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Subject:Re: Laptop for graphics, writing and fun From:"CL T" <straylightsghost -at- gmail -dot- com> To:"McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com> Date:Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:16:08 -0700
The links were just for information. I don't own stock in HP...heheh. I just
know their laptops had a really bad run for a while.
But I've had issues with Dell, Toshiba, HP, even a Sony laptop. They all
have their issues. One bad model can sink an entire line. Although I did
drop a Toshiba from six feet onto concrete once. Other than a crack in the
case, it didn't hurt the laptop at all. That's impressive! Would I own
another one? Not sure. I simply prefer to do my research, ask people I know
and look at repair records/recall/tech issues.
As for the 2004 article? Yes. That's why I noted the data was from 2004 -
2008. Simply placed there because 4 years is a lifetime in this arena.
Simply do some research, find what you're happy with and buy. Brand doesn't
matter in the long run, your experience with the product weighs far more in
the grand scheme.
On Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 1:04 PM, McLauchlan, Kevin <
Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com> wrote:
> Not to look a gift-horse (free advice) in the mouth, but I'm trying to
> figure out the point of Colin's posted links.
>
> We know that sometimes content on websites gets moved after somebody
> sends a link, but assuming that I landed on the same articles that you
> were reading when you provided those links (below) earlier today, they
> don't seem to support your contention at all, especially w.r.t HP.
>
> Your first link has one good observation about repair _response_. This
> makes me think that I'd best buy a plan when I buy a laptop.
>
> The repairs-needed history, on the other hand, is summarized by both
> Consumer Reports and CSM as being essentially a non-issue with all the
> brands falling within 4 points of each other... and HP not at the
> bottom...
>
> The second one (PC Mag from "07.10.03" izzat the date? Which could be
> "2007.Oct.03" or "July 10, 2003"mentions HP being pushed from a letter
> grade of A to B, while several others are B, C, D and even E. So,
> again, "floating near the bottom" sounds fishy. It's actually near the
> high end of the pack. I did not download the PDF - I decided to take
> their summary as representative of their findings.
>
> The third link was a general one that didn't mention specific rankings.
> It's only mention of HP was (with DELL) as an _example_ of manufacturers
> that didn't want to talk to Gartner about reliability. If they'd
> mentioned even one manufacturer that DID talk to Gartner or other
> reviewers about reliability, then I would see the mention of HP as
> having some significance. As it stands, it doesn't. YMMV... but I'm not
> sure why it would...
> As a general rule, we already knew that laptops tended to break more
> than desktops and servers, because... surprise... laptops get toted
> around, bumped, dropped, etc....
> I don't know about you, but as frequently as I find myself inside my
> desktop (I test our company's hardware in it) I would still find myself
> operating the closure and hinge of a laptop more than the side-panels of
> a desktop. So the point of that article is uninteresting to someone who
> has already decided to purchase a laptop versus a desktop model.
>
> The final article "What are the Most Reliable PC Products?" was a very
> generalized survey FROM OCTOBER 2004!!! (No uncertainty about
> date-format on this one.)
> When I checked my calendar, we were this far [ ] away from 2009. I
> think we already mentioned that HP went through a rough patch several
> years ago. Any surveys in 2004 would have been looking at reports from
> the years prior to 2004 (and maybe the first part of 2004 at best)...
> so... um... what was the intended point again? I started this thread,
> and I'm not really interested in 4-year-old tech. I want the best I can
> afford of this year's tech to last me until 2013 or so. I don't want to
> grab onto HP as a fetish, but I don't want to reject it for no apparent,
> current reason.
>
> Regarding your final point, I'll definitely avoid any machines with
> nVidia 8600M inside. :-) But given that many/most are offering 9600M
> or 9800M, that's not a big issue either.
>
> - Kevin
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:
> techwr-l-bounces+kevin -dot- mclauchlan=safenet-inc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> >
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+kevin.mclauchlan<techwr-l-bounces%2Bkevin.mclauchlan>
> =safenet-inc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-
> > l.com] On Behalf Of CL T
> > Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 12:46 PM
> > To: McLauchlan, Kevin
> > Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > Subject: Re: Laptop for graphics, writing and fun
> >
> > Lest I be accused of providing info without a source? All about
> laptops,
> > brand reliability and support, from 2004 to 2008.
> >
> > Sorry, HP is never in the top and frequently floating near the bottom
> (for
> > laptops).
> >
> >
> >
>http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/05/12/laptop-reliability-
> > %E2%80%93-the-best-and-worst/
> >
> > http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1186140,00.asp
> >
> > http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?newsid=6308
> >
> > http://www.infotoday.com/linkup/lud100104-goldsborough.shtml
> >
> > Enjoy!
> >
> > Oh, also do a search on the recent problems with certain Nvidia
> chipsets
> > overheating and contributing to laptop failure. (This from a raving
> Nvidia
> > fan.)
>
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