how do the brands stack up?

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

  1. Posts : 106
    Windows 7 64 Bit
       #1

    how do the brands stack up?


    i suppose this is more of an opinion.

    i was just wondering how the different computer brands stack up to each other in terms of reliability. just take each of them as an all-in-one type of computer and see how they stack up ya know.

    right now im using an acer and ive had it for about 3 years and its maybe 5 years old since it was made. or something along that line.

    my sisters have both had gateway computers and those lasted about 2 years before they completely got destroyed. personal opinion is: gateway hardware is terrible.

    my friend had a dell computer which lasted him about 2 or 3 years, broke down completely trying to upgrade the computer. personal opinion: dell isnt any better.

    i mean ive had my acer for about 4 years or so, and its still running very smooth and ive had no problems once i formatted the hard drive.

    i understand that brand names are just a bunch of parts from companies with a logo, but i gotta admit some companies do their computers wrong.

    of course i understand there are many types around so what do you guys think?

    if you want to put them in a list and say why next to them that would be the quickest way i suppose, if you have had experience with multiple types
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 3,487
    Win 7 Pro x64/Win 10 Pro x64 dual boot
       #2

    In my personal experience, and my own humble opinion:

    Laptops I would buy: ACER and Toshiba - both brands seem to be solid and reliable.

    Laptops I would not buy: HP, Dell - too many horror stories heard, and my company has had to replace a number of HP and Dell lappies that have just broken for no reason.

    As for desktops, I might consider an ACER, but prefer a self build. You get more bang for the buck that way.

    As for buying a brand name desktop...

    HP - poor build quality, failure prone, locked BIOS. As an example, I have an HP test machine in my lab for running various testing programs. In the past year, the following items have failed on that machine:

    - Motherboard graphics - had to put in discrete card
    - All front USB ports (at the motherboard connector - these were never used)
    - DVD burner
    - Front card bay reader
    - One RAM stick
    - One serial port
    - Front audio connector at the motherboard - rear still works
    - Rear exhaust fan

    Maybe I just got a lemon, but this is only from day to day operation, 24/7 in an air conditioned environment. The IBM ThinkCentre that sits beside it is still chugging away. Dunno...

    Gateway - Some fellow employees purchased some on a volume buy through work. A number of hardware problems were seen, but Gateway was good in taking care of them right away. That was a few years ago, but if the customer service is still the same, and the price was good. Who knows?

    Dell - Well, read some of the Dell hardware comments on this forum.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 7,878
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #3

    Personal experience:

    My wife had an Acer laptop that lasted 18 months. We had a problem with the keyboard crapping out and a problem with the display. What I didn't like was no phone support (had to email and wait) and having to send the laptop across the country to get it fixed.

    My wife currently owns an HP laptop and my dad is now on his second HP laptop and they have been reliable. No problems with either of them. Wife's HP is now about 18 months old.

    I've had Dell laptops and desktops myself in the best and they have been solid. I know everybody likes to crap on Dell. But honestly with working with thousands of Dell desktops at work and multiple Dell desktops at home...my experience has been solid. With my home computers, I had a video card fan go bad (Nvidia 6800)...which dell replaced with an ATI Radeon X800XT (massive upgrade for free there). I also had a power supply die and i got a replacement shipped for about $30 that went right it and was silent. Those boxes are both over 6 years old and going strong.

    So, with building and using computers now for 25+ years...if I wasn't going to build myself...I would (and have) purchased Dell.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2,963
    Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit
       #4

    From what I've heard, Toshiba is a great brand for laptops.

    Personally, I have only owned Dells, as have many family members. This laptop I have has had some hardware problems, but we've never had one with a desktop.

    I'd never buy a HP. My dad actually works at a HP production plant. All the servers are IBM, as are many of the older computers. Any new ones are lenova (they bought part of IBM), so that should tell what HP thinks of their own computers.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 11,990
    Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit
       #5

    @pparks1 - Is Dell still proprietary as it was in late 80's and early 90's? I decided not to purchase a Dell for that reason back then and went with a custom build. I have avoided Dell since then.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 1,180
    Windows 7 Ultimate
       #6

    Personal Experience:

    Only owned one brand of Laptop and that is Toshiba. Never had any problems with them! Only reason I got a new one was because it was becoming outdated (lasted that long :))

    Desktops :

    Well... my parents bought our first desktop when I was like 6 and it was a Compaq Presario (mid-1990's), then they have stuck with HP. Never had a problem with those either. I built my machine my Junior year in High School and have just been upgrading it ever since.
      My Computer


  7. NoN
    Posts : 4,166
    Windows 7 Professional SP1 - x64 [Non-UEFI Boot]
       #7

    The first laptop i owned was a Compaq Presario that had last 5 years. the main probs was battery (100% dead by now) and Display holders (hinges) that wouldn't anymore hold. Its still running with Windows XP SP3 fully updated.

    The second was an HP that had last three years, the battery is weak but still hold 50 minutes powered. The main prob now is that the hdd had some bad sectors and i'm not sure even if its stable now, how many time it will last. It's still running with Windows XP SP3 fully updated.

    The third one is an Acer (my actual) and i don't expect more than three years for it, build mid-september 2009.
    Last edited by NoN; 30 Jul 2010 at 17:57. Reason: correcting spelling
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 6,885
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64, Mint 9
       #8

    In my experience...
    Don't buy a pre-built desktop, period.
    I have worked with ones from Dell, Compaq, HP, etc and the components inside are the cheapest money can buy, and the cooling is non-existent. They are simply VERY low quality.
    Build your own desktop...

    Laptops, MSI has been solid for me, as has Acer.

    ~Lordbob
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 3,487
    Win 7 Pro x64/Win 10 Pro x64 dual boot
       #9

    Lordbob75 said:
    Don't buy a pre-built desktop, period.
    Winner for best comment in thread.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 10,200
    MS Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-bit
       #10

    Laptops -- Toshiba

    Desktop -- roll your own using an ASUS motherboard.
      My Computer


 
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:45.
Find Us