Best notebook manufacturer?

[PiksS]

Well after 2 years and a months, I think it's time to change my laptop to a new one, so I was wondering, which one is the best laptop/notebook manufacturer? Right now i have a HP Pavillion DV6000, I like this laptop a lot, but had many issues with it, after the 1st year my built-in video card burned, then my bluetooth and built in webcam/mic didn't work, the controller doesnt work either, and now my speakers gave up, and I don't know if it's worth to fix it, cuz it might brake down one day anyway.

I am looking for a computer with a nice screen, since i'm studying interactive media, i have to work a lot with adobe sowftware, and i know, a macbook would be the best thing for me and what not, but the darn apple is just too expensive, and also i am looking for a notebook which could run NBA 2k9 easily on maximum.

So please share your expierence with notebooks/laptops....so far i still would stay with a HP, but i am not sure.

[benji]

Dell's have gotten better. Check out their XPS line if you're interested in gaming.

Not really a fan of HP's.

[Jackal]

Given you're in Europe, you could check out Acers, they are pretty good. Atleast the ones I've had...

[PiksS]

hmm...benji those xps looking promising....thnx!
not sure about acers, have heard it aint all that good....

[Jackal]

Odd, my 2 year old Acer laptop still works like a charm and my PC hasn't given me any problems as of yet. (Even with Vista.)

[PiksS]

which model do you have then?

[NovU]

Price range 800-1000 dollars, I bought HP about year ago, since it was on sale and was 17" inch wide! I've had bad experience with Toshiba which i had to return several times before finally deciding to go with hp, but this one wasn't much better. First the windows that comes with notebook fail miserably. also installing win xp was pain in the ass, since hp don't provide drivers. lastly build quality, i found acer is better. even dropped it, and survived. this one? i don't think it can take much abuse. for my next one, i'm thinking to give sony a try. mac book? apple just isn't my taste. for girls, i'd say.

[benji]

Sony's aren't worth the price, in my opinion. (They've come down some, but they still seem too high for the quality.) As much as I hate to say it, Dell has really moved near the top of the line for laptops in terms of bang for the buck. And they aren't the crap builds they used to be, even their cheap ones are nice. Since PiksS is looking for gaming, I recommended their XPS line since it's basically the same as their Alienware brand techwise but cheaper. (And usually more attractive looking.) Also, they often run a lot of nice deals. Toshiba is a good example of someone I've never liked, but there's a number of good brands out there. Key for my XPS suggestion was wanting to run 2K9 maxed, since they've got gaming-centric components and setups.

Macbooks are nice (Mac desktops are just silly for home use) but since he wants to game, it's worth it to take the non-Mac-markup savings and put it into components.

[PiksS]

The laptop won't be just ment to be for gaming, more for my university work, where the best answer would be a macbook, since i have to use a lot adobe programmes, but living in the halls in a different country without a good gaming computer would be pain in the ass for me.
zanshadow, thx for the head-ups for the HP, it's a major turn-down if i can't downgrade XP....
gonna go to the store check for some laptops over there, will see what they are offering!

[dopeboy]

Basically I have the same question as this guy had. I wanna buy a laptop and originally I thought about HP Pavillion. I need it for studying (something IT related) and gaming. Since you said it's not a good option I'd like to know which one should I choose - Dell XPS 1530 with 2 or 3 GB RAM or HP Pavillion with 4 GB RAM and better video card. They have similar price. Similar Dell XPS with 4 GB RAM costs about 80-100$ more. I'm asking cuz I need it asap.

[Andrew]

I've never owned a HP notebook so I can't speak from experience but I've had a couple of customers and friends complain about them, for whatever that's worth.

[dopeboy]

I guess I'll stick with Dell - it looks more reliable. Thanks.

[dopeboy]

Can anyone give me any advice? I want to buy this Dell XPS series laptop and I've found 2 good offers for the same price.

First is Dell XPS 1530, other is Dell XPS 1730. Difference is the second one has a bit better specs (hdd and video card), lot better design and 1 year warranty, although I would have to send it to UK. First one had 3 year warranty in my country.

I'm very confused right now which one should I choose. Personally I think 1730 is lot better, but that warranty and shipping prices, and time for repairing scares me off a bit.

Any suggestions?

[Arcane]

Toshibas are pobably the better laptops to buy Dell would be second from what I have asked around. I've had a pretty good run with Dell laptop's personally.

Acers and Compaqs are terrible. HP aren't that great but are better than Acers and Compaqs

[NovU]

But I found Acers pretty sturdy and comparably affordable. My 5 years old Acer still running quite good, and never gave me a problem. However, like I said in this post, I did end up returning several Toshibas before switching to HP. I am interested in LG laptops now days, as I hear they're pretty good in bang for the buck and quality wise. It just seems that major electronic outlets don't seem to be carrying them. However, local computer shops always have them on sale.

[dopeboy]

I didn't know that Toshiba are that good. I'm almost sure that I'll choose Dell XPS 1530, but I'll check Toshiba before buying it.
Btw has anyone had some kind of refurbished pc or laptop? I found one that's really good on paper, but I don't know is it worth to risk.

[Andrew]

Depending on the price, a refurbished laptop could be a good deal but I'd be wary of the battery life (on which there likely won't be a guarantee).

[dopeboy]

They have the same price, only processors (T9300 vs T8100), hdd (500 vs 200), battery (9cell vs 6cell) and warranty (2 yrs vs 3 yrs) are different. I think that 9cell even on refurbished laptop might work at least as good as new 6cell. The company affirms that they're new but only sent back to Dell for some kind of reason and now they're selling them cheaper. I sent them an e-mail but still hasn't received any answer, although they say it's 24h customer service. I don't want to make a mistake by buying a piece of sh*t, but could that be a good deal? Or should I play it safe and stick with most reliable option?

[Andrew]

It depends how frugal you want to be. If they're offering a warranty and the refurbished laptop is in good condition, it might be worthwhile going that way if the price is right. If there's not much difference in price then you might want to just go for the new one though.

[dopeboy]

The problem is that I don't know what's the condition and I haven't heard about that company before. Price is practically the same, only with new laptop I would get it delivered, not mailed, and it would be a lot more reliable, especially in my country. If I don't receive e-mail from them in few hours, I'll probably buy the new one. After all, I'm planning it use for a longer period of time (if I'm going to study, I wont be able to buy new one for a while - damn economy ), and 3 year warranty might be better in this case.
Thanks for all your advices, guys. Hopefully, I wont be disappointed with my choice.

[Andrew]

If there's barely any difference in price, I'd definitely go for the new one then. It's worth it for the peace of mind.

[shadowgrin]

Go for Lenovo.

[dopeboy]

Go for Lenovo.

I don't know about quality, but they're too expensive, comparing to Dell with the same technical characteristics.

I've found 2 dealers who have acceptable offers. But the only problem is I still can't decide which offer is better. One was that laptop I mentioned above (T8100 etc.) with very good customer and delivery service, other was dealer who offered new (not refurbished, as I initially thought) laptop with a lot better characteristic, but without opperating system and I don't know a thing about their customer service and delivery quality. But they answered to my e-mail before I managed to buy the first laptop. These are my final 2 options, but I'm not sure which is better. I kind of wanted the first one, but that technical info of 2nd laptop is very tempting.

[shadowgrin]

But without an OS (2nd laptop)

[dopeboy]

Thanks for advice. I ordered the 2nd one, only with OS, 3yr warranty and improved hardware. What's the best thing, I managed to save about 200$. I only have to wait it for 1 or 2 weeks. Thanks again, maybe I'll post here when I'll get it.