Which brand of Laptop is the best? - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Flames89 · 06-09-2005, 10:50 AM

Dell?
HP?
Compaq?
Sony?
Toshiba?
IBM?
Others?

I am getting a laptop for MBA school, but would like one that will be my desktop replacement for a few years - so big memory, decent multimedia, etc.. Also, while performance is first and foremost, I wouldn't mind a computer that looks good as well ...

Buff · 06-09-2005, 10:54 AM

Acer laptops are good.

I used to like Toshiba until we got 4 of them in one day that needed repair and I couldn't touch it because it was hardware not software related.

Dell's seem to be ok.

I found Sony to be expensive so I haven't bothered to look at them in a while.

IBM's are ok. We are contracted out by a company who doesn't have a service depot in Lethbridge and I see a lot of IBM's, the only problems I've seen with them are user abuse.

Personally I'd never buy anything from Compaq or HP.... except for an HP printer. About the only thing HP can get right is its printers.

Five-hole · 06-09-2005, 10:55 AM

www.apple.ca

Bill Bumface · 06-09-2005, 10:59 AM

IBM's are built the most solid out of any of them. They are just ugly thats all.

CaptainCrunch · 06-09-2005, 10:59 AM

In 15 years in the IT industry I rarely had problems with HP notepads as long as your not buring thier retail brand boxes. They were stable, and rugged and had some great features.

I was never a big fan of IBM, used to really like Toshiba, but thier service has become a stain on thier name.

IBM are solid but I don't really like thier notebooks.

Dell, I just have a lot of problems with.

Acer I had really back luck on a shipment of a 100 where 30% of them failed out.

Tron_fdc · 06-09-2005, 11:04 AM

I picked up an E-machine for CHEAP off tigerdirect, and it turned out to be fataing GARBAGE. It was half the price of anything comparable, and now I know why.

I just switched to an HP, and so far it's pretty decent. It has all the components on it I wanted, and seems to run just fine.

If I was a brave man I'd try an Apple, but I'm not sure if I want to try and re-learn the OS. I've come across quite a few people who swear by them though.

I-Hate-Hulse · 06-09-2005, 11:11 AM

IBM Thinkpads all the way... the T40 series is generally regarded as the road warrior's choice from what I've seen. Thinkpads T series are generally built to withstand heavy usage from professionals. (ie alloy casing instead of plastic)

I have a Dell D600 right now at work and it has the rigidity of a frisbee. Having said that, Dells are the cheapest laptop in terms of price. For my own personal use, I got a Latitude 110L for $699 - Celeron Mobile with Wifi. Can't beat that anywhere - Future Shop would only snicker if you asked for anything less than $900! Dell has sales every month and if you time it right you can get a hell of a deal.

I had a HP Z series for a few days before I returned it for budget reasons. Those wide screens are gorgeous - I'd recommend that if you're a big Excel junkie or gamer.

Incinerator · 06-09-2005, 11:34 AM

I got a Dell 5100 about 2.5 years ago, a little on the heavy side but works perfectly, no problems since I bought it. It was a top of the line P4 2.4Ghz then and still keeping up well today since I got 512Mb of RAM upgraded when I bought it, I don't have a desktop so this one is my only machine.

photon · 06-09-2005, 11:55 AM

I like Toshiba, and I've heard lots of good things about the newer IBMs.

dustygoon · 06-09-2005, 11:55 AM

My toshiba bought in March 2002 is like a TIMEX.....takes a huge lickin but never a problem.

flamingchina · 06-09-2005, 11:55 AM

I have an IBM X31, it's a subcompact.. It's great, light weight so it's easy to carry around, but the keys are sitll full size.
And cheap here in Taiwan too..
If you need one for business school, I could grab you one here and bring it back with me in August. IBM's are around 20-30% cheaper here for some reason.
mine cost me around 1300 CDN. US costs here
PM me for info.
(anyone wanting laptops in fact, pm me for details..)

edit
mmm only caveat is mine has chinese on the keys as well and Roman letters. (the chinese is lighter coloured and small, not really noticable.)
It has a 3 year global warrenty.

tjinaz · 06-09-2005, 12:24 PM

I have a HP 8000 series and it is solid, also have a Toshiba Satellite 6100. The Toshiba had some problems initially but once the board and display were replaced (lol) it has been good.

I have used the IBMs and Dells in the past and found that the IBMs while solid run pretty damn hot. Do not work on one in your lap for any extended period if you are trying to have children.

JohnnyO · 06-09-2005, 01:21 PM

I got a IBM T40 ugly machine but dependable, a little heavy. I am lugging it and connecting all over downtown and use it a lot. As IHH said I can vouch for the heavy usage.

SoulOfTheFlame · 06-09-2005, 02:34 PM

http://www.tigerdirect.com/email/wem...CCODE=WEM896TT

get that

Flames89 · 06-10-2005, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SoulOfTheFlame@Jun 9 2005, 03:34 PM
http://www.tigerdirect.com/email/wem...CCODE=WEM896TT

get that

Just a little too flashy for me.

I know I want a widescreen, other than that I want pretty much top-end specs. Also want one whose battery lasts longer than 3 hours.

HelloHockeyFans · 06-10-2005, 08:48 AM

People will tell you different things about the same manufacturers. The fact is, most of the time the laptops are generally well built and produced, but that doesn't mean you won't get unlucky and happen to pick up one that is doomed to fail on you.

It seems there are good comments in this thread so far about IBM laptops. My friends have had good experiences with laptops as well, but my old ThinkPad failed on me after less than a year.

Right now I have a Dell D400 and it's amazing, but then again, I've often heard bad things about Dell laptops.

I don't think any single manufacturer is above the others. It's more important to weigh in what exactly you need out of your laptop, and make a decision based on that.

Flame Of Liberty · 06-10-2005, 09:14 AM

I am thinking about buying this one. Can anyone comment on it, or recommend it in case someone has it?

IBM ThinkPad G41
Pentium 4 3.06 GHz
512MB RAM
40 GB HDD
15`` TFT 1024x768
NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200

Price: $1,589.00 (canadian)

flamingchina · 06-10-2005, 09:35 AM

Judging by prices I've seen online, the price is too high.
and personally, I'd find 15" and 1024x768 to be not quite the resolution I'd want.
Have you seen it in person yet?

Resolute 14 · 06-10-2005, 09:38 AM

I cant speak to the quality of IBM's laptops, but for all of the problems I've had with their desktops, I wont touch an IBM with a 50 foot pole. Different divisions, I know, but IBM got itself on my permanent boycott list.

We've had little problems with the toshibas we use though. Or, at least, a lot less than when we used Compaq's. I agree with the poster above. HP/Compaq is for printers only, nothing else.

Flame Of Liberty · 06-10-2005, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by flamingchina@Jun 10 2005, 03:35 PM
Judging by prices I've seen online, the price is too high.
and personally, I'd find 15" and 1024x768 to be not quite the resolution I'd want.
Have you seen it in person yet?

No I havent. Why wouldnt you consider 15`` screen? Screen is quite important for me as I value my eyes. Would you recommend 14.1``?