Best laptop - what do the collective say?

How do you know?

For what its worth, over the past 15 I've used a laptop everyday. In that time I've never owned one but been able to spec which one I wanted. Moved from hight quality PCs to a Macbook Black 4Gb Ram over 5 years ago. And its still my main computer. There is no way any other machine would have stood up to what this has been through. Its done thusands of miles chucked in the paniers, although I have a spare battery I still use the original (generally run off mains) and the only thing I've replaced is the harddrive for £50 as it was getting a bit dodgy. In the mean time, colleagues have repalced their PC laptops twice. All have been high spec and up to the £1500 mark. No way i'd go back to PCs. No more defraging, reinstalling the OS,virus killers etc. Cant see the point. Actually to be honest I do, as I have to run Windoze progs as well so I do this in a virtual enrivonment running XP in VMware. Works for me. Not my money, but if it had been, I'd have saved a lot of money and had a much more pleasurable experience. I dont get this 'Macs cost more' arguement. Compare like with like.

How do you know?
I quite like everything about Apple computers except the price.
However, I work in an industrial environment, where I programme PLCs for a living. Programmes all are PC based, and I need a serial port because most machines use serial comms.
My current laptop is a Dell 520 bought for £80 on Ebay, with a 500GB Samsung Hard Disk. (less than £60) Runs on XP professional. Bulletproof. Bounced around 15,000 miles a year in a top box.
On a personal basis, I find the Latitude 505/510/520/530 to be superb, & buyable for less than £100 on Ebay. Running as they do on XP, the 520/530s are light years faster than Vista/7 machines.
I am not criticising Apples, just pointing out that, especially second hand, there are shit cheap, bulletproof top spec PC based laptops out there for bugger all money.
Myke
 
Dell laptops are pretty much de facto in the sector of the controls industry I work in. Good work horse machines that take the knocks.
 
Hmmm... I think you should get your facts straight.

Basic MacBook (From the Retail Store)- £849
Basic MacBook (From the Refurb Store) - £649

M

Fair enough. But a basic laptop,such as the one I'm using now, from a PC refurb store? £162. (And it's not all that basic, 15.6" screen, 320GB drive, 3GB RAM, cheapo dual core processor, reasonable make). There's a reason why well over 90% of all computers are PCs. Simple economics.

I've bough hundreds of laptops through work over the years. For reliability, Lenovo are currently the best bet. Toshiba used to be great, but have slipped a bit recently. Dell pretty good, cheap and surprisingly OK to deal with. Sony Vaio, Compaq and HP all OK but certaibly not worth paying a premium for.

Have a look in the computers section of HotUKDeals. Lots of links to good offers there. Just take the forum comments with a pinch of salt.
 
Macbooks cost a fortune and seem to have bugger all hard storage. (My daughter just bought a MacBook Air and the solid state hard drive is a joke it's so small.

In 2001 I bought an Acer laptop. In 2008 I replaced it with a faster machine with a bigger hard drive. My eldest daughter's computer died and I gave her the Acer. It's still going strong today. A previous Acer desktop ran 12 years and was junked when new versions of Windows needed more power than the old machine could muster. Good reliable kit and not expensive.

My replacement laptop, a Dell, has hard disk failure, another one bought at the same time had battery failure. Not impressed.
 
If I was buying one for those purposes and it had to be Windoze (or rather not a costly Mac) it would be one of these

Don't bother with a Netbook - since Windoze 7 they cannot cope!

I agree about windoze7. It was on my netbook for all of 10 minutes but this jolicloud Linux is brilliant. It really flies now. :thumb2
 
Fair enough. But a basic laptop,such as the one I'm using now, from a PC refurb store? £162. (And it's not all that basic, 15.6" screen, 320GB drive, 3GB RAM, cheapo dual core processor, reasonable make). There's a reason why well over 90% of all computers are PCs. Simple economics.

I've bough hundreds of laptops through work over the years. For reliability, Lenovo are currently the best bet. Toshiba used to be great, but have slipped a bit recently. Dell pretty good, cheap and surprisingly OK to deal with. Sony Vaio, Compaq and HP all OK but certaibly not worth paying a premium for.

Have a look in the computers section of HotUKDeals. Lots of links to good offers there. Just take the forum comments with a pinch of salt.

..not like on here at all.. :augie
 
Jeez - I'm more confused than ever now. Mac are (relatively) expensive and have minimum memory - Dell are/aren't any good, |know nothing about thinkpads , notebooks etc. I just wanted to know whether there was a majority opinion on good solid workhorse laptops.
 
Bottom line for me is that the last two laptops I've had have been ACER, first one lasted 8+ years and on/off button started to fail. Bought new ACER ASPIRE 5750 - 6G Ram / 500G HD for £350. Good value for money....
 
Jeez - I'm more confused than ever now. Mac are (relatively) expensive and have minimum memory - Dell are/aren't any good, |know nothing about thinkpads , notebooks etc. I just wanted to know whether there was a majority opinion on good solid workhorse laptops.

You'll never get a bunch on a forum to agree on something like this :D You've had several personal opinions and some deluded ravings from blinkered Mac addicts.

In the end it's your money but I stand by my opinion - you won't go far wrong with Lenovo.
 
Have a Dell, fine with a good warranty :beerjug:

Have a 13" Macbook Pro, well made :beerjug:

It's the OS that counts. I like both machines, both have done the job. In both cases, don't believe the new OS hype and you will be fine.

I like the MBP but does take some getting used to [different keystrokes]

If it's just internet and easy stuff then Ipad 2.

If you know someone at uni then there's 15% off the Mac :D
 
You'll never get a bunch on a forum to agree on something like this :D You've had several personal opinions and some deluded ravings from blinkered Mac addicts.

In the end it's your money but I stand by my opinion - you won't go far wrong with Lenovo.

+1:thumb
 
You'll never get a bunch on a forum to agree on something like this :D You've had several personal opinions and some deluded ravings from blinkered Mac addicts.

In the end it's your money but I stand by my opinion - you won't go far wrong with Lenovo.


its their personal opinion that macs are better, just like your opinion that Lenovo is best, does that make your opinion a deluded raving from a blinkered Lenovo addict? :augie
 
its their personal opinion that macs are better, just like your opinion that Lenovo is best, does that make your opinion a deluded raving from a blinkered Lenovo addict? :augie

Mac fanbois don't generally offer opinion - Mac ownership is a religion - they spout dogma and are incapable of seeing past the white shinyness of the things they've paid over the odds for :D

And never said lenovo's are 'best', just that I think they fit the OP's list of requirements and that I'd have another. I've owned quite a few laptops by several manufacturers but Lenovo have stood out above the rest as solid reliable workhorses (IBM sold their well respected 'Thinkpad' business to Lenovo ). I also own and use Macs at home and at work but if I was spending my own money, it'd be a Lenovo.
 
Mac fanbois don't generally offer opinion - Mac ownership is a religion - they spout dogma and are incapable of seeing past the white shinyness of the things they've paid over the odds for :D

And never said lenovo's are 'best', just that I think they fit the OP's list of requirements and that I'd have another. I've owned quite a few laptops by several manufacturers but Lenovo have stood out above the rest as solid reliable workhorses (IBM sold their well respected 'Thinkpad' business to Lenovo ). I also own and use Macs at home and at work but if I was spending my own money, it'd be a Lenovo.

Yep! Despite the handicap of Vista weighing it down, my IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad never misses a beat. :thumb
 
If I absolutely had to buy a PC laptop, I'd be looking at a Thinkpad for preference.

Thankfully I don't have to :)
 
Just had a new company laptop delivered - HP elitebook 8440p. Seems a really nice machine. very quick and a good compromise between size, weight and usuability :thumb2
 
Just had a new company laptop delivered - HP elitebook 8440p. Seems a really nice machine. very quick and a good compromise between size, weight and usuability :thumb2

I would keep that safe, as HP have just announced they are getting out of the hardware buisness :-)
 


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