Big Co. Notebooks vs Small Co. Notebooks

Strike · 18th January 2005, 10:18 PM

Hey all,

I'm just wondering is there a major difference between Big Name Notebooks (IBM, Toshiba etc.) to Local Business Notebooks (Emagen, Pioneer Computers etc.) I can obviously deduce that the build quality of the Big Names would be better than the Locals, but by how much?

The Local notebooks with similar specs are around $800 - $1500 cheaper than the Big Names. Is it really worth forking out that extra $1k for better build quality?

Let me hear your opinions guys as I am in need of a good reliable and fast laptop @ the cheapest price of course

P.S - And while your at it suggest me a laptop @ $2000 - $2800

Edit: P.P.S - I see DELLs @ extreme low prices.. how would they compare to others i.e Toshiba & IBM?

Cheers!

-=Alfonzo=- · 18th January 2005, 11:57 PM

Your larger companies will have better service, should your lappy go crappy.

Acer, for example, have a 2 hour turnaround, which you can take advantage of. Simply take your machine to an Acer certified repair centre, and provided the machine faults on the counter, you'll have your machine back in two hours, or a replacement model ready for you to walk out with. Now that's not saying Acer's fall over constantly, but that's their level of commitment to make sure you won't ever run into grief.

Find a smaller company that provides that level of service, and I may be a little more inclined towards them.

Dells are nice in the laptop department, but I'm not at all certain about their servicing in Australia, considering you buy them online or over the phone. Look into that before buying.

killerwombat · 19th January 2005, 9:22 AM

From my experience comparing Dell (which we use at work) and IBM (which I use at home):

- IBM has 3 yr international warranty (I bought mine in HK)
- build quality, the IBM is sturdy as anything (probably due to the magnesium alloy they use), while the Dell keyboard feels flimsy and the whole laptop feels plastic

Onyx · 19th January 2005, 7:54 PM

Just don't buy HP/Compaq. Their service suck bigtime. At least with Dell, the indian call centre is offset by cheaper purchase price.

Irrational · 19th January 2005, 8:04 PM

lol.

Toshiba have pretty decent, non-indian call centre.

Their repair service is pretty shit tho

PhuckNut · 19th January 2005, 8:43 PM

It also depends on where you are I guess...

IIRC, Acer and Toshiba are the only notebook manufacturer's that do repairs/service and stock parts here in Adelaide.

Most of the major brands will do repairs here, but on any major components they have to come out of melb/sydney, and hence there's a delay on there.

Last time I needed a Compaq serviced under warranty, it was 3 days from Sydney, and this was just for a minor component... they wouldn't even tell me what it was, but I'm assuming it was a motherboard.

Pacifist · 19th January 2005, 8:56 PM

Actually Dell has a great next day onsite warranty service deal (applies to all laptops by default i think?).

greencamel65 · 19th January 2005, 9:19 PM

i work at an acer repair centre, i would recommend them to anyone, good build quality, and , good support. But, because we are in a reginal area, we don't offer teh 2 hour turnaround, but, in metrapolian areas its no problem.

scruff · 19th January 2005, 9:49 PM

Dell support is pretty good. Never used it on a laptop, though. Only a desktop. The techos were really good (says my mother), and everything was sorted in a flash.

Though, if you dont *need* Windows, look into the iBook family of lappys.

Strike · 21st January 2005, 1:37 AM

K thanks for the replies guys...

Most of you guys are focusing on warranty and after-purchase service... so does that mean there's quite a high chance of these notebooks falling apart? Is it really that important to grab that high warranty that I might not really need at all?

I was thinking of purchasing a notebook overseas (HK), seeing that it's around $1k cheaper for big brand name notebooks. So the question is: Would there be international warranty provided, so if anything goes wrong i can just find the nearest outlet to get it fixed up?

P.S Anybody got suggestions of places with the best prices to buy notebooks? sites?

Cheers!

Falls · 21st January 2005, 4:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greencamel65

<snip> 2 hour turnaround,

What does 2 hour turnaround mean? define please.

F.

-=Alfonzo=- · 21st January 2005, 8:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falls

What does 2 hour turnaround mean? define please.

F.

See my earlier post, I explain it there.

quirdan · 22nd January 2005, 12:01 PM

Toshiba are really good. I have 3 year warranty cover on it. A courier picks it up at night like after 6pm. It is taken to a repair centre where it is serviced, and then couriered back to me at 7am the following day. If they take longer, they pay me $70 per day I think it is.

Dell is also very good too. The problem lies in talking to the outsourced Indian technical/sales representatives, to actually try to get them to send someone out the next business day.

Strike · 22nd January 2005, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Strike

[SNIP]Most of you guys are focusing on warranty and after-purchase service... so does that mean there's quite a high chance of these notebooks falling apart? Is it really that important to grab that high warranty that I might not really need at all? [/SNIP]

Well as I was saying before other than warranty and after-purchase service.. are there any advantages in going with Big Name notebooks. As I've seen they have a $1K difference in prices compared to the Smaller Co. notebooks.

Do most Big Name notebooks have better performance or are assembled with more quality materials? I.E their LCD screens and casing etc.

Onyx · 23rd January 2005, 9:13 PM

Strike, I bought my laptop overseas to save on cost too. I was going mainly on value for money but insisted on staying with a big brand name. If you feel a lessor known brand provides a system that fits your needs for less than the big brands, then by all means go for it.

When things don't go wrong, and perhaps for many buyers that's the case - then any brand/model that meets your needs would be satisfactory. I would imagine performance of similarly configured systems would be consistent across brands, and they would mostly rely on the standard reference designs. Build quality differences - you can personally inspect the physical units in the shops and make your own judgements in this aspect.

Do no underestimate the warranty and after sales service aspect. You will read of opinions of many users with differing brands here. Sure you might not need it (and everyone's hoping they don't), but machines being machines, they are falliable and when your new notebook develops a fault, the levels of customer care you receive are widely varied between brands.

I had never had any major problems or failures with any computer equipment previously, but my notebook broke that clean record. It developed a fault fairly new and thankfully the international warranty covered it. However I think I got treated as a second class citizen, as the Australian contract service provider took their own sweet time repairing it. They stubbornly refused me a new replacement, contrary to the terms and conditions setforth in my warranty agreement. My then 4 week old notebook spent a total of 7 weeks in the repair centre. Worse thing was, at the end they didn't know what went wrong and couldn't advise me what I could do to prevent a repeat failure in future. This does not instill confidence in me, and the repair experience tested my patience and has left me an extremely dissatisfied customer.

I do not wish for you to have to go through what I did. So I urge you to choose wisely. Stick to brands/companies known for customer service. Saving dollars is one thing, but all else considered, frustration levels cannot be quantified in many cases, so it's worth your mental health to buy a brand that provides easy hassle free warranty repairs/support.

PS. Don't buy HP/Compaq

18th January 2005, 10:18 PM	#1
Strike Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Canberra Posts: 186	Big Co. Notebooks vs Small Co. Notebooks Hey all, I'm just wondering is there a major difference between Big Name Notebooks (IBM, Toshiba etc.) to Local Business Notebooks (Emagen, Pioneer Computers etc.) I can obviously deduce that the build quality of the Big Names would be better than the Locals, but by how much? The Local notebooks with similar specs are around $800 - $1500 cheaper than the Big Names. Is it really worth forking out that extra $1k for better build quality? Let me hear your opinions guys as I am in need of a good reliable and fast laptop @ the cheapest price of course P.S - And while your at it suggest me a laptop @ $2000 - $2800 Edit: P.P.S - I see DELLs @ extreme low prices.. how would they compare to others i.e Toshiba & IBM? Cheers! __________________ (-o -_-)--O(. =) Last edited by Strike; 18th January 2005 at 10:21 PM.

18th January 2005, 11:57 PM	#2
-=Alfonzo=- Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Redland Bay, BrisVegas Posts: 7,191	Your larger companies will have better service, should your lappy go crappy. Acer, for example, have a 2 hour turnaround, which you can take advantage of. Simply take your machine to an Acer certified repair centre, and provided the machine faults on the counter, you'll have your machine back in two hours, or a replacement model ready for you to walk out with. Now that's not saying Acer's fall over constantly, but that's their level of commitment to make sure you won't ever run into grief. Find a smaller company that provides that level of service, and I may be a little more inclined towards them. Dells are nice in the laptop department, but I'm not at all certain about their servicing in Australia, considering you buy them online or over the phone. Look into that before buying. __________________ successful trades \| car

19th January 2005, 9:22 AM	#3
killerwombat Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Sydney, Aust. Trades: 221 Posts: 591	From my experience comparing Dell (which we use at work) and IBM (which I use at home): - IBM has 3 yr international warranty (I bought mine in HK) - build quality, the IBM is sturdy as anything (probably due to the magnesium alloy they use), while the Dell keyboard feels flimsy and the whole laptop feels plastic __________________ PC: Core 2 Quad Q9400 @ 3.3 \| 8GB Corsair Dominator \| DFI LT-X48-T2R \| ATi HD3870 512MB \| Storm G4+MCW60+MCP-350+BIX

19th January 2005, 7:54 PM	#4
Onyx Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: NSW Posts: 3,802	Just don't buy HP/Compaq. Their service suck bigtime. At least with Dell, the indian call centre is offset by cheaper purchase price. __________________ Q9300@3.0Ghz, Asus P5Q-E, Kingston HyperX DDR2-1066 4GB, Gigabyte GTX260+, 2xWD5000AAKS RAID-0 boot volume, Seasonic S12+ 550W PSU in Gigabyte Poseidon case. Dell E248WFP 24" monitor.

19th January 2005, 9:49 PM	#9
scruff Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Melbourne Posts: 3,338	Dell support is pretty good. Never used it on a laptop, though. Only a desktop. The techos were really good (says my mother), and everything was sorted in a flash. Though, if you dont need Windows, look into the iBook family of lappys. __________________ Где мой слон?

19th January 2005, 8:43 PM	#6
PhuckNut Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Southern Adelaide Posts: 511	It also depends on where you are I guess... IIRC, Acer and Toshiba are the only notebook manufacturer's that do repairs/service and stock parts here in Adelaide. Most of the major brands will do repairs here, but on any major components they have to come out of melb/sydney, and hence there's a delay on there. Last time I needed a Compaq serviced under warranty, it was 3 days from Sydney, and this was just for a minor component... they wouldn't even tell me what it was, but I'm assuming it was a motherboard.

19th January 2005, 8:56 PM	#7
Pacifist Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Gosford Posts: 1,949	Actually Dell has a great next day onsite warranty service deal (applies to all laptops by default i think?).

19th January 2005, 9:19 PM	#8
greencamel65 Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Asgard Posts: 183	i work at an acer repair centre, i would recommend them to anyone, good build quality, and , good support. But, because we are in a reginal area, we don't offer teh 2 hour turnaround, but, in metrapolian areas its no problem.

21st January 2005, 1:37 AM	#10
Strike Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Canberra Posts: 186	K thanks for the replies guys... Most of you guys are focusing on warranty and after-purchase service... so does that mean there's quite a high chance of these notebooks falling apart? Is it really that important to grab that high warranty that I might not really need at all? I was thinking of purchasing a notebook overseas (HK), seeing that it's around $1k cheaper for big brand name notebooks. So the question is: Would there be international warranty provided, so if anything goes wrong i can just find the nearest outlet to get it fixed up? P.S Anybody got suggestions of places with the best prices to buy notebooks? sites? Cheers! __________________ (-o -_-)--O(. =)

22nd January 2005, 12:01 PM	#13
quirdan Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,714	Toshiba are really good. I have 3 year warranty cover on it. A courier picks it up at night like after 6pm. It is taken to a repair centre where it is serviced, and then couriered back to me at 7am the following day. If they take longer, they pay me $70 per day I think it is. Dell is also very good too. The problem lies in talking to the outsourced Indian technical/sales representatives, to actually try to get them to send someone out the next business day. __________________ Successful Trades: 37+ (details on request).[/size] Last edited by quirdan; 22nd January 2005 at 12:03 PM.

23rd January 2005, 9:13 PM	#15
Onyx Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: NSW Posts: 3,802	Strike, I bought my laptop overseas to save on cost too. I was going mainly on value for money but insisted on staying with a big brand name. If you feel a lessor known brand provides a system that fits your needs for less than the big brands, then by all means go for it. When things don't go wrong, and perhaps for many buyers that's the case - then any brand/model that meets your needs would be satisfactory. I would imagine performance of similarly configured systems would be consistent across brands, and they would mostly rely on the standard reference designs. Build quality differences - you can personally inspect the physical units in the shops and make your own judgements in this aspect. Do no underestimate the warranty and after sales service aspect. You will read of opinions of many users with differing brands here. Sure you might not need it (and everyone's hoping they don't), but machines being machines, they are falliable and when your new notebook develops a fault, the levels of customer care you receive are widely varied between brands. I had never had any major problems or failures with any computer equipment previously, but my notebook broke that clean record. It developed a fault fairly new and thankfully the international warranty covered it. However I think I got treated as a second class citizen, as the Australian contract service provider took their own sweet time repairing it. They stubbornly refused me a new replacement, contrary to the terms and conditions setforth in my warranty agreement. My then 4 week old notebook spent a total of 7 weeks in the repair centre. Worse thing was, at the end they didn't know what went wrong and couldn't advise me what I could do to prevent a repeat failure in future. This does not instill confidence in me, and the repair experience tested my patience and has left me an extremely dissatisfied customer. I do not wish for you to have to go through what I did. So I urge you to choose wisely. Stick to brands/companies known for customer service. Saving dollars is one thing, but all else considered, frustration levels cannot be quantified in many cases, so it's worth your mental health to buy a brand that provides easy hassle free warranty repairs/support. PS. Don't buy HP/Compaq __________________ Q9300@3.0Ghz, Asus P5Q-E, Kingston HyperX DDR2-1066 4GB, Gigabyte GTX260+, 2xWD5000AAKS RAID-0 boot volume, Seasonic S12+ 550W PSU in Gigabyte Poseidon case. Dell E248WFP 24" monitor.