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View Full Version : Another silly "pick my laptop for me" thread...



Pogeymanz
December 21st, 2010, 07:54 PM
So, my wife is in the market for a new laptop. We're trying to be cheap, but also want it to last for a while. I know that is a contradiction, so I'm now faced with an optimization problem.

So just tell me which companies you have bought laptops from and whether or not they lasted a long time.

Companies like Apple and Lenovo are out of our budget. Looking for the typical bang-for-your-buck companies: Dell, HP, Asus, etc.

This computer does NOT have to play nice with Linux.

Also, how hard would it be to reinstall Windows 7 so as to clear all the OEM crapware? Is that even legal or would I have to buy a Windows 7 key?

Zzl1xndd
December 21st, 2010, 08:12 PM
When I worked as a Computer Technician I found that: Dell & HP had about the same amount of issues, Acer slightly more but nothing insane.

Lenovo and Apple I almost never came in for repair (we did sell a fair amount of both).

Personally I would go with one of the Dell business models. I have heard good things about the Vostro V130 and on the upside it does play well with Linux(you can even get it with Linux).

http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/vostro-v130/fs

root@AngryTerminal:~#
December 21st, 2010, 08:59 PM
a google CR-48! they're free ;)

MoebusNet
December 21st, 2010, 09:12 PM
Also, how hard would it be to reinstall Windows 7 so as to clear all the OEM crapware? Is that even legal or would I have to buy a Windows 7 key?

My Dell came with Recovery & Driver CD's specifically to reinstall WinXP if necessary. It also has the Windows activation code on a decal on the bottom side of my notebook. I don't know if reinstalling with the factory Recovery CD would get rid of bloatware, though. I think Dell gets paid for it, so probably includes it on the CD.

msakms
December 21st, 2010, 09:16 PM
I'd certainly recommend a Toshiba though, HP & DELL are just as good.
Good luck :)

msrie
December 21st, 2010, 09:17 PM
Your always best when buying new lappy, is backup the c drive and totally wipe it then and reinstall windows with original disk. All the software that is gone is alot, and all that bloatware does slow down even the fastest of computers.

Verbeck
December 21st, 2010, 09:28 PM
vaio laptops have more bloatware than one could remove from the control panel.(you could do it for the 20+ apps one-by-one and clean the registry if you're patient)
and the recover c: drive option from the vaio recovery center(they didn't give a windows recovery disk) formatted the data partition and happily made it the c: drive
another issue was that they only provided vista drivers for the webcam which doesn't work at all in 7/xp.

^that's just my experience, so you might have more luck

edit : from wikipedia


Sony now offers a "Fresh start" option in some regions with some of their business models

PC_load_letter
December 21st, 2010, 09:38 PM
When I worked as a Computer Technician I found that: Dell & HP had about the same amount of issues, Acer slightly more but nothing insane.

Lenovo and Apple I almost never came in for repair (we did sell a fair amount of both).

Personally I would go with one of the Dell business models. I have heard good things about the Vostro V130 and on the upside it does play well with Linux(you can even get it with Linux).

http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/vostro-v130/fs

+1, said exactly what I had in mind. I have a Dell Vostro 1400, and a Thinkpad T43, love them both to death.

As for the affordability issue, did you try the Lenovo outlet (http://outlet.lenovo.com/)?

samb0057
December 22nd, 2010, 12:01 AM
These days there's not much difference between manufacturers. I usually go with Dell since they have some really good prices on ebay and at the dell outlet.

3Miro
December 22nd, 2010, 12:34 AM
I have a bunch of friends with Dell and a sister with HP. I say go with HP (as a general rule of course, variance from model to model may be more important in this case).

Little Bones
December 22nd, 2010, 12:35 AM
I've had a Toshiba Satellite and now an Acer Aspire and no complaints about either!

Quadunit404
December 22nd, 2010, 01:37 AM
If you can find a laptop from them in your budget, maybe a Samsung computer will do?

I got one recently and found that it barely came with any bloatware, and most of the normally bloatware utilities it came with were ACTUALLY USEFUL (what a concept, a new computer shipping with useful software!) Of course, your wife may not need a laptop as powerful as mine (for everyday activities the Core i5 @ 2.53GHz is a bit overkill) so maybe something a little less powerful.

How about if you look around the sites of all the manufacturers we listed so far, then show your wife their deals on new laptops and see which one she likes the best?

TriBlox6432
December 22nd, 2010, 02:05 AM
Most all electronics (including laptops) are made from a single manufacturer in China and Taiwan. So brand doesn't matter TOO much, but I would stay away from Acer. I had a horrible experience.