# Is it true what they say about Laptops?



## wootsauce56 (Jan 11, 2008)

That they're only meant to last a couple of years?

Also, is this a good buy for the price? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...=product&tab=2&id=1212192350099#productdetail
And what shortcomings does it have?

Thanks


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I guess you have to wonder who "they" are.  I've had a laptop here for about 4 years, and it's still going strong. My daughter has an old Compaq EVO-160 that's at least 5-6 years old, it still works fine. It was shipped before XP, and came with Windows 2000.

That price on the machine is only so-so, you might start looking at the following sites for a few weeks, you'll get a much better deal.

Deal News

Tech Bargains

More Stuff 4 Less


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## iltos (Jun 13, 2004)

i agree with John :up:


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

That computer looks fine, I prefer Dell or Sony laptops, but whatever floats your boat.


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## Chrismichael (Jul 27, 2008)

It really depends on what you are using it for. If you are using it for gaming I would think a couple years might make sense with the advances they are making in gaming and higher performance requirements.


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## TORB (Apr 15, 2004)

I am one of those "people say." 

I have been using Portable PC's since the IBM Luggable came out with two floppy disk drives. (In fact I was the Australian Product Manager for the product so I have 25 years experience with all sorts of portables/laptops including Mac's.)

Over the last 15 years I have had Toshiba, Compaq, HP, IBM etc. All top of the line machines or close to it. The number of "repairs" these have needed have been horrific. There is no way I will buy one without extended warranty. My desktops over the same period (IBM, Compaq and HP) seem to be getting more reliable and have less problems. 

My laptops don't get a heavy pounding as they spend 90% of their time at home, being used as a second home machine and when I travel. My friend Marion uses laptops exclusively and by the time they are rolled over every three years, they have always been into the repair shop at least three time for major component changes; like screens, drives, motherboards etc. 

Low usage may be OK, but for high usage they are nowhere near as reliable as a comparable desktop.... IMnotsoHO.


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

TORB said:


> I am one of those "people say."
> 
> I have been using Portable PC's since the IBM Luggable came out with two floppy disk drives. (In fact I was the Australian Product Manager for the product so I have 25 years experience with all sorts of portables/laptops including Mac's.)
> 
> ...


Just curious, what kinds of defects did they have?


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## TORB (Apr 15, 2004)

A very reasonable question. 

Screen having to be replaced
Countless numbers of hard drives (the most consistent issue)
Internal modems die which are part of the motherboard which means the motherboard has to be replaced
Video card needing replacing
Motherboard a few times


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Boy, you have had incredible bad luck with your machines! You must play basketball with them or something!


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

Wow, that's quite some luck.


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## TORB (Apr 15, 2004)

John,

That's the whole point. I am not rough on them. The last Toshiba, for example, sat on my desk virtually all the time and hardly ever moved. It went into the shop 4 times and on the 5th, at 28 months of age, it was going to cost so much to repair, the extended warranty people just gave me $1200 credit at the retailers towards a new one.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

My experience with laptops couldn't be more different. While I don't beat them up, the little Averatec and one of the HP's has been on a lot of trips with me, and they've never done anything but run. I've replaced the battery on the Averatec after about three years, but that's normal lifespan for the battery under heavy use.

Don't know what you're doing to them, but I'd stop!


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

Averatec? I've never even heard of them!

........wow, look at that All-In-One, it looks just like an iMac.......why isn't this company more popular? Are their products any good?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I've been using mine for years, and I've turned several clients on to them, they've all been happy.


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

Ok, thanks.


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## stugo (Aug 24, 2008)

Well i have had my Dell laptop for about 3 years now and my experience is..

Its not that great, i mean the price is drasticly low now i see it on ebay for $450 ($2000+ orignal price w/ upgrades), So if going to dell don't expect that you are getting the newest hardware(i think they got sued for it or something).
To add to that, i have learned most of what i know, on this PC, so it is very close to my heart, in layman's terms i started as a "noob" and now i am considering a career in webdesign... i do agree that with laptops there is very little you can do to upgrade, due to space restrictions or intergration problems.. and the cost to replace parts is soo high that its better to buy a new PC.(ie. my 100GB harddrive replacement is worth $200+ retail from dell and its 3 years old)
Also, currently my system(which was marketed as a desktop PC replacement) can do little more than run photoshop cs3... so no games for me...

Now i think the things have changed due to introduction of 3d graphics cards and other advancements, but still problems like overheating exist in some of my friends laptops.

Best advice, if ur gonna buy it, then buy it as a way to see the internet when you travel.. not as a primary PC, desktops are still better for that.


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## buck52 (Mar 9, 2001)

A little late here but I have a Toshiba that has been velcroed to the dash of my work truck...tractor trailer... for a couple of years...... and still works fine... I run a gps maps program as well as Photoshop on it

been banging all over the east coast and in and out of motels with me...


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## ferrija1 (Apr 11, 2006)

stugo said:


> Well i have had my Dell laptop for about 3 years now and my experience is..
> 
> Its not that great, i mean the price is drasticly low now i see it on ebay for $450 ($2000+ orignal price w/ upgrades), So if going to dell don't expect that you are getting the newest hardware(i think they got sued for it or something).
> To add to that, i have learned most of what i know, on this PC, so it is very close to my heart, in layman's terms i started as a "noob" and now i am considering a career in webdesign... i do agree that with laptops there is very little you can do to upgrade, due to space restrictions or intergration problems.. and the cost to replace parts is soo high that its better to buy a new PC.(ie. my 100GB harddrive replacement is worth $200+ retail from dell and its 3 years old)
> ...


A lot has changed in three years, and laptops can now easily handle games and even more high-end processes, like 3D animation and video editing, it all depends on what you buy and how much you spend, a $2000 laptop these days will get you a powerful gaming laptop.


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## jp1203 (Jul 21, 2005)

I've had a Thinkpad for 2 years now, though it is from 2003. I haven't had any issues with it. If I used it more, I would consider replacing it, but it's got 1 GB of RAM, so it's really not that weak anyway. I always just use my desktop, bigger screen and more comfortable to use.


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## asuss06 (Aug 31, 2007)

its all a crap shoot. im on a Toshiba laptop right now, that ive had for 5 yrs and its great! 2 days ago, i bought a new laptop to replace my HP Pavilion that was not even 2 yrs old and it was deemed useless - battery wouldnt charge, AC power supply was intermittent and would shut off 5 times a day, and finally the motherboard went along with a corrupted harddrive. pissed me off! hahahaha hopefully, my new Gateway will be ok...for a while.


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