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I need to buy a Laptop. Which brand is problem free and long lasting - Toshiba, HP, Acer, Sony, Gateway, etc?

I have the following deal: Gateway® MT6840 15.4" Widescreen Notebook Computer With Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology And Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2450 for $599.99 ...details: 160GB hard drive, 1024 DDR2 SDRAM memory, 802.11 wireless lan, Vista premium, Reads & writes Dual Layer DVDs & CDs. ****************************************** I have the exact same deal for the same price for Sony also. Only difference is the hard drive space. For sony - its 120 GB hard drive as verse to 160 GB for Gateway. Is Gateway a good company? What about these companies such Acer and Lenovo? Should I wait for After Thanksgiving sale or buying a Laptop now is a good option? PLEASE HELP ME! Thank you.

Public Comments

1. ive had great luck with gateways. good support online to. great downloads and drivers ect. i would go gateway
2. im not gonna read all you wrote..lol BUT DONT BUY HP!!! i got a HP laptop, and my mom has had to have it fixed like 5 times already and i've only had it for a year! its cost more than we payed for it!! lol buy TOSHIBA my dad got that one, and it didnt give him any troubles
3. The 2 you describe are good, Sony probably a bit more nicely put together. I had a Gateway laptop once in the earlly laptop days. Gateway is either merged/sold already is in that stream so you'd be saddled with support and/or outsourcers that end up in trhe company. Lenovo is one in that category having aquired the PC business of IBM some time ago. HP is good with some good features and the Company is reliable. Their on-line support group is top notch and is always ready to answer you. I've had 3 of their laptops in the past 12 years, and bought one for my Granddaughter's entry into College. There is no laptop or computer that's going to be trouble free, and unless you plan to load up on a lot of pictures, videos, etc. don't be haggling over 120 GB vs 160. getting a dual layer combo DVD and CD, is going to add weight, so if you are going to hoist it around be prepared for about 8 lbs. Again if you travel try to get the wireless that's newest, but then again if staying in, only the a variety is out. Don't hold back on memory; with Vista premium I'm told go for 2 gigs if you can.
4. gateway was just bought by acer. so you may want to check how that is going to change warranty and support lines. Hp is a favorite with the stores, but support is pretty so so. Acer has a good rep, and leveno bought the IBM business. dell is having some issue with delivery, toshiba or sony have a good rep, though a bit more expensive. right now there are some great sales with the back to school..
5. I currently own a HP and a Compaq. Both have been excellent machines and I have had no trouble with either. The company I work for only buys Dell and we continuously have issues with heating and DVD/CD reader/writers. I avoid Dell like the plague. I have owned Gateways and while the support is amazing, the laptops and desktops tended to use older technology which puts them a bit behind the times. My information on Gateway is about 5 years old, so I would not put much credence in what I said but suggest you rely on someone with a new Gateway. I purchased my daughter a Toshiba. If I were to do it all over again, I would only own Toshiba. Her machine is a Satellite. I don't remember the numbers on it but it is like a 1.5GHz machine with an 80GB hard drive and a 15+" screen which has fantastic resolution and color. It came with 512MB of memory which I upgraded to 2GB. It has a DVD+/-RW and a CD-RW on it. Plenty of USB ports (3 I believe) and wireless. My cost, on sale at Circuit city, was only $549.99 and then I got a $150 rebate. Decent machine with no issues. Oh, BTW, my daughter is a university student....which says that this poor machine goes through h3ll and still has had no issues. Z