like 300 bucks less. Whats sad that it cost 300 bucks less 2 months ago.

Andrzej · Post by **Andrzej** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 9:29 am

as usual I'm vvvvv.impressed with YeOldeStonecat explanation.
I'm looking for ultrapotrable laptop
so I decided to bay IBM ThinkPad X31 but with ram1GB