My Father wants to buy a new laptop for work. He's going to use it mainly for work at home (mainly due to the fact the pc's never free at home). He had about a £1000 to spend. I think it will be good if it has a CD burner with it.

What makes? models? do you recommend. I've been told dell are good and very reliable, but would like some more input from others.

 

IBM all day long.Just the way they are made.Dell are top also Compaq. But i using a IBM "T22" DVD pentium 3 one now and its geat and you know it will last.

 

My Thinkpad A21M (just out of warranty) has just died!

 

I would also say Dell.

Got a pair of 4 year old Latitudes I use every day and they never miss a beat.

 

All my PCs have been laptops - I like to be able to take 'em with me. I take them to work and back every day (1.5hour train commute) so they get a rough old time in my rucksack.

The most recent were a Sony Vaio Picturebook (very good, although the build quality wasn't too hot) and a Fujitsu Lifebook-P (very good build quality - really sturdy). I've heard quite a few horror stories about Vaio build quality, so I'd have to recommend you steer clear of Sony.

TBH, though, if he's getting it as a 2nd home PC, rather than a machine to carry out and about with him, build quality probably won't be an issue. As others here have said, Dell are well-made, but I'd also suggest looking at Toshiba and IBM (the latter comes at a premium price though).

 

You pays yer money etc.....

tosh's are expensive, but i've supported loads of these and they
are robust as hell.

as with all electronic equipment, the key is look after it.
get a decent case (air ones are good) and keep drinks away!!!

you can get a decent warranty now, and avoid charging overnight.
some manufacturers claim the charging stops at a certain level, but i think its just a ploy to toast your batteries and sell you some more down the line.

we have some sony's here, but they are a bit flimsy!!!

i had an old siemens lifebook (now fujitsu) which was wicked, but that was a few years back.

take your time and shop around...

BB

 

i spent most of my computer time using laptops as well. been using and worked for big names laptop brand like compaq and ibm. i would say ibm is best coz they are so solid and reliable. my ibm thinkpad 755c (486dx75!) still works OK. got 760 and 570 as well. gave the 570 to my dad. the LCD die recently while my dad was in the far east. took it to ibm centre and they replace the LCD FOC under warranty. with the serial number, they can trace back the laptop to my name. the international warranty works!

only problem is they cost a bomb! maybe search around the web for any special offers or deals on ibm thinkpads.

p/s now using tosh tecra 8100 and sometimes compaq M700

 

Bit of a sales plug... We sell Fujitsu Siemens product

BUT we sell their product because it works well and it is sturdy/reliable. I am typing this from the roof of a very cold Edinburgh building whilst doing a little wireless link for a customer.

My laptop has a pretty rough time and has never failed me which is what I need.

If you want some more info/some special Scoobynet prices then pop me an email.

 

WillieF - YHM.