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Computer Manufacturers...Which one's the best?
Trenog
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
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?
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?
Loren Michael wrote: »Two weeks ago, I lost the bulk of my female friends
She really hates it when you call her that.
Ahhh, Orochimaru. Or, as I like to call him, Japanese Pedophile Voldemort.
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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?
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
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.
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).
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.
So command+click.
It's more intuitive than you might think.
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.
My friends are contantly amazed at how good I have become at apple/click...ing
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.
Edit: I suppose that doesn't do much for two finger clicking though
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.
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).
Perhaps this is somewhat what you seek? > http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3088
Acer doesn't make the shiniest laptops, but they deliver decent build quality and superior bang for your buck.
Also it was really cheap.
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've had a few Acers and I concur.
Although given the choice I would take a Apple any day
In Boot Camp, you can remap Enter (the one next to right Command) to right click. It's the badassest.
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.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Fair enough. I have heard that about HP products in general, I've just only experienced their consumer products.
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.