Is Dell a decent laptop?

allie29 · 10-27-2007, 04:18 AM

I've recently decided to purchase a new laptop but I really dont know apples from oranges.
Everyone says Dell has good laptops but they aren't really experts on the subject.
What type of laptop is a good value and reliable?

=ACID RAIN= · 10-27-2007, 09:19 PM

I recently had to make this same choice. Here's is what I know from experience at work, and from word of mouth.

Sony is crap. Sorry if there are any sony fans, but of all the laptops that failed at work, sony was the WORST. Let's just get that out of the way now

. They are way overpriced too.

Other brands are ok...Acer, etc...but they usually use intel graphics, which are not ok if you want to play any games. Not serious games mind you, but decent ones.

Asus is another one that comes to mind for this, but they are pretty expensive and I don't know how well their warranty work is. Usually good hardware though.

Dell used to be crap. After their PIII laptops, they took a plunge. After they bought alienware, that changed. Their XPS line took off, and they are pretty damn good machines. However, they (the XPS line) are expensive. I found a way around that. If you go to dell small business, they have the Vostro line of laptops. In this line, they have very good, but plain, laptops. They are not the prettiest thing on the block, but they have a solid build. You can even get them with the absolute latest video cards (nvidia 8600M GT, possibly the 8700M GT), which has full DX10 features.

This is what I went with. It was a good 800 dollars cheaper than any other laptop with that card. In the end, i had this:

vostro 1700:
core2duo T7300 (2.0GHz)
8600M GT (highest DX10 card at the time)
2GB DDR2 667
160GB SATA hard drive
DVD-RW
Vista business 32-bit
etc...

Price: 1411.60 shipped.

It had a 300.00 dollar off deal at the time. That may still be active.

I mean, yeah you can pay that much for a mid-end system locally, but in this case I got pretty high-end one for alot less. It's been VERY stable and a joy to use....and I can game on it

Now if you want a budget rig, then Acer and Toshiba have been very good to me in the recent past. My wife has an acer for around 650 that we got at best buy, and it's been very good. At my previous job the scientists bought about half a dozen toshibas of varying caliber and they ALL were excellent and very stable.

Just my experiences

PoisonWaffle · 10-27-2007, 11:40 PM

I'll second that, Acid.

I've had good experiences with Acer, newer Dell, Toshiba, newer HP, and Mac laptops.

If you go for a used laptop, definitely stay away from Dell, HP, and Compaq... but the new ones are fine.

I've got a Dell Latitude D820 (C2D, nVidia Quadro NVS 110/GeForce 7300 OC'd, 2gb ddr2 667). I got it from my school for free, so I'm not complaining about it. It's very well built and can handle just about everything I can throw at it at once. The only complaints I have about it are the lack of a scroll thing on the touchpad, the lack of a fingerprint scanner, and the sucky speakers--those are all rather trivial things, though.

Things I'd definitely look for in a good laptop would be a non-gloss/matte screen finish (MUCH better visibility... especially outside, and doesn't get all finger-print-y), a scroll thing on the touchpad, and good battery life.

How much are you wanting to spend on a new laptop? Could you give us a price range and what you'd like to do with it?

10-27-2007, 04:18 AM	#1 (permalink)
allie29 Civilian Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 6	Is Dell a decent laptop? I've recently decided to purchase a new laptop but I really dont know apples from oranges. Everyone says Dell has good laptops but they aren't really experts on the subject. What type of laptop is a good value and reliable?

10-27-2007, 09:19 PM	#2 (permalink)
=ACID RAIN= Chief Warrant Officer Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: TX Posts: 1,225	I recently had to make this same choice. Here's is what I know from experience at work, and from word of mouth. Sony is crap. Sorry if there are any sony fans, but of all the laptops that failed at work, sony was the WORST. Let's just get that out of the way now . They are way overpriced too. Other brands are ok...Acer, etc...but they usually use intel graphics, which are not ok if you want to play any games. Not serious games mind you, but decent ones. Asus is another one that comes to mind for this, but they are pretty expensive and I don't know how well their warranty work is. Usually good hardware though. Dell used to be crap. After their PIII laptops, they took a plunge. After they bought alienware, that changed. Their XPS line took off, and they are pretty damn good machines. However, they (the XPS line) are expensive. I found a way around that. If you go to dell small business, they have the Vostro line of laptops. In this line, they have very good, but plain, laptops. They are not the prettiest thing on the block, but they have a solid build. You can even get them with the absolute latest video cards (nvidia 8600M GT, possibly the 8700M GT), which has full DX10 features. This is what I went with. It was a good 800 dollars cheaper than any other laptop with that card. In the end, i had this: vostro 1700: core2duo T7300 (2.0GHz) 8600M GT (highest DX10 card at the time) 2GB DDR2 667 160GB SATA hard drive DVD-RW Vista business 32-bit etc... Price: 1411.60 shipped. It had a 300.00 dollar off deal at the time. That may still be active. I mean, yeah you can pay that much for a mid-end system locally, but in this case I got pretty high-end one for alot less. It's been VERY stable and a joy to use....and I can game on it Now if you want a budget rig, then Acer and Toshiba have been very good to me in the recent past. My wife has an acer for around 650 that we got at best buy, and it's been very good. At my previous job the scientists bought about half a dozen toshibas of varying caliber and they ALL were excellent and very stable. Just my experiences __________________ Personal Site: http://www.goinglimp.com COD2 Clan: http://www.arsr-clan.com

10-27-2007, 11:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
PoisonWaffle Command Sergeant Major Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sioux Falls, SD Posts: 933	I'll second that, Acid. I've had good experiences with Acer, newer Dell, Toshiba, newer HP, and Mac laptops. If you go for a used laptop, definitely stay away from Dell, HP, and Compaq... but the new ones are fine. I've got a Dell Latitude D820 (C2D, nVidia Quadro NVS 110/GeForce 7300 OC'd, 2gb ddr2 667). I got it from my school for free, so I'm not complaining about it. It's very well built and can handle just about everything I can throw at it at once. The only complaints I have about it are the lack of a scroll thing on the touchpad, the lack of a fingerprint scanner, and the sucky speakers--those are all rather trivial things, though. Things I'd definitely look for in a good laptop would be a non-gloss/matte screen finish (MUCH better visibility... especially outside, and doesn't get all finger-print-y), a scroll thing on the touchpad, and good battery life. How much are you wanting to spend on a new laptop? Could you give us a price range and what you'd like to do with it? __________________