Laptop Advice

[JaseSF]

One of our laptops apparently went kaput here (well my girlfriend's actually), getting this message: PXE-E61 Media test failed. Check cable. Exiting PXE ROM"...online research suggest it could very well be the hard drive. Anyways she was looking into getting a new one and was wondering what the best laptops (brandwise, quality wise) were preferably with the best deal money wise as well. She was looking to keep it below $500 Canadian. Anyone got any suggestions? Advice? Thanks in advance.

[Andrew]

A big suggestion is to go somewhere you can put your hands on the laptop you are interested in.  The ergonomics can matter, like accidentally hitting the wrong key often, a difficult touchpad, or not liking the display.

At that price, you should be able to find something in these brands, which have good reps overall:

Sony (I use these for the last few years)
Toshiba
Asus (note: Asus, no Acer)

At your price point I would suggest looking for these options:

4GB memory
i5, i3, or AMD Phenom CPU (avoid the lobotomized CPUs like the Celeron)
15.6" display
320 - 500 GB hard drive
DVD+RW/CD-RW drive
The right options (USB, HDMI, WiFi, SD slots, etc.) for your needs.

[dean]

Make a checklist of things you need to have:

For me I needed a HDMI output to connect to a tv so I made sure I got one.  I have an Asus and I love it, it was cheap, but I have to admit I get annoyed at not having a backlit keyboard, since I use it mostly in bed.  Keep that in mind if that's your application to.

I have to say though: if it's just a hard drive problem wouldn't it be cheaper to just replace the drive rather than buy a new one?  It's a good excuse to upgrade I suppose.

[Menard]

One of our laptops apparently went kaput here (well my girlfriend's actually), getting this message: PXE-E61 Media test failed. Check cable. Exiting PXE ROM"...online research suggest it could very well be the hard drive. Anyways she was looking into getting a new one and was wondering what the best laptops (brandwise, quality wise) were preferably with the best deal money wise as well. She was looking to keep it below $500 Canadian. Anyone got any suggestions? Advice? Thanks in advance.

Well hell, if you're gonna throw away a laptop because of a pxe problem send it my way. 


If she's comfortable with the keyboard, pointing device, screen, you may want to check into the same brand she already has, or, if you're not sure of the laptops spec you can look it up online to get the screen size, processor, pointing device, etc., so that you'll have something to build on; and of course you can browse local stores to test out some newer models of laptops for comfort with the keyboard, pointing device, and of course the screen.

Then when you've gotten it down what you find comfortable, compare prices online, including eBay; and when you do searches on eBay, don't forget to also do a search for completed listings so you'll know what others have paid for a comparable laptop.

One of the things I am very picky about with a laptop is the keyboard. I see laptops with missing keys all the time, and especially these castrated low end models they sell in Walmart stores. I can type thousands of words a day and have never broken a key on a laptop. Of course I've generally always used Toshiba laptops, usually Tecras, so maybe that has something to do with it. Of course I am in a vanishing minority with regard to pointing devices and absolutely detest touchpads, and am presently looking at an HP model that only has a trackpoint (pencil eraser) and the buttons are off the palmrest making the palmrest a place to put your palms while typing...go figure, who woulda thunk it.

$500 for a frigging laptop?

[Olivia Bauer]

I don't know much about computer specs vs. cost but I do know one thing;

Don't get a Dell. You'll regret it.

[JaseSF]

She wants to thank you guys for the advice. Actually there have been a few other constant problems with the Acer she now has. The keyboard top level constantly pops up as well out of where it's supposed to be and she has to push it back in place with a pen only for it to shortly again pop out of place, the touchpad has been known to freeze up and the only way to get it to stop would be to connect a mouse. Also it's been making a lot of strange noise the last little while and the last error message she received said the "Operating system was not found". It hasn't worked since. It just comes on for a few minutes with error messages and shuts off again shortly thereafter. She'd kinda fed up with all these bugs despite the laptop being only about  2 and half years old.

I personally think we may be able to trade it in towards a new purchase as there's some locals who do that only in these parts they are rare to come by and often charge you an arm and a leg to repair stuff. Often buying a new system isn't much more hence why she's interested in doing so.

[The Burgomaster]

The IT guy at my office always recommends Dell laptops.  He loves them.  Won't buy or recommend anything else.  We just bought one for my wife for about $400.

[Olivia Bauer]

They malfunction, they get slow after just one year, and they have the worst customer service I've ever seen. I may own an Alienware (Which belongs to Dell) but I'm glad that at least Alienware has it's own support line. Dell preinstalled their s**tty drivers into my laptop, I uninstalled all Dell software off this thing out of frustration and set my drivers to the standard Windows audio drivers. The Dell drivers sound like garbage compared to default W7.

[The Burgomaster]

I don't know much about computer specs vs. cost but I do know one thing;

Don't get a Dell. You'll regret it.

We use nothing but Dell in my office and they run smoothly.

[Andrew]

I don't know much about computer specs vs. cost but I do know one thing;

Don't get a Dell. You'll regret it.

We use nothing but Dell in my office and they run smoothly.

There is a difference between the Dell office models and the ones marketed to normal consumers.  My experience is that the office models are noticeably better.  However, I wouldn't say that Dell's are bad laptops.  They do seem to be of less quality than the Sony and Toshiba's available now.

For years I used a Dell E1505 that worked great.  Didn't replace it until 2010 or so.  One of my nephews is still using it.  Granted, I did wipe the computer clean and load it without any extra bloatware - and Dell is bad about adding lots of extra software that is not needed, and can slow things down.

[Olivia Bauer]

I couldn't stand my old Dell. I smashed it with a hammer after I got my Alien. What I really hate is trying to call tech support. I can't understand people because of their accents. I hate tech support numbers that outsource to India. I like when I know what the hell they're saying.

[The Burgomaster]

I wouldn't bring a lot of cash to the club because you'd only end up getting really drunk and spending it all . . . what? Oh, sorry.  I though this said "lap dance advice."