11 replies to this topic

[Hergiswi]

I can only lie to myself for so long, and my collection of half-functional computers is quickly proving to be ineffective. My main Acer laptop has stopped turning on entirely, my old Dell is too slow (and old) to accomplish much of anything, and my Toshiba Satellite is overheating and giving me blue screens of death. I'm at a point in time where I need to consider investing in a brand new laptop to ensure that I can actually use the damn thing.

 

I don't have a lot of money (I have no job and I need to start paying my own rent next month), but I definitely need at least a quad core. Other specifications aren't very important to me (other than having a DVD drive, decent sound card, etc., just standard things). I know that most laptops come with Windows 8 now, but I need one where I can install Fedora and a small partition for Windows 7.

 

If you guys have any suggestions, please let me know. I'm also looking on my own but I'd love to hear your experiences and thoughts.

 

P.S. No Macs

[Magi_Hero]

Lenovo or HP.

 

I use the HP Probook 4415s for work and it runs great. I do clean it up monthly though.

[LinktheMaster]

I'll also voice for Lenovo.  Last I knew, they were the number 1 selling laptop brand, and for good reason.  Their stuff tends to be pretty sturdy, especially if you go for their Thinkpad lines.  They also don't put as much bloatware on their stuff as most other companies.

 

Outside of that, I feel that the super cheap companies tend to be roughly the same in quality.  Dell, HP, Toshiba, etc.  You get some models of each brand that are good, some models of each brand that are awful.

[Dawnlight]

I personally love the HP Envy dv6 series:

http://www.tigerdire...p?EdpNo=7407714

 

But if you're looking for something cheaper, then I would recommend the HP Probook 4540s, but this is more intended for business/school use. Not much of a gaming laptop and unfortunately, no quad-core processor.

http://www.tigerdire...4206&CatId=4935 <- One special note about this laptop, it comes with recovery discs for both the OS and drivers which means you can clean install the OS on this laptop without worrying about bloatware.

Edited by Dawnlight, 16 May 2013 - 07:48 AM.

[Ventus]

I would say go with a laptop from Toshiba maybe from their Satellite line

(You know I don't even know if they have any other lines of laptops).

 

Toshiba makes some pretty good laptops, nice and sturdy. Hell I've used nothing but Toshiba laptops and they have been great for me.

 

Another I would say is Lenova, They have made some really nice laptops that are incredible, I know my cousin has one of the Thinkpads models and its pretty nice.

 

Edited by Ventus, 16 May 2013 - 09:31 AM.

[Nicholas Steel]

All I can say is don't get a Toshiba one. I helped my sister choose a laptop and we went with a Toshiba one and the battery died just outside of warranty (Or wasn't covered) so she had to have it connected to Mains power to use it. Eventually her BF got her a 3rd party replacement for it and that has been working fine for over a year now I think?

 

Also it has a really limited BIOS.

Edited by franpa, 16 May 2013 - 01:47 PM.

[Binx]

Personal opinion: They all suck equally, try to get whichever one has the most features you want for the cheapest price, regardless of brand. But for crying out loud, do not buy a used laptop. (PS: Nothing wrong with Toshibas in my experience. I've had mine for 2+ years, and it still works just fine, albeit with a busted screen, but that was my fault... at least I think it was. I went to sleep with it working fine, woke up, screen was busted. I think I punched it in my sleep or something).

[Hergiswi]

HP and Lenovo have been the two I've largely been considering (though unfortunately, Dawnlight, the ones you linked too are out of my price range). I'm not sure if I want to look into another Acer since mine so suddenly shit the bed, but I'm not necessarily opposed to it. I am, however, skeptical to look into another Toshiba, especially a Satellite. I'm not exaggering when I say that the one I have now is a fire hazard (the AC adapter is literally melting), and I've heard of a lot of other people having this problem as well.

 

To address your post Lineas, buying a used laptop is partially why I'm in this mess, so I'm definitely not doing that again. I also share the same sentiment as some of you in that laptops just don't seem to meet the standards we'd hope they would by now.

 

Also, does anyone know anything about Asus? I've heard they're good but I've never used one.

[Ventus]

Yeah Asus makes some pretty good stuff, though I never seen a laptop by them yet. I know they make them but me myself has never got a chance to play with one.

 

But I've heard they are pretty awesome.

[Dawnlight]

Asus pretty much exposes Apple for overpricing their products. If you wanted a Windows laptop that's the closest to the design of a Mac, Asus is your best bet.

[LinktheMaster]

Yeah.  ASUS is pretty good too from my experience.  I'd say my first pick would be Lenovo with ASUS in second.

[Anthus]

From my own experience, Lenovo seems to be the way to go. A good friend of mine also bought an ASUS and he was pretty happy with it. I've heard mixed things about Toshibas, HPs, and Dells.