Laptop bit the bullet

[njsweetP]

My laptop started acting funny the day after Christmas. Ran scans and malwarebytes, and did all sort of anti spam stuff. In between all this mess we were able to transfer my photos, music and documents *all the important stuff* over to an external hard drive. Now I can't even turn the thing on. I am so frustrated and now using a netbook to do all my surfing,etc. Anyway - now I think I need to start shopping for a new laptop but really do NOT want to pay a lot for one ?? Any good deals out there? I seem to go thru laptops like every 3 years

 

[heathernfrankie]

When mine died in the summer, I went with an ACER from Wal-Mart. I think I paid about $350 for it after the service plan and taxes.

 

[dawson5]

Is it possible to take it somewhere and see if it is something simple to fix?

 

[bicker]

Any good deals out there? I seem to go thru laptops like every 3 years

There may be a relationship between our bargain-hunting and the lack of longevity of things we purchase. With computers, it isn't just the long-term reliability of the components of the system, but also the future-proofing (or lack thereof) in the specifications of what we buy.

I'm a software developer, these days, and I am responsible for the audio and video podcasts for my church, so you know my computer needs to work for me. This laptop I'm using now is over 2 1/2 years old, and I see no reason to think it won't work for me, even given my job and the sophisticated things I use my laptop for, for another year or two, at least. The key was that my laptop was a premium device, rather than one of the budget devices the company I bought my laptop from also had available for sale.

For example, Dell right now offers several different lines of laptop computers... let's just look at two of them:

Inspiron 15 $399.99
XPS15 $799.99

That Inspiron's CPU is old technology (Core 2 Duo), while the XPS is newer technology (i5). Just that, alone, justifies the investment, for anyone who's going to do more than just read email, surf the web, etc. Heck, for anyone who may ever use their laptop for gaming, or for editing home videos, you may find yourself frustrated by how poorly software you purchase in 2012 or 2013 performs on the Core 2 Due chip.

That's just part of the story: The XPS is built with better components, and Dell provides far superior service and support to you if you buy the XPS rather than the Inspiron. (My wife had an Inspiron until recently; the contrast between the quality of service and support she received versus what I received on my XPS was remarkable.)

So think carefully about bargain-shopping for computers: It could end up costing you more in the long run.

 

[racechick8293]

After one too many disappointments with PC's, I switched to a Mac, and have never been happier!

 

[jedijill]

I actually bought a refurbished Dell through the Dell outlet. It is one of the higher end models and I love it! I saved a ton of money on it vs. buying it new.

This is my first Dell (well, personal...I have Dells at work) and so far so good after a number of HP/Compaq laptops. I'm done with HP after my last one...major design flaw that HP would not stand behind.

HTH

Jill in CO

 

[Forevryoung]

After one too many disappointments with PC's, I switched to a Mac, and have never been happier!

But this also goes along with what Bicker said- you spent more money for a better quality machine (yes, some may argue otherwise but I stand by this statement).

I purchased one of the first duel core MacBooks in Summer 2006. I used it 15+ hours a day for 2 years of graduate school. I still use it on a daily basis and I can't see replacing it for at least another year if not 2 years (just upgraded the hard drive to 500GB and OS to Leopard )

I'll spend less money (or close to the same amount) instead of replacing a Dell every 2 years which was the replacement rate when I purchased the MacBook.

 

[racechick8293]

But this also goes along with what Bicker said- you spent more money for a better quality machine (yes, some may argue otherwise but I stand by this statement).

I purchased one of the first duel core MacBooks in Summer 2006. I used it 15+ hours a day for 2 years of graduate school. I still use it on a daily basis and I can't see replacing it for at least another year if not 2 years (just upgraded the hard drive to 500GB and OS to Leopard )

I'll spend less money (or close to the same amount) instead of replacing a Dell every 2 years which was the replacement rate when I purchased the MacBook.

Exactly- it's a more expensive purchase up front, but I've been using my MBP for nearly 6 months. It's never once crashed, froze, or suffered from any of those pesky PC issues. I expect that the MBP will end up being given to one of my kids in about 2 years, for me to upgrade, and that it will still be working well at that time for their needs.

 

[Swimnoid]

Not to hijack the thread or anything but the answer to this question could help the OP as well.

For those of you who are computer savvy, what are the differences, pros, cons etc of AMD Athlon quad core processors vs intel core i3/i5 dual core processors?

 

[bicker]

But this also goes along with what Bicker said- you spent more money for a better quality machine (yes, some may argue otherwise but I stand by this statement).

Correct. Apple won't license some random company out there to make an arbitrarily low-end device to run the Macintosh OS, and therefore they don't have to do so themselves, since their legal competition is limited. So while Dell has both high quality (XPS) and low quality (Inspiron) product lines, Apple only sells laptops in that first category (i.e., to compete with the Dell XPS, et. al.).

 

[rantnnravin]

I agree with Bicker -- As my momma always said: "The cheap turns out expensive."


-- Happy Macbook user

 

[Swimalie]

I agree with Bicker -- As my momma always said: "The cheap turns out expensive."


-- Happy Macbook user

I agree 100%.

-- proud owner of 5 running Apple computers including one from 1989.

 

[racechick8293]

I agree with Bicker -- As my momma always said: "The cheap turns out expensive."


-- Happy Macbook user

Your momma is one smart cookie!

-- Proud owner of a MacBook Pro, several iTouches and hopefully soon a 2g iPad...

 

[Leajess99]

My laptop started acting funny the day after Christmas. Ran scans and malwarebytes, and did all sort of anti spam stuff. In between all this mess we were able to transfer my photos, music and documents *all the important stuff* over to an external hard drive. Now I can't even turn the thing on. I am so frustrated and now using a netbook to do all my surfing,etc. Anyway - now I think I need to start shopping for a new laptop but really do NOT want to pay a lot for one ?? Any good deals out there? I seem to go thru laptops like every 3 years

I would recommend putting out a little more for a Dell with the extended warranty. My laptop is going on 4 years and is great. I did have to have major repairs due to it being dropped but they did not cost me a thing. I really like my Dell and while I did pay more than some on the market, I also know that it has lasted longer than some others.

 

[KellyNY]

I just wanted to ask how you all deal with fans on your laptops. It seems that all my problems stars with fans. I tried several cooling pads or whatever they called and they all die very fast and so fans in my laptops. I usually have my laptop on a desk. Thanks.

To OP, I would invest in i3 or i5 but no less then i3. I own dual core right now from last year but I would not buy it now when there are better options. If you buy from BestBuy, do not invest in GeekSquad, I had a horrible experience with them.

 

[crazelion]

I just wanted to ask how you all deal with fans on your laptops. It seems that all my problems stars with fans. I tried several cooling pads or whatever they called and they all die very fast and so fans in my laptops. I usually have my laptop on a desk. Thanks.

To OP, I would invest in i3 or i5 but no less then i3. I own dual core right now from last year but I would not buy it now when there are better options. If you buy from BestBuy, do not invest in GeekSquad, I had a horrible experience with them.

Use to work for best buy did you know that geeksquad some free software to take off virus, malware and spyware.

 

[MoniqueU]

Well if you want a new one I guess go for it but it can probably be fixed fairly cheaply. Ours go through troubles quite often as I get annoyed by virus software so I remove it. My girls go to who knows what websites and get virus's constantly. My husband wno is not handy at all taught himself how to fix and build computers. He just fixed my yougest daughters acer that she had given up on and my daughters new toshiba that got a virus on it two days after she got it. He just fixed mine as well. Sometimes it is a hard drive and they are easy to pop in and fairly cheap. I just replaced my oldest daughters computer and mine as they were dells and my daughters casing around her screen was starting to come unscrewed and it was just crapplly made. We wern't about to pay dells prices for a new casing. My computer was also a dell and I bent the part where the power cord plugs in and the part was over 200 bucks and would take some time to get here. I replaced both of ours with toshibas as my son has one that is a few years old and it is solid and has never had to have anything replaced. I have had all sorts of brands over the years and have had the best luck with toshiba and actually the acer has not had the casing or keyboard have problems. Ask a friend if they can fix it or take it to a local computer place and get an estimate. Do NOT go to best buys geek squad as they are overpriced, take a long time and shaddier then a used car salesman. My friend who is female and really not handy popped in a new hard drive herself. I don't think I could do it but it doesn't seem as hard as people think it is. I agree that macs are the way to go but at 1500 bucks for the ones we want and with 5 of us needing computers I stick with semi cheap PCs and just repair as needed.

 

[bicker]

I tried several cooling pads or whatever they called and they all die very fast and so fans in my laptops.

I went through a half dozen fans before I found one that works, and doesn't fail after a short period.

Microsoft Notebook Cooling Base White $22.88 at Wal-Mart

 

[rainydayplay]

That's just part of the story: The XPS is built with better components, and Dell provides far superior service and support to you if you buy the XPS rather than the Inspiron. (My wife had an Inspiron until recently; the contrast between the quality of service and support she received versus what I received on my XPS was remarkable.)

My Inspiron will be 5 years old next month, and I've had excellent customer service from Dell. The first time I opened it, my daughter spilled a full glass of tea on it before it could completely get into Windows setup. Had no trouble getting parts replaced. Right before Christmas '09, there was another spill on it that resulted in parts catching on fire. The 4 year warranty was still in effect, and they replaced about half the parts in the computer, then sent someone to my house to work on it when it was shipped back and something still wasn't working quite right. There were several incidents in between that resulted in replacement keyboards, and I've never had trouble getting questions answered, parts replaced, etc.

Granted, I paid a lot for that awesome warranty, and when it came time to extend it last year, I just decided that the next major incident would result in a new laptop instead of investing more money on this one (and I have a lovely external hard drive that I've managed to save everything necessary on). But I will definitely get another Dell when the time comes for me to get a new laptop.

YMMV, of course...

 

[Swimalie]

This is what I have (for my Mac) and it cools my lap top so well that I don't have to turn the fan on.

http://www.targus.com/us/productdet...ketTypeId=0&searchedTerms=&navlevel1=products

The neoprene is comfortable on my legs and it doesn't slip on my lap. The legs on the top keep my lap top in place as well. This is sold in Costco occasionally.