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I had an HP Pavilion laptop that was practically brand new - although I purchased it about 18 months ago, immediately after purchase I got a job that supplied me with a laptop for just about 18 months, so the HP sat on my desk, in mint condition.
Two months ago I switched jobs, started to use the HP again, and...out of nowhere, it just fried from the inside. I won't go into details, as I'm sure many of you know about this issue (and recalls) from both HP and Compaq; they offered me the fantastic (sarcasm) deal of repairing my laptop for $290, and would give me a stellar (sarcasm) 90-day warranty. Since this disaster, I've heard that HP and Compaq are two of the worst brands on the market.
Passing on their very generous (sarcasm) offer, I need to buy a new laptop, fast, and have it narrowed down to two:
In terms of specs, they're both pretty similar - both have Intel dual-core processors, Windows 7, DDD3 RAM, etc. The pluses for the Acer are that it has a larger screen (17.3" vs. 15.6"), more USB ports (4 vs. 2) and a built in webcam/mic (both lacking on the Toshiba). The pluses for the Toshiba are that it has more memory (4GB vs. 3GB of RAM) and a processor that is sliiiiiiiightly faster (the benchmark ratings are extremely close).
But I think my real problem is that since I've been burned by HP (no pun intended), and found out subsequently that the brand sucks, I'm afraid of buying another low-quality brand that may give me a nasty surprise after a year or so. In this regard, everything I've heard/read about Toshiba has been almost unanimously positive (and many say it's one of the best brands on the market); what I've read/heard about Acer is pretty mixed - some love their machines, some say they're shoddy.
So...does anyone have any input? I've actually already purchased both of them, and need to return one in the next few days in order to get my money back without a "re-stocking" fee.
For their reputation, go with the Toshiba. No one brand is going to ever be perfect, but they've stayed near the top for reliability since the T1000 days (which came out 23+ years ago).
Yes, Toshiba definitely has it hands-down in terms of reputation - but it seems I'm getting more with the Acer (much bigger screen, more USB ports, webcam, case, etc.)
... but it seems I'm getting more with the Acer (much bigger screen, more USB ports, webcam, case, etc.)
Larger screen means less portability. Webcam ... is it something you really need? Never too many USB ports, though, and the case is a $20 value. The extra gig of system memory is about $30 in favor of the Toshiba, however.
Battery life ... on the product pages, Acer cites 3.5 hours; Toshiba cites 4.5 hours. That's something to consider too.
Yes, the larger screen means less portability - but I rarely travel with it. And I like having the larger screen, for many reasons.
The webcam is something I rarely use, you're correct - and I know I could buy a very cheap one on newegg.com, or a similar site. And the extra memory is, again correct, a plus in favor of the Toshiba.
I also know I could buy a USB hub for almost nothing (on newegg), so that shouldn't be an issue.
I guess the final question is this: is the larger screen, and built-in extras (meaning, not having to buy the hub or the cam) enough to outweigh the Toshiba name (= reasonable assurance of quality)?
I guess the final question is this: is the larger screen, and built-in extras (meaning, not having to buy the hub or the cam) enough to outweigh the Toshiba name (= reasonable assurance of quality)?
... and the answer to that is ... you decide. I'm only here to point out the specs and share in the dismay of HP/Compaq (because my dad's died a couple weeks ago too).
Personally, two of three laptops I have are ex-lease Dell Latitudes in the $200-300 range. The third one is a Dell Inspiron from almost 10 years ago in which the original battery has since dipped below 30 minutes of life.
Personally, two of three laptops I have are ex-lease Dell Latitudes in the $200-300 range. The third one is a Dell Inspiron from almost 10 years ago in which the original battery has since dipped below 30 minutes of life.
Oddly enough, I'm using an ancient Dell Inspiron laptop right now - one that I almost threw away (because it has some display issues), and which also has minimal battery life. But thank god I held on to it "just in case."
The HP consumer line is garbage, their business class are an entirely different animal, high quality and reliable, don't assume the entire HP brand is junk just because your cheapo one died. but really, what do you expect out of a $400 laptop? Don't expect either of those your looking at to be of any better quality then your HP, quality costs money.
The HP consumer line is garbage, their business class are an entirely different animal, high quality and reliable, don't assume the entire HP brand is junk just because your cheapo one died. but really, what do you expect out of a $400 laptop? Don't expect either of those your looking at to be of any better quality then your HP, quality costs money.
My HP was $800; perhaps that's cheap to you, but to me it is not. I don't expect a $400 laptop to be lightning-fast, or to have lots of bells and whistles; I do, however, expect that it will not fry itself in a year.
I'm not sure why you've taken such a nasty (and rather insulting) tone with your post. It certainly didn't add much to the discussion.
My HP was $800; perhaps that's cheap to you, but to me it is not. I don't expect a $400 laptop to be lightning-fast, or to have lots of bells and whistles; I do, however, expect that it will not fry itself in a year.
I'm not sure why you've taken such a nasty (and rather insulting) tone with your post. It certainly didn't add much to the discussion.
As with email and any other non face to face conversation, the reader may take something in an entirely different tone than the writer intended, which is what you did, there was no nastiness intended, don't fly off the handle so easilly.
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I'm only here to point out the specs and share in the dismay of HP/Compaq (because my dad's died a couple weeks ago too).
