Laptop Computer

[DBoone]

In the process of forming an LLC and just started shopping for a good laptop computer.

Obviously the less I have to pay the happier I will be but I know I may have to find a balance between quality and price.

And I'm looking for a good printer/copier/scanner too....balance between quality and price.

What are some some good options?

 

[infinity]

Windows or Apple?

 

[GoldDigger]

If you are thinking of a copy/print load of 500 pages per year or more, then take a very close look at the Epson EcoTank line. By far the cheapest cost per page long term although the initial cost is a lot higher.
That is, if you are looking at an ink jet rather than a laser....

 

[Ponchik]

I have been very happy with apple macbook pro (very happy) and Brother muti-task laser printer.

 

[zbang]

You'll find many topic around here about this.

What are you going to use it for? If it's only for email, word-processing, and web apps, you don't need as much oomph as doing complex CAD or analysis/modeling (like ETAP/etc).

Does you need to run specific software? Some of those are MAC- or windoze-only.

Think about whether you'll need to print or scan 11x17 pages. Color or b&w?

Consider buying a factory refurb from the maker's outlet store. Often they have the same warranty as new for much le$$.


To condense my views on windows systems (which I use)-
Lenovo Thinkpad - I prefer the T series. Everyone's had bad luck with one or another maker, so don't give a single failure too much consideration, OTOH I've done very well with thinkpads. I think all laptops have SSDs now, don't get a spinning hard drive.

Get a laptop targeted at business users, not at home users (they're built better and the support is usually better). They also don't usually have as much junk software pre-loaded.

Epsom and Brother printers; they're not as good as classic HP but if you're not printing 5000 pages a month, they're fine. I'm still using two 12-14 year old Brother b&w laser printers and a 5+ year old HP4700 color laser. Sometimes a local printer maintenance company will sell refurbs, too.

 

[JoeyD74]

I'm an Apple user as I have had good luck with them. I say go with what you know and have good support with unless you need something software specific

 

[Jim1959]

Once you get a Mac, you'll never go back!

Having been a long time Windows user, it was quite a change to get used to the Mac.
Now I use both on nearly a daily basis.
Windows at work. Mac at home.

 

[zbang]

Once you get a Mac, you'll never go back!

I did .

Had a Mac and it drove me up the wall- the way some keys worked (home/end to start with), some of the tools I wanted to use weren't available, etc. Productivity fell through the floor and that's a waste of everyone's time. And I couldn't run AutoCAD and a few other apps natively, so there wasn't much point in having a Mac; company bought it for me without asking. Put windoze7 on it and never looked back.

Pretty much all of my current systems are either windoze7 or FreeBSD, with a few odds & sods thrown in.

 

[Fulthrotl]

I have been very happy with apple macbook pro (very happy) and Brother muti-task laser printer.

yeah. all of that.

if you are gonna print a lot, get the brother MFC-L8850CDW.
i had a cheaper brother. not as fast. wore it out in about a year.

this one has 36,179 on it after a year. 400 pages today. not done yet.
one paper jam since new. have the extra sheet feeder on the bottom of it.
it'll hold a ream of 32# paper at once.

scans and prints about 40 PPM.

the macbook pro i've been running for 6 years now. the last one i bought,
i paid 3,600 for it. i can sell it, after four years of use, for probably $1,000
to $1,200. the one before it, i bought for $2,900, and sold two years later
for $1,500.

they hold their value. it's also pretty fast. when i went to install software,
it installed autocad LT in 11 seconds.

 

[crispysonofa]

You can find some really decent used laptops on ebay. A lot of companies purchase new computers every year or every couple of years so you can get a lightly used machine for less than 3-400 bucks that has an i7 processor and 16 GB of ram. The good sellers will honor at least a 60 day warranty. Which most hardware issues would show up before that. Look for machines such as IBMs, or any manufacturer that labels the laptop a "mobile workstation" These machines are likely to be more durable and last longer. I don't think I will ever buy a new laptop again. It's kind of like cars, unless it's some super desirable antique odds are it's a poor investment as far as resale is concerned. It really depends on what you want to do but you can get a really nice computer for cheap. Maybe I am more inclined to buying used because I was a computer technician before an electrician so I can fix things myself if they go south. Just my 2c

 

[DBoone]

Thank you everyone for the information. I can tell I need to sit down and do a lot more homework before I make a purchase.

Besides my phone, I have hardly used a computer in 5-6 years. :blink:

I have a lot of catching up to do.