I need to get a new laptop. Mine is getting old. I'm looking for a smaller one this time, with a 14" screen (no bigger, I'm at 15.4 now). I don't want a mac... and this is NOT about mac vs pc, I just don't want one.

I currently have a Dell. I think it sucks. Things have been failing on it steadily over the last two years. So I was hoping to avoid them... BUT.... they seem to be the only company that lets you really customize your setup!

Looking for Core 2 duo, 2gb ram, 2.0Ghz or faster, 14" screen.

I've had two Toshibas and liked them, but you really can't customize them. Can anyone share their experiences with other brands?

Acer?
LG?
Sony?
Gateway?
Fujitsu?
Asus?

any help appreciated. thanks!

Why don't you want a mac?

I am curious because I will be making the switch very soon.

not gateway. [insert middle finger and scrunched up angry face here]


i hear sony vaio is the way to go.

What do you mean can't customize a Toshiba? First of all, Toshiba is the best for me. HP 2nd best. But we just customized a Toshiba at their website like a week ago.

Hey Lloyd. I was faced with this same question a while back and did some research on the matter. Here's a link to the Lenovo T61:

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/control...176AD5FB80FA5D8

These start at 1k and can be made to offer all the bells and whistles you might need for photo editing.

My whole workflow is for the PC. I also have a degree in computer science so I've written some automation programs to help me. I don't feel like rewriting these programs (nor have time) just so I can switch to Mac. Also, I just don't like them. I think I was turned off of them back when I used the Mac Plus long ago.




Noted. I'll stay away. I always liked their Cow boxes though... hahaha



Hmmm, the canadian site DOES allow for some customization but probably not to the extent as the US site...? Or dell for that matter. I'll look into it again. But you DO pay a premium for the toshiba name.



Wow, that Lenovo sounds really good. Never even heard of them. Thinkpad? Are they some kind of IBM offshoot?

+1 for Toshiba. I love my Toshiba Satellite.

IBM PC's are now Lenovo. The thinkpad line is the same as it was before. Business oriented and fairly durable. What I like about them is that they allow you the choice of processor up to c2d 2.4, ram up to 4gb, and HD up to 160gb AND choice of speed at 5400rpm OR 7200rpm. The vid card won't leave you breathless but it's good enough for 2D photo work.

I've got one too (albeit a cheapy one) and I love it.

sounds like quite a movement for Toshiba. I've dropped my past toshibas while they were powered on and they didn't even hang or anything. tough buggers. My dell would break into a million pieces if I dropped it. Actually, it's breaking without even dropping it...

Anyone with LG? I heard they were good, want some first hand info though...

I'd say go for the Lenovo or the Toshiba.

My next laptop will be a dell, just because parts are easy to get and I can always do the replacements myself. I was gonna get the 1405. Any screens larger than that are just a hassle!

I had a Toshiba laptop, and it died a very slow and painful death. First there were viruses, despite all my anti-virus software. Once that was sorted out (and it was never quite the same again, but eh) it would shut off sponteously, more and more until it'd only come on for five minutes. The repair shop said there was some faulty wiring in the computer, that prevented the battery from being charged or the machine from getting enough power. Cost to fix? $500!

I put the Toshiba in a box somewhere and bought a Macbook Pro instead. I know you said you're not interested in Macs, but I'd been a PC person all my life and I have never been happier with the switch.

i swear by HP. ive had 2 laptops from them in 5 years and never once had anything go wrong with either. alisha broke the casing on my old one (yes you did!) after year 3, but even with a crack in the casing and a couple big drops that thing worked like new. i still have it in the office for when i need it. the one problem they are ever known to have is the left click on mousepad on the laptop wears out fairly easily. this doesn't affect me since i use a wireless mouse, but that is the only problem HPs seem to have.

alisha has a sony vaio and loves it. she had an HP before though, which was good to her, and i think she actually prefers my new HP to her new vaio.

for whatever that's worth, i hope it helps.

I have had bad experiences with Toshiba for some reason. I used to always use HP, which I still really like, but my vote is for the Fujitsu. You can only buy them online, but they are great little laptops and well worth the money! That is what I used before swithcing to Mac. I have had nothing but good experience with them, and you can get them very tiny! Here is the one I had:

http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce...do?series=S7110

+100 for the Lenovo. I just bought the X60x ultra-lightweight high-performance and I'm lovin' it! 3.5 pounds, blazin' fast, fits in my handbag and with the extended battery option I get about 4 hours use before recharging.

Lori

If Lenovo is as good as the IBM they bought, then another vote for the ThinkPad.

My IBM T-40 has commuted, traveled and vacationed every day for 3 yrs with NO issues (except that I wore out the 4hr battery and switched to the backup 6hr last year)

[edit] No, I don't ever use that red eraser pointing thingy. That was a big waste of dev resources, if you ask me.

I love my HP - and it was totally customizable but I found one at Costco that had everything I had on my list and was about $500 less.

Sounds like said repair shop was trying to scam you. Laptops don't have wiring to say, the issue was probably a faulty fan that caused it to heat up an then shut down to protect itself. My brothers laptop had the same problem. If you're really not using that laptop anymore the non-profit i volunteer would be more than happy to take it as a donation.


That is very true about lenovo being just as good as IBM, i mean when the same place (quanta) manufacutres your laptops all you're really doing is switching names.

And I loe that red eraser pointer thingy. I use it all the time! (Oh and i've got the T40 as well.)

Another +1 for the Thinkpads. It has the best keyboard layout and one of the few remaing laptops with the "red eraser" thingy. It works very, very well IMHO. You can type and use your mouse without much moving of your hands. Combined that with keyboard shortcuts allows for very efficient interface to your OS and apps. I actually wish they would take off the trackpad like the old days Thinkpads. But since all the Thinkpads come with both nav devices, you can choose either or. Also, please don't mistaken all implementation of that touchpoint (red eraser) to be the same. I used so many of Dell's implementation of the same technology, it's unbearable to use because it just doesn't track the same.

Additionally, the middle button used to scroll on web pages is invaluable. My complaints are that Thinkpads are not the most chic laptops out there. My sense of style faults IBM for this at first. However, you learn to love the plain black casing and understand why IBM engineers designed it they way they do. What appears to be mere aesthetics are in my opinion structural elements serve to either strengthen the laptop or help the user find the connection ports and such more tactilely. I personally think that now that Lenovo has taken over the Thinkpad line and are letting go of a bunch of employees, they are making changes that reverses these subtle engineering design breakthoughs. It's like knowledge that was gain but is now lost with the all the transition that happen between IBM to Lenovo. However, for the most part, the principles behind the Lenovo Thinkpads makes it still one of the most dependable, reliable laptops out there. I am still using my 7year old IBM Thinkpad T20 everyday. The new T61 with the Intel Santa Rosa updates should be looked at if you were to buy a laptop today. I would definitely choose the high resolution screen route though. Love the 1440x1050 on a 14.1" screen. If you want good color rendition like that used in the Apple Cinema displays or Dell's 2007FP and 2007WFP, then you'll have to look for the remain stock of Thinkpad T60 that uses the IPS LCD panels. I don't think there are any laptop manufacturers out there that uses IPS panels and with the lastest T61, Lenovo stopped carrying that option. I believe all laptop LCD panels are TN based.

Good luck on your choice.

-David

wow, some GREAT feedback here!!

The Lenovo and Fujitsu brands are looking better and better to me. Which is neat because they weren't even in the running before. There are some great deals on the Lenovo Canada site... something like 160 different configurations of the T60/61 line to choose from. It's crazy!

LoriWo: I would love to have a 12" or 10" notebook for ultra portability but I use this laptop to display slideshows at weddings so 12" is too small for a group of people to watch... 15.4 is too big to fit in my laptop pouch in my travel bag, so 14 is my only choice...

why no love for gateway?

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Processor
Processor Type * : Core™2 Duo Processor Number * : T7200 Processor Speed * : 2.0GHz
Operating System **
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Memory Size *
2048MB
Display Size *
14.1"
Display Type *
SXGA+, TFT active-matrix LCD
Display Resolution *
1400x1050
Graphics Engine *
Quadro® NVS 110M
Graphics Memory *
128MB
Hard Drive Size *
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Hard Drive Speed
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Optical Drives *
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Wireless LAN * ♣
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Bluetooth *
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Input Devices
85 key US keyboard, Hot Key Functions, Windows Key Function, TouchPad pointing device, Accupoint pointing device, Application Launch Button, Presentation Button
Security
Finger Print Reader, Password Security, Security Cable Lock Slot, Hot Key Security
Modem
V.92 Modem
LAN
10/100/1000
Audio
Standard stereo speakers, Built-in microphone, Headphone jack (stereo), Microphone jack (mono)
AC Adapter
75W (15V 5.0A) Auto-sensing, 100-240V / 50-60Hz input
Battery Type
Li-Ion (4700mAh)
PC Card Slots
1-Type II PC Card Slot
PC Express Slot
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Media Port
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USB Slots
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iLINK
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S-Video
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Serial Port
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Docking Connector
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Okay, after ignoring the eraser for three years and dissin' it several days ago on this thread, I started playing with it over the weekend. It's not as bad as I remember - and will probably become quite useful with practice. I guess I was turned off at first because I was really used to my collection of mice and the speed and precision weren't there.




Woah! Didn't even know that blue trimmed area was a button! Way COOL! Okay, maybe the eraser IS a GOOD THING. Thanks for the tip!


I'll throw out a tip of my own. Usually the thinkpad LCD drops to a lower backlight level when unplugged. In the ThinkPad Configuration App's Display/LCD control panel I set it to have the screen remain on "High" brightness while on batteries. This eats more power, but maintains the backlight levels used when it was/is calibrated so I can trust my PP.

Now if only Microsoft would make IE color managed, I'll be one happy camper.