| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Toshiba, Dell or Packard Bell laptops: your opinion? Thread poster: Jason Willis-Lee
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Dear all
I´m on the verge of making a crucial consumer decision, choosing the brand of my first laptop pc!
I´m toying between the above 3 brands although Dell is coming in third place due to the recent battery problems they have been having. I use a PB desktop as well and it runs fine.
Since laptop useful lives are around 2-3 years at best, perhaps brand choice is less of an issue these days...?
I would appreciate any advice/views before m... See more Dear all
I´m on the verge of making a crucial consumer decision, choosing the brand of my first laptop pc!
I´m toying between the above 3 brands although Dell is coming in third place due to the recent battery problems they have been having. I use a PB desktop as well and it runs fine.
Since laptop useful lives are around 2-3 years at best, perhaps brand choice is less of an issue these days...?
I would appreciate any advice/views before making my final choice.
Many thanks in advance.
Jason. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I have a Packard Bell, but... | Sep 11, 2006 |
I have one from the Easy Note range. It does the job, BUT:
- it can be incredibly slow sometimes
- the display can get dim very easily and changing the standard display settings make no difference. It was only when I found an obscure forum post somewhere that I found the key combination to fix it.
I got this one 18 months ago and by and large, it is holding up well. However if I were to buy another laptop, I would try another brand.
My 2c...<... See more I have one from the Easy Note range. It does the job, BUT:
- it can be incredibly slow sometimes
- the display can get dim very easily and changing the standard display settings make no difference. It was only when I found an obscure forum post somewhere that I found the key combination to fix it.
I got this one 18 months ago and by and large, it is holding up well. However if I were to buy another laptop, I would try another brand.
My 2c...
Orla ▲ Collapse
| | | | Heinrich Pesch 
Finland
Local time: 19:22
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
| Beware of Norton | Sep 11, 2006 |
Whatever you buy, do not install Norton Internet Security. Most computers these days have a free version of NIS preinstalled. Do not let NIS install on your laptop. Purchase instead some other security package like F-secure or free firewall/virus protection software.
No matter how fast your machine will be in the beginning, Norton soon will slow it down.
I use a Fujitsu Siemens laptop. I think most brands will do fine, its the software that decides how well it will run.
... See more Whatever you buy, do not install Norton Internet Security. Most computers these days have a free version of NIS preinstalled. Do not let NIS install on your laptop. Purchase instead some other security package like F-secure or free firewall/virus protection software.
No matter how fast your machine will be in the beginning, Norton soon will slow it down.
I use a Fujitsu Siemens laptop. I think most brands will do fine, its the software that decides how well it will run.
Regards
Heinrich ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kevin Fulton
United States
Local time: 12:22
German to English
| Success with Dell, but ... | Sep 11, 2006 |
I own / have owned several Dell laptops. I've never been dissatisfied with their features or performance, but they do tend to be a little heavy.
However, my daughter, a college student, is very hard on computers (likes to work in coffee shops, etc.) and has destroyed a couple of Dell computers. If you plan to travel or carry the computer around alot, you might want to choose the Dell "Latitude" line, as they're allegedly more durable (and more expensive) than the "Inspiron" line.... See more I own / have owned several Dell laptops. I've never been dissatisfied with their features or performance, but they do tend to be a little heavy.
However, my daughter, a college student, is very hard on computers (likes to work in coffee shops, etc.) and has destroyed a couple of Dell computers. If you plan to travel or carry the computer around alot, you might want to choose the Dell "Latitude" line, as they're allegedly more durable (and more expensive) than the "Inspiron" line.
The current battery issue has to do with units made by one of the suppliers -- Sony. Other brands have been affected by the problem, although not to the extent experienced by Dell products. ▲ Collapse
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Hynek Palatin
Czech Republic
Local time: 18:22
Member (2003)
English to Czech
+ ...
| Toshiba, Dell or Packard Bell laptops: your opinion? | Sep 11, 2006 |
I don't think that brand is important. It's features, performance, price, usability (very individual), support availability, etc. that matters. Somebody can be very happy with a particular brand, but somebody else might have a bad experience. Also, there are many different models under each brand, so saying that XY is slow doesn't really mean much.
First, find out what you really need. Then make a list of several models from several makers, try them out if you can and buy the one yo... See more I don't think that brand is important. It's features, performance, price, usability (very individual), support availability, etc. that matters. Somebody can be very happy with a particular brand, but somebody else might have a bad experience. Also, there are many different models under each brand, so saying that XY is slow doesn't really mean much.
First, find out what you really need. Then make a list of several models from several makers, try them out if you can and buy the one you like the most.
I have Dell, by the way, and I bought it because it had everything I needed and there was a promotion. And I have just received a new battery for it. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dina Abdo
Palestine
Local time: 19:22
Member (2005)
Arabic
+ ...
| Ok it took me a long search too ... | Sep 11, 2006 |
But I ended up with Dell eventually.
All the brands you're talking about are great, and some of them may offer much more than Dell, but in my case, Dell went perfect with me in terms of specifications and price ... it's just doing the work needed perfectly
And BTW, I asked a friend (specialized in computers) when I first thought of purchasing a laptop, and his opeinion was that although Toshiba is known a... See more But I ended up with Dell eventually.
All the brands you're talking about are great, and some of them may offer much more than Dell, but in my case, Dell went perfect with me in terms of specifications and price ... it's just doing the work needed perfectly
And BTW, I asked a friend (specialized in computers) when I first thought of purchasing a laptop, and his opeinion was that although Toshiba is known as the best, it's rather because of the hardware abilities (beautiful screen, cool designs, wide platform, nice keyboard ... etc.) but Dell can do the same job, and it's closer in use to the PC which, in my case, was the one I'm used to ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I have a Dell | Sep 11, 2006 |
Inspiron, bought in June last year.
So far, I am very satisfied, it has all I need, is fast, has a good display and responsive and comfortable keys.
I am also satisfied with their service (only software problems till now).
I think that I would definitively buy another Dell!
| | | | Clare Barnes
Sweden
Local time: 18:22
Swedish to English
+ ...
I have a Latitude 810 and it's great. It was also cheaper than the Dell I originally thought of buying, but the Dell salesman - who gave me a thorough interview about what I'd use the laptop for - recommended this one instead. I haven't had any problems at all with it so far and the my previous Dell laptop, although now a bit slow, still works fine for the rest of the family. My battery wasn't one of the exploding ones, by the way!
My advice is to do as Hynek suggested and ring the... See more I have a Latitude 810 and it's great. It was also cheaper than the Dell I originally thought of buying, but the Dell salesman - who gave me a thorough interview about what I'd use the laptop for - recommended this one instead. I haven't had any problems at all with it so far and the my previous Dell laptop, although now a bit slow, still works fine for the rest of the family. My battery wasn't one of the exploding ones, by the way!
My advice is to do as Hynek suggested and ring the manufacturers, see what they have to say for themselves and then make a decision... ▲ Collapse
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Stephen Franke
United States
Local time: 09:22
English to Arabic
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| Laptop purchase - think 3-5 years of service ahead | Sep 11, 2006 |
Greetings.
Re your pending purchase of a laptop.
Here are some observations and suggestions:
1. If you can afford it, get a Toshiba laptop in its Satellite product line, but insure that the processor is a dual-core processor (so that multiple applications will work smoothly).
2. Dell laptops are OK (technical support is outstanding and unequalled), but there are no guarantees that you'll get a dual-core processor unless you insist on it when ... See more Greetings.
Re your pending purchase of a laptop.
Here are some observations and suggestions:
1. If you can afford it, get a Toshiba laptop in its Satellite product line, but insure that the processor is a dual-core processor (so that multiple applications will work smoothly).
2. Dell laptops are OK (technical support is outstanding and unequalled), but there are no guarantees that you'll get a dual-core processor unless you insist on it when ordering your customized laptop.
3. HP laptops are good, and HP's technical / customer support is excellent (disclosure: I have been using an HP Pavilion for over two years, and all is well). Price range is medium, and you'd get your money's worth.
4. You might also look at the Lenovo (former IMB THinkpad) product line. Those laptops are pricey, but they're loaded with capabilities and features that would last for years ahead.
Hope this helps you reach your buying decision on a laptop that should support you over the next 3-5 years.
Regards,
Stephen H. Franke
English Arabic,
Kurdish and Persian
San Pedro, California, USA ▲ Collapse
| | | | Bill Greendyk
United States
Local time: 12:22
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Agree with Stephen! | Sep 11, 2006 |
Stephen Franke wrote:
1. If you can afford it, get a Toshiba laptop in its Satellite product line, but insure that the processor is a dual-core processor (so that multiple applications will work smoothly).
If Stephen would be so kind as to allow me to quote him, I'd agree with him on everything, especially regarding the purchase of a Toshiba Satellite. While Stephen gave loads of good advice, my own experience says this is the best advice he gave. I have a Toshiba Satellite with a dual-core processor, and I'm pleased with it in every aspect. After two years, I've not had one problem with it, and the speed is incredible, even with all of the software I've got installed. I've taken it around the world, and it's taken some hard knocks, but I've never once had to have it serviced.
Bill
[Edited at 2006-09-11 19:38]
| | | | Jerzy Czopik
Germany
Local time: 18:22
Member (2003)
Polish to German
+ ...
| Consider also a Sony Vaio | Sep 11, 2006 |
A have a Vaio, now 4 yeears old. Much older does not make much sense, as it becomes more and more outdated.
So take all the good advices from the friends above and look for the one which will have the best performance and the best price. Do not buy no name laptop. You will regret it after few days. With laptop the manufacturing quality is extremly important. You cannot exchange keyboard, touch-pad, display and many other parts or if you can replace them, the replacement is extremly expensi... See more A have a Vaio, now 4 yeears old. Much older does not make much sense, as it becomes more and more outdated.
So take all the good advices from the friends above and look for the one which will have the best performance and the best price. Do not buy no name laptop. You will regret it after few days. With laptop the manufacturing quality is extremly important. You cannot exchange keyboard, touch-pad, display and many other parts or if you can replace them, the replacement is extremly expensive. So a brand and a good manufacturing standards pays for it during the whole lifetime of the machine.
And also remember the advice from Heinrich - do not go for Norton. Not that it would be a bad product, no. It works very good. But it consumes a huge amount of system performance. Other similar solutions do need with much less ressources.
Just for your information: In Germany there is a trade-in action by Sony for Vaio BX notebooks. You can get 150 Euro rebate and up to some 400 Euros for your old laptop, if you buy a new Sony Vaio BX series until September, 30. More information in German is available here.
Regards
Jerzy ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Also a Sony Vaio fan | Sep 11, 2006 |
You just can't beat its screen quality!
I (as I guess we all do) spend endless hours staring at its screen, and I'm not ready to wear glasses just yet
Excellent materials, excellent support, long useful life, large capacity, extremely light (VGN-S1XP model), it stays cool, beautiful design, wireless built-in, long battery life, can burn DVDs... what else do you need?
Mine has paid for itsel... See more You just can't beat its screen quality!
I (as I guess we all do) spend endless hours staring at its screen, and I'm not ready to wear glasses just yet
Excellent materials, excellent support, long useful life, large capacity, extremely light (VGN-S1XP model), it stays cool, beautiful design, wireless built-in, long battery life, can burn DVDs... what else do you need?
Mine has paid for itself numerous times already, and it's 'only' 2 years old!
Best of lucks with your shopping,
Zyntia. ▲ Collapse
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| | Yaotl Altan
Mexico
Local time: 10:22
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Packard Bell? Do the old turntable makers are making laptops? That's new to me.
Dell has an excellent performance in desktops, furthermore you can customize it before you buy it.
I'd prefer Toshiba because they have a wide range of options in laptops, powerful, fast, lightweight and a good.
Sony? Too expensive to be a laptop. Dell and Tohiba understood that some yars ago when they decide to lower prices.
| | | | craigs
Local time: 12:22
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Toshiba or Dell | Sep 11, 2006 |
I've heard no complaints from Dell or Toshiba users. I like Toshiba.
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