Laptops: Dell vs. Lenovo vs. Toshiba

[ZYouL8R]

I'm going to buy my first laptop here soon. This will be mostly for work, with little to no gaming. My only requirement is that it have XP, not Vista. Dell is one of the few manufacturers that still offer XP on new laptops, and by looking at Newegg, there are a few Lenovos and Toshibas that do too. So everything being equal, which company would you rather buy from?

Since this will be my first laptop and I'm not too familiar with them, is there anything specific I should make sure my new computer has? Good processor, video card, accessories, connectivity, etc?

Thanks for the help.

[Hunt4m3x]

I've owned all, and so far my fav is the Lenovo/IBM. It feels 10x lighter than the others and does everything they do at the same speed. Also, the keyboard feels 2x better. On toshiba's, I've seen alot of problems with, but I think its either hit or miss.

gotapex.com lists all the great deals from dell.

[J Osh10]

I love my Toshiba's they run forever, and my last 3 dells have died

[Hunt4m3x]

http://dealnews.com/deals/Weekend-Laptop-Roundup-Sony-VAIO-Intel-Dual-Core-1-46-GHz-15-for-600-more/191888.html

[8mpg]

everyone at my office uses a Dell except me.. I have a toshiba. Its been good to me but it came with Vista. Id probably build a custom Dell over buying something off the shelf if I had to do it again.

Id get the extended battery and a large 150-200gig hard drive. Running XP, a gig of ram is fine unlike Vista.

[momo stallion]

no games = no need for good video card. the onboard shared video will be fine which saves you the most money.

personally for laptops this is how i would buy:

#1. price. hop on the forums in slickdeals.net and look for the best bargain.
#2. chassis. my favorite screen size is 13 or 14.1" widescreen and get it as thin as possible. i dont like 15.4" laptops. they are overly huge and 12 is awful small.
#3. parts. id just make sure the processor is as good as it can be. intel core2 duo is the best for laptops at the moment. get a gig of ram on 1 dimm and the other empty so you can upgrade if needed. realistically you dont need it now, but why not have it.

*note: fuck the software and reformat laptop for its best performance. trial versions of antivirus suck and slow down your computer for no reason. dont pay extra for things loaded on your computer you dont need or want.

[momo stallion]

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=631213

Lenovo.com : ThinkPad Z61t 9440CTO Intel Core 2 Duo 1.66Ghz, 1GB RAM, 80GB, CD Burner/DVD, Wifi for $599.00 + Free Shipping

[cat4x4]

are the Sony Vaio's worth the $$$$$ ??

[jlyon]

im gonna get me a laptop soon, i hope, and im gonna look at the Acer ones

[J Osh10]

sonys are good if u are wanting a small laptop

[Moses]

[QUOTE=momo stallion]http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=631213

Lenovo.com : ThinkPad Z61t 9440CTO Intel Core 2 Duo 1.66Ghz, 1GB RAM, 80GB, CD Burner/DVD, Wifi for $599.00 + Free Shipping[/QUOTE]


1.6GHz? that's fucking junk.

Danny stay away from the Lenovo... the T4x series were worth a shit, the new r/t/z60/60p/61's are shitboxes.

[ZYouL8R]

[QUOTE=Moses]1.6GHz? that's fucking junk.

Danny stay away from the Lenovo... the T4x series were worth a shit, the new r/t/z60/60p/61's are shitboxes.[/QUOTE]

That's kind of what I've been reading. Some reviews were great, others said it's a POS. Kind of hit and miss. I might just go with a Dell since they seem to be a bit more reliable. May not have the features of the Lenovo, but atleast I know it won't fuck up when I need it most.

[Moses]

I've been working on Lenovos for almost 2 years now.. and I can assure you they're junk. The T60's we just deployed to our users are trash, random drive failures, cooling problems, docking issues, wireless cards frying, etc etc etc. Not to mention the random bad batch of memory, exploding batteries, and the like..

[momo stallion]

[QUOTE=Moses]1.6GHz? that's fucking junk.[/QUOTE]

:rolleyes:
this isn't 2002 anymore where the numbers just kept going up but performance increase is nominal. you dont need 3ghz in a laptop and you're not going to max out that processor. the fastest frequencies in intel's laptop processors are only 2.6ghz

but as far as the lenovo, you might be right. i dont know anyone with one so i cant speak about their quality. my work IBM thinkpad was great.

[Hunt4m3x]

[QUOTE=momo stallion]:rolleyes:
this isn't 2002 anymore where the numbers just kept going up but performance increase is nominal. you dont need 3ghz in a laptop and you're not going to max out that processor. the fastest frequencies in intel's laptop processors are only 2.6ghz

but as far as the lenovo, you might be right. i dont know anyone with one so i cant speak about their quality. my work IBM thinkpad was great.[/QUOTE]


Same here. Only thing I've done is upgraded memory in mine and its a work horse.

[mikeb]

[QUOTE=Moses]I've been working on Lenovos for almost 2 years now.. and I can assure you they're junk. The T60's we just deployed to our users are trash, random drive failures, cooling problems, docking issues, wireless cards frying, etc etc etc. Not to mention the random bad batch of memory, exploding batteries, and the like..[/QUOTE]


Lenovo - Made in China http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/spezial/jasons_smilie/freak.gif

[ram57ta]

My T30 was a great laptop but I recently sold it for a smaller Dell XPS M700. Im not too impressed with the T60 series and above. Might wanna keep your eyes on Craigslist for the occasional T42 or T43 that pops up for 2-300 hundred bucks.

[Sgt Beavis]

BEST LAPTOP (http://www.apple.com/macbook/macbook.html) It can run either XP or Vista if you like.

[evil jose]

[QUOTE=Sgt Beavis]BEST LAPTOP (http://www.apple.com/macbook/macbook.html) It can run either XP or Vista if you like.[/QUOTE]

:D

[SOHC]

most of dell's comps coming with xp=major shit

[BottleRocket]

Toshibas lately have been absoloute shit. DO NOT BUY SONY, you can get the same performance machine in an HP for a few hundred less. I'd suggest HP if you want a decent laptop. Dell is worthless, Lenovo I cant speak much about, and Toshiba is also worthless.

[ceyko]

I've had a lot of exposure to IBM and Dell laptops and liked them both. I rely on them daily for more then MS Office apps and it is impossible for me to accomplish anything without the laptop.

On a personal level I've owned Dell, Pro-Star and Gateway laptops. At the time the Gateway was a phenomenal value, but it did have some problems. Dell and Pro-Star both served me very well with no problems.

Take care,

[J Osh10]

ty for the macbook post they are the best.

[8mpg]

so what have we learned today?? Every brand laptop is a piece of shit to someone...so we shouldnt buy any of them. You should build your own :rolleyes:

[momo stallion]

my new work laptop is an hp/compaq nc6400. i like this one a lot... pretty much the perfect size. too bad they bought just before core2 came out.

[ZYouL8R]

I've pretty much decided on a Dell Inspiron 1520. There's a deal right now for $425 off any Inspiron over $1399. I built one with the best processor (T7500), best video card (8600GT), XP home, 120gig 7200rpm HD, and other upgraded shit for $1018 shipped. I don't think I'll be able to beat that anywhere. Only thing I'll need is another gig of RAM (which I'll get at newegg) and MSOffice (which I can use my desktop version or find one somewhere). Not a bad deal I think.

[J Osh10]

sounds good

[ZYouL8R]

Only thing that bugs me about the Inspiron is the silver finish but I guess I'll have to get used to it.

[J Osh10]

I can give u a can of spray paint

[Hollywood]

[QUOTE=BottleRocket]Toshibas lately have been absoloute shit. DO NOT BUY SONY, you can get the same performance machine in an HP for a few hundred less. I'd suggest HP if you want a decent laptop. Dell is worthless, Lenovo I cant speak much about, and Toshiba is also worthless.[/QUOTE]


I'm digging the HP's as well. We switched from Toshiba to HP and they've been rock solid since.

[ZYouL8R]

Now I have a new problem. I went to a Dell Store during lunch to look at all the models and the 1520 is BIG. Alot bigger than I thought it would be. I'm now set on the 1420 which is a 14", but it doesn't come with XP. So do I take the plunge and go with Vista? Or maybe go with Vista, dump it, and load XP?

[momo stallion]

dump vista, load xp.

how much $ will you save if you dont get the 8600gt vid card?

[8mpg]

[QUOTE=ZYouL8R]Now I have a new problem. I went to a Dell Store during lunch to look at all the models and the 1520 is BIG. Alot bigger than I thought it would be. I'm now set on the 1420 which is a 14", but it doesn't come with XP. So do I take the plunge and go with Vista? Or maybe go with Vista, dump it, and load XP?[/QUOTE]

I had trouble loading XP on my laptop (Toshiba) when I tried dumping Vista. It was a pain in the ass. Have you checked on the small business models?

http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/latit?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

[elzoro]

that thing is gonna have a very small battery life

[Shoot To Kill]

fuck dell.

anything they manufacture is shit.

i had a toshiba, and it rocked ass. i loved that thing.

acer = shit as well.

my next will either be another toshiba, or viao.

[ZYouL8R]

[QUOTE=momo stallion]dump vista, load xp.

how much $ will you save if you dont get the 8600gt vid card?[/QUOTE]

I'm not set on the vid card, but without it I was like $75 short of reaching $1399 to get the $425 off, so I just added it.

[ZYouL8R]

[QUOTE=8mpg]I had trouble loading XP on my laptop (Toshiba) when I tried dumping Vista. It was a pain in the ass. Have you checked on the small business models?

http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/latit?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd[/QUOTE]

Yeah I checked the small business models, but they're more expensive after all is said and done. It's going to be tough to get close to the $425 off the Inspiron. If that damn 14" had XP I'd buy it in a heartbeat :(

[96Cobra_Nate]

I own a Dell Insirion 1100 and A Sony Vaio VGN-140G they both have Windows XP and they are both for sale. I like both of them and I'll make you a great deal on one of them.

[8mpg]

[QUOTE=ZYouL8R]Yeah I checked the small business models, but they're more expensive after all is said and done. It's going to be tough to get close to the $425 off the Inspiron. If that damn 14" had XP I'd buy it in a heartbeat :([/QUOTE]

Check out the Dell 630... 14.1" screen. Only difference is the video card vs. integrated graphics and the processor is a bit slower...you wont notice a difference.

$1068


My System Details
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7250 (2.00GHz) 2M L2 Cache, 800MHz Dual Core
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition, SP2, with media
14.1 inch Wide Screen WXGA LCD Panel
1.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 1 DIMM
120GB Hard Drive, 9.5MM, 5400RPM
8X DVD+/-RW w/Roxio and Cyberlink Power DVD™
Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Dell Wireless™ 1390 802.11g Mini Card
Standard Touchpad
My Accessories
6 Cell Primary Battery
65W A/C Adapter
No Floppy Drive
My Software
Resource CD - Contains Diagnostics and Drivers
My Services & Warranties
3 year Limited Hardware Warranty with Mail-in Service
Purchase is not intended for resale.
Also Included
US - System Documentation, Power Cord
Windows XP Label

[line-em-up]

It's funny reading about all of the bashing going on.

Personally, I like Dell. We use Dell Latitudes and some Macs, out of about 30 or 40 Dell laptops, we've had only one fail in the last few years. We have only one Alienware and that thing was a total piece of shit.

[mikeb]

On my last dell latitude I replaced 3 motherboards (and it needs another one), 4 keyboards, an lcd display panel, a power supply, a battery, and the bottom of the case (the latch that holds in the battery and cd drive broke). Piece of crap. I traveled with it and several times had to do field surgery on it right at my desk to get it to work again.

I've bought my wife and myself hp laptops and other than the first one I bought that was basically doa out of the box we've had zero issues in 1.5 years now with them.

[line-em-up]

[QUOTE=mikeb]On my last dell latitude I replaced 3 motherboards (and it needs another one), 4 keyboards, an lcd display panel, a power supply, a battery, and the bottom of the case (the latch that holds in the battery and cd drive broke). Piece of crap. I traveled with it and several times had to do field surgery on it right at my desk to get it to work again.

I've bought my wife and myself hp laptops and other than the first one I bought that was basically doa out of the box we've had zero issues in 1.5 years now with them.[/QUOTE]

That sucks. If I had that kind of luck out of a pc, I'd call it junk too. What model did you have?

[mikeb]

[QUOTE=line-em-up]That sucks. If I had that kind of luck out of a pc, I'd call it junk too. What model did you have?[/QUOTE]

latitude Cpx. Dell wanted ~$600 for a refurb motherboard; I found them on ebay for $89. And I forgot to mention the memory sticks that the motherboard burned up :mad:

[J Osh10]

no model just a dell

[line-em-up]

[QUOTE=mikeb]latitude Cpx. Dell wanted ~$600 for a refurb motherboard; I found them on ebay for $89. And I forgot to mention the memory sticks that the motherboard burned up :mad:[/QUOTE]

I've never used the cpx. Just the 420 - 830 Latitude models

[ZYouL8R]

I think I'm going to go w/ the Latitude D630. It has the 14" screen I want and it comes w/ XP. The only downside is that the video card isn't as good (not that I care too much) and I can't use that huge discount that I could on the Inspiron. All of the reviews I read said the Latitude's quality is much better than the Inspiron or Vostro. Only thing I'll have to buy afterwards is more RAM and MS Office. I think I can find one of my old copies of MS Office somewhere and if not, hopefully someone I know will have a copy.

[ZYouL8R]

Forgot to thank all you guys for the help.

[Grant]

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11210769&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4017747&Mo=13&pos=1&No=12&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=4338&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav=

Or check out www.costco.com and check out some of the refurb's, pretty good prices. You also get a better warranty buying from Costco.

[Grant]

[QUOTE=ZYouL8R]I think I'm going to go w/ the Latitude D630. It has the 14" screen I want and it comes w/ XP. The only downside is that the video card isn't as good (not that I care too much) and I can't use that huge discount that I could on the Inspiron. All of the reviews I read said the Latitude's quality is much better than the Inspiron or Vostro. Only thing I'll have to buy afterwards is more RAM and MS Office. I think I can find one of my old copies of MS Office somewhere and if not, hopefully someone I know will have a copy.[/QUOTE]

How much are you paying? Warranty length?

[ZYouL8R]

[QUOTE=Grant]How much are you paying? Warranty length?[/QUOTE]

System looks like this:

Core2 Duo T7300 (2.0ghz)
XP Home
14.1 Wide screen LCD display
512mb RAM (which will get replaced w/ 2gb)
120gb 7200rpm HDD
8x DVD/CD burner
128mb nVidia Quadro NVS 135M
Intel wireless
Bluetooth wireless
9 cell battery
No office software

3 year hardware warranty

$1246

[Shoot To Kill]

[QUOTE=ZYouL8R]System looks like this:

Core2 Duo T7300 (2.0ghz)
XP Home
14.1 Wide screen LCD display
512mb RAM (which will get replaced w/ 2gb)
120gb 7200rpm HDD
8x DVD/CD burner
128mb nVidia Quadro NVS 135M
Intel wireless
Bluetooth wireless
9 cell battery
No office software

3 year hardware warranty

$1246[/QUOTE]
the only good of that whole deal is the 9 cell batt, and the bluetooth.

[Grant]

[QUOTE=ZYouL8R]System looks like this:

Core2 Duo T7300 (2.0ghz)
XP Home
14.1 Wide screen LCD display
512mb RAM (which will get replaced w/ 2gb)
120gb 7200rpm HDD
8x DVD/CD burner
128mb nVidia Quadro NVS 135M
Intel wireless
Bluetooth wireless
9 cell battery
No office software

3 year hardware warranty

$1246[/QUOTE]

Is it THAT important for you to have XP? Vista isn't that bad and for what you're planning on using it for should be just fine.

If you're stuck on that model/specs. Then order this from Costco, more RAM and XP PRO SP2, instead of home:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11162023&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4017748&Mo=3&pos=2&No=2&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=4968&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav=

[ZYouL8R]

[QUOTE=Grant]Is it THAT important for you to have XP? Vista isn't that bad and for what you're planning on using it for should be just fine.

If you're stuck on that model/specs. Then order this from Costco, more RAM and XP PRO SP2, instead of home:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11162023&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4017748&Mo=3&pos=2&No=2&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=4968&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav=[/QUOTE]

That one has a smaller CPU, smaller HDD, smaller GPU, and it's basically the same price.

[ZYouL8R]

[QUOTE=Shoot To Kill]the only good of that whole deal is the 9 cell batt, and the bluetooth.[/QUOTE]

Well unless a I want the T7500 CPU for an extra $150, and a 160gb HDD for an extra $100, it's pretty much the best available.

[Grant]

[QUOTE=ZYouL8R]Well unless a I want the T7500 CPU for an extra $150, and a 160gb HDD for an extra $100, it's pretty much the best available.[/QUOTE]

Why is it you want XP so bad again? That's really what you're paying more for.

[8mpg]

[QUOTE=ZYouL8R]I think I'm going to go w/ the Latitude D630. It has the 14" screen I want and it comes w/ XP. The only downside is that the video card isn't as good (not that I care too much) and I can't use that huge discount that I could on the Inspiron. All of the reviews I read said the Latitude's quality is much better than the Inspiron or Vostro. Only thing I'll have to buy afterwards is more RAM and MS Office. I think I can find one of my old copies of MS Office somewhere and if not, hopefully someone I know will have a copy.[/QUOTE]

All my guys at work use Dell D630s and we never have problems with them. I might just have an extra copy of office 2007 if you have a blank dvd ;)

[ZYouL8R]

[QUOTE=Grant]Why is it you want XP so bad again? That's really what you're paying more for.[/QUOTE]

Just don't like the fact that it takes so much RAM to operate and that there are still some bugs to work out. I'm sure it will be better after SP1, but in the mean time I don't want to deal with it. If there comes a time where I need it, I'll just dual boot w/ XP and Vista.

[Grant]

Well, for the price you're paying, you can get vista machines with 2GB already there, for less than what you're paying. Vista with 2GB runs better than my XP Pro with 1GB and it was just a fresh install. Sure, there is a learning curve involved, but I don't think it's worth paying extra to avoid.

Just my $.02 though.

[8mpg]

[QUOTE=Grant]Well, for the price you're paying, you can get vista machines with 2GB already there, for less than what you're paying. Vista with 2GB runs better than my XP Pro with 1GB and it was just a fresh install. Sure, there is a learning curve involved, but I don't think it's worth paying extra to avoid.

Just my $.02 though.[/QUOTE]

FUCK vista...

Id get the 9cell battery if I were you...cheaper to upgrade than buy later.

[J Osh10]

yea dont get vista stick with xp

[joshstang]

i love my toshiba..and it only cost me $432 with tax. :)

[ZYouL8R]

I just pulled the trigger on a Dell Latitude D630. It had everything I wanted plus already had the 2gb RAM, XP Pro instead of Home, and a better wireless card. Brand new the exact laptop would be $1559, but I got it for $909 since it was "Scratch and Dent". The guy guaranteed the scratch to be less than 1" long and wouldn't be on the screen. I have a 21-day return period if I don't like it. I'm pumped. :D

[8mpg]

[QUOTE=ZYouL8R]I just pulled the trigger on a Dell Latitude D630. It had everything I wanted plus already had the 2gb RAM, XP Pro instead of Home, and a better wireless card. Brand new the exact laptop would be $1559, but I got it for $909 since it was "Scratch and Dent". The guy guaranteed the scratch to be less than 1" long and wouldn't be on the screen. I have a 21-day return period if I don't like it. I'm pumped. :D[/QUOTE]

sounds like a great deal