Good notebook brands

[Warthog]

I am in need of a good quality notebook for $1500 to $2000. It will not be used for gaming, only for internet, word proc., and very minor photo editing - speed is not a great issue. Maybe in the 500mhz range w/64mb RAM. All I want is some good brand names to check out. Not necessarily specific models. I am not familiar with notebook brand names.

This is actually for my dad who just had a bad experience while traveling in Paraguay (S. America) using a Spanish keyboard to upload pictures to his webpage. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Thanks!

Warthog

[medo]

Hello,

Toshiba - Satellite or Tecra.
I haven't hear any serious complaint about them. At my university all tutors have Toshiba laptops and there is no problem.

Hope its help.

Medo

http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[smokin1]

I have a Tecra (Toshiba) for work, and no problems, in fact I like it..also have an Acer...wouldn't go there again..and a no name..which is great for what I want it to do..spreadsheets, word and e-mail...the no-name is just called "Notebook", and it has been zero problems for 2 years..a little long in the tooth now at 166Mhz...don't overlook the no-names...
http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[hd581]

From my experience w/ Dell's desktops, they're the best no question. Their laptops are another story.

My experience might not be indicative but it's bad overall.

1st time: Blew a fuse or something. Wouldn't power on one day and that was it. Sent it in, replacement mailed back w/in the week.

2nd time: One day computer wouldn't turn on consistently, then it did but ran incredibly slow (19 minute boot time). Smelled something burning too. Replacement was sent, but also did not work. Another replacement was sent (had to remind them, they forgot) and now works.

3rd time: Now out of warranty, the screen has darkened considerably w/ a reddish tint. Dell's website shows this to be a pretty common problem. It will cost $250 to fix, or $700 if part needs to be replaced. F*** that.

If I were to buy another one, I'd go try Gateway 1st but one thing for sure: A three year parts and labor warranty is DEFINITELY worth it

//edit: more info...

Dell's factory outlet/refurbished computers are just as good as the ones they custom make. Virtually no difference. Here's a page full of Dell notebooks (http://www.dell.com/html/us/outlet/inventory/iinspprice_display01.html). The reason I'm showing you Dell is b/c I don't know where to find the equivalent on Gateway's site.

Here's a sample machine:
Inspiron 3800
P3-500mhz
64 MB RAM
4.80 GB hard disk
14.1" Screen (that's nice)
CD 24X
56K PCMCIA

$1519 - $50 (some rebate) = $1470 not bad for something you could consider new. (But get the 3 yr warranty)

[This message has been edited by hd581 (edited 06-04-2000).]

[UncaDanno]

I gotta agree w/ hd on the Dells and Gateways.

By the way, the URL to Gateway's refurb site is http://www.gateway.com/reman/rmn.shtml

That'll give you a ballpark. Best bet is to call the refrub 800 number and see what they got cookin.
The Solo I'm using now (at work) is two years old. No probs. I know a lot of folks who have bought some really good stuff there.

And, make SURE you get the extended warranty (Gateway Gold). It is well worth the money!

[jl123]

Yeah i've heard about the Dell laptops. My friend has one. It's a P2 266MMX and he has so much trouble with it. When he turns it on it will just sit there for about 5 minutes then starte to boot up. He would have to hit it over and over so that it wouldn't take the full 5 minutes then all of a sudden it would kick in. Yeah that's not a good sign of a high quality notebook. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

~Joel(jl123)

[Warthog]

Yes! That is exactly the kind of info I desired. I too was leaning towards the Dell route but also looking at Toshiba. My dad was looking to hopefully find something cheaper than the price I said, so I'll check out the refurbished notebooks. Thanks! http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Warthog

[PCnerd]

Buy any notebook, but DO NOT go for Dell's notebooks. I have a lot of experience with them, had to fix them right from the box, but I learned a lot about how to fix notebookes from them http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif .

[Warthog]

He wanted something cheap but liked Dells 3 year warranty (all our desktops are Dell). I figured their notebooks would be just as great. Guess not. I'll look around. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Thanks again. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Warthog

[jl123]

Yeah warthog's right. How can Dell make such high quality desktops but there notebooks stink. I guess Dell should straighten that out. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif Yeah my dad has a toshiba notebook that his work gave him to use and he's had it for about 1 1/2 year and never had a problem with it. My friend with the dell notebook, his lasted 7 months then went crazy. Yes, from the responces of others i myself would stay away from Dell. Toshiba notebooks are great. I like my dad's http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

~Joel

[This message has been edited by jl123 (edited 06-05-2000).]

[hd581]

Let me put in another vote for Gateway. I know someone who has a Solo and he says it's great; loves it.

[LiLRiceBoi]

Toshiba makes the best notebooks. Some of my friends have Dell's but they havent had any problems with them yet.

[Joel Kleppinger]

Be sure and read this: http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/006111.html

The IBM Thinkpad has been great so far. The CD drive did stick so I'm shipping it back tomorrow overnight (they overnighted a box to ship it in and paid for shipping) and expect it back by Friday. If they pull that off, I will be quite impressed.

[Dputiger]

Just a note: Never buy an Alcam. Don't buy one used, refurbished, rebuilt, or blessed by God. Stay away from this company. Forever.

[Dputiger]

I agree with Gradius. With a Notebook, don't buy fancy features if you don't need them. If all your doing is some word processing, some web surfing, and a little email/general application stuff..well, I recommend you buy more like a PII 300, drop 64 Meg of RAM in it, and use that.

I've got a K6-2 380 with 64 Meg of RAM that I bought 18 months ago--it'll do everything fine. Just drop a little more RAM into your system and you won't have a problem--but don't pay top dollar for stuff you don't need--unless you really need it.

Also, the Thinkpad is an excellent brand and Gateway's aren't bad either. I haven't had much luck with Micron, but I don't know if that's just my bad luck or indicative of something more.

[Warthog]

This has been bugging me.

I really want to get a Toshiba notebook, but I'm worried about having a bad experience with the retailer. With Dell on the other hand, they sell directly from the factory and will replace parts, etc. I feel that with Dell, all I'm buying is a warranty. With Toshiba, I'm buying an excellent notebook but running the risk of buying from a bad retailer.

It's very, very hard for me to believe that Dell's notebooks are so bad. Not that you guys are lieing, it's just that their desktops are so great. How could a notebook be so bad almost right out of the box? I thought Dell used top quality parts.

Please explain if you can. Oh yeah, any suggestions on a good retailer??

Warthog

[ghostface]

i'd advise an IBM thinkpad. had to get one cuz of school and not a problem since. i also working during the year as tech support for my lab, no real problems with the ibms. the class ahead of me had dells, and there have been some major issues with them. in fact dell had to send out like 3 techs to UNC to repair all the second year's laptops. i know dell desktops are top notch, but with laptops, i think ibms are the way to go.

EDIT- should've used the spell checker!

[This message has been edited by ghostface (edited 06-21-2000).]

[rrick31]

warthog,i dont think dell is bad i just bought a used dell.i think the others are better.as far as the retailers that is a hard one.i have used some and had nothing but good to say about them,and others think they are from hell.ask your self do you need support.or can you fix your own computers.

[rrick31]

i would look at it from another angle.and what do you not see being sold used.try and find a gateway,toshiba,fujitsu.hard to find used.kind of gives you an idea of quality.

[Susan]

I was as surprised as you Warthog, when a friend of mine told me of all the problems he is having with his Dell laptop. He's had the motherboard and hard drive replaced once each and the system always seems unstable.

These replacements have cost him plenty in the sense of down time and lost files because he uses it entirely for running his accounting business. Wouldn't you know the HD crashed on April 13th?

[SDT]

I have had several IBM's and they are pretty good but tend to be a little expensive.

The absolute best advice that I can offer you no matter what brand you decide on is... GET AN EXTENDED WARRANTY.
Laptops are expensive to fix as ALL of the parts are manufacturer specific. You can't walk into your average computer store and ask for a new screen or floppy disk or more memory or a larger hard drive... You have to go back to whom ever made it and purchase the upgrade / parts from them. As there is a monopoly on the market... guess what... profits are up 'cause you can't go elsewhere.

Just my 2 cents http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[Warthog]

Thanks a bunch! You've all been very helpful!

Warthog