New Laptop
Hey guys, I''m in the market for a new laptop, generally I build my own computer, but since I want a laptop I thought it would be best to go with an actual computer company to get the complete package. I was wondering what your thoughts are on the quality of products people like Dell or Compaq put out. Specifically I''m looking for 2.5Ghz, 512MB RAM, 20GB HD, Wireless, and 15'' screen. Any input on laptop processor quality would be appreciated as well.
Thanks in Advance
mmm...Coffee.
Nectar of the Gods!
check out Alienware. cept they discontinued the silver casing on the one i was about to buy! bastards!
http://www.alienware.com/
don't buy a compaq. they are programmed to self-destruct the instant the warranty expires. plus their customer support blows chunks of hot ass. the dell systems rock, and from people i know who have them, the system is really stable.
-me
[edited by - Palidine on March 19, 2004 2:32:54 PM]
http://www.alienware.com/
don't buy a compaq. they are programmed to self-destruct the instant the warranty expires. plus their customer support blows chunks of hot ass. the dell systems rock, and from people i know who have them, the system is really stable.
-me
[edited by - Palidine on March 19, 2004 2:32:54 PM]
I have a Compaq Presario 2100 and I''ve never had problems with it. I got it over a year ago and it''s been perfectly fine for me. I think people tend to get biases about certain manufacturers and say their products are crap. I could say the same thing about Dell computers being complete garbage, but I wont
-noix-
In this world gone mad, we won''t spank the monkey; the monkey will spank us.
-noix-
In this world gone mad, we won''t spank the monkey; the monkey will spank us.
quote:Original post by noixtirdoe
I have a Compaq Presario 2100 and I''ve never had problems with it. I got it over a year ago and it''s been perfectly fine for me.
yeah, i loved my presario as well for the first 1.8ish years. but then the hard drive died. got that fixed. then the screen died (only worked at a 45degree angle due to a loose internal connection). then the power button stopped working...
but in reality you are right . we develop irrational biases. but i can certainly confirm that compaqs customer support blows. the people i talked to were all universally retarded and there was infinite amounts of red tape involved with everything.
right now, alienware and sony are the only manufactures that make a system that pleases me from a hardware, weight and style perspective. everyone else has, IMHO, only 2 out of 3.
whatever, in the end, just do your homework. check product reviews on cnet. avoid anything that tends to list lots of problems.
-me
I brought a Dell D600 last summer & I have to say that I'm very happy with it (1.4 GHz/512 ram/40Gb HDD/WiFi/ATI Radeon 9000/14" screen & pretty portable - goes with me pretty much everywhere I go - it weighs about 5lbs). My only real complaint with it is that the battery is small for its class of laptop & I only get marginally over 4 hours from it (+ some people say that the 40GB hdd gets too hot - never really noticed the problem myself).
I had intended to buy a Compaq although I started to see several comments about build quality, and was especially put off when I heard that my the whole of my fathers office (at a large aerospace manufacturer in the uk) who had compaq evo (something) laptops had had the keyboards fail on them & a large proportion of hdd failures.
To be honest you really need to define exactly what you want (need it for) & differentiate it from whats just nice to have. Instance my main needs where: something highly portable (ie light & small), large enough screen to work off for most of the day (I figured that 14" was really the minimum for that). I had originally though I wanted a 2+ ghz processor, in the end I decided to settle for a 1.4 pentium-m - frankly its more than fast enough.
One thing that might be worth looking into is Dell have a 'factory outlet' scheme (on their web-pages) - basically they are new systems customers have returned for one reason or another that Dell have checked out (+fixed if needed) & are reselling with a sizable chunk off the price (I saved £500, say $1000).
The other things that are worth thinking about are, I assume you already have software + appropriate licenses? If you do, then business systems are good - the h/w specs are just as good if not better, but you usually don't get loads of additional software you don't need or even want (MS works + free games or whatever) - often you just get an OS, and the usual utilities, no real bundled software - probably will save you a couple of bob.
Also, don't forget that unlike a desktop, laptops aren't {easily} user mendable (in terms of hardware anyhow) [integrated periferals etc] - parts are difficult to get hold of..., so I'd suggest seriously considering getting a 3 year servicing contract + consider how you'd want it dealt with - (usually a choice of return to base or having a techie visit you) (the price probably seems steep, but it'll cost an arm and a leg if the hardware fails & you have to get a dealer or someone to fix it).
Laptop processors: depends what you want to do; for computing on the move I'd go for pentium-m (part of centrino technology) (longer battery life), if on the other hand you want to play hard core games more & long battery life isn't so important I'd probably go with a pentium 4m processor.
In terms of tech support I can't complain about Dell, it took a little time on the phone (I had a philips dvd burner which had a known issue with almost any dvd r/rw media - you'd think they'd have tested for that really when they designed it ), but they did get the replacement part to me by the next morning which was pretty good - well I was happy with it anyhow.
In summary I'm happy with my Dell, heard a few scary things about compaq (whilst I was considering one). In terms of price I think you tend to do well for features from Dell, not too badly from Compaq & I think in comparison Sony's machines are over priced (good quality...but not enough extra quality for the money). Oh & the cardinal rule of budgeting ? think of a price you're happy to pay & then double it ! At the end of the day, do your research before you buy & know what you need first, don't make it up as you go along!
Good luck & have fun!!
[edited by - NickB on March 19, 2004 7:11:15 PM]
I had intended to buy a Compaq although I started to see several comments about build quality, and was especially put off when I heard that my the whole of my fathers office (at a large aerospace manufacturer in the uk) who had compaq evo (something) laptops had had the keyboards fail on them & a large proportion of hdd failures.
To be honest you really need to define exactly what you want (need it for) & differentiate it from whats just nice to have. Instance my main needs where: something highly portable (ie light & small), large enough screen to work off for most of the day (I figured that 14" was really the minimum for that). I had originally though I wanted a 2+ ghz processor, in the end I decided to settle for a 1.4 pentium-m - frankly its more than fast enough.
One thing that might be worth looking into is Dell have a 'factory outlet' scheme (on their web-pages) - basically they are new systems customers have returned for one reason or another that Dell have checked out (+fixed if needed) & are reselling with a sizable chunk off the price (I saved £500, say $1000).
The other things that are worth thinking about are, I assume you already have software + appropriate licenses? If you do, then business systems are good - the h/w specs are just as good if not better, but you usually don't get loads of additional software you don't need or even want (MS works + free games or whatever) - often you just get an OS, and the usual utilities, no real bundled software - probably will save you a couple of bob.
Also, don't forget that unlike a desktop, laptops aren't {easily} user mendable (in terms of hardware anyhow) [integrated periferals etc] - parts are difficult to get hold of..., so I'd suggest seriously considering getting a 3 year servicing contract + consider how you'd want it dealt with - (usually a choice of return to base or having a techie visit you) (the price probably seems steep, but it'll cost an arm and a leg if the hardware fails & you have to get a dealer or someone to fix it).
Laptop processors: depends what you want to do; for computing on the move I'd go for pentium-m (part of centrino technology) (longer battery life), if on the other hand you want to play hard core games more & long battery life isn't so important I'd probably go with a pentium 4m processor.
In terms of tech support I can't complain about Dell, it took a little time on the phone (I had a philips dvd burner which had a known issue with almost any dvd r/rw media - you'd think they'd have tested for that really when they designed it ), but they did get the replacement part to me by the next morning which was pretty good - well I was happy with it anyhow.
In summary I'm happy with my Dell, heard a few scary things about compaq (whilst I was considering one). In terms of price I think you tend to do well for features from Dell, not too badly from Compaq & I think in comparison Sony's machines are over priced (good quality...but not enough extra quality for the money). Oh & the cardinal rule of budgeting ? think of a price you're happy to pay & then double it ! At the end of the day, do your research before you buy & know what you need first, don't make it up as you go along!
Good luck & have fun!!
[edited by - NickB on March 19, 2004 7:11:15 PM]
I purchased an alienware laptop a few months ago, havn''t been more happier. Specs:
2.66Ghz P4, ATI Radeon 9600 Pro Mobility 128MB, 512MB RAM, 15.4" widescreen display, 40gb hdd.
Those are the main specs. I did have one problem with the backlight that occured after an overheating problem: my fault though. So I contacted tech support and they were wonderful, had them send it back for free and in 3 weeks had it returned with a brand new display. Actually, the whole laptop itself may be new, I can''t tell anymore but it works great.
2.66Ghz P4, ATI Radeon 9600 Pro Mobility 128MB, 512MB RAM, 15.4" widescreen display, 40gb hdd.
Those are the main specs. I did have one problem with the backlight that occured after an overheating problem: my fault though. So I contacted tech support and they were wonderful, had them send it back for free and in 3 weeks had it returned with a brand new display. Actually, the whole laptop itself may be new, I can''t tell anymore but it works great.
I would wait a while.........there is a new 64 bit pc on it''s way....wait for that. It might be money well spent.
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