wilkes

seriously there is no name brand thats any better, theres only good componets and the brand name is just a name, dont be fooled by big corporate names need more info send me a message

check out Lenovo (formally IBM's laptop division). The UNC system has a contract for Lenovo laptops and I believe they are some of the best laptops for students out there. I have an HP and I constantly regret not purchasing another Lenovo/IBM. Their laptops are clean, simple, and sleek and the Lenovo software is less annoying than Dell or HP software, believe me I know.

Well first off, hps kill hard drives because of the power source and the battery putting to much power to the hard drive and it jumps, most hp laptops have very crappy filters and capacitors causing the drive to go bad. i worked on quite a few that would kill hard drives no matter what brand of hard drive we put in.

Dell, toshiba, asus, and some acer laptops are ok. but what are you trying to do with it? what are you majoring in? that all makes a difference on what you need as far as a laptop goes. intel pentium chips are the way to go like dual core p4, core 2 duo centrino, centrion duo, and a couple others.
NO AMD PROCESSORS! they are the worst and they have heat issues. if you have any questions feel free to pm me. im a computer engineer and like to help people with questions and anything computer related

This is a good one http://most-expensive.net/laptop-world

I would not recommend buying one from Staples...but if you do...dont buy the warrenty. It wont cover what they say it will.

snapshot, I would love to have another Mac. Trouble is, they are so expensive. In my line of work, the Mac is superior to the PC in so many ways. If wilkesguy wants something cheap but farily dependable, better get a PC. I've had my Toshiba for four or five years. It's been a good 'home' and 'school' laptop.

Even today's inexpensive (under 600 dollar) laptops usually have multi-core processors, run a 64 bit operating system (64 bit version of Windows 7), come with 4GB or more of RAM, and include AT LEAST a 320GB hard drive. In other words, there's never been a time when you could get more "bang for the buck". Unless you're into graphics-intensive 3D games, edit lots of HD video, work with lots of "RAW" (uncompressed) photo files, or do multitrack audio mixing and editing at high sample rates and bit depths, you'll be fine with one of the inexpensive, mainstream notebooks. Better than fine, they're more powerful than the most powerful desktops from just a couple of years back.

If you plan on using a laptop for hours at a time, you should also get a cooling pad. These plug into a USB and have fans to keep the bottom from getting hot.

All my computers are HP and I bought a cheap tower from newegg, I have had nothing but problems with that model (HP dx2300) since it came out of the box. Tech support had me reload software on the hard drive and that fixes it for a few months (I had to use recovery software twice), its just a cheap system. Be sure to search online for issues with the model you choose to buy, some computers have a lot of problems and others that are buletproof.

The only laptop I have owned is the Toshiba I am using now. Had it for about 1 year. So far, so good. Bought it on sale at Staples for about $450.

At Christmas I bought 3 of my grandchildren netbooks. One Acer, one Dell, one HP. Had to return the HP almost immediately. Swapped it out for a Toshiba. The Acer was the easiest of them all to get up and running, and, to use in general, not to mention the best priced. Kids are rough on everything. So far they are all still in service. The Acer cost $200. The Dell cost 350. The HP cost 325.00. The Toshiba was 375.00.

Hope this helps.

You will find people who love/hate any brand of laptop, look for one with the features you need graphics and screen size, weight, battery life, network connections etc (programs can be added, but if already installed are a plus)



No laptop manufacturer makes all their components,and some will replace defective parts with "refurbished" parts

one of the most overlooked items when purchasing any computer is service/support (buy local)

don't forget to get the extended warranty



personally I think the Acers are the "best bang for the buck" right now, yrs ago I was recommending

Dell, 5 tears ago HP, 15 years ago Maxtech



Check the website below



www.consumersearch.com/laptops/reviews

Sony...

I am sitting here in a motel room typing on a Dell Inspiron that is over 5 years old. ONLY problem I have had is when liquid got in the key board. It has been dropped, probably has over 100,000 road miles on it. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

I think it depends upon how much you are willing to pay. A cheap laptop or desktop will not give you good service and I have heard that DELL has the cheapest parts unless you buy a top of the line model. Someone at WCC reccomended Adam Lewis at 667-7454. You can order one from Adam Lewis or he will build you one, he has the best prices for PCs in wilkes.

Wilkesguy20 you have a wide choice if you want too ask the Technologist at WCC Mr Souther I believe Mike is his first name and he can direct you as to the best for your needs but those here gave you great advise on their preference....

look at the apples.

As for HP having "horrible records with hard drives going out"...HP doesn't make hard drives. The drives they use come from major manufacturers of drives...Western Digital, etc. I've had three HP computers, and all were great. The one problem I've experienced with an HP was a laptop we bought for my wife last year. The system became unbootable after about a month. We sent it back to HP, and they repaired it amazingly quickly...from our house to their repair center and back in less than a week. The problem...they keyboard was defective.

My personal laptop is a Gateway.

Laptops in general are less reliable than desktops, because they are used more heavily, and get banged-around a lot. So laptops are the one piece of consumer electronics gear that I always buy an extended warranty on. I buy laptops from Best Buy because they have excellent extended-warranty service, and when you buy their extended warranty, you deal with someone from Best Buy...an American, not some poor guy in India struggling to communicate over a scratchy phone line.

If you read computer publications, Gateways, HPs, Acers, Toshibas...these are all brands that periodically receive the highest ratings. Lenova does specialize more in computers for business, as pointed out. They (when IBM owned them) innovated in areas like hard drives that can sense when they're being dropped, and "park" the heads to avoid damage to the drive.

The performance of major brands, with similar components (CPU, graphics, sound) are very similar. Buy the one with the functionality you're looking for. Test the keyboard. Does it feel comfortable to type on? The keyboard and trackpad are your interfaces with the computer...it's critical that these feel right. Buy from a reputable dealer who will be there when you need them...because you're far more likely to need them with a laptop. And buy an extended warranty.

Sorry, I hate laptops.

Agreed on the Lenovo's. They are the laptop of choice for just about all the major corporations.
Personally, I have an Acer and this thing has been going strong for 3 years now, never a problem.
I'd also say get one with XP if you can... it will be cheapest and will serve you well in school so you can get a new one when you graduate.

Also, whatever you do, do NOT buy retail. Period. You are throwing money away.

Check out these 4 or 5 places for potential winners:

newegg.com
tigerdirect.com
amazon.com (for user reviews and price range testing)
ebay.com (only buy from 100% rated sellers and only after you know what laptop you want)
Ubid.com (can get excellent deals, but you need to research what you are bidding on to make sure it's not too old and thus outdated)

I've never paid more than 50% of retail for any of my electronic gadgets... and in 10 years have only had 2 return two things (both were PC's). I only buy refurbished equipment- BUT make sure it's manufacturer refurbished and not refurb'd by some mom-and-pop place.

Granted the stuff I've bought (PC's and laptops) aren't the newest (none are 64 bit) but for doing internet stuff, using MS Office products, and playing with audio/video files... I've saved a TON of money.

You only need the latest crap if you are going to be running some hardcore, resource-intensive CAD software, A/V editing, or A/V-intensive game. And you'll be throwing money away too but that stuff sells for a reason...

good luck

I've got a Toshiba and a Dell. Like both of them and both have given good service.

HP sucks. They have horrible records with hard drives going out. If you ask anyone in IT/computers they will warn against HP. Dell still gets descent reviews. Just their tech support and customer service sucks. Toshibas do good, and have some nice features for the price. For very durable laptops go with Lenovo (what used to be IBM computers). They are what business travelers pick.