Thinking about buying a laptop.. any other decent brands besides IBM/Lenovo?

[brxndxn]

I care more about thin, light, battery life, support, and build quality than I do outright performance.. If the laptop is fast as hell, but 10lbs, it's worthless.. If I pick it up in the corner and the chassis bends, it's worthless.. If I drop it and it dies, it's worthless.

So.. I'm pretty damn sure I want a Lenovo. Is there any other maker I should consider?


Things I want...

14.1" screen or larger (greater resolution than 1024*768)
3d card (for running old games when I feel like it)
a chassis that isn't thinner in the front than in the back (I hate those)
built-in or removeable optical dvd burner
SOLID FEEL
4-hour battery life
widescreen or 4:3.. don't care if laptop is nice

Is there even such thing as a laptop even close to Lenovo?

BTW, I don't want a Mac... no way.. no how.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: brxndxn
I care more about thin, light, battery life, support, and build quality than I do outright performance.. If the laptop is fast as hell, but 10lbs, it's worthless.. If I pick it up in the corner and the chassis bends, it's worthless.. If I drop it and it dies, it's worthless.

So.. I'm pretty damn sure I want a Lenovo. Is there any other maker I should consider?


Things I want...

14.1" screen or larger (greater resolution than 1024*768)
3d card (for running old games when I feel like it)
a chassis that isn't thinner in the front than in the back (I hate those)
built-in or removeable optical dvd burner
SOLID FEEL
4-hour battery life
widescreen or 4:3.. don't care if laptop is nice

Is there even such thing as a laptop even close to Lenovo?

BTW, I don't want a Mac... no way.. no how.

i am extremely happy with my t42. friends have compaq and those dell "gamer" laptops, but neither work nearly as well as my t42. if i needed another one i wouldn't hesitate at all. for the price i think the t series is the way to go.

 

[WackyDan]

YOu can't get a better SOLID feel than the 60 series ThinkPads.

 

[soccerballtux]

I've heard the new thinkpads aren't what they used to be. But I've also heard from a friend who works in the production division and he says nothing has changed. Who knows.

Personally I like the HP's. They don't feel cheap, and look a lot better than the [slightly cheaper] Compaqs.

But really...is there any reason not to get a black Macbook? Upgrade the RAM yourself.....and you're set. They've got great battery life, a great OS, you can now install Windows on them....I know my next purchase will be a Mac.

edit: Well yeah, I think they're pretty expensive....but with that you get the security of great customer service, the easiest OS around, and uber nifty features like this.

 

[mauiblue]

The Toshiba Satellites looks pretty much what you are looking for especially the higher end models.

 

[wolfman11]

Get a Thinkpad, you won't regret it. Great machines, well built and expandable - worth a little more cash.

(EDIT: by expandable I mean even my initially low cost R40 model came with a mini-pci expansion slot for a built in wireless card, which lots of vendors do. However, it also had a pre-wired antenna around the screen ready to go for good reception. I added 2 gig of ram, and via the ultrabay 2000 adapter added a second hard disk to the machine (internal) and have option to swap it for a second internal battery, zip 750 drive, a new optical drive (such as a dvd burner as I have a combo), etc. In addition, the complete hardware maintenence manual is available from IBM showing how to totally disassemble the machine complete with all part numbers in case you break/lose something. You just don't get this kind of information from other manufacturers. Also take a look at http://forum.thinkpads.com - a great Thinkpad online community).

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
I've heard the new thinkpads aren't what they used to be. But I've also heard from a friend who works in the production division and he says nothing has changed. Who knows.

Personally I like the HP's. They don't feel cheap, and look a lot better than the [slightly cheaper] Compaqs.

But really...is there any reason not to get a black Macbook? Upgrade the RAM yourself.....and you're set. They've got great battery life, a great OS, you can now install Windows on them....I know my next purchase will be a Mac.

edit: Well yeah, I think they're pretty expensive....but with that you get the security of great customer service, the easiest OS around, and uber nifty features like this.

People that say THinkPads aren't what they used to be were mainly ticked because Lenovo/IBM finally added a Windows key, came out with widescreen, and offered two models with a lid that wasn't just black.

Pretty silly huh? FYI- Those design changes were part of product planning pre-Lenovo.

The new 60 series TP's are built even more solid than the 40 series. Very rigid, no chassis flex that you can see or feel.

 

[thecartographer]

If you like IBM Thinkpads you will probably like Hewlett Packard business models, Fujitsu business models and maybe even LG electronics notebooks and SONY notebooks. All of these companies have well-built machines but, of course, the ThinkPads are still king of resilience.

 

[jordanpr]

Just don't get a toshiba.

 

[mauiblue]

Originally posted by: jordanpr
Just don't get a toshiba.

To each their own. I've had my Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV650 for a month and a half and I've been gaming (HL 2, Far Cry, Doom 3) without a hitch (105 fps on CS stress test). Great looking, HD DVD drive, beautiful 17" LCD screen, T2500 processor, decent video card , blah, blah, blah. In regards to service, I had a hard drive (Western Digital 100 GB) give some problems after a couple weeks and had the drive replaced in three days after calling tech support.

Yeah sure I heard some stuff about Toshiba losing some quality factors over the years but I've not experienced any issues other than what I mentioned earlier which just happens sometimes. But I did get it taken care of to my total satisfaction. Toshiba is all right in my book. Mi dos centavos.

 

[Mikey]

Originally posted by: jordanpr
Just don't get a toshiba.

and just quit making stupid posts.

 

[Davegod]

I got my friend onto a Toshiba Satellite and he's been very happy with it for... 5 years? Doesnt seem that long but doing the math it has to have been. He's no power user and I wouldnt want to drop the thing (though i wouldnt want to drop any laptop) but he's just replaced it and went straight for another Toshiba.

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: brxndxn
I care more about thin, light, battery life, support, and build quality than I do outright performance.. If the laptop is fast as hell, but 10lbs, it's worthless.. If I pick it up in the corner and the chassis bends, it's worthless.. If I drop it and it dies, it's worthless.

So.. I'm pretty damn sure I want a Lenovo. Is there any other maker I should consider?


Things I want...

14.1" screen or larger (greater resolution than 1024*768)
3d card (for running old games when I feel like it)
a chassis that isn't thinner in the front than in the back (I hate those)
built-in or removeable optical dvd burner
SOLID FEEL
4-hour battery life
widescreen or 4:3.. don't care if laptop is nice

Is there even such thing as a laptop even close to Lenovo?

BTW, I don't want a Mac... no way.. no how.

The newest Macs can run windows, so they're not a bad idea if you like the hardware design.

Oh, and IBM isn't all that in durability. I guess they'll survive being dropped, but the chassis sure won't. My IBM thinkpad (though a tablet, so it's also an ultra lightweight and probably less durable) fell 2 feet and got some pretty nasty cosmetic damage. Oh, and the screen hinge has gotten incredibly loose just from general usage, though that appears to be a problem with all convertibles and a flaw of the design. If I had to buy another tablet, I'd probably go for a fujitsu stylistic st5000, or a mac tablet if they ever make one and don't make the pricing too much of a premium over normal macs. HP's TC1100 with a portable keyboard dock was a nice idea (the beauty of a pure tablet without the penalty of bulky and hard to utilize keyboard attachments) but is a bit outdated. And I can't overstate the importance of my IBM's beautiful screen, absolutely incredible image quality (and durability, very scratch resistant), it's a pity to have to use other LCDs with inferior brightness and sharpness, not to mention far worse viewing angles. Being able to lay the tablet flat on a desk without compromising viewability is incredible and I'd have to say it is at the top tier of LCDs. (compared to say Toshiba's tablets, overall they're nice but crappy screens)

People that say THinkPads aren't what they used to be were mainly ticked because Lenovo/IBM finally added a Windows key, came out with widescreen, and offered two models with a lid that wasn't just black.

Lenovo also introduced cheap models that compete with Dell and HP in prices, previously IBM's were more expensive and slower, so what gave in the change?

Oh, and Toshiba's not bad, but they're more of a "fashion" notebook in the same way as Sony than actual quality. They're Dells with style basically. (overall, the laptop industry nowadays is very good, so the differences between the best and worst isn't that large anymore, though in my experience Sony and Dell both still have pretty poor quality control, but not nearly as bad as they once were)

 

[WackyDan]

"
Lenovo also introduced cheap models that compete with Dell and HP in prices, previously IBM's were more expensive and slower, so what gave in the change? "

They introduced the 3000 line of Lenovo laptops, which are not ThinkPads...

They did introduce a budget widescreen ThinkPad, but before as IBM they always had the budget R series.

Nothing "gave". - They are even more durable and have some nice new features, but to each their own.....

 

[0roo0roo]

toughbook? u want to drop it

 

[SZLiao214]

If budget is a big issue i would have to suggest dell. The coupons give them amazing value.

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: SZLiao214
If budget is a big issue i would have to suggest dell. The coupons give them amazing value.

Agreed, replacability > durability. A thinkpad may last 3 years, but for a 3rd of the price you can have a Dell and buy a new one every year. You'll end up with a much faster computer in the end and if anything really unfortunate happens (laptop stolen or caught in a fire), it's not as big of a deal. Pay the absolute minimum to get what you want, going for a oremium laptop that offers you little extra utility is a waste of money. (unless you need what it offers)

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: Fox5

Originally posted by: SZLiao214
If budget is a big issue i would have to suggest dell. The coupons give them amazing value.

Agreed, replacability > durability. A thinkpad may last 3 years, but for a 3rd of the price you can have a Dell and buy a new one every year. You'll end up with a much faster computer in the end and if anything really unfortunate happens (laptop stolen or caught in a fire), it's not as big of a deal. Pay the absolute minimum to get what you want, going for a oremium laptop that offers you little extra utility is a waste of money. (unless you need what it offers)

1/3 the cost? What are you smoking?

ThinkPads aren't all that more expensive than Dells. Keeping in mind that each vendor has consumer lines and business lines, and that the ThinkPad is a business laptop, and the Lenovo 3000 is the consumer/SMB laptop. Dell's consumer line is Inspiron, and business line is Latitude.

Even an inspiron against an Lenovo ThinkPad R series, or Entry widescreen Z doesn't present a 1/3 price difference.

I'd rather pay $100 dollars more for great support, and durability anyday.