Need help deciding on a laptop..

Castel
Sun, 26 Jul 2009 19:50:29 +0000

@sunfish: While your claim is true, I was merely stating my one-year first-hand observations from living in the dorms. I felt the Thinkpads and Macbooks had much fewer problems (overheating, keys missing, loud fan) than compared to the Dells or HPs. Google a little and you’ll find stories accounting to Thinkpad’s superior builds or Macbook’s chic and functionable appearance.

And to answer your question, yes. Even though you are accurate in the sense that all the components generally come from the same place, it is up to the individual manufacturer to set their product apart from the rest. How many people would choose a Gateway over a Sony or a Thinkpad (if they were the same price)? It’s the difference in build quality that distinguishes the better companies from the lesser.

Remember that when you’re buying a laptop, you’re pretty much stuck with it for 3-4 years. If there are going to be recurring problems whenever you use it, it might be best to spend more to avoid those problems altogether. Contrary to what sunfish says, what you pay is what you get.