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Tom Schindler

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Well, after 5 1/2 years of faithful service, my long time friend laptop PC died.



It was a Medion MD2900 Titanium I got at Aldi. Best computer I have ever used.



So, I am in the market for a new one.



Any suggestions?



I do not do any business travel anymore, so all the bells and whistles are now useless, thought they would be nice to have.



I have delt with an HP/Compaq Laptop. Pure garbage. Tech support was useless to say the least. The build quality is deplorable. Nothing made by HP or Compaq.



I want to keep the price around $600.00.





Tom

 
Two years ago, I got a laptop (Inspiron 6000) from Dell's scratch & dent / refurb. site. It had no obvious flaws and I haven't had a problem with it yet. You have to search for the model & features you want, and check several times a day until the one you want becomes available. I think it took me less than two days to find this one and it was a couple hundred dollars cheaper than buying brand new. (These are often units which a customer ordered, then canceled before it was shipped.)
 
I also have a Dell Inspiron. Basic model runs around $500. I upgraded to a HD monitor for an additional $20. I've had no problems whatsoever as I traveled around the World with it. It has Wi-Fi, so it is really convenient to keep in touch with people on the road.



If you did travel and you have a desktop already, I would suggest an Apple iPod Touch. I am using mine a lot during travels and just leaving the laptop at home. It is good for checking email, and doing small stuff online, like online banking and checking MYST. :)
 
I've had two HP Pavillions and no problems with either. The first was new in 2001 and is still working but the cooling fans are finally about to die. The other I just got last year. I'm a bit of a computer geek, so I rarely call tech support. Based on my past experiences, I have no problems buying an HP.
 
a used/refurb Mac is better than anything Microsoft or Dell puts out (new or used)
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Tried a Mac a few years back. I would rather go without a PC then have a Mac.



I'm a bit of a computer geek, so I rarely call tech support. Based on my past experiences, I have no problems buying an HP.
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I am the same way. The time I had to call tech support is when my cousin's grandmothers HP/Compaq PC would not connect to the wireless network. It was a hardware issue. After arguing with Ali-Sheeba for 2 hours over the phone trying to convince them that the issue was hardware and not software, they send me a new wireless card. Replaced the wireless card and still no connection. This time, I call tech support back and tell them what is wrong. This time spoke with Achmed and was told to get the new card to work we need to recover the OS to clear up driver issues, I tell them that reloading windows is out of the question. Finally they agree to give us an RMA. We remove the HDD before we send it to them. They replace the motherboard. Grammy was out of a computer for 1 month dealing with this.



I would buy another Medion in a heardbeat. Problem is finding a place that sells them.





Tom
 
I have had great luck with Toshiba laptops. My last one was around 6 years old when I gave it to my dad in January and bought a new one. It was just getting to slow for me, I never had a single problem with it the entire time I owned it. So far the new one is doing great, but I have not had it long enough to give a good reliability report.
 
I know some one who got a great deal on Craigs list....



I have a Dell latitude and a Toshiba. Dell is only 1 year old ad the Toshiba is close to 4....



Also Have the dell Latitude here and my office has close to 20 of them, all flawless, None recalled with the battery scare and only 1 had a bad CPU fan...



If I got one for me it would be the dell...



Todd Z
 
Any input on Acer?
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I have heard of quality issues with them, but I do not have any personal experience with them, so not sure how valid my comment is. . .
 
If you are concerned with HP/Compac build quality, you would be going backwards in purchasing an Acer. Acer is like the KIA of the PC world. Dells products continue to improve, although their tech support is awful. I swear the tech support is sourced out of India.
 
A man needs more than one mouse button.



(and compatibility with the majority of software and hardware and performance on par with pcs, where macs have historically lagged)



Oh, and I doubt that a man would want to be represented by the rather effeminate male (assumed) who represents mac on the commercials. Especially after the hokey psychiatric counseling commercial of late.



It is mac's fault.
 
things changed, you folks need to stop living in the past and give things more than one chance, im sure im about to hear all your stories about how bad mac was back in the day. but this isnt 1982, this is 2008 and a lot of things or different. a mac is clearly a better machine than the pc's out right now. and it can run any of the pc's software just as well or better than a pc. its more versatile, its more resiliant, and its got great customer service these days(probably trying to make up for the horrible customer service back in the day).
 
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ok so mac is represented my a scrawny "effeminate male" in its commercials, but you would rather be represented by an out of shape slightly overweight male that wears brown suits? and i dont really know what you mean by effeminate, haha what do you want the powerthurst guys(see link) to represent mac before you consider one.
 
If you are concerned with HP/Compac build quality, you would be going backwards in purchasing an Acer.
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This is the type of information I want to hear. At one time, before I got my Medion I looked at Compaq/HP. At that time I wasn't impressed. Dealing with Grammie's laptop just finalized that decision for me.



Odds are, it will be a Dell. If I can find somewhere that sells Medion, I would buy another in a heartbeat.



things changed, you folks need to stop living in the past and give things more than one chance, im sure im about to hear all your stories about how bad mac was back in the day. but this isnt 1982, this is 2008 and a lot of things or different. a mac is clearly a better machine than the pc's out right now. and it can run any of the pc's software just as well or better than a pc. its more versatile, its more resiliant, and its got great customer service these days(probably trying to make up for the horrible customer service back in the day).
Click to expand...



This has been 4 years ago since I tried a Mac. This is not like trying a new hamburger. This is buying a PC. A Mac just isn't for me. Buying a Mac and then hating it is too much of a risk. Plus, with my home network running 6 PC's, server, etc. A Mac will not fit my needs.





Tom
 

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