Very quick question. Am I right in thinking that the above brands are better than the cheaper HP, Advent, Samsung etc, and should last a bit longer?

Thinking of buying this: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/asus-x5eae-sx001v-04895292-pdt.html

Looks like a good buy to me. Unless anyone has any better suggestions?

Cheers!

I'd move HP into the first group, but short answer is yes.

I'd putt Dell into the less good group and HP into the good group personally.

But yes, you are on the right track. Some laptops are better made than others in many subtle ways that the spec sheet won't tell you.

Dunno about Asus. However they make motherboards with their name on them, so that might hint that there's decent stuff inside it.

What about Acer?

Bear in mind tho that laptops don't 'wear out'. They get slow because people don't look after the software that's on them.

I'd say no to Asus and Yes to Dell, if only for their fantastic customer service. My last 3 laptops have been Dell and unless their is serious upset, so will my next 3.

I also have 2 of the Acer Aspire One netbooks, but only run Linux on them and don't use them for any heavy apps, but they have been fine for what they are, especially if you go large with the battery

ASUS mother boards are very good, their laptops seem to be of similar quality, (my gf has one) and it's worked really well so far, also consider lenovo.

Hmmm right. The laptop is for my sister who has a habit of filling it with rubbish, requiring a full re-install every year or two. I guess hardware won't change that!

I had a fairly heavyweight samsung laptop in the early part of this century and it was very reliable for the 7 years that I used it.
I'm currently thinking about getting a R590 in the next couple of months.

I'm a bit precious when it comes to motherboards, and Asus are one of the few manufacturers I'd consider for a PC build for myself.

The only Asus laptop I've first-hand experience with is the EEE and, well, it's kinda budget. Or I suppose, a victim of being a 'first generation' netbook.

But yeah, manufacturers aside, if the question is "should I buy a known brand rather than a Tesco Value laptop?" then the answer is an unequivocal "yes."

The laptop is for my sister who has a habit of filling it with rubbish

Don't give her admin rights then 🙂

Check what the warranty is from PCworld – you may find that it's only a year warranty, whereas the equivalent model bought from A N Other Asus reseller is the (standard) *2* yrs for what was effectively the same model. At least, that's what I found when I bought an N61 some months back.

You *can* buy an Asus warranty extension – again, from a reseller, rather than getting a possibly overpriced PCworld warranty. I could be cynical and say that PCworld do it to lower the initial ticket price, only to claw it back with a (more expensive?) warranty extension.

If you want owners reviews/feedback on the Asus – or any other – try:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus-reviews-owners-lounges/

http://forum.notebookreview.com/notebook-manufacturers/

I bought a Samsung notebook from carphone warehouse and it's been as good as gold….for £220!

Mowgli – Member

Very quick question. Am I right in thinking that the above brands are better than the cheaper HP, Advent, Samsung etc, and should last a bit longer?

Thinking of buying this: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/asus-x5eae-sx001v-04895292-pdt.html

Looks like a good buy to me. Unless anyone has any better suggestions?

Cheers!

These:

HP

or

Advent

🙂

I'm glad that people would put HP in the first group because I know nowt about computers but I've just bought one and I like it.

HP G61 406 for £379.

What about the Acer Aspire 5551A at Argos.

Decent graphics card and 3 year Acer warranty included for £399

Software includes lifetime versions of Word and Excel.

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5083345/c_1/1|category_root|Office%2C+PCs+and+phones|14418968/c_2/3|cat_15701344|Laptops+and+Netbooks|16164797.htm

Asus and Lenovo Vgood! and advent and dell errrmm Not so good, HTH