computer advice?

[darththalia]

I need a new laptop. I wish I didn't, but this one is getting very slow and cranky, and the hard drive has been having lots of errors, and since I use it for work, I can't afford to wait for a catastrophic failure

Comments

[an_sceal]

I've been super happy with my Dell Studio 1535, which I drag all over the place and beat up on a regular basis. I've had Dell's the last 3 computers, and really like the brand.

Lenovo is actually what (I believe) IMB started selling their laptops as. Very utilitarian, sturdy, hold up to travel well, but I've known 4 people who've had huge overheating issues. In one case, it killed the hard drive, and in another, got so hot that there were scorch marks on the inside of the case when he opened it up. This is the brand my old company went to from Dell, but I don't know that they've stayed with it.

[darththalia]

OK, yeah, overheating = bad. When I'm busy with work this computer will be on 10 or 12 hours a day. Thanks for mentioning that; it's a definite deal-breaker.

Dell-wise, I'm looking mostly at the Inspiron 15R. It has a customizable case! My dying computer is a Vostro, and I've loved it, but it's definitely approaching the end of its life.

[darththalia]

Just out of curiosity, are those overheating issues recent? isiscolo says she's had a heavily-used Lenovo for three years and hasn't had any problems; I'm wondering if the overheating is more recent than that. Thanks!

[an_sceal]

The ones I know of are all purchased within the last year and a half, so yes, recent. My best friend has a Lenovo and really likes it, but his is an older model- about 3 years old, I believe

[darththalia]

Agreed on the RAM--I think I'm going to go with 4 Gb for now and upgrade when necessary. It's ridiculous how much more it would cost to get 6 Gb.

And what I'm learning from all these comments is that it all depends on personal experience with a given brand. I'm going to just pick something good and cross my fingers.

[writestufflee]

Lenovo is actually a Chinese brand, believe it or not. I don't know what their supply chain is like, but they're kind of IBM knock offs. But definitely a Chinese company. Just about the only brand you could buy when I was in China. Nice that they're shipping them over here now.

[glasshouses]

IBM sold the brand to a Chinese company. The Husbands' came with malware on it out of the box *sigh*