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I have a Compaq/ Hewlett Packard computer and I have to say they have excellent support. Its a mixed praise however in that I am now on the third printer in one year as the other two HPs have broken down but the good part is that in both cases they immediately send me a new one. Same with the CD player that came with the computer. It too broke down but they replaced it..

Posted by: Charlie at January 12, 2005 7:01 AM

like with cars u can get a lemon, i have had every type of PC on the market and for one that is already built for u DELL is the best, i still have my 1st DELL which is slow because it is 9 years old but it runs... i have two desktop DELL's & a laptop that i use every day which i love, they are so easy to work on and repair ...... i have a brandnew gateway that is junk i have two brandnew HP's that are junk anyone want them? lol and for DELL's customer service IT HAS CHANGED FOR THE BETTER!! so if u want a good pc BUY A DELL!


have a great day!

Posted by: kelli at February 10, 2005 7:01 AM

Dell customer service...better? I don't think so. I'm on hold with tech support right now!! The first rep I spoke to had no solutions and *tried* transferring me to tech support. I got disconnected. Our company's Dell sales rep only cares about selling and failed to help us in returning one item from our previous order.
Their computers are solidly built, but if you have to deal with their customer service, avoid them like the plague!! It's not worth it.

Posted by: Mac at February 15, 2005 8:20 AM

good day leo,
i'm a graphics person,i use corel graphics suite,adobe photoshop,macromedia director,macromedia studio mx and i love working long hours,so consideration has to be on battery power e.t.c,
what notebook/laptop do you recommednd me to buy, my budget is about Rm3500 which is about $950....also i love working online(internet),so the notebook/laptop has to be connected...also waht is the difference between a notebook and a laptop.

Unfortunately I think your needs outstrip your budget. I'd be hard pressed to make a specific recommendation. My advice would be to get your laptop with as advanced a graphics adapter as you can, because that's difficult to upgrade later. Then make sure that everthing else, like RAM, Hard disk and perhaps even battery life, can be expanded later as you're able to afford it. My Latitude is like that .. I don't have max memory, but I can easily upgrade when the time comes. I also opted for a second battery (this model allows you to replace the CD-ROM drive with a second battery) which may be of interest to you.

Laptop versus notebook is vague. I think of notebooks as smaller ... say under 5lbs, but there's no hard and fast rule or definition.
Leo
19-Oct-2005

Posted by: wale fabiyi at October 18, 2005 8:34 PM

Hello Leo
I'm looking for a fairly cheap but reliable PC, i was looking at some Dell Pc's and they seem to be what i'm after. What i need to know though is if they are easily upgradeable, as i will no doubt be doing so in the near future if i do decide to buy one...

Thanks a lot

The best way to determine what Dell's can do is to run through their customization page. You can see how far each machine can be upgraded. For example you might be able to order up to 4gig of ram for your computer... so only order 1, and you'll know you can upgrade to 4 later.
Leo
10-Dec-2005

Posted by: Nickers at December 10, 2005 12:00 PM

Not to completely disagree with you, but if we're talking reliability and longevity AND notebooks, where's the shout-out to ThinkPad? They might hit the wallet a little harder, but the extra cost is worth it. They don't break, period.

Posted by: Quiller at June 19, 2006 10:19 PM

i just wanted to say i agree with earlier comments about dell's customer service - i think it should be renamed DELL's HELL indeed!. i live in the caribbean, i ordered my laptop twice and i still have not received it as yet. I had to be transferred a million times from america - bahamas - panama - where ever because my toll free number wasn't working and to make matters worse my sales agent went on vacation without even leaving a message on his voicemail, which means i was having all those problems with no sale rep to assist me. Well, i have just completed reordering the laptop, hopefully i get it soon. So i can be rid of Dell's awful customer service.

Posted by: sin cera246 at July 5, 2006 7:42 AM

I've had about a half a dozen computers since my first one, which was a 486sx. Then came a 486dx2, then P166, Compaq Deskpro (P200), then a P2-266 and P2-300 and recntly I got lucky at a yard sale and currently own a Compaq Deskpro which is a P2-400mhz with 192 MB RAM.

One thing they all had in common, they where all second hand and all I could afford. And its still my philosophy for buying computers now.

www.geocities.com/terryhollett2003/

Posted by: Terry Hollett at December 2, 2007 12:38 PM

I have a gateway laptop that is less than 2 years old and it is already falling apart. Headphone jack broken, power jack wont stay connected, and it constantly overheats after being on only an hour and a half. The air intake and exhaust ports are very poorly designed. I will never buy another gateway again.

Posted by: Thomas Mitchell at February 16, 2011 7:37 PM

I've been using PCs since they were called "IBM Compatible," but this year it was time to upgrade my 6-year-old Dell Latitude D620. I asked experts I've known for years and who have used both PC and Mac, plus Asking Leo what was new at the Las Vegas show that might make a difference in the future. I have had excellent service through Dell's Gold Tech Support over the years, and I have the software and peripherals. But like switching from film to digital cameras, U.S. to Japanese cars, and other cataclsymic changes, I decided to move to a MacBook Pro. I'm now on the learning curve, which is traumatic. I'm confident that my advisors streered me in the right direction, but it's painful. The important points in making the change were that I don't have any PC-specific programs ... and my level of acceptance from my 21-year-old daughter has soared.

Posted by: Barry Zander at February 22, 2011 9:36 AM
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