I’m looking for a reasonable, light weight notebook. I’d primarily be using it for school related purposes and to surf the net. I’m not into playing games or anything of that sort.
I have a Toshiba right now, which I very much like, but I find it heavy to carry in my backpack.
I’ve come across Acer, Gateway, HP, Compaq, Toshiba and Sony. How reliable are these brands (exclusing Toshiba) and would they last me 3-4 years?
I’ve had extended warranty on Toshiba, which was helpful, but I hardly used it. Would it be advisable to go for extended warranty?
I had this discussion with a guppy on MSN. I thought I’d ask around a little more before making a final decision.
I’m looking for something between $1000-$1500 (CAD).
I initially started a thread in Bazaar Talk, but given that there was absolutely no feedback I thought I’d try my luck here.
Toshiba ranks the highest among these brands for reliability.. only behind Apple which leads the rest.
Compaq ranked the lowest, then Gateway, SONY, and HP.. so I guess HP could be viable.
Acer didn't really have the marketshare to be tested, but I have one and so far so good.. although I do have Acer's own extended warranty just in case.
Never ever go for a Sony computer, like ever! They make good gadjets but the computers are crappy, unreliable piece of $hit.
I agree with toshibas making the best laptops. Dell's are ok too if your on a budjet, but those things are reknowned to overheat, ALOT.
Dell has improved a lot and currently has the best laptops with the best deals/warranty. My friend bought it 8 months ago and its kicking like anything. No problem whatsoever and is treat to work on. I own a Sony VAIO and for last 10 months I have not seen any problems so far. Its super fast and stylish. I found it reliable and would recommend to others as well.
I would recommend to go in this order. Just remember to have Centrino Duo Core processor with no less than 1GB of memory.
DELL
SONY
HP
Gateway
Acer
TOSHIBA
Lately in last three years Toshiba is having big big issues in laptops. From screen black outs to burned motherboards.
hmm wasnt there a whole fiasco about dell laptop batteries exploding only couple of days ago. Dell casings are very innefficent, and the fans they use are really bad. they overheat, you might notice it immeditaly, but slow overheating wears the parts down.
btw smothguy what kind of computer do you have in terms of specs? I mean you recomended gateway over toshiba, and gateways are reeallly bad
imo if you know a little about computer hardware, i would go with a completely custom computer, in which you are allowed to modify everything from the type of memory cars to the casings(both with laptops and desktops). But one should do this is has some knowledege abt comp. hardware, and its not really that hard to learn abt it. There are tons of sites on net that can help you out on this kind of stuff
Ultra-portable class laptops are usually costly, so you might be looking at thin-light ones. There are multiple good brands (as mentioned above), and everyone will have different opinion about them of course. For a reliable laptop, i’d opt for business class ones, and as far as vendors are concerned i’ll consider Apple, Lenovo, Dell and HP. I have been using a Thinkpad for almost a year and it works fine for me; except that it doesn’t have much bells & whistles.
Thank you guys. Toshiba clearly seems to be the leader, but it's a little pricey compared to others.
I'm not a big fan of Dell. They feel flimsy. I've tried configuring a few online and they seem to cost almost as much as the preconfigured ones.
I've also noticed the very light and thin notebooks are pricey as well.
I suppose I'm gonna have to settle for something in between. Although I've suggested a price range, but I thought I'd ask what price range should I be looking at. I only need it to do homework, surf the net, MSN, and that's about it. The reason why I want it to be light weight is so that it won't be too heavy to carry in a backpack.
i have a really small(14.1" widescreen) thin(1.6") and light(lighter than a biology hardcover text book) HP laptop(DV1000)
its cost me $1000
and it has everything including a DVD burner
it even plays movies and Mp3 without booting up the computer!!!
HOWEVER, the deal that is posted in the previous post...is unbeatable...go for it...i wudnt even think twice.
although there is NO laptop that is as quiet as an HP dv1000(only this model)
its super quiet and light...i luv it :)
i would get a dell...don't configure it online, if you call the number they will give you a much better deal than what is advertised online, for example i got one for $1500 with a 256mb video card, tv tuner, carrying case, printer, 3 year comprehensive warranty, core 2 duo processor, burner, the works...they are very happy if you call them and you can bargain with them as much as you want
