My daughter needs a new PC laptop--quick! . . .

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . and I am a Mac man so need some shopping advice.

She currently has a four-year-old HP Pavilion 15" screen, though I'm not sure of the processor, RAM and HD size. It has not been particularly reliable, needing a new DVD drive at one point and now the screen is giving her problems. The battery has also developed memory problems and is pretty much good for nothing now. A new battery alone would be overr $100, so she is looking to just replace the whole thing. So she is looking to replace soon!

I have a Dell 13" on my desk at work with XP Pro, a 2.4 GHz CoreDuo2 processor and 150 gb drive with 3gb RAM. It works OK, though XP is certainly not as easy as OS X. I have used it as a laptop very little so I'm not aquainted with battery life--though others in the office say it's abysmal--often as little as 20 minutes.

She can get an HP educator discount through her stepbrother, but I'm wondering what else is out here that might be a real upgrade from what she has and what it might cost. What's the hot processor for PC's now? She definitely needs a full service laptop with 15" screen, not just a netbook.

Any suggestions . . . quick! . . . would be appreciated!

BBD

[xjoex]

Dells are still great laptops, (I am a Mac man though, so take this with a grain of salt).

This one looks nice: http://www.dell.com/us/p/studio-15/fs

Just get as much ram as you are comfortable paying for. It goes a long way.

-Joe

[dekindy]

I bought two, $400 Acer laptops recently and like them very much. Our needs are basic, internet surfing, wireless, and basic spreadsheet and word processing. No multimedia or gaming or any processer or memory hungry applications. It was my first venture into wireless. If I had known how much I was going to like and use the battery I would have gotten one with more battery capacity. But I don't travel and it is easy to bring the power supply downstairs so not really that bid a deal.

I agonized over the decision. Finally I decided I would get an inexpensive one and if it was not sufficient for me I would give it to my handicapped son whose needs were very basic. I kept it and purchased a similar Acer for him. For some reason I like the feel of his better and wish that I had taken it for mine. I like built-in number pads and his number pad is laid out like what I am used to. The one that I have is a little akward because of the placement of the decimal key.

However, they are both great laptops for $400 and Acer has a good reputation. Even though it was inexpensive, it has Windows 7 and a 64-bit processer, which is the latest and greatest.

[ahumblecycler]

I HATE Dells!

Sony is over priced unless you can find a clearance (like me) and then it may be a steel.

HP is better than average.

Acer is a dark horse since revitalizing the company.

Asus can be nice, get a lot for less $

Toshiba, not a fan, but get a lot for descent price.

Samsung is nice.

Honestly, I would check out Acer and Asus. I would not use a Dell even it was given to me (in fact, I didn't ... it has about an inch of dust sitting in my closet).

[MarcusPless]

If it's going to run Windows 7 I'd get at least 4GB of RAM (which is probably enough for the average user) and the 64 bit version of Windows 7. Dell, HP, and Acer are all reasonable brands to consider. If she's going to want Office on it I'd look for a laptop with an Office bundle to save more cash. If she might be using Skype also look for a laptop with a camera. This is definitely a good week to be shopping for consumer electronics.

--Marcus

[Kingfisher]

I bought my last laptop, Lenovo, for around $400, plenty of memory, 15" screen, windows 7, and it's been very reliable and like it alot.....bought from newegg.com.....very fast shipping. good luck

[SEABREEZE]

Just as I would recommend a Serotta to someone, my recommmendation would be HP. Bought 3 lap tops last year direct from HP, had them configured to my specs.

Give there 800 # a call, they can and will tell you what the best bang for the buck is with regards to HD,memory, etc. There pre configured ones are generally pretty loaded. Thats what nice you can confugure one if all arn't up to your desired requirements

Purchase the 3 yr extended warranty.

Happy Hunting.

[Richard]

Brand Repairs and Serious Problems

Laptop computers
Number of repairs per hundred, by brand according to Consumers Reports

Toshiba 15
Acer 15
Apple 17
Lenovo 17
Gateway 17
Sony 18
HP 19
Dell 20

Everyone has an opiniion about brands, here are some statistics for what matters.

[eddief]

because they warranty their sales for 2 years...more than most...and have their own tech support. not tested, but what i read.

[firerescuefin]

If HP = Serotta, then buy a Seven ;) . My HP experiences (2) have not been positive. I like the objective data posted above.

[sg8357]

Dell has two groups corporate and consumer, Dell corporate laptops
were good, consumer models were flashy and cheesy.

HP corporate models were very good.

[roguedog]

I agree w/ ahumblercyler...

Asus, Samsung and maybe Toshiba or HP. i'm really liking the Samsung's.

Asus has made good motherboards for many years now. Actually one of the best mobo manufacturers out there (or used to be).

I've heard good things about the Samsungs and if I were bargain shopping it'd be Toshiba or Hp, probably leaning towards HP. I've had HPs for like 10 years now and though they may be have some problems, I've gotten pretty good service from their support folks. At least they're available to talk to you.. Um.. that said, I steer far away from their Compaq line typically. Had one.. what a POS.

Dell's.. eh.. they were good 10 years ago but these days.. no way.

I am intrigued to get a kit and build my own.. but it's really cheaper to just get the whole deal.

[Volant]

Very timely post BBD. I'm in the same market for my daughter. Not looking for anything expensive, but she'd like a 13" screen. For some reason, all the 13" cost more than the 15" with the same specs. It must be that everyone gravitates to the larger screen and so there are economies there. Personally, I'd love an 11" screenw with an i7 processor. The only company I can find that makes one is Lenovo and it's $1,300 - about the same as a Macbook Air - but way faster and not as cool. I have an 18" HP HDX right now and it's been a great laptop for the past 14 months. So, no complaints here on the HP-front.

[SEABREEZE]

If HP = Serotta, then buy a Seven ;) . My HP experiences (2) have not been positive. I like the objective data posted above.


Sorry to inform you, in my particular case all my HP'S are and have been running smoothly from day 1, so HP = Serotta. Maybe your problem is the attitude, oh I mean altitude of the Rockies...lol

[dogdriver]

I swapped the family to Mac a year ago and haven't looked back. Pay the $99 for the One-to-one program and you get a year of private lessons, plus unlimited call-in help. My 10 year old is already a Keynote and Pages master. I needed a PC platform for one application, downloaded Fusion, loaded XP, and I swear that it runs PC better than my old PC.

FWIW, Chris

[jr59]

Pay the $$ and get a Mac. Once you get use to it, you will never go back.

[ahumblecycler]

Pay the $$ and get a Mac. Once you get use to it, you will never go back.

Or it will share closet space with my Dell ... mine is.

[BumbleBeeDave]

Pay the $$ and get a Mac. Once you get use to it, you will never go back.

. . . to stay with a PC. I've already been down that road with her and run over the cliff!

BBD

[davidlee]

Toshibas are bombproof. They have great range for wifi and are wayyyy cheap. I'm on my second one as on my first one the , battery finally went totally dead after 4 years and for just $300 more than a new battery, i got an entire new machine. The first one still works just fine but has to be plugged in all the time.
I traveled the world 10 times over with the first one, flights, hotels,bars, you name it.
It even got wet a few times and still never missed a lick.
my 2 cents
david

[oldguy00]

What is your daughter doing with the laptop that requires her to have a 'full service 15"' laptop?

If she isn't gaming, and thus doesn't require a high end graphics card, then you can get great deals on laptops, and just add extra RAM. Not really any need to get the fastest processors, etc., unless she is truly doing some heavy number crunching, and seconds are that important to her.


I'm a recent mac convert, but used dell laptops for over 10 years, and still use one at work. I've also used IBM, HP, Compaq and Toshiba laptops.

Dell and IBM were always the best for me, both in terms of quality, and customer/warranty service.

:beer:

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . last year and she seems to like it. so that's definitely in the running.

I guess what I'm really trying to find out is if there are any major differences that make one brand really better than another. I look at the BestBuy circular from our Sunday paper and they have two full pages of them and aside from prices they all seem to be the same!

BBD

[Richard]

Go to a site like newegg.com and look over the price range and brands that you like. You can do a side by side comparison on specs and hardware. I did that and at the price and features that I wanted (number pad on keyboard, dedicated graphics board, among others) wound up with Toshiba. Ultimately, that's easiest, plus a site like that has no tax, and a host of user reviews.

[mandasol]

TechBargains.com (http://www.techbargains.com/catsearch.cfm/0_3_0) always seems to post the best deals on laptops.

I just bought a laptop for my father a couple weeks ago and after comparing specs and prices on techbargains I found a killer deal Office Depot had on a lenovo with great specs. As it was a promotional Loss Leader I had to call every Office Depot in town to find one and have them hold it.

[vqdriver]

Don't by off the shelf. If going Dell gateway hp etc you can call the number on their website and place an order. When you order a "business" model you have the option to order it bare os meaning they'll factory preload the os and nothing else unless you ask, like office. Hardware generally overlaps quite a bit with the home use models. I've noticed much less resource usage and far fewer glitches.
Pricewise I've yet to pay more doing this.

[Elefantino]

Sorry to inform you, in my particular case all my HP'S are and have been running smoothly from day 1, so HP = Serotta.
No. HP=Specialized. Apple=Serotta. :D

[xjoex]

They are all good, don't over think it. Stay with a major brand and pull the credit card out. I recommended Dell earlier, but any major brand will do.

-Joe

[Ken Robb]

I've had a MAC for a year but before then I had a Toshiba PC which was flawless for several years. When one of the dogs jumped in my lap which had the laptop in it several of the keyboard buttons were knocked off. All but one snapped back on but that last one was broken. I called Toshiba Customer Service and was directed to a warranty center a few miles from my home. I brought it to them and they replaced the entire keyboard in 15 minutes for no charge. I wouldn't have been surprised if I had been charged since a dog in the lap is more operator error than material defect.

A couple of years later the dog did it again. No more warranty+ $500 for a new keyboard and we can't sell you just one button. I called several places asking them to let me take a button off a keyboard that had been warrantied but no one would do that. The computer still works fine with just a shaft sticking up where it should be topped with an "F" button.

Some batteries develop a "memory" when they are not allowed to discharge almost fully and after a while will only hold a charge for a very short time. I almost always used my Toshiba with the adapter plugged in but its battery is till good after years of this abuse.

Since there are lots of good computers out there I think my choice would be heavily influenced by price and control layout and feel/touch where there can be significant variation.

[chuckroast]

This is kind of like a car thread right? Every brand has users who have had great experiences and users who have had bad ones. I personally am typing on a Dell business laptop that I bought used off a resellers website and it couldn't be more reliable.

I think the poster that advised to pick the features you like and whip out your card has it right. If it's not a good individual example, you'll know soon and within the warranty period.

[Karin Kirk]

After having three ThinkPads in a row, my employer just switched to issuing MacBook Pros set up with Bootcamp so they can run Windows or Mac OS. Wow, do I love this computer! So far I've only run it with Windows and it rocks. Best laptop I've ever owned bar none.

I'm looking forward to delving into Mac OS, but with the lovely caveat that I can simply go back to the Windows side if I'm not into it.

Major downside of this setup is price. But I work for a generous employer, so this isn't an issue in this case. :)

[djg]

I've had no issues with my HP -- the latest has a few months of use under it and one of the kids is using my old HP from 7 years ago or so. The current machine was supposed to be fully functional but not a high end machine, light and portable but not a netbook or a mini (b/c I wanted a decent keyboard, screen, and full functionality). I ended up with an HP (DM4-something?) with a metal case that's a bit over 4 lbs (4 and a quarter, maybe?), has a 14" screen and a decent keyboard, still has a disk drive -- Core i5 processor, 4 & 500 on RAM & HD -- fairly standard offerings. Seemed to be a good value on my discount and, as I've said, I've been pleased with it.

In the end, she has to like the screen and the keyboard and certain basics, such as size and connections, for herself -- objective screens are useful, but still likely to leave quite a few choices, whether we're talking about 500 bucks or 2K.

[Idris Icabod]

I have an Acer Timeline. Battery life is awesome. Just wanted to say a word about Acer warranty. I bought the computer from Costco and about 2 weeks after getting it my 8 month old daughter pulled some keys from the keyboard and they wouldn't snap back on. I e-mailed Acer, got a reply in minutes telling me to send it in. I asked if they would just ship my the replacement keys at my expense, no dice. So I sent it to them, explained I would cover the repair costs. Less than a week later I got the laptop back with the keyboard replaced at no cost to me.

[cdn_bacon]

Shop here. Fast delivery (well at the Canadian version it is).

Never had a problem with them. Great range of prices and selection.

Bought my wife a refurb ACER win 7, 500gb HDD, 4gb RAM, ati vid card, 15.5"
for $369

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=4935

Please please stay away from Dell. They always manage to include 1 item that when the time comes to need replacing you HAVE to go to them to get the part.

[Bud_E]

FWIW I got my daughter a Toshiba over a year ago and it's still going strong. I don't think she's particularly gentle with it either. She uses it for school and watching streaming videos ( she doesn't have TV in her apartment ). It's been to Europe and across the country several times. I bought an Acer a few years ago and it was fine until the jack that the charging cord plugs into got flaky.

I just got a new Dell desktop w/ Windows 7 and it seems real nifty. As others have said, be sure to get at least 4Gb of RAM.

[dd74]

As to RAM, I'd just fill up the entire computer with as much as it can take. I did this with my (now old) MacBook, while also installing a 7,200 RPM hard drive, and the computer runs extremely fast and smooth.

FWIW, don't buy your RAM upgrade from the same place you buy your computer (Dell, Lenovo, etc). Buy separately from someone like Crucial, as the manufacturers charge exorbitant prices for RAM. Crucial is much less expensive.

[BengeBoy]

Having been through lots of laptops (both at work and at home) I've given up trying to discern major quality/performance/reliability differences. They all change from year to year and model to model; they're all made by a handful of global manufacturers so you're at the mercy of whatever price/performance/spec the product managers are shooting for this season anyway.

If it were me, I'd shop Amazon, TigerDirect, Best Buy and HP.com's outlet section (they often have factory refurbs) for whichever Toshiba or HP fit my price range. There are other good brands, but those I have a history with.

[spartacus]

Brand Repairs and Serious Problems

Laptop computers
Number of repairs per hundred, by brand according to Consumers Reports

Toshiba 15
Acer 15
Apple 17
Lenovo 17
Gateway 17
Sony 18
HP 19
Dell 20

Everyone has an opiniion about brands, here are some statistics for what matters.

So Dell owners have butter fingers?

Get her a refurbished Thinkpad and she will laugh when she drops it.

[Zoomie80]

I've used Dell laptops at work for the past 11 years and they've all been rock solid dependable. Bought a Dell 15" Inspiron laptop for home use a couple of years ago and was very disappointed with the loud fan noise, and after about 18 months the battery charging circuit stopped charging (also bought a replacement battery). Dell makes great corporate laptops but their laptops for home use are weak at best.

I bought an HP DV4 laptop (14.1" screen, 4GB RAM, 350 GB 7200 rpm drive, Intel i5 processor, Windows 7 Home Premium OS, integrated webcam) from Staples...this is a fantastic laptop. Screen size is perfect for our home use, it boots very quickly, and locks on to WiFi in mere seconds. Lots of other good laptops out there (Apple, Toshiba, Lenovo), but I'll readily buy another HP laptop.

Cheers,
Zoomie

[wc1934]

Go to a site like newegg.com and look over the price range and brands that you like. You can do a side by side comparison on specs and hardware. I did that and at the price and features that I wanted (number pad on keyboard, dedicated graphics board, among others) wound up with Toshiba. Ultimately, that's easiest, plus a site like that has no tax, and a host of user reviews.

i love my mac - few people at work just purchased Toshiba laptops from newegg(i never heard of them), but they insisted they got killer deals.

[ahumblecycler]

Newegg.com rocks!

[Richard]

with very few exceptions, newegg is tops for price and delivery.

[dimsy]

dunno if you've found a laptop for your daughter yet, however...

i belong to a daily e-mail list from tigerdirect. they send notices on deals they have and the last time i bought a laptop (toshiba back in january) which is a great machine, i have not been disappointed (at price or performance).

i paid $800 not including tax or shipping for a 16 inch core i7 machine w/ 4gb DDR3 ram and 512mb dedicated video memory.

it comes with an SD reader, wireless + bluetooth (which for anything other than mobile phones seems to becoming obsolete). HDMI & VGA out, 1080p screen resolution, webcam and microphone, SPDIF audio, and 3 (not enough in my opinion) USB outs.

the great thing about it is, and in my opinion a bit late for PC laptops, a multitouch mousepad similar to what macbooks did years ago.

If i had the scratch, i'd have gone with lenovo's dual screen laptop, but that was brand new at the time and FAR FAR FAR too pricey for me.

good luck Dave.

[SEABREEZE]

No. HP=Specialized. Apple=Serotta. :D


I would have to agree with you, from everything I heard, just not willing to take the time to learn the operating system... Also I am sure if I try it, I'll never go back, as many have said..

Perhaps my next one.. Never say never as the saying goes..

[Doug Fattic]

with very few exceptions, newegg is tops for price and delivery.

My experience with Newegg delivery wasn’t great. I ordered a hard drive from them and tried to have it shipped to my nephew on Nov 4. On the evening of Nov 8 they send me a card reject notice by email. I call them (after going through many options - for laptop sales press 1, etc) and say 4 days was a really long time to notify me of a problem. She said that if I had read their policy (oh sure everybody does that) it says they have 1 to 2 business days to process the order. And since there was a week end at the end of the 2 days that explains the delay. The problem was a different shipping address than card address but I thought that 4 days was an excessive amount of time to finally inform me the sale didn’t go through.

By the way, 85 to 90 of my last 100 framebuilding class students brought a Mac to class.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . and likes this one so far.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i5+Processor+/+14%22+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Brushed+Aluminum/1260528.p?id=1218243761774&skuId=1260528

BBD

[bfd]

. . . and likes this one so far.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i5+Processor+/+14%22+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Brushed+Aluminum/1260528.p?id=1218243761774&skuId=1260528

BBD

Its not brushed aluminum, but for a couple of hundred less, I'm considering this Asus:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i3+Processor+/+15.6%22+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Brown/1257181.p?id=1218243230371&skuId=1257181

I'm also considering this Toshiba:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+Satellite+Laptop+/+AMD+Turion%26%23153%3B+II+Processor+/+15.6%22+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+320GB+Hard+Drive+-+Helios+Black/1450344.p?id=1218261016176&skuId=1450344

Good Luck!

[Dekonick]

Honestly, most are made from the same parts. Things to consider:

A system that has 2 hard drives - one SSD (for fast boot times) and a larger one for data storage (normal hard drive)

I swear by a SSD even if you only have one drive. They are much smaller (usually in the 64-12GB range) and cost more, but they boot 10 times faster. They also use much less power... think battery life.

Two model types to look at - desktop replacement and a travel laptop. I am partial to smaller travel laptops anymore... they are extremely capable. You might also look at the touchsmart series by HP - I love mine. Components aren't the best, but the touch screen and pen use make it worth every penny IMHO.

Asus is a great company - not well known outside the enthusiast world, but they make fantastic motherboards etc... I almost only buy Asus motherboards.

Memory - upgrade it yourself... it is r e a l l y s i m p l e and m u c h c h e a p e r to do yourself...

Brand? Doesn't matter too much - I would look at the warranty.

Newegg rocks, but they have a 30 day return policy... Costco has 90 days...

[Dekonick]

food for thought...

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/3D-VISION-Intel-core-i5-GeForce,11685.html

[Dekonick]

Memory deal -

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/42210/8gb-2x4gb-crucial-pc38500-ddr3-notebook-memory-kit

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . with 6Gb RAM, 500Gb drive, faster, 2.53 GHz processor, and paid $825 before shipping after her HP student discount.

"This is the biggest purchase I've ever made!" . . . Welcome to adulthood, kid.

BBD

[Dekonick]

No matter what others say, HP makes a decent laptop. Grats - and you can upgrade it fairly easily on your own. First upgrade should be repalcing the hard drive with a SSD drive (solid state drive)

I am POSITIVE she will appreciate the SSD - even if it means going from 500 GB to 64 GB of data... the speed makes it worth it.

[SEABREEZE]

. . . with 6Gb RAM, 500Gb drive, faster, 2.53 GHz processor, and paid $825 before shipping after her HP student discount.

"This is the biggest purchase I've ever made!" . . . Welcome to adulthood, kid.

BBD


Looks like you took my advice and had HP configure it to your specs..

Hope you purchased the extended warranty..

Best of luck.