Recommendation for a Note Book

[Wzierbovsky]

I've owned a Toshiba, Dell Inspiron, IBM, HP, and even imported a Sager; and currently now using an Acer Travelmate ultraportable.

Of the lot, in terms of build quality and reliability, IBM still tops my list, with the Sager a close behind. Their keyboards are unmatched. However, the IBM chassis design may not be as attractive as other competing models (if that sort of thing matters). A lot of folks also avoid Dell but I've had better luck; the build quality of their Inspiron line is not that great, but I've owned one and used another over an extended period of time - and neither gave me issues.

But rather than provide detailed model recommendations on my part, here're some tips since you're a first-time notebook buyer:

- For the kind of uses you listed, 2K is more than enough for you to get a suitable machine with better specs than you need. However, the ones you'd be looking at will likely be their student and homeuser range rather than the business lines.

- It will be worthwhile to shop around for the best deal you can get once you've identified a model. The price differential can be as high as $50 to $100 a shop depending on custom configurations, particularly the size of the harddrive and RAM.

- Remember to take your time to inspect for faulty pixels. Not every shop will allow you to do this, so I always inquire at the shop if I'm serious about a purchase. If they don't allow you to do this, then IMO take your business elsewhere. It's not worth the risk nor the heartbreak when you bring it back home, and see a bright green spot in the middle of the LCD. This is also one reason why folks also avoid Dell, because you cannot inspect the unit you're getting beforehand, and there have been stories of week long delays in shipment after payment.

- For the kind of uses you've listed, a dedicated graphics card isn't absolutely necessary. An integrated solution will do just fine. More RAM will give your notebook a better overall system boost.

Lastly, a quick word about Acer Travelmate 3001. I've had my Acer for a year now and it travels out of country with me. I've not had hardware issues with it yet. I do have some gripes about their provided software solutions though, but for its price point and configuration I got, on balance it's been a worthwhile investment.

Good luck in your hunt.

[bclee]

I have used Compaq, IBM, Fujitsu and Apple. IBM notebook is the only one that gave me trouble... hardware issue, having to change the motherboard. Same problem with my colleagues. It was a company issued notebook. Shortly after that, my company IT switched to Compaq and Toshiba.

That was my previous company. My current company also switched from IBM to Fujitsu 2+ years ago. Many complaints about IBM notebooks, but so far none as far as I know for Fujitsu's.

Just too many IBM lemons to my liking...

BC

[anttz]

Thanks for the tips Wzierbovsky.

Benny, Company still using IBM. The notebook is 7-8 yrs old.

[rtcc86]

Wah, thanks for the many info.

Toshiba have got spare part problem ah? How about Fujitsu or Acer?

http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Eco....do?series=S62

What do you guy think about Fujitsu S6240? Should be good enough for my usage.

Fujitsu lappys are good and i dont think spare part problems are issues for toshiba,fujitsu and acer as they have support centres in SG. Whereas for Dell, their support centre is in KL. anyway, it depends on ur budget. but if i had the cash, i'll get a fujitsu anytime

[Wzierbovsky]

The Fujitsu notebooks on display at those shops have a pretty nifty screensaver, that's for sure. A while ago, I actually hunted around for a similar screensaver to run non-Fujitsu notebooks but couldn't find any heh.

I wanted to add another note on reliability. IMO, it's a hit and miss thing. I had a colleague who owned two ACERs, both of which whose harddrives failed within the first month of operation. Another colleague with a Fujitsu says he will never buy another Fujitsu again. Years ago, a student of mine worked in IBM servicing, and he had some stories to tell about a batch whose keyboards failed. Horror stories also abound for Dell on their support forums. And funnily, it was my HP ultraportable Omnibook that survived a two feet drop from my table.

Put in another way, the general consumer notebook isn't made for definitive reliability. As long as one recognizes this and can live with the level of risk, then IMO, one mainsteam brand of notebook is as good as the next, putting aside chassis design, cost and configurations.

What may finally be more important, as a notebook buyer, is the warranty and convenience of support. If you can and the shop supports it, do remember to go for the extended warranty.

[cs_sg]

A few of my classmates are using the Dell700. I tried and liked it.
That's my next notebook to replace the 3yrs old Toshiba I'm using now.
As we all spend quite a bit of time on the computer, then get a Toshiba if you can.

I supposed you have to see if you like the feel of the notebook too.

If portability is what you are looking for. I would recommend that.

[Goondoo]

After working in the IT industry for few years, mainly desktop support environment. I would say every brand available had been badly complained. Just simply some company prefer this over that.
Most of the complains are user problem to be fair, intentionally/unintentionally installing software are major causes leading to complains, fail to shut down properly, there is a time that even viral infection is a IBM laptop's fault.
Most users are ignorance of how the HARDWARE really work.
Hard disk are not made by the laptop brands, during support days, the few reputable HDD brands are IBM, Quantum, Seagate, Fujitsu, Maxtor, Western Digital etc and all brands have a fair share of DOA (dead on arrival) or crashing prematurely.
The bottom line is when buying a electronic device, be it Plasma TV, Fridge, X-box etc, it is mainly luck. I do agree the QC play a huge part but most reputable brands are quite thoroughly "burnt in" before they actually deliver it, be it made in China, Taiwan, Indon or Japan.
Next, its the "support" that matters. Some laptop are cheap, but service is super expensive, parts hard to find (I got a friend whom bought a not so reputable laptop brand and wait 4 months for the parts), some laptops are expensive but comes with good support.
Some points to watch out for about the warranty would be carry-in/onsite, turn around time, where is the support centre, warranty/cost of parts etc.

The reason I chose Dell is simple, I have an ex-colleague that bought a Dell laptop about 3 yrs ago (during that time), the CD-rom failure and Dell replace him with a new Laptop because they no longer carry stock for that model (though my friend lost that laptop not long after ). To me, its a good support reputation. I had also spoken to some of my ex-client using Dell from PDA to servers, whole office using Dell, they had good feed back on Dell services. Dell have strong local marketing as well. I have been eyeing on the same series, 700m since its launch, but I always felt Dell is a "not so good brand". My friend was looking for a small form factor, budgetted laptop (shes an insurance agent), I recommended and she bought it herself at the IT show and she loves it. I introduced it again to my other friend who felt its good as well. After which my wife took up her part time studies and wanted a laptop for her school. We got the later version which is the 710m. Battery life not that impressive, because I didnt opt for the "extended battery". Nothing really to boast about but I like the small form factor and a pretty low price.

As mentioned earlier, regardless which laptop you buy, always extend the warranty to the longest possible. Most of the spare parts cost ALOT more when needed to be replaced. One of my friend spend about $800 replacing his LCD after he dropped it accidentally. Mine is drop-free, I purchase the warranty package that covers spills and drop accident.

Sorry for the long post.


PS: This is the first Dell Laptop I had purchase base on what I think is more important. For you case, it all depends on what you think is the priority.

[Simon]

sometimes, its just plain unlucky. No brand is trouble-free or perhaps no problem to your's doesn't mean the same to everyone else. Most important is still your budget and the pros and cons (like battery life, heat buildup). Don't really believe in a single 'best' brand. Also, individual usage and handling affects the machine which might inturn result in faulty/damage/problematic machines. Even 2 system of the same configuration with the same software and usage still yield different results. Back to the topic

The only thing I dislike about acer is the location of the fan, don't understand why they have to place it on the right side when I always like my mouse to be there and also heating problems, so if you intend to get an acer, make sure you use it in a well-ventilated place. In terms of slim-ness, it has to be fujitsu. But I personally prefer Sony vaio and Ibook design. One of those will most likely to be my future lappy, if I ever need one for my studies in the future. Another brand you might want to consider is Asus, heard that they are involved in designing for the major laptop brands. There are almost value for money with Acer. So far, I have used Acer, my girlfriend's Sony vaio, benny's IBM, my brother's ibook and powerbook, and I like the feel on the Sony, apple and IBM

[anttz]

Agreed with you guys. It depends on your luck when buying not only PC but also any other electronic goods. I have two cheapo DVD players which I bought 5 years back for around $50 each. Both are still in good working condition.

Will remember to extend the warranty period as long as possible.

Thanks for all the info.