Off topic--question for the laptop gurus out there.

[bushmaster]

I know we have some computer technicians here on the REO board. I am about to purchase a new laptop and would like some input on what you've found to be the most durable brands. I've owned (in chronological order) a Toshiba, an HP and a Gateway. Gotten a few years out of each of them, but not what I would have hoped for. I'm doing my homework on the internet researching models, brands, etc., but I'd be interested in the opinion of those folk who work in the computer field. I'm looking at spending $500--600 and my preliminary research has me waiting/looking for a deal on a Lenovo or an Asus.
Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Roger

 

[Darthvong]

I love my toshiba satelite lappy. I've beat the hell out of it and it works fine. Battery life sucks, but I always have it plugged in at home behind my recliner.

 

[Rhapsodies Fire]

I love my toshiba satelite lappy. I've beat the hell out of it and it works fine. Battery life sucks, but I always have it plugged in at home behind my recliner.

+1 on this. But then, I'm hardly a computer tech. I use mine all the time and run plugged in nearly all the time. Just more or less wanted to say ...Hi Roger

 

[bushmaster]

Hi Lisa! Always great to hear from you. Hope you're getting some great summer weather over there.

Darthvong(sorry , I don't know your name--my bad), thanks for the review. I know Toshiba's are highly rated. I think I got a bad one out of the bunch. It lasted a long time but the dreaded "blue screen" was a common start-up warning. I hated that.

 

[canoeist]

I like HP due to the good prices I can find. The most important thing I have found is to get a good ventilated stand of some kind, keeps air flow under the laptop. I am using one almost 5 years old typing this.

 

[unsure]

Toshiba makes good LTs I made many MSI Kits which were very good and priced right...ask Lenny. The less proprietary the brand the better imo.

 

[RocketRod]

I recently purchased a new laptop. I actually wanted a mac, but thought better after the price double over a conventional windows box. What I found is that they vary in memory and disk size mostly. I managed to get one with a larger screen and 2 Gb more memory and a larger HDD over a competitor. I liked the Toshiba and Samsung, but got a better deal on a Dell. Price comparison was HP vs Dell and Dell won with more bang for the buck @ same price as the HP. Get one with as much RAM as you can afford.

 

[kabonk]

I fix computers for a living for Laptops I buy Dells but that's personal preference, We started using Toshiba's at work and I got to tell you that I haven't had to replace that many hard drives when we where giving out Dell's to our users replacing a HDD was a common occurrence but you have to realize that those laptop go through more abuse then you would ever put yours through. What I like about the HP's is that it really easy to reload windows you just tap F10 or F11 on start up to get to the recovery partition what I don't like about them is all the bloat ware they load their laptops up with but I guess you can remove it. you have to futz around with the Toshiba to get to the recovery partition same with a Dell if you didn't have a good shut down or when you tap F8 repair your computer isn't there but there is a work around. I would just look for the best bang for your buck

 

[lostknitter]

I just bought an Asus, and so far I am impressed, no crappy bloat programs, and I have it in my living room for use in the evening when I watch TV and it is usually kinda dark in here. I love the larger letters and numbers on the keyboard. This is a 14" laptop, and I think when it is time to replace my 17" HP in my office, I will look at the Asus.

 

[Renrav]

I do IT for a living, but more on desktops than laptops. I can tell you that Dell tech support has a terrible reputation. I've always liked Lenovo(disclosure: we are an authorized Lenovo reseller, so I see a lot of their stuff and am used to talking it up), and have had very few problems with HP laptops.

One thing to be careful of: you're going to want a 64 bit processor, right? Yes, you are. This means that you can have more than 4 GB of memory. Make sure your laptop can be upgraded to a decent amount of memory, even if it doesn't have a lot to begin with. I didn't pay attention to this, so my laptop is only upgradable to 4GB, even though my OS(Win7 64 bit) can support more.

 

[bushmaster]

I do IT for a living, but more on desktops than laptops. I can tell you that Dell tech support has a terrible reputation. I've always liked Lenovo(disclosure: we are an authorized Lenovo reseller, so I see a lot of their stuff and am used to talking it up), and have had very few problems with HP laptops.

One thing to be careful of: you're going to want a 64 bit processor, right? Yes, you are. This means that you can have more than 4 GB of memory. Make sure your laptop can be upgraded to a decent amount of memory, even if it doesn't have a lot to begin with. I didn't pay attention to this, so my laptop is only upgradable to 4GB, even though my OS(Win7 64 bit) can support more.

Yes, my current laptop is a 64 bit processor with 4 GB of ram. I hope to have at least 6, preferably 8 gb of ram on the new one.

 

[Dj Xy]

MY laptop is a old Compaq presario 2200, its beat to hell from using it while Djing, and is actually a combination of parts from 2 separate laptops, I have just been switching parts as things broke, (still need to replace the busted usb ports)

 

[Mudflap]

I own and use this Toshiba. My dad gave it to me when he figured out how to use his Blackberry to do everything he had been doing with the Toshiba. I maxed out the RAM, replaced Vista with 32 bit Windows 7, and always use 4 bottle caps underneath it to keep it elevated for max airflow to the cooling fan. I also use Advanced SystemCare PRO religiously and have never had a blue screen. It's the only laptop I've ever owned, so I can't make a recommendation base on any experience, but I'll volunteer that it's still kicking long after it's normal useful life.

 

[muriarte]

I´ve had Toshiba´s, Dell´s, Compaq´s, HP and Acer... The ones that always worked best and stood up to the worst treatment has always been a Toshiba... If the price is almost the same, I´ll go for a Toshiba every time.

 

[unsure]

As I mentioned before I've been IT since before PCs were available and it was terminals hard wired to mainframe computers. I been thru it all and 15 years at HP (MSD div). HP & Dell are extremely proprietary PCs which isn't bad unless you want to upgrade. Now thats off topic here but thought I'd just mention that if anyone is planning on buying a desktop and looking to upgrade and not being forced to pay for Dell or HP components.

Toshiba still gets my vote for a laptop....not that I'd have any need for one.