toshiba or hp-compaq?

[ephraim]

I am going to get a laptop in the states for a relative, and i'm stuck with two choices. The budget is limited so it has been narrowed down to two options: a Toshiba Satellite and a Compaq Presario, with the former having an Pentium Dual Core processor and the latter having a AMD Athlon X2 processor. This will be used in college. If you were to place yourself in my shoes, which one would you pick and why?

And another question. How are Compaq and Toshiba laptops in general? And how is their service here in the country?

Thank you very much!

[frenchtower]

Compaq/HP service business in RP sucks! That's based on the accounts of my relatives in RP.

Not sure how Toshiba lappies rate as I have not owned one.

Between Toshiba and Compaq, I'm for Toshiba.

Also, I don't recommend purchasing at bestbuy (per your link) as the price you see does not include state tax. Ask your relative to buy your lappy online like amazon (free delivery and no tax) and other reputable online stores (but not directly from Toshiba or Compaq sites).

Costco also is another good source to scout for cheap lappies. Their return policy is top notch.

Hope this helps

[Horsepower]

Madali masira LCD screen ng Toshiba. sa HP usually keyboard lang which is relatively cheaper and easier to replace.

[woohoo]

Lenovo has the best tech support network, in my experience. Kaso wala palang Lenovo dun sa bestbuy

[badkuk]

we have one toshiba satellite laptop at the office. mga 2-3 years na ata sa amin, kakacrash lang ng (fujitsu)hard drive this year. hindi naman kaskasero ung gumagamit.

on the other hand, baka lemon lang ung nabili namin(locally). afaik IBM/lenovo and toshiba are veterans in the laptop game....and dati nang sikat ung dalawa for durability



newegg.com also has good deals

[1D4LV]

had experiences in using both, and i prefer HP/Compaq. why?

Toshibas have the tendency to have less durable LCDs and motherboards. In fact, my brother in law had his Toshiba lappy motherboard burned after 8 months of use. Good thing may warranty pa. When he bought his unit to Tricom, dami din daw dun nakapila na laptops for repairs... And sira? Board and LCD.

At least for Compaq units, parts are abundant and can be repaired by any qualified technician outside of the service center.

But if you really want a very durable unit, go for Asus.

[Jun aka Pekto]

I had an old HP Pavilion z5270 (P-4 2.4 ghz/512mb ram/ ATI IGP345) from 2003 which was ok until it fell from the roof of an SUV. It's nothing special.

I currently have a Toshiba Satellite A215-4757 (AMD X2 Turion 1.8ghz/2gb ram/ATI X1200) from 2007. It's ok, but nothing special.

Personally, I'd pick ASUS laptops. They're the custom pc's among laptops and have the best bang for the buck.

[Jun aka Pekto]

The most durable laptop (short of the Panasonics) I've ever bought is an old Sager laptop for my wife.

Also try Sager notebooks.

http://www.sagernotebook.com/category.php

[woohoo]

Keep in mind, though, that the sturdiest/most ruggedized models in the lineups of various manufacturers tend to be on the top-end of the price spectrum.

$399 for a laptop? Good luck on the durability there.

Just being realistic here.

[ephraim]

thank you for all your replies. i looked at other sites as well, and i found <url="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146555">this</url>. i'm pretty sure that lenovo has good aftermarket service here and i think that this one would be more durable than the others.

and, as far as the budget goes, i realize that there's not much you can get for $400. but, that's really just the budget available. so, i'm trying my best to maximize the available options. :D

[Horsepower]

Actually, yung HP Compaq sa link mo is a very good deal.

for 399.99 CQ60 na sya tapos nVidia graphics pa. Tapos 1366x768 res, that's 720p HD.

So far, never had problems with the CQ series yet of Compaq.

If you can, buy a sticker for the touchpad. Masyado sya makapit, ang hirap mag-glide sa touchpad nya lalo pag sobrang linis. Yun lang so far issue ko sa kanya.

[shotokan]

toshiba for me... although i havent used one yet... currently im using Dell...

[mey0r]

Go for HP. HP bought Compaq. Inuubos na lang nila ang Presario. DV series na nilalabas ng HP.

[frenchtower]

for 399.99 CQ60 na sya tapos nVidia graphics pa. Tapos 1366x768 res, that's 720p HD.

FYI: 1366x768 is by all means not HD. 720p = 1280x720. More so, even if the laptop res is 720p and the source is still a DVD drive (i.e. stored media * 720x480 standard) it's not going to display HD quality. Unless, of course the drive bay is blueray... which is improbable at these price range.

If the laptop is to be bought in the US and will be used primarily in pinoyland, I would suggest to secure an international warranty which will cover virtually most damages (including accidents). LCD screen are generally not covered. Find this out with the retailer.

More so, if buying online, confirm with the credit card issuer if it extends the manufacturer's warranty by a year or so(for electronic purchases). That is 1 year from the manufacturer and another 1 year provided by the card company. I've done this often times using my Mastercard platinum and Visa signature with no extra charge.

I've dissed Compaq branded laptop (not HP brand) bec of personal experiences. The Compaq brand is always known to be a budget computer, while HP and Dell are known to be bracketed for the mid-market. On the other hand Toshiba is getting positive reviews here in the US. Lenovo, as the other option, are known to have good built quality. Asus laptops maintains a good balance between value and quality as well.

Hope this help with your purchase decision

[arnielbenz]

Okay ang COMPAQ(design din ng HP yan), Compaq kasi gamit ko- Presario V6000 widescreen(15'' monitor/32 bit Intel Centrino Duo T2350 *1.86Ghz 1.87Ghz/Vista Home Premium/2GB RAM/ 160HDD/ TouchPad scroll left and right, up and down). Matibay talaga in terms of usage. January 2007 ko pa nabili and until now ok parin and with remote pa like HP. 1 or 2 months 24/7 wala patayan dahil nagda-download ako ng mga movies(hilig ko kasi lalo na tagalog movies hehehe!!), Pro until now buhay parin wala pa problem so far maliban sa battery dahil weak na. Pro para sa akin expensive nga lang dahil Php55,800 ang price nya nong nabili ko but brand new. Sa mga friends ko naman Dell and Acer gamit nila pro sira na ngaun, hindi ko lang alam kung bakit dahil parehas naman kami ng paggamit ng mga laptop namin.

[Horsepower]

frenchtower, my bad. I was thinking about 720p HDTVs (which comes with 1366x768 res). hehehe

HD viewing in this case would have to be through media files. Like MKV files from the *******. BD-drive for these units would be around a hundred dollars+ if you buy it separately.

Locally, very few people are willing to spend so much on something you'll only watch once or twice (so we just get HD media off ******* or borrow from friends (then rip it! mwahaha). I'd gladly spend that amount for a DVD-Audio though.

[frenchtower]

frenchtower, my bad. I was thinking about 720p HDTVs (which comes with 1366x768 res). hehehe

HD viewing in this case would have to be through media files. Like MKV files from the *******. BD-drive for these units would be around a hundred dollars+ if you buy it separately.

Locally, very few people are willing to spend so much on something you'll only watch once or twice (so we just get HD media off ******* or borrow from friends (then rip it! mwahaha). I'd gladly spend that amount for a DVD-Audio though.

Pinoy way is the better way

[kulotz]

compaq ako actually ginagamit ko ngayon haha may bad expperiences kasi ako sa toshiba hindi ko alam kung nataon lang kasi madalas nasisira yung cpu fan (hindi ko lam bakit) pati parang d ko natripan mga specs nila, unlike itong compaq ko maganda pa videocard ati radeon hd3200 bihira ako makakita ng laptop na me high definition na videocard. ayun opinion ko lang

[Horsepower]

Dapat talaga matibay ang Toshiba being a japanese brand (but it sucks horribly).

Ang matibay na Japanese brand: Panasonic, Sony and Fujitsu.

[kulotz]

compaq nalang hehe kung panglaro lang maganda compaq

gumagamit ako ng compaq cq40
at ang specs.

amd dual core turion x2
ati radeond hd3200 (ganda sobra)
3gb ddr2 ram
250gb hdd
14.1 screen
wifi na (dapat lang)
kalimutan ko na yung chipset nito basta ayun i can assura na maganda kasi kahit yung madugong gta iv napapatakbo nya so far wala pa itong inaatrasan na games lahat napapatakbo niya ng may maayos na framerate