Buying a notebook - Reccomendations?

[garetjax]

Well, I finally got around to stopping by my local Circuit City the other day to take a look at the 17" Gateway and HP notebooks there. After spending some time with the Gateway, I came away as being very dis-satisfied with it. I did not like the mousing area setup as the mouse buttons are about 3/4" below the mousing area, making me stretch my fingers in order to accommodate it. The HP's mousing area, on the other hand, felt more natural and easy to use.

Also, I was not impressed with the fit and finish of the Gateway laptop. The plastic seemed flimsy and the case felt loose and poorly put together. In fact, I looked at all the Gateway notebooks they had there, and every single one of them exhibited the same shoddy worksmanship. I don't know if this was because they were 'floor' or 'display' models, but I feel that there is no excuse to have laptops of this quality if they are represenatives of what you would buy new in the box.

Anyway, the HP dv9000t showed none of these defects. The laptop is freakin' solid, looks sweet and performs great. QuakinDude, I think you reccomending that I take a look at HP notebooks was the best advice you've given yet. Most likely, this will be my purchase. =)

[garetjax]

Just a quick update. I have been hearing rumors that HP will be offering the nVidia 7900 Go in their dv9000t series laptops soon with no price increase, which is good, because the dv9000t's are running the 7600 Go in them right now.

Also, word is on the street that HP may be offering a $30-40 dollar price cut when you opt for Windows Vista Ultimate.

After two months of searching and researching, the HP continually seems to offer the best features and components at the best price point. I can't beleive that I was actually considering a Dell or Alienware in the beginning. =P

[halutzparilla]

kinda like the spec of this ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
but also the HP DV9000T Buy HP Pavilion dv9000t series, HP Pavilion and Compaq Presario Notebook PCs and Laptop Computers direct from the HP Home & Home Office Store

[DeanOlicious]

Everyone I work with has a laptop to help pass the time, so we have a huge selection to play with. The absolute worst is Acer and Gateway IMO. I have a Dell inspiron 1150 and it's been decent, though I've noticed with most Dell lappys and notebooks the casing starts to "flex" over time, it sorta starts to feel flimsy. The one I'm most jealous of is the Toshiba line, it's very well constructed, has a nice laminate screen, great speakers, very thin, and super light weight. Toshiba is definately going to be the brand I switch to next.

[Lead Head]

Originally Posted by DeanOlicious

Everyone I work with has a laptop to help pass the time, so we have a huge selection to play with. The absolute worst is Acer and Gateway IMO. I have a Dell inspiron 1150 and it's been decent, though I've noticed with most Dell lappys and notebooks the casing starts to "flex" over time, it sorta starts to feel flimsy. The one I'm most jealous of is the Toshiba line, it's very well constructed, has a nice laminate screen, great speakers, very thin, and super light weight. Toshiba is definately going to be the brand I switch to next.

My mom's older Toshiba has decent speakers, but the case feels flimsy. While my dad's Inspiron 5100 feels just as solid as ever. My friends' new Toshiba though, feels very solid though, much more then my mom's.

[halutzparilla]

i use to have toshiba and averatec laptops and i sold it to my friends in the past cost during that time i'm short of cash, but i felt at first toshiba laptops are sturdy, up to 3 years of use and travel, it tend to break, becomes flimsy over time..., while my averatec 3270eh1 have to many problems, in 1 year the dvdrw died after using it for only 30 cd (not even dvd) burning, the speak became very weak, the lcd became to dim even being adjusted, a and lot more......

[DeanOlicious]

Toshiba has come a long way in the past two years, the old Satellite Pro that my father had was built like a playschool toy, but the models they started putting out around two years ago started to have a very solid feel to them. The Inspirion I have has been very dependable, I've had no hardware problems save for a power adapter recall. The only thing about it I don't like is the flimsy screen, and the fact that the case hasn't aged well. Still runs like a trooper though.

*edit*- Thought I'd add a little on the Panasonic Toughbooks we've been using. EMS is trying to move everything paperless, which sucks imo, but the Toughbooks they've been giving us are built really well. I've dropped the test one on several occasions and it hasn't given any indication that it's damaged. I haven't used anything else by Panasonic, but this particular model is a real standout.