Which company makes the worst laptop (in your opinion)?

[Rathji]

^^ Came into this thread to post pretty much the exact same thing.

edit: Not about buying unique ODM, but how all laptops are made by the same people pretty much.

[FanIn80]

Same company, yes. Same people, no. Same factories, no. Same components, no.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by peter12

Too much porn, probably.

I'm sorry to be an Apple fanboy, but I've had a Macbook for ... 5 years, and I've only had some minor problems with the casing and the screen. It still runs like a charm. I'll probably never switch brands.

Dude, you can never watch too much porn!

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Same company, yes. Same people, no. Same factories, no. Same components, no.

Same company, yes. Same people, often yes. Same factory complex, often yes. Same components, no. Same QC, no.

[3 Justin 3]

When I tell people I have a dell I mostly get negative replies "your computer sucks", etc. But damn, I've had it for 5.5 years and outside a few HDD replaces (my faults both times) this thing has been damn good to me. The screen is starting to go and the third HDD is pretty dinged up as is the CPU (starting to die). Oh yeah and I'm missing like 5 screws for it and it still holds up. Hell, the part that holds the HDD in place is broken haha.

I'll still keep this thing when I get my new laptop though, I've grown attached to it.

But the battery is worse than useless, I get maybe 4 minutes on a full charge before it decides to turn off.

[FanIn80]

There is nothing wrong with Dell. You'll get a lemon from time to time (especially if you stick to the $300 cheap seats), but for the most part their stuff is pretty reliable.

I've been dealing with them for years, both at the consumer and corporate level, and I have no problems recommending them. I'm pretty picky about this stuff, too.

[WilsonFourTwo]

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

Had one Sony Vaio which was a really nice looking machine and performed well but I didn't really think it justified the price at the time.

I've got a buddy at work that swears up and down by Lenovo. I quite like his. It's got an understated design, pretty professional looking, and is apparently a little powerhouse.

I have a Vaio as well, and will echo your exact words. Nice look/feel, but definitely underpowered for the price point.

Lenovo's are probably the best kept secret going. The pricing isn't always consumer friendly, but they are wonderful machines. And it's nice to buy an Alienware-level powerhouse and still take it into business presentations.

[metal_geek]

Originally Posted by secol

samsung r580?

Haven't had that one come across my desk yet, I don't usually see Laptops untill they're out of warranty . In the past Samsung always seemed like good performers but see a lot of heat issues.

[metal_geek]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

You can't classify these things by the brand on the sticker. Many of these are made by the same ODM (original design manufacturer). You have to classify by product lines and specific models and the kind of support you get. Every company has a bad model or two, some with more than others but most companies also have good or great models themselves.

The thread is only flawed because people don't understand that there are only about a dozen companies in the world (based in Taiwan, manufacture in China) that make virtually all the notebooks for all the other companies that you see.

For example, the Taiwanese company Quanta makes notebooks for Acer, Apple, Dell, Gateway, HP, Alienware, Fujitsu, Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba, etc. If you think Acers suck, remember that Macbooks and Acers are often both manufactured by Quanta depending on the product line. Quanta, Compal, Wistron, Asus, Arima, ECS, Clevo and MSI are the big ones. If you're buying a Sony, Dell, HP, or Toshiba, or even Apple chances are that depending on the model you buy, they might even be made by the same company. I think that just Quanta, Compal, Wistron, and Asus together have like 80% of the world laptop market manufactured by those four companies. Acer (bought Gateway) has ones made by Quanta, Wistron, Arima, and Compal. Dell has ones made by Quanta and Wistron, etc.

Personally I prefer to buy unique ODM designed notebooks instead ones specifically designed and branded for a big contract manufacturer like Dell, HP, Apple, Sony, Toshiba, etc. I've had straight up Compal units in the past. I just bought a Clevo.

The way to make sure you don't get a lemon is to do thorough research on a specific model. Every big laptop brand has had lemons and recalls throughout the years.

When I posted earlier, I should have stated that my opinion on those brands in general come from a combination of Hardware that I saw, customer experiences and cost to fix. I'm pretty sure from a hardware standpoint the number of acers I see is likely proportional to the number sold. The reason that I say acer is junk, is the number of people that give me good stories vs bad stories. That includes things like horrible warranty service, and terrible return experiences.

I don't make any money for recommending any brand of computer but I hear a lot more "happy" stories from dell owners then any other brand aside from lenovo and apple.

When I see an acer , the problem is the cost to fix it is usually a lot bigger percentage of the original cost, and most people say it's not worth it. For example when a HD goes in a 350.00 acer, and you tell the customer it's gonna be 125.00 to fix it, that seems like a lot. When I see a HD gone in an apple and I tell um it's 175.00 to fix their 1200.00 computer they're happy enough to have it done.. Same HD, different customer experience.

Like you said you can't boil the hardware down to a sticker but you can boil the brand down to overall satisfaction vs another brand.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

The biz laptops we purchase from HP are fantastic IMO

8540p, 2540p etc.

Agreed. My work laptop is flawless. Very smooth and everything loads up very quickly. It's not the greatest for gaming (can run SC2 and Civ, which is what I need), but for actual office functions, it is great.

I should add, that I have an HP Pavilion Dv5. Technically a "notebook"

[Russic]

Acer made me the Apple fanboy I am today. 2 laptops dead in 2 years.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by TylerSVT

Probably because most Mac users are pot smoking hippies who think Apple is gods gift to the world.

I dont think ive ever met someone with an Apple laptop that didnt think it was the greatest invention ever and that god himself crafted it out of diamonds. Just goes with everything else the Apple fanboys use. Iphone is a perfect example of this.

I come from a Comp Sci background, and used to be PC everything. However, I have to say my iPhone is the best thing I have ever bought. For example, I am sitting on the couch the other day, and a call comes in with my Dad's email address. I click answer, and there he is in Facetime. I never used it before, neither did he. However, there he was, and we had a chat, and showed him the baby.

He struggled forever to get Skype to work, and the result was a blurry video image when he called. Facetime looked awesome, and just worked.

My point is that Apple has taken a different route than PC/Windows/Android. Tight QC and user experience, at the expense of flexibility and price. I respect that. You know what you are going to get with Apple, and as this thread makes clear, you are walking into a minefield with any PC laptop.

Will I ever buy a MacBook? Maybe, but probably not. I know too much about computers that I know which laptop to buy for quality. However, for the non-Comp Sci/tech geek set like my Dad, I think Apple is a great choice. I really think they are great machines.

[TylerSVT]

You are also paying a very high premium for Mac laptops.

Im not going to deny that they seem built well with high quality parts, but when you are paying an extra 500-1000 dollars for a laptop... its to be expected.

[metal_geek]

I use both mac and pc cause I need to be able to navigate both... honestly I can't find any over the top reason why one is any better then the other. I do find the PC light years ahead in being able to repair broken HD's and messed up partitions. For general internet, email, picture editing, music, streaming type stuff either one works for me, i like them both. I don't really understand the whole mac or pc debate..

[Finny61]

I have a Toshiba laptop, haven't had any issues for the 2 years I've had it. I've always heard HP were terrible but that was a few years ago when I was trying to do some research on what to buy.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by TylerSVT

You are also paying a very high premium for Mac laptops.

Im not going to deny that they seem built well with high quality parts, but when you are paying an extra 500-1000 dollars for a laptop... its to be expected.

With all due respect, $500 - $1000 is a total exaggeration, bordering on hyperbole. A $1000 PC laptop will not have the same specs as a $2000 MacBook Pro. Don't kid yourself.

Samsung just realesed their competitor to the MacBook Air. You know what, it's more expensive by $100.

It's like saying Ford is a rip off, because I can buy a KIA for half the price. Reasoning they both have V6 engines, hold 5 people, have cup holders, and can do 100 Km/hr.

You hate Apple (and hippies), I get that, but as this thread points out, there is a major problem with PC laptops and their race to the bottom on pricing.

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

With all due respect, $500 - $1000 is a total exaggeration, bordering on hyperbole. A $1000 PC laptop will not have the same specs as a $2000 MacBook Pro. Don't kid yourself.

Samsung just realesed their competitor to the MacBook Air. You know what, it's more expensive by $100.

It's like saying Ford is a rip off, because I can buy a KIA for half the price. Reasoning they both have V6 engines, hold 5 people, have cup holders, and can do 100 Km/hr.

You hate Apple (and hippies), I get that, but as this thread points out, there is a major problem with PC laptops and their race to the bottom on pricing.

There's also the software side of things. Some of the things you can do with the iLife software - which comes standard with a Mac - you'd have to spend hundreds of additional dollars on software to get a windows PC to do.

[Super_Jason]

I initially underestimated Acer as well like the rest of you guys but I decided to give it a shot and bought a $320 Acer laptop. It is still in fantastic condition and not malfunctioning yet. But then it could depend on what you use your laptop for mainly that is reflected in the current condition it might be in right now.

I'm planning to get a Mac eventually just because I like to try out all kinds of products.

[llama64]

Does Acer still insist on the atrocious keyboard layout? The tight nit curved keyboard COVERED in ridiculous amounts of extra character (2-3 extra symbols per key) always turned me off that brand.

I want my keyboard as simple as possible (no stupid number pad on the right...), and a trackpad the size of a swimming pool (preferably without buttons).

[Yasa]

From my experience, Apple make great laptops and other products. The problem lies in their mark-up, and inability to modify, which is beyond ridiculous. With that in mind, I refuse to buy an Apple computer.

I've had an Acer Aspire 5740 for just over a year and it's been awesome so far. My complaint would reside in the battery life, but it hasn't been much of an issue because I hardly take it anywhere, unless I'm doing some major travelling. Hack&Lube pretty much has the best advice; research.

www.cnet.com will get you some pretty competent reviews.

Edit: Yes, my Acer has extra characters (not a curved keyboard, though), but I don't see why it's a problem. You're not forced to use them. They're definitely not on every key and unless you're staring at your keyboard, it's not an issue. As for the number pad; I use it regularly, so I find it effective. The trackpad is fine for me, I wouldn't be using it for graphic design, but it gets the job done.