Looking to buy a new laptop...need opinions

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01bluecls

New member
Hey all, Im looking to upgrade my computer in the next few weeks, more specifically a new laptop. I will be using it at school (for one year) then mainly a home computer. Im looking to spend 1200-1500. I have been told by my parents who have had many different types of computers to look at mainly Dell and Sony Vaio. Main purposes of the computer will be used for gaming (first person shooters like counter strike), photos, music, and general school stuff. I would say gaming (graphics, speed, etc.) will be my main concern as everything else is pretty easy to satisfy. Im looking to stay around a 15.4 inch screen mainly for mobility and decent sized gaming screen.



These two are the best choices I have come up with so far...



Sony: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11119355&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=



Dell: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11123112&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=



I guess if anyone has any expierences with these brands or any others, please feel free to share. The Sony looks more "gaming" friendly with a better video card but I guess I could always upgrade the video card. I like the fact that the Dell has 4 usb ports while the sony only has 2. Everything else looks pretty equal. Any comments??
 
I bought one at Best Buy, They have unadvertised model closeouts, which may work for you.



it was a Compaq 2585US, which i thought had one of the strongest cases for what was available at that price around $800.



Its not the greatest, but works good.



Specs: 7.5 lbs, Intel 2.8 GHz , 512 MB DDR SDRAM , 60 GB IDE , 15 in TFT active matrix , 1 Lithium ion , Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
 
I would look at IBM thinkpads - they have a great educational discount in their online store. I have a T-series and I love it.
 
Take a look over at apple.com or if there is a apple store near you. The new MacBooks are out now. I have a Sony Vaio which I purchased fall of 2005, I will be replacing this with one of the MacBooks in fall of 2006...They are great computers! And simply beautiful
 
I've owned a Compaq and an HP laptop. The Compaq was so bad I considered ordering a custom Pizza box to have on hand for sending it off for the next repair...... I wouldn't have to wait for them to send me one.



BOTH crapped out shortly after warranty. The Compaq was stomped into oblivion by an irate owner :p . The HP was repaired (again) and given away.



After some research I went with Toshiba. Reliability was tops on my list and this brand seemed to fill the bill.



I have two Toshibas......one is 5 years old and still works perfectly other than the battery crapping out (Nicad). The other is 3 years old and has suffered no problems whatsoever. The battery still works well (li-ion).



I'll stick with Toshiba.
 
You know which one I am going to choose --- SONY LOL. I have used SONY over the past 6 years exclusively (because I get them at cost through our sister company sony electronics, I'm with sony pictures) and I can tell you out of the 5 I have owned in that time I have not had any problems with any of them. You are right in that SONY is a bit more gaming friendly and my kid does like it (sony) over the dell for that purpose alone -- I personally don't do the comp game thing...too busy playing with my polishers haha.



I have also had about 3 dell laptops and ony had a modem problem with one. From what my kid says the Dell can perform as good as the sony for gaming but you have to order some part or piece or maybe it was upgrade a part or piece on the Dell I don't know, it may have been the video card.....who knows.



Well I hope this helps you in your search.
 
If you're choosing between just those two, the Sony wins no contest for gaming. It's difficult to upgrade a video card in a laptop.
 
Gaming abilities aside....which between Sony and Dell do you all think will be more reliable? I mean I don't expect to upgrade again for another 3-5 years, so I want it to last at least that long without giving me problems.
 
I would stay away from the Dell Insipiron laptops, personally. Their build quality is really sub-par. Their latitudes are much more solidly built. I only have had one Dell laptop, and the motherboard died after about a year and a half. When I searched online, I found that this was a pretty common problem. I also have quite a few friends with Dell laptops, and people have had a lot more problems that I would have expected.



I know you weren't thinking of an apple, but I agree with the Macbook suggestion. They have impressive specs, with the exception of the integrated graphics, and I think that will be my next laptop. If gaming is important, the integrated graphics might be a deal-breaker, though. Macbook Pro sounds like it's out of your price range.



Sooo... if you're deciding between Dell and Sony, I'd upgrade to the latitude, instead of the Inspiron line, or go with the Sony (never had a sony laptop, but did have a sony desktop, and had no problems with it).
 
Sony's are better built than the Dells with the Lenovo/IBM's being excellent. If you're planning on gaming, definately get a dedicated video card, the Integrated Graphics aren't great.



I currently have a Dell Inspiron 6000D and I've had to have the keyboard replaced (which they sent next day), otherwise I haven't had any problems. For the price and the features you get (especially when there's a good coupon), Dell can't be beat. Quality-wise, they could be alot better. The newer models have been better, but still nowhere near as good as the Thinkpads.
 
Appreciate all the feedback!!! Lots of good info! Im still torn, my Girlfriend just ordered a 14" inch screen dell laptop. I think I might just go the Sony route for the sake of having a different computer. The search continues!
 
It appears looking at the two choices i came up with (i may be reading it wrong), the sony does not have a DVD burner and the dell does?? That's kind of a big option IMO. Looks like I might have to flex to 1500 for a Sony in order to get pretty much everything I want.
 
Purely on the ZOOT factor....Ilike the Acer Ferrari edition. Loads of Carbon Fiber and some decent performance. I have one for when I got to client meetings (non-detailing related). Prospective clients love it. Don't use it for what I actually do for them.
 
tkr128 said:
I currently have a Dell Inspiron 6000D and I've had to have the keyboard replaced (which they sent next day), otherwise I haven't had any problems.
Click to expand...



Interestingly enough I had the same experience this week. Press the D key and an A would appear. The keyboard wasn't hard to change and they got it to me in 2 days. All is well again.
 
IBM/Lenovo all the way, very reliable. I get a employee discount too, so that helps :).



Never had a Sony, but stay the heck away from anything else (Dell, HP, Gateway, etc.). The screens on those laptops crap out within a few years.

Most of my sister's entire law school class bought a Dell laptop from the school, some sort of special. Well, nearly EVERY laptop died (hard disk crash, screen dies, etc.) during their last year at school. Go figure. The screen on my wife's and many other friends' Dell laptop died too.



My old IBM Thinkpad A21e from 6 years ago still works great. Right now I have a T40 from work and it's solid.
 
Yeah, the thinkpads are great, but more expensive. I've had several thinkpads for work, and never had any problems with any of them. And they get a *lot* more abuse than my home laptops have (traveling, toting around to meetings, etc...). Definitely good quality laptops.
 
I have to have a windows o/s as I use my laptops for business apps - I build reporting mechanisms for large databases. I've been using dell for years and have generally had good experiences. I agree with the latitude over inspiron opinion; they're simply more robust and travel well. I've never had a screen failure, but I replaced multiple motherboards on an inspiron I had a while back - all under warranty, as was a hd I had to replace in a catastrophic failure on the same box. I'm not a gamer, but I am a power user.



that said, sonys are beautiful but I've not owned one. folks I encounter in business who have used thinkpads refuse to give them up, so there's got to be something to that considering the crowd with whom I hang in business. I'm still liking my little d610, but it's loaded with ram and disc and communications hw. if you're a gamer, you need to look for cpu clock speed, physical memory, and video.



frankly, I've always had a particular fondness for macs as it's taken a dozen years of hw advances for a pc to approach their inherent multi-threaded performance. I think that would be my choice, but I'm biased.
 
Looking at the IBM Thinkpads, they seem pricey, out of my price range at least. Im thinking of customizing a Sony Vaio, my dad currently has one and he is an electronics expert!
 
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