<p>Okay yes, another laptop thread, yet a very specific one. </p>
<p>It's down to 2 laptops: the dell Inspiron E1505 and the Lenovo thinkpad X series notebook. </p>
<p>The dell would be customized to include nearly everything the thinkpad includes, and would still be cheaper from what I can tell. This only thing that is making me hesitate on getting the dell is that I've heard the thinkpad is a better all around computer. </p>
<p>Okay, so what do you think? Please no "I hate dell" or "Lenovo is a Chinese company that we shouldn't support" comments. I really don't care for those. I just want to find the best computer for college. Also, please stick to these two computers, I've already considered the others and narrowed it down to these 2. </p>
<p>I recommend the E1505 because it's so much cheaper. I also recommend not getting all the extras. Just buy it barebones and put the rest of your money in the bank. In addition, don't buy RAM from Dell. Buy it at newegg or somewhere that it's cheap.</p>
<p>Dell's generally have much worse build quality and reliability than IBM's. I have had many Dell's in the past from the Inspiron line (the Latitude line is a lot better in terms of build quality) and they all have had problems within half a year. I use a lot of computers and have had at least 12 laptops since I was 8. I have had 4 Dell's and honestly they have felt cheap. I had 1 IBM in the past and the build quality was superb and it was very reliable. Toshiba's are trash. </p>
<p>HP is also better than Dell and go for around the same price but with better build, I would suggest the DV1000t. It's a really well built computer, reliable, and fast, and a nice shiny screen.</p>
<p>Compaq's are decent and cheap also. If you have the money, you can't go wrong with Alienware. I am personally opting for a Macbook Pro in a few months.</p>
<p>If I had to rank the major brands that make laptops:
1. Alienware (Expensive but you get what you pay for, good tech support)
2. Apple (Expensive but you get what you pay for, good tech support)
3. IBM (Moderately priced but reliable and good build, good tech support)
4. HP (Fairly priced, reliable and good build, good tech support)
5. Sony (Expensive, expensive-looking, good build, but unreliable, bad tech support)
6. Compaq (Fairly priced, decent build, good tech support)
7. Dell (Cheap, cheap build, unreliable, good tech support though you have to be really agitated, angry, and frustrated to get the service you need)
8. Toshiba (Expensive, decent build, terrible customer service)</p>
<p>Out of all of the PC based systems, Lenovo (IBM) is probably the best. The build quality is excellent and the US-based support is untouchable.</p>
<p>You might want to take a look at the Lenovo Thinkpad T60 instead of the Thinkpad X60 since you're comparing it to the Dell E1505.</p>
<p>Alienware is just plain expensive and the build quality isn't that great either. Their notebooks are generally rebranded units from Clevo or another ODM. You can almost certainly find the exact same computer, minus the alienhead, for a lot less from some other store. And their support is slow and unresponsive (some also say that it is also off-shore).</p>
<p>Alienware is way over rated - you're paying for what is essentially a paintjob and a bodykit. Fine if you're purchasing a paintjob and bodykit...but it means nothing for reliablity.</p>
<p>Between your two - lenovo.</p>
<p>if you're willing to consider another brand - Fujitsu.</p>
<p>Lenovos are probably one of the best build computers on the market, and the support is incredible. One button push for support, update, and support.</p>
<p>Personally, I'd go with the dell. Consumor Reports comes of with a laptop review every few months and last time I checked the E1505 was one of the top rated. That and Wired magazine has said good things about it too. But who knows? </p>
<p>Alienware is waaay expensive and markets to gamers. It depends on what your use for the laptop is I guess. And as for HP, well, everything I've ever bought from them has broken within a month. </p>
<p>someone mentioned that IBM is 'too business'</p>
<p>that's a good thing, business people need computers that will be well built, reliable, etc. consider this -- you're putting all your notes on a computer, all your classfiles, school projects, wouldn't you rather something that a business man would be carrying?</p>
<p>as for alienware, those things are overpriced pieces of eye candy. also if you don't know, alienware is now owned by dell, so changes might be coming for them in the future.</p>
<p>What do you guys think are the best three laptops available (any company) in terms of the price that they come for and what you get for your money?</p>
<p>Go for the T60, its three more pounds than an X60 (only 6lbs for the T60). But it has a bigger hard drive at 100G...more RAM at 1G....and its faster at 2G</p>
<p>Thanks for all your advice! The general consensus seems to be the Lenovo Thinkpad T60. I agree, but I'm having a hard time justifying spending the extra money. It's a difference of a few hundred dollars when everything is said and done. Do you really think it's worth it?</p>
<p>Basically, you want as much good stuff on your laptop as possible, without it weighing as much as a desktop replacement. The T60's hardware capabilities as of now should keep you good until your done and through with college. </p>
<p>Many people go for the bare minimum of a 256M RAM card, and then later on, programs will start requiring 512M. A college student, with all his/her mp3's, videogames and such..can fill up a 40G hard drive fairly quickly. And it's not like you can go out and buy a new hard drive to replace your old one...most laptops dont work like that. </p>
<p>This is about as good as I can find it...all the nice specs in a light-ish laptop. Def. the one that I am trying to get. For all this in a laptop...$2000 is about the norm, your paying a little extra for the lightness, and I hear the battery life is good too.</p>
