^ The key there Joe is “used to have HPs”. It used to be that HP sucked and Dell was awesome. I agree, HP used to be pretty bad but they’ve made a ton of improvements while Dell has consistently gotten worse.
Buy what you want JT, but I will add that I work at a place that supplies computers to 100’s of credit unions that used to pimp Dell like crazy. The only time we sell a Dell now is if the credit union flat out says that’s all they want. Way too much quality decline in the last 3 years.
My mom’s work laptop is a lenovo and its still running strong after like 3 years…
Jay, yeah i just created this thread to get some ideas and some input from people like yourself who obviously know what is what. I will be the first to admit that i know NOTHING about this stuff. Just looking for someone to point me in the right direction.
Dell
i wouldnt recommend dell as well!! i’ve heard a lot more stories with dell than any other laptops out there, and i personally have experienced a couple myself.
acer is very affortable and reliable, spend $350 and call it a day.
i LOVE my macbook! 
We bought two acers from best buy. 329 each. They work fine for regular internet surfing, they aren’t super computers, I have a desktop for that.
Windows 7, 3gb ram, dvd burner, 160gb hard drive.
Its tough to beat that price…
I have this but the older one with XP and love it.
I run Lighthouse and sony vegas pro with no issues. I’ll probably load up autodesk inventor as well. I burn / watch dvds, no real gaming at all.
HP G71-340US Laptop
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
- Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T6600
- 4GB installed memory
- 320GB hard drive
- LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVDñR/RW with Double Layer Support
- HP Imprint finish & HP Webcam with integrated microphone
- Built-in wireless WLAN 802.11b/g/n wirelessly connects to the Internet
- 101-key compatible with full size keyboard with integrated numeric keypad
- Dimensions 16.24"(L) x 10.90" (D) 1.42" (min) - 1.77"(max) (H) (6.72lbs)
- 6-Cell Lithium-Ion battery; Battery Life up to 4 hours
- 1 year warranty
Offer Expires on 10/24/2009
Reg: $749.98
Save: -$52.00
Now: $697.98
Instant Savings: -$98.00
Rebate: -$50.00
Price after rebate: $549.98Each
Acers are notorious for having oddball hardware issues.
To those who say Dells are bad are probably people or know people who can’t take care of a laptop or don’t know basic troubleshooting skills. People who get a virus and then ditch the laptop cause “Dell’s suck”. The only thing I’ve really seen wrong with Dells are the older model inspirons get those wobbly screens. Although my girlfriend as an older (4 yr old) Inspiron and it runs Windows 7 no problem and has no issue with the screen.
Laptops are quickly becoming disposable appliances, not investments. In most cases it is not worth fixing a sub 500 dollar laptop.
Emachine laptops are made by acer now also.
i hear ya i have a 2 year old compaq that broke. hp wants 250 to fix the battery not charging problem. and no its not the jack… the laptop says plugged in charging but that battery never charges, also its a new battery
Um, yeah, that’s it. I’m a software engineer with a CIS degree working at a company with a hardware department of 8 guys who do nothing but hardware support. Yeah, we throw out our shitty Dells because they got a virus or spyware. :roll2:
My Inspiron had the screen fail 30 days outside of the warranty. (on a laptop that never even leaves the house)
2 hard drive fails for coworker B’s Dell laptop.
Motherboard fail on coworker C’s Dell laptop.
Another LCD failure for coworker D’s Dell laptop.
Even more problems with our Dell desktops.
Whatever you get, if you want hassle free, try to get at home service. A lot of them have it now. Nothing is more annoying than sending it out and playing the waiting game.
The hard drive fails are the HDD manufacturer not Dell, and I’m not saying Dell is indestructible by any means, but there are some users that crap all over a computer company because they can’t take care of a computer. I had a Dimension 8400 and never had a problem with it, the only reason I gave it up was because I couldn’t upgrade it due to proprietary reasons.
Plus companies due get better and some get worse. As stated before HP used to be the last choice for Desktop/Laptop. Now they give a really good bang for the buck. In most cases you get what you pay for.
My HP will be 2 years old in may, never had a problem with it other than dropping it and the plug input thing broke lol
after opening and closing the screen 8 billion times it doesnt have as much “sturdyness” once you tip it past 90*, but it doesnt fall back… it’s just a little looser
i like mine a lot
Ive had a 17" HP Pavilion dv9000 for over 2 years, bought it as a refurb. I have had not a single issue with it, besides breaking the “/” key, so I bought a keyboard on ebay from China for 99 cents and replaced it in 5 minutes. I have full faith in HP.
OP: What is your old laptop? Do you want to sell it for cheap? hehe.
Multiple hard drive failures are Dells fault because they’re the ones choosing what components to put in their systems. Dell chooses the cheapest components possible to keep costs down and their failure rates show it.
The HDDs vary though…I’ve seen Seagates, WDs, Maxtor (Seagate), and some other brands all in the same model. The hard drives failing themselves, is not Dell’s fault. Sometimes can be caused by dropping the laptop, or some other variable on the user’s end, which I’ve come across many times. People drop their laptop down a flight of stairs and wonder why the hard drive is making clicking sounds.
When you produce anything in quantity, you will get failures.
Dell is 100% responsible for components failing w/o being abused. It makes no difference who supply’s them. It’s a numbers game, and people would never pay for the kind of reliability testing, development, and documentation required to guarantee performance. It’s cheaper to fix/replace 20% than it would be to have “certified” system. Components are selected to make it past the warranter, and thats about it.
I can’t imagine what military spec. computers cost.