17 replies to this topic

[Quixotic]

Hi I'm thinking of getting a new laptop (since college is almost here). I'm not really too good with computers but I've seen a few laptops that I think I would want to buy.

Dell Inspiron E1505
http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_Inspiron_E150...l?tag=pdtl-list

HP Pavilion dv6000t
http://reviews.cnet.com/HP_Pavilion_dv6000...2.html?tag=also

Some questions
1.What other brands are good (or bad)? I have looked at some Acer and Lenovo laptops but I'm not too familiar with them so I don't know how reliable they are.
2I heard HP has bad battery life for their laptops? Is that true?
3 These two have the features I want (like Core 2 duo) but can someone explain to me the difference between Dual Core and Core 2 Duo?
4 If it doesn't say Centrino, does that mean that's it the same processor as desktop processors?\
5. I heard they're coming out with Quadcore processors; if they come out, would core 2 duos be considerably cheaper?
6. Do colleges give a significant discount on laptops? I don't know if I should buy it now or wait until college (cuz I'm going on a trip and I might need a laptop to do hw and email to get hw).

[teknite]

I would pick the HP over the dell, just because i know dells to be unreliable. Lenovo is good as well and probably the best battery of the three. You should also consider Sony and Toshiba. Sony may be pricey. Toshiba has some good notebooks with a nice variety of sizes.

Core 2 Duo is a dual core processor. It is the next generation in the Intel family. It replaced the pentium family of products. Core 2 is also a 64 bit processor, a step up from the original Dual Core.

Centrino is the energy efficient version of the processor designed for laptops also known as pentium M. The core 2 generation of processors is efficient in itself.

Quad-core may bring prices down, but not in the very near future.

I know colleges give discounts, Im not sure on how steep the discount is though.

[Transparent Reality]

To add: quad cores will not be hitting laptops anytime soon, let alone desktops - yes, even the enthusiasts won't touch that yet.

Centrino is actually a name for a set of features that laptops must meet to be called a 'Centrino Laptop'. I believe the basic requirements include a lower energy consumption intel processor with wifi. The Viiv is another such standard.

[z2z007]

Working at tech support in Colgate made me realize a few things.

1. Dells do not last. They are so prone to many blue screens and hard drive failures. They aren't built to withstand the shock from carrying around a laptop everyday.
2. Yes, it is cheaper to buy a laptop right before going to college. You can take advantage of student discounts and other incentives given right before the school year starts.
3. If you do buy a hp, don't buy anything from the Compaq line. They are horrendous.
4. Lenovo's Thinkpad series (not their 3000 series) are the most reliable. They are well built and have features such as having a hard drive shock absorber and a strong roll cage. These features are often overlooked but they do make a difference. It feels quite solid when handling it too. I think the T series and X tablet got good performance reviews.
5. Last note about Lenovo: They are a Chinese company, who bought IBM's personal computing line. They still maintain IBM's standards with the Thinkpad line. Don't think about buying a 3000 series though.

[dannyyboii]

z2z007, on Feb 15 2007, 12:45 AM, said:

Working at tech support in Colgate made me realize a few things.

1. Dells do not last. They are so prone to many blue screens and hard drive failures. They aren't built to withstand the shock from carrying around a laptop everyday.

Biased opinion. Dells have some of the most decent laptops on the market. Dell also has better customer service than HP (this one is based on my experience).

Quixotic, on Feb 14 2007, 10:25 PM, said:

Hi I'm thinking of getting a new laptop (since college is almost here). I'm not really too good with computers but I've seen a few laptops that I think I would want to buy.

Dell Inspiron E1505
http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_Inspiron_E150...l?tag=pdtl-list

HP Pavilion dv6000t
http://reviews.cnet.com/HP_Pavilion_dv6000...2.html?tag=also

Some questions
1.What other brands are good (or bad)? I have looked at some Acer and Lenovo laptops but I'm not too familiar with them so I don't know how reliable they are.
2I heard HP has bad battery life for their laptops? Is that true?
3 These two have the features I want (like Core 2 duo) but can someone explain to me the difference between Dual Core and Core 2 Duo?
4 If it doesn't say Centrino, does that mean that's it the same processor as desktop processors?\
5. I heard they're coming out with Quadcore processors; if they come out, would core 2 duos be considerably cheaper?
6. Do colleges give a significant discount on laptops? I don't know if I should buy it now or wait until college (cuz I'm going on a trip and I might need a laptop to do hw and email to get hw).

1. Lenovo, Acer, Toshiba, and Alienware
2. Not totally true. All batteries degrade naturally over time and it depends on which battery you get and how is your laptop configured.
3. "Core 2 Duo" is a "Dual-Core" CPU. If it seems ambiguous, dual core means that there are two physical cores.
4. Centrino is not a CPU. It's a technology that deals with the CPU and the whole architecture aiming for increased performance.
5. Quad-Core CPUs are already available. Such as the Kentsfields, Q6600 and QX6700 models (excluding the server CPUs). They are currently for desktops only and I haven't heard any news on the development for quad cores yet for laptops. There are price cuts in Q2 of 2007 to compete with AMD.

[z2z007]

It is true that Dell has good customer service but in my brief experience as in tech support, 90% of the computers I fix are Dells and Dells do not make up 90% of all the computers on campus. It is not even close. They put cheap hardware in there. Even hp does better with their hardware. At least, there are Seagate HDs in hp laptops. Seagate is the best in the business.

[tycoonboy388]

Dell's and HP's tend to be on the cheaper end of the spectrum concerning laptops, and they are of decent quality, depending on which model you get. The more expensive tend to be Lenovo, Toshiba and Sony (though not worth their pricetag). Depending on what you get them for, they're very high end. You should give some thought into how you think you'll be using the laptop. Personally, I don't drag my laptop all over campus to classes, I treat it like a desktop that I can use out in the quad occasionally (New Orleans is now entirely wireless btw). If you're set on Dell, Dell's business laptops (the Latitudes) should give you everything you need, except a good graphics card.

Personally, it might be more worth your while to wait until you choose your school to select your laptop, because of various offers they might have or requirements they set for laptops or deals with tech support that will make owning a specific school approved laptop cheaper in the future. My laptop came with a four year warranty, and tech support will fix any issue I have with my laptop and supply me with a loaner until I'm done for free. It might be worth waiting another couple of months to see what the schools have to offer.

[randomania3]

Personally, I say Acer is pretty good. I don't know how it compares to most other laptops but i know from experience that its wayyy better than a dell. My dell had a life span of 4 and a half yrs.. n then it was like dead. couldn't do much after that... And acer are pretty reasonable in price too.

[EndocrineFlippa]

what about macs? better OS and nicer designs...

[tycoonboy388]

A lot of the CUNY Honors kids have had technical issues with their MacBooks, then again, half my friends here have them and they seem to be working fine. I think its preferential, if you like Mac, then stick with it (especially since the student discount on Mac's are pretty good, and they don't have to be purchased through your school), but if you've lived your life on a PC and like it, then stick with a PC, just get a nice one.

[Charles]

Aren't the CUNY Honor's macs old models?

[z2z007]

tycoonboy388, on Feb 15 2007, 12:46 PM, said:

Dell's and HP's tend to be on the cheaper end of the spectrum concerning laptops, and they are of decent quality, depending on which model you get. The more expensive tend to be Lenovo, Toshiba and Sony (though not worth their pricetag). Depending on what you get them for, they're very high end.

I find it funny how you lump Lenovo, Sony and Toshiba together. The problem with Sony and Toshiba is how it is harder to service their laptops. They use proprietary recovery software, which is poorly designed and leaves the user very little control. Sony is also notorious for opening up ports on your system and leaving your system vulnerable so that they can track your computing habits. They have also been sued a few times for this.

Acer is alright and very reasonable in price. Some had great experiences with their laptops but their customer service is not top notch.

Macs are very stable but the problem is that if something goes wrong, it is harder to fix unless if you go to someone in your school's tech support who is experienced in OS X. Apple's support is great though. I'm personally a Mac user. The number of Macs on my campus grew significantly after the introduction of the Intel-based ones.

I also advise to start getting in the habit of reading laptop reviews online so that you can know what the market is like. It ultimately comes down to your preferences, needs, and budget.

[tycoonboy388]

z2z007, on Feb 15 2007, 06:28 PM, said:

I find it funny how you lump Lenovo, Sony and Toshiba together. The problem with Sony and Toshiba is how it is harder to service their laptops. They use proprietary recovery software, which is poorly designed and leaves the user very little control. Sony is also notorious for opening up ports on your system and leaving your system vulnerable so that they can track your computing habits. They have also been sued a few times for this.

I was grouping them by price. When I was looking for laptops a year ago, I was hard pressed to find any models from those three makers that cost less than $1250. If you want a cheap laptop, I was saying that those were probably not the best options, though each maker has its pros and cons.

[Charles]

Apple also has a discount if you are a student.

[Izra]

I really would like something under 700 bucks that won't break down.
I'm not planning on gaming and such...
As long as I can use microsoft office programs, listen to my music and surf without lagging... that's all I need..
Anyone have any suggestions?
Also, is it worth it to get the refurb?

[tycoonboy388]

The base price for most HP's and Dell's are below the 700 mark. Those are basically the bulk of your options. You might find a toshiba or acer that will cost you less than 700, but the cheap laptop market basically consists of Dell and HP.

[technite4evr]

i would recommend a mac. in the long run its better for you because you would spend less time fixing your laptop and more time on working. it is more stable and because of parallels, vmware, or bootcamp, it runs windows too so its verastile. definetly a mac

[Izra]

Please don't bring up old threads. This is over 8 months old.

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