Buying a laptop - advice on brand please!

specialK · 13 Oct 2005, 10:46 PM

Hi, have aronud £550-600 to spend on a laptop, happy with fairly new second hand if necc. What brands are the best to go for. Need windows XP but can provide all other software. I've heard Acer are good?

Will be used as a desktop replacement so power more than portability is a must.

Thanks!

**ReuvenNY** · 13 Oct 2005, 11:02 PM

Check the following sites for more info:

http://www.laptopical.com/
http://www.laptoplogic.com/reviews/
http://www.trustedreview.com/articles.aspx?sec=13
http://notebookforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107
http://www.notebookreview.com/reviews/default.asp

specialK · 14 Oct 2005, 12:12 AM

Thanks for those links!

xbot · 16 Oct 2005, 05:51 AM

While I didn't check the articles, I'm pretty sure that none of them mentioned the laptop company Averatec. I have one of those laptops, and I absolutely love it! If you have the extra cash to spend, I highly recommend Averatec.

injinuity · 16 Oct 2005, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by xbot
While I didn't check the articles, I'm pretty sure that none of them mentioned the laptop company Averatec. I have one of those laptops, and I absolutely love it! If you have the extra cash to spend, I highly recommend Averatec.

If cash is not a limiting factor then the only laptop to go for are the alienware ones.. http://www.alienware.com/

xbot · 16 Oct 2005, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by injinuity
If cash is not a limiting factor then the only laptop to go for are the alienware ones.. http://www.alienware.com/

If you're like a rich guy who wants to skip teh boring trip to space you can afford, you might want to wait until '06 to get this sweet machine:
http://atomchip.com/_wsn/page4.html

Nerds drool at the concept of owning one of those. Personally, I bang my head on my keyboard cursing myself for not being able to afford one

injinuity · 16 Oct 2005, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by xbot
If you're like a rich guy who wants to skip teh boring trip to space you can afford, you might want to wait until '06 to get this sweet machine:
http://atomchip.com/_wsn/page4.html

Nerds drool at the concept of owning one of those. Personally, I bang my head on my keyboard cursing myself for not being able to afford one

excercise caveat http://www.dvhardware.net/article7428.html

xbot · 17 Oct 2005, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by injinuity
excercise caveat http://www.dvhardware.net/article7428.html

Supposedly they're presenting at some convention in '06.

Trip · 17 Oct 2005, 01:28 AM

OK, coming back down to Earth....

specialK, it all depends on the kind of quality you want. First off, you have to realize that a couple manufaturers in China make about 90% of every name brand you see in the stores: Acer, Toshiba, Sony, HP, Compaq, Averatec, etc. I recently went into my local CompUSA a few times, looking at their notebooks, and I wasn't impressed with the quality of most anything I saw...Sony's are all overpriced with mediocre build quality, Toshiba's are flimsy, Compaqs are just low-grade HPs, and I would be especially careful of Averatec, as I have read numerous reports on net forums of cracks developing in the cases of those machines, and poor tech support.

Sorry, I don't mean to be a kill-joy. There are a few notebooks I think are worth buying, namely Fujitsu, ThinkPad, HP's business notebooks (NOT their consumer line), and maybe Dell. Dell might be an option if you want hassle-free replacements and good support. Dell's won't be as high quality as a Lenovo ThinkPad or a Fujistu, but they'll get the job done, and probably for less money.

I just think you have to be incredibly careful in the laptop market....there is so much GARBAGE floating around out there right now....It's why IBM sold the ThinkPad to Lenovo...the personal PC market just stinks right now, unfortunately.

Trip

specialK · 17 Oct 2005, 04:23 PM

Thanks for your comments, I like the look of the Fujitsu and Acer machines.

JRobert · 17 Oct 2005, 09:24 PM

I had (still have) an old ThinkPad with Win 95 on it. I replaced it with a Dell Inspiron. While there's no comparison in performance (and shouldn't be, with a more modern OS, 6 times the memory, and 6 times the clock speed!), the ThinkPad has a WAY better keyboard. That's where I'll be looking first when it's time to replace the Dell.

-jeff-

Trip · 17 Oct 2005, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JRobert
...the ThinkPad has a WAY better keyboard.

Just one of the many things that are better. Superior build quality all the way around. Fujistu's are n't too shabby, though. You should do well with one of those, specialK. Let us know what you decided to go with and how it works for you.

Trip

**ReuvenNY** · 18 Oct 2005, 12:40 AM

Relating Toshiba - I have a different experience. My Tecra M2 s730 is a great machine. I have it for just about a year and love it. here is a link for more info:
http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Toshiba_..._6_60G_CRW_XPP

marcus0263 · 18 Oct 2005, 01:20 AM

I got a Fujitsu from newegg and I'm really impressed. As far as Bang for the Buck I recommend them highly, the clarity of the screen is increadable. As for the recommendation of Alienware, I advise against it. Alienware does nothing more than buy Sager, rip the guts out and put them in their own case. All of the Alienware Laptops I've seen have got heat issues, and they're over priced.

Again, Bang for the Buck go with Fujitsu, I couldn't be happier. I ripped Windows off it and am happily using Gentoo Linux, love it.

My two bits worth

Cheers

Trip · 18 Oct 2005, 02:27 AM

On a related note, if you haven't seen Dynamism.com, you're in for a treat. They take all the Japanese stuff that may or may not be coming to the US, Americanize it, and resell it with a 1-year warranty and support (3 years on some models). Check this baby out from samsung.....DROOL.

Trip

P.S. I know the stuff is mostly out of the "make sense" price range, but it's still nice to know what's out there.

13 Oct 2005, 10:46 PM	#1
specialK Essential Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: UK Posts: 283	Buying a laptop - advice on brand please! Hi, have aronud £550-600 to spend on a laptop, happy with fairly new second hand if necc. What brands are the best to go for. Need windows XP but can provide all other software. I've heard Acer are good? Will be used as a desktop replacement so power more than portability is a must. Thanks!

18 Oct 2005, 01:20 AM	#14
marcus0263 Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Seattle Posts: 594	Fujitsu I got a Fujitsu from newegg and I'm really impressed. As far as Bang for the Buck I recommend them highly, the clarity of the screen is increadable. As for the recommendation of Alienware, I advise against it. Alienware does nothing more than buy Sager, rip the guts out and put them in their own case. All of the Alienware Laptops I've seen have got heat issues, and they're over priced. Again, Bang for the Buck go with Fujitsu, I couldn't be happier. I ripped Windows off it and am happily using Gentoo Linux, love it. My two bits worth Cheers

13 Oct 2005, 11:02 PM	#2
ReuvenNY Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: New York Posts: 4,259	Check the following sites for more info: http://www.laptopical.com/ http://www.laptoplogic.com/reviews/ http://www.trustedreview.com/articles.aspx?sec=13 http://notebookforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107 http://www.notebookreview.com/reviews/default.asp

14 Oct 2005, 12:12 AM	#3
specialK Essential Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: UK Posts: 283	Thanks for those links!

16 Oct 2005, 05:51 AM	#4
xbot Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 922 Representative of: xxos.us	While I didn't check the articles, I'm pretty sure that none of them mentioned the laptop company Averatec. I have one of those laptops, and I absolutely love it! If you have the extra cash to spend, I highly recommend Averatec.

17 Oct 2005, 01:28 AM	#9
Trip Master of the @ Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: USA Posts: 1,347 Representative of: Runbox.com	OK, coming back down to Earth.... specialK, it all depends on the kind of quality you want. First off, you have to realize that a couple manufaturers in China make about 90% of every name brand you see in the stores: Acer, Toshiba, Sony, HP, Compaq, Averatec, etc. I recently went into my local CompUSA a few times, looking at their notebooks, and I wasn't impressed with the quality of most anything I saw...Sony's are all overpriced with mediocre build quality, Toshiba's are flimsy, Compaqs are just low-grade HPs, and I would be especially careful of Averatec, as I have read numerous reports on net forums of cracks developing in the cases of those machines, and poor tech support. Sorry, I don't mean to be a kill-joy. There are a few notebooks I think are worth buying, namely Fujitsu, ThinkPad, HP's business notebooks (NOT their consumer line), and maybe Dell. Dell might be an option if you want hassle-free replacements and good support. Dell's won't be as high quality as a Lenovo ThinkPad or a Fujistu, but they'll get the job done, and probably for less money. I just think you have to be incredibly careful in the laptop market....there is so much GARBAGE floating around out there right now....It's why IBM sold the ThinkPad to Lenovo...the personal PC market just stinks right now, unfortunately. Trip

17 Oct 2005, 04:23 PM	#10
specialK Essential Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: UK Posts: 283	Thanks for your comments, I like the look of the Fujitsu and Acer machines.

17 Oct 2005, 09:24 PM	#11
JRobert Master of the @ Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: New Hampshire, USA Posts: 1,561	I had (still have) an old ThinkPad with Win 95 on it. I replaced it with a Dell Inspiron. While there's no comparison in performance (and shouldn't be, with a more modern OS, 6 times the memory, and 6 times the clock speed!), the ThinkPad has a WAY better keyboard. That's where I'll be looking first when it's time to replace the Dell. -jeff-

18 Oct 2005, 12:40 AM	#13
ReuvenNY Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: New York Posts: 4,259	Relating Toshiba - I have a different experience. My Tecra M2 s730 is a great machine. I have it for just about a year and love it. here is a link for more info: http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Toshiba_..._6_60G_CRW_XPP

18 Oct 2005, 02:27 AM	#15
Trip Master of the @ Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: USA Posts: 1,347 Representative of: Runbox.com	On a related note, if you haven't seen Dynamism.com, you're in for a treat. They take all the Japanese stuff that may or may not be coming to the US, Americanize it, and resell it with a 1-year warranty and support (3 years on some models). Check this baby out from samsung.....DROOL. Trip P.S. I know the stuff is mostly out of the "make sense" price range, but it's still nice to know what's out there.