Choice of laptops - which one?

[Christine Hudnall]

Hi -

The other day I purchased a Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop, with option to return. Well, I have a few days left, and I'm not sure about keeping it. So, thought I would ask others if they had a choice between three laptops, which they would go with, and why.

Dell 15.4" Inspiron 1525-103W: Dell Laptop
Sony VAIO VGN-NR498E/S 15.4" Widescreen: Sony Laptop
Gateway M-6866 15.4" Widescreen Laptop: Gateway Laptop

One of the biggest drawbacks to the Dell for me is that it gets hot, very hot right where my hands are to type. I don't know if this is normal for Dell's, but have been that route before with HP.

They all cost roughly the same, so if you had a choice, which would you go with? And should I not worry about how hot the Dell gets - I just don't want it overheating and crashing on me - I have expensive paperweight with HP written on it already.

Thanks for your thoughts...

 

[Christine Hudnall]

Anyone?

If not those, then what - within reasonable price.

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

OK
The 'leper' speaks...

If money isn't the issue - then the Sony has the best reputation for service and quality.
Never heard a bad review of Sony - could be wrong...

 

[Jason Boggs]

I haven't dealt with any of these brands, but I've heard good things about Sony computers.

I have had an HP for almost 3 years now, and I have never had problems with it. Maybe it's because I got the 3 year accidental warranty with it. You know how those kind of things work...

 

[Sarah Glenn]

I am also trying to decide on a laptop, and something I was told recently was that some Gateway laptops have problems with overheating as well.

 

[Dave Kaplow]

I agree with what's been said about Sonys... As I said in the other laptop recommendation thread, I just bought a Sony VAIO VGN-AR850 17" and I love everything about it. The display on the Sony VAIOs is just so much better than any of the competition... I don't know what special technology Sony has, but whatever it is it absolutely makes a difference. In a 1 to 1 comparison the Sonys will always look better and brighter - I did many such comparisons before I bought my machine and this was always the case. The Sony would certainly be my pick.

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

I am also trying to decide on a laptop, and something I was told recently was that some Gateway laptops have problems with overheating as well.

Battery failure on laptops have been known to explode in the past - this has been corrected for the most part due to obvious reasons of mfr liability and their complicity in solving this problem. Don't worry - chances are that you don't have a bomb!

A laptop - any laptop - can overheat if the fan area underneath has become clogged with debris/lint/dust collected. Or, the laptop stand/cradle doesn't allow adequate airflow to/from the base of the laptop. Spacers/strapping may alleviate this condition for you. If you don't know don't be afraid to ask someone who does. They should be blown out with mild compressed air pressure at least once a year - to be sure it won't suddenly overheat/sudden death. But that depends upon how much it was exposed to a dusty road with an open window, the cat sleeping on it, etc...

If you are unsure about cleaning it yourself, take it to a repair shop ($$) or have a knowledgeable friend do it for you. Be sure not to use too much pressure, as high air pressure can literally blow small components off of the motherboard and render you laptop useless. I would trust a knowledgeable/experienced friend if you don't have the $$.

If you believe that you have a laptop that has a known problem with it, check the mfr's website and look up your model and look for a possible recall.

I wouldn't worry about the new laptops too much. Most of the problems that I've known about pertain primarily to the battery.

 

[Christine Hudnall]

Thanks everyone.

Dave - I can't go quite that high in $ - but, am looking at smaller Sony. Does your case get really hot to the touch, near the front of keyboard (closest side to you)?

 

[Dave Kaplow]

Thanks everyone.

Dave - I can't go quite that high in $ - but, am looking at smaller Sony. Does your case get really hot to the touch, near the front of keyboard (closest side to you)?

Depends on the definition of "really hot". Yeah, my Sony does get a bit warm sometimes in a very small area near the center of the front of the machine, right in front of the touchpad. But it doesn't get so hot that I worry about anything starting to melt or anthing like that, it's just very warm sometimes. The keyboard area itself never gets hot, unlike some machines I've heard about.

There are some power settings in Vista that you can set to control the speed of the processor when it's "on idle", I've read that these settings can greatly influence the amount of heat the machine gives off, but I haven't really experimented much with this yet. The Sony doesn't have a fan, so I just assume it's meant to occasionally run a bit on the warm side. It's never gotten so hot that I've become concerned about the problem, I suppose if it ever did I could buy one of those laptop cooling pads that go underneath the computer, but so far nothing like that's been necessary. The Sony is my first notebook computer, so I don't really know how it compares to other laptops on the heating issue.

 

[Christine Hudnall]

The Sony doesn't have a fan

Thank you. And this is tidbit I did not realize. Interesting, another something for me to look up and then figure out why and how.

 

[Dave Kaplow]

Just to clarify: it doesn't have a fan as near as I can tell. That is, I don't see or hear anything that resembles a fan, but there may well be some kind of non-obvious powered ventilation system in there that I'm unaware of. But if so, it's REALLY unobtrusive, to the point of being undetectable.

 

[Rob Wadsworth]

I'm writing this as I keep an eye peeled twards Gustav..

A Backgrounder:
There are three main sources of heat in any laptop; the battery, the CPU, and the hard disc.
This occurs because of less that 100% of efficient use of the power consumed, the rest as entropy heat that needs to be dissipated without harming other delicate components. Efficiency of devices vary from model to mfr, but they all will do what you need them to do with relative ease. AMD and Intel are the CPU's that you will encounter when buying your laptop. I prefer AMD's because they don't have a serious heat problem, they are pretty efficient (speed vs electrical/heat loss=efficiency).
Intel's are great -too. You wouldn't be making a mistake either way. But you know this already - right?
End of Backgrounder

Any laptop mfr that utilizes any/all of the hardware that is available will provide you with a decent package that you may choose. Some are a bit more efficient and offer more bells and whistles than the next mfr. That is ultimately the difference when you choose your make and model. It is a 'get what you pay for' situation. My best advice is just buy as fast as a CPU as you can afford with only those luxuries that you can afford and find useful. A thousand dollars should be more than enough for you to get quite a nice piece of workmanship. I spent $725 on an Hp a few months ago - and it runs everything that any basic storm chaser would need or want. I can also watch DVD's - I look at that feature as a minor plus with the package.

Most of new laptops have this and more. The same DVD player also burns CD's. Built-in wireless, touchpad, 4-8 USB ports, firewire ports, LAN port, external TV port, serial port, s/d-ms-mmc-sm-xd port.
AGGGGHHH!
Enough already - they all have it and it's there if you need it.
After all, they want your cash.
The difference between any laptop is their record of how well they treat their customers. It's pretty competitive, some of them are just better than others.
Sony, Hp, Lenovo, Dell, Toshiba.

Screen size and quality seems to be the biggest muncher of your money. I lke and use a 17" - but 15' are just as good. Check with Google or Amazon.com and read horror stories for the model you are looking at. It's better to hunt and shop before you spend your hard-earned bucks.
It's the American way!

They ('Intel') have not been as efficient -until just this last year- when they got their new processor available (the new CoreDuos & the Quad cores). If the CPU is a year older or more, it's needs for current are not quite as efficient as the newer ones. Therefore, they give off more heat and place a large load upon the battery. So it may be a consideration when picking out your laptop. Big price differnces between the new and the old - even though they all will work for storm chasing. Make sure that the video card is directX 9 w/shader version 2.0; most radar programs may need this protocol to work!
This also means that laptop mfr's are letting them go so as to clear this stock at a cut-rate price. There isn't anything wrong with them - but do make sure that you give them all the space they will require to dissipate this heat.

Intel has just announced a brand-new processor that is capable of one trillion calculations per second. Making what we have now obsolete - but not at all useless. so be happy until it becomes the rave. They will still need to make new software to be able to utilize their product and this keeps your machines useful if not for awhile.

The needs of using your laptop for storm chasing and internet usage while on the fly won't be upset by this new processor. In fact, if this new processors is made available to servers, then the internet speed that you will need can only be improved. But there is no talk as to when these new devices will become part of the everyday technology that we now enjoy and use.

 

[Josh Richardson]

I might be jumping in kind of late here but since I purchase strictly Dell laptops frequently I thought I would add my two cents, I have never had a laptop get "hot" as you explained earlier. I am currently running a Dell Inspiron 1720 and have also had the 1520 recently as well. Considering I work from home and am on my laptop all day I could tell you I would have experienced this if it was a "Dell" or "Inspiron" thing, I think it may just be your particular laptop. Thats my thought.

 

[Christine Hudnall]

Just to clarify: it doesn't have a fan as near as I can tell. That is, I don't see or hear anything that resembles a fan, but there may well be some kind of non-obvious powered ventilation system in there that I'm unaware of. But if so, it's REALLY unobtrusive, to the point of being undetectable.

No problem, I know what you mean. Would be interesting though if it didn't. Technology is amazing.

 

[Christine Hudnall]

Rob - Thanks for all that info. Appreciate it.

Josh - Okay, this is what I was looking for, like maybe this is just a fluke and not across the board with Dells. Good, that is good to know.

Thanks everyone. I actually have searched and researched before I purchase, and nowhere did I see anything about the hot-to-touch area. And usually if it's there, it comes up. Been there, done that. Which is why I asked here, for first hand experience. I didn't just purchase it blindly, honest.

And sorry, I won't ever buy HP laptop again. Just my personal pet-peeve with them. May be perfectly good, but the model I purchased has turned to lemon. It happens, I learned from it. Now I just get to decide - keep the Dell, trade-it in for another, or purchase a different one. Decisions, decisions...