Which laptop brand should I go with?

[LrsK]

Hey guys,

I'm getting a laptop soon, but what I find to be the hardest thing is to choose what brand of laptop to get. Every person I ask has their own favorite, and their own horror stories for many of the brands.

So far, Dell and HP are the ones to stay away from...

Agree/disagree? Thoughts?

 

[AznSensation]

Dell XPS huzzah!

 

[Bonesdad]

Why did you hear to stay away from Dell and HP?

 

[LrsK]

I spoke to some laptop repair guy who said that most Dell/HP laptops have motherboard issues etc. He recommended Asus.

 

[AznSensation]

man asus is expensive.

get dell. it's cheap

 

[MissRed]

LrsK - Do your research. Don't waste money unless its not your own on a Dell, or unless you are extremely wise to fix your own issues with software and hardware. And if you are that savvy, it's doubtful you would consider Dell in the first place. I say this based on personal experience with Dell years ago. Repair techs ( anyone certified) offer good insight, so don't disregard their opinions.

Check out powernotebooks.com. or Xotic -- Look into the Compal IFL90 and Sager Np2090. Read this on Name Brands - http://www.powernotebooks.com/...?action=fullnews&id=17

 

[zig3695]

saying dells are junk is like saying dont buy ford cars because they are bad. there isnt anything spectacular about dells, but like fords they sell a ton of units for a reason. people like things that are affordable and work, and thats very much what dell is.

 

[MissRed]

No one is saying Dell is junk. I only stated my personal experience with the company, which has led me to buy cautiously and research options available for the same price range. This forum is for us to share experiences in order to help others make informed decisions, is it not?

We are simply different types of buyers here. None better or worse, just different, based on our expectations of quality for our money. I especially agree with the Dell/Ford analogy, which is why I choose to drive a Toyota.

 

[LrsK]

Thanks for the replies! MissRed is echoing the exact issues that I've been hearing from others. I think the reason Dell is so popular and thereby cheaper, is that they make customization an easy and smooth process. Not to speak of marketing budgets etc...

Thanks for the links and info! I suppose my initial choice for Asus was a good choice...

 

[Bonesdad]

MissRed, you said your experience with Dell was "years ago", how long was that and what were the issues? I tend to think there are more Dell and HP in repair because there are so many Dell and HP in peoples hands, not because they are inherently "junk".

 

[Fraggable]

My experiences with Dell and HP and Toshiba lead me to believe that you can expect horrible customer service and tec support from any major manufacturer, unless you buy something like an XPS with a special support agreement - I even saw them advertise english-speaking XPS techs once as a bonus :frown:

I don't have extensive experience with the others, but I would have to say that of all the problems I've seen, HP has been the most reliable when not abused. I have seen a lot of broken Dells, but then 75% of the laptops I've worked on were Dells.

My next laptop will be a Dell XPS because there's nothing else quite like them from any other manufacturer as far as quality and reliability. I'm sick of my stuff breaking.

 

[ViviTheMage]

not all of dells products are cheap.

the inspirion line are pretty cheap, but once you go into the other classes they are really good.

plus dell lives up to there NEXT DAY warranties very VERY well.

but that is just my experience.

 

[Maximilian]

Ive read a LOT of bad things about dells older laptops, i specifically singled out the ones with pentium 4's and celerons in them, they seemed to get very poor user reviews on notebookreview.com, but the latest dells seem to generally be of a decent quality from what ive read. All new dells including the new vostro line are now "roadwarrior" or something, meaning they come with magnesium alloy, sealed keyboards and something else to make them more durable. Pretty decent.

 

[asianxtreme]

I would recommend Asus or Acer...Asus being the better one for customer service and such...
All Asus laptops come with 24 months of VERY good warranty...Fast and easy...
Asus notebooks are usually not the top of the line but is a very ideal choice if u
are going for style and ultraportability...
Acer is another top brand that I would suggest...I switch laptops very often and these
two are my top brands.
Acer are fairly priced and usually very sturdy and long lasting....
Good Luck...

 

[corkyg]

My last three laptops have been almost perfect. Gateway, HP, and now IBM/Lenovo. None of them has ever caused a problem or crashed. I have taken them all over the world. Currently using a T60. It has been to Greece, Turkey, Italy, France, and now cross country USA. Never a problem. I have no clue about tech support from any of them because I have never needed it.

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: LrsK
Hey guys,

I'm getting a laptop soon, but what I find to be the hardest thing is to choose what brand of laptop to get. Every person I ask has their own favorite, and their own horror stories for many of the brands.

So far, Dell and HP are the ones to stay away from...

Agree/disagree? Thoughts?

Depends on what you want, but if reliability and service are a concern, grab Consumer Reports at your local bookstore and see what they find most reliable and what has the best customer service.

I'll make it easy for you - Apple's head and shoulders above the rest in their laptop reviews.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

Apple seconded

 

[NitrouseXpress60]

Lenovo = A++

 

[AFB]

I got English speaking help both times I called Lenovo. Their support is done via IBM still.

 

[dclive]

I got *OKLAHOMA* calling Acer. Beat that.

 

[Brainonska511]

I'd say Asus provided you can afford to spring for a V or W series notebook. The A and F series are just like the value lines from other companies. Dells are a good choice, particularly if you get an XPS or Latitude. The Inspirons are a great value for what you can get. I would never recommend Acer as all I have heard about them is horrible support, worse than Dell's, and their machines appear to be nothing spectacular unless you try to get a cheap budget line notebook or spring for the more expensive TM notebooks.

 

[dclive]

I'd agree with the 'Acer' and 'cheap budget line' - friends have bought their laptop lines, and it's really nothing special. Their desktop lines (like a certain Quad-Core Q6600-based E700 for $750) are great.

Support (from Oklahoma, don't forget) is very easy to understand, of course, but speedwise they could be a little better. It's been a week or so now and there's still no update on a graphics card they owe me...

But overall, I'm happy with my Acer stuff.

 

[p924]

I also recommend Acer. Inexpensive and durable.