computerdoc
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Which brand is the most reliable and what are the important features to consider for optimum user experience?
What is the best 17" laptop?
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Doctor Micro
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A little friendly advice
You're new here, so I'll cut you some slack. Your question is Waaaaaay too general and broad. Go up and read the guidlines for submitting questions for advice. Any question you ask should be as specific as possible, and if you're asking about something you're working on, include as many pertinent details about the system, the problem and what you've already tried.
For your question, what kind of user? Business? Student? Gamer? Retiree who likes to travel? What? What will the laptop be used for? What kind of applications does the user want to use? Do they do a lot of heavy-duty graphics? Do they want to watch TV or Movies on their laptop? Do audio editing? Put together multimedia presentations? Just need it for minor web surfing and email? Why 17"? Will 15" do? Will it be running off the battery a lot, or will it spend most of it's life plugged into the wall?
See what I mean? These are the kind of details you should include in your question if you expect to get any answers at all. As it is, you're lucky some of our more acerbic members haven't flamed you to Kingdom Come and Gone.
You're new here, so I'll cut you some slack. Your question is Waaaaaay too general and broad. Go up and read the guidlines for submitting questions for advice. Any question you ask should be as specific as possible, and if you're asking about something you're working on, include as many pertinent details about the system, the problem and what you've already tried.
For your question, what kind of user? Business? Student? Gamer? Retiree who likes to travel? What? What will the laptop be used for? What kind of applications does the user want to use? Do they do a lot of heavy-duty graphics? Do they want to watch TV or Movies on their laptop? Do audio editing? Put together multimedia presentations? Just need it for minor web surfing and email? Why 17"? Will 15" do? Will it be running off the battery a lot, or will it spend most of it's life plugged into the wall?
See what I mean? These are the kind of details you should include in your question if you expect to get any answers at all. As it is, you're lucky some of our more acerbic members haven't flamed you to Kingdom Come and Gone.
computerdoc
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@Doctor Micro,
Thanks for the guidelines and tips.
I generally deal with home users or small businesses. The laptop will generally be used for typical home activities such as documents, spreadsheets, watching DVD's, movies, email and some light gaming. Most don't have any heavy duty number crunching, high resolution graphics editing or heavy 3d gaming. They are generally looking for a sturdy computer with decent power for common activities at a bargain price. They are willing to spend a bit more for enough ram so they don't get slowed down.
The users that I deal with will generally want 17" monitors for something easy on the eyes. The majority will be running off of wall power with some stints of battery usage.
They definitely want something with minimal problems.
I would appreciate hearing which brands are the most reliable for these basically high end plain vanilla machines. Which brands hold up and which ones are subject to frequent breakdowns.
Thanks for the guidelines and tips.
I generally deal with home users or small businesses. The laptop will generally be used for typical home activities such as documents, spreadsheets, watching DVD's, movies, email and some light gaming. Most don't have any heavy duty number crunching, high resolution graphics editing or heavy 3d gaming. They are generally looking for a sturdy computer with decent power for common activities at a bargain price. They are willing to spend a bit more for enough ram so they don't get slowed down.
The users that I deal with will generally want 17" monitors for something easy on the eyes. The majority will be running off of wall power with some stints of battery usage.
They definitely want something with minimal problems.
I would appreciate hearing which brands are the most reliable for these basically high end plain vanilla machines. Which brands hold up and which ones are subject to frequent breakdowns.
Doctor Micro
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That's much better
I'd stay away from the "bargain basement" models, no matter who makes them. That said, I've had very good luck and experience with Dells. The new Vostro series would give you a good all-around laptop with decent power, and reasonable battery life. Since you said they'd be plugged in most of the time, battery longevity isn't a big factor, and you can avoid paying a premium for the extended life battery.
When you specify 17" screen size, your choices become more limited, and you'll pay more for the larger real estate. You might actually save money by getting a 14-15" laptop and buying a separate 17-19" LCD monitor.
Here's a link to a comparison of different Dell Vostro 1720 series.
I'd stay away from the "bargain basement" models, no matter who makes them. That said, I've had very good luck and experience with Dells. The new Vostro series would give you a good all-around laptop with decent power, and reasonable battery life. Since you said they'd be plugged in most of the time, battery longevity isn't a big factor, and you can avoid paying a premium for the extended life battery.
When you specify 17" screen size, your choices become more limited, and you'll pay more for the larger real estate. You might actually save money by getting a 14-15" laptop and buying a separate 17-19" LCD monitor.
Here's a link to a comparison of different Dell Vostro 1720 series.
usacvlr
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If you are talking 17 inch widescreen not diagonal then Dell. Otherwise Toshiba.
Never spend more than 750 though on any laptop though. Typically the high performance systems last 2 years at most.
Never spend more than 750 though on any laptop though. Typically the high performance systems last 2 years at most.
Protocol16
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I've got to mostly agree with Doc on this one since there are MANY reasons for choosing the perfect computer for someone. In some cases, buying an elcheapo and upgrading the memory is worth it if they don't need graphics other than email and web. For a gamer, the more expensive machines are probably going to be what they want.
That all being said, I typically stay away from Dell machines since I've had bad experiences with them in Enterprise environments (although I'm fine with their servers). I was using a full blown 17 inch Toshiba (a gamer) for personal use and liked it, but it got way too hot and was too heavy to just carry around - I gave that to my wife who was mostly a desktop person. At the moment, I'm personally using a Macbook Pro 15 inch for personal use (19 second startup, 5hrs of battery life and a unix/linux environment - can't beat it). For biz use, I actually just made the jump into an HP 3G enabled netbook. While it's taking some getting use to due to the size, I'm pleasently happy with it since I can carry it to a customer site (it barely ads weight to my bag and they don't see an obvious shape of a laptop being carried around). The 3G comes in handy when I need to get something quick and not need to worry about getting the wireless password, etc.
When someone asks "what type of computer should I buy", I really sit down and interview them to see what their current and future uses are going to be. If you customize their computer to their needs, it'll usually fit their budget better and they'll be happier. Oh, and if it's a desktop, I'll typically offer to custom build what they want.
That all being said, I typically stay away from Dell machines since I've had bad experiences with them in Enterprise environments (although I'm fine with their servers). I was using a full blown 17 inch Toshiba (a gamer) for personal use and liked it, but it got way too hot and was too heavy to just carry around - I gave that to my wife who was mostly a desktop person. At the moment, I'm personally using a Macbook Pro 15 inch for personal use (19 second startup, 5hrs of battery life and a unix/linux environment - can't beat it). For biz use, I actually just made the jump into an HP 3G enabled netbook. While it's taking some getting use to due to the size, I'm pleasently happy with it since I can carry it to a customer site (it barely ads weight to my bag and they don't see an obvious shape of a laptop being carried around). The 3G comes in handy when I need to get something quick and not need to worry about getting the wireless password, etc.
When someone asks "what type of computer should I buy", I really sit down and interview them to see what their current and future uses are going to be. If you customize their computer to their needs, it'll usually fit their budget better and they'll be happier. Oh, and if it's a desktop, I'll typically offer to custom build what they want.
gunslinger
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Macbook Pro. Better OS, the ability to dual boot Windows 7, Made of metal, better resale value, Better looks (IMO), better battery life than the others, great support.
JRDtechnet
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where the hell have you been, haven't seen a post from you in ages. Anyway sure with a Mac you're getting a good laptop but a mac pro for $2,500 is a bit much for a casual user. Myself I like toshiba.
vontreigo
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Dell Studio 17 is my choice.
Doctor Micro
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I guess everybody's experience is different. I have exactly the opposite experience.... I fix more HP machines than anything else, and although I have an HP laptop in my lab, I'm already on my third hard drive and second battery for it. The vast majority of Dells that come through my shop come in for virus and malware junk or corrupted OS, usually not for hardware (failing hard drives excepted). I'm not that thrilled with Sony or Toshiba, either. I've seen so few Acer and Asus machines that I really couldn't form an opinion one way or another. Averatec is definitely crap, though.
gunslinger
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Yeah, for the casual user the Mac could be a bit much I guess. But you get what you pay for.
I have been around here and there, I needed a break from all the drama for a little while. The business really picked up.
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