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Which Laptop to buy?


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Actually, while the 20% rating is a bit too high, I actually somewhat agree with what wilcal said. Some laptops (like IBMs) are built like a brick so failure rates is less than 5%. Other brands seems to have 50% failure rates (in my experience it is usually Toshibas). It seems that every laptop is built in China with unreliable Chinese components, so only the brands that actually have high specifications have better than average failure rates.

 

Also remember that laptops, by nature, are portable. But the components inside may not be as strong to be carried around. I have my filll of seeing things like bad LCDs, non-working ports, broken HDs, broken CD-RWs, broken keyboards, batteries that doesn't hold their charge, etc, etc. My rule of thumb is that a laptop bought after year 2000 will last probably 3 years at most, while a laptop bought before year 2000 can last for 5 or even more.

Bah. I guess I'm just spoilt with my iBook. :banana:

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My rule of thumb is that a laptop bought after year

2000 will last probably 3 years at most, while a laptop

bought before year 2000 can last for 5 or even more.

OMG that is truly a condemning comment. You are

implying that newer technology is worse then older.

Mercedes has seen this as they packed more and more

bells and whistles into their autos reliability fell

off.

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It's not the technology, it's the quality of the components.

 

Back before the year 2000, I find that computers are built like bricks. Unless there is some catastrophic disasters like lightning strikes or the like, they usually can take a lot of punishment. My office is filled with older "junks" such as Pentium 2s and 3s. Heck, I still have a Compaq Presario P-166 MMX desktop that has built in LCD screen and 6 disk changer. Usually it's the physical/mechanical components that break down first such as fan or hard drive. This is especially true in laptops since most of the laptops I see my co-workers uses are still P2 and P3s Toshibas that are really really well built. One old laptop is I see that is still working is an old IBM Thinkpad, it's over 8 years old, the casing is ugly as sin (so beat up you want to shoot it dead :) ), the hard drive is having problems and the CD-ROM is not working anymore, yet it still runs windows 98 SE no problem whatsoever.

 

Now fast forward to the year after 2000. This is the date where computers got "cheap". In order to be cheap and still be profitable, something must be cut down somewhere. Usually they use Chinese components who are barely passed the QC test. I have two Fujitsu laptops whose built in sound cards failed within the first year (since sound cards and modem is usually the same component, that means that those computers cannot use dialup). The toshiba laptop I am using now have a non-working Ethernet port (within the first couple of months), and after a little bit over a year, the DVD-RW cannot even read DVDs anymore. An Acer laptop that is just a bit over a year old have broken LCD. My old Epox NF2 motherboard died of 11 (count it) busted capacitors. And so on, and so on.

 

No, the technology is actually good, but the component quality went down hill in the quest for profitability while selling them cheap. Why do you think the standard HD warranty is now only 1 year compared to 3 years a few years back?

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/me gives his pentium 2 server a kick.

 

not a single replaced component in that thing :) original hard drive and all.

 

my acer laptop is, imho, faring pretty well, it's been used heavily for a year and a half now, and still is operating without problems, havnt had to take it in for any repairs. Only problem is some physical wear incurred from use.

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  • 1 month later...
/me gives his pentium 2 server a kick.

 

not a single replaced component in that thing :) original hard drive and all.

 

my acer laptop is, imho, faring pretty well, it's been used heavily for a year and a half now, and still is operating without problems, havnt had to take it in for any repairs. Only problem is some physical wear incurred from use.

 

 

I read that INTEL will take AMD over next year so what can you tell me about it?

 

Mandriva-user

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i'm all in on the stuff is getting cheaper part.

 

we've got a 1996 ibm thinkpad 600 that is tough as nails. i don't know that a single thing is wrong with it. it even looks nice. the only bad thing about it is that it's 9-year old battery has zero-life left in it. my wife's 2004 laptop already has had power-supply issues and the graphics card has intermittent blackouts (no kidding! that dell doesn't know how to fix and didn't have the tech-support to fix it).

 

we also have two friends who own toshibas and experience PAIN from them. they take their laptops to another friend who does this work. he says NEVER buy a toshiba laptop. they do more ordering of replacement parts from them than anyone else.

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Can you tell me is there a laptop any brand that can upgrade CPU :huh:

There should be a few that can have their cpu upgraded. Dell, for example, will roll out a series with a variety of CPUs, but using the same MoBo, so upgrading the CPU on most of them would be possible.

 

The problem with updgrading any hardware on a laptop is not whether the laptop will support it, but how many screws you'll have to remove to get the job done ;)

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I have a man in computer store that he charge 20 canadian dollar for flate rate,all other store chrge you hourly rate.So I don`t care how many screw he have to unscrew he get paid for.

Is there only DELL what about ACER,Asus or should I ask them for the answer?

 

Alright know I`ll thank you very much for litle help and I fund the answer one of the big notebook COMPANY :banana::banana::banana::drum::drum::drum::drum::drum::thanks::thanks:

Edited by mikecanada
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What I said should relate to any manufacturer, I was just using Dell as an example. I would start by contacting the manufacturer of the laptop and ask them if it can be upgraded and also get them to do it, especially if you are still under warranty. Third part fiddling might void it.

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What I said should relate to any manufacturer, I was just using Dell as an example. I would start by contacting the manufacturer of the laptop and ask them if it can be upgraded and also get them to do it, especially if you are still under warranty. Third part fiddling might void it.

 

Yes that what I did on 10.nov.2005 I phoned on manufacturer and talk to them,he told me it is possible to upgrade cpu and I will phone others to tnx every onefor your help.

 

Ciao mikecanada

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Actually, while the 20% rating is a bit too high, I actually somewhat agree with what wilcal said. Some laptops (like IBMs) are built like a brick so failure rates is less than 5%. Other brands seems to have 50% failure rates (in my experience it is usually Toshibas). It seems that every laptop is built in China with unreliable Chinese components, so only the brands that actually have high specifications have better than average failure rates.

 

Also remember that laptops, by nature, are portable. But the components inside may not be as strong to be carried around. I have my filll of seeing things like bad LCDs, non-working ports, broken HDs, broken CD-RWs, broken keyboards, batteries that doesn't hold their charge, etc, etc. My rule of thumb is that a laptop bought after year 2000 will last probably 3 years at most, while a laptop bought before year 2000 can last for 5 or even more.

 

 

Ok,ok right now I`m looking for a Compaq Presario R4000 notebook PC what you thing about that?.

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