Laptop Advice needed! - DPChallenge Forums

Sigma 18-125mm f/3.5-5.6 DC for Canon

10/10/2005 09:56:52 AM · #1

Hi!
I need to get a laptop, more for work than anything else, but I'd like it to be a bit future proof. I've been looking solidly for about 3 weeks and I'm getting a major Swede-Ache!!!

I've found three possibles:
Acer 9103WLMi

Sony Vaio FS215Z

Fujitsu Siemens Amilo M3438G

I'd love to have great battery life, but think I'll have to compromise. I'm only thinking of the Fujitsu Siemens as it seems like a hell of a lot of laptop for the money, but being 17" is a bit too heavy i fear and the battery aint great. I've looked at samsungs in a shop, they felt a bit too plasticy, i didnt like toshiba or IBM screens and the Dells seem a bit pricey, as are ASUS and rockdirect. Think whatever I do, i'll upgrade the memory myself - seems a lot cheaper that way.

I am getting so miffed with looking and I need it pretty sharpish, I might actually resort to pulling names out of a hat!

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
MARK

Kavey

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

10/10/2005 10:31:53 AM · #2

It's entirely anecdotal so not really hugely useful but...
I love our Acer... no probs yet, touch wood.

Spork99

Canon EOS M6 Mk II

Canon EF-M 22mm f/2.0 STM Lens

10/10/2005 10:32:27 AM · #3

one word: Mac

10/10/2005 10:41:45 AM · #4

Originally posted by Spazmo99:

one word: Mac

LOL I was waiting for that! I love the idea of a mac but it really isnt practical for me. A lot of software I use at work is just for windows... and thing like halflife 2 :)

Thanks for that Kavey! I keep hearing good things about the Acers

Makka

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

10/10/2005 10:57:30 AM · #5

Originally posted by cheekymunky:

A lot of software I use at work is just for windows... and thing like halflife 2 :)

hehehe....gotta love half life 2! I just got the new Day of Defeat mod! :)

Tom

Canon EOS-5D

10/10/2005 11:00:28 AM · #6

I just tried Googling the Acer, but all the sites that come up are British. Is this not sold in America?

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 16-85 f/3.5-5.6G ED VR

10/10/2005 11:08:47 AM · #7

Originally posted by WaterMark:

I just tried Googling the Acer, but all the sites that come up are British. Is this not sold in America?

Have a look HERE They have an american website at least.

Not sure about DOD... lovin' CS far too much for my own good!

cbeller

Nikon D300

10/10/2005 11:15:17 AM · #8

Of the three you listed, the Sony would probably be the best. Not sure what you didn't like about the IBMs, but the T series Thinkpads are probably the best made laptops out there, excluding the Apple Powerbooks.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4.0-5.6G ED

10/10/2005 11:18:06 AM · #9

The IBM's that I could afford at least didnt look that great...the ones I couldnt looked awesome!!! I am kinda tempted by the sony, but acer has a slightly better spec...but the Fuji is cheaper and bigger! but a bit too big.... you see why I'm going mad?!?!

AzCKelly

Nikon D70s

10/10/2005 11:28:48 AM · #10

It really depends on what you do. As a programmer, I run a ton of code which uses processor time. I depend on reliability, speed and function. I have used several brands but the one I like most is Dell. I wouldn't give it up for nothing. The inspirion notebooks are very reliable and can be pretty powerful. Might want to look at those.

res0m50r

Canon EOS-30D

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

10/10/2005 11:32:06 AM · #11

I second AzCKelly and her Dell recommendation. Great laptop that can handle pretty much anything I have thrown at it.

jonshephard

Nikon D200

10/10/2005 11:53:35 AM · #12

I bought the Sony model a couple of weeks ago and am very happy with it so far! Battery life is a bit small, but i'm really using it as a desktop, so it's docked most of the time anyway. Memory seems fine, runs all my video, sound and photo software fine alongside new games. No firewire though ... said it had when I bought it online, which is pretty annoying. Oh well, I would certainly recommend it.

Olyuzi

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH

10/10/2005 12:21:32 PM · #13

A word of caution about Dell laptops. A friend of mine has a horror story with the Inspiron 5100 she bought last year. The first time she powered it up it ran very hot. So hot, in fact, she needed mitts to pick the thing up. It would run for a few minutes and then shut off by itself. It also "blew out" some electrical outlets in the building she lives in costing her landlord some expensive repairs. Needless to say that she sent it back to Dell for repair. Long story short...they replaced the motherboard 3 times with no resolution of this problem. They have finally agreed to replace her laptop with a refurbished Inspiron 5160 that has come scratched up and was obviously a used model, though she paid for new.

After doing some internet research on this problem, I found that many people had reported a similar overheating problem with their 5100 series Dell laptops and Dell has finally admitted to the problem. In the meantime, my friend wasted countless hours waiting on the telephone for their tech support...talking to someone in another country, whom she said had stock answers to her questions and that at times was difficult to communicate with because of dialect. She also was without a laptop for all this time. Needless to say she is disgusted with the service she got and will not buy from them again.

Dell recalled 4.4 million laptops last year for power adapters that were overheating as there is a risk of fire. They seem to have some quality control issues.

ScreamingToad

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

10/10/2005 12:28:03 PM · #14

I'll put in my bid for Dell. I'm also a programmer, and use/abuse my laptop daily. It's a Dell Inspiron 8600 that has never given me a single problem. Good luck.

AzCKelly

Nikon D70s

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4.0-5.6G ED

10/10/2005 12:31:25 PM · #15

Originally posted by Olyuzi:

...After doing some internet research on this problem, I found that many people had reported a similar overheating problem with their 5100 series Dell laptops and Dell has finally admitted to the problem. ...
Dell recalled 4.4 million laptops last year for power adapters that were overheating as there is a risk of fire. They seem to have some quality control issues.

Wow, first I've heard this. I've used dell exclusively for the last 2 years and do travel with a 5100. I've even set up several offices and executives with Dell desktops and laptops for remote access and not had any complaint. The limited Service contact I've had has been exceptional. Sorry to hear you friend got a raw deal but I've no complaints. Would love to read any links on this.

Olyuzi

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH

10/10/2005 12:38:19 PM · #16

Originally posted by AzCKelly:

Originally posted by Olyuzi:
...After doing some internet research on this problem, I found that many people had reported a similar overheating problem with their 5100 series Dell laptops and Dell has finally admitted to the problem. ...
Dell recalled 4.4 million laptops last year for power adapters that were overheating as there is a risk of fire. They seem to have some quality control issues.

Wow, first I've heard this. I've used dell exclusively for the last 2 years and do travel with a 5100. I've even set up several offices and executives with Dell desktops and laptops for remote access and not had any complaint. The limited Service contact I've had has been exceptional. Sorry to hear you friend got a raw deal but I've no complaints. Would love to read any links on this.

I just did a Google search for "dell overheating laptops" and this is what I came up with.

livitup

Nikon D70

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

10/10/2005 12:48:31 PM · #17

As with so many things (Cannon vs. Nikon) these things are so subjective. Best is to get to a shop and "test drive" the ones you are interested in, if at all possible. But based on personal experiences...

(*) I have owned Thinkpads for years, for work use. The T-Series ones that I had several years ago suffered from displays that were easily damaged, but the current T-42 I have is a treat.

(*) I have a Compaq at home that I have dropped a couple times, and generally beat the crap out of. It's never had a single problem and has quietly taken all the abuse I can give it. It does run a bit hotter than the Thinkpad though. My wife has a nearly identical HP, which also runs warm, but has served well for a couple years now.

(*) Two co-workers have Sony Vaio laptops, and both rave over them. You pay a premium, but the displays are some of the best in the business. Nice and fast, good for graphics and multimedia.

But again, if at all possible, I'd suggest trying out each one as much as possible.

Ozzie

Nikon D90

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR

10/10/2005 12:53:17 PM · #18

We had a Sony VAIO once and had great difficulty with their tech support when a minor problem occurred within 6 months of purchase. We ended up getting rid of it, replacing it with a Toshiba which has worked well.

LeeD

Canon EOS-30D

10/10/2005 12:59:13 PM · #19

Personally I'm partial to the thinkpads. I have a Toshiba with a very crappy display (2 years old), a VAIO that is 3 years old and still holding up rather well, I just hate the touchpad on it.

My thinkpad is about 8 years old (or something like that) with a very crisp display and has held up VERY well over the years.

I've purchased several Dells, and they seem to be solid systems, but I have also seen them overheat (as mentioned earlier).

Just my experience FWIW

Canon EOS-20D

10/10/2005 01:02:40 PM · #20

I also have a Thinkpad that I like quite well. One of my favorite and least noted things about it is the eraser tip mouse (or whatever they're technically called) in addition to those stupid track pad things. It's so much easier to use. Dell no longer has the eraser tip option.

FotoMunki

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

10/10/2005 01:05:11 PM · #21

HP dv1000 series is pretty sweet (with 1Gb+ memory for PS CS2). dv1000

LeeD

Canon EOS-30D

10/10/2005 01:05:46 PM · #22

Originally posted by mk:

Yeah, that's what I was getting at when I said I hate the touchpads! The trackpoints (eraser heads) are much easier to use! My Toshiba has one too, but the display is TERRIBLE!!! Thinkpads are usually more expensive, but money well spent IMHO!

FotoMunki

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF-M 22mm f/2.0 STM Lens

10/10/2005 01:11:15 PM · #23

If you are investing in a PC, I would stick with the larger companies (HP, Dell, IBM). My wife had a Fijitsu from work and the thing was louder than our lawn mower - I swear the thing was going to blow up. I have also had friends who had Sony's that have crapped out within months of purchase.

Spork99

Canon EOS M6 Mk II

10/10/2005 01:13:57 PM · #24

I have a Compuke Armada laptop for work.

When they first introduced them, they would spontaneously reboot. One rebooted 22 times in one work day. Not exactly conducive to productivity.

They first came with Win 98 and mine would lock up (Blue Screen of Death) several times a day. Once I finagled an upgrade to Win 2K, the system has been relatively stable.

I've also had several hardware problems, I'm on my 4th motherboard, 3rd display, 3rd keyboard and 2nd harddrive. That's not counting the one I ran over with a van, that is an entirely different story.

I would hope that HP has improved on the Compuke.

Canon EOS-20D