technology I'm poor and my laptop exploded again...

[Dark Fox 151]

If you would like the skip the majority of this rant the main purpose of this thread is to ask for new laptop recommendations or perhaps a suggestion for my computer issue. 

 

I'd like to start by saying Toshiba is the worst brand for laptops ever, like if someone were to hand me a free toshiba laptop i'd probably punch them...It was a birthday gift and everything and when it chooses to work it's pretty average as far as computers go...I'm currently on a 4 year old laptop and it works fine, it's my mom's and she uses it most of the day so I either have to use the 10 year old dell desktop and sluggishly crawl through webpages or use this any opportunity I get.

 

Anyway, just recently my Toshiba has been slow, not just the internet, like everything, the task manager wont run, the internet doesn't respond after 5 minutes, the "end now" window never pops up, when i try to shut down the computer or restart it it gets frozen on a screen with my desktop background and I have to manually turn it off...

 

5 days later, safe mode, full system scan, disk defrag, reboot after reboot, programs uninstalled, system restore...nothing, I know you guys aren't tech support, I'm also pretty sure this isn't a virus...This has happened 3 other times, all with similar symptoms...

 

So, I'm done, I will try my hardest to inform everyone about this, It's almost like they planned this to sync perfectly with my warranty ending, so I'm looking into something new, not a mac, maybe an HP or asus...I'm also poor, so sorry for the long winded rant but yeah that's the gist of this thread...

 

I need recommendations, I don't need a gaming laptop but I want something that can at least play minecraft without crashing (a la Toshiba) and won't screw me over...However if you have any suggestions for fixing my brick of circuits and uselessness it would be greatly appreciated...

 

Laptop price range is at most $1000

 

Thanks folks...

[thegoodhen 698]

Maybe it's just the dust-it makes the CPU overheat and therefore underclock. Not sure if this is suited in life advice though. Try to remove the dust-ghetto way to do this is to use a vacuum cleaner. :3 Hope it will help! There are apps to display the temperature.

[Dark Fox 151]

Maybe it's just the dust-it makes the CPU overheat and therefore underclock. Not sure if this is suited in life advice though. Try to remove the dust-ghetto way to do this is to use a vacuum cleaner. :3 Hope it will help! There are apps to display the temperature.

 

Nah, if toshiba gets any shred of praise it's that my laptop never felt hot until I ran 6 programs at once. And if it was something that simple then I'd probably commit seppuku to regain families honor. But Ill take a vacuum cleaner to it just in case, or compressed air I guess.

[RockinRarity 1,605]

HP is a good brand. I also recommend Dell. They are a little more expensive, but definitely within your price range. In fact most PC laptops nowadays are less than $1000.

 

I have had a Dell laptop since 2007. It is definitely a dino and it has its problems, but I just have to make sure that I baby it and I am patient with it, and then after I get it booted up it runs pretty smoothly.

 

In my experience Toshiba isn't that bad, though. You may have just gotten a laptop with some defective or cheap parts. If you wanted you could always take it to a computer repair place and see if they could make the laptop good as new for less than a new laptop.

[CloudsdaleCompanion 342]

If you want something that lasts and is really high quality, get a used Lenovo ThinkPad. Depending on what size you want and some other details I can tell you exactly which ThinkPads suits you best.

 

So, screen size? Does it have to be a good screen? Resolution? How much performance do you need? Do you need an OS? Or can you install one by yourself?

 

I've had plenty of ThinkPads, the oldest being a 570E which has been running for close to 14 years now. And it still looks like new and works like out of the box.

[Dark Fox 151]

HP is a good brand. I also recommend Dell. They are a little more expensive, but definitely within your price range. In fact most PC laptops nowadays are less than $1000.

 

I have had a Dell laptop since 2007. It is definitely a dino and it has its problems, but I just have to make sure that I baby it and I am patient with it, and then after I get it booted up it runs pretty smoothly.

 

In my experience Toshiba isn't that bad, though. You may have just gotten a laptop with some defective or cheap parts. If you wanted you could always take it to a computer repair place and see if they could make the laptop good as new for less than a new laptop.

 

They replaced the hard drive twice, both cases were no caused by viruses and maintained it as best I could, disk defrags and what not. And I'd rather not pay to repair something that's going to be a brick in a year. but I'll look into a Dell, any specific model you recommend?

[RockinRarity 1,605]

They replaced the hard drive twice, both cases were no caused by viruses and maintained it as best I could, disk defrags and what not. And I'd rather not pay to repair something that's going to be a brick in a year. but I'll look into a Dell, any specific model you recommend?

I do not recommend any particular brand, although the most common is the Inspiron. They have several different series of Inspirons and as far as I know they last a long time. My family has had several Dell laptops and none of them have ever died or become dysfunctional - they have just gotten old and outdated.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

Don't get a Toshiba brand... I've had bad experiences with the hard drive overheating quickly but if you are planning to buy one, always put it on a hard surface so that heat doesn't build up... I swear I've talked to @@Key Gear TWICE about that already.

 

Oh, and maybe Key Gear can help you, but he's more of a desktop guy though he's phenom at tech stuff

[TwilizzleFoShizzle 95]

I would highly recommend sony VAIO laptops for their durability, my dad ran over his with a jeep grand cherokee and it still worked, and that was slim and flimsy model as far as VAIOs go. I had 1 for a while and they are fantastic, the stats are great for the price and they wont break. I would be wary of i7 VAIOs though because they tend to overheat. Or you could just build a desktop, but I would rather not give details as to a parts list because my desktop parts list would be really, REALLY biased.

[Metzger 23]

First of all, gaming laptops aren't really good compared to gaming desktop PCs; I know you're asking for a laptop, but you can consider desktops too, as they are cheaper and usually more reliable.  Only downside is they are obviously not portable and use a bit more energy, but you could keep your Toshiba just in case you need to do simple task while being away from home or something like that.

Second, if your computer is 4 years old or more, it'd be better for you to just buy a new one. Updating your laptop might be annoying, specially if it's old.  I can't really tell what's wrong with what you said, but I'm guessing it's mostly your CPU because it can boot but then just slows down, so I'll have to agree with thegoodhen.

PS: I just read you had your hard drive changed, so yeah, it must be the CPU or just maybe a faulty mother board.

And for recommendations, I'm not really an expert but I have heard Asus are pretty good though I can't tell from experience. What I can tell is that Dell are usually cheap and reliable, you see them everywhere nowadays. I have an Inspiron 6400 since 2006 (I'm kinda poor too) and it still works like it should. Only thing that died was the battery, but batteries always die anyway...
HP is also okay, but you have to choose in the end. Or you can also tell us more about what you'll be using it for if you want a more specific recommendation.

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

@Dark Fox

 

This thread belonged more in General Discussion than Life Advice, so I moved it there. If you need help with tech support or purchasing decisions, this is the best place to put it.

[Display Name 448]

A few years ago i had a Toshiba laptop aswell and had the exact same problems.

And i spent a good $700 on it and it only lasted 4 months.

 

Toshiba is an awful brand for PC's.

I'd recommend you get an Acer or an HP, or an Asus if you have the money. *they're expensive*

I'm on an HP desktop at the moment, and my Acer Netbook has been perfectly working for atleast 2 years now.

Its showing some age greatly and is alittle worn out, but is still working like a champ!

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

For love of God, your right about Toshiba, I tore apart one I found in the trash once(it had a cracked screen) and the parts were horrible, the only good thing about it was a decent HDD for when I imagine it was built(250GB), I mean, it was like a windows Vista and only had 512MB of RAM in it. 

 

I recommend Dell or HP, I once got a Dell that could run Fallout 3 on max settings for $425 new, so I imagine you could do a lot with $1000 on that brand(I'm assuming you want specifically a laptop)    

[Evilshy 5,090]

HP laptops are pretty hit or miss. Some are okay, some aren't very good at all. Asus is generally accepted as making the best stock laptops.

Also, stay away from Compaq. They have decent specs, but they seem to have more hardware problems than other laptops.

Edited March 18, 2013 by Evileon

[chukker 3]

Lenovo ThinkPad.  I have a used X61 I got on ebay for under $200 - probably closer to $100 now.  Install an SSD, upgrade the memory, and maybe get a new battery and you'll have a perfectly useable laptop.  Newer models are also likely to be good.

[mycarhasaMoustache 449]

Toshiba have a VERY common overheating problem after a year or 2 depending on the conditions just take the back of the laptop out and clean out the dust or mabey buy a cooling tray and make sure when you are using the laptop you are not blocking the vent on the bottom I.E using it while its on a bed or somthing. 

[VelvetDivan 96]

The laptop doesn't necessarily have to feel hot to the touch to be suffering from dust build-up.  Definitely blow out your laptops periodically with compressed air, opening them up as much as you feel confident doing so you can really clear out the heatsinks and fans.  Even blowing through the ventilation slots can do a lot though, especially in pet households.

 

I'd definitely avoid Acer and Compaq.  Compaq is the 'economy' arm of HP, and nothing they build is meant to last.  Acer machines are just crap on a fundamental level, down to the solder joints.

 

Toshibas actually aren't that bad in general, but every manufacturer has put out models that are lemons.  That is, they're badly designed.  They may not have left enough clearance for the video card, and it gets too hot, so the thermal grease on the heatsink dries out or the glue on the thermal pad melts and lets go, accomplishing the same thing.  Some of these issues are known and the company acknowledges them, replacing problem units that are under warranty with no argument.  Others are not acknowledged, so they're just headaches.  If you google your laptop's model and its symptoms, and find a lot of matches, chances are that model is a lemon.

 

A tool I like to use for diagnosing machines is Sisoft's Sandra.  It has a 'burn in' mode that will stress your machine and produce a report.  If it doesn't crash during the test, it may tell you something useful.  You can also just run each test individually until you crash the machine, and that should tell you something too.  9,9

 

If you don't travel much with your laptop, I definitely encourage you to consider a desktop instead.  It's much easier and cheaper to get replacement parts for one than a laptop, and same goes for upgrades.  If you must get a laptop, read a lot of reviews (in magazines and on tech websites like tomshardware.com not the reviews on Amazon) to find a good model.  Don't buy a flimsy piece of junk the company rushed out the door to support Windows 8.  Buy something with a SSD on board if you can, even if it's on the small side.  You can always get an external drive later to store the bulk of your data.  RAM is not as important as the processor speed, so don't let '8 GB RAM!  OMG'  distract you from a relatively wimpy CPU.  Remember, unless you're going 64-bit with your OS, any RAM over 4 GB is a waste.

 

Keep your needs in mind.  Will you ever connect it to an external monitor?  What connector do you need for that?  If it isn't on the laptop you'll need an adapter or even a docking station.  Are you going to watch Blu-rays on it?  Make sure the optical drive supports that.

 

If you're not a gamer and portability is your major concern, you might think about a tablet instead of a laptop.  If you're using it for homework, you'll want a stand and full keyboard to go with it, but that's not hard to manage these days.

[CloudFyre 848]

You can create a heck of a laptop for $1000. My current one was a total of $830, and it has:

Intel i7 Processor (turbos to 3.3Ghz)
750GB Hard Drive

2GB of DDR3 dedicated graphics memory.

16GB DDR3 RAM (and this is the best laptop RAM that Newegg has to offer, at a CAS latency of 9)
17.3 inch screen

This is all in a laptop remember - 16 gigs of RAM is NOT standard, unless you buy something insanely expensive like Alienware.


Here is my suggestion: Look for a laptop that has the 1)  screen size, 2) motherboard/processor, and 3)  graphics memory that you would like, as those can't be changed without tearing the computer to pieces. However, the hard drive and RAM can be swapped out fairly easily- so buy those separately and install them on your own. It saves money, and it gives you a much more powerful machine.

If you end up wanting to replace the RAM: CHECK THE MOTHERBOARD. Not all motherboards can support massive quantities of RAM. Mine has *room* for 32 gigs of RAM, but it can only support 16. Some laptops limit that down to 8 gigs, so watch what you buy.

As a company recommendation: Acer has served me very well over the years, and I have two of them currently. (One is an 18.4 inch, one is a 17.3 inch.) I have heard that the cheaper Acer's aren't worth bothering with, but the higher end ones (around the $700+ range) perform very well.

I hope this helps!

[Red Diamond 549]

I do have a poor quality laptop, which is a Compaq(oh god why), and it has been running for 9 years. I upgraded the RAM to 1GB(it can only support 2GB). I am getting a new desktop PC, which has alot of quality. If you are looking for a great laptop, don't consider getting a MacBook, they overheat alot. HP is alright. I recommend an Acer laptop, they are actually pretty nice. Take a look at the link(http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4977879&SRCCODE=WEBGOOPA&cm_mmc_o=mH4CjC7BBTkwCjCV1-CjCE&gclid=CL2w_7iRh7YCFQmFnQodfnsAjA) for example. 6GB of RAM, 500GB of Hard Drive space. Good enough to last you a few years.

Edited March 18, 2013 by Box of Donuts

[MrDingerFan51 11]

For a thousand bucks, you can have a heckuva laptop. Since you said you aren't going to do any gaming, you can get a reliable Dell laptop.

 

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15-3521/pd?oc=fncwc50s&model_id=inspiron-15-3521

 

If I were you, I'd just buy a powerhouse laptop to last a few years, a high end Dell like this.

 

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15r-se-7520/pd?oc=fncwm22h&model_id=inspiron-15r-se-7520

 

That'll last you at least 5 years if you take care of it. At least.

[Dark Fox 151]

Hey guys, update, it was malware, somehow, I haven't downloaded anything suspicious and Norton didn't pick it up, I had to wipe the harddrive but whatever my Toshiba is working fine now, I'll consider you're suggestions when I throw this one away.

[A Blithering Div 247]

Asus and Lenovo are the 2 brands you should be looking at. From what I've read, they have excellent build quality and my friend is very happy with his Lenovo. I'd recommend going with Intel in terms of CPU and try to find one with a 7200 RPM hard drive. No sense in waiting faster.

[SCS 7,511]

When you next buy a new computer, I would strongly recommend buying a desktop. You can often get desktops that are more powerful than laptops for less of the price, and you can slowly upgrade desktops over time by buying better parts and switching them out instead of having to buy new computers every few years. 

[Sky Warden 2,243]

To make it cheaper, don't use Windows.

 

Use Linux instead. It won't crash unless you stab it with needle or smash it with hammer. Well, in that case it's not the Linux but the hardware. Use Linux. It rarely crash even in a crappy computer.

 

Still I'm afraid you can't play Minecraft with it. I'm not a gamer, but I think you can look for the Linux version.

 

I use no anti virus or any utility software in my Linux, and it works perfectly fine. Good performance, never crash, customizable. You can buy a good hardware with our money, and don't need to spend more for an operating system.

 

No matter how good your hardware is, Windows is vulnerable of crashes.

 

Try ASUS or Acer. They're good manufacturers.

[Dark Fox 151]

To make it cheaper, don't use Windows.

 

Use Linux instead. It won't crash unless you stab it with needle or smash it with hammer. Well, in that case it's not the Linux but the hardware. Use Linux. It rarely crash even in a crappy computer.

 

Still I'm afraid you can't play Minecraft with it. I'm not a gamer, but I think you can look for the Linux version.

 

I use no anti virus or any utility software in my Linux, and it works perfectly fine. Good performance, never crash, customizable. You can buy a good hardware with our money, and don't need to spend more for an operating system.

 

No matter how good your hardware is, Windows is vulnerable of crashes.

 

Try ASUS or Acer. They're good manufacturers.

 

I'd rather have my computer crash than have an OS that has no support for anything...Adobe also stopped supporting it so I couldn't even play flash games...