Laptop

[pussnboots]

I am looking to buy a laptop and was wondering can anyone tell me which brands and models are good. I'm thinking of a DELL but curious as to what other people think. I am mainly going to use it for internet, downloading music and pictures.

[metal134]

I've always had good experiences with Compaq.

[crazefest456]

Dell's too pricey because they give you an option to customize it...
I second the compaq...and Toshiba works well too, though I didn't like the design of their keys too much..
Browse around stores and catalogs because you could find really good deals sometimes.

[Zelly]

I happen to like Gateway... Acers are also nice, my friend has one and it works like a charm. Great price too.

[papayahed]

I have two Dells (personal and work), both seem to do ok. I had a problem with the power cord on my personal laptop but Dell came out and fixed it no problems.

[vheissu]

It might be just my opinion, but most laptops are on basic terms, the same. You pay more because of the brand and any super extra amazing features a specific model has. Which you might need or not, that's up to you to decide.

I've had an acer a few years ago which was defective from the beginning and, although it went back and forth to the shop I got it from, it would always die on me. Not that all acers are like that, but I'll never buy another one.
The one I have now is great, but it's from greece so not one of the more common brands.
What you should keep in mind, is after you buy it, how easy it will be to have it serviced in case something goes wrong. Apart from that, make sure you compare battery life, processor (CPU), drives and memory cards.

Actually, the best you can do is to draw up a list of what you want it to have and then any good site/magazine will have a comparison list of models that are in the market now.

Apple's are very, very good. But also very expensive and unless you need it professionally (graphic design for example) or you just plain want one, then don't get it.

[Niamh]

If you are going for a good Laptop i'd recommend you get a HP (Hewlett-Packard). They build some fantastic laptops. I've had mine ( a HP pavilion dv 1000 Entertainment Notebook pc) for over two years now and the only thing i have a problem with is internet explorer.:p
Fujitsu Siemens and Toshiba are another two good companies. You can als oget a relitively good model for cheap from these two companies.
Dell are okay but i wouldnt get one personally. And the main reason for is that if a part goes faulty you cant just get a part in a store and bring it to a pc doctor, the part has to come from dell and be fixed by a dell technician. And i only know that because my boyfriends company own about twenty odd of them and i've been with my boyfriend when he was trying to get someone to look at one of them. No PC doctor would look at at because it was a Dell. Also a friend of mine worked for Dell and all the parts in a majority of their pcs contain reserviced parts.
Zelly- are gateway still around? I thought Dell had creamed them. We dont have them over here anymore because of Dell.

[AimusSage]

Zelly- are gateway still around? I thought Dell had creamed them. We dont have them over here anymore because of Dell.
Actually, Acer acquired Gateway a few months ago, nothing too spectacular, as it wasn't that big a deal Gateway being only a shadow of their former glory.

If you want a good laptop, Toshiba is good, acer is too, Dell is well, Dell, cheap parts but still decent quality. Just pick one and be happy. Sony's Vaio Laptops are also top quality, but on the >expensive< side, so to speak.

It all depends on what you want to do with it though, if you want an all powerful super laptop, you will have to pay a lot more than if you just want one to surf the internet, and other low intensity tasks.

It's all up to you, we can give you advice, but it will be as varied as there are manufacturers out there. :)

[Shalot]

I've had two Acers. They were both fine, except the keyboard was a little strange. (I made all kinds of wild typos - the cursor would just mysteriously place itself up a few lines in a middle of a word while I was typing and it screwed me up a lot) The first one broke because it took a major fall, but any laptop would break after that kind of trauma.

The second one we purchased recently had the same kind of strange keyboard and I traded with my husband and I am using an IBM thinkpad now. I love it.

No experience with a Dell laptop. I've worked on plenty of dell desktops though at work. It was my first PC.

I would say just get whatever. And keep your receipt. Of course, you will have trouble with any machine that you don't take care of. And that includes virus scans etc.

Don't know anything about Apple/Macs except when I took a web design class all they had were Macs and I had trouble adjusting despite how "intuitive" and natural the Macs are supposed to be. But they say, once you go Mac, you'll never go back. I don't know though.

[Zelly]

Actually, Acer acquired Gateway a few months ago, nothing too spectacular, as it wasn't that big a deal Gateway being only a shadow of their former glory.

Ahh, I didn't know sorry.. I have a Gateway that I got in July, so I don't know if they'd been bought out yet but it works really nicely. My one problem with Dell is that I know from personal experience that their customer service is a nightmare... But to each his own. Could you give us a price range? That might help for recommending...

[B-Mental]

I bought my Hewlett Packard HP Pavilion dv8000 in January 2006 from a Circuit City. I really do like it, but it needs to be taken care of correctly. You should get the extended warranty, and then use it. Get your money out of it. My laptop should last 5 more years without upgrades.

I bought a Dell in 98, they gave me the shaft, and I ended up with a computer with 4 G Hard drive. That was crap, and I am still irritated. It doesn't have USB connections, and it cost almost twice what my laptop cost. I think Dell can go to HELL.

oh well, thats my opinion.

[pussnboots]

seems not everyone thinks highly of DELL. I am aware that I can't bring it in to a DELL store shld something go wrong with it. My dekstop is a DELL and I really haven't had any major problems with it. I guess I have been lucky.
I am looking to spend between $600 - $800. I mainly want to use it for internet, downloading music for my IPOD, downloading pictures from my camera and for playing games. I would also like it to have WORD and/or EXCEL shld I want to write anything. I guess my husband will make the final decision. Thanks for all the help

[Nossa]

I have a Dell, and it's working fine. I have all the Microsoft Office installed, and I download music all the time. I think Dell is good, and I also believe it's affordable.

[Niamh]

Pussnboots, check these HP laptops out.
HP Notebooks (http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/series_can.do;HHOJSID=1BbxH7pLqfP7k1P1cXtMZyDyxG1Q WTnSFGQbk2hYtF2tMN6MMdfj!-398883125?storeName=computer_store&landing=notebooks&a1=From+price&v1=%24500-%24800)

B- I also love my HP laptop. Its my first ever laptop and i didnt want to go with any other brand when i was buying. Its a media based laptop (even has a remote control!:p ) but i spent €1400 on it.(about $2000 usd. yikes!)

[Nightshade]

Im a compaq fan myself...a,lthough got to say my battery is completly dead and itsonly been 18/20 months...

But for mobility...ive got to say macs look better... some of my course mate have them and they are not so unwieldy to cart around with you...

[Janine]

Hi Pussnboots! Picking out electronics can really be such a trying task these days; this is due to the fact that technology is changing so rapidly. I know since I have been looking myself for some new components (in the electronic line) and I keep reading and checking them out in the stores.

Here is what I heard, that Dells and also Gateways, are not made as good as they used to be. I think a lot of factories have moved to different locations or sold out to others, so check this out first, so you know exactly where your computer was made and who really manufactured it. My library bought all new Dells recently, and the few times I have had to use these computers I can tell you I hate those computers - maybe they bought the cheapest Dells, who knows (?), but it seems they are very poorly constructed these day and the keyboards are just horrible. If you have a Dell PC already, how old is it? I know Dells were always highly recommended but now it is hard to judge with all the changes to the market. You may have bought yours when the market and quality was truly good for Dells. This is now the confusing part of picking out any electronics. It always pays to go to the store and check things out first hand. I often ask the salesman where it was made and by whom. I did see some Dells advertised just today in Laptops and they looked nice but one has to ask questions and also try them out first-hand.

I ordered a TV from Amazon a few months ago, after much research online and in the showroom; first I made good and sure I liked it in the showroom, then I compared prices and got the same one cheaper, sealed in box new online from Amazon direct (not the secondary sellers). When I was in the electronics showroom waiting for help one night, I looked over the laptops and I think I would take Niamh's advice - check out the HP's. I was really favoring them - the displays were wonderful. I used to have an HP desktop, but I swore I would not have another; I really had no major problems, except I never had enough RAM, but that was my fault. I think now the HP's have gotten so much more refined and from what I understand, they are one of the leaders presently in the computer market.

Another suggestion, Pussnboots, is to read articles online, such as customer's reviews, on these laptops; also Comsumer Reports. I do this all the time, before I make a purchase, then find out it could be a big mistake. Best thing is to talk to everyone -friends, salesmen, even other customers, etc. and it is a must to try the computers out in the showroom. Consumers are the best judge of what is good.

[pussnboots]

:p :p :p after researching laptops on line over the weekend I finally ordered my laptop. I ordered a DELL Inspirion 1521, 15.4 " screen. I shld have it in a couple of weeks.