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Laptops

Messages
3,859
I'm looking at finally getting a laptop and was wondering what everyone thought were the better brands out there.

I've done a bit of research and found Dell seem pretty easy to customise, good cost wise etc... but have heard a lot of bad stories about them.

I've used a Toshiba laptop a fair bit and found them quite good.

I will be using it mainly for Internet, MS Office, limited gaming and basic everyday stuff.

Thoughts?
 

adamkungl

Immortal
Messages
42,955
My first Dell was good. Had one problem during the warranty and the customer service was excellent. After 3 years or so it slightly blew up a little bit though.
My girlfriend's Dell, bought a year later, is a pile of crap. Came out of the box with issues, got it immediately replaced, and the replacement picked up more issues later on. Will not be buying another Dell.

My current laptop is a HP, like it very much, no problems 6 months in.
 

Parra

Referee
Messages
24,894
Always get an extended warranty. Expect harddrive failure in the first three years.

Two issues affect laptops - heat & movement. Heat varies from model to model and you may not really find out about a particular model until you own it. Heat kills components & shortens the life expectancy of components considerably.

If you expect to carry the laptop around a lot then some of the cheap models will not last. Plastic chassis, cheap cases and parts do not survive if you travel a lot. Dearer models will have metal chassis and will generally be built better.

If you just want to use it as desktop replacement at home then this is less of a factor.

I use a laptop all day every day for work & at home and travel everyday - in and out of cars, taxis, different offices, planes. I get two years out of a laptop & I'm happy.

There is no one brand that is better. I've had great HP's and great Dell's & Toshibas. The brand name is less important than the model. Recently they have become so cheap that from a business perspective you just buy one on line and replace it when it dies. And it will die. Buy a backup drive and use it - saves heaps of disappointment and time.
 

azzah72

Bench
Messages
4,181
I have a twinhead laptop, Love, customizable, good specs for laps as well, i have the 10.1" 250gb HDD, 2g ram, intel atom 1.6, is good. Had it about a year with no issues
 

little_aza

Juniors
Messages
690
I bought this baby *pats chasis* in April. I spent a very long to researching over summer (off-season, obviously!) and looked at many options. I wanted it for uni (so my usage is mainly the net, MS Word, MS Powerpoint, music, RL2). Because I take it to class everyday, I was looking for something with a solid-state hard-drive (so it doesn't get affected by knocks too much, and so it starts up quite rapidly), something of strong construction (preferably metal), something reasonably powerful, and something fairly portable (13-inch and light). Oh, and it had to be below $2000..preferably less than $1500 - I'm a student after all!

  • I was initially thinking a Mac: I liked OS X and thought their quality was pretty good, but eventually decided against it because of compatibility issues and the 'Mac-Tax' - the one I was looking at was going to cost about $2400.
  • I considered Dell - they're not too bad. I used to have a budget Dell which I bought about 3 years ago, but it aged pretty quickly..but did the job for the price I spose. The issue I also had with the new Dell meeting my requirements was the cost - you pay a 'Dell-Tax' (for the ability to customise, I assume), the one I wanted was going to cost about $2200.
  • I looked at Sony too - their Vaio range is meant to be some of the best quality laptops out there, but nothing really fitted my bill perfectly...except the Z-series, which was going to be over $3000 :crazy::crazy:
  • I ultimately was leaning towards getting an Asus - their products are meant to be very good, and of good quality. Their prices are quite reasonable too - the one I wanted was going to cost about $1700. Apparently their components are better than those shoved into the typical budget brands. I would have bought the Asus, but I fell in love with the one I eventually bought, which was a little cheaper too...but if it weren't for that, Asus would've been the one.
  • I ended up buying a HP dm3 (1033tx model) from Harvey Norman. It fitted what I wanted perfectly, and does everything I need. The quality is very good too, I haven't had a problem with it at all...well, only after I removed all the HP crapware. I'd heard bad things about HP before, but I'm very pleased with it - nothing's gone wrong yet, and would recommend HP to anyone. Oh and with a bit of bargaining, got it for $1445 :D

Anyway, back to the question :p For good quality, from what I've heard, there's tiers of quality.
Outstanding quality: Apple, Sony
Good quality: Asus, HP, Toshiba, MSI
Reasonable: Dell
Ones to avoid: Acer, Compaq
 

tiburon

Juniors
Messages
731
sony is sh*te, so is hp, dell, compaq, acer

anyway if you want a laptop i'd go for an asus / samsung / toshiba depending on what you're after and going to use it for. some apple's go ok too as hard as it is for me to say that but if you want to pay overs to look cool that's your choice.
 

perverse

Referee
Messages
25,828
the build quality of my Asus laptop leaves a lot to be desired. it is absolutely falling apart (particularly the hinges on the screen and the frame around the screen)... and to be honest it hasn't had that much use.

i say build quality is probably the most important factor when consdering a laptop. make sure you get a nice, sturdy, metal casing.... rather than a cheaper plastic one. honestly, anyone discriminating against one brand over another is pretty wide of the mark. most vendors have some good models and some bad ones over time. you really need to do some of your own research by reading reviews on current models. i would also recommend a gander at http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/130. i wouldn't say these guys are absolute experts... but you'll get a lot of end-user opinion on whatever is selling at the moment.

good luck.
 

Cupid Stunt

Moderator
Messages
2,815
honestly, anyone discriminating against one brand over another is pretty wide of the mark. most vendors have some good models and some bad ones over time.

good luck.

Exactly.

I have no affiliation with this company but I have mentioned it in a couple of other threads & people have found it either helpful for a purchase or at least a refference point in regards to prices. It might give you a hand too... https://www.mln.com.au/
 

Firey_Dragon

Coach
Messages
12,099
sony is sh*te, so is hp, dell, compaq, acer

anyway if you want a laptop i'd go for an asus / samsung / toshiba depending on what you're after and going to use it for. some apple's go ok too as hard as it is for me to say that but if you want to pay overs to look cool that's your choice.

Toshiba have garbage battery life. The higher end dells, asus or samsungs are the best bet. Dell's do have a problem overheating from time to time though.
 

GC_Gladiator

Juniors
Messages
1,508
I got an apple for Uni and home use based on word of mouth, and mainly because i didn't want to wade through all the information required to make a decent decision concerning all the PC options available. The Mac was expensive, although I would buy it again, and ultimately they seem a little less expensive atm than when I purchased. I've had it for a year with no hard ware problems, although the MAC version of word can sh*t out on me from time to time. Ultimately its been a decent purchase with very little head ache.

I had a Dell before that, and it was fantastic as well. Its still going after 4 years (passed on to a sibling), although the cheaper plastic material that they use for the chassis has split in a few areas (mainly around the screen).
 
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