Need a PC laptop: recs?

[Philip Perkins]

I need a PC laptop--nothing fancy, it just needs to run the new "native" Sadie 6 (which ran on a 6 yr old Dell I borrowed this week).  Whatever it ends up being has to use 32 bit WXP or 7 for now (not 64 bit and not Home versions).  Lots of strange brands out there---are Acers ok?  Dells? I'm looking at a sub $1k box to do simple edits, no recording or etc..

phil p

[TimPitot]

In my experience, stay well away from Acer. I had a motherboard fail on mine which basically rendered it a very expensive paper weight. I have since been told that they are cheaper than the 'bigger' brands because they use low end components in their machines.

This was a few years back though, so maybe they have pulled finger?

[Marc Wielage]

Dells are fine. HPs are good, too. I liked the Sony laptops for a long time, just because they seemed to have the same design sensibility as Apple's.

Whatever you buy, make sure you try out the pointing devices; some of the trackpads out there are terrible. (Like the one on the Eeesus netbooks.)

--Marc W.

[RadoStefanov]

Can not go wrong with asus!!!!!!!!!!

15 years user. Never had a problem.

using a 2 years old N50 at the moment. Never failed me!

Dells are fine. HPs are good, too. I liked the Sony laptops for a long time, just because they seemed to have the same design sensibility as Apple's.

Whatever you buy, make sure you try out the pointing devices; some of the trackpads out there are terrible. (Like the one on the Eeesus netbooks.)

--Marc W.

[Jim Feeley]

Lenovo ThinkPads, at least their non-cheapest versions, seem to hold up pretty well. I may buy one next week (end of year sales + tax write off). Don't go too cheap...the under-$700 laptops appear to generally have flimsier chassis and cases...

[Rick Reineke]

'This months' (Jan. 2011) PC World magizine had a best and worst reliability survey on laptops. Dell and HP were the losers. Apple, Asus and Toshiba the winners.

I don't think you can view the article without a subscription so.

Best to worst:

Apple

Asus

Toshiba

MSI

Sony

Samsung

Acer

HP (business)

Lenovo

Alienware

Compact

Dell (business)

Gateway

Dell

HP

[Audio Daddyo]

Rick,  It really depends on the model.  Consumer Reports rates many Dell laptop models better than Asus and Toshiba and in some cases rates some HP models better than Toshiba.  Most Apple models were rated very well but were more than twice the cost of most of the PCs.  I've always found Consumer Reports to be very accurate in their testing and ratings. 

Andy

'This months' (Jan. 2011) PC World magizine had a best and worst reliability survey on laptops. Dell and HP were the losers. Apple, Asus and Toshiba the winners.

I don't think you can view the article without a subscription so.

Best to worst:

Apple

Asus

Toshiba

MSI

Sony

Samsung

Acer

HP (business)

Lenovo

Alienware

Compact

Dell (business)

Gateway

Dell

HP

[studiomprd]

" In my experience, stay well away from Acer. "

beware the sample of one.

no brand has not had some problems...

We have had some bad Apples, too!!

[Jeff Wexler]

Rick,  It really depends on the model.  Consumer Reports rates many Dell laptop models better than Asus and Toshiba and in some cases rates some HP models better than Toshiba.  Most Apple models were rated very well but were more than twice the cost of most of the PCs.  I've always found Consumer Reports to be very accurate in their testing and ratings. 

Andy

I have had actually the exact opposite experience with Consumer Reports regarding their reports on computers. Computer Reports has been very sloppy in their comparisons of cost, model for model, amongst the various computers they have rated. They have consistently been wrong when they have tried to compare Macs to any of the other computers (all PCs). They do a much better job when comparing PCs to PCs (by PC I mean a computer running Microsoft Windows OS).

That said, I did quite a lot of research after Rado had recommended Asus and relayed his personal experiences with that manufacturer. I am convinced that they make really good reliable computers and if you have to have a computer running Windows it would be as good choice.

[Philip Perkins]

Thanks.  I'm looking for a PC laptop to essentially be an APPLIANCE, like just run that one app and its attendants (MP3 convertors, Wave Agent etc), not a general purpose machine.  That's why it has to be cheap.  May look for a used one, but knowing the brands is a big help there too.

phil p

[studiomprd]

I have personally been very happy with recently discontinued and/or refurbished computers, laptops and "towers".

try the refurb section of www.tigerdirect.com 

I often add additional memory to my refurb computers to fill them up.

[Rick Reineke]

Rick,  It really depends on the model.  Consumer Reports rates many Dell laptop models better than Asus and Toshiba and in some cases rates some HP models better than Toshiba.  Most Apple models were rated very well but were more than twice the cost of most of the PCs.  I've always found Consumer Reports to be very accurate in their testing and ratings. 

Andy

Just conveying what I read in the mag. This was a PC World 'survey'. 

For more info on the number of respondents and methodology one should read the article.

Have a nice holiday.

Cheers, Rick

[RadoStefanov]

Wait for this:

ASUS Eee Pad EP121 Teaser Video - CES 2011

IT WILL BE AWESOME!

Just conveying what I read in the mag. This was a PC World 'survey'. 

For more info on the number of respondents and methodology one should read the article.

Have a nice holiday.

Cheers, Rick

[dfisk]

I have to say, I've been very impressed with what I've been seeing in terms of price to performance ratio when looking at windows laptops. I am currently an apple user, but I've been thinking of getting a second machine, and I've heard good things about Toshiba. I haven't heard of Asus, but I've been out of the windows machine market for a long time, and ones that I have used have been custom built by my employers.

[Jim Feeley]

ASUS is an established company...They've made OEM PC motherboards (and other equipment) for lots of desktop machines from a bunch of companies...perhaps even the ones built by your employers.

Ya, there are lots of crappy Windows laptops out there...also plenty of good ones. I currently have a MacBook Pro and a HP laptop. The MBP is newer and fancier. The HP works well enough... Though as I said earlier, if I buy another Windows laptop, it will probably be a Lenovo ThinkPad (and will also run Ubuntu, so that's not really Windows...)

Phil, what did/will you end up ordering?

[Jon Gilbert]

I just bought a Samsung Q330 which is a great little machine, available in 32 or 64 bit variants, good price and good machine.

[Philip Perkins]

ASUS is an established company...They've made OEM PC motherboards (and other equipment) for lots of desktop machines from a bunch of companies...perhaps even the ones built by your employers.

Ya, there are lots of crappy Windows laptops out there...also plenty of good ones. I currently have a MacBook Pro and a HP laptop. The MBP is newer and fancier. The HP works well enough... Though as I said earlier, if I buy another Windows laptop, it will probably be a Lenovo ThinkPad (and will also run Ubuntu, so that's not really Windows...)

Phil, what did/will you end up ordering?

Feelin' poor, thinkin' Craigslist, at least right now.  Sadie 6 still wants 32 bit, and for simple stuff a lowtech computer will work (but I don't want a used Brand X laptop).  I too like those IBM/Lenovos (had one for awhile), but I notice everyone who is sellng one is down in San Jose....long schlep.

phil p