Looking to get a new laptop.

[Doug5984]

I'm looking to get a new lap top pretty soon, nothing really fancy just something nice. It'd be a computer just to carry around with me. I was looking at dell's earlier, I built a pretty nice one for around $1,600. Looked briefly at the gateways, has anyone purchased one recently? Should I stay away from one or the other, or is there another brand that is really good as well?

Also, I've never purchased a warranty for anything before, but friends have told me to get one for a lap top is a good idea.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Couple of good sites to find great deals on laptops/desktops. Check these before you go elsewhere as they publicize the manufacturer sales and rebates.

http://www.slickdeals.org

http://www.techbargains.com

[PSUColonel]

MacBook Pro...you simply can't go wrong.

[lordscarlet]

MacBook Pro...you simply can't go wrong.

Uh-oh. I'm in agreement with PSUColonel.

[Tigercat]

Look for the dell notebook coupons first, if they are still floating around.. I built a notebook for the Dell price of $2k, which given what was in it was a good deal, but I was able to use a $750 of $2k notebook coupon, which for $1250 made it a GREAT deal.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Look for the dell notebook coupons first, if they are still floating around.. I built a notebook for the Dell price of $2k, which given what was in it was a good deal, but I was able to use a $750 of $2k notebook coupon, which for $1250 made it a GREAT deal.

Also, Dell has a personal website and a small business website. The only difference is that you have to enter a business name on the small business website (which doesn't even have to be real. Build the computer you want on both of those websites. Often, you can get the computer for cheaper on one site than you can the other site.

[finkenst]

don't buy an HP.

[the_meanstrosity]

I would take a look at the notebookreview.com website where you can get feedback on almost any notebook you're interested in. They even have a suggestion thread where you can fill in all your notebook preferences and users will suggest various notebooks that fit your preferences.

http://www.notebookreview.com/

As for the warranty, it really depends on how often you plan to lug it around. If you are going to lug it around everywhere then I would definitely think about getting the warranty.

I'm looking to get a new lap top pretty soon, nothing really fancy just something nice. It'd be a computer just to carry around with me. I was looking at dell's earlier, I built a pretty nice one for around $1,600. Looked briefly at the gateways, has anyone purchased one recently? Should I stay away from one or the other, or is there another brand that is really good as well?

Also, I've never purchased a warranty for anything before, but friends have told me to get one for a lap top is a good idea.

[terpkristin]

don't buy an HP.

Quoted for truth.

I had 2 HP's then switched to my Dell (bought it through work's discount plan) and I love my Dell infinitely more than my HP's (power supply/mobo/overheating issues). Compaq's in general don't seem to have this problem, though somebody was staying with me recently and complained of her Compaq overheating (she seemed to think it was abnormal and maybe cat hair from here clogged up her vents).

Haven't tried Gateway's since they really dropped in quality in like my freshman year of college.

I'd buy another Dell if I were in the market for one right now.

/tk

[M GO BLUE!!!]

I think my ex's entire lap is still available if you want it...

But if it's a computer you want, dude... get a dell.

[cartman]

If you have any interest at all in Tablet PCs, take a look at Toshiba. As for the regular laptops, HP, Compaq, Dell and Acer seem to be the preferred brands at the moment in the x86 space.

[Doug5984]

Well I looked around most of the afternoon, and the Dell E1705 seemed to get solid ratings, and I was able to find a $450 off coupon so I decided to go with that one, pretty solid machine- ended up spending $1350 after the rebate.

[RedKingGold]

Lenovo (formerly IBM) Thinkpads are also pretty good as well. They can be a little pricey, but you should be able to get a very durable laptop for a reasonable cost.

[the_meanstrosity]

Just don't buy a Dell desktop. Their quality control for the last two years has been awful. My IS company has gone through a number of Dell's with bad motherboards over the last two years. We even had to replace the replacements. I think we were sitting at more than a 50% return rate for a while there.

Dell laptops have been solid from what I have heard though. Sony makes some quality laptops as well. Toshiba is another good one. There are also some lesser known companies that have done well recently. I'd just find whichever notebook suits your budget and needs and then research the heck out of it from actual users.

I think my ex's entire lap is still available if you want it...

But if it's a computer you want, dude... get a dell.

[rjolley]

don't buy an HP.

I'll have to disagree with this.

My current laptop is an HP, after multiple Toshibas. It's actually been a solid machine. No major problems and still running strong after a year. Then again, the Toshiba I had before this one is still running (sold it to a friend when I bought this one) as is an older Toshiba, though the fan in the later one went out twice a year like clockwork. Got to the point the receptionist at the service center knew me by name when I took it in.

The only laptops I rule out right now are Acers, but that was 7 years ago or so...they might be good now. *shrug*

[finkenst]

I'll have to disagree with this.

My current laptop is an HP, after multiple Toshibas. It's actually been a solid machine. No major problems and still running strong after a year. Then again, the Toshiba I had before this one is still running (sold it to a friend when I bought this one) as is an older Toshiba, though the fan in the later one went out twice a year like clockwork. Got to the point the receptionist at the service center knew me by name when I took it in.

The only laptops I rule out right now are Acers, but that was 7 years ago or so...they might be good now. *shrug*

I'll have to disagree with your disagreeal.. :) My HP overheated and the power port came completely apart from the motherboard....

I know TK and cringer amongst others have had similar issues.

my dell has ran spectacularly so far and i have no complaints.

My first dell laptop from work took a beating for 3 years and was still functional... the second work dell is doing quite well.

[lordscarlet]

If you have any interest at all in Tablet PCs, take a look at Toshiba. As for the regular laptops, HP, Compaq, Dell and Acer seem to be the preferred brands at the moment in the x86 space.

If your attempt here is to exclude the macbooks with "the x86 space", the macbooks are x86.

Lenovo (formerly IBM) Thinkpads are also pretty good as well. They can be a little pricey, but you should be able to get a very durable laptop for a reasonable cost.

Agreed.

[johnnyshaka]

I'm in the midst of replacing my HP laptop...it's two years old and has a wonderful racing stripe down the middle of the display...friggin' lovely. I'm very careful with my techno gear so I'm a little skeptical about getting another HP as I haven't abused it nearly as much as some other folks probably would.

So, I've just picked up a Levovo (IBM) Thinkpad T60 and have been playing around with it for the last month or so. I really like it so far as the keyboard is much nicer than my HP. The only issues I'm having right now are O/S related because Novell doesn't have a supported Vista network client out yet so I'm trying my hand at SUSE to see if I'm able to get my work done...especially since it's a work computer!!

[Flasch186]

I'll have to disagree with your disagreeal.. :) My HP overheated and the power port came completely apart from the motherboard....

I know TK and cringer amongst others have had similar issues.

my dell has ran spectacularly so far and i have no complaints.

My first dell laptop from work took a beating for 3 years and was still functional... the second work dell is doing quite well.

count me in the group with this problem and had to go buy the XC1000 cable to bypass the A/C plug in.

POS

[bbor]

H.P is the suk..just had to buy a new lapper because of overheating etc etc....i ended up buying an Acer aspire 5630.Nice machine so far and it received pretty good reviews.

[Leonidas]

I've got this Sony Vaio on the way. I couldn't find anything more perfect for what I wanted (Duo Core Processor, 2G Ram, GeForce 7400 video card, 15.4 in screen) for this price. Of course I haven't actually gotten it yet to tell you if it's the real goods, but Sony has a good rep and this machine is a great deal by the numbers.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834117405

[Doug5984]

My laptop should be coming in today, I am also getting LoJack protection with it for free. Does anyone here have any experience with LoJack, I know it is a program that runs in the background all the time, and is nearly impossible to get rid of, so I'm not sure if I want to install it or not. I know it would be great if my laptop were lost or stolen, but if it will cause a dip in preformance I won't want it. Anyone hear anything on it? Anyone use it? I tried looking for reviews, but can't seem to find anything.