Dell Laptops

Jen · #1 06-25-2006, 07:13 PM

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damasa · #2 06-26-2006, 03:08 PM

Although I don't have any experience with either model you are looking at I will say that you should somewhere else than Dell. At least make sure you get an extended warranty.

I've had two Dell laptops and I'll never purchase another from them. I've had functional problems with the screens on both (as in the screen going black when I open and close the top) and I've had serious hardware issues with both as well.

ThetaDancer · #3 06-26-2006, 03:46 PM

I would also strongly urge you to look into something other than a Dell. I've owned one and it was a disaster...I would never consider buying another one.

tunatartare · #4 06-26-2006, 03:49 PM

I concur. Dell laptops are good for about a year. Then the warranty runs out and they start to fall apart. I have an Inspiron 5160 that I got last October. It tends to overheat like crazy to the point that my fingers get hot just typing. Another word of advice, if you are planning on getting an Inspiron: they have a lot of storage space and memory because they're meant to be entertainment computers. However, they are really heavy. If you're looking for a laptop that you will be carrying around a lot, then an Inspiron is not your best bet.

Buttonz · #5 06-27-2006, 08:52 AM

My best freind also had problems with her Dell.

I'm currently on my second Toshiba laptop. My first one was great, this one has been nothing but hell for both my sister and I. We've had to send it back every 3-4 months because it would over heat to a point that it wouldn't stay one, etc. The next laptop I get I think will be an HP, as I've heard pretty good things about them.

bruinaphi · #6 06-27-2006, 12:04 PM

I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with Dell. I am the only one in my family with something other than a Dell laptop and the network we run at work is 100% Dell.

It is my understanding that the dual core processors are really for gaming and that for your uses they are more computer than you need. That being said, the techies I hang out with LOVE the dual core processor and it isn't a huge step up in price.

Have fun and happy shopping!

GeekyPenguin · #7 06-29-2006, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buttonz

My best freind also had problems with her Dell.

I'm currently on my second Toshiba laptop. My first one was great, this one has been nothing but hell for both my sister and I. We've had to send it back every 3-4 months because it would over heat to a point that it wouldn't stay one, etc. The next laptop I get I think will be an HP, as I've heard pretty good things about them.

Do you have the A75 Satellite? A lot of my classmates have it and they've had problems, although I haven't. Quite a few of them have bought the little rubber feet that prop it up and that allows the fans to vent. Blowing out the copper coil in the back with compressed air also helps it vent.

pinkiebell1001 · #8 06-27-2006, 04:07 PM

[QUOTE=damasa] I've had functional problems with the screens on both (as in the screen going black when I open and close the top) .[/QUOTE

Is this not a reg. feature of most laptops? I just bought a brand new GQ laptop, and mine does this whenever i close it- actually, not only does mine do it, but both of the laptops my family uses do it as well (diff brands), so i always assumed it was supposed to do that!

damasa · #9 06-27-2006, 05:57 PM

[QUOTE=pinkiebell1001]

Quote:

Originally Posted by damasa

I've had functional problems with the screens on both (as in the screen going black when I open and close the top) .[/QUOTE

Is this not a reg. feature of most laptops? I just bought a brand new GQ laptop, and mine does this whenever i close it- actually, not only does mine do it, but both of the laptops my family uses do it as well (diff brands), so i always assumed it was supposed to do that!

Ha Ha, so much funny.

That's not what I meant to say. What I was trying to say was that when I would adjust the top of laptop up or down, the screen would go blank and I would have to restart the computer in order for the screen to power up again. It had nothing to do with my power settings. And on one of them the screen would black out when I closed the laptop and it wouldn't power back on when I reopened it, thus having to restart it as well.

The second one got so bad that at some points when the screen blacked out the hard drive would also crash.

amycat412 · #10 06-27-2006, 06:12 PM

I didn't have any problems with my Dell until it just DIED. And it was less than 2 years old.

I love love love my Toshiba. It feels better made than the Dell and (knock on wood) no issues with it so far.

smiley21 · #11 07-04-2006, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amycat412

I didn't have any problems with my Dell until it just DIED. And it was less than 2 years old.

I am having the same problem. My Dell is just a year and a half, and it died today. I have had so many problems with it in the last 4 months. Forget talking to the people at Dell. I swear they have no idea what they are talking about. I am so sick of it. I am now back in the market for a new laptop. I don't care if I can fix my current laptop. It is so not worth the frustration.

Xylochick216 · #12 06-27-2006, 06:15 PM

I believe it was the Celeron that my dad (who builds computers) told me to avoid. He always tells his clients to avoid Dell. Do either of those computers come with an AMD Athalon processor? Mine's been great.

My first laptop was an HP and it ran for about 5 years before I ended up needing a new harddrive. I passed that one along to my husband and got a Compaq. I know it's the same company as HP, but my HP had better options and was more functional. The next one I get will definitely be another HP. Their customer service is excellent and it ran like a charm.

I'd avoid Toshiba, too. I had a few from them that would end up just dying in the middle of writing a paper (while plugged in). I made Circuit City take them back. After that happened a few times, I got the HP, and I was much happier.

Jeditiger · #13 06-28-2006, 05:17 AM

The differance between the celeron and the centrino(pentium M) is the cache, and the other is the bus speed..

A centrino will always outperform a celeron in all aspects but the main part were it will dominate will be when doing things like Graphic rendering, or applying a codec to a video file(data compresion).. Basicly when the CPU has to use its mathcoprocessor and do mathamatical calculations the Pentium M is more powerfull.

When using a PC as a web browser, email and basic wordproccesing a celeron is more then capable.. Celerons can even do the harder jobs but just not as quick..

When the celerons were first released they didnt have a Level 2 cache at all, this made them very cheap and very useless. Nower days celerons have both levels of cache but not as much nor as fast as a pentium M..So IMHO celerons dont need to be avoided anymore..

Yiannis

MaryAmanda · #14 06-27-2006, 05:39 PM

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=32550

SigmaChiCard · #15 01-23-2008, 09:21 PM

Since other types of computers have gotten brought up...

I think it extremely unlikely that I will ever spend my own money on a computer that isn't an Apple ever again. I have the macbook and its power and reliability are years beyond any other computer I have owned or tried. If my work would let me run parallels, I would use my mac there too & never deal with other computers again.

While I have never owned a dell, many of my friends have & I refuse to ever own a dell...everyone I have seen is junk within 2 years. They do not wear well at all if you do anything other than leave it on your desk. I had a toshiba for several years & it was quite good for a long time...but I never realized how bad it was until I got my mac.

I'm not trying to convert anyone....but sort like that song that goes "anything you can do i can do better".....well, macs run windows....there's no reason not to buy anymore in my eyes