Solved! Dude, getting a Dell?

[jmskroll]

Can anyone tell me if Dell laptops (specifically the Vostro or Latitude models) are good? I remember years ago hearing horrible things about Dell computers in general so I never considered buying one. However, their offer for 370 dollars off selected models is making me consider them again.

(Although, that much off a laptop also makes a little leery on their quality.)

 

[Guest]

Well Dude,
Dudes don't get Dells generally but their old models were actually terrific secondhand because they were solid and could be disassembled easily and there were thousands of them regularly replaced by corporates -- so lots of spare parts.

Current Dell models are cheaper and it shows in the build.

Personally were I buying I'd look at Tosh or Lenovo for quality and Acer/Asus for bang per buck.

 

[ibnsina]

Well Dude,
Dudes don't get Dells generally but their old models were actually terrific secondhand because they were solid and could be disassembled easily and there were thousands of them regularly replaced by corporates -- so lots of spare parts.

Current Dell models are cheaper and it shows in the build.

Personally were I buying I'd look at Tosh or Lenovo for quality and Acer/Asus for bang per buck.

Agree with Fihart, but take out the Acer, I bought 3 acer products in the past year or so,the build quality was not up to stanard. The laptop had very poor touch pad and screen, and the 2 monitors, one had the Acer logo half peeled off and the other again very poor display.

Toshiba good build quality. Asus good warranty (2 years).

 

[jsc]

I agree with ibnsina's Acer assessment. They seem to cut a lot of corners to meet their price point.

 

[Guest]

I have to agree, having recalled seeing an Acer laptop with bare plastic showing beneath paint which had been worn away in normal use (by a girl) in just a few weeks.

 

[jmskroll]

Thanks for the replies. After doing a lot of the leg work looking at Dell it did seem like their actual builds were pretty cheap (I've seen the same with Acer over the last few years). I've heard great things about Asus but haven't so far found a model that has everything I want within the price range I need. Lenovo I don't know much about, how's the quality of that brand?

 

[Guest]

Lenovo took over the IBM Thinkpad franchise -- the laptop looks very nice and has a solid feel (just like Thinkpads did).

I'm encouraged because Lenovo seems the laptop of choice for leaving for punters to mess with in Orange phone shops, so must be sturdy.

 

[ibnsina]

Whats your requirement?

Budget, screen size, main use, gaming?, weight, battery life, country?

 

[jmskroll]

Shooting for under 700 USD
14"
Main use is for writing and editing so anything that can be typed on for hours on end is fine and beyond that I use my laptop has my media center (TV shows, music, movies) and occasional gaming like Warcraft
Around or under 5 pounds,
Battery life isn't that important since it's easy to find outlets even when traveling
I reside currently in the US but have a tendency to move around.

 

[ibnsina]

There are lots to choose from, browse through the following.
ASUS K40 Series K40IJ-D2

Intel Core 2 Duo T6600, 14" Screen Resolution 1366 x 768, Windows 7 Home Premium, Intel GMA 4500M, 320GB HDD 5400rpm, Memory 4GB. 5.3 lbs. 1 year ASUS Accidental Damage Warranty(double check this with newegg, usually they come with 2 years). Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit .With 4500M Integrated card, you can play games, some games with lower setting. And higher demanding graphics games won’t run at all, you will get like 2-3 frames per second. Max Memory Supported 4GB.
$599.99 after $100 rebate
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220599

SONY VAIO CW Series VPCCW14FX/B
As above but much faster NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M , Max Memory Supported 8GB. Most games will run on this system, some games with lower setting. $749.00.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834117966&Tpk=SONY%20VAIO%20CW%20Series%20VPCCW14FX%2fB

Or customise it from sony website, price starting from $719. Extending warranty option is available.
http/www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644659494&N=4294954315

Another option is Toshiba M500-ST6422
Price starting from $623.20, customiseable. Extend warranty to two years for $60, or three years for $80. Max Memory Supported 4GB.

http/www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cdetland.to?poid=457280