Laptops

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Tue May 03, 2011 5:52 am

I'm going to have to buy a new laptop, have been looking at acer, asus, toshiba etc veering towards the Sony Vaio. Will be going for one with an intel i5 chip at least, the amd ones seem to be a bit behind the game so far as i can make out. Any recommendations anyone?

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Tue May 03, 2011 6:32 am

I'm not a VAIO fan touchy, not very durable laptops for the money you put out. Toshiba a machine you can count on and it is rugged and durable.

Odie · Post by **Odie** » Tue May 03, 2011 6:34 am

gmc;1358645 wrote: I'm going to have to buy a new laptop, have been looking at acer, asus, toshiba etc veering towards the Sony Vaio. Will be going for one with an intel i5 chip at least, the amd ones seem to be a bit behind the game so far as i can make out. Any recommendations anyone?

Sony will be your most expensive as it is the best.

Toshiba I would say comes in second.

Acer for the price is also great.

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Tue May 03, 2011 6:44 am

I disagree and have worked on all of the above laptops VAIO are the ones that fail the most or just fall apart to delicate and prone to failure. I have 3 at work right now that have stopped working for staff they are their personal laptops and not that old. Sony makes great TV'S their VAIO'S in my opinion not their best work. Just my opinion.. You may get a good one ..

Post by **spot** » Tue May 03, 2011 6:55 am

The VAIOs had a great name for lightness at one time. Light is now more commonplace. They are, as Carla says, fragile. That doesn't mean you'll break it but it's more easily broken.

HP are notorious for easily-damaged power sockets. The number of HP laptops I've seen with heat-damaged and pushed-pin-damaged power sockets is astonishing.

I dote upon Thinkpads. There is no laptop on the planet I would prefer to own than a Thinkpad. Just thinking of Thinkpads makes me salivate.

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Tue May 03, 2011 6:59 am

I agree Spot I love Thinkpads I have a very old one that runs like a champ, built to last a lifetime and probably will. Never been an HP fan never will as far as desktop or laptops their printer are excellent for the most part.

Post by **spot** » Tue May 03, 2011 7:19 am

Let's forget manufacturers for a moment and consider the 2011 technology of choice, and whether waiting until July/August is an option, and what difference it might make.

There are two yes-please words in laptops this year: Intel's Sandy Bridge and AMD's Llano.

If I had a choice I'd check the prices and see if either name was an option for me. Llano in particular might well be affordable, and in my opinion it's likely to give a better laptop performance - not words one ever expected to apply to AMD again, it's a joy to be able to say it.

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Tue May 03, 2011 7:57 am

You are correct on this.

not words one ever expected to apply to AMD again, it's a joy to be able to say it.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Wed May 04, 2011 1:30 am

spot;1358656 wrote: Let's forget manufacturers for a moment and consider the 2011 technology of choice, and whether waiting until July/August is an option, and what difference it might make.

There are two yes-please words in laptops this year: Intel's Sandy Bridge and AMD's Llano.

If I had a choice I'd check the prices and see if either name was an option for me. Llano in particular might well be affordable, and in my opinion it's likely to give a better laptop performance - not words one ever expected to apply to AMD again, it's a joy to be able to say it.

That might also mean the prices on the slightly older technology will come down. My wife made the mistake of buying a low priced laptop, low priced necauyse it just preceded the advent of the dual core chips. It's a peerfectly good laptop if all you are doing is word processing or something but that's about it really.

Sony appeals because there is a dealer near me as well as just the PC world set up. The prices are pretty much the same and there is a two year gurantee, plus I don't feel like I know more about computers than the one trying to sell me it. PC world you need to find the teenage gaming geek. I intend to get as high a spec and quality as I can affiord. Alfa romeos may be great cars to drive but I wouldn't buy one I want something that doesn't break down.

I'm not in a hurry and I could wait to see what amd brings out but there's alwaya the next advance just down the road, so long as I get one that won't be obsolete too soon that'll do me. I've got a Toshiba at the moment but they seem a bit overp[riced for the spec.

Post by **spot** » Wed May 04, 2011 1:52 am

I'm sat here on a mid-speed single core computer, you know. I bet your wife's laptop has a better spec. Were I to generalize I'd say there's no such thing as a slow computer, there are merely slow configurations.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Wed May 04, 2011 9:12 am

spot;1358742 wrote: I'm sat here on a mid-speed single core computer, you know. I bet your wife's laptop has a better spec. Were I to generalize I'd say there's no such thing as a slow computer, there are merely slow configurations.

Does it not depend on what software you use? I have a couple of programmes I must use that are really demanding of RAN memory (I think, almost sound as if i know what i am taklking about don't you think?) What on my dual core desktop computer takes second takes minutes on her laptop.

Wandrin · Post by **Wandrin** » Wed May 04, 2011 9:35 am

The first question I have to ask is which is more important size/weight/portability or computing power? Is the laptop going to be lugged around everywhere and used to take notes and do basic word processing, or for high end video editing and gaming? How important is battery life? Is operation on battery so important that the ability to quickly swap battery packs is key? What screen resolution would be optimum? 1280/1440/1600/1980? Is docking when home important? If so, with an external monitor? Which OS?

This may seem like a strange question, but which smart cellphone will the laptop be asked to interact with?

Post by **spot** » Wed May 04, 2011 10:35 am

Wandrin;1358775 wrote: The first question I have to ask is which is more important size/weight/portability or computing power? Is the laptop going to be lugged around everywhere and used to take notes and do basic word processing, or for high end video editing and gaming? How important is battery life? Is operation on battery so important that the ability to quickly swap battery packs is key? What screen resolution would be optimum? 1280/1440/1600/1980? Is docking when home important? If so, with an external monitor? Which OS?

This may seem like a strange question, but which smart cellphone will the laptop be asked to interact with?

http://www.forumgarden.com/forums/compu ... ost1338386 provides some background you'll be unaware of, being new.

I'll import the text - it's gmc's - into this thread:I want one that is portable - would prefer bigger screen but will settle for 15". I wear specs so a good quality screen is something I think worth paying for - I use a neovo monitor on my desktop because of the optical screen. I would like 3-4gb of ram although 2 will do. Hard Drive size doesn't matter as I use external hard drives as a matter of course. Like everybody else I want to pay as little as possible for as high a spec as possible. Don't know much about video cards I must admit, even less than I know about chips. I'm not a gamer but I need one that can take document scanning and allow me to continue working, sometimes even the dual core grinds to a halt hence my interest. . Can buy a dell in PC world but would prefer not to. Don't know how you get on but in India scottish accents are hard to be understood with.

I was looking at around £600 if i must but preferable less - hence the question as to whether the extra cost is worth it since I can get dual and quad core for less than that. So - portability is a plus, needs enough raw power to multi-task while performing OCR in the background, any 15.6" screen will do and as yet we know nothing about cellphone interactivity.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Fri May 20, 2011 3:04 am

posted by wandirin

The first question I have to ask is which is more important size/weight/portability or computing power? Is the laptop going to be lugged around everywhere and used to take notes and do basic word processing, or for high end video editing and gaming? How important is battery life? Is operation on battery so important that the ability to quickly swap battery packs is key? What screen resolution would be optimum? 1280/1440/1600/1980? Is docking when home important? If so, with an external monitor? Which OS?

This may seem like a strange question, but which smart cellphone will the laptop be asked to interact with?

The lugging around will be mostly in the boot of a car, so weight is a minor consideration, a decent screen is more important than small size - I want to use it with clients so big screen is probably better. I have a paperless office so one that can cope with scanning and allow me to keep working is iimportant - I want it as a back up to my desk top in case that fails. I suspect that is on it's way out as well, it's six years old, the next time it needs a repair I will probably replace it or maybe just use the laptop instead if i get a good enough one. I don't even have a phone with a camera and won't be using a smartphone. I keep the phone off when I'm out cos I'm either driving - and I regard handsfree as dangerously distracting - or in a meeting. Calls wait until I can deal with them properly. I'm afriad i don;t feel the need to have the most up to date phone, i just use it to make and receive calls not to play with.

Between an AMD quad core and an i% is there much actual difference in performance? £200 saving I like but I am wary of sales people that tell me there isn't much of a difference, especially when they then prattle on about the advantage of extended warranties on a machine that already has two years manufacturers one. It's one store I would be slightly embarrassed to go back to as he got a bit upset when I asked if his company wasn't one that got fined recently for selling extended warranties on appliances that already had one.

Keep coming back to the sony vaio. Mainly because there is an actual sony retailer near me and i like the look of it but what carla said concerns me. Don't like HP, no rational reason for that though.

Post by **Betty Boop** » Fri May 20, 2011 3:18 am

I have no input on the business front but would like to say that I loved my Sony vaio, it was fast and just pleasant to use. I thought it had died partway through my degree course and was forced to buy a HP Pavilion as I needed to keep working, hate the hp, not as pleasant to use and the damn thing gets so hot I actually have a mark on my leg from it, no matter what surface I put it on it still gets incredibly hot and has done since first use.

Meanwhile the Sony got sorted out and is still working brilliantly for my son, I may have to take it back as I can't help but feel this one is going to just overheat one day :-5

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Fri May 20, 2011 7:16 am

Betty Boop;1359851 wrote: I have no input on the business front but would like to say that I loved my Sony vaio, it was fast and just pleasant to use. I thought it had died partway through my degree course and was forced to buy a HP Pavilion as I needed to keep working, hate the hp, not as pleasant to use and the damn thing gets so hot I actually have a mark on my leg from it, no matter what surface I put it on it still gets incredibly hot and has done since first use.

Meanwhile the Sony got sorted out and is still working brilliantly for my son, I may have to take it back as I can't help but feel this one is going to just overheat one day :-5

Interesting, especially in view of what spot said about HP. I didn;t real;ise thinkpad was a brand name, not one I've seen.

Wandrin · Post by **Wandrin** » Fri May 20, 2011 12:40 pm

The Thinkpad was IBM's highly rated laptop line. They sold it to Lenovo, what had been the manufacturer of the line. They are highly rated.

In the Consumer Reports charts for 15" models, Apple's MacBook Pro has been at the top for several years, with fewest customer problems, repairs needed, and highest customer satisfaction level. Lenovo often comes in in the number 2 slot. Toshiba and Sony are normally in the top 5.

Dell is a wildcard. Since they buy their motherboards from a variety of sources, the quality can vary widely over their range of products. HP has been steadily improving.

One gotcha is the keyboard. Some feel clunky and slow. Hands-on time is important to an evaluation. The screen is another gotcha. Some of the high end models use LED displays, which are brighter and have a wider viewing angle, while most use LCD. The Apple units use actual glass over the display, making it easy to clean without scratching the surface. Memory is getting cheaper. What is the max capacity of each of the models you evaluate?

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Fri May 20, 2011 6:19 pm

Betty Boop if you have a laptop that is heating up and burning your skin take it back that's not how it's suppose to be. I have had laptop heat up because they need a good cleaning inside and sometimes they are so dirty inside they stop running. But a new on that heats up that bad not a good sign. I'm not a fan of HP period clunky junk the Vaio is a much better laptop my problem with them is they tend to be delicate and not very durable sounds like you have a good one.

I have a DELL latitude at work that we bought for the company back in 90's damn thing still runs great, screen is not very pretty to look at but it works. Best laptop I have ever worked on and still have is a IBM THINKPAD great machine.

Post by **spot** » Fri May 20, 2011 6:50 pm

CARLA;1359889 wrote: Best laptop I have ever worked on and still have is a IBM THINKPAD great machine.It was the butterfly keyboard that did it for me. Nobody else tried before or since, that was the most impossible trick in computing. It let them halve the weight and still have full size keys.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Sun May 22, 2011 2:18 am

Went to PC world to have a look at Lnovo - they are listed as retailers - but all they had was one desktop. Very nice it was too. One of those all in one ones without a sepearate monitor and casing. I might consider when the times comes for a new desktop.

I'd like to see one before I consider buying. I prefer s shopping to online.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Sun May 22, 2011 5:00 am

My school provides me with an Aesus bought with the federal stimulus money. They bought all these brand new machines, then gutted the software it came with and installed their own Windows XP Pro, so I can't comment on the machine, really except to say that I'm really impressed with the keyboard. The screen is extra-wide which allows for more keys. This is the only machine I've seen that has a normal 10-digit keypad on the right end, just like a full-size keyboard. It's great to have.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Sun May 22, 2011 1:25 pm

gmc;1359977 wrote: Went to PC world to have a look at Lnovo - they are listed as retailers - but all they had was one desktop. Very nice it was too. One of those all in one ones without a sepearate monitor and casing. I might consider when the times comes for a new desktop.

I'd like to see one before I consider buying. I prefer s shopping to online.

Lenovo G570 4334 - Core i5 2.3 GHz - 15.6″ - 6 GB Ram - 750 GB HDD

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Mon May 23, 2011 1:10 am

Bryn Mawr;1360029 wrote: Lenovo G570 4334 - Core i5 2.3 GHz - 15.6″ - 6 GB Ram - 750 GB HDD

Now that I would go for.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Mon May 23, 2011 2:47 am

Curses just realised that price are VAT free. Even so still looks appealing

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Mon May 23, 2011 10:50 am

gmc;1360070 wrote: Curses just realised that price are VAT free. Even so still looks appealing

That I'd not spotted but a good machine all the same.

ryan · Post by **ryan** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 1:15 pm

Recently I have purchased a Samsung R525 Laptop from oneclickstyle online store. There are many popular products in the Laptops category. Some of these ranges from big brands include Samsung, Asustek, Sony, Toshiba, Hp at great prices.

Post by **spot** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 1:23 pm

ryan;1400192 wrote: Recently I have purchased a Samsung R525 Laptop from oneclickstyle online store. There are many popular products in the Laptops category. Some of these ranges from big brands include Samsung, Asustek, Sony, Toshiba, Hp at great prices.
Ryan, will you please fully disclose in a reply to this message any relationship between yourself and the sites, products or services you've mentioned on ForumGarden.

Snowfire · Post by **Snowfire** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 1:38 pm

I'm using my Toshiba Satellite C870 17.3 " for the first time today. Its silent and not in the least bit warm on my lap, unlike the other Toshiba laptop I had years ago.

4GB memory more than sufficient for my usage. Graphics card is fairly basic but Im not likely to be playing World of Warcraft any time soon.

I do find however that the high street retailers are all too fond of bundling software onto these machines. I'd like a clean desktop to which I can add my own preferred anti virus and not a "free for a month" Norton that bugs me to the point of suicide to upgrade when it runs out. I'm gonna have to go through the task of deleting the unnecessary crap dumped on my desktop. I suppose though its a price to pay for the price I payed....£399.00

Post by **spot** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 1:49 pm

I'm sure there's still a Control Panel with a Remove Programs function. They change the name for it each time they release a new version of Microsoft Windows. At least you've escaped Windows 8.

Post by **Betty Boop** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 2:00 pm

spot;1400203 wrote: I'm sure there's still a Control Panel with a Remove Programs function. They change the name for it each time they release a new version of Microsoft Windows. At least you've escaped Windows 8.

I'm sure I've used 'remove programs' regarding norton before but they still badger you somehow.

My HP laptop is a hunk of junk, gets hot to the point it left a mark on my leg when I was studying and typing for hours, now I sit it on a baking cooling rack to allow the air to circulate around it but it still gets damn hot.

Post by **spot** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 2:02 pm

Betty Boop;1400208 wrote: now I sit it on a baking cooling rack to allow the air to circulate around it but it still gets damn hot.
I completely missed the first "it", my mind's still recovering. Slowly.

Snowfire · Post by **Snowfire** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 2:08 pm

Betty Boop;1400208 wrote: I'm sure I've used 'remove programs' regarding norton before but they still badger you somehow.

My HP laptop is a hunk of junk, gets hot to the point it left a mark on my leg when I was studying and typing for hours, now I sit it on a baking cooling rack to allow the air to circulate around it but it still gets damn hot.

When I mentioned Norton to the young woman in the shop she said that they must provide an uninstall programme by law now. Given how virulent Norton was in my last experience, that at least is a plus. Not that it doesnt do its job but it far too in your face for my liking and that puts me off.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 2:53 pm

Yup, especially when you can get superior stuff for free. I use Avast.

Vaishali · Post by **Vaishali** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 5:43 am

Hey friend..

I am not a huge fan of Sony Vaio laptops. According to the best of my knowledge you should buy Dell. Dell is one of the best brand of laptops. It always provides the latest features to it's users. With Dell, you get the amazing fusion of high performance and low price. So according to the best of my knowledge, you should try Dell.

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Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Tue Aug 13, 2013 7:50 am

Wowza...that's a lot of advertisements there fella......