Top Laptop Brands: Ranking the Best for Your Needs

[r3dxP]

Which brand of laptop is, for your sake, ranked 1, 2, 3?

My opinion:
1)IBM
2)Dell
3)Toshiba
4)ibook(apple)

 

[PerennialII]

2)Dell

Especially the precision series.

 

[graphic7]

ibook, definitely. Very solid notebook with a very solid, UNIX-like OS.

 

[Problem+Solve=Reason]

Dell makes a good laptop. Same with IBM, but I would have to rank Dell above IBM because of it's features. You basically get more for your money with Dell.

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity
--Albert Einstein

 

[dduardo]

I would go with Apple, but that is because I don't really use windows.

For a windows pc I would go with dell

 

[Gonzolo]

I have chosen HP.

 

[The_Professional]

IBM laptop

Pros - Great performance, embedded security features (locks your data, helping to provide user authentication and data protection) The ability to recover your files with the push of a button. Hard drive braces for impact if you drop it.

Cons - Can get very expensive, especially when you go the thin and light route. Not for gaming

Dell

Pros - Great performance, cheaper, can withstand the occassional bumps, very reliable, you get a mousepad and a trackball.

Cons - Dvd playback can be jerky at times

 

[Lyuokdea]

I would definitely recommend against dell laptops, I am known as a kind of computer guru around the dorm, and so I get a lot of help requests, I've seen dells fail a ridiculous number of times, I think in the past month, in a dorm of like 80 people, probably 30-40 have dells and I think there have been like 6-7 hard drives failed, most of the problems have seemed to be on the 5150 series, I'm not sure if the problem leaks over to other dell models, and also know that the test isn't large enough to be overly significant, but personally, dell does a very bad job of assembling computers. There are quite a few more stories I could tell about other junk dell computers which I've seen in the past.

On the other hand dell repair will send you a new drive pretty quick, and replacing new drives is kind of a snap, but you do have to talk to some random indian for like 5 hours first.

IBM is definitely the best of any model you posted, however, they are also by far the most expensive. If you like OS X, the Macs aren't a bad way to go, I've repaired one here with a really weird battery problem, but it was fixed relatively quickly by apple and I consider it to be a weird glitch.

If you don't mind getting laptops from small non-notable companies, there are a lot of good things to be said about companies such as Sager www.powernotebooks.com[/url] and Uniwill [url]www.IBuyPower.com/[/URL] both websites are for resellers of the Sager and Uniwill models, not the actual companies. I currently own an IbuyPower S-Turbo Series of the Uniwill model, very nice laptop and I've had no problems with it since i got it in August.

~Lyuokdea

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Toshiba makes some great laptops imo

 

[hitssquad]

IBM laptop

Pros - Great performance, embedded security features (locks your data, helping to provide user authentication and data protection) The ability to recover your files with the push of a button. Hard drive braces for impact if you drop it.

Cons - Can get very expensive, especially when you go the thin and light route. Not for gaming

Another con for IBM laptops might be that they no longer exist.
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/comp.sys.laptops/search?group=comp.sys.laptops&q=ibm&qt_g=1

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I forget what company bought out the IBM PC, some chinese company. Maybe they will continue to carry the laptops.

 

[hitssquad]

I forget what company bought out the IBM PC, some chinese company.

The link says, "Lenovo and IBM: how smart!"

Maybe they will continue to carry the laptops.

That's the plan - but when you buy an IBM laptop, you won't be getting an IBM laptop.

 

[hitssquad]

And, yes, Lenovo will be branding its computers "IBM," though IBM won't have anything to do with making them:
http://www.compliancepipeline.com/55301163

• Other solution providers hoped that the IBM-branded systems from Lenovo would benefit from reduced manufacturing costs that would make them a more aggressive player in the PC market.

 

[r3dxP]

Ah.. I liked my IBM thinkpad series with slackware on it, but i guess i won't be buying another thinkpad.. :-( Any suggestions on what brand i should get if I am planning on running linux on it?

Also, if you had money, would you think about getting an alienware Area51 ?

 

[graphic7]

Ah.. I liked my IBM thinkpad series with slackware on it, but i guess i won't be buying another thinkpad.. :-( Any suggestions on what brand i should get if I am planning on running linux on it?

Also, if you had money, would you think about getting an alienware Area51 ?

If you want something UNIX-like, go with an ibook. You'll have a solid FreeBSD foundation to boast.

 

[Anttech]

"I forget what company bought out the IBM PC, some chinese company. Maybe they will continue to carry the laptops."

I don't think they were bought out, AFAIK it was more like a statigic (or not so statigic, which is usually the case with IBM) partnership. IBM are trying to focus on there "core compitancies" like there consulting services (which they are good at)... They also seem to be going toe to toe with Sun, ie IBM low end servers running GNU Red Hat against Sun Blades running (GNU (but not as we have ever known it! ;-) ) Solaris... We will see who wins...

 

[graphic7]

"I forget what company bought out the IBM PC, some chinese company. Maybe they will continue to carry the laptops."

I don't think they were bought out, AFAIK it was more like a statigic (or not so statigic, which is usually the case with IBM) partnership. IBM are trying to focus on there "core compitancies" like there consulting services (which they are good at)... They also seem to be going toe to toe with Sun, ie IBM low end servers running GNU Red Hat against Sun Blades running (GNU (but not as we have ever known it! ;-) ) Solaris... We will see who wins...

That's a joke - pitting GNU Red Hat against an industrial-grade OS, like Solaris. Not to get off topic, but the upcoming release of Solaris 10 looks very promising. No other OS has a system analysis tool/debugger like 'dtrace.' IBM might win cost-wise, but Solaris is hands down a better operating system than any non-standards compliant OS, like Linux distributions. IBM should keep with their gold - AIX.

Blades are not low-end servers, by the way. They are high-end workstations.

 

[gravenewworld]

Alienware anything is the best.

 

[The_Professional]

If you don't mind getting laptops from small non-notable companies, there are a lot of good things to be said about companies such as Sager www.powernotebooks.com[/url] and Uniwill [url]www.IBuyPower.com/[/URL] both websites are for resellers of the Sager and Uniwill models, not the actual companies. I currently own an IbuyPower S-Turbo Series of the Uniwill model, very nice laptop and I've had no problems with it since i got it in August.

~Lyuokdea[/QUOTE]

I remember getting a desktop on one of those no name companies similar to the one you mentioned. ABS PC to be specific. A year and a half later and after $600 in repairs and new hardware the thing is still sitting in my room. Dead

I would highly caution anyone on buying [i]anything[/i] on one of those small, no name companies. They don't last long and they're usually made on someone's dirty basement with very poor quality control. My Dell laptop has been around for 2 1/2 years now and have never had any kind of problems.

 

[Lyuokdea]

I remember getting a desktop on one of those no name companies similar to the one you mentioned. ABS PC to be specific. A year and a half later and after $600 in repairs and new hardware the thing is still sitting in my room. Dead

I would highly caution anyone on buying anything on one of those small, no name companies. They don't last long and they're usually made on someone's dirty basement with very poor quality control. My Dell laptop has been around for 2 1/2 years now and have never had any kind of problems.

I would disagree, first off, it is really impossible to build a laptop in a basement operation, the uniwill model that I have, for instance, has a videocard to monitor interface that is specific to the laptop. That is common operation for all laptop and requires and industrial plant capable of making microchips.

It's too bad that ABS didn't work out for you, but from my experience, I know about 5 people who own a laptop from one of the two companies I've mentioned, none have had any problems, and meanwhile I'm fixing laptops from other well-known companies all of the time, dells specifically. Maybe the companies I've mentioned aren't better than large companies, but they are surely on the same level and are not produced in somebody's basement.

~Lyuokdea

 

[hitssquad]

it is really impossible to build a laptop in a basement operation, the uniwill model that I have, for instance, has a videocard to monitor interface that is specific to the laptop. That is common operation for all laptop and requires and industrial plant capable of making microchips.

Electronics fab houses do work for hire. Send them your specs and they'll send you 10,000 video-interface units. Then you can assemble 10,000 laptops in your basement.

 

[gazzo]

Electronics fab houses do work for hire. Send them your specs and they'll send you 10,000 video-interface units. Then you can assemble 10,000 laptops in your basement.

Think of the SETI@Home work units you can complete with those!

Didn't Wallmart use to offer a cheap laptop with Linux on it?

 

[Anttech]

That's a joke - pitting GNU Red Hat against an industrial-grade OS, like Solaris. Not to get off topic, but the upcoming release of Solaris 10 looks very promising

I aggree partially... It does look like sun are up for a fight tho, with there new "GNU" type licensing aggreement... but then again what is that all about, the licensing schema is not opensource as developers can't CHANGE anything, and Linux can't use any of solaris code... So its no use. Sun are trying to appeal to the open source community but they never will Comited to Open Source, just there profit margins

For anyone who is interested:
Slashdot
Cnet
I don't like sun personally, I think the majority of there products suck, (Solaris is an good OS tho) and they have treated Java VERY badly, by suing everyone left right and center for patent infringments... Plus IMHO its really slow on most OS's

 

[graphic7]

I aggree partially... It does look like sun are up for a fight tho, with there new "GNU" type licensing aggreement... but then again what is that all about, the licensing schema is not opensource as developers can't CHANGE anything, and Linux can't use any of solaris code... So its no use. Sun are trying to appeal to the open source community but they never will Comited to Open Source, just there profit margins

For anyone who is interested:
Slashdot
[/URL]
I don't like sun personally, I think the majority of there products suck, (Solaris is an good OS tho) and they have treated Java VERY badly, by suing everyone left right and center for patent infringments... Plus IMHO its really slow on most OS's

I don't care much for Sun open-sourcing Solaris. I fail to see how it will better the product, and it could actually hurt the quality. Most open source operating systems will be ripping features out of Solaris (copying the concepts), and implementing them in their operating systems. 'dtrace,' I assume, will be the first target. One of the reasons I like Solaris is because I know it's not written by first-year computer science students, and I know it has a rich, stable history. I seriously hope that open-sourcing it does not hurt the quality.

I agree that Sun has not treated Java as well as they could've. I won't say they've done a terrible job, but clearly they could do more. J2EE is an excellent product, *if* Sun would promote it more.

Most corporate customers (the people that matter) already know about Sun. They know Solaris is a highly advanced and functional UNIX. It's the Linux zealot, famous-Solaris-moniker mumbling Sun bashers that Sun is intending to target with "open source Solaris."

Edit: I also wish Sun would promote their compilers much more than they currently do. Sun Studio is an excellent collection of decent compiles, far more decent than GCC. You can at least decypher a compile error with Sun's 'cc.' Even for x86, Sun has worked heavily on the x86 code generation, which will be a main feature of Sun Studio 10 (which is currently in beta testing). At the moment, Sun Studio 9, can compare to GCC's performance on x86 quite well.

Most of Sun's products I don't have a use for, like their Sun One LDAP server and their web server, but from what I've seen of Solaris and Sun Studio, I wouldn't assume the Sun One products are *all* terrible.

 

[franznietzsche]

I remember getting a desktop on one of those no name companies similar to the one you mentioned. ABS PC to be specific. A year and a half later and after $600 in repairs and new hardware the thing is still sitting in my room. Dead

I would highly caution anyone on buying anything on one of those small, no name companies. They don't last long and they're usually made on someone's dirty basement with very poor quality control. My Dell laptop has been around for 2 1/2 years now and have never had any kind of problems.

AS far as desktops go i would never ever ever buy a pre built desktop PC. I haven't had one that i haven't built myself since i was 12. And especially never buy from Dell. I would go to Mac and give up any hop of ever seeing anoth computer game before i would get a Dell. Dell is the Walmart of PCs.

Laptops, unfortunatey i can't build my own, but i would still stay away from dell. And with what I've learned from vuilding desktops, myself i would find a place that would give me a custom to my specifications, it would be worth the cost. The less i rely on an assembly, all size fits one PC the better.

 

[ramollari]

Nietzche, my advice is buy pre-built computers. The reason is cheaper computers for better performance and reliability. Computer companies have a hard won experience of which combinations of hardware elements have best performance/reliability and suit the user needs.

 

[Lyuokdea]

Nietzche, my advice is buy pre-built computers. The reason is cheaper computers for better performance and reliability. Computer companies have a hard won experience of which combinations of hardware elements have best performance/reliability and suit the user needs.

you would think that would be true, but really PC companies just need to make computers such that they will sell for the most profit. For instance, buying RAM at Dell, sometimes a dell-pre packaged PC comes with 256 MB RAM, but if I need more they wanted to charge me $1000 to upgrade to 1024 MB RAM, i bought the same RAM at cost from IBUYPOWER for $140 I believe, maybe less. And if I bought the dell and upgraded myself, I lose the warrenty anyway.

Also, for a company like Dell, if they can cheapen the price of PC's by completely automating the process, then having maybe 10% of the computers have a componant fail, is acceptable, because it would take a lot of bad press to hurt a company like Dell, a small company on the other hand, has to deal with the fact that every bad component is an unsatisfied customer who will buy somewhere else. Thus the computers tend to be much better tested and the components are of a much better quality.

Lastly, if I call my small "out of the basement" company for tech support, at least the people I speak to speak English.

Remember, most of the greatest businesses in the world today started out of a garage, Microsoft is one example.

~Lyuokdea

 

[The_Professional]

AS far as desktops go i would never ever ever buy a pre built desktop PC. I haven't had one that i haven't built myself since i was 12. And especially never buy from Dell. I would go to Mac and give up any hop of ever seeing anoth computer game before i would get a Dell. Dell is the Walmart of PCs.

Laptops, unfortunatey i can't build my own, but i would still stay away from dell. And with what I've learned from vuilding desktops, myself i would find a place that would give me a custom to my specifications, it would be worth the cost. The less i rely on an assembly, all size fits one PC the better.

While I'm open minded about Macs I still won't buy them for regular use. Most programs are built for the PC and they're still being made with PC's in mind. And Macs usually cost about the same as the PC.

If you mean the Walmart of PC as being very,very cheap I won't necessarrily put Dell in that category. They're more Macy's ;) and can be Saks Fifth Avenue depending of course on your configuration.

The Walmarts of the PC world are the E-machines, ibuypowers, and other small no name companies.

 

[Sirus]

I make my argument for building your own PC here, post #7. Laptops are a little more difficult to build on your own, but it can still be done.

 

[rachmaninoff]

Originally Posted by Lyuokdea
If you don't mind getting laptops from small non-notable companies, there are a lot of good things to be said about companies such as Sager www.powernotebooks.com[/url] and Uniwill [url]www.IBuyPower.com/[/URL] both websites are for resellers of the Sager and Uniwill models, not the actual companies. I currently own an IbuyPower S-Turbo Series of the Uniwill model, very nice laptop and I've had no problems with it since i got it in August.
[/Quote]

I second the Sager recommendation. Mine has yet to fail. Also, they look cool.

 

[amuron]

Much depends on the end use application. In my case, I only buy older IBM's, before they went cheap... But, a consumer grade laptop will not last. I have 2 Dell's that need to be cared for like glass... And 7 IBM's, with the oldest ones being the most bulletproof.

Then again, most people do not expose their laptop to the hazards I deal with. My 755 took a 13.56Mhz, 5KV hit on the serial port... the cable caught on fire, but the laptop still runs, even years later. My 770's have seen rain, snow, sand, and other than the cases covered with battle scars, they still run fine. The T23, otoh, dies every few months... The keyboard is cheap, the LCD is cheap, everything is cheap... but still a lot more robust than the Dells. Ruggedized laptops are extremely spendy, as such, even the somewhat fragile T23, and its repair costs is still a bargain. Sure wish they designed them as well as the antique 755... its never died.

 

[r3dxP]

Yea.. IBM just sold their company.. which sucks. I would now prefer getting a toshiba protege series. My parents friend who has one had no problem ever with it.. except when his son dropped it and had to get it fixed for 900$(monitor broke). :-)

 

[DrKareem]

Many of my friends bought HP, and they are having random problems with it. Also, a friend of mine that has a part time job dealing with puters, and he told me that the most troublesome laptops are Dell.

I have a Toshiba, it's great and almost pricless, i really like it. However, if i had more money, i would have defenitely bought an iBook.

 

[Moonbear]

Our department has several Dell notebooks and I have a Mac Powerbook, and know others with iBooks. While Dell desktops are pretty decent, their notebooks are terrible. There always seems to be a problem with them; I don't think they can take the little bumps that come with toting them around. Plus, they seem so big and clunky; just don't feel sturdy at all.

The PowerBook is great, feels solid, is light, easy to travel with, etc. One of my friends also has a PowerBook and managed to drop it hard enough to dent the case, but other than that small dent in the case, it's still fully functional. The iBooks have plastic cases, so don't have quite the same sturdy feel, but still seem more solid than a lot of PC notebooks I've played with.

Someone else I know has an IBM notebook (a few years old now though), and I liked that one. Seems to run well and sturdy, but I never got to play with it enough to really know how well it held up.

To me, a sturdy laptop is important, because I'm rough on them when I travel, and I travel a lot.

Oh, someone mentioned a weird battery problem on an iBook...I can't remember if it was for iBooks or PowerBooks, but there was a known battery issue where they recalled batteries for one of the Mac notebooks last year...I think it was that they overheated. Don't know if that was the problem your friend had.

 

[r3dxP]

what is happening with IBM right now? Couple months ago. i heard that IBM has sold their company to some chinese company or something. So some people discouraged me in buying a IBM thinkpad. Whats the deal?