Decent brand of notebook

[Kenny202]

Looking for a smaller (13" ?) Windows notebook to replace my Mac. Just can't justify spending that much these days. I don't play games or even watch videos apart from You tube etc so don't need anything too high spec. Just something up to date with a bit of storage and ok for Office, Excel etc, surfing.

 

Can anyone recommend a decent brand these days? I have heard Lenovo good and can be picked up fairly cheaply. What about Dell, Asus, HP? I had an Acer before and it was rubbish. Any advice appreciated  

[AndyAndyAndy]

Buy Lenovo or Dell.

 

Don't buy Acer or Asus.

[Malawi]

22 minutes ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

Buy Lenovo or Dell.

 

Don't buy Acer or Asus.

Why?

[AndyAndyAndy]

1 minute ago, Malawi said:

Why?

Because he wants a decent brand of notebook.

[teacherclaire]

Go for DELL. 

 

https://www.dell.com/th/p/laptops/g-series

[dimitriv]

24 minutes ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

Because he wants a decent brand of notebook.

 

Asus is good. The quality is comparable with Dell and Lenovo.  It is better to avoid Acer. 

 

 

[soi3eddie]

51 minutes ago, Malawi said:

Why?

Dell and Lenovo are better quality although maybe more money than Asus and Acer

[Boomer6969]

51 minutes ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

Because he wants a decent brand of notebook.

But most notebooks are decent, it all depends on what he is going to use it for.

[OneMoreFarang]

Lenovo ThinkPad.

Why: Because they are good quality in many ways. Sturdy, good parts, good service.

And even after many years it's still possible to get the current drivers.

ThinkPads are more expensive than others but a good investment.

I would prefer a used ThinkPad compared to many new notebooks.

[fdsa]

8 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Lenovo ThinkPad.

Why: Because they are good quality in many ways. Sturdy, good parts, good service.

And even after many years it's still possible to get the current drivers.

ThinkPads are more expensive than others but a good investment.

I would prefer a used ThinkPad compared to many new notebooks.

this

[Kenny202]

Yes I am favouring Lenovo. It's only for basic stuff so probably go for an Idea pad. Thanks all for the advice

[OneMoreFarang]

10 minutes ago, Kenny202 said:

Yes I am favouring Lenovo. It's only for basic stuff so probably go for an Idea pad. Thanks all for the advice

As you as you are aware that an IdeaPad is something completely different than a ThinkPad then go ahead.

ThinkPads now are still in many ways similar to the time they were developed by IBM a long time ago.

[JimmyJ]

How are Ideapads and Thinkpads different from each other, and different from standard laptops?

[jackdd]

Most brands have various different levels of Laptops, you can't just compare them by brand alone, but have to look at specific models.

Lenovo has good Laptops, but also quite crappy ones.

Acer usually isn't the best quality, but if somebody is looking at low end laptops, they sometimes have some decent models which can be better than a Lenovo equivalent.

 

 

[SteveK]

I had an Acer that lasted for many years and was brilliant, ignore the haters. Lenovo are fantastic, especially the Thinkpads but they don't come cheap. Asus also make some great laptops. I currently use a quad-core MSI which wasn't cheap but was worth it. 

 

Just stick to a well known brand and avoid HP and you'll be fine. 

 

 

[fdsa]

22 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

How are Ideapads and Thinkpads different from each other, and different from standard laptops?

Well, standard laptops are standard :D Ideapads are just standard chinese <deleted>.

But Thinkpads are intended for business/enterprise use and have advanced stuff like: embedded 3G/4G modem, hot-swap battery, docking station, security chip (TPM), smart-card reader, highly customisable BIOS, and overall better build quality than standard laptops.

Unfortunately latest Thinkpad models strive to the standard chinese <deleted> to minimize production costs and maximize profits.

[fdsa]

20 hours ago, SteveK said:

Just stick to a well known brand and avoid HP and you'll be fine. 

Lol'd ????

 

there is a funny correlation in the server world - if a company makes both laptops and servers, their quality will be opposite.

e.g. Dell and HP make great servers, but their laptops are <deleted>; Lenovo makes good laptops, but their servers are utter <deleted>.

There is one exception though: Fujitsu servers are simply a masterpiece, but laptops are good too.

[Kenny202]

I ended up getting a Huawei Matebook D15. Good price and storage. Will be adequate for what I use it for and come recommended. I've had another couple of Huawei products and very impressed

 

[soi3eddie]

2 hours ago, fdsa said:

Lol'd ????

 

there is a funny correlation in the server world - if a company makes both laptops and servers, their quality will be opposite.

e.g. Dell and HP make great servers, but their laptops are <deleted>; Lenovo makes good laptops, but their servers are utter <deleted>.

There is one exception though: Fujitsu servers are simply a masterpiece, but laptops are good too.

Good point however I have used Dell laptops for last 4 years and they've been great (currently have 2). Lenovo laptops good too (also currently have 2). I have 2 Dell webservers (one since 2014) and never missed a beat. Dell or Lenovo for a laptop is a sound prospect for OP IMO. 

[SteveK]

2 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

I ended up getting a Huawei Matebook D15.  

 

I nearly went for a Huawei, some of their laptops get very good reviews. Was just a bit concerned about all my info being sent back to the Chinese government though. 

[DrTuner]

Almost all of my stuff for motherboards and laptops is Asus, had no problems. Just don't buy the cheap end stuff.

[Kenny202]

28 minutes ago, SteveK said:

I nearly went for a Huawei, some of their laptops get very good reviews. Was just a bit concerned about all my info being sent back to the Chinese government though. 

Id be worried about my info going to ANY government ????????????????

[stouricks]

13 minutes ago, Kenny202 said:

Id be worried about my info going to ANY government ????????????????

What have you got to hide?

[swerve]

I've been using an Acer laptop for the past three years.  My daily computer usage is between two and 16 hours per day.  The laptop works well, is good value, and I would buy another one.  My two cents.

[Kenny202]

On another note.....what would you guys suggest as a preferably free easy to use photo editing program? Something can change saturation, brightness etc...crop, sharpen all the usual functions. I don't want to go full blown photo shop. Just something to enhance / edit pics. I usually use Aperture on my Mac which I find excellent and easy to use.

 

Also not using Windows for 10 years, I assume there is still a need for virus protection. Firewall? Any suggestions there? Appreciate the advice fellers

[soi3eddie]

34 minutes ago, Kenny202 said:

On another note.....what would you guys suggest as a preferably free easy to use photo editing program? Something can change saturation, brightness etc...crop, sharpen all the usual functions. I don't want to go full blown photo shop. Just something to enhance / edit pics. I usually use Aperture on my Mac which I find excellent and easy to use.

 

Also not using Windows for 10 years, I assume there is still a need for virus protection. Firewall? Any suggestions there? Appreciate the advice fellers

GIMP for photos - 100% free

Kaspersky or Norton/Symantec for Internet Security/Anti Virus - backed up with a copy of Malwarebytes FREE version - no need for premium

[steven100]

Fujitsu is quality unsurpassed ....  it will last years 

[ballpoint]

Having suffered through a number of work issued Dell notebooks over the years, I would never buy one for myself.  My last two personal ones have been Acers, with the current one being a high end model that gets daily use, including some seriously graphics intensive games.  The previous one, around 10 years old now, is still going strong too, as I gave it to my grandson to mess about on.  I'd definitely buy another, though when the time comes I'd first look at what's available then, and how much I want to spend, before choosing a particular brand.  I think Acer, Asus and Lenovo are all around the same level build wise, it's what's inside that drives my decision.

[ignis]

I've been using my Acer laptop for the past 15 years. !!!

 

Ok it is very old and slow, and still on Win XP, but it still works fine all these years later, the battery no longer charges so use only with power cord.

[ECLV]

I have a acer that was bought in MBK about 7 years ago that i still use as a Desktop replacement meaning i plug a screen and keyboard into it, I would recommend acer, but when i went to buy with my Thai GF the sales guy in MBK recommended we wait a few day as they were getting in a better model in a few days, so best to shop around be friendly and ask if any new stock worth waiting on is on it way.