Laptop...Samsung? Dell? Pulling my hair out!

[KnitWit]

We are sooooo not techie in this house!

 

My dd is trying to make a decision on HER first laptop purchase. Our brains are about to EXPLODE! She needs one to take to school. We had been told to buy Dell (which happens to be what mine is), but we didn't realize it'd end up being about $700 plus the Office 2010.

 

We stopped at Best Buy and a Geek Squad guy (who had a fabulous accent from ZIMBABWE by the way...I asked LOTS of questions just to keep him talking ;) ) showed us a Samsung that was $550. HOWEVER, by the time we add on the warranty and such, it's basically the same amount, only with the Dell, due to buying it at Costco, we'd get TWO years on hardware vs. the one.

 

HOW do you make a freaking decision on these things??? ROFL!!

 

The cheaper computers are dual core (which is what I have), but they are being phased out. We were told to look at Intel i3 or better.

 

:bigear:

[renabeth]

Not too happy with my Dell, it is only 15 months old and gives me fits everyday. But that being said, I don't know if you can judge the whole company by my one laptop.:)

[gingersmom]

My Dell computer was the worst mistake I ever made.

 

I went back to Apple in a hurry.

 

There was just an article this week (I think Wednesday) in the New York Times about Dell and how they lied and lied when their computers were malfunctioning.

[carolinagirl]

One thing to remember when asking opinions on computers, is that everyone has their own experience. My husband and I have owned a Compaq, a Dell, Gateway and two HP laptops. Our desktops have been Gateways, HP and Dell.

 

This is what we've found. For desktops, Dell seems to have an edge on the rest, although the latest HP desktop we bought for one of our sons (got a good deal on it) has worked great. Our first HP desktop was a lemon.

 

For laptops, HP seems to be winning out as far as usage and durability. In fact, we just bought our second HP laptop because we were so pleased with my husband's last laptop (an HP). The compaq broke pretty quick. The Gateway had a power cord issue straight off but had great CS that sent out a new one. But then the hinges failed just after about a year. Then the power button. And it all started to go downhill. My husband's dell had the same issue with hinges but he ordered parts and repaired it. However it started to break again pretty soon after and parts were hard to find and it didn't run well.

 

The HP laptops really hold up. My husband has had his for two years and nothing has broke yet. It still runs pretty well, and he hasn't done much in the way of maintenance on it. I got mine for mother's day and love it. It was $700, we did not buy the warranty because my husband's career is computers. If it's fixable, he can do it. But there are other models that cost less if you need to buy the warranty.

 

Samsung models have some good units, if I remember from the research I did earlier. There was one model in particular I was going to buy but they were sold out and no longer offering it online. I'd shop online and read reviews. Wish I could help you more but I don't have any experience with samsung.

[TN Mama]

My husband is a techie and we have been very happy with our Toshiba laptops. He surprised me with an upgrade this week. Loving it! Less than $400 at Best Buy.

[ChristusG]

DH got me a Dell (red!) laptop for Christmas. It's been, what, 7 months now and I haven't had any issues.

[Amira]

We've been happy Dell customers for 10 years. Our computers have been reliable and inexpensive and we've been pleased with the customer service and warranty support when we've needed it.

 

Many universities sell Office 2010 for less that you can get it elsewhere. Your daughter might want to look into that option.

[Anne]

My daughters have Dell laptops and they have been very pleased with them - no problems!

 

I have a Dell desktop and have been very happy with it.

 

Anne

[Teachin'Mine]

Just to add more confusion, you can usually get a better deal on a Dell buying it directly from them. For $700 you should be able to get all the bells and whistles of an Inspiron with three years in home service. Don't buy the office - get Open Office free online. :)

 

For example: http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dndozm2&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

 

And the above includes 3 years in-home service and accident protection. Their deals get even better closer to the beginning of school.

 

Bummer - the link I gave doesn't give it showing the upgrades I added. But with that, you can go in and customize and see how it affects the price. But waiting a bit - check daily - for better deals is a good idea if you decide to go with Dell.

Edited July 2, 2010 by Teachin'Mine

[MorganClassicalPrep]

I have a Dell laptop... and am currently saving up for an Apple. I have had SOOOOO many problems with my laptop. Had to reset to factory settings twice, had to call out a laptop repair service once... and I've only had it about a year and a half. :glare:

 

Like a previous poster said, have your daughter check out her university. Mine offers a discount on some brands of laptops and various software programs. I can get Microsoft Office Home and Student for $60.

[michmom]

I think what someone said about everyone's experiences being unique is true. I'm sure you'll always find someone with a horror story about almost every computer. That being said, we have two Dell laptops now, as well as several desktops. One of the laptops has taken every abuse for several years that my two ds can dish out and we have had no problems at all. My husband has a masters in computer engineering (but is a pilot by occupation) and he is pretty particular about his computers. He loves to search Dell's website for the refurbished computers to find a great deal. He says that supposedly many of them are ones customers order with their specifications and then do not buy for whatever reason. The ones we have gotten look brand new. I know he has been pleased with the deals he has found.

 

Lynn

[Mom in High Heels]

We're not Dell fans. Dh had one and it was one problem after another. We've been devoted Toshiba fans for years now. I've had my current laptop (her name is Yuka-she's Japanese) for over 3 years now and never had a problem. I love her. Dh has had 3 Toshiba's, but 2 of them went to Iraq and came back with sand in the drives so we got him a new one. He loves his Toshiba too, but doesn't name them. I think when you name things they work better. :001_smile:

[WishboneDawn]

I wouldn't have any qualms about buying a Dell. My sister bought a laptop last fall and it arrived with a dead pixel on the screen. She shipped it right back and they sent her a new one. We have a tower we bought over a decade ago that's still going strong. When I frequented the computer geek forums Dell was one of the companies with a good name.

 

I might not bother with Office though. You can get Open Office for free and it's a superior program that reads Office files.

 

I would say though that if your daughter just needs one for school papers and such then go for the cheaper dual core ones or a clearance computer. Our 3 year old single core Toshiba would probably be absolutely fine for your daughter! (heck, I'd be tempted to buy a used computer in your situation) More powerful computers are useful for applications that are graphics intensive but for research on the internet and writing papers and such anything more powerful then a netbook would likely be more than enough.

[KnitWit]

Interesting so many love Toshiba. The Geek guy said from the standpoint of someone who does all kinds of work on all brands for Best Buy, etc. HE would choose Toshiba, Asus or Samsung.

 

Ahhhhh!!!!!! :lol

 

I have a Dell laptop. I've had it a year. The hard drive had to be replaced, which they did quickly and at no charge. Also, they just replaced, quickly and at no charge, my power cord...that I shut in the recliner. <how stupid was that?> LOL! So, that is my very limited experience. Every other computer we've had has been cast off desk tops from friends that upgraded and just wanted us to *get with the program*. LOL!

 

I know...we need to come join the world in 2010! :)

 

I really appreciate all the input here.

[WishboneDawn]

Yup, our Toshiba has been good to us as well. It was a clearance model that was significantly cheaper then other models.

 

Just don't get caught up in people trying to upsell you. What your daughter needs for school (unless she's going into game design or something) is likely just a web surfer/DVD player/typewriter and most low end laptops (NOT a netbook) are more then powerful enough for that.

[nukeswife]

We've owned Dells for 13 years now. Which is a total of 4 desktops and 7 laptops over those years. We're a computer junkie house. Dh and I are on our 2nd laptops each because we abused our others into the ground over a 5 year period. So 5 of our desktops are new within the last year and we love them. DH has an XPS I believe, I have a studio 17 and my kids each have a Studio15, yes even the not quite 5 year old has his own computer. The only difference between theirs and mine is I have a 10 key numberpad on my keyboard which they don't, which also makes mine slightly larger. We still have all those desktops and although 3 of them are slower than snails they all still work if we need them to.

 

I've never had issues with Dell customer service and never had any issues with out computers.

[KnitWit]

Okay...THAT leads me to another question....

 

The dual core processors are the cheapest out there. SHe is NOT a gamer. She may choose to watch an instant play netflix now and then, but yes, it will be internet/email/word processing. We have been discouraged from the dual core...but MINE is a dual core. Someone even said the dual core may not run Office 2010....what say ye?

[Alyce]

Consumer Reports rates them as the best brand. Just for info they rate Dell last. My dd has had one for two years and it is running great. They are more on the expensive side. We already has Office Works for dh so we just copied that onto her computer and it's been fine. It is an older version but is fine for what she needs at college.

[creekland]

I'm glad you posted this as we are also on the laptop hunt for our oldest who's heading to college in another month and I wasn't sure which brand to go with. We haven't bought a new computer in eons - bought a used desktop last Christmas, but that's different.

 

I'm typing this on a 4 1/2 year old Toshiba laptop that has NEVER had any issues of any sort and has traveled on all of our trips with us since we bought it. It's used daily by the whole family with never a day off.

 

Having read the responses above, I think it's sealed my mind that we're going to get a Toshiba... probably a close out model so we can pay less. It ought to be decent enough for a freshman college student.

[Mary in VA]

We have been pleased with our Dell desktops, but my daughter's laptop was a dud. We purchased it two years ago when she went to college. The first year the hinge quit holding the screen up. Since it was still under warranty Dell fixed it. Then this spring it kept overheating and wouldn't recognize the power cord, so wouldn't charge. Two power cords later it still had the problem. Also the mouse broke and one key quit working. We gave up and she purchased a MacBook. We won't buy a Dell laptop again.

 

Mary

[Mommee & Baba]

I just wanted to note that we are computer techie's here. But truely everyone's experience is different and preferences are different too.

 

We use to be big time gamers but not anymore. We are Dell fans and have been for nearly 10 years. My laptop that my dh just bought 4 months ago is a Toshiba and I love it. However he just ordered himself a new laptop that is a Dell.

[Charles Wallace]

We are sooooo not techie in this house!

 

My dd is trying to make a decision on HER first laptop purchase. Our brains are about to EXPLODE! She needs one to take to school. We had been told to buy Dell (which happens to be what mine is), but we didn't realize it'd end up being about $700 plus the Office 2010.

 

We stopped at Best Buy and a Geek Squad guy (who had a fabulous accent from ZIMBABWE by the way...I asked LOTS of questions just to keep him talking ;) ) showed us a Samsung that was $550. HOWEVER, by the time we add on the warranty and such, it's basically the same amount, only with the Dell, due to buying it at Costco, we'd get TWO years on hardware vs. the one.

 

HOW do you make a freaking decision on these things??? ROFL!!

 

The cheaper computers are dual core (which is what I have), but they are being phased out. We were told to look at Intel i3 or better.

 

:bigear:

 

 

Consumer Reports is often very helpful.

That said, DO NOT GET AN ACER NETBOOK. That is, unless you want to spend (literally) fifteen minutes from when you turn it on until when it finally loads up Google and lets you surf the Web...and when it freezes, takes forever to load up a new page, and refuses to play anything with sound because it sounds like a singer in a car over a bumpy road because of loading/memory problems.

 

Acer bites my big toe.

[Cindy in FL.]

We have two ASUS laptops that were very happy with. Recommended by a computer guy we know and the geek squad at our Best Buy.

 

Cindy

[KnitWit]

We have been trying to use Consumer Reports...but frankly, we have the June 2010 issue and all the models are outdated. Most of the ratings are for Dual Core and we are being told those are being phased out.

[pdalley]

Okay...THAT leads me to another question....

 

The dual core processors are the cheapest out there. SHe is NOT a gamer. She may choose to watch an instant play netflix now and then, but yes, it will be internet/email/word processing. We have been discouraged from the dual core...but MINE is a dual core. Someone even said the dual core may not run Office 2010....what say ye?

 

I'm running Office 2010 - beta - on a Toshiba that is dual core. I bought it over a year ago at Best Buy on the recommendation of one of my techie friends. He also likes Dells. I had a HP desktop (from Walmart) that is still running though it is about six years old. I briefly had a Gateway laptop that was a lemon and I had a horrible experience with Gateway customer service (I sent it in THREE times in the first year and they were rude, rude, rude) so I'd never buy another Gateway.

 

DH won a Acer netbook that is slow but is great for what the kids need.

 

I love my Toshiba though and I will probably buy another though my mother is a recent Apple convert and is pushing me to convert as well.

 

I think it's a your mileage may vary situation.

[tricia]

Get a MAC, MAC, MAC and your worries will be over.:001_smile:

[creekland]

I'm glad you posted this as we are also on the laptop hunt for our oldest who's heading to college in another month and I wasn't sure which brand to go with. We haven't bought a new computer in eons - bought a used desktop last Christmas, but that's different.

 

I'm typing this on a 4 1/2 year old Toshiba laptop that has NEVER had any issues of any sort and has traveled on all of our trips with us since we bought it. It's used daily by the whole family with never a day off.

 

Having read the responses above, I think it's sealed my mind that we're going to get a Toshiba... probably a close out model so we can pay less. It ought to be decent enough for a freshman college student.

 

I'm bringing this thread back up solely because I don't want my name (screen name or otherwise) listed with Pro-Toshiba ANYTHING any longer (in case someone does a search). If you're curious, read this thread about what has happened with the Toshiba we bought oldest son for college. NEVER AGAIN will that company receive a dime from us. DO NOT BUY TOSHIBA or if you do, BUYER BEWARE.

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=257486

[KnitWit]

Wow! Thanks for that! My daughter actually purchased a Macbook and L.O.V.E.S. it!! :) I try not to be jealous.

[Mary in VA]

We are on our third Dell desktop and have loved them all. So when it came time to get a laptop for out dd going to college we got a Dell. Big mistake! First thing that went wrong was the hinge gave out so the screen wouldn't stay up. Dell fixed that saying it was a "design defect." Then it wouldn't hold a charge and it seemed to be the power cord. So we replaced the cord FOUR TIMES! We thinksomething about the computer was killing the cords. There were other annoying things I can't remember now. So after two years my dd replaced it with an Apple, which she loves.

 

We will certainly buy Dell desktops again, but not a laptop.

 

Mary