How To Choose A Laptop

[ArchLady03]

My laptop is dying and I need a new one. I need it to be able to run modeling software (Revit, Rhino, Sketchup, Cinema 4D, etc) and CAD programs smoothly and easily, preferably several at the same time. I do not want a mac.

Currently I'm looking at a HP laptop with an i7 quad processor, 1 GB graphics card for HD, 8 GB of memory, and a 640 GB 7200RPM hard drive. I've had HP laptops before and they seem to work for me.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Laptop brands that they have used with success for similar functions? Any help you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Dribble]

I have bought 3 Sagers from PCTorque.

 

[SweetErika]

Hopefully the higher end HPs are made with better components, but I doubt it for some reason.

I've had nothing but trouble with HP power cords, the thing the cord plugs into and batteries on our last 4 laptops. This time, after a ton of research on reliability, I narrowed it down to Toshiba, Asus and Acer, and finally went with an Asus based on reviews, looking at the components in stores and suggestions from service techs here.

Look at the power cords/plugs (the end that goes in the computer) and reviews carefully. We've found the straight plugs to be far more problematic than the sturdier L-shaped ones. Also talk to service techs and see what brands they recommend and check out NewEgg.com for specials and extras like free total replacement warranties.

 

[LuvtoDream]

Love my ASUS.

 

[phillyinjun]

I found Dell to work well, but I did pay the three year in home warranty - whatever they call it- and it turned out to be a life saver.

I must say that I got a tower for stuff that needed power (games, mostly) because I assumed the heat would be crazy. I got a laptop for my word-processing, and rigged them so I could remote into the desktop from my laptop if I needed to.

 

[SweetErika]

I found Dell to work well, but I did pay the three year in home warranty - whatever they call it- and it turned out to be a life saver.

I must say that I got a tower for stuff that needed power (games, mostly) because I assumed the heat would be crazy. I got a laptop for my word-processing, and rigged them so I could remote into the desktop from my laptop if I needed to.

Dell is either really good or really awful, from what I've read. We've only owned one Dell (a desktop) because we quickly found it couldn't be upgraded or repaired easily due to their proprietary and ambiguous components.

When I was shopping for my laptop, I looked out of curiosity, but Dell was charging an outrageous amount for what they were offering. If you want anything besides the worst they have to offer, you're going to pay way more for it than you would via NewEgg or most of the big box stores.

 

[oxphocker]

It depends on what you plan to do with it. If you need a desktop replacement (lots of power, cd/dvd drive, and extras) then a high powered laptop fits the bill. If you are looking for portability then a compact laptop without a cd/dvd drive can be useful.

Though college I had two different thinkpads and that was fine, but once my last one broke on me I realized I didn't use the cd/dvd drive nearly at all and for a work laptop, getting something smaller was better on my back. Currently I have a thinkpad x201...has wireless and 4gb of ram and a good size HD. Personally, I've liked every single thinkpad I've owned, but then again I like the pointer instead of a trackpad. I have found them to be reliable and useful laptops for my purpose (academics and education). I worked in tech support for about five years and I've worked on a lot of machines. The best advice I can say is figure out your usage habits and then get a machine that matches those activities.

 

[fawkes512]

Business -> Dell
Private Middle -> Acer, Private Highend -> Asus

if you just want to HD movies this should be enough:

Dualcore ( >2x 2,2ghz),
4GB RAM,
512mb Graphicscard (ATI 4570HD or Higher / NVIDIA 8800 GTX or Higher),
(Harddisk doesnt really matter),
Windows * 64bit

if you want to have a highend laptop... you may take a laptop with the same Spec's then you posted... but please ... do never buy a HP


Im working in an IT Department... we only have problems with HP machines(Laptops aswell as Desktops), Dells make problems too, but they have a great support. Acer gives good Quality for its low price (usually). But they all can't fight with Asus.



greetz,

Chris

 

[Carnevil9]

I've had good luck with Dells, Toshiba, and Compaq. I like the laptop idea; so much more convenient than a full desktop, although you pay a slight premium for the miniaturization of everything.

 

[airblade]

Love my ASUS.

I also recommend ASUS, I've been buying them PC peripherals for a while now, after they made the jump to laptops I was hesitant at first, but after several reviews I was amazed on how good they actually are. Once I'm done with college and move out of there, I'll get one for sure.

 

[ArchLady03]

First of all, thanks for all the replies! I've had two Dells in the past and they've both fried on me in the first year, thank God for warranties but I just don't trust them anymore, not even the ones at work.

I love the HP I have now, but have heard that people don't fair well with them. I was looking at Sony, has anyone had any good or bad relationships with one of those?

Is it really just a matter of choosing a brand I want? If I know the specs I want, will there be any big difference between an HP or an ASUS with the exact same configuration? (I know that was a stupid question, sorry lol)

 

[airman2]

laptop

I Don't know anything about sony and others but I too have had issues with Dell. I don't think i'll be buying another dell laptop again .. the last one was rather expensive with a rather short life span and needless to say I wasn't super enthused.

I'm just starting to look at laptops but I'm at the other end of the market taking a look around (netbook/small laptop). I do intensive applications like you do but I made the call after my dell died to just do a desktop and now I'm looking for something portable for maybe some light coding and basic use.

 

[oxphocker]

I've worked on several Sony VAIOs...a pain the butt to service. If you plan on doing anything extra on your own, don't get a sony. The only ones I've heard of that are harder to service are mac laptops.

 

[phillyinjun]

I have never had issues with Dells but I have heard enough people complain that I know I must be an exception.

Their server support is excellent

 

[~photoguy~]

i think the laptop to buy is the Lenovo Thinkpad -- very well built, awesome hardware, lots of options, etc. mine has been absolutely glitch free since it was new (I also got a SSD - solid state hard drive, so no spinning parts ... Love it !!

 

[cyberking001]

mac?

if you don't mind me asking ... why do you not want a mac?

my son has a mac laptop ... the support from apple was awesome.
he had a minor problem with shipping ... they fixed it.
he had a minor problem with the computer ... they fixed it.

he now has an i-phone and he loves it.
the new i-phone 4 does NOT make the i-phone 3 obsolete.

i bought a mac desktop about a year ago. both before and
after i bought it, i walked into the apple store ... they give
free seminars on how to use the mac, everything from the
operating system to i-tunes and the app store.

a couple of weeks ago my shelf fell onto the keyboard and broke it.
i took the keyboard into the mac store ... they replaced it ... with
NO bill, NO proof of purchase, and NO charge ... and an APOLOGY
for having made me wait for 20 minutes on a frantic saturday
two weeks before christmas.

the last apple operating system upgrade was $30, as compared
to ... $200? for a windows upgrade. any mac will run ANY previous
version of ANY apple software, regardless of its age. when apple
brings out a new OS, it does NOT make the old OS obsolete.
far from it ... it will be backwards compatible to the old OS so
that you need to replace ... nothing. how's your windows '98,
vista, or XP doing these days?

the only downside of a mac is that there just are not millions
of games and other cheap software available. however, if you
are going to use your computer for business, serious gaming,
or internet, a mac will do just fine. you can even buy a mac
version of windows that will make your mac run like a PC if
you really want to downgrade ...

i am thinking of purchasing a netbook or notebook ... but i
will probably buy an i-pad instead ... maybe you should too.

pls tell me again why you don't want a mac.
sam

 

[fawkes512]

First of all, thanks for all the replies! I've had two Dells in the past and they've both fried on me in the first year, thank God for warranties but I just don't trust them anymore, not even the ones at work.

I love the HP I have now, but have heard that people don't fair well with them. I was looking at Sony, has anyone had any good or bad relationships with one of those?

Is it really just a matter of choosing a brand I want? If I know the specs I want, will there be any big difference between an HP or an ASUS with the exact same configuration? (I know that was a stupid question, sorry lol)

well usually the biggest difference is the mainboard (HP <->ASUS) ...
ASUS produces the best Mainboards on the market... HP is just picking a part from another company .. with probably less quality...

Sony's are great... BUT fucking expensive

 

[ArchLady03]

I don't want a Mac because the software I use isn't 100% reliable on it. Yes, I realize that software is never 100% reliable on any hardware, but with Mac, the percentage drops significantly.

I have a friend who is an IT supervisor for a large firm and he sees this problem all the time with those who work on Macs. He's seen Revit and Autocad crash on Macs time and time again. I've heard this from a number of IT people I know and I trust their judgement.

I realize I could run a Windows OS on a Mac, but if I were to be honest, I don't want to have to deal with that.

Anyways, thanks everyone for the awesome advice! I actually bought my new laptop a few days ago. I went with an HP and managed to spend less than 1800 on it, completely decked out as well. I'm excited for it, especially as my current laptop has decided that now it will crash every day.

Thanks again

 

[albertaboy]

if you don't mind me asking ... why do you not want a mac?

my son has a mac laptop ... the support from apple was awesome.
he had a minor problem with shipping ... they fixed it.
he had a minor problem with the computer ... they fixed it.

he now has an i-phone and he loves it.
the new i-phone 4 does NOT make the i-phone 3 obsolete.

i bought a mac desktop about a year ago. both before and
after i bought it, i walked into the apple store ... they give
free seminars on how to use the mac, everything from the
operating system to i-tunes and the app store.

a couple of weeks ago my shelf fell onto the keyboard and broke it.
i took the keyboard into the mac store ... they replaced it ... with
NO bill, NO proof of purchase, and NO charge ... and an APOLOGY
for having made me wait for 20 minutes on a frantic saturday
two weeks before christmas.

the last apple operating system upgrade was $30, as compared
to ... $200? for a windows upgrade. any mac will run ANY previous
version of ANY apple software, regardless of its age. when apple
brings out a new OS, it does NOT make the old OS obsolete.
far from it ... it will be backwards compatible to the old OS so
that you need to replace ... nothing. how's your windows '98,
vista, or XP doing these days?

the only downside of a mac is that there just are not millions
of games and other cheap software available. however, if you
are going to use your computer for business, serious gaming,
or internet, a mac will do just fine. you can even buy a mac
version of windows that will make your mac run like a PC if
you really want to downgrade ...

i am thinking of purchasing a netbook or notebook ... but i
will probably buy an i-pad instead ... maybe you should too.

pls tell me again why you don't want a mac.
sam

I have had great luck with Toshiba. I won't an Apple product other than my IPOD mostly because Steven Jobs is such a douche. I hate the whole apple cult thing.

 

[Dribble]

if you don't mind me asking ... why do you not want a mac?

pls tell me again why you don't want a mac.
sam

Why is it that the PC vs Mac threads here always end up like the GB red vs blue political threads? Why is it the opposing view always has to chime in sooner or later with paragraphs of words written while wearing rose-colored glasses or touting total BS instead of saying something as simple as "I know you said you didn't want a Mac, but I really like mine"?

It is like a thread where the OP asks only for advice from fellow lesbians and Yahoo Bob from Arkansas can't hep but chime in about how he would satisfy her better...that all she needs is a real man.

 

[cyberking001]

mac vs pc

you are so right, this debate has turned into a flame.

you want to call steve jobs a douche, but of course,
we all know that bill gates has never made any money
by obsoleting a previous operating system so that it is
no longer supported, has he?

in any event, i just wanna say that i love the support
that mac gives to their products and that mac does not
deliberately obsolete their products or operating systems,
as they keep everything backwards compatible.

my son turned me on to apple's quality and support.
i don't consider myself to be a member of a cult. i just
like a company that puts the customer first, as per my
story of the broken keyboard which was replaced
cheerfully, instantly, and without any cost or paperwork.

that said, i understand that windows 7 is the best version
of windows yet, and i am still considering the purchase of
a pc/windows laptop vs. an i-pad. i have no bad feelings
towards anyone who uses pc/windows. if that platform
works for you, and if your software runs better on it,
then good for you

p.s. i bought an i-phone for my son, an i-pod for my daughter
and an i-mac for myself... what to buy for my wife for christmas?
after much thought, i bought her an .... i-ron
(you might have to read it twice).
happy new year to all
sam

 

[airman2]

Why is it that the PC vs Mac threads here always end up like the GB red vs blue political threads? Why is it the opposing view always has to chime in sooner or later with paragraphs of words written while wearing rose-colored glasses or touting total BS instead of saying something as simple as "I know you said you didn't want a Mac, but I really like mine"?

It is like a thread where the OP asks only for advice from fellow lesbians and Yahoo Bob from Arkansas can't hep but chime in about how he would satisfy her better...that all she needs is a real man.

True, happens all over the place.

I think I'm going to go with an asus netbook I just need to find the model I want yet (referring to something above)

and *sigh* at least if one brings up the mac that one doesn't start spouting off mac vs PC drivel while providing technical advice. A mac is a Personal Computer (as far as many people are concerned being as it is used as such and isn't a mainframe/server/embedded etc) and my PC runs windows, and linux, and ... etc. It isn't always microsoft vs apple even if that's what's crammed down your throat. I don't mind well formulated discussions on the topic but blatantly pro for either side of the commercial debate irritates me (nothing is perfect, everything and everyone has a preference and there will be trade offs in various capacities, as the OP stating they were not looking for a mac). *sigh* back to work on my linux PC now.

 

[cyberking001]

debate

my reply to the lady originally was offered as a "have you considered this computer" suggestion. she eventually replied that her software did not run well on a mac and that is why she did not want one. fair enough.

i am not a techie so i don't know much about a computer except how to use it, in the same way that i don't know much about how a car works except how to drive it (although i do love cars and i do know a lot about them, but i was making a metaphor).

one picks what works for him or her in the same way that one picks the car that works for him or her without getting into a debate about american vs. european vs. asian.

as i said, i like the way in which a mac works, and i love the customer support. i also used a pc/windows computer for 20 years with much success, and also much cursing of microsoft because of the way that the computer would work, or sometimes not.

one more time, let's have an adult discussion without all the name calling. a lot of good information comes about when people give facts to each other.

and so finally, just to keep the debate going ... in order to keep up with e-mail and have simple computer usage when i travel ... should i buy a pc netbook, a pc laptop, or an i-pad (macbook is too expensive). i want to spend about $500 give or take. any thoughts from the peanut gallery?

thanks
sam