# What brand name computer would you buy and why....



## Brian N.E Ohio (May 11, 2002)

I have several brands that keep popping up during my search Dell and Sony I have read over and over that they are constructed of better components. Is there any truth to it?

I am currently leaning towards a Sony first and Dell a close second. I am considering only laptops at this time.

Thanks
Brian


----------



## FD2N4P (May 10, 2007)

Dell have great on-line service, plus a good PC to boot!


----------



## Teresa S. (Mar 2, 2006)

I would have choosen two options, but couldn't. I choose dell but I also think that IBM are quality made machines. IBMs are a bit heavier than other notebooks, but they can handle the wear and tear.


----------



## TonyE (Aug 1, 2007)

I have a Gateway FX530 Desk Top and Lap Top PC's and a Dell PC, both I am very happy with...but no one can beat Dell's customer service!


----------



## donsgal (May 2, 2005)

I have owned Gateway, HP, Compaq and Dell laptops.

Although, I give DELL five stars for customer service - I mean the BEST customer service I have personally EVER experienced with a computer company. I do not like their computers much.

I really like HP, but their customer service sucks. It's a trade off, I guess. Either good service or good computer you cannot have both.

I have been told by someone who owned a SONY that it was the best computer he ever owned and that he would never buy anything else. He told me "Sony has been in the microprocessing industry longer than anyone else, even IBM" so undoubtedly, they would be the best. But their prices are higher than what I wanted to pay and I do not know what their customer service is like. I have also heard that Toshiba is good too, I have seen a Toshiba Tablet PC, and it seemed very nice. Again, I don't know about their customer service.

Next laptop will be and HP, I'm afraid. Hopefully, I will not have to deal with VISTA OS which I am dreading.

donsgal


----------



## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

Brian N.E Ohio said:


> I have several brands that keep popping up during my search Dell and Sony I have read over and over that they are constructed of better components. Is there any truth to it?


In recent years, I've repaired and/or upgraded several Dells of the consumer grade variety. For quality of parts and construction, I'd describe them as pretty much bottom of the barrel. I used to see worse stuff occasionally when I did it for a living, but even then it was unusual. I've heard Dell's business grade stuff is better, but I've never had the pleasure of checking it out personally.

I don't mean to knock Dell -- many manufacturers churn out low-end junk that's designed to sell as cheaply as possible, built just good enough that most of them will make it through warranty. In particular, the other popular favorite, HP, does it too. They'll keep making junk as long as people keep buying it. It's gotten so bad now that lots of folks have come to think a computer should only last a few years before it breaks and needs to be replaced.


----------



## TonyE (Aug 1, 2007)

This is true, it's cheaper to buy a new PC these days than to have one fixed! :doh:


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

It depends on whether you need customer service or not. If you don't need customer service then nothing matters except features and price. The fact is that all desktop computers use the same hardware anyway.

I remember years ago (early 1990s) a woman in charge of buying computers for a high school told me that she only bought IBM because by doing so the components were all IBM brand. She reasoned that if you tried to buy one brand of hard drive, another brand of processor, and still another brand of floppy drive that those components would probably never work well together.

I explained that IBM didn't make hard drives, processors, or floppy drives. Pointing to an open case, I showed her the fine print an "IBM" hard drive, indicating it was in fact a Seagate. Likewise I showed her an "IBM" floppy drive, that was in fact a Teac. Of course, the processor was an Intel brand. She acknowledged that they were made by other manufacturers, but since they all said "IBM" on them she was confident that those components were specially made for IBM with compatibility in mind.

Then I pointed out that I was there to get her "rock solid" IBM computers working again. I pointed out that the school paid a very high premium for IBM computers, but they still developed problems. She replied (beaming), "But just imagine the problems we would have if they WEREN'T IBMs!" She was an IBM incurable... (That poor high school)

The point I'm trying to make by telling that story is that outside of customer service, the machine itself doesn't matter. If you don't think you can take care of it yourself then get a Dell. Otherwise, get a generic computer from wherever the price is best (Fry's Electronics, geeks.com, tigerdirect.com, whatever).

One more thing, don't try to buy the latest and greatest computer in an attempt to make it so up to date that you'll never have to buy another computer in your lifetime. That's not going to happen. Even the most expensive machine is going to become outdated sooner than you think. Don't triple or quadruple the price of your computer just to put your mind at ease. I suggest getting a low-end dual core processor that will run Vista that isn't too expensive, staying low on the technology curve. Let someone else pay for the technology, then upgrade your mainboard & processor for ~$100 in a year or two with what's the most expensive today. You'll be way ahead of the game by doing that.


----------



## LamiPub (Nov 10, 2006)

Interestingly I came on here to ask the same question...*what is the best laptop computer for the $*? I just bought a Sony laptop today, took it home, and it kept messing up. I put it in the car in the box, drove home with it safely in the front seat floor, brought it in and took it out of the box. Plugged it in and got to step 2 and it froze up on me, twice! The third try while talking to the store I couldn't even get it to bring up a game.  I am taking it back Wed. when I go back into town. I had the store check it out and load it with the spyware/antivirus etc (which btw was a 2 and half hour wait!) and they never mentioned any problem. I don't know if it is the brand or I just got some lemon with a glitch in it but was very frustrated when it's an hour drive to town and I get home and it doesn't work. I know I sound like a baby but I want to cry. I was hoping to get some advice from laptop computer experts on here so when I go in Wednesday I get a good laptop.


----------



## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

YOur poll has compac, its compaq and they are now owned by HP.


----------



## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

It depends should have been a poll option. What laptop I would choose would depending on who and how someone is going to use it. For the average home user who laptop will spend most of the time and home and doesnt get hauled around much, About any laptop will do. If your doing a lot of travel then a GOOD business class unit is needed.If portability is the main goal then Sony is the winner, built for rough use then Toshibia toughbooks or Fujitsu


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

LamiPub said:


> Interestingly I came on here to ask the same question...*what is the best laptop computer for the $*?


Laptops are a different animal from desktops. In reality they should all be fine, but some are easier to work on than others. Dells are good machines (my old laptop was a Dell). I'm using a second hand Compaq laptop right now. I gave my girlfriend a Sony last year and she loves it. Just so the features meet your needs and and it works well.

It sounds like your machine either has a bad fan or a bad mainboard. Take it back and exchange it, you got a lemon. But for the most part Sony laptops are good machines.


----------



## Rascal (Oct 18, 2007)

I thought this was about desktops, haven't had a lap top


----------



## donsgal (May 2, 2005)

Nevada said:


> The point I'm trying to make by telling that story is that outside of customer service, the machine itself doesn't matter. If you don't think you can take care of it yourself then get a Dell. Otherwise, get a generic computer from wherever the price is best (Fry's Electronics, geeks.com, tigerdirect.com, whatever).


The components may be the same but the configuration is not! I was VERY ANGRY AND UPSET when I ordered my last Dell laptop only to discover that there was no internal microphone! This meant that I could not record anything from the sound card. Perhaps this would not matter to many people, but I like to download talk radio shows and record them to CDs so that I can listen to them while driving in areas that you cannot get radio at. 

When I discovered this I called Dell and they told me that my model did not have a internal microphone. This information was not mentioned in the specifications of the computer when I ordered it online. It really ticked me off. So I have to keep my OLD laptop handy in case I want to record something. None of the previous laptops had this issue - they ALL had internal microphones, so it never occurred to me to ask this specific question when ordering. 

donsgal


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

donsgal said:


> I was VERY ANGRY AND UPSET when I ordered my last Dell laptop only to discover that there was no internal microphone!


Well, it is the buyer's responsibility to select a machine with the features he needs. Unless they misrepresented the the features you really didn't have a bone to pick with them.


----------



## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

IBM and HP business class systems - reliability, durability and great support - and you know they'll be around for many years to come. Unfortunately, both are more pricey than consumer grade systems - neither are "cheap".


----------



## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

harware wise all computers use components supplied by common vendors at times.

The box build plant I worked for contracted with 5 of the biggest names to build computers and components. We often swapped build component from the HP line over to the dell line and vice versa.

Once we had 50,000 PCs on ship hold awaiting modems that came from France. At lunch one night I mentioned to an enginer in our plant housed in the north end of or 3 city block campus only to find out that his component line built the modems to sea train to France and figured out they were the same ones France sea trained to us on the south end of the plant campus 3 months later.

He and I got our division bosses to sort it out with the customer and started delivery of the modems via fork lift , reducing the end use cost of the modem by 70%.

So its not so much the hardware as it is the hardware configuration and the software loads to consider when selecting any computer for your application.

The innards are often identical.

Once acer couldn't supply the special fit main boards we required, but could put us in contact with their division that manufactured the multi-layer cards.

We purchased bare cards and contracted with another mainboard manufacturer to special build our required acer special fit boards in their facility so w could produce laptops to fill a contract for yet another name brand we contracted box build with :shrug: 

My experience with the "mix and match production sector" has left me in the perspective to always buy the least expensive retail brand available , say pshaw to warrenty coverage and customize the hardware and load my desired O/S to meet my own needs.


----------



## jefferson (Nov 11, 2004)

Since my retirement, I have owned dozens of computers. I love the Thinkpad by Ibm. They just feel good. (Although, I never bought a NEW one). I like to tinker and my desktops are a jumble of everything with everything I can cram in the box. The laptops present a challenge in the way I have to open them up. I agree with Tony e above. I always recommended my customers to buy new if repair cost approached 50% of replacement.


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

LBM sold that Hard Drive Division to Hitachi a few years ago. Thos emcro hard drives that are in the Ipods etc. Now Hitachi is also thinking hard about their Hard drive Divsion that they bought from IBM~! Still will suppport the micro mini drives but that maybe about it.


> Hitachi may try to dump hard drive division
> Posted Jan 14th 2008 5:40PM by Brian White
> Filed under: Hitachi,Ltd ADR (HIT)
> 
> Hitachi (NYSE: HIT) made a bold move in 2002 when it purchased IBM (NYSE: IBM)'s hard drive business for $2 billion. At the time, the hard drive industry was in a profit funk and IBM was looking to exit the hardware business. It eventually sold its PC division to Chinese company Lenovo to complete its exit from hardware. Five years later, Hitachi probably wishes it had never gotten into hard drives.


http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/01/14/hitachi-may-try-to-dump-hard-drive-division/


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

I voted Other because the ones you listed are ALL IBM Clones, everyone of them, You did not list Apple (MAC)
I started out on a MAC Power PC for many years at work I could even Program it.
Then at home I first went with an H-P, had that for 6 years, Now I am on a 6 years old DELL.
The next computer I get might just be an MAC~!!


----------



## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

I voted for Acer. I haven't checked lately, but when I bought my Acer it was the only computer that came with a 3 year guarentee. I figured that if they had that much faith in their product I'd give it a shot. It's been a great computer for several years.

I like my HP too. After 7 years the only problem is the fan went out. When I put a new fan in it, it'll keep going and going. 

DD had a Dell and had nothing but trouble from it. Maybe hers was a lemon.

My desktop is an old Compaq and it still works great. Slow as molassas, but it works.


----------



## mlangfus (Jan 29, 2008)

I have a Toshiba Satellite. No problems. Great machine.


----------



## DanCurrier (Feb 8, 2008)

As a computer gamer, who frequently goes to LAN parties, your best bet would be to get a custom made computer, as they are generally just as good, without paying for the name just be sure to get a REAL version of an O.S

but if your looking for a brand name computer, may I suggest alienware?

this depends on your budget, but the computers are very beautiful, and from my experience work pretty well, I am however unsure of the customer service.

I have bought a dell in the past, as well as my mom, and we both have had problems with them.

As far as what Nevada was saying they are correct on not buying the top of the line, as what is top of the line this week, will without a doubt not be the best computer in a month or two.


----------



## RainyDay (Feb 11, 2008)

I chose Dell. They have awesome tech support! Their hardware isn't bad either. I've had this Dell for 7 years, and has NEVER had any hardware issues! It came with windows 2k pro. Over the years, I have added a new hard-drive (90gb), new processor (PIIII), and the original cd drive with a dvd drive. Sure, I might have been better off to just get a new system, but I don;t see the point if my current system works fine. When XP came out, I upgraded it to XP, and now it is running Vista. I still get tech support for this pc.


----------

