Omega Owners Forum - Laptop buying advice

Mantahatch

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Laptop buying advice
03. Jun 2009 at 11:00

I have to look for a new laptop for work, I currently have a sony vaio which I hate except for the screen which is of very high quality.

I need to use it for emails, CAD and some light data aquistion. I have had Toshiba's in the past and was looking at the Toshiba A300, L300 and P300. I am yearning toward the P300 as it has the bigger screen (eyesight not what it used to be)

Weight is not an issue as it won't be moved very often.

Does anyone have any experience of this machine, or maybe a better recommendation.

Thanks

Mike

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Banjax

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Re: Laptop buying advice
Reply #1 - 03. Jun 2009 at 11:08

i recently bought a laptop - researched everything trawled thru mags etc - what i quickly discovered is that no sooner is one just out and reviewed than its no longer available!! - the market moves so quickly - Sony vaio are well regarded - good build quality but pricey - i went for a MacBook - which i absolutely love Thumbs Up!

maybe no use for you (although you can run windows if you needed to)

spend a tenner on a few mags the day they come out - the shops know nothing (due to the fast turnaround of product)

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50 bucks!?! For 50 bucks I'd put my face in their soup and blow!!

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TheBoy

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Re: Laptop buying advice
Reply #2 - 03. Jun 2009 at 13:03

Vaio build quality is variable, depends who makes them - Sony, like everyone else outsource this, but are coy on who supplies them.

Tosh have defo gone off the boil a bit lately, but thats not a reason I would reject them.

Dell appear to have got through their reliability issues with their laptops

I've had a few HP laptops recently which have been OK, except my own one which has faulty mouse buttons AGAIN, but now out of warranty. If you go HP, check their Business Notebooks, rather than the Presario stuff which is expensive, and seems to be less reliable.

Acer tend to suffer reliability issues, I certainly wouldn't buy one currently.

If I was buying now, it would be between Dell, HP and Tosh, then deciding further on what specs met my needs.

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MindlessJD

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Re: Laptop buying advice
Reply #3 - 03. Jun 2009 at 15:04

Banjax wrote on 03. Jun 2009 at 11:08:

i recently bought a laptop - researched everything trawled thru mags etc - what i quickly discovered is that no sooner is one just out and reviewed than its no longer available!! - the market moves so quickly - Sony vaio are well regarded - good build quality but pricey - i went for a MacBook - which i absolutely love Thumbs Up!

maybe no use for you (although you can run windows if you needed to)

spend a tenner on a few mags the day they come out - the shops know nothing (due to the fast turnaround of product)

A fellow Mac user! Thumbs Up!

In all honesty, I prefer Macs too and they always seem pretty reliable machines. I have an iMac which I bought three years ago and it still runs as good today as it did the day I got it! Cool

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TheBoy Administrator Offline TBE has an MOT! Posts: 64817 Brackley, Northants Gender: Drives: 98 MV6, 03 Elite, 00 25, 89 ZX10	Re: Laptop buying advice Reply #4 - 03. Jun 2009 at 16:23 If you want to run Mac OSX - and some people do - then a Macbook is best option. If you prefer Windows, there are better, cheaper, less awkward options.
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Vmax Senior Member Offline Missing life on two wheels :( Posts: 669 Waterlooville, Hampshire. Gender: Drives: JAGUAR XJ8 SPORT	Re: Laptop buying advice Reply #5 - 03. Jun 2009 at 16:25 Always used Compaq without any probs...
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TheBoy Administrator Offline TBE has an MOT! Posts: 64817 Brackley, Northants Gender: Drives: 98 MV6, 03 Elite, 00 25, 89 ZX10	Re: Laptop buying advice Reply #6 - 03. Jun 2009 at 16:30 Vmax wrote on 03. Jun 2009 at 16:25: Always used Compaq without any probs... Compaq = HP as from around 2001
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cem Omega King Offline Posts: 13920 Ankara/Turkey Gender: Drives: 97 2.5 V6 Manual CD- Clio Sport	Re: Laptop buying advice Reply #7 - 03. Jun 2009 at 17:30 I have a theory about laptops to be useful: either buy the one which is the smallest or buy the one with the biggest screen..but they are ridiculously expensive so it seems I'll stay as a programmer which dont have any lappy
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MindlessJD Junior Member Offline Mac Maniac Posts: 204 Locks Heath, Hampshire Gender: Drives: after 25th Nov '09!	Re: Laptop buying advice Reply #8 - 03. Jun 2009 at 17:34 TheBoy wrote on 03. Jun 2009 at 16:23: If you want to run Mac OSX - and some people do - then a Macbook is best option. If you prefer Windows, there are better, cheaper, less awkward options. Cheaper perhaps, but I don't think Macs are awkward or 'inferior' It really is a case of each to their own in my eyes.
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TheBoy

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Re: Laptop buying advice
Reply #9 - 03. Jun 2009 at 19:30

MindlessJD wrote on 03. Jun 2009 at 17:34:

TheBoy wrote on 03. Jun 2009 at 16:23:

If you want to run Mac OSX - and some people do - then a Macbook is best option. If you prefer Windows, there are better, cheaper, less awkward options.

Cheaper perhaps, but I don't think Macs are awkward or 'inferior' Tongue

It really is a case of each to their own in my eyes.

Most Apple h/w in the last 5+yrs have been gaining a reputation for lack of durability. Sadly, Apple chose not to publish those figures any more (I wonder why Roll Eyes

). However, I'not saying they are worse (or better) than anyone else.

If you control the hardware and the OS, as Apple do, you should be able to make some decent, stable stuff - look at Sun Microsystems, HP, and old school IBM. However, you also stifle innovation (not necessarily a problem).

But, to have a laptop to run windows, buy one designed for it, not a laptop where Windows is an afterthought...

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MindlessJD

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Re: Laptop buying advice
Reply #10 - 03. Jun 2009 at 21:54

TheBoy wrote on 03. Jun 2009 at 19:30:

MindlessJD wrote on 03. Jun 2009 at 17:34:

TheBoy wrote on 03. Jun 2009 at 16:23:

If you want to run Mac OSX - and some people do - then a Macbook is best option. If you prefer Windows, there are better, cheaper, less awkward options.

Cheaper perhaps, but I don't think Macs are awkward or 'inferior' Tongue

It really is a case of each to their own in my eyes.

Most Apple h/w in the last 5+yrs have been gaining a reputation for lack of durability. Sadly, Apple chose not to publish those figures any more (I wonder why Roll Eyes

). However, I'not saying they are worse (or better) than anyone else.

If you control the hardware and the OS, as Apple do, you should be able to make some decent, stable stuff - look at Sun Microsystems, HP, and old school IBM. However, you also stifle innovation (not necessarily a problem).

But, to have a laptop to run windows, buy one designed for it, not a laptop where Windows is an afterthought...

Unfortunately, this is true in quite a lot of cases Undecided

On the second point; well said, and I whole-heartedly agree.

Thumbs Up!

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BERTIECBX550 Ex Member	Re: Laptop buying advice Reply #11 - 03. Jun 2009 at 22:34 I use the tosh l300d and have not had a prob with it during the 8 months i`ve had it plus my oppo on nights has the pseries version and has a few glitches with it on and off and has even tried to swap with me!!!???
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Banjax Omega Lord Offline We're just a virus with shoes Posts: 5591 Perth Gender: Drives: '04 Subaru Legacy Sport, '03 406 diesel	Re: Laptop buying advice Reply #12 - 03. Jun 2009 at 22:36 after buying a mac you never go back - and it's true - i'd never buy a pc again - nothing but issues, conflicts, bugs, viruses - pah - you can keep it but i'm off topic a bit get the best laptop you can afford and play with the keyboard before you buy - some are shockingly built i noticed
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Seth

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Re: Laptop buying advice
Reply #13 - 04. Jun 2009 at 16:23

MindlessJD wrote on 03. Jun 2009 at 15:04:

Banjax wrote on 03. Jun 2009 at 11:08:

i recently bought a laptop - researched everything trawled thru mags etc - what i quickly discovered is that no sooner is one just out and reviewed than its no longer available!! - the market moves so quickly - Sony vaio are well regarded - good build quality but pricey - i went for a MacBook - which i absolutely love Thumbs Up!

maybe no use for you (although you can run windows if you needed to)

spend a tenner on a few mags the day they come out - the shops know nothing (due to the fast turnaround of product)

A fellow Mac user! Thumbs Up!

In all honesty, I prefer Macs too and they always seem pretty reliable machines. I have an iMac which I bought three years ago and it still runs as good today as it did the day I got it! Cool

Another Mac follower!
Not into lap-tops, so bought an eMac a few years back. Brilliant piece of kit, and got 'someone' to put Word programme into it for me, so best of both worlds.

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« Last Edit: 04. Jun 2009 at 16:24 by Seth »

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