What brand is your main computer/laptop? What PC brand is best in your opinion?

Do you prefer to have PC people respond?

My main computer with all my vitals is a Mac. I have PCs that run windows and linux [but so does my Mac!].

@squirbel

Most of my experience is with Windows, and though I don’t mind Macs, I’m going to be getting a Windows computer. So I’m mainly looking for PC-user’s input, yeah. But not to answer the first part of the question. Anyone can answer that.

For a laptop i think you have to at least consider a Mac. It’s my opinion that the MacBooks are some of the best around.

I prefer PC’s for desktops because they’re easy and less expensive to upgrade.
On the PC side, Lenovo is a good machine for laptops.

I’d go for a mac. Fast, reliable and believe it or not cheap

I’m not going to get a Mac, guys; I’m really asking about PC brands here. So please…this isn’t supposed to be a Mac vs. Windows discussion.

Sony Vaio…Why? I love mine!

But my computer geek…uh…husband always tells people to get Dell’s due to the configurations, prices and customer service.

Here’s what I DON’T recommend:
Acer
Gateway

Dell’s are pretty run of the mill.
HP makes a pretty good laptop. I have one at work here and it has a good size screen, a keyboard that isn’t cramped and has a good overall feel.

Lenovo makes a good laptop. ThinkPads definitely don’t suck even if IBM isn’t making them anymore.

Made it myself, and I think making your own is best though mac looks very good.

Keep in mind that I will be getting Vista and I’m looking forward to upgrading to Windows 7 when it comes out.

Bummer on no mac

As a former pc user I think Dell is the lesser of the evils. I have a dell laptop I use once in a while. It is okay. But Now that I have tried a Mac and things are just so easy and the lack of pop up warnings or conflicts I won’t get another PC again.

@Dansedescygnes my husband installed a version of 7 this weekend sounds good so far

custom built.
my laptop is from medion, but it was a resent from my parents anyway

2600$ seems crazy. Buy a good laptop for 1300$ and buy a new one with the money left over in two years.

I can’t really recommend a brand.

I have a Lenovo. I definitely recommend it. They generally have really good prices too.

@classyfied

Yeah, I know, but the Lenovo seems to be a little…budget…for me. I’m looking for high performance and I thought I should add that price is not something I have to worry about for this laptop I’ll be getting. My current laptop has 2 GB of RAM and 1.6 GHz (?) but it’s just not fast enough. That’s part of the main reason I’m going for the really high memory and speed. I’m also planning on getting 64-bit Windows Vista.

I am the computer ‘husband’ referred to in this thread. I’m a tad confused by your last reply. You said money is NOT something you have to worry about, but you said, ‘the Lenovo seems to be a little…budget… for me.’ :)

Anyway, if price is not a concern, totally get a ThinkPad T400 or T500. Fully customizable at lenovo.com or cdw.com. Our company bought some T500’s about two months ago, and they’re very nice. Put the Windows 7 RC on it and it is REALLY nice. Not sure if it has the bells and whistles you want, but I’m not sure. Like I said, they are customizable.

But, I still stand by the Dell’s. The Latitude E5500 or E6500 should suit you.

Michael

I have no idea. I build them myself, but that might not be your cup of tea.

@mdreinders

lol…no, I meant “budget” as in “budget friendly” as in “I can spend $3000 or more on this laptop”. And the Latitude is the same thing…I’m looking for a feature-filled multimedia laptop, not a basic black business (BBB) laptop. No offense. Dell is still an option for me, but specifically the XPS or Studio series. I’ve just heard complaints about both Dell and HP and both laptops kind of trade-off things I want (in other words, there’s no perfect laptop), so I’m having a bit of a hard time deciding.

3k? Dang! You can get whatever you want with that!

That was the reason that I felt you should edit your question so you wouldn’t get a lot of Mac input – a lot of jellies use macs. When I asked it you still had edit time. :P

Duuuude. If you have 3k to spend just get an alienware and be done with it.

but you could get three macs for that price.

@squirbel

Yeah, I kind of forgot about Alienware. Keep in mind I don’t do gaming, but I wouldn’t mind blu-ray capability or a TV tuner or a Lightscribe CD drive. I’m kind of looking for a multimedia powerhouse.

It’s over THREE THOUSAAAAND.
I am jealous.

Alienware was bought up by DELL -> LAME

And btw, how can one not get a MacbookPro ???? lol

You want to spend 3K and you don’t play games? OK. My two year old computer plays back HD video and I bought it for 949$. If you don’t render video or create anything it is overkill.

You want to spend 3K and you don’t play games.

Pretty much, yeah. I’m not going to lose anything by getting a laptop with all those features.

You lose a bunch of money.

you will find it next to impossible to find a laptop that costs 3000 and DOESN’T have a high end graphic chip inside.

Lenovo
Hp
are good brands.

I use to have 2 toshiba laptops, didn’t really like them
As of now I have an HP tablet touchscreen. I adore it, but it makes weird sounds and heats up like crazy.

I use Mac and the best PC is no PC! haha just joking PC is good for games I’ve heard.

For laptops, HP is great. They sell well built (in my experience) not overpriced, machines. The customer support isn’t too amazing, but I do most troubleshooting on my own.

For desktops, I build them myself. You save a huge chunk of money, know exactly why your getting, and can customize everything.

@squirbel Alienware is overpriced fluff. Cool looking cases though.
You can put together your own PC that is faster and less money than an Alienware box.

@johnpowell

It’s my dad’s money and he’s filthy stinkin’ rich. And I don’t consider it a loss. Like I said, my current laptop is too slow and the memory is not enough (Google Earth will barely run without slowing down everything). I want more memory and I want more speed. That’s the bulk of the price. And I want a laptop that’s visually pleasing. That may not be important to some people, but it is a factor that I consider.

Wow, if you spend $3,000 on a laptop, I will never talk to you again. Are you serious? You can buy the best laptops on the market for like $1500, and you can buy one with all of the features you need for like $1300. You are essentially walking into a Ferrari dealership and saying “Hey, I’ve got 37 million dollars to spend!” “Great, this car normally only costs $750,000, but I can sell it to you for 37 million if you want!” Seriously, I think you have significantly misunderstood how much laptops cost.

@Ivan

Okay, then the HP website is a rip-off. Because their HDX16t (the laptop I want) with all the features I want is around $2500. I can also get it from the Costco website for $2400. That includes a 3-year protection plan ($99) and internet security software ($79). Without it, the laptop is still around $2300.

Here is the order:

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff293/Onnajanai/hplaptop.png

This laptop has the highest-rated score out of all the HP laptops that qualify as “maximum performance”.

What if I wanted a MacBook Pro? The price starts at $2499.

i think that is seriously overpriced. too much money for too little performance.
and norton, seriously. worst thing you can get.

@ragingloli

Yeah, well, Norton is the only option they have on the HP website. I may just buy anti-virus software separately.

Don’t buy straight from HP. Shop around. Hit up some of the online retailers like Newegg and Tigerdirect. You might have to make some concessions, but it will be worth it. There is no need for you to buy such a high-end laptop if you aren’t a gamer. In all honesty, Windows is going to be your limiting reagent here. You can buy the fastest laptop in the world, and it will still only be as fast as Windows will let it be. I understand the desire for a super high-end machine, but you will probably never notice the difference between 4GB and 6GB of ram. The fast hard drive is nice, as is the blu-ray player, but that processor is ridiculous, and you absolutely do not need an Nvideo GeForce 9600 if you don’t play games. Yes, your old computer is relatively out-dated, but you’re going to be disappointed if you think such a high-end computer is going to be 20 times faster. It might be twice as fast. Maybe.

@Ivan

Twice as fast would be nice. The GeForce 9600 is the only option on the HP website, aside from one that costs $100 more with 1GB of memory. The processor may be lowered to 2.6 GHz and I could go with 4GB of RAM.

But like I said, no one is losing money here. My dad is willing to pay it. I’m not trying to save money.

Well, we can get into the morality of that if you’d like, but just play around in Newegg and Tigerdirect until you find something you like. Use the filters to find exactly what you want.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2034940032+104062589+1040624679+1041010743+1044306963+1039446175&Configurator=&Subcategory=32&description=&Ntk=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

@Ivan is correct about NewEgg. I’ve purchased several components from them and I have never had a problem with their service. Their prices are also very competitive.

@Ivan

Yes, but the laptop I want is the HP HDX16t. That’s the one I’ve essentially decided I’m going to get.

@Dansedescygnes

And I’m saying don’t. You can buy a comparable laptop for half the price.

he can get a better one for half the price

@Ivan

And I’m saying I want it. I like the way it looks; I’ve watched video reviews of it on YouTube. I like it. I like its features. I can get it. Money is not an issue. Why should I not get it?

For the same reason you shouldn’t buy a Ferrari for $37 million. You sound like some 16 year old on MTV. All HP’s look exactly the same. If you want an HP, buy one with comparable feature from an online retailer for half the price and save your father some money.

@Ivan

No, they don’t look the same. I want a 16-inch one with webcam, fingerprint reader, touch-sensitive media buttons, backlit keyboard, etc. The HDX 16t has it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114633
red flames, heh. and expensive.

@ragingloli

lol…wtf? That’s a little too flashy for me, not to mention it doesn’t appear to have touch-sensitive media buttons or a thumbprint reader. And it’s too big. 16-inch seems good for what I want. 15-inch is fine too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220527
this one has a finger print reader

And so do dozens of other laptops. First of all, the HDX16t is not a specific model, it’s a “series.” This means you can’t just go into a store, ask for the HDX16t and get the same exact laptop you are looking at. It’s just a name they give to a particular style of laptop; you can still get whatever you want in it. You can get an HDX16t with lower specs for like $800 if you wanted, and it would look exactly the same. Second of all, my laptop cost me $350, and it does 95% of what yours is going to do and it weighs under 3 lbs, so whatever. Anything you buy now is going to devalue in price threefold over the next year, so I see absolutely no reason to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a laptop.

@Ivan

I know how models and series’ work. Don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot. And I just don’t care. If my dad had said “make it under $2000” then this wouldn’t have even come up. It would’ve been out of my league and I wouldn’t have even considered it and I wouldn’t have even wanted it. But that’s not what happened. I found a laptop I want with the features I want and we can afford it. Nothing is stopping me from getting it. In fact, even though I’ve taken one last look at the Dell Studio XPS 16 (that was my real underhanded motive for posting this question: Dell vs. HP—I had already narrowed it down between two specific laptops), I decided I want the HP more and I’m going to print out the information and give it to my dad and I’ll have it by the time I got to college.

@ragingloli

Yeah, and it’s the same damn price as the HP HDX16t. (It’s $2399 on Costco with all the features I want). So why shouldn’t I get it?

better specs?

@ragingloli

Actually, no, it’s almost the same except it has a 2.0 GHz instead of the HP’s 2.93 GHz processor. I’d rather spend a little less for the HP. Plus, I just like the way the HP one looks better. Like I said, I know that doesn’t matter for a lot of people. But it does for me. It just does. I can’t help it.

it has 4 cpu cores, your hp has 2,

“Nothing is stopping me from getting it.”

Then why did you ask this question?

@Ivan

Because I was torn between the Dell Studio XPS 16 and the HP HDX 16t. Same price, almost same specifications. I was really kind of looking for Dell vs. HP comments, but I was also curious to see what brands people liked and what types of computers they used. I also wanted to make sure I was getting the right specifications for 64-bit Windows Vista.

@ragingloli

Yeah, it’s not bad. Perfectly valid competitor. I’d just rather have the HDX 16t.

If you go with the mainstream brands (HP, Dell, etc) you aren’t going to get anything out of the ordinary. They won’t be bad, they won’t be great. The battery might last a year, the computer itself might last a little longer. There is nothing significant that separates any of the major computer conglomerates.

By the way, how does this look any different than this, this. or this?

@Ivan

For the record, I really don’t use the battery much. I know I will be using it more in college most likely, but I can also order a better battery separate, even if it does stick out more, I’m not really going to care if it doesn’t have to be on the laptop all the time. My current laptop has lasted 2 and a half years so far and really nothing is wrong with it other than that it is old and worn out (keys rubbing off) and doesn’t do as much as I want it to do.

And yes, they are similar. But the HDX 16t still looks the best out of all of those. Some of those also didn’t seem to have thumbprint-readers. That’s something I’m really looking forward to.

This was inspired by hearing bad comments about HP/Dell in comparison with each other and I wanted to know if one of them was known for being better than the other. It doesn’t really seem like it; that made the choice easier. I was skeptical of Dell because my brother bought a brand-new Dell and it crapped out after a month. I didn’t want that to happen to mine.

I was just commenting on the aesthetics of them, not their features.

@Ivan

The point is that my laptop is essentially my life along with my iPhone and digital camera. But to be honest, the laptop is more important than those two. Think about how much time I spend on the internet and just using my computer. It’s really important to me that I get a laptop that I really want. I don’t want to settle for less or one that just doesn’t interest me as much. I found one that I really want and I think it’s going to be really cool and I plan on using it for a while. And I know some people just think I’m a spoiled brat. I’ve been dealing with that my entire life, believe me. But I don’t ask for everything I want nor do I want to get everything I want, if that makes any sense. In the case of laptops, however, it’s different. Laptops are what I do. They’re central to my writing, my music, the internet, social networking, my photography and photo-editing, my Google Earth-usage, everything. I find laptops to be fun. I want the one that I’m interested in the most. And don’t think I just found the HP right off the bat and that was it. I looked at a lot of different ones. But this one stood out more.

@Dansedescygnes

I spend a ridiculous amount of time on my computer. I primarily use my desktop. It’s a 3 and half year old HP that was middle-of-the-road when I bought it at $700. It’s fast, reliable, and it does absolutely everything I would ever need it to do. I’m not one of those people who say “Why do you need a good computer? All you need it for is the internet anyways!” I always keep up to date with the newest gadgets and computers, and I always like to have the latest and greatest. But I am also someone who can judge value. If I need a computer to do 10 things, and I can get a computer that does those 10 things for $700, I see no reason to spend $2000 on a computer that does 15 things. Sure, those extra 5 things would be nice, but the value just isn’t there.

@Ivan

I know, but I just think differently than you. And like I said, if money was an issue, then I wouldn’t insist on this laptop. And I know that computers I may get in the future may not be able to have all those features or look as nice as I want. But for now, since it can happen, I want it to. I want to make the most out of college; I’ve been looking forward to this for too long.

Let me just say this. I was in a similar situation as you a few months ago. My parents decided that they were going to pitch in and buy me a laptop for Christmas/birthday. They gave me a budget of $1000 and left it up to me to decide which one I wanted. I chose a $350 netbook, and that makes me feel good.

@Ivan

And that’s good. But my dad allowed $3000. And I don’t have anything else to spend it on; this is the biggest and most important thing.

@Dansedescygnes why don’t you call yourself Lelacdescygnes anymore?

@ragingloli

Because I wanted the “D” to be more prominent, since that’s the first letter of my first name (and middle name). I suppose I just wanted to try something new. But it’s still similar to my old name.

I didn’t spend the remaining $650

Here’s what you should do. Spend more than most people would ever pay for a laptop, like $1400, then donate the remaining $1600 to One Laptop Per Child so that they can buy 8 laptops to poor children in developing nations.

@Ivan

Oh, it’s going to be more than $1400, that’s for shizzle…lol

And I’m sure my parents have donated to stuff like that before. My dad used to be a field engineer for a global energy/telecommunications company (many years ago) and he traveled to Africa several times and I’ve been to Kenya with my family, in 2006.

The part I don’t understand is why ask for others opinions if you have already made up your mind?!

@ckinyc

I hadn’t made up my mind when I asked the question. I was deciding between the Dell Studio XPS 16 and the HP HDX16t and was looking for Dell vs. HP comments, but it seems as if they are actually pretty similar. I already explained that, actually. I also wanted to make sure I was getting the right specifications to go along with 64-bit Windows Vista.

@ragingloli: i love guu!

serious face; doll face; serious face; dance

la lalalalala

Whatever you do…. stay AWAY from Panasonic Toughbooks. We have tons of them at work (army) and they’re awful.

Otherwise, Dell has a few solid builds, and a cheap HP is good for homework and internet. Just don’t buy more than you need, (lightscribe is usually worthless unless you really plan on burning that many personalized dvd/cds in an age where thumbdrives are the new medium of transport.

@jaketulane

I actually do organize all of my non-classical music on mix CDs. I’ve made 23 so far and they just keep coming. So I plan on making my new ones with those kinds of labels. And yeah, this question is kind of outdated now because I already handed my dad the order. With $370 of protection plan, the HDX 16t ended up costing $2871, but my dad was able to get $400 off, so a final price of $2471. I’m so excited…!

He’s not going to order it until later because it’s supposed to be a graduation gift and besides, I don’t want to be tempted to use it until the summer; I don’t want it to get too much usage before college.