Well, it worked for the person who needed PC help… so here goes:
I need a laptop to see me through 2 years of grad school and beyond. Currently leaning towards the Fujitsu S6210 (lightweight) or the HP 3140CA (heavyweight).
If you happen to own a Compaq or Fujitsu laptop, or simply have useful thoughts on the subject of notebooks, I’d appreciate hearing what you have to say.
Thanks!
I’m no computer expert, but…
I used to have an HP desktop and I hated it- I’ve seen many people have trouble with HP machines & service.
When I started grad school my mom got me a Sony Vaio laptop, and I LOVE it!!! It’s amazing- had it for 2 years and thus far no problems. Mine’s a
UCG160XEUM, which is ont the heavier side (around 8#) but has a larger screen than one of my tvs. I have no idea if they still make this model, but I’d definitely recommend a Vaio.
Depending on your budget, look into Fujitsu or Toshiba. Stay away from HP or IBM, I work in PC support and I heard too many horror stories where brand new hard drives would crash unexpectedly…
However, if you want a sweet machine and you have an unlimited budget. Look into the Apple Powerbook…
I’m also in support. We’ve had some good luck with IBMs and Toshibas. The IBMs can be a bit spendy, but the company is starting to come down and sell some great off-the-shelf configurations. Remember that HP and Compaq are now one and the same. They still market them separately, but they are the same parent company. We’ve had some real problems with those computers (both laptop and desktop). I would recommend checking out PCWorld.com for their product reviews.
Third vote for Toshiba. They’re pricey, but they’re solid, dependable, and well-built, which makes them worth every penny IMO. IBMs, I’m not as happy about – I’ve had some bad experiences. No experience with Fujitsu laptops at all.
I know many people who have converted from the Toshiba to the…now don’t laugh…the M68XX series of eMachines. I was a bit skeptical, but I just purchased one myself (the M6805), and I love it, and no, I am not a novice. I have worked in IT for 6+ years now, and have a lifetime of geekness behind me.
I work and play on this machine, and am constantly amazed by it. Reviews abound across the net in which experts are consistenly amazed at the quality of this machine.
Out of your list, I personally like the new HPs (especially the 17" display models).
On a side note. Being in grad school, I highly recommend keeping an external back-up of all your documents. All new laptops have CD burners. Use it, and use it often. Technology is better than it used to be, but crashes/thefts/loss happen every day.
Also, get an extended warranty. You never know what will happen during those 2 - 4 years you plan on using it.
Hmmm, I’ve heard IBM notebooks referred to as “the Cadillacs of notebook computers.” I am also planning on purchasing a notebook, at this point an IBM R series, but I’ve considered seriously the Apple iBook and Powerbook and the Sony Vaio. The IBM R50 is ranked #1 as an All-Purpose Notebook on pcworld.com.
Are you going to be moving this thing around a lot?
If you plan on taking it to school with your regularly, go for a lighter model. In my experience I would say 6 lbs. is the maximum for a notebook that you can actually lug around with you. At that weight you can be pretty casual… But if you buy an 8lb+ desktop replacement, 2lbs. doesn’t seem like much, but once you factor in some accessories and a carry case and whatnot, the bigger notebook is like having a piece of luggage, you have to plan ahead to take the beast with you.
Then again, if you’re going to be using it around the house 90% of the time, you’ll get more for your money from a bigger system.
Nick
[quote]The_Incubator wrote:
Are you going to be moving this thing around a lot?[/quote]
Half and half. Three days mobile, three days stationary, so I am leaning towards the lighter one. Plus I’d like to be able to take advantage of wi-fi hotspots if there are any around, so the lighter one is more attractive. But I’m worried about getting used to a smaller screen after working with a desktop for so long.
Personally I love my DELL Latitude D600 notebook. Check it out in DELL’s small business section. I have had no problems with it thus far, and use it for law school, so it sounds like our situations are simmilar. It has a decent size screen, and you can get SXGA+ (resolution of 1400x1050) which I highly recommend - you can fit a lot more on the screen.
Another choice if you aren’t opposed to Macs is the powerbook mentioned above. They are a model of engineering - thin, light, and encased in aluminum. The screen doesn’t have as good a resolution as my DELL, but its a nice widescreen format. If you go this route, I’d get the 15" version. And don’t forget, if you go apple, they give education discounts. Also be sure to check out their special deals section, you may get a killer price on a refurbished model, which from my experience (Im on a refurb Powermac g5 right now) are good as new.
I love my Toshiba Satellite with the wide screen. I mean love it. Built to last and dependable. Can’t go wrong with this one.
I have a Compaq Presario 1200, It is a piece of shit. I have had it for about 2 years and the hard drive died and had to be replaced after the warranty ran out. The screen has a white spot in it and is starting to go. The help from Compaq is horrible, they can;t answer any questions and after the warranty runs out they will not even talk to you unles you pay money.
This is just my opinion on Compaq but i know alot of other people with them and they have had the some kind of troubles.
It’s a universal opinion: Compaq is shit.
Stay away from HP and Compaq. I’ve worked on a lot of machines, and in my experience, they’ve been the worst.
Toshiba, IBM, and Dell are all good choices.
I’d spend a few extra dollars and get an external hard drive for fast, easy, and complete backups too.
Here’s the problem: I will be attending grad school outside North America (Hebrew University of Jerusalem). HP has authorized service centers in Israel, Toshiba and Fujitsu do not… I’ve e-mailed both Toshiba and Fujitsu to find out what happens if the notebook dies while I’m away at school. Fujitsu tells me that I’d have to fed-ex the notebook to the UK for repairs ($$$). Toshiba hasn’t responded yet, so worst case scenario I would be without a notebook until I come back to Canada for a vacation.
I’m tending towards going with the reliable brands and taking my chances, rather than the less reliable brand.
I would go with Dell. Our entire lab has, or is switching to, them, - no-one has had any hardware issues.
As for which exact model to get, you need to be a bit more specific: Are you gonna do serious number crunching or primarily using it as an advanced typewriter with internet connection ?
I am going to go ahead and say you should get a Mac. I don’t really know what software you need to use (probably very dependent on your major). If you need the internet, e-mail, Microsoft Office and other basic things, then the Mac is the definite choice. In basically all situations I recommend a Mac unless you need some CAD program or something like that that isn’t offered on the Mac platform.
First, thanks to everyone who took the time to reply.
Even though I love the Fujitsu, I think I will end up with a Toshiba, likely the Tecra M2 00QS5; Toshiba has an authorized service centre in Israel, so if something goes wrong while I am studying at Hebrew U I have somewhere to go.
A mac would be wonderful if I could afford one. Maybe post M.A., once I’m working again…
dont buy a fucking mac!
[quote]chuy wrote:
dont buy a fucking mac![/quote]
Where’d you get that Avatar Chuy?