(no subject)

[trinityvixen]

Hardware Wars:

I am thinking of getting a new laptop. Mine will be four years old come this summer, and it's being a bastard about the plug thing again. I wanted to wait and put it off till like I went back to school, but this is getting near to ridiculous. So I intend to spend the next few months researching computers.

The post doc at my lab is bugging me to get an Apple. I am resistant only because I am not ready to make the switch at this time. I'll need massive amounts of convincing, especially if it means not being able to play all my favorite old computer games and the like.

So, sound off, geeks of my f'list. What computer company owns your loyalty?

Comments

[hslayer.livejournal.com]

Depends on your budget and needs. I often recommend Acer if your budget is tight, though Dell has also introduced some nice low-cost laptops lately. If money is no object, you can get a Sony. Most people know I wouldn't touch Apple with a 10-foot pole, mainly for the software-compatibility issue you mention, but also because I think they're style-over-substance and thus overpriced. Gateway, Toshiba, and Lenovo (what was IBM's line) are also good. From what I've heard, Compaq and HP range from garbage to mediocre.

[linaerys.livejournal.com]

Dell has never fucked me too badly. El Penguin is a fan as well. Refurbished Dells are mucho power for not too much $$.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Erm... I actually have a copy of Hardware Wars, if you ever want to see it.

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

The original or the remastered edition? I have the original :)

[(Anonymous)]

The re-mastered, with all new not-so-special effects!

[teneda.livejournal.com]

I got my laptop from Dell about a year ago, and I haven't had any issues at all.

Brand new, she cost me about $1,200 including shipping.

[mephistakitten.livejournal.com]

My laptop is from Sager, which is one of the many brands that uses Acer parts. (Alienware is another.) I got my computer through the reseller PCTorque. They are good, and they have a 24 hour hotline staffed by a real american geek.

My laptop is a very nice piece of hardware, but it has issues. Specifically motherboard/video card/heat issues. It seems like you can get a good board or a bad board... I've had three motherboards in the laptop so far, and this one hasn't fried ... yet.

Make sure you get the longest warranty humanly possible.

Sony Vaios are very sleek, but pricey.

Check out www.notebookforums.com ... they have forums about every major manufacturer of laptop out there!

If I could do it again... probably another Sager, but I'd be careful about the trying to cram too much awesome hardware into a laptop case issue.

It also depends what you want in it... do you want it to sit on your desk all the time, or do you want to be able to carry it around easily? The tradeoff is big display/power vs. light and easy to carry. Macs have the prettiest hardware, and give you nice and big screen for not that many pounds.

[bigscary.livejournal.com]

apple. The games you play are currently generally emulable on the new macs.

[xannoside.livejournal.com]

What do you need? It sounds so far like:

1. Play your old video games, but not new games
2. Play music and movies
3. Internet fun
4. Occasionally work.

Just about any computer company can fulfill that, though Apple can't cover the game part without a lot more money (unless you forsake all your old games and play WoW and Starcraft and Warcraft 3 ;) )

It sounds like you won't need more than a all-around machine. Not too budget, not too gimmicky, not too desktop-replacement.

Unless the last 4 years have changed your mind, HP, Acer, and Dell are all really good for this, with quality highest on the left and cost lowest on the right.

Toshiba laptops are phenomenal, but expensive, and occasionally a design may have heating issues from all the stuff they cram in.

Alienware is even more expensive.

Gateway has better desktop and tower solutions than laptops.

Apple is expensive, and the effort to make your software compatible is unlikely to be worth 300 more dollars (otherwise I would say get an Apple :P )

Lenovo is good, though more slated to business, and slightly pricey.

Check out www.pcmag.com, they have really good reviews for budget and medium-range laptop models.

[teneda.livejournal.com]

Pooch is right. Unless you're going to go extreme gamer, you don't really need a system the has that many bells and whistles. Apple (while great, because there are fewer viruses and popups) are cool things, but not really worth the extra money in programs and such JUST to run windows stuff.

I thought about getting a powerbook before I got my laptop, but looking at the prices scared me off. and then figuring in the cost of all the software they (and ONLY they) have for you to do anything, was what killed the mac-lust for me.

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

Did you hear about Dell acquiring Alienware?

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

I was not overly impressed by Gateway. It's not spawn-of-Satan or anything, but given my experience vs. my brother and my parents, Dell's stuff holds up better.

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

I agree with most of the posts here. From personal experience: My Sony Vaio is wonderful, still works great after being smashed into a train. I've had few issues with my Toshibas. With HP it's mixed; my current desktop computer works flawlessly, but my old laptop had such severe overheating problems that the power cord melted, making it unusable.

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

I am fairly pleased with my laptop--if Dell is good enough for Lex Luthor and the folks on Stargate Atlantis team, it's good enough for me! Mine is also about a year old and only had that one problem with the screen, which was quickly remedied. In addition, I can probably use my employee discount (5-10%) if you buy a Dell.

I have also been happy with Toshiba and Fujitsu, but I have no idea what Fujitsu's like these days.

[slackwench.livejournal.com]

The software issue is no longer relevant. You can install Windows on new Apple laptops, although it requires a hack, so if you really need Windows only programs, you can dual boot. Alternately, now that they're Intel based, you can use Wine, which is the (fairly nice) Windows emulation environment developed for Windows. The claim that their hardware is out of date isn't even debatable anymore either. The MacBook uses a chipset (that's what ties everything together on the motherboard) which won't be available on PC laptops until the fall (this is why it requires a hack to put Windows on), and the latest mobile CPU from Intel (it's really fucking fast). If you compare the MacBook side by side with a Dell with as close to the same specs as I can make them, the Dell costs about $100 less. That's $100 on a $2k machine, and you're actually getting slightly better performance on the MacBook (newer chipset, small CPU speed bump).

The only PC laptop I would consider would be an IBM ThinkPad. Those things are built like tanks, and IBM's support is the best I've ever had to deal with on the PC side. I can't make any other arguments for them though, since they're more expensive than Dell or Acer, and not as good for games in general.

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

Are you kidding? I've heard of more problems with IBM Thinkpads than any other laptop. I'm currently working on one at my office, and it's cranky and likes to go into meltdown mode periodically. Flips itself off at random, etc. Not impressed at all.

[slackwench.livejournal.com]

When I was in charge of maintaining computers for a lab at Columbia, the only machines I would buy (as opposed to building) were from Apple and IBM. The IBMs worked great. Everyone I know personally who has one loves them, and the laptops are built like tanks. HOWEVER, these were all purchased before the Chinese bought IBMs PC division, so I can't speak for how well the new ones work.