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Computer Manufacturers...Which one's the best?

TrenogTrenog Registered User regular
edited April 2007 in Games and Technology
So in searching around for a laptop computer I came to the realization that good ones can be extremely expensive. Some might say this is a duh moment but then I started thinking. Was this because I was only looking at brands like IBM, Dell and Apple? And also, shouldn't there be some other retailers or manufacturers that make equally good laptops but just don't have the brand recognition?

And so I came here to query. There are those that are good because they are popular, but there are also those that are good and obscure. What laptop computer manufacturers and/or retailers have you found to be the best? Is this quality a result of shoving many good things into one package irregardless of weight (or perhaps battery life)? Or is it because they are able to put together a well-rounded machine at a good price?

And also, on a more personal note, what do you guys think is the type of laptop that is best at being portable, having a long (>4hrs) battery life, while still being powerful enough and having a good price tag?

Finally, Canadian options?

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Malkor wrote: »
Rolo wrote: »
opium is all natural shit son

makes you stronger

It also makes you immune to time.
Bama wrote: »
Two weeks ago, I lost the bulk of my female friends

She really hates it when you call her that.
FCD wrote: »
Ahhh, Orochimaru. Or, as I like to call him, Japanese Pedophile Voldemort.
Trenog on

Posts

  • SheepSheep Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    edited April 2007
    Apple.

    I've gone through a bunch of computers in my nearly 20 years of nerd-dom. Most of them were PCs, but only four of them were Apple.

    Mac SE
    iBook 500Mhz G3
    iBook 1000Mhz G4
    MacBook 1.83Ghz Core 2 Duo

    I've also had a Gateway 450mhz Athlon that's still kickin.

    Regardless, the new MacBook's are worth the moderate price tag. And you can run Windows on it. My only problem is that they have a shitty GFX card. Other than that, they are ultra light, very slim, and run great. Did I mention you can run Windows on it?

    Sheep on
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    edited April 2007
    You haven't mentioned what you want the laptop for. I'm a big fan of Cyberpower, and from the look of their overall rating, people still tend to agree.

    Shadowfire on
    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    You haven't mentioned what you want the laptop for. I'm a big fan of Cyberpower, and from the look of their overall rating, people still tend to agree.

    noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

    Cyberpower (and iBuyPower, because if I'm not mistaken they're the same company with two different brands, ala HP/Compaq) are shitfromabutt. I sent my laptop in to them with a broken hard drive (of course they would make me send the whole damn thing in instead of just the broken hard drive) and they replaced the screen and tried to charge me $1000 for it. Stay away.

    Then again, this was three years ago and they might have stopped sucking since then, who knows. I just know that I would never recommend them, ever.

    Daedalus on
  • TrenogTrenog Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    You haven't mentioned what you want the laptop for. I'm a big fan of Cyberpower, and from the look of their overall rating, people still tend to agree.

    Well to mention what I'm looking for...I was hoping to have a machine that was powerful enough to run at least an IDE and a music program without much trouble, be light enough that, when I carry it in a backpack, I don't get sore, and have a battery life that lasts for at least 4 hours on a single charge (because when I'm programming I can be at it for a long time, and if I'm not near a AC then...problems).
    Sleep wrote:
    Apple.

    I wouldn't mind an Apple. But I proably would end up having problems when it came to mouse operation. I really like right click and don't see how to deal with being limited to one mouse button.

    Trenog on
    steam_sig.png
    Malkor wrote: »
    Rolo wrote: »
    opium is all natural shit son

    makes you stronger

    It also makes you immune to time.
    Bama wrote: »
    Two weeks ago, I lost the bulk of my female friends

    She really hates it when you call her that.
    FCD wrote: »
    Ahhh, Orochimaru. Or, as I like to call him, Japanese Pedophile Voldemort.
  • Death of RatsDeath of Rats Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Trenog wrote: »
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    You haven't mentioned what you want the laptop for. I'm a big fan of Cyberpower, and from the look of their overall rating, people still tend to agree.

    Well to mention what I'm looking for...I was hoping to have a machine that was powerful enough to run at least an IDE and a music program without much trouble, be light enough that, when I carry it in a backpack, I don't get sore, and have a battery life that lasts for at least 4 hours on a single charge (because when I'm programming I can be at it for a long time, and if I'm not near a AC then...problems).
    Sleep wrote:
    Apple.

    I wouldn't mind an Apple. But I proably would end up having problems when it came to mouse operation. I really like right click and don't see how to deal with being limited to one mouse button.
    Two buttoned mice work on Apples.

    Death of Rats on
    No I don't.
  • mntorankusumntorankusu I'm not sure how to use this thing.... Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Two buttoned mice work on Apples.
    But with a laptop, you're not always in a situation where you can use an external mouse.

    mntorankusu on
  • MonoxideMonoxide Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited April 2007
    Two buttoned mice work on Apples.
    But with a laptop, you're not always in a situation where you can use an external mouse.

    So command+click.

    It's more intuitive than you might think.

    Monoxide on
  • Zen VulgarityZen Vulgarity What a lovely day for tea Secret British ThreadRegistered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Dell with terrible customer service made me a laptop that I still use to this day. It's six years old and still works amazing.

    Zen Vulgarity on
  • bashbash Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    All Mac notebooks support two finger right click. That is, you place two fingers on the trackpad and click the button and it registers as a right click. You can also hold down Ctrl while clicking the trackpad button for the same effect. It's not rocket surgery. When I got my MacBook Pro I was very much used to Ctrl + click when using a trackpad. It took me all of a week to become completely proficient using two fingers to right click. Macs also support two finger scroll in either direction. Putting two fingers on the trackpad and dragging them vertically scrolls that direction, dragging them horizontally likewise scrolls in that direction. You don't have to restrict scrolling to one side of the trackpad or the other like some PC notebooks.

    As for which is the best that is a completely loaded question and will only get you subjective answers. Subjectively, I've been a fan of Mac notebooks for a very long time. I've owned a Mac notebook consistantly since 1999. They're built pretty well and have a lot of built-in functionality. Besides being useful as all get out I've always found them to be very useful. I've owned various Powerbooks and iBooks and now a MacBook Pro. I've been very happy with all of them and I tend to push my machines really hard.

    bash on
    comi-sig1.jpg
  • DoodmannDoodmann Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Monoxide wrote: »
    Two buttoned mice work on Apples.
    But with a laptop, you're not always in a situation where you can use an external mouse.

    So command+click.

    It's more intuitive than you might think.

    My friends are contantly amazed at how good I have become at apple/click...ing

    Doodmann on
    Whippy wrote: »
    nope nope nope nope abort abort talk about anime
    Sometimes I sell my stuff on Ebay
  • ThreepioThreepio New Westminster, BCRegistered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I hate laptops with two mouse buttons. As a righty I always end up clicking the right button as that's where my thumb lies. On the MacBook it's incredibly intuitive to single click, two finger click, scroll around and two finger scroll around. I won't buy a notebook if it doesn't have this feature in the future.

    Threepio on
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  • ROFISHROFISH AnehiixiiRegistered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Dude, I have one of the old-school PPC iBooks. I don't get two finger touch. :( But you can easily see me ctrl-clicking on PCs! :D

    Seriously, single-button mouse should be the least of your worries. I've gotton so damn used to how the Apple scroll pads works that when I'm on like a Dell laptop I feel like I'm in bazarro world. It doesn't make sense that scrolling is only on the sides and I alway accidentally click the right mouse button when I don't want to, and ctrl-click when it doesn't work.

    If in doubt, go to your local Apple Retail Store and try it out. In fact, ask the people walking around about the single button, they're trained show you how to fix your two-buttonness.

    ROFISH on
    sig3.png
  • ThreepioThreepio New Westminster, BCRegistered User regular
    edited April 2007
    iScroll is an opensource utility that adds two finger clicking to older iBooks. I haven't tried it but I've heard good things.

    Edit: I suppose that doesn't do much for two finger clicking though :)

    Threepio on
    142.jpg
  • japanjapan Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I like my Thinkpad. It's a T41, so it's IBM rather than Lenovo ( Factory refurb. Only way I could find a decent, cheap, non-widescreen laptop).

    I knocked it off my kitchen counter the other day while it was open and running, and it didn't miss a beat. This is valuable to me due to my tendency to sling it in a backpack without any kind of padding or sleeve. The fact that the lid that protects the screen is made of metal is appealing as well.

    Plus, if it ever does break, I know there are at least three laptop repair places around here that carry Thinkpad parts.

    japan on
  • MarlorMarlor Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Monoxide wrote: »
    Two buttoned mice work on Apples.
    But with a laptop, you're not always in a situation where you can use an external mouse.

    So command+click.

    It's more intuitive than you might think.

    Or you can use the new multitouch touch-pads on a Macbook to right-click (and scroll) without even using a button. Just tap with two fingers to right-click, or rub two fingers on the touch-pad to scroll. It's amazingly intuitive after a few days.

    Between work and home, I've used at least ten different laptops over the years. Apple and IBM/Lenovo are the two manufacturers that I would recommend unreservedly. Dell are pretty good too, but they aren't quite as durable as the Apple or IBM/Lenovo machines (but the price is generally really nice on the low-end models).

    Marlor on
    Mario Kart Wii: 1332-8060-5236 (Aaron)
  • gneGnegneGne Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    HP is supposed to deliver quality lappy's.

    Perhaps this is somewhat what you seek? > http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3088

    gneGne on
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  • MidshipmanMidshipman Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I would avoid HP/Compaq like the plague.

    Acer doesn't make the shiniest laptops, but they deliver decent build quality and superior bang for your buck.

    Midshipman on
    midshipman.jpg
  • mntorankusumntorankusu I'm not sure how to use this thing.... Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Midshipman wrote: »
    I would avoid HP/Compaq like the plague.

    Acer doesn't make the shiniest laptops, but they deliver decent build quality and superior bang for your buck.
    I have an Acer laptop. I really like it. The software that came on it was total ass, but that's par for the course on most pre-built computers. Other than that, it's great.

    Also it was really cheap.

    mntorankusu on
  • PeewiPeewi Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Midshipman wrote: »
    I would avoid HP/Compaq like the plague.

    Why? I have a HP laptop, and it's good.

    Peewi on
  • TrenogTrenog Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Peewi wrote: »
    Midshipman wrote: »
    I would avoid HP/Compaq like the plague.

    Why? I have a HP laptop, and it's good.

    Personally I'm not sure if it's just the laptop model that he bought but, the HP he has does things poorly. It has a bad battery life (less then 2 hours, even less when WiFi is enabled), and the second partition that is taken up by the system restore files keeps notifying him that the hard drive is nearly maxed out even though there's nothing he can do about it.

    Trenog on
    steam_sig.png
    Malkor wrote: »
    Rolo wrote: »
    opium is all natural shit son

    makes you stronger

    It also makes you immune to time.
    Bama wrote: »
    Two weeks ago, I lost the bulk of my female friends

    She really hates it when you call her that.
    FCD wrote: »
    Ahhh, Orochimaru. Or, as I like to call him, Japanese Pedophile Voldemort.
  • ginguskahnginguskahn Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Midshipman wrote: »
    I would avoid HP/Compaq like the plague.

    Acer doesn't make the shiniest laptops, but they deliver decent build quality and superior bang for your buck.
    I have an Acer laptop. I really like it. The software that came on it was total ass, but that's par for the course on most pre-built computers. Other than that, it's great.

    Also it was really cheap.

    I've had a few Acers and I concur.

    Although given the choice I would take a Apple any day :)

    ginguskahn on
    ginguskahn360.png
  • AdrienAdrien Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    bash wrote: »
    All Mac notebooks support two finger right click. That is, you place two fingers on the trackpad and click the button and it registers as a right click. You can also hold down Ctrl while clicking the trackpad button for the same effect. It's not rocket surgery. When I got my MacBook Pro I was very much used to Ctrl + click when using a trackpad. It took me all of a week to become completely proficient using two fingers to right click. Macs also support two finger scroll in either direction. Putting two fingers on the trackpad and dragging them vertically scrolls that direction, dragging them horizontally likewise scrolls in that direction. You don't have to restrict scrolling to one side of the trackpad or the other like some PC notebooks.

    In Boot Camp, you can remap Enter (the one next to right Command) to right click. It's the badassest.

    Adrien on
    tmkm.jpg
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Trenog wrote: »
    Peewi wrote: »
    Midshipman wrote: »
    I would avoid HP/Compaq like the plague.

    Why? I have a HP laptop, and it's good.

    Personally I'm not sure if it's just the laptop model that he bought but, the HP he has does things poorly. It has a bad battery life (less then 2 hours, even less when WiFi is enabled), and the second partition that is taken up by the system restore files keeps notifying him that the hard drive is nearly maxed out even though there's nothing he can do about it.

    I have a HP laptop. When I was researching it, things basically came down to HP business model=good; HP consumer model = not so good.

    lowlylowlycook on
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    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • MidshipmanMidshipman Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I have a HP laptop. When I was researching it, things basically came down to HP business model=good; HP consumer model = not so good.

    Fair enough. I have heard that about HP products in general, I've just only experienced their consumer products.

    Midshipman on
    midshipman.jpg
  • MorskittarMorskittar Lord Warlock Engineer SeattleRegistered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I've had nothing but good with my HP. It took it no time to get here, kicks my desktop's ass in performance (Core 2 with 2 gigs and a 7400 256mb GPU), and was fairly reasonably priced. Physically, it works great. Runs cool (I can use it on my lap!) and feels like an Apple in terms of construction. No creaks or loose-feeling components, like other machines I've worked with.

    Battery isn't great, but still over a few hours with everything on, brightness up, and all that. The CD drive can be noisy when in full tilt too. Pretty insignificant as far as I'm concerned, considering performance for the price.

    Morskittar on
    snm_sig.jpg
  • AldarezAldarez Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    You're going to find horror stories about every manufacturer if you look hard enough. Decide on the specs you want, find appropriate models from a bunch of brands and do your research on the individual models imo.

    Aldarez on
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  • variantvariant Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Only thing that pisses me off about HP is that they dont offer WSXGA screens on the consumer models...

    variant on
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