Tick tock, tick tock, who's afraid of an old dead clock

[summer_skin]

I did a lot of looking last night at some sites and looked for reviews and compared prices on laptops. At this point I'm really looking for price over flair because I'm keeping my desk top for anything big. I want a laptop for convenience, really. I think I'll get myself to bed earlier with a laptop. If that makes ANY sense at all, LOL.

Anyway. I fiddled around on Dell (which I wouldn't normally look at in the least but they still have XP available until June 18th!) and came up with three computers here. They're all the same, basically, and creation goes from bottom to top so each time I went through it I made it cheaper.

I don't know anything about laptops. Nothing. I know brand names are better than no names with laptops and that they're easier to drop. That's about it.

Future Shop has refurbished computers here. sockherder has had good luck with HP in the past so I was leaning toward one of those but they all have vista and they're refurbished so I don't know exactly what that means. I mean, I get it, but I don't know what sort of quality or shape they're going to be in.

I know Dell does refurbished, as well, but I can't seem to find anything like that on the Canadian site.

Time is sort of of the essence here, as the date on those prices for the Dell computers expires June 12th and they stop carrying XP on the 18th.

Can you share with me your laptop make and models, your laptop stories, your experiences with different brands and, if you know anything about them, if the ones I've linked above are half decent? I don't need it to hack into the Canadian government security system (hahahahahahaha) but I'd like something that in six months I'm not going to throw against a wall in frustration. Although, really, one could argue that that's ANY computer, so...

And now... work. :P

[ETA] 8 hours and all the comments later I should have thrown in that I refuse to go Acer. I have heard good things only from people who sell them and my roomie had one for about a year and a half now, and it's already spazzed out on her twice. I work on Macs all day through my job and I'm not fussed over them. I don't think they're any better than a PC and I'm speaking as a graphic designer, likely the ONLY one who will ever say that. And I know Gateway is the debil.

Comments

[justlikeyou.livejournal.com]

I'd go with a Toshiba or something else rather than HP or Dell, personally. I haven't had problems with the latter two companies but two friends of mine have had horrible problems. I'm not sure a refurbished computer would be good with Vista but if they're doing it and they think it will work okay, then I guess it's fine, whatever!

[snuffles.livejournal.com]

Um, I think the Laptops where you are and the Laptops where I am (Singapore) are wholly different so even if I went on my lengthy tirade would..well, be kinda moot. So for a laptop, I have an old acer (travelmate 4150). My brother who actually deals with laptops more than I do, has already slammed the new acers for inferior builds - otherwise, this thing is stable as. Fujitsu's are great but only for the higher range stuff. HP's (and compaq) temperamental - personally I think they're trying to do too much and I've had bad experiences with their desktop, my ex-housemate (altho he loves his HP laptop) had to send his in 3 times the last year. The customer service isn't too bad. My Brother's got one of the more expensive Vaios and it's not too bad - I deem it built for the future for only Vista works on it. XP crashes and messes up the entire computer, no lie. The lower range for Vaio's decent, but you've got to watch what you're buying because apparently the plastic's.. cheapish. Dell's decent, too. Range wise, I'm not too sure but Dell's pretty freaking popular. I like Mac's but you need a GOOD warranty (cha-ching$$) and they are ..well, expensive. But I love them and plan to invest in one because PC laptops, as I have ranted on about above, are beginning to give me a headache.

I pretty much skimmed over most of it off the top of my head. :[ I hope it helps? haha, but like I said, different regions, I think. Different rules might apply. :/ Differing factors too~

I'm done, I swear! :[

[snuffles.livejournal.com]

Wow to add on to the above comment, Toshiba's pretty good. I have a friend who's had a workhorse of a toshiba laptop and were distressed when times changed and the laptop was still chugging but would just never be able, ever to keep up. They're kinda heavy but I heard they're getting way better design wise. So, that opinion is subject to change because I haven't really seen their new stuff.

[starry-dawn.livejournal.com]

I have an IBM ThinkPad, which works alright, but is seriously lacking in the looks department. Seriously, it's all black and looks ... dull. But it's reliable, and apparently can survive falls and water immersion. You know, if you do that kind of thing often. ;)

[cleverthylacine]

I have had many thinkpads.

Do not get an R50, 51 or 52. I thought the R series sucked--I had bad luck with an R32 and an R52--but I ended up getting an R61 which is my current pooter and I love it, it's awesome.

The T series is a little higher end and of course the Zs are the skinnyminnies.

Anyhow, I recommend thinkpads, because they are totally fucking durable and they don't break down. I had one survive being flung across a room by an idiot ex-friend who didn't see the cable and weighed 350 pounds--inertia, gravity, something like that was not our friend, but the computer lived for a year after that and then died of old age.

[benitle.livejournal.com]

I'm currently on a Macbook which I absolutely love. It's about a year old now and I've never had any issues with it. It's intuitive and reliable, fun to use and just pretty. I still use Tiger (the new operating system is called Leopard) and also the operating system is a lot more reliable than my old one was.

Maybe I just had bad luck but the computer I used before was a HP Pavilion (I think this was the name of the model) with Windows XP. It think it didn't even take a year until it started acting up. I always had viruses on my PC (despite an anti-virus software), the battery died really, really quick so that in the end I couldn't even start the computer without connecting it a power plug. The PC got so hot that it shut itself off to prevent my harddrive from burning and also Windows was really unreliable because it randomly just restarted without me even touching it. I also had some kind of loose contact because the screen would go black without me touching anything and I had to restart the computer to get the color back.

It was huge pain in the ass.

I know a friend of mine had a HP too and she had similar problems, especially the one with the viruses.

Another friend had a Dell (we all bought the laptops at the same time) and she had the fewest problems. Sure thing, it got slow as it got older but it still works fine if you give it enough time.

Maybe HPs are different in the US and Canada, but in Germany I'd consider them poor quality computers and so not worth the money.

[angelicblues.livejournal.com]

I have a macbook pro and LOVE IT! Yay for Apples! :) I have had it for a year and a half and no issues whatsoever. Its the most reliable computer I've ever purchased.

[benitle.livejournal.com]

The only thing I regret about Apples is not having switched sooner.

I'm not sure how it is overseas, but in Germany there's been a recent Apple hype because of the iPhone and when you tell people these days that you're a happy Apple user they kind of look at you funny and accuse you of being brainwashed by advertising.

A lot of people just don't get it in Germany that there are people who simply consider Macs to be better computers, so I stopped giving people the advice to buy a Mac when they look into a new computer. *sighs*

[summer-skin.livejournal.com]

I work with mac pcs at my job and I'm not overly impressed with them. I don't think they're any better than PCs, myself. Maybe the macbooks are different but I've never been fussed with Apple products. I like hackable PCs!

[cleverthylacine]

Apples are very expensive and the software is all proprietary and hard to hack and this is why I like ThinkPads.

[redina]

I work on a Mac, and sorry to say, not that impressed. I appreciate a different platform and the different software but there isn't necessarily a 'better'; it still comes down to good components and making sure stuff, including software, is compatible. I've built two vidding PC rigs and both are nice because I chose good components.

As to the Thinkpad being 'dull' looking, Macbooks are monochromatic too. I like how one person described a Thinkpad as "Johnny Cash 'I mean business' black". {chuckle} Though, I'll also agree the new logo does remind me of Playskool. {g} Some had a limited edition titanium lid, adding to the sturdy feel... but also the weight. Then I also use the Ultrabay DVD slot to swap out extra battery pack or extra hard drive, which also adds to the weight. :-)

While hacking, I've heard rumblings Apple is thinking about releasing a PC version of their OS (they already do 'Boot Camp' and the likes to load up Windows), but Leopard is one of the more easier to hack for PCs. There's even a Thinkpad/OS-X forum thread (not including the OSX86 project by Insanelymac):
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewforum.php?f=32

And series... I've heard the R-series was intended to draw in more folk by being economical, though, the R61 is a close sibling of the popular T61 line. Folk generally like the T-series but they also have the heftier pricetag.

[shadow-of-doubt.livejournal.com]

I have a Dell Inspiron 1525 and I love it! It does everything I need it to do and I've had no problems at all.

[anoel.livejournal.com]

I'd go with the second one if you don't mind the smaller screen because more memory is ALWAYS good (helps the computer run faster). But I use a 15" screen and I love it the most for size (like with Premiere and Photoshop) but 13 really isn't that bad and you can do all the essentials. The above ones look fine though for that

I use an Asus I bought online so I'm not much help there. Dedicated video cards are better but if you have a desktop for other stuff, it shouldn't be a big deal

[redina]

Dedicated video cards are better but if you have a desktop for other stuff, it shouldn't be a big deal

Aye, that's the only thing I'm unhappy about with my Thinkpad is that it has an integrated video card. :-\ I've upgraded the RAM to 3gigs and the hard drive. The CPU is possible but I haven't tried yet. Anyway, I got it new for free, so can't complain too much. Does what I need and has a nifty trick:
http://thefixed.org/articles/pixel/ (one button press really works on Thinkpad stuck pixels!)

Price-wise and usage, Marishna is probably better off with a Dell and many models have upgradeable parts. Dunno if www.lenovo.com/cpp (contractor rate of 15% off in the price already + use code 704919 for another 25% off) works for Canada but I saw folk reference international shipping. That and recommend opting for Vista because Lenovo/IBM also gives the option of shipping you a downgrade to XP, so you'd get the serials/authorized versions of two operating systems at a discounted rate.

driveby comment ahead

[koulagirl666.livejournal.com]

From what I've heard of Dell, they're okay as long as you don't change anything and take what software comes with it. Someone I knew had a Dell and wiped the hard drive to install a Linux configuration, which caused a lot of problems. Out of the three you posted, the top one looks the best in terms of specs, and the lack of preinstalled antivirus is an advantage.

random things:
I've had nothing but trouble with HP in the past - the people I know who have HP computers tend to call me for really random and strange problems that appear, have no solution, and go away on their own.

Be careful with Acer - instead of providing discs they give you everything on a partitioned section of the harddrive, which therefore reduces what you can use of the advertised space.
Toshiba are supposed to be okay, but they don't survive incidents very well (trust me), and sometimes overheat (having a small fan near the laptop to help cool it is a neat trick, but kills your hands unless you moisturise A LOT or use aseparate keyboard).My previous laptop was a Toshiba, and it survived a car accident (though the overheating was substantially worse and drawing times slowed) and my dad is still using it, though it's extremely slow now and has trouble understanding the Internet.

As far as ease of use and portability and size are concerned, though, it might be worth looking into the EeePC ( and Wiki-infolala ) which does have an XP option (but no Vista!!), is tiny, cheap, and has inbuilt shock protection. (http://eeepc.asus.com/global/) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASUS_Eee_PC)

Re: driveby comment ahead

[schneestern.livejournal.com]

I have to second the overheating thing with Toshibas. I've had mine for a year now and it is currently in repair because it got so hot it just shut off for no reason. My roommate has had the same problem with her Toshiba too, so I'd take that into consideration.

[chainedinbeads.livejournal.com]

I love my Toshiba satellite. It's the second one I've had. The first one was given to me used and it is still going, though I no longer have it as I wanted something with a little more power. That one is 6 years old.

I've had the one I've got now for 3 years. It is my main computer and it is on for, at least, 17 hours per day. It's been to Canada and New Jersey. repeatedly. I've dropped it, the cats have sent it flying off the table and it still keeps working.

I don't know what the prices are like there but you can get new Toshibas in the U.S. for under $700.

[angelicblues.livejournal.com]

I have an apple macbook pro laptop 17". I bought mine new, but now refurbished prices aren't horrible. It is my first laptop. I ADORE having a laptop. I have found that I need to put it on a stand, otherwise my neck hurts after staring down at it for a while. A stand is highly recommended. I have the iStand or something from Rain. Christy has a dell laptop and she adores it. Hers is an older 15" model but she has been very happy with it. I have also heard HP is getting better in the laptop department. For a while there HP was going downhill with quality. Laptops are easier to break than desktops, so make sure to invest in a warranty!

[quidditchkiss.livejournal.com]

I have an Acer Aspire. Looks like this! I can't really offer up any kind of experiences with other brands, because this is my very first laptop, and I've only had it for a couple of months. I do have to say, that I think it's one of the best brands, besides the "known name brands". I've played around on other friends' laptops and I don't know, I really like Acer, but that's just me!

It has Windows Vista on it, and I've heard a lot of people complaining about it, but I find that it was easy to navigate and get used to. And I actually really like it. Haven't had any real problems with it. I'm not sure about the price of my laptop, but we'll say about 600-700$? I vaguely remember my Dad mentioning the price.

Hope that helped!

[passionofmind.livejournal.com]

I also have a Toshiba Satellite. I will say that some of the older models did have a problem with overheating. I had 2 previous models that suffered the overheating death, but they were refurbished. The one I have now is running on Vista, I've had it for about a year with absolutely no problems. It cost around $600 which is pretty good.

Hope that helps.

[kallysten.livejournal.com]

doubt it'll help, but i've got a Dell latitude d410 which is an itsy bitsy little thing. Never had a problem with it (a year and half now, touching wood). Love it.

[turnyourankle.livejournal.com]

NEVER DELL. i have a dell and it's the worst piece of shit i have EVER purchased. if you get one, make sure you take the longest warranty they'll have as you WILL need it.

[wattle-neurotic.livejournal.com]

I have an Acer Extensa, it's done me well so far :) if you end up getting stuck with vista though, you're going to want more than 1GB of RAM (that's the bare minimum) otherwise it'll be slow. It also depends on how much space you want too. I'm looking at getting mine upgraded when I get home, because 1GB of RAM and 80GB space isn't enough :/

I've been warned to stay away from Dell in the past, but they might have improved for all I know. HP's are supposed to be pretty good, my friend has one, it's kinda shiny *lol*

Ideally a mac would probably be your best bet, but they're expensive and then there's all the programs. Blah.

[shoqolad.livejournal.com]

I have a Sony Vaio (VGN-FE31M) and I'm really happy with it. It's about 1 1/2 years old now and I've never experienced any trouble with the laptop, but the power adapter thingy broke after about a year. I'm currently using a replacement which I bought on ebay, it's not from Sony (b/c those cost about 120 Euro) but works perfectly.
The battery doesn't seem to be the best, but it's probably my fault (I charge it all the time, because I'm afraid my power adapter thingy will break again).

[sparklpocalypse.livejournal.com]

Dell is great as long as you never have a need for customer service. New York state is apparently suing the company for their shitty service, in fact. I was kinda boggled by that. fiareynne used to work for them, before they were all outsourced. :| My sister's Dell is having a crisis period in which its graphics driver spontaneously combusted, and now her monitor doesn't work while Windows is running. I've also heard of cheap manufacturing, where the keys will pop off or the monitor will die, and, in a few dramatic circumstances, where the battery will catch fire.

I'm on a brand-new HP dv6000, but I'd probably still be on my dv1000 if it hadn't been for my parents' flower bulb catalog eating the computer alive last winter. *sighs and laments* My first laptop was also an HP, which I only replaced because it was outdated. I've also had a Compaq and a Sony VAIO, but you know my stories about those...

If you're looking for a bare-bones laptop, and aren't looking to replace your desktop, get a refurb from your computer people [not at Futureshop, but maybe at a small, privately-owned computer store?], dude. It might even come with Windows XP if you ask nicely.

[juteux.livejournal.com]

Dell sucks donkey balls. But it's the unfortunate truth that laptops have a short lifespan. My last two computers lasted three years apiece. So, while you should buy one of good quality, don't spend a fortune.

I liked my HP a lot, and now I have a Toshiba that I love. It was $699 at Future Shop when got it in January and I was just in there the other day and noticed they still had it at the same price.

I would recommend Vista, I haven't had any problems, plus everything (like programs and software) is compliant with Vista these days. But if you're going to get Vista, make sure your laptop has AT LEAST 2 gigs of RAM. Otherwise your computer will be too slow to run it.

[juteux.livejournal.com]

Oh and someone above mentioned Toshibas overheating. That's a really common problem in all laptops and can kill the motherboard (that's what happened to my last computer). Overheating occurs when the laptop is working too hard. If you have lots of RAM and dual speed processor your chances of overheating are less because the computer has more power.

[sparklpocalypse.livejournal.com]

Additionally, they sell these nifty little cooling mats with fans in them, which fix any overheating a laptop might do, quite handily. My last computer had a bit of a heat issue and I picked up one of those mats -- USB powered, so no extra electricity used -- problem solved.

[ellipsisblack.livejournal.com]

I have an ASUS (http://www.asus.com/), which I have to say, I love. I was sold because the touchpad was so much nicer than any of the others. I've had it for two years now (wow), and I've never had a problem with it that wasn't self-inflicted (... spyware), and it has been to Canada and back with me as well as several other trips. I have to say, I probably won't be buying any other brand for a while, but I've had friends with HPs and Compaqs that have treated them well. My advice, though, would be to avoid Dell and Acer, because I worked at a tech store for a while, and the tech nerds HATED Dell (which we didn't sell) and Acer (which we did). And if tech nerds think it sucks, I stay away from it.