Windows Laptop Most Reliable?

[Perryg114]

I am sick and tired of my Acer that is broke more than it is fixed. I am just about ready to buy a new laptop to replace it. I am kinda partial to Dell but I am open. My Dell Insprion 1100 still works but my 2 yr old Acer that has not worked much of the second year is a real pain. It was a Timeline 3810. It has not been used much or abused. I don't carry it everywhere I go, so weight is not a big issue. I would like several hours of battery life though. I don't think I need a desktop replacement maybe a mid sized laptop would do. I hate the 1080 vertical resolution on laptops. Does anyone make something better than HD format? It is terrible that laptops have been reduced to DVD players. I would also like a matt screen. I will probably be getting an extended warrantee based on my Acer dieing just out of warrantee.

Perry

 

[Pardus]

My pick for the top 5 laptops:

Lenovo IdeaPad
Toshiba Satellite
Dell Inspiron 14z
HP Pavilion dv6t Select Edition
Dell Vostro

 

[corkyg]

In the last 6 years, I have had one HP Pavilion (dv1000) and two Lenovo Thinkpads (T60 and T510.) The HP was OK, but the two Lenovos have been near perfect - never a crash or a blue screen. Thinkpads are higher on the food chain than Ideapads.

 

[Zap]

Several hours battery life = get one with a Sandy Bridge CPU.

Matte screen = get a business model.

More reliable (presumably) = get a business model.

Better vertical resolution than 1080 pixels = ... IDK, they're rare these days but maybe a 17" screen high end business or engineering model may still have 1200 pixels. This is probably the most difficult to get.

What is your budget?

 

[XLNC]

I'm not convinced that you can recommend one brand over another when it comes to laptops. IMO, it's dependent on the specific model. At work, we've had 8 laptops from Dell and HP in the past four years. Some models were rock solid while others had frequent motherboard failures. Overall, I'd suggest looking into business laptops if reliability is the primary concern. They are not refreshed as often, which means longer life and more revisions and fixes for the base config.

Some of the HP Probooks with good track records can be had for under $750. You can upgrade to an Elitebook if your budget is higher. Additional benefits include a more refined appearance and higher quality materials (no glossy plastics.)

 

[Perryg114]

Ok so then who has the best extended warrantee service. I have been on the phone with Acer customer service and they were A-holes. I have has some experience with Dell customer service several years ago and it was good. The question is has it gone down hill. I spec'ed out a Dell Vostro and it was like $90 for the three year standard warrantee which I thought was pretty good. I know it does not cover batteries but I wonder if it covers power supplies because they seem to be a disposable item as well.

Perry

 

[Zap]

Ok so then who has the best extended warrantee service... I spec'ed out a Dell Vostro and it was like $90 for the three year standard warrantee which I thought was pretty good.

I'd recommend something like this, because "business class" service is usually a notch above consumer level.

 

[Perryg114]

I think my budget will have to live with 1080 resolution for the time being. Most are still 768 even with large screen. Surfing is kinda hard when you can only see half of an image because of crappy verticle resolution.

Perry

Several hours battery life = get one with a Sandy Bridge CPU.

Matte screen = get a business model.

More reliable (presumably) = get a business model.

Better vertical resolution than 1080 pixels = ... IDK, they're rare these days but maybe a 17" screen high end business or engineering model may still have 1200 pixels. This is probably the most difficult to get.

What is your budget?

 

[XLNC]

I think my budget will have to live with 1080 resolution for the time being. Most are still 768 even with large screen. Surfing is kinda hard when you can only see half of an image because of crappy verticle resolution.

Perry

I agree whole heartedly about the 1366x768 epidemic. It needs to be stopped, but those in the know (enthusiasts) are too few to matter. Not only is excessive scrolling annoying, the screen looks more like a grid rather than a fluid display.

My current work laptop (Dell M4400) has 1920x1200 on a 15" screen. I've also used an HP 8540w with a 1080 screen at the same size. Both are borderline overkill for a 15" IMO. I suspect you'll be entirely satisfied with 1080. If you want good warranty/support, business laptops are the way to go. As far as I can tell, Dell and HP's business support lines are housed in North America and I've never had a problem dealing with them.

 

[sm625]

I have a timeline 3810 and the only time it ever crashed was when I undervolted it too far. It's been great. shrug. If you're happy with its performance (when its working) then you should get a DM1Z. I keep seeing them on SD for $350-$375.

 

[Perryg114]

My Timeline 3810 display died early in the second year of life. It was a factory defect in the ribbon cable that powers the LED's. I ended up getting a new display and still had problems for a while. Right after I got the display issues fixed after $100+ the power brick failed. Both times failures occured while on trips which is the worst time for them to fail. It is a great laptop when it is working.

Perry

 

[Perryg114]

So maybe I should stay away from the XPS computers eventhough there are some killer deals out there. Is consumer Dell sevice really that bad? I don't mind having to send them the thing but I want them to fix it, not me.

Perry

I agree whole heartedly about the 1366x768 epidemic. It needs to be stopped, but those in the know (enthusiasts) are too few to matter. Not only is excessive scrolling annoying, the screen looks more like a grid rather than a fluid display.

My current work laptop (Dell M4400) has 1920x1200 on a 15" screen. I've also used an HP 8540w with a 1080 screen at the same size. Both are borderline overkill for a 15" IMO. I suspect you'll be entirely satisfied with 1080. If you want good warranty/support, business laptops are the way to go. As far as I can tell, Dell and HP's business support lines are housed in North America and I've never had a problem dealing with them.

 

[midwestfisherman]

FWIW I've got a Dell Studio 15" laptop which is about 1.5 years old and it has been rock solid. No issues what so ever.

 

[OS]

i can't speak for service but the build quality on the vostros is really not that good. I have a vostro 3550 and it's rather flimsy. I have not had reliability problems yet but i've only had it a couple months.
my work laptop is a dell latitude and it's built much better.

 

[Kroze]

I don't own anything other than the IBM Thinkpad. They're a cut above the rest in term of build quality and sturdiness. The design is also timeless.

 

[pitz]

If you want reliability and better thermal performance -- the 'business' laptops are where its at. For Dell, its the "Latitude" line. For Lenovo, its the "T-series" line. For HP, usually the model number is proceeded by a 'p'. The business laptops almost always still have trackpoints/pointer sticks between the G, H, and B keys on the keyboard.

I'm running a Dell Latitude D830 here from mid 2007, still works great, runs dual 1920x1200 displays, and Windows 7. With a SSD in it, there is little reason to upgrade to the next gen unless I want an improvement on battery life. I put about 4000 hours a year on my laptop, and have taken it on several hundred flights -- no issues, other than being forced to replace the HDD every year or two until I finally went with a SSD.

 

[Kroze]

Werd, never buy consumer grade laptops. Business grade >>> consumer crap.

 

[vbuggy]

Dell has the best service *if you pay for everything*, i.e. Prosupport. Otherwise, take your pick.

Personally I prefer HP Elitebooks over Dell Precisions and Lenovo Thinkpads (which I think are overrated).

Most of my flagship VAIO's have been decently reliable, with the exception of 2008-9 machines. I wouldn't buy a Sony under $1500 though (well, I wouldn't buy a laptop under $1500 usually but that's beside the point).

 

[Skott]

I have a Toshiba A505 model laptop that is two years old now. First Toshiba I have owned. Quite pleased with it. I'd buy a Toshiba again. Like any laptop manufacturer though some models are good and some are not. You have to research and shop smartly by model. I bought mine from Best Buy so I'd have a B&M store to take it to just in case it would have any problems. Luckily I haven't needed to. I'd suggest looking at what Toshiba has to offer. I like Dell products but to be honest the last two I bought died before they were two years old. I think I'd buy a Toshiba again before I bought another Dell. Just how I feel.