Want to get a new laptop....

I'm not an ACER fan, but they do come with a cheaper price tag and a pretty hefty graphics interface. My brother has an older one that has awesome graphics and it really handles multiple programs well.

Wish I could remember the brand...but his is on the lower end and still outperforms both my Inspiron and D710.
 


I can vouch for toshiba. I've been using a toshiba laptop for 3+ years now.
 
I'd be wary of anything sold at walmart. While it may have the same name and model number as something you would find elsewhere they tend to get those costs down by changing parts out.

Like a lower quality power supply or cheaper hard drive, memory, etc....
 
I've had much better luck with Dell Laptops than HP. Quality seems better and they have more small biz options.

Sign up for Dell's "small business" email list and you will get weekly emails with special deals on $500-$700 laptops. Their Vostro laptops are stripped down without consumer bells and whistles but pretty solid.

Not sure about Toshiba, kinda like Sony I've never considered them a "real" computer maker but maybe I am wrong. Would go with cheaper taiwanese stuff (Acer or Asus) before I went Japanese personally.
 
stmadeveloper said:
I'd be wary of anything sold at walmart. While it may have the same name and model number as something you would find elsewhere they tend to get those costs down by changing parts out.

Like a lower quality power supply or cheaper hard drive, memory, etc....
Click to expand...

Plus no support. Literally none. If you buy a Dell computer at walmart and have problems, Dell support will tell you to talk to Walmart. Its cheaper because Dell isn't including any support for it.
 
About toshibas, 4/7 of the people I know who own toshibas had them break down on them. I don't know about the new ones, but the older ones have a retarded design flaw: the fans on the bottom of the laptop.

I recommend lenovo all the way any day.
 
I've had several Toshiba's in my life, all of them have been absolutely awesome.

Dell on the other hand... ignoring the fact the company is a spawn of hell.. offer terrible products and support.

HP are okay, though I've had their laptops die on me too.. Would never buy again.

IBM have never made anything even mildly attractive, but they are reliable and business accessory oriented.

Toshiba FTW.
 
Sup guys. I'm actually a lead tech at a computer repair shop, can give a slightly less biased opinion here than the personal-use anecdotes.

IBM/Lenovo is the most reliable brand I've come across in the field. Every time I see one, the issue is user error -- never an issue with the hardware itself. Very solidly built machines.

Toshibas are good budget machines, but their higher end offerings are prone to retarded failures due to shit design [like plastic breaking behind harness-style DC jacks, thus losing the jack inside the machine requiring it to be opened] and come with a lot of bloatware, and are usually weaker in comparison to other brands.

DELL's high end models are a great investment -- the Dell Latitude E5510 is an awesome machine. Avoid the vostro series and stick with the Studio XPS line if you're going medium-end.

HP lost a TON of credibility from me with their dv2000/6000/9000 fuckup, but the dv6t/dv7t and ENVY lines are fucking GORGEOUS and perform very well.

Sony and Fujitsu are always really good buys and are very aesthetically pleasing, but seem to be out of your price range; regardless they rarely have major hardware issues and I can't think of any huge recalls or problem with any particular series outside the old old old pcg RAM slot issues.

Gateway's higher end offerings are unimpressive to say the least.

Don't bother with Acer, ASUS, overpriced crap like Widow or Alienware, etc.

Based on your criteria, here are the laptops I'd be looking at:

DELL Studio 14 - It's a little over your budget but has an i7 processor and is under $1000.

IBM/Lenovo's L Series or T series - The L series is within your budget and has an i5, the T series is a little over your budget but has an i7 and is smaller.
 
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Another vote for the MacBook Pro. It might be a little more money but they really are amazing. I know a lot of people on here are anti-apple but you should go to an Apple Store or Best Buy and check one out.
 
Dell Studio 15...I've had 3 Dells and they have never failed me...unless I drop it on the floor and screw my harddrive :) If you have a AAA card (need to go to AAA website first) they have some good discounts or try the "educational" section of the site if you know a student or teacher as they have good discounts for them too.
 
Macbook. If for some reason you had to have a pc, thinkpad, vaio, lenovo
Not the cheap vaios either.
Seems to start about $1200-1400 for a decent pc laptop.
I know 6 people with Toshibas 1-3 yrs old and only one likes it.

Depending what your needs are, check out Sager too.
Good specs/price for a pc option.
 
markus said:
Macbook. If for some reason you had to have a pc, thinkpad, vaio, lenovo
Not the cheap vaios either.
Seems to start about $1200-1400 for a decent pc laptop.
I know 6 people with Toshibas 1-3 yrs old and only one likes it.

Depending what your needs are, check out Sager too.
Good specs/price for a pc option.
Click to expand...

this guy has no idea what hes talking about. dont listen to this awful advice.

if you dont care about mac vs windows. obviously get a fucking windows laptop, shits a fraction of the price for the same hardware. I've had my toshiba for over a year and i only paid $550 for it at the time. Still works fucking perfect.... i've even dropped it a few times. Go ahead and buy something around 650-700$ if you want it to last a good 3 years though. and you also might wanna look into laptop insurance
 
defelice said:
this guy has no idea what hes talking about. dont listen to this awful advice.

if you dont care about mac vs windows. obviously get a fucking windows laptop, shits a fraction of the price for the same hardware. I've had my toshiba for over a year and i only paid $550 for it at the time. Still works fucking perfect.... i've even dropped it a few times. Go ahead and buy something around 650-700$ if you want it to last a good 3 years though. and you also might wanna look into laptop insurance
Click to expand...

ya get what you pay for

I've tried assorted brands at different price points.
$700 laptops aren't the same as $1400 ones
(have not tried the sager)
 
Don't dismiss using a custom barebone setup either. If you buy the guts separate and put it together, you can get yourself one hell of a setup for $500.
 
Macbook pro. Sure, it's a little spendy, but the thing is made of fucking metal. No other laptop I've ever owned has felt as sleek and solid as my MBP. Love its blacklit keyboard, light weight, and touchpad as well. Even though I don't care for OSX (or don't have the time/desire to master it) this is one kickass laptop.
 
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