Shopping for a laptop

[brewer12345]

Anything obviously a problem with this one: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11173190&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4017753&Mo=5&pos=6&No=1&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=29722&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav=

This machine will be a workhorse that will occasionally be dragged around, but mostly will be sitting on a table in the house.

 

[LOL!]

Native screen resolution of 1280 x 800 seems miniscule to me for a 15" laptop. I like the finer pitch and more screen real estate afforded by the 1400 x 1050 that I am using with this 14" laptop that I am typing on now.

Also MSWorks is not the same as MSOffice. I would need to have XP Pro and MS Office with powerpoint for the kids.

Our company no longer buys Toshiba because it could not get them repaired in a reasonable amount of time (it took a couple of months).

I promised my daughter a laptop, so I am shopping now. We've had good luck with Dells at home and at work, so that is probably the way we will go.

 

[dex]

check out Lenovo - they make IBM laptops - I've had one for 7 months - works great - good price

 

[saluki9]

check out Lenovo - they make IBM laptops - I've had one for 7 months - works great - good price

Brewer, I've been "through" almost 10 notebook computers in my short working career.

Never again will I buy another one that isn't an IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad. My current machine is 3 years old, is still very quick, durable, nice screen, and although I have never needed it I hear that their service is great.

Sadly I know how aweful the service is on Dells, Toshiba, and Compaq. :

 

[brewer12345]

Brewer, I've been "through" almost 10 notebook computers in my short working career.

Never again will I buy another one that isn't an IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad. My current machine is 3 years old, is still very quick, durable, nice screen, and although I have never needed it I hear that their service is great.

Sadly I know how aweful the service is on Dells, Toshiba, and Compaq. :

I've had good experiences with Dell's products. I will never, ever buy a Compaq or HP after having multiple machines of that make blow up at various workplaces. I've had a good experience with a Toshiba. IBM/Lenovo have a good reputation but the machines are significantly more expensive. So I think it will either Dell or Tosiba. I think the Toshiba linked above mght suit our needs. Don't want to buy too much machine for something taht will be mostly a web appliance.

 

[Cut-Throat]

Brewer, I've been "through" almost 10 notebook computers in my short working career.

Never again will I buy another one that isn't an IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad. My current machine is 3 years old, is still very quick, durable, nice screen, and although I have never needed it I hear that their service is great.

Sadly I know how aweful the service is on Dells, Toshiba, and Compaq. :

I've also had experience with a lot of brands of Laptops. My most reliable has been Sony!

 

[JohnP]

Too rich for my blood - Bought DW a Lenovo with the same basic machine ( except for less Ram and smaller HD) for 650 after rebate - it's quick and very useable.

Got it off the shelf at Office Depot - Staples also usually stocks Lenovo

Good shopping!

JohnP

 

[Trek]

Anything obviously a problem with this one: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11173190&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4017753&Mo=5&pos=6&No=1&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=29722&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav=

This machine will be a workhorse that will occasionally be dragged around, but mostly will be sitting on a table in the house.

The only obvious problem I see is that it's too expensive for a 1.66 GHz proc and 15" screen. You can get a 2GHz proc and 17" screen for that if you shop around a bit more.

 

[John Tuttle]

Also MSWorks is not the same as MSOffice. I would need to have XP Pro and MS Office with powerpoint for the kids.

Try Open Office

http://www.openoffice.org/

It's free. I've been using it for several months and so far it has handled all MS Office files without a problem. I have a Dell Desktop and three Dell laptops and haven't had a problem (knock on wood).

 

[Anansi]

I have had better luck with Dell than with Toshiba recently (key tops kept coming off on one and the touch pad went out on another) but these are all really more or less commodities at this point and any reputable company using decent components can screw one together.

You would need more than this if you were a game player, but I am guessing that isn't your main interest and this will certainly work for a business system. The only thing I can think of that you might want to check is whether or not there is a docking station or port replicator available for this. That's not necessary, but it is convenient if you want to add peripherals, especially if the system moves frequently.

 

[TromboneAl]

I got a lot more bang for my buck by buying a refurbished. Mine is indistinguishable from new.

 

[wabmester]

This machine will be a workhorse that will occasionally be dragged around, but mostly will be sitting on a table in the house.

If you're looking for a portable desktop replacement, I'd recommend going with a 17" notebook instead of the 15.4. Something like the Dell E1705 is a great DTR.

You'll get a strong/light Magnesium alloy case instead of the plastic cases you'll find on most 15-inchers.

You'll get better cooling (two fans instead of one, and very quiet).

You'll get *much* better sound with the integrated subwoofer.

You'll get more screen real estate (especially if you get the WUXGA resolution).

You'll get more I/O ports, including a DVI port which is much better for driving external displays with DVI (and HDMI) connectors.

In any case, follow T-Al's advice and check out Dell's outlet (and existing coupons for new machines) before you buy.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

when my 4-year-old hp desktop pentium 4 died a few weeks ago i replaced it with a 17" laptop (big screen for use on desk, laptop so i can take it on roadtrips).

i got the toshiba satellite p105-s6104 & upgraded the ram. http://tinyurl.com/y4fdnc

so far i like it. and i'm surprised at how much faster it is than the dead one.

edit: just checked price at compusa. looks like they dropped it $50 from when i bought. looks like i'm getting a walk-in rebate thanx brewer

 

[JohnP]

Deal Alert! Sony laptop $750 after rebate, Core Duo Processors T2050 (thanks, TH), 1 GB Ram, 80 GB HD, Film reader, wireless adapter, 15.4" Screen

Free Shipping at Office Depot

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?catid=18&threadid=688246&highlight_key=y&keyword1=od

JohnP
(BTW, I'm retired, never worked for OD or know anyone who works there - just looking for the best deals)

 

[Sheryl]

My experience seems to be consistant with others - very bad experience with Compaq, very good experience with Sony.

I bought the lightest, fastest VIAO available about 3 years ago - and it is still serving me well. If you don't plan to carry it around much it may not be worth the investment, but after hauling the brick that was my Compaq for a couple years, my right shoulder was about an inch lower than the left. The Sony fits in such a small case no one even knows it is a laptop.

 

[wabmester]

Just some thoughts on brand loyalty for laptops:

Unlike, say, car companies, most laptop companies these days are simply marketing companies. They don't make any of the products they sell.

Even Lenovo, who used to be the ODM for IBM, are now using the same Taiwanese ODMs as the other guys.

You've probably never heard of the major laptop manufacturers. Names like Compal, Quanta, and Wistron.

And the components of the laptops also come from several different vendors. For example, the LCD for a given model might come from LG Philips, Samsung, Sharp, AUO, etc. You can't even generalize about the quality of a single *model* of laptop, much less about a brand of laptop.

Of course, some brands do have some proprietary intellectual property they use. For example, some of Sony's laptops use a two-lamp system in their 17-inch notebooks to make them brighter. IBM/Lenovo have the trackpoint. Stuff like that.

Before you buy online, try to get your hands on the exact model. Even then, the model you end up receiving may have lots of variation at the component level from the one you demoed in person.

 

[CMAN]

Unlike, say, car companies, most laptop companies these days are simply marketing companies. They don't make any of the products they sell.

Even Lenovo, who used to be the ODM for IBM, are now using the same Taiwanese ODMs as the other guys.

You've probably never heard of the major laptop manufacturers. Names like Compal, Quanta, and Wistron.


Does that apply to Dell ?

 

[wabmester]

Does that apply to Dell ?

Oh, yeah. Dell basically pioneered the computer company outsourcing model. I think they still assemble desktops in the US, but laptops are 100% outsourced.

Edit: oops, correction. Dell does use the same ODM's as the other guys for laptop design and manufacturing, but it looks like they still do final assembly themselves at company-owned off-shore plants in Malaysia and Ireland.

 

[Trek]

Does that apply to Dell ?

Doing some Googling I found this from an article dated June of 2001.

Component Sourcing

Dell’s main suppliers come from the same group as those of other PC makers, e.g., Intel for
microprocessors; Seagate, Quantum, Maxtor and IBM for hard drives; Samsung, Toshiba and
Micron for DRAM; Sony, Phillips, Nokia, Samsung and Acer for monitors; contract
manufacturers (CMs) such as SCI and Solectron for printed circuit board assemblies; Hon Hai
for box builds and connectors; and a variety of Taiwanese original equipment manufacturers
(OEMs) for other components and contract manufacturing.

Dell’s lower-end notebook computers are manufactured entirely by Taiwanese suppliers (mainly Quanta and Arima), whereas only the base units of higher-end notebooks are outsourced as Dell now does final
configuration itself.

 

[Trek]

I used to work for Intel and I worked at a site where we had a small manufacturing operation building mostly servers, but we did do 1 desktop as I remember.

Anyway, to make a long story short, they would build the computers and at the last station on line 1 they would slap on a HP sticker and line 2 would be an IBM sticker, etc. It was the exact same machine built with parts shipped in from overseas. Only difference was the company sticker on it.