Best Notebook Computer

[hockley91]

I have a 3.02ghz Dell Inspiron 5150 that I bought over a year ago and it's still working great for me! It's got 512 RAM as well.

 

It renders really really fast, and it's great to take to clients to show the animations, stills and even get into 3D Max while I'm consulting with them for fine tuning adjustments.

 

A Laptop has been a great resource for me.

 

I like DELL, but I am also looking into Toshiba right now if I ever upgrade.

[mnisbett]

I was torn between the gateway, alienware, and dell. I had read reviews similar to Shaun's which steered away from the aliens. I have a classroom full of dells and a classroom full of gateways so my decision to go gateway was based on the 17" screen and a lot of good reviews. The only negative I have read about is the weight but, all desktop replacements are heavy. Plus it will make me get up off the couch every hour or so.

[Elliot]

Shaun,

 

My story with 4 Sagers is similar to yours. We spent well over 16 thousand dollars and the machines were a problem since the first day. I gave two of the machines to my children in college. They were exited at first. Later they called and said the machines were heavy boat anchors.

 

Now we have 3 Toshibas between the kids an me. Of course I have had my share of fights with Toshiba. However, nothing like the fights with Sager. The Toshibas have worked fine. The Sager's never worked.

 

I changed the hard drive on the Toshibas to the 7200rpm's and there is a difference. I would stick to the 7200 even if they are only 60gb. A raid would be a good idea.

 

I would stick to a Laptop brand name that enjoys a good customer service reputation.

 

Elliot

[ShaunDon]

The shame is that the actual design (well, the one had been selling before I ordered) and ruggedness of the Alienware machine was really nice. The case is a magnesium alloy, and that combined with the rubber grips give it a sturdiness that's really satisfying, especially when it's a $3k investment. I wish bigger-name manufacturers would produce a similar product.

 

The whole experience has really sobered me to the reality that companies like Alienware can survive because they've spent a lot of money on marketing and brand-building. In the beginning they must have serviced their clients better for them to have grown as they have, but after reading stories from ex-employees about what their assembly facilities are really like, I imagine they make more than a healthy margin on every sale. They screwed me and still profited from it.

 

Elliot's absolutely right -- considering the expense and the stresses laptops endure compared to a desktop, make sure you're sure of the manufacturer's reputation. Every company ships lemons, but somehow Alienware is willing to insulate itself against any and all injury at the risk of damaging its client base.

 

I wish I could buy a Mac. Too bad my dependence on AutoCAD and 3ds Max for my profession make that impossible.

 

Shaun

[charbroil]

I hear you about the mac. I would buy one in a second if they offered 3dsMax. I think I am leaning toward the Dell 9200 with the Pentium M chip. I would go for the XPS, but I want the bigger 17" screen. I can also get the price down to 2500, which is about 500 cheaper than the 3.4 P4's I've been seeing (and everything I've read suggests that the 2.1 Pentium M is basically equivalent to the Pentium 4 3.4 Mhz chip)

But I really wish someone who had a Pentium M would respond with their thoughts.....anyone....

[ShaunDon]

You'll likely see a $300-400 price difference between the 3.2 and the 3.4 GHz processors... whereas an upgrade from the 3.0 to 3.2 is usually $100. This is standard Intel pricing, but you have to ask yourself how much you're willing to spend for an extra 200 MHz (roughly a 6% increase in clock speed).

 

Honestly I'm eyeing a 3.4 now, but mostly because you can only get 64MB of video RAM on Gateway laptops with a lower clock speed. I definitely am paying the geek chic tax, but just thought I'd bring up the point.

 

Shaun

[kainoa]

I hate to tell you this, but the Boxx is just a Sager 8790 model rebadged.

 

How do you know this? I would argue that this is false. They might share the same case, but in fact I see a LOT of notebook companies using the same cases. Even if that were true, I would still rather purchase the BOXX as they have a very strong reputation with home consumers as well as industry pros. Especially after reading the stories here.

[smeggy]

They are the same case, same chipsets, same specs, same everything except name. The upgrade options are also the same.

 

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and swims like a duck, chances are it's a duck. Clevo (the OEM) makes these for dozens of companies.

[kainoa]

the Boxx is just a Sager 8790 model rebadged.

 

Clevo (the OEM) makes these for dozens of companies.

 

Ah, so the both come from Clevo. You stated that the BOXX comes from Sager. I knew they might have came from an overseas manufacturer, but I didn't have any evidence of that. Thanks.

 

Well, it's good enough to be a BOXX. And if it ever craps out, I know I won't get screwed.

[moshenko]

I am looking at the Dell Inspiron 9200 (2.1GHz/400 MHz, 1GB DDR SDRAM at 333MHz 2 Dimm, 128MB Radeon 9700 Video Card, 60GB 7200rpm Hard Drive).

 

Hey charbroil,

 

I just received my 9200 last week - first laptop I've had in my career - and I'm really satisfied with it: great battery life, excellent screen size and quality, quiet operation and not a lot of heat. Mine is a Pentium M 1.6, and performs about on par with some P4 2.66's that are in my office. It was not originally intended as a desktop replacement, but is a decent enough performer to do the job. I take it to client meetings to preview work and do some interactive modeling/view setup in Viz. Photoshop performance is all right, but if you're doing a lot of that you should go for a faster HD.

 

I went with Dell because I live in Canada (Toronto) and manufacturers like BOXX and Alienware are just not practical in terms of price and support. When I ordered mine, I called our sales rep (we buy quite a bit of product from them) and asked for deals: I was able to get in on a RAM upgrade (1GB for price of 512), a free carrying case and a 256 MB memory key, plus free shipping and a bit of cash discount. Total price was ~$2,200 CDN.

 

Good luck -

[smeggy]

I was originally going to get the Dell 9100 but they stopped making it and gave us the new, downgraded 9200. I might still be tempted by the dell's but their RAM prices are ridiculous. The Sager 9860 with 2Gb RAM, P4 3.6, GF 6800, DVD writer and a 60Gb 7200 drive is just over $3k. For the stuff I do that is a perfect spec and price. I already have another 60Gb 7200 drive here and it should be one searing laptop if it works as promised *fingers crossed*

[charbroil]

Thanks Moshenko,

 

I think I am now leaning toward the Dell 9200. The price I can get is lower than the sager (if only I had the money) and I like the fact that is is quieter and not as hot as my current notebook.

My only worry is the lower clock speed, but everyone seems to think that it performs faster than the perntium 4, so we'll see.

I'll post a review when I get it in a month or so.