Most Reliable Brand?

[VRC]

I've been wanting to buy a new laptop for a while, but I've been stuck when it comes to which brand I should choose. I don't know a ton about computers (which is why I'm here), but I've got a basic idea of what I want.

As far as specs go, ideally I'd like to have:

Windows 7 or Windows 8 operating system
Intel Core i7, 3 GHz or more
Memory:12 GB or more (flexible on this, but nothing below 8GB)
Hard Drive Capacity:750 GB or more
Dedicated Graphics

I'm flexible on price (though I'd like to stay under $1,100 if possible). In the past, I've had a lot of trouble with HP, Gateway, and Sony, so I'd rather avoid those brands.

Right now, Lenovo is at the top of my list only because they've got great deals on the type of laptop that I'm looking for. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews though. Dell is also pretty high up on my list because my last Dell laptop lasted for a long time without much loss in quality. I hear a lot of mixed reviews on Dell too though, and that was only one laptop.

In your opinion, which brand has the most reliable product? I want something that's not going to overheat and shut off (eventually one of my HP laptops kept heating up so much that the inside started frying, and it was done for), and I don't want something with constant glitching (like the wireless internet switch randomly turning itself off or getting the blue screen of death on several occasions). I'm not a stickler for great customer service, but decent customer service would be nice.

 

[spawnkiller]

i had good experience with ACER (still own a pentium M from 2006 to now, work flawlessly even with dust inside), LENOVO are great too from what i've seen and ASUS make some too and they have the lowest return rate VS all the other, also include a 2 years warranty with 1st years being for anything (drop a beer in your keyboard = new laptop, roll over with your car = new laptop )

I suggest to stay away from HP, DELL, Gateway as every single one will fail soon (i see all my friends change laptop at 1-2 years interval with these brands)

 

[phil_livesey]

Lenovo are one of the, if not the, best manufacturer of laptops simply because they are rugged as hell. Check this out, it's a bit of a joke and there are some slow mo parts in it, but the message they are getting across is clear: http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0ujtrHvOTk

What are you looking to do on your laptop? Please don't say gaming, because a gaming laptop is an oxymoron. You may get 1 year max out of it before things start to go wrong, then you will have trouble replacing parts. If my Processor broke for whatever reason, i can get a replacement no problem, cheap. With a laptop, you will struggle to find anything, let alone at a low reasonable price.

If you are using it for the pure reason of moving around a lot, then yes a laptop is a good idea. Rendering 3d images and playing games is a definite no no.

 

[cotydlux]

I too have an old Acer that's still kicking. If I was in the market I would give them a look.

 

[VRC]

Lenovo are one of the, if not the, best manufacturer of laptops simply because they are rugged as hell. Check this out, it's a bit of a joke and there are some slow mo parts in it, but the message they are getting across is clear: http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0ujtrHvOTk

What are you looking to do on your laptop? Please don't say gaming, because a gaming laptop is an oxymoron. You may get 1 year max out of it before things start to go wrong, then you will have trouble replacing parts. If my Processor broke for whatever reason, i can get a replacement no problem, cheap. With a laptop, you will struggle to find anything, let alone at a low reasonable price.

If you are using it for the pure reason of moving around a lot, then yes a laptop is a good idea. Rendering 3d images and playing games is a definite no no.

Thanks for the reply. I won't be buying it strictly for gaming, but I do plan on using it for that as well. I'd mainly be using it for graphic design (illustrator, photoshop, etc.), film editing, 3D animation, and music production. What would you suggest I buy in order to do what I just listed? You can ignore the specs I put up. I'm willing to settle if it's a good quality laptop that will probably last a while.

**Edit: Gaming and 3D animation aren't a must, but I'd like to be able to do both.

 

[phil_livesey]

Ideally you want something with a high end i5 in, or a low end i7.
12gb won't be easy to find in a laptop, you'd expect to see 8/16, 8 would be enough I can comfortably say.
Stick with aver or Lenovo, but a Lenovo with those specs could be hard to find! As for the built in graphics, id have to spend an hour looking at benchmarks and understanding what is a good stable and reasonable gpu.

 

[DMs_ZC]

What are you looking to do on your laptop? Please don't say gaming, because a gaming laptop is an oxymoron. You may get 1 year max out of it before things start to go wrong, then you will have trouble replacing parts. If my Processor broke for whatever reason, i can get a replacement no problem, cheap. With a laptop, you will struggle to find anything, let alone at a low reasonable price.

If you are using it for the pure reason of moving around a lot, then yes a laptop is a good idea. Rendering 3d images and playing games is a definite no no.

This is true to some extent but that hasn't been my experience. I purchased a gaming laptop from Digital Storm about a year and a half ago and haven't had a single hardware issue yet *knock on wood* it's worked flawlessly the entire time. If you really want a laptop capable of gaming DS isn't a bad route. They have entry level laptops all the way up to desktop rivals and everything in between. You can also customize most of the hardware to get exactly what you're looking for (graphics, processor, hard drive, NIC, you name it. Hell you can even choose the thermal paste you want) and on top of that you also have the option to upgrade in the future if you so desire.

They also come with awesome warranty's and customer service. I had a tiny software problem one time and they got back to me immediately-- even calling me multiply times in one day trying to reach me. The rep I got was personable as well as knowledgeable and very helpful. And best of all, they're based out of California (if I remember correctly) so you're not going to get some guy on the other side of the world that has no clue what he's talking about.

Yes, desktops are always going to be easier to upgrade and maintain but DS bridges the laptop/desktop gap more than any company I've seen.

Sorry for the lengthy post just wanted to voice the awesome experience I've had with them.

 

[VRC]

Ideally you want something with a high end i5 in, or a low end i7.
12gb won't be easy to find in a laptop, you'd expect to see 8/16, 8 would be enough I can comfortably say.
Stick with aver or Lenovo, but a Lenovo with those specs could be hard to find! As for the built in graphics, id have to spend an hour looking at benchmarks and understanding what is a good stable and reasonable gpu.

The more I research, the more I'm thinking I should just invest in a good desktop. Pricing and specs aside, would you still recommend Lenovo over anything else (but for desktops rather than laptops)? If not, which brand?

 

[VRC]

This is true to some extent but that hasn't been my experience. I purchased a gaming laptop from Digital Storm about a year and a half ago and haven't had a single hardware issue yet *knock on wood* it's worked flawlessly the entire time. If you really want a laptop capable of gaming DS isn't a bad route. They have entry level laptops all the way up to desktop rivals and everything in between. You can also customize most of the hardware to get exactly what you're looking for (graphics, processor, hard drive, NIC, you name it. Hell you can even choose the thermal paste you want) and on top of that you also have the option to upgrade in the future if you so desire.

They also come with awesome warranty's and customer service. I had a tiny software problem one time and they got back to me immediately-- even calling me multiply times in one day trying to reach me. The rep I got was personable as well as knowledgeable and very helpful. And best of all, they're based out of California (if I remember correctly) so you're not going to get some guy on the other side of the world that has no clue what he's talking about.

Yes, desktops are always going to be easier to upgrade and maintain but DS bridges the laptop/desktop gap more than any company I've seen.

Sorry for the lengthy post just wanted to voice the awesome experience I've had with them.

I checked out Digital Storm. A bit out of my price range for now, but I'll definitely be keeping them on my radar. Thanks for the post!

 

[noonin]

If you don't need portability, a desktop makes more sense. It'll be more reliable than a laptop, easier to add or upgrade parts, and less money/performance. I've had a Dell Vostro 460 for two years now and had zero problems. I added RAM cheaper than Dell's (don't know why they insist on gouging you to add RAM at purchase), added a firewire card in 10 minutes, I can add a GPU if I want (not a ton of choices though due to Dell's proprietary MoBo). I have plans to add a SSD for Windows/programs, and it's so simple with a desktop. I have Business ProSupport, which was extra, but worth it since it's all N. American based, 24/7 help when I need it. The only times I've used it were software issues and asking if upgrades were compatible. If you're trying to stay on a budget, you can always check the Outlet for good deals.