Buying a new laptop

[Liesje]

I'll just reiterate, you get what you pay for. I've only ever used HPs but I'm no HP die-hard. HP simply offers me the specs I want in the arrangement and case I want them in. I don't spend less than $1200 on a computer either. I typically use mine nonstop (all day every day) for 3-4 years and then sell it. I've never had trouble selling them. Most of the computers I've sold were gone within a day or two. But yeah a $600 computer is not going to last for 4 years and then sell for $500...

The HP Pavilion dv2000, 6000, and 9000 series that were popular 2006ish all had faulty motherboards. HP actually extended the base manufacturer's warranty an additional year.

[jocoyn]

I am coming around to that point and looking to put together a desktop...we are on hour docked laptops gor work 8 hours a day but they are solid no frills machines....4-6 years we have to go

[jocoyn]

Lets shift gears and go with a desktop. I hardly move my laptop anyway and I will still have one

This is an HP Pavillion I spec'd out. I put win 7 pro so i can create a back up image on an external HDD which you cant do in win 7 and I hate DVDs --- is that correct?

I also figured I could load my Office 2007 just fine on this one. I am gathering there may be issues with Office 2007 and Win 8? Not clear on that one buy my Win 8 compatibility checker said so. Will a wireless N card "talk" to my wireless g laser printer? I guess for a desktop I can just use the USB anyway. I also have another Kaspersky license so I am good there, too.

I am still not 100% opposed to win 8 as I understand it is faster and more efficient..I think I could get over the interface if I don't loose control. This computer is pretty much same price win 7 or win 8--but I figure win 7 gives me the opportunity to try win 8 for cheap and go back if I dont like it.

Honestly what I need to figure out is HOW to figure out what is important! I figure a desktop is more years than a laptop so I want to make it "right" - I get a work discount with HP and they have been stable for us.

Thanks for any comments. This is def more than a cheap laptop. Open for suggested improvements or even another good desktop.

Your HPE h8-1360t series OH THE HYPERLINKS ARE DEAD-just copy/paste for the text

Operating systemWindows 7 Professional 64editProcessor3rd Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770 quad-core processor [3.4GHz, 8MB Shared Cache]editMemory8GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM [2 DIMMs]editHard drive1TB 7200 rpm SATA hard driveeditSecondary Hard DriveNo secondary hard driveeditGraphics card2GB DDR3 AMD Radeon HD 7570 [DVI, HDMI, DP & VGA via adapter]editPower Supply300W Power supplyeditPrimary optical driveSuperMulti DVD BurnereditNetworkingPremium Wireless-N LAN card and Bluetooth(R )(2x2)editProductivity ports15-in-1 memory card reader, 4 USB 2.0 (front), 2 USB 3.0 (top)editOffice softwareMicrosoft(R) Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ ads. No PowerPoint or OutlookeditSecurity softwareNo additional security softwareeditTV & entertainment experienceNo TV TunereditSound CardBeats Audio (tm) -- integrated studio quality soundeditKeyboard and MouseHP backlit Beats keyboard & optical mouseeditIncluded Software BundleAdobe Premiere Elements & Photoshop Elements 10editYour additional options:
Click edit to modify. NOTE: These items are in stock and will ship immediately.MonitorHP W2371d 23-inch LED Backlit LCD Monitor

[marksteven]

Originally Posted by Liesje

I'll just reiterate, you get what you pay for. I've only ever used HPs but I'm no HP die-hard. HP simply offers me the specs I want in the arrangement and case I want them in. I don't spend less than $1200 on a computer either. I typically use mine nonstop (all day every day) for 3-4 years and then sell it. I've never had trouble selling them. Most of the computers I've sold were gone within a day or two. But yeah a $600 computer is not going to last for 4 years and then sell for $500...

The HP Pavilion dv2000, 6000, and 9000 series that were popular 2006ish all had faulty motherboards. HP actually extended the base manufacturer's warranty an additional year.

I know you are very knowlegable in computers, but for me, owning an HP Pavillion has been lousy coming from a Dell inspirion. Sometimes the Pavillion gets so Hot it shuts down regularly, the fan is always running, sitting it on your lap is a No-No. My laptop is virus/malware free and locks up on a reg. basis. I,m waiting for it to finally kick the bucket so i can get a new Macbook.

[GSDElsa]

Originally Posted by Liesje

I can't stand Apple, everything is so proprietary and expensive! We went to the Apple store this week because DH has a MacBook (work laptop, no choice, has had lots of problems and he hates it) that is missing two screws on the bottom. Well they would not give him screws and when I asked where to buy a packet of them the guy said probably Amazon. WTF?!?! Their stuff is so proprietary you can't even get SCREWS for them AT the APPLE store! I said "you have got to be effing joking..." and walked out of the store, lol.

THank you! Gawsh, I hate that company! I am surrounded by Apple freaks. Yeah, yeah they make a good product but they are SO controlling.

I'm definitely paying attention to this thread. My 4 year old HP is crashing every day now, boo. Hubby just got a super Lenovo just for surfing the web and basic stuff for $299...can't believe what you get for that price IMO. He also uses a Lenovo for work that he hates and he almost refused to get that brand again...until I reminded him that the laptop he's currently using is like 6 years old..........what do you expect! Supossedly he'll be getting a new one in March and his company's IT company refuses to service it anmore since he's on the list for a new one.

[marksteven]

Originally Posted by GSDElsa

THank you! Gawsh, I hate that company! I am surrounded by Apple freaks. Yeah, yeah they make a good product but they are SO controlling.

I'm definitely paying attention to this thread. My 4 year old HP is crashing every day now, boo. Hubby just got a super Lenovo just for surfing the web and basic stuff for $299...can't believe what you get for that price IMO. He also uses a Lenovo for work that he hates and he almost refused to get that brand again...until I reminded him that the laptop he's currently using is like 6 years old..........what do you expect! Supossedly he'll be getting a new one in March and his company's IT company refuses to service it anmore since he's on the list for a new one.

So i guess crashing is the norm for an HP. Mine does it daily. I thought it was me but yesterday i was at a major mfg. customer picking up freight. I had to wait ten minutes for them to print a bill of lading for me because their computers were down. I asked if it was an HP, they laughed and said Yea. Its normal around here.

[jocoyn]

SIX YEARS old........well that is the deal with our company laptops; everything I hear says 3 years on a laptop but I got mine in 2009 -AND- it was re-imaged from someone else in the company after a repair. I work for a non profit and that is the way it goes........

Corporate computers get used and abused. The ending of support for XP in 2014 will push us into new laptops. YAY. Mine has 1GB of Ram but it still chugs along. I have just decided that I cannot multitask as much as I like. 8+ hours a day, 5 days a week.

The maze to go through is that for every person who says "great customer support" or "great computers" there are three who say a brand is garbage. Like the Dell example. Every dell laptop I have had has broken down repeatedly, but the compaq and hp ones have been fine. But then I hear folks say HP is terrible. Even then some companies have great lines and mediocre lines within the same brand.

What is a person to do? The Acer I have has been holding its own but the bloatware was unimaginable and customer service non existent from the get-go.

[doggiedad]

i don't anything about computers but getting a new
one is exciting. go luck with whatever kind you pick.

[msvette2u]

owning an HP Pavillion has been lousy coming from a Dell inspirion.

This is me, with all other machines when we strayed from Dell.

One of the more reliable machines I had was a tower I had rebuilt when Windows Vista had come out, even though that OS was crappy. It was a private company and they've since gone out of business. Other than that, the machines we've had the best luck with is Dell. And again, even if not, they send the tech to your home, which is undoubtedly why you pay more but like Liesje said, you get what you pay for.
When you know it'll break down for some odd reason or another (just how computers can be) you keep in mind it's easier to jump on tech support online and have a tech sent to your home with replacement parts the next day.

Just an FYI too...I learned the hard way to back up your data. BACK UP YOUR DATA!
I use an external drive and Carbonite for my extra important data (my documents and photos) I don't want to lose. All my music and movies go on the external drive.
Even with all that I managed to lose a bit of stuff but nothing terribly important when the tech brought the wrong MB and my computer could not boot back up - at all! I ended up with a brand new laptop so not a bad deal but still...

[GSDElsa]

[QUOTE=marksteven;2636444]So i guess crashing is the norm for an HP. QUOTE]

Well, it is 4 years old and it just started that about a month or two ago. Prior to that a battery and power cord issue but nothing else. So I've been happy until now and I can't say I would expect another brand to last that long with no real service either.....