# buying new laptop hp vs. dell vs. acer



## purplepatti (Jul 21, 2008)

I'm ready to buy a new laptop.. I use at home, no games, lots of pictures stored, email, powerpoints, etc. nothing fancy. Don't want to deal with tech centers in India, etc. I have had dell and gateway in past. The hp's look good... suggestions?


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## masterjim (Apr 14, 2007)

Take a look here: www.notebookshop.com


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

Personally I think HP is where it's at in notebooks but nothing wrong with Dell either. Stay away from Acer it is junk imho.


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

Pretty much any company you call means you're dealing with someone in India. 

BestBuy / Circut City has notebooks on sale for $600~750 with 4GB of RAM. Try to get something with Core2Duo or centrino since you're getting a vista notebook.

I have a personal preference to ThinkPads. HPs are the best looking (slick) notebooks on the market. If you want WindowXP - then ThinkPAD is the best choice.
If you DON'T like glossy (glass-like) LCD screens, then ThinkPAD is about it. They start at about $700+


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## alnic123 (Mar 18, 2007)

i cant choose between HP and Dell, altho i have a Dell myself and its been great for me for 2 years. But stay well away from acer, they are awful, i dont know anyone that has ever been happy with one!


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## purplepatti (Jul 21, 2008)

I went to best buy and checked out what was available...There is a gateway M-6850 that looks pretty good. In the past I have purchased my computers online and they came pre-loaded with office, powerpt, etc. It seems now that you have to purchase everything separately. I still wonder about the Intel Centrino vs. AMD on the hp's... Best Buy seems to have good service if you purchase their extended warranty, but I seem to get a new computer every 3 yrs anyway. Any other thoughts/suggestions??


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

I think 3 year warranty is a waste of money, you will know in a year if you have a good one or not.
Intel Core 2 Duo really blows away Amd in every way these days.
I doubt any pc comes pre loaded these days with Ms Office anymore, only trial versions for 90 days. Word Perfect suite is so much cheaper and will read any Office document and even free Open Office downloaded has come a long way and will do the same.


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## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

purplepatti said:


> There is a gateway M-6850 that looks pretty good.


Beware, Acer now owns Gateway.


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

The only "warranty" that I may recommend are for $1200+ notebooks that also include accidental damage coverage. Spending $$$ on a 500~700 for a notebook that includes a 1 year warranty isn't worth it.

And even if years ago you bought a notebook with Office "pre-installed" - you still bought it, wrapped up in the total cost of the product. But thanks to OpenOffice - MS-Office for home/student is now about $90~120 for 3 users (computers).


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## masterjim (Apr 14, 2007)

Acer is good. I have an AMD-based Acer laptop and no problems coming up 2 years old. They are number one in Europe for a reason. It runs cooler than my previous HP laptop. HP is excellent but they run hot. Acer and Fujitsu have more air ducts inside for better cooling and a magnesium chassis which dissipates heat better. HP,Dell,Sony and Apple run on the hot side which is why there is a market for cooling pads. Dell has a 1 in 4 failure rate and Fujitsu has the lowest failure rate with Acer not far behind. Fujitsu is number one in Japan. They outsell Sony and Toshiba. A Fujitsu has been up on Mount Everest. I would stay away from Gateway,Compaq,Dell(not their desktops which are excellent),Avaretec and generic brands. Lenovo is good for business or if you do a lot of typing(best keyboard). Asus is good if you're a gamer. A 3-yr warranty is not necessary unless you travel for business(road warrior) or a college student. HP and Acer have been very reliable for me with just a 1-yr warranty. Acer,Fujitsu,Sony and Toshiba have international warranties and Asus comes with a 2-yr warranty,international also. The Jeff Levy Special at notebookshop.com ,a Fujitsu A3210 comes with Microsoft Office (3 license) and a choice of XP Pro or Vista Home Premium. Not to mention 3 GB RAM,250GB HDD,fingerprint reader,webcam,spill-proof keyboard,anti-shock mounted HD, 5 USB ports,etc. Free case,mouse,rack of CD's,and a 3-yr international warranty. A good package deal. They have 5 stores in the LA area and are opening a 6th store soon if you are in the Southern California area. As for AMD vs Intel most home users won't notice the difference. It's like watching HD DVD and Blu-ray DVD. Unless you are an avid gamer,or do heavy video editing or encoding, AMD will do the job for a lot less money. More bang for your buck. Intel has always been better at encoding and AMD better at graphics. For e-mail,spreadsheets,word documents,digital photos,web surfing,watching movies,the speed difference between C2D and Turion64X2 is negligible.


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

Yeah, with non-Overclocking notebooks - the differences between the AMD and intel (in the same class) is pretty much the same. Like Why spend $300 to get an extra 200Mhz on a dual core notebook CPU? (2.4 vs 2.6Ghz) Its already pretty fast!


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## purplepatti (Jul 21, 2008)

Thank you for your info... very helpful. I had looked at notebook store (I listen to Jeff Levy occasionally), but I haven't heard about Fujitsu from other sources and was wondering why no one else talks about them. I do like their package. I appreciate you taking the time to answer questions. I travel with my laptop, but not excessively.


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

Fujitsu is the "IBM" (okay, now HP) of Japan. They make good notebooks, but nothing that wins awards - even in their best markets.

Check out this site: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Reviews.55.0.html

If you're looking at a budget notebook, pretty much any $600~800 computer with 3~4GB of RAM will work. They're all about the same in quality and support. Get what looks good to you. HP, Gateway, Dell, Lenovo.


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## masterjim (Apr 14, 2007)

Fujitsu doesn't spend a lot of money advertising. They put their money into their notebook design and testing. They do have the best and brightest screens of any laptop,which is why older people like Jeff Levy prefer them over other brands. Same with AMD. They don't spend millons of dollars advertising on TV like Intel,which is why they cost less. Most people only know Intel. While gamers and enthusiasts are very familiar with AMD. They advertise mainly in magazines. Jeff Levy bought his daughter a Fujitsu A3110 and he says it's a screamer. The A3210 is the newest upgraded version of the A3110,with a faster CPU,bigger hard drive,etc. Jeff was very impressed with the AMD dual core. You can ask him directly about recommendations. Just go to www.askjefflevy.com


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

One of the notebooks in our office is a Fujitsu, its a good computer and it was bought because it was one of the few remaining XP notebooks available at that time for retail.

They are not regarded are junk by any means, but in most markets - other notebooks tend to be prefered.

I think people SHOULD try a notebook out before buying to make sure they like how it feels, the weight, button placement, screen quality, etc. Like two workers in one company, I had pretty much picked out two different thinkpads for them, but still had them try out ALL of them. Both are very happy with their notebooks.


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## masterjim (Apr 14, 2007)

I agree. Try to visit a notebookshop.com store if one is in your area. They carry Fujitsu,Toshiba Tecra,Sony,Acer and some have Apple and Lenovo. And they are not bolted down! (Like some big box stores) You can try the keyboard,go on the internet and send yourself an e-mail on many models to find one you like. They are also an authorized service center for Fujitsu and Toshiba, so if you need warranty work done you can take the laptop to them rather then send it to the manufacturer.


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