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Reading with interest; looking to buy my first laptop (work/personal desktops at home). So many options my head is spinning. I've only used XP and from what I have read I am inclined to go with Windows 7, but I know some people like 8.
I've read Samsung has good support; so many don't (my desktop is HP and I gave up on their 'support' years ago).
I see the same brands repeatedly and just when I think I've found a winner, I'll read reviews where people have had problems with that make/model.
Figure I'd better start looking now since as far as I know XP will no longer be supported as of April 2014 (this could change, I'm sure) and my 2003 PC is on its way out.
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For good support, consider a ThinkPad or a Macbook. ThinkPads are supported by IBM and Macbooks are supported by Apple. They are solid laptops with solid support. In both cases, you get to talk to people from the US.
I'm not familiar with Samsung's support. They may be great (or not so great). But ThinkPads and Macbooks are touted as being the most reliable and having the best support.
^^^^
For good support, consider a ThinkPad or a Macbook. ThinkPads are supported by IBM and Macbooks are supported by Apple. They are solid laptops with solid support. In both cases, you get to talk to people from the US.
I'm not familiar with Samsung's support. They may be great (or not so great). But ThinkPads and Macbooks are touted as being the most reliable and having the best support.
+1 on the MacBook Pro. I wound up buying the 2012 model after buying and taking back a Toshiba and a Sony. They were nice, but lacked in places. The Sony could fry an egg, the Toshiba had a horrid screen. I had different requirements though, size and weight played a big part, and I wanted Ivy Bridge. I have Parallels installed to run my Windows apps, I used to have Boot Camp set up for my games, but the few that I play on it are available for the Mac via Steam. I use my tower for heavy gaming though. The Mac has its quirks, but overall it's a solid traveler.
Thanks for weighing in, 84! I'm still checking things out--found a Samsung NP900X3A 13.3" Notebook that looks promising--I'm looking at all brands, I just like the features on this particular one that was released in 2011 as part of their Series 9 and was WAY too pricey back then.
The i5 processor would be plenty fast for what I do on my home computer; weighs under 3 pounds, has Windows 7 home premium (I'm still leaning toward that) and has a backlit keyboard which I would use a lot. The only thing it doesn't have is a disc drive, but I find I don't use mine anymore on my home/work PCs.
It's a new one, sold through a company in NY. They answered what questions they could and then referred me to Samsung's support, which is in the Philippines. The guy was very nice and did answer one question, though seemed rather lost due to this not being the latest model.
I put it in the shopping cart but haven't bought it yet.
Haven't ruled out MAC either; surprised to see the stores in my area have a lot of poor to fair reviews when it comes to support, but I'd like to check out their products in person along with looking at everything else online.
Haven't ruled out MAC either; surprised to see the stores in my area have a lot of poor to fair reviews when it comes to support, but I'd like to check out their products in person along with looking at everything else online.
It's a crapshoot. The Apple Store in Tysons Corner had crap support. I have a very hard time respecting a support guy that walks up to me dressed in a beanie, sandals, shorts and a hula shirt in the middle of December when I'm dressed in slacks and a polo coming from work. I took mine in for an issue with the fan not spinning up, they said nothing was wrong with it.
I took the same Mac to the Apple Store in Omaha when I traveled 2 days later and they found it was an issue with the OS itself. A reload fixed it, no problems since. Oddly enough, the support guy there, while still dressed casually, looked far more "presentable" in jeans, shoes and a button up shirt.
HA--I laughed out loud over your description--a BEANIE, no less--and at first I thought I read hula SKIRT! I had to re-read that (I need more coffee).
Decided I'm going to go with the Samsung Series 9; really think I'll like it and managed to find some info online from people who use it. Apparently it was a limited edition--which really all computers are, as fast as they discontinue models and come out with new ones.
For my computer usage this should be more than adequate, and I would just like to make a decision and get on with it.
Just checking in to say that I received my Samsung Series 9 NPX9003A-B0BUS Limited Edition 13.3" Notebook a few days ago and I LOVE IT. No doubt there are tons of good ones out there; this one is just right for me: i5 dual-core processor, 4GB RAM that can be upgraded to 8GB, Windows 7 Home Premium OS, ultraportable (2.9 pounds), clear, crisp-looking screen, great backlit keyboard, and a unique 'Midnight Blue Crystal' color/design.
It arrived on Tuesday and I spent all day Wednesday familiarizing myself with it, then two days later my old faithful desktop CRASHED, completely, for good. What timing!
Obviously can't address durability since I just got it, but I hope it lasts a long while--maybe it won't last as long as my tower (which almost made it to 9.5 years), but I hope to enjoy this notebook for a long time.
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