February Poll - What brand of computer do you have?

[Computer Hope Admin]

For the month of February we thought it would be interesting to see what brand of computer(s) you have. If you have more than one brand of computer, check each brand you own. Also, feel free to talk about why you like or don't like your computer, good or bad experiences you've had with the manufacturer, your recommendations, and anything else you feel is relevant. If you have a custom computer feel free to also talk about why you decided to build your own computer or have the computer built for you.

All past monthly polls and results can also be found on the Computer Hope poll page.

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

I own an Apple Macbook Pro, HP Mini and a Lenovo notebook.

My first laptop was a Lenovo C200, originally running Windows Vista. 20 minutes into owning the laptop, I bought Windows XP and reformatted the hard disk.
It was a fairly sturdy laptop, relatively fast with good internal cooling. Wonderful 1024x768 matte display.
Bought it for ~ $7000 HKD.
Back then, its 1.6GHz Celeron processor with 2-hours of battery life was top of the line.

About 2 years later, I moved to the HP Mini 2140. Horrible little thing. Small, underpowered and poorly constructed. Hated its glossy display, but valued its small size and 6-hour battery life.

A year after squinting at its tiny display, I went for Apple and bought the Macbook Pro 15". It was probably my best investment. Powerful, long battery life, anti-glare display. Lovely.

The new Macbook Air looks sweet....but I think I'm done with Netbooks.

[Allan]

Dell Desktops & laptops - a bunch of them

[harry 48]

i forget who made my pc 6 years ago but it been rebuilt 6 months ago

[JJ 3000]

I have two Dells, one HP, one Gateway, four computers that I built, an Acer netbook, and a Toshiba laptop.

Does that seem excessive?

[harry 48]

I have two Dells, one HP, one Gateway, four computers that I built, an Acer netbook, and a Toshiba laptop.

Does that seem excessive?

so , how many do you use and are they all setup for work

[JJ 3000]

so , how many do you use and are they all setup for work

Well, I use all of them. Right now three of the desktop computers are on - one in my computer room, one in the living room and one in the basement.

[BC_Programmer]

Older custom built computer, but not by me, 450Mhz AMD k6-2 with... err, 256MB of RAM, I think ("upgraded" from 512, since 256 is the maximum cacheable size). Still works, last I checked. I only have one monitor, though.

Dell Dimension 4400

I was going to set this up as an SVN server until I realized that was sort of a dumb idea, as I could easily set up such a server on either my laptop or my primary desktop machine. I believe it currently has an older version of Linux mint installed (9, I believe); Again, I have only one monitor so I don't often run this.

IBM Thinkpad 755CDV (two of them) neither one works, anymore. They did serve me well; well, one of them did. The second one was supposed to work so I could just take the drive from the busted one and put it into the "new" one, but apparently it doesn't function either; for 20 bucks I'm not surprised. It did have double the RAM of mine (16MB as opposed to 8MB). I voted for "lenovo" for these, even though they were quite a while before IBM sold off the laptop division to them.

Toshiba Satellite Pro 440CDX. Still works; Windows 98SE, 144MB of RAM, crappy passive matrix screen that's nearly impossible to read (I'm surprised I used to play quake on it, to be honest; terrible screen and awful framerates... No network connection, which is fine, since it has no reason to connect to anything. Doesn't really have any real use for me now that I have a more powerful laptop...

Toshiba Satellite L300, a nice upgrade to the older one, even if it isn't "pro"... Running Mint 10 and Win 7 in a dual boot configuration, 4GB of memory, some kind of Intel Dual Core at 2Ghz whose model number I haven't bothered to memorize. Mostly use it for watching videos/DVDs, and of course as a backup for...

My current main desktop- shown in my specs.

[DaveLembke]

Have: ( 5 Laptops & 8 Desktops )
 1 Compaq Presario ( 2003 model ) upgraded with Biostar MB and Athlon II x2 Win 7 32-bit
 1 Dell Inspiron 4000 Laptop ( Pentium 3 running Win XP Pro ) ( FREE )
 1 Dell Laptop (Celeron 2.4 Ghz Windows XP Home ) ( FREE )
 1 Toshiba 17" Athlon II x2 Laptop ( Windows 7 32-bit ) (Bought in 2009)
 1 Toshiba NB205 Netbook (Windows XP Home) (Bought in 2009)
 2 Pentium E5400 Towers custom built (Ubuntu & Win XP Pro )
 2 AMD Sempron 2.7 Ghz Towers custom built (Win XP Pro & Win 7 64-bit)
 1 AMD Sempron 2.8 Ghz Tower custom built (Win XP Pro)
 2 Pentium 4 Towers (Frankensteined Mixed Guts) in beige towers (FREE)
 1 Toshiba Pentium III 500Mhz Laptop ( Bought in 2002 used )

*If my wife only knew how many systems I have she'd tell me to get rid of some..lol Dells I got for FREE from people who were fed up with problems with them. I installed new hard drive in newer one and Ram into older one and no problems since. When it comes to laptops I like Toshiba's, and when it comes to desktops, I usually build my own unless there is a heck of a deal. Last desktop I bought in 2003 and it was a Compaq Presario AMD Athlon 2800+ for $549 which included 17" CRT etc. All I needed to do immediately for the Compaq was add an 8X AGP GeForce 5200FX with 128MB Ram because the integrated VIA was not enough for games.

[overthehill]

My everyday PC is a Cisnet 4210E (EMAXS 8.0) purchased Feb 2007. I had never heard of this brand until I walked into Staples one day, but it appeared to fit the bill at the time so I purchased it. 2.80 GHz Intel Pentium D, WinXP MCE and overall it's been a good PC. I only had occasion to contact Cisnet once for tech. help but they weren't very helpful,(who needs them anyway when we have CH ). This PC has required a few repairs/upgrades over the years(GPU,PSU)and I've added 2GB Ram for a total of 3GB and I've also added an extra cooling fan. This unit came with a Vista upgrade but I never went there. Anyway, I'm quite fond of XP and also satisfied with the performance of this PC so hope that it keeps going and going.
I also have an old Dell which could be be used as a temporary backup(Win 98), but it's basically used during the summer months for listening to music in my garage. overthehill

[truenorth]

3 Dell desktops, 1 panasonic laptop,1Toshiba laptop, 1 Cisnet desktop,2 HP/Compaq desktops, 3 Apple desktops,2 Custom built desktops,1 Compaq laptop.
Of all of these my most used and favorite is a Dell XPS. It always chugs along and has never given me an ounce of problem. I have found that both HP (older models) and Sony have problems when it comes to hardware replacements as they tend to be manufacturer specific as opposed to more universal.I enjoy the challenge of finding computers that are not working and resurrecting them.My best "deal" in that sense was the Dell XPS that was at a garage sale in North Carolina for $2.00 ( actually have bought a Dell Dimension for $1.00 but i don't consider it to be the bast deal). The XPS sold new for above $3000.00 and i got ALL the manuals/software and peripheral hardware with it.
truenorth

[soybean]

Wow, some of you have a lot of computers!  I have three systems that are regularly used; they are briefly shown in my Specs (here in the forum).  In more detail, the one labeled Computer 1 in my Specs is an "HP Compaq" d530 CMT and it's the one on which I have Windows 7.  CMT stands for Convertible Mini-tower; Convertible means that it can be converted from a tower to a desktop box (case laying on its side, or "bottom" in this configuration) by pulling the optical drives and installing them in a 90 degree rotated position so that they remain in a horizontal position.  This allows the optical drives to be in a a horizontal position regardless of whether the computer is sitting upright, as a tower, or laying flat on a desktop.

This computer was given to me by a restaurant which, for some unknown reason, was getting rid of it. It had no hard drive in it when I received it; otherwise, all other components were original, as far as I know. I increased RAM to the max of 4GB, bought a 250GB SATA (the computer supports the first generation of SATA, not SATA II) hard drive, and added an AGP 8X video card.  This system is running fine with Win 7.  Its quiet and runs cool.  The case, with the convertible feature and other features, is a definite keeper, one in which I hope to eventually upgrade the motherboard and processor.

The other tower system I use runs Win XP.  It's a custom-built unit.

And then, I have a Compaq Presario Notebook PC running Windows Vista Home Premium.  I bought this is July 2007 and have been pleased with it.  My only complaint is relatively short battery life. 

Edit: I'll add that I do have another custom-built system that was given to me that has problems and I have not spent much time trying to resolve them.  I also has a Compaq sitting in the garage which was given to me after being rendered inoperable after a power surge during thunderstorm.  With these and other components (motherboard from a recycling event, etc.) sitting around, I may be able to put together another working system when I get around to it.

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

Wow, some of you have a lot of computers!

I think it would be interesting to see what everyone does with all those laptops.... *hint hint next month*

[uni379]

Hello everyone!

It is great to be here. I just bought a Acer.  A friend recommended this particular brand to me... It is the best! It's quick, fast and super cool...... My last computer was a dell.  I enjoyed my dell too. However, an Acer is so much better.... It has a wide screen and I did not have to pay extra to get this wide screen monitor.... Yahoo, I love it!!!

[overthehill]

Hello everyone!

It is great to be here. I just bought a Acer.  A friend recommended this particular brand to me... It is the best! It's quick, fast and super cool...... My last computer was a dell.  I enjoyed my dell too. However, an Acer is so much better.... It has a wide screen and I did not have to pay extra to get this wide screen monitor.... Yahoo, I love it!!!

Welcome to Computer Hope, I'm sure that you'll enjoy you're time here. Great group of very knowledgeable and very helpful people. Also, enjoy that Acer. . Yahoo. ....  overthehill

[Kater]

Hi - I bought an Acer 17 inch  laptop 3 months ago. Its brilliant, in particular the screen. We also have a Dell desktop and a E-netbook. All good for what they are supposed to do.

[Linux User#485948]

Well, the desktop basicly a "Sanford & Son" special, a really ugly box with a 600 watt Ultra supply, VIA KT-880 MoBo, Athlon XP-3200-"Barton"@1.1Ghz, 1GB DDR-2, SIS-300/305, CMI78??, 6-IDE's and 2 optical DVD's, (don't remember the IDE interface) sounds like an airhandler but it's up time is in years now, ugly, nasty and reliable.  SuSE 10.0/SuSE 11.1

Laptop: Gateway 5214u, Athlon [email protected], 4GB, Radeon HD-3200, WD500GB, DVD,

Wanted a laptop for years and I saw this one as a refurb for an exceptionally good price, punched in the credit card and had it the following day, by hardware spec it looked like a screaming little platform.

My UPS guy dropped it off in the morning and I was totally jazzed, it was out of the box and on initial charge
in less than 5 min...... Patience now... do the initial charge properly.....chomping at the bit and drooling like a kid on Christmas morning, a very long 9 hours.

It was time..wheres the power switch??? oh, in the right hinge, click.......wow that screens bright and look, a most aesthetically pleasing blue gray frame with the BSOD in the center....Ctl+Alt+delete... didn't reboot...
power down.....power up..... same movie..profanity 101 is now in secession...I don't want to return this, open the optical drive and stuff a SuSE11.1 live CD in..power down.....power up...POST screen...copyright, Peter Alivin, loading Linux kernel...Look, a hardware inventory, a welcome screen, yes boot live CD...everything works! AAHAHAHAHA, a driver issue..ha haaaaa!

I powered that puppy down, swapped the Segate320GB out with a WD500GB and loaded SuSE 11.2-64
and although the video driver was a bit "hinkey" it was fine, 11.3 came out a week later with the new FLRGX driver and it's been great, the laptop of my dreams, we've been inseparable over a year and a half now and it hasn’t missed a beat!

This platform got panned badly, Gateway got a black eye over an issue somebody much bigger owned,
all my cad, spice and pc board art work as well as hard drive recording, video editing office and business apps. are done this machine, it also is instrumental in data recovery and forensic work, I couldn’t be happier if I were two people.  All it needed was a functional completed O.S.

[rogerrabbit]

i have an HP Pavilion dv6 and i/m not satisfied with it. it has defect which i didn't know about when i bought it.

[overthehill]

i have an HP Pavilion dv6 and i/m not satisfied with it. it has defect which i didn't know about when i bought it.

Welcome to CH rogerrabbit. Care to share with us what that defect is? overthehill

[jamesb707]

I am a big believer in building your own system if you have the skills as you have much greater control of the components used . For the average user a name brand machine is ideal as they are virtually ready to use out of the box, are pretty reliable and have the support levels that are really needed

[michaewlewis]

March Poll?

How about this: What type of network do you use inside your home? wifi, cat5, fiber, cable, powerline, serial cables.....

[Ima Goodlady]

I build my own PCs, 3 of which are built. Here are my specs: The PIII is a Dell from 1999 with upgraded parts and the T9800 is a 15" Macbook Pro.

1GHz PIII, 512mb RAM, 64mb Ti4200 AGP, 6GB IDE, 98SE
2GHz P4, 768mb RAM, 128mb FX5200 AGP, 60+20GB IDE, XP SP3
2.2GHz dual core E2200, 2GB RAM, 512mb GF8400GS PCIe, 80GB SATA, 400W PSU, XP SP3
3.0GHz dual core E8400, 3GB RAM, 1GB GTS250 PCIe, 160+500GB SATA, 600W PSU, 7-64 Ultimate
2.93GHz dual core T9800, 4GB RAM, 512mb GF9600/256mb GF9400, 320GB SATA, OS X 10.6/7-64 Ultimate

[Knicksbball]

I have a new HP Pavilion DV7.  My old HP laptop 9000 expired - dark screen - due to overheating.  Nice design flaw there HP!

[soybean]

I have a new HP Pavilion DV7.  My old HP laptop 9000 expired - dark screen - due to overheating.  Nice design flaw there HP!

How old is that HP laptop 9000?  Info at http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareIndex.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodNameId=324377&prodTypeId=321957&prodSeriesId=324375&swLang=8&taskId=135&swEnvOID=1098 gives me them impression it may date back to 2003.  So, that's pretty old. 

[Allan]

You're a Knicks fan and you're complaining about a dark screen? You've got other things to be concerned with

Welcome to the forum

[Cityscape]

1x Acer Aspire E500 Desktop    (Basic Specs: 3 Ghz Pentium4 CPU, 2 GB RAM, 500 GB disk & ATI X200 graphics)
1x Dell Inspiron 1525 Laptop    (Basic Specs: 2.1 Ghz Pentium dual-core CPU, 3 GB RAM, 250 GB disk space)
1x HP Pavilion dv1000 Laptop   (Basic Specs: 1.9 Ghz Pentium M CPU, 2 GB RAM, 80 GB disk space)

And 2 that are rarely used...
Compaq Presario 5000 Desktop
Acer TravelMate 530 Laptop

These are the 5 computers in the house...Mine is the HP laptop. So I cast 3 votes, 1 for Dell, 1 for Acer and 1 for HP/Compaq.

[patio]

You're a Knicks fan and you're complaining about a dark screen? You've got other things to be concerned with

Welcome to the forum

    

[SassyAtasha01]

Me. I have custom built pc though I have a spare of Acer notebook.

[guylima]

i got an unfamous brand.
but it was only used for working stuff.
and it's cheap.

[Cityscape]

No March Poll? No April Poll?

Run out of ideas? 

[markwaugh]

i am using Dell ...........its my favorite brand.....   currently using dell d-620 laptop

[patio]

No March Poll? No April Poll?

Run out of ideas? 

He's kinda busy...

[Pureauthor]

I had always have DELL Computers I like them pretty much.

[Computer Hope Admin]

Hope to pick up on the polls again in the near future. Kind of got put back on the back burner when I updated to SMF 2.0 and lost the ability to link into a poll from outside the forum. So was only accessible through the forum and not the home page. :/ If after updating to 2.0 (non RC) I still can't do it will just keep it for inside the forum or look for alternative solution. For now unstickying this post so doesn't look so neglected.

[renkani]

Hi, a newbie here. I am using compaq. thanks

[TechGeek]

I use an Acer Aspire laptop