View Full Version : need laptop advice
My wife and I are both due for new laptops.
basically looking for around a 15" screen, i don't really want a 17" for size and weight reasons. I have a 17" dell now and it is very nice, just a little big.
My laptop is about 6 years old, a dell inspiron 6000. haven't had any issues with it other than it is slowing down...the startup takes like 4 minutes before it is ready to work...
My wife has a dell inspiron 1520. less than 2 years old and it is a hunk of shit. I am officially done with dell. they pissed me off for the last time. the laptop has ate up 4 chargers, is on its 5th. the motherboard is bad and has been since the day we bought it. they told us it was a charger issue and kept getting new chargers under warranty. then it went out of warranty and we had to buy another charger. recently the hard drive crashed, all data was lost. we got a new hard drive put it, bought another charger, and it is still having the same symptoms so it is just a matter of time before it takes another dump.
I have contacted dell many times over the issue, it is a major problem with that laptop and they know about it and won't fix it if it is out of warranty...even though I have complained about a problem the entire time and they kept giving me the wrong fix for the same problem since the day we got it.
we really liked this one:
http://www.target.com/dp/B003ZWN9PS?VariationController.clickElement=submit .add-to-cart
trying to keep the cost under $500 a piece. I really want a dual core processor, just something fast and reliable is all I am looking for. not much for gaming. she needs a good one that will get her through her masters and not crap out like the dell.
also interested in these:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acer-AS5736Z-4016/15125403
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/DescribeBundleComponent.do?bundle_id=15230134&component_id=1&item_id=14550203
BushMasterBoy
11-29-2010, 15:20
I have had good success with Dell Financial Services on Ebay. Search Ebay seller: dell_financial_services
all computers are factory refurbished
I have no personal interest in this company
Good Luck!
trlcavscout
11-29-2010, 15:29
I agree with not getting a dell. My personal one and the 4 I have had from work are all junk.
I like my asus
I just found this one and really like it...seems to be the exact same as the acer with a different name (same internals) for cheaper
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Pentium%26%23174%3B+Processor+/+15.6%22+Display+/+3GB+Memory+/+320GB+Hard+Drive+-+Brown/1257145.p?id=1218243226535&skuId=1257145
I have had an Acer Travelmate 5520 for the last 3 years and it has stood the test of a college student damn well. It was a little choppy and weird when I loaded win7 on it but I'm sure the new ones have all that stuff figured out.
ghettodub
11-29-2010, 16:27
I like my asus
Both my current laptop and desktop are Asus, and I love em. They're both beasts
this is the one I have
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i7+Processor+/+17.3%22+Display+/+6GB+Memory+/+640GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/1257894.p?id=1218243761956&skuId=1257894
this is the one I have
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i7+Processor+/+17.3%22+Display+/+6GB+Memory+/+640GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/1257894.p?id=1218243761956&skuId=1257894 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i7+Processor+/+17.3%22+Display+/+6GB+Memory+/+640GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/1257894.p?id=1218243761956&skuId=1257894)
sinper that one you listed is pretty solid for the money.
asus is a really good brand, but it's not the only one. I'd just avoid buying a laptop at wally world if at all possible.
lol instead of editing I quoted myself. yar.
rockhound
11-29-2010, 16:51
i have had great luck with my hp pavilions, staples has nice prices on them.
rockhound
11-29-2010, 16:52
I like my asus
hey let's watch the language. [LOL]
OgenRwot
11-29-2010, 18:31
I've never had any problems with my 3 or 4 Dells. That being said, "affordable" and "quality" don't belong in the same sentence when talking about computers. You buy something cheap, under 500, don't expect it to last more than two to three years.
It's like an optic for a rifle, you're gonna need to spend the money to get a quality piece.
I've never had any problems with my 3 or 4 Dells. That being said, "affordable" and "quality" don't belong in the same sentence when talking about computers. You buy something cheap, under 500, don't expect it to last more than two to three years.
It's like an optic for a rifle, you're gonna need to spend the money to get a quality piece.
yeah that is pretty much what I am expecting. it seems like after about 2 years laptops are obsolete and slow to the point it gets me aggravated. I am surprised I have lasted as long as I have with my current laptop.
yeah that is pretty much what I am expecting. it seems like after about 2 years laptops are obsolete and slow to the point it gets me aggravated. I am surprised I have lasted as long as I have with my current laptop.
that's why I went a little more high end when I got my last one, so it'd have a bit more longevity.
gnihcraes
11-29-2010, 21:59
dell has several lines of equipment, just like all the others out there.
inspiron is the low end test model, what works good here makes it to the latitude line for the business and government stuff.
Lexmark does the same thing. low end stuff that makes it gets into the higher grade stuff, etc.
I'm sure it's like honda/acura, toyota/lexis is with their stuff.
careful buying stuff from the retail centers, best buy, target etc, you'll spend the next 6 months trying to cancel all the extras you signed for when you bought it and didn't know about it. AOL fees etc.
We've had a lot of dell laptops at work, from the latitude line, they are still hanging in there after 6 years. Yes, they run like crap after six years, but we can't keep a lenovo/ibm thinkpad running for the first 1 or two years before they fall apart.
my 2 cents.
argonstrom
11-29-2010, 22:10
Though not entirely laptop related, here's my input on Asus and Acer:
Anyone that has seen my computer can attest that the Asus motherboard and video cards do not lead an easy life, but they've been super reliable.
My friend in the Virgin Islands has an Acer laptop that has had not issues - I can't imagine it's a real computer friendly environment considering the climate & his line of work.
Speaking of Asus, I have one for sale/trade! :D :p
I recommend looking/shopping/researching at Newegg -
http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=32&name=Laptops-Notebooks
If you have not looked at the mini's yet, take a look, 10" is a real handy size to take anywhere.
one of these will be my next laptop purchase.
HP makes a pretty decent machine, only problem I have with ours is that it has sucky vista on it, but its mostly a web surfer, so it works fine.
Stick with the name brands and pay attention to the processer it has, get the best processor you can afford.
Microcenter 4100 e. Quincy Ave. FTW
I had bought a toshiba for $450 with all the bells and wistles that you are looking for.
Dual Processor i3 with hyperthreading so it looks like 4 CPU's going at once. 4 gb of ram 300 gb harddrive and windows 7.
Cons it doesn't have office installed. You can't play any decent games on it.
If you don't mind that stuff or have a older version of office you are good to go.
And microcenters customer service can't be beat. I love em and build a system from scratch from them every month.
Check out their alienware laptop if you want to see what cool and a big laptop is. Its better than my desktop only because it has dual graphics cards. But I don't need one yet.
http://www.hp.com/sbso/buspurchase_refurbished.html
HP's consumer line are junk, just like Dell and Acer. Their business laptops aren't half bad however. They typically use better components in the business laptops since they need to be on the market 3-5X longer than the consumer versions.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals?mco=MTk1NTE4MTk
Apple sells refurb products as well. I've got a 4 year old MacBook Pro that is still running strong.
ruthabagah
11-30-2010, 19:59
Apple sells refurb products as well. I've got a 4 year old MacBook Pro that is still running strong.[/QUOTE]
Ditto for the Mac. I bought 3 of them through craigslist and they are still reliable and perfect for home use. And ACER / ASUS are some of the most reliable pc right now.
you are a week too late... i'm sure there were a few good deals during black friday.... i picked up my HP 15.6" laptop last black friday and haven't had any problems. It was under $300 too
ChunkyMonkey
11-30-2010, 21:27
Microcenter 4100 e. Quincy Ave. FTW
I had bought a toshiba for $450 with all the bells and wistles that you are looking for.
Dual Processor i3 with hyperthreading so it looks like 4 CPU's going at once. 4 gb of ram 300 gb harddrive and windows 7.
Cons it doesn't have office installed. You can't play any decent games on it.
If you don't mind that stuff or have a older version of office you are good to go.
And microcenters customer service can't be beat. I love em and build a system from scratch from them every month.
You got SKU ? I need two for my work.
theGinsue
11-30-2010, 21:45
Here's my $0.02 - for what it's worth. Realize that these are MY opinions which are based off of personal experience as well as Sys Admin experience.
As a matter of full disclosure, I have NO experience with Asus computers at all so I can't actually consider them in my summary. By reading the posts of Asus owners here on this site I'm inclined to believe that these are actually quality machines. I also need to disclose that I have VERY LIMITED experience with Acer and that was YEARS ago. I wasn't impressed with Acer back then and the negativity towards their products have stuck with me.
I don't have one and probably never will, but MAC actually makes the best machines these days. Problem is that they aren't really out-of-the-box compatible with PC's (Microsoft OS/Office), and almost everyone you deal with uses PC's and Office. The pink elephant in the room with these is that they are anything but inexpensive.
Toshiba makes the best PC laptops, but you WILL pay more for them than most.
HP makes the second best laptops. I'm on one right now and do most of my surfing, computer work on it. This is my second HP laptop.
Dell would be the next in line. You have to realize what a concession it is for me to say that since every PC I work with @ work over the last 5 years (with the exception of 4 Alienware workstations) has been a Dell. I work with hundreds of them. I do not like Dell and have had some bad experiences with some of their equipment and customer servicce. However, I have worked with a few Dell laptops over the last few years and they actually operated relatively well and they handled well as "travelling" computers.
There are many other brands available such as WalMarts eMachines (yes, in laptops too). I really don't have an opinion on htese other than they would be cheap/short term devices. Any functionality past 1 year would be a bonus in my opinion. Then again, others swear by them.
At the bottom of the list I'd have to list Sony Vaio then IBM's. Both of these are the biggest pieces of garbage I've ever laid hands on. The only way I'd ever take one of these is if it was given to me and I could quickly re-sell it to some poor unfortunate schmuck.
Check out their alienware laptop if you want to see what cool and a big laptop is. Its better than my desktop only because it has dual graphics cards. But I don't need one yet.
Dell bought Alienware a few years back but still produce the "Alienware" tagged products at a higher price than their normal Dell stuff.
The problem with purchasing anything from WalMart is that they are known for buying refurb'ed or "factory second's" products and not revealing that information to their customers. I found this out the hard way with my first hunting rifle scope I bought - a Redfield. Never make that mistake again.
As someone else mentioned, buying any computer from one of the box stores guarantees a lot of cr@p loaded onto it.
In the end I can't really provide you with a definite "this is the machine to get" recommendation, but I hope my insight has helped a bit.
You got SKU ? I need two for my work.
For the Toshiba? Not on me but I'll send it to you later.
PC's blow.....
(product of working on a Windows based systems day in and day out)
Asus and Acer are good though if you have to go the pc route. But if you have the cash I say Mac. You can always run windows under bootcamp or parellels they only way windows should be run (as a program not a OS).
I also have a Macbook with one of the first series intel Cpu's in it and its still going strong.
OgenRwot
12-01-2010, 10:25
If you have not looked at the mini's yet, take a look, 10" is a real handy size to take anywhere.
one of these will be my next laptop purchase.
HP makes a pretty decent machine, only problem I have with ours is that it has sucky vista on it, but its mostly a web surfer, so it works fine.
Stick with the name brands and pay attention to the processer it has, get the best processor you can afford.
Problem with those is short battery life and slower processors. Tough to get all the goods in a computer that small.
Mini's are funny little computers. They have no peripherals (which may not be needed all the time) and installing stuff involves a headache and image files. But they are the right size for transporting. I had a 17" laptop and it was a pain to carry around. The one I use now is a dell m1210 and fits in my backpack no sweat and works for me. Its not to small to type on watch movies on in my downtime... the battery lasts about 3 hours which is most important, because I'm not tethered to an outlet.
I would like to have an alienware since its so powerful but unless I was a hacker always on the move like the guys in Die Hard 4 I wouldn't use it all.
You got SKU ? I need two for my work.
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0345312
This seems to be the one I bought but this has an AMD processor instead on intel. Still 2 thumbs up btw.
SKU 899310
I found a good deal at best buy on an ASUS. Got one for me and the wife
Only. $400 a piece. Dual core. 15.6 screen. They seem like they will do what we need. I am heading home today and will see what it looks like
My dell is 6 years old and has been a good machine for the most part. It had a few issues but has served me well. My wife has had 2.dells. The first one was a maintenance hog and had to have the screen replaced and the plastic as well. It finally got too slow to do anythig. Her last one had the charger and motherboard issue. If dell would have done the right thug I would be buying 2 more of their products. They didn't and lost a customer. I don't want to spend the money on a mac and she needs the compatibility of pc for work and her masters.
I guess we will see what happens!
ChunkyMonkey
12-01-2010, 14:43
Talking about laptops.. I have 6-8 running laptops that are at least 4 year old sitting in the closet... Is there any value in those? donation wise etc.
twitchyfinger
12-05-2010, 19:03
I found a good deal at best buy on an ASUS. Got one for me and the wife
Only. $400 a piece. Dual core. 15.6 screen. They seem like they will do what we need. I am heading home today and will see what it looks like
sniper7
I was curious as to what you think of your news ASUS so far? I am looking at one for my mother for X-mas and have been trying to decide between the one you bought and the HPG62x http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11596030
Any comments/thoughts on your purchase would be greatly appreciated!!!
Looks nice except for the Norton garbage. That would get removed first thing.
twitchyfinger
12-05-2010, 22:28
Looks nice except for the Norton garbage. That would get removed first thing.
[ROFL1]
That was the first thing that I saw when I looked that one up at Costco and did so just for a price comparison. My brother can actually get one at a discount through is company (without any anti virus installed) for $20 more than the Costco price. I too cannot stand Norton either and know from experience what a PIA it is to remove! So yeah that $20 extra for no Norton is money well spent! Just trying to figure out if it a better computer than that ASUS. I've read some comments about the keyboard on them being cheap and flimsy.
It has fast ddr3 RAM, dual core I3 CPU, 500 gb harddrive, DVD burner (which is pretty standard these days blu ray would be better) for a good price.
sniper7
I was curious as to what you think of your news ASUS so far? I am looking at one for my mother for X-mas and have been trying to decide between the one you bought and the HPG62x http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11596030
Any comments/thoughts on your purchase would be greatly appreciated!!!
So far we both love ours. Best buy did great having them ready for us. My only complaint was they tried to charge extra tax from the price I saw and paid for online. I checked my statement and saw they tried to put am extra$ 30 charge for tax on my card. After a quick call to customer service they credited my card without any moaning on my part and had it posted the next day.
Aa for the laptop they are great. Very fast, great screen, and so far I love it.
twitchyfinger
12-05-2010, 22:58
Thanks sniper for the reply that helps and did you notice BTW that reised the online price of yours today by $29. Glad you were able to get your money back they overcharged you for!
I was looking at the next one up from what you bought same model but costs $550. It like the HP has 4GB ddr3 RAM, dual core I3 CPU, 500 gb harddrive, DVD burner but then it also has the new embedded 4G WIMAX mobile broadband technology which for those who want to pay for it would probably be great but for those like my mom just needs a Built in high speed wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n) connection so that is kind of a turn off to me. I also like the 10 keypad (numbers) on the ASUS as most laptops do not offer that.
$550 ASUS http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i3+Processor+/+15.6%22+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Brown/1257181.p?id=1218243230371&skuId=1257181 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i3+Processor+/+15.6%22+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Brown/1257181.p?id=1218243230371&skuId=1257181)
Very comparable to the HP
hey let's watch the language. [LOL]
gotta know how to say it
i606f47SK90&feature=player_embedded
Talking about laptops.. I have 6-8 running laptops that are at least 4 year old sitting in the closet... Is there any value in those? donation wise etc.
I don't know much about donations. But I do know that people at my old school were always hurting for home PC's to do work on. They got a few desktops donated but were beyond junk. I think if you are inclined the students at ITT could use them and would be greatful. Let me know if that is something your interested in and I could set it up.
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