Need a solid basic laptop

[CoolOtaku]

I know there are at least a few people here who are good with computers and know what's good and what's not, so... I'm hoping you guys will read this! :)

So here's the story. Basically, my friend's current laptop (I believe it's an Acer Aspire) is giving her issues with the power cord. She says it has heat issues, as in it's just not good at keeping itself cool. The screen already had an issue less than a year ago that caused it to flicker like mad, necessitating changing the angle of the screen often. She sent it in and they fixed it (has not been an issue since, not even once), but it came back with one button not working as it used to (thankfully an unimportant button) and a small aesthetic piece (I believe it just said the serial number and that sort of thing) flat out missing.

So basically, from what I've read online, Acer is crap. I've read some pretty horrendous stories about their laptops. I also saw this online...

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/laptop-reliability-survey-asus-and-toshiba-win-hp-fails/

Any thoughts on that graph? Reliable? Not reliable?

As I'm pretty far removed from the whole computer scene, even more so now than I used to be, I was hoping that you guys might able to help me in finding a new laptop for her.

Reliability is the key factor here. Something that will likely last a good few years with few and/or minor issues is the most important part. Almost equally important, however, is price. The cheaper the better insofar as it doesn't detract from its reliability.
I realize that's kind of asking a lot as you tend to get what you pay for, but if anyone has any ideas on where to look, what to look at, anything at all, please post it here. All info is welcome and much appreciated.

[Phakiel]

I have never own an hp laptop. I had a compaq bought when they were freshly bought and the disc drive never worked properly.

I am currently the owner of a CS series Vaio laptop and I have had it serviced less than a year after I bought it (display and fan, warranty covered it but still).

I say buy dell, I have always been impartial towards dell, I always thouugly asght they were just a bunch of stuff gathered from the garbage and turned into a laptop, but at least they are not as ugly as toshiba laptops nor as delicate as Vaois, I dont like Lenovo. Dell gives you a good bang for your buck. Lenovo and Toshiba are too ugly as weell, Dell already gives you backlit keboards which are nice.

As for personal choice, next laptop I am going to buy is going to be a macbook. I have been a PC owner since i was a little kid and honestly I am kinda fed up.

[CoolOtaku]

I have a Macbook Pro and I think I'll be sticking with Mac for a long time. I'd love to tell her "Get a Macbook" and be done with it, but Apple is fucking expensive o_o

[freeflow^]

Acer frames are wobbly and susceptible to breaking if you carry it around in a backpack or something.

Honestly I'd go for an LG. I bought an LG laptop about a year and a half ago and I have never had a problem with it, and I take it with me to school, work, out-of-town etc and it's still in fine condition. I've even dropped it.

[Atlas]

Apple is expensive, but they are so worth the pricetag in my opinion.

[CoolOtaku]

LG, huh? I'll definitely have to look into that... Thanks for the recommendation :)

But seriously, I love Apple, too, man! XD

[Atlas]

If she's truly hard up for cash just recommend a Sony, I say. I'm pretty certain they have some quality yet affordable options.

[CoolOtaku]

I've been hesitant about Sony computers ever since my Vaio desktop back in the day. That thing was a piece of crap >_>
I really don't know much about them after that though. I take it they've improved their standing in relation to the other big computer names?

[Phakiel]

No. Sony has been releasing affordable laptops (well somewhat, my laptop is one of the new cheap ones they have and still ran for about 800 bucks, and thats because Amazon was having a sale) but some of them can be very prone to have something wrong with the parts. I say that if she is considering a Vaio, do extensive research online to see if people have been having problems with the battery, display or fan on the series. I dont know why Atlas suggested Vaio, I think they are the opposite, expensive and unreliable, although they are my personal preference in PCs because they have the cuter designs,. I still dont know who can find one of those Toshiba models and consider buying them.

Also she can look into those Asus computers people are buying these days or MSI. I dont know how reliable they are though. I think my cousin has one of either one of those and ran her just over 400 bucks, screen is about 14 inch and basic specs of a year ago although I dont remember if it was dual core intel or AMD processor.

[Atlas]

I was just making an uneducated assertion. I'll admit that anything besides the MacBook is unfit in my opinion. LG and HP are probably truly the only companies that stand a chance against the giant, Apple. And when I say stand a chance, I merely say they are affordable and somewhat reliable. However, I heard LG's do have longer life expectancies.

But still, I can't help but assume there are some decent Sony's out there.

[Hyde]

Apple? ewww....

Go with a Toshiba. They give you the most bang for your buck. Or...an HP. Also great.

[Atlas]

Eww? Come now, Hyde... You must jest...

[CoolOtaku]

Trust me when I say that Hyde does not jest. I found out the hard way by bringing up Macs in the chat room XD

Hyde, did you look at that link I put in my first post? I was surprised by the data they had on HP which had HP as the worst when it comes to durability. I find it a little hard to believe, honestly.

[freeflow^]

Sony's are the most expensive of the decent brands, Toshiba, HP, Dell, and LG. You're just paying for the name really as with any other Sony product. My problem with Sony stems from the fact that they make EVERYTHING and have gotten themselves into a jam where they're over saturated in the market and don't make certain things very well. Ie digital Cameras, mp3, players, laptops etc... They're heavy as shit and expensive, but not any better than a laptop 200 bucks cheaper. They do look pretty though

I really think Apple's are overrated. There's nothing about a Mac OS that's better than Win XP or 7. If you want a simple, no frills OS, get XP or some versions of Ubuntu. If you want all the dazzle and customization get 7. If we're talking about power and price range, there's pc-based laptops that will absolutely cream a macbook for the same price.

[CoolOtaku]

I was about to say my opinion on the matter. And then I realized this thread isn't about Mac vs. PC :p

Should we make a thread for it just so we can all vent at the other side? XD


But anyway. Now that I have some ideas about which brands to look at, which stores would you all recommend buying from?

[Atlas]

Fry's & Best Buy.

[moogle]

I have an Asus laptop and it's pretty great, no real hardware issues and it holds up well. Newegg is a great place to look (where I got mine), they have some good sales and free shipping a lot of the time.

[Phakiel]

You should check out posts at gizmodo regarding deals on laptops. There were a bunch of them on todays dealzmodo.

[Polygon]

I would recommend Asus and Toshiba right now. I would avoid HP like the plague and Dell isn't much better. I haven't kept an eye on Gateway for a long time. If you don't mind spending a lot of money Apple is good and you can install Windows 7 on it if you really want. Lenovo/IBM are pretty decent too but also pretty spendy.