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  | gypsynita   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 01 March 2008
 Location: Hamilton
 Points: 1265
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Topic: need a new laptop... Posted: 01 November 2010 at 4:25pm
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   cause my compaq is over 6 years old    !
 i've been looking at a sony vaio but wondered if any of you IT geniuses out there had any recommendations?  top budget $1600...
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     Anita
 Mum to Cian (Aug 08), Josh (Jun 10)
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  | .Mel   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 14 January 2007
 Location: Orewa
 Points: 9078
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 01 November 2010 at 5:38pm | 
 
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   I used to have a compaq too.
 I'm definitely not an IT genius but I love my HP - it's a DV6.  The newer model has recently come out and it's a DV7...and it's very cool.  My son loves HP so is always going on about them.. he's more of an IT genius than me.
 
 I have heard bad things about Acer (something to do with the hard drive and battery).
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     Mr Mellow (16)
 Miss Attitude (8)
 Destructa Kid (3)
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  | High9   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 14 July 2009
 Location: North Island
 Points: 6750
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 01 November 2010 at 8:18pm | 
 
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   HP have over heating problems and the battery gets screwed if you overcharge it too much. You literally have to let the battery die and then charge it until it's done. (Happened to my HP laptop and this is what we were told when it got sent away the first time!)
 Asus is a GREAT brand (according to DP who is an IT geek!).
 
 Acer isn't a great brand.
 
 What do you want it for exactly though? Just everyday surfing the net + word/excel etc? Or work.
 
 Or something more?
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  | gypsynita   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 01 March 2008
 Location: Hamilton
 Points: 1265
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 01 November 2010 at 9:44pm | 
 
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   everyday surfing & MS office, but i will be using it for work (travel agent) so some specialist software - mostly net and dos based... 
 I'm a bit of a photo fanatic so need a reasonably good graphics card, and it has to be pretty    .
 I'm not happy buying any of the lesser known brands - so pretty much want to stick with Sony, Toshiba, Compaq/HP or Gateway.
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     Anita
 Mum to Cian (Aug 08), Josh (Jun 10)
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  | WestiesGirl   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 11 October 2007
 Location: Aotearoa - In the 'Sunny' S.I
 Points: 4550
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 01 November 2010 at 11:35pm | 
 
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   We have a Toshiba and I wouldnt recommend buying one. The hard drive died a month after getting it and Toshiba wouldnt replace it under warranty until we complained to the consumer department. 
 The lid  has a split in it about an inch long on the left hand side near the hinge. We havent dropped it so its only happened by opening and closing the lid. We've also heard from others with a Toshiba that they have the split too.
 
 Overall, from an operating perspective its fine. The performance is good. Internet operates fine and surfing the net is all normal.
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     Our Angel July 08    Gone but not forgotten  
   And to complete our family, our princess has arrived
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  | Plushie   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 21 May 2008
 Points: 3796
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 02 November 2010 at 8:00am | 
 
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   I have had my toshiba about 4-5 years now, the only problem i have with it is that it sometimes overheats and shuts down spontaneously but in the end it turned out that it was because the fan was blocked (i work with it a lot on my knee/in bed instead of at a desk) and no cool air was circulating. I also tend to carry it around by the screen, have dropped it a few times, and its been stood on. Seems to be alright though! Oh, and the charger cable wore through about a year ago, the end that plugs into the computer was down to about one wire - i think through twisting and pulling etc over the years - and i just brought a new one of trademe. Was a PITA for months though.
 My mom has had a good run on compaqs, she takes better care of her computers then me though.
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  | clover   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 21 July 2008
 Points: 2090
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 02 November 2010 at 9:00am | 
 
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   We've got a Toshiba and have only had one problem with it (it forgets it has a CD ROM drive every now and then), it was easy to fix though.
 No complaints however we really only use it at home for internet surfing and not a whole lot else.
 
 Love Sony's myself (used them in the UK) but there is very little support for Sony in NZ.
 
 I've also heard that Asus is good.
 
 Oh, all our work laptops are Toshibas and in my 3 years I've not had any trouble with any of them
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  | Mucky_Tiger   Senior Member
 
   
 
 Joined: 26 January 2010
 Points: 1649
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 02 November 2010 at 11:59am | 
 
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   DO NOT buy a dell.
 they are crap. im onto my 2nd one in 3years after a little fall smashed it to pieces. My 2nd one is 8months old and already scratched to pieces and i dont do things to scratch it, it does it naturally - must be the crappy plastic they use
 and the battery stopped working when it was 14months old   just out of warranty.
 Toshiba's are fantastic.
 i have a friend who has dropped his, stood on it, his neice peed on it   , it got bourban and coke poured on it and its still going strong 6years later.
 and it doesnt even have a scratch
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  | freckle   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 03 December 2008
 Points: 4773
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 02 November 2010 at 12:31pm | 
 
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   We have a couple of Compaqs and they're great! we haven't had any probs at all! (except when DD decided to wash DF's one and it stopped working - however, they fixed it under warranty!!) and I have honestly dropped mine at least 5 times    I love Sony Vaio's too but they were a bit out of our price range considering we needed two... 
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     mum to 3 lovely girls :D
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  | gypsynita   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 01 March 2008
 Location: Hamilton
 Points: 1265
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 03 November 2010 at 8:45pm | 
 
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   thanks guys    i think i'm pretty sold on the Sony, just a bit concerned that it's only got 2-2 1/2 hours battery time... 
 now to wait for a sale!     | 
 
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     Anita
 Mum to Cian (Aug 08), Josh (Jun 10)
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  | High9   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 14 July 2009
 Location: North Island
 Points: 6750
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 03 November 2010 at 9:35pm | 
 
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   $1600 Sony Vaio - just got me one!
Sony Vaio - Playtech 
 Edited by Lil_Nic9
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  | yermasyada   Senior Member
 
   
 
 Joined: 01 November 2008
 Points: 4036
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 06 November 2010 at 9:08am | 
 
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   MacBook. That is all.    | 
 
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  | High9   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 14 July 2009
 Location: North Island
 Points: 6750
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 06 November 2010 at 10:11am | 
 
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   Millie I have a macbook pro - Love it!! Although DP has pinched it now I have a new vaio. 
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  | gypsynita   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 01 March 2008
 Location: Hamilton
 Points: 1265
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 06 November 2010 at 7:24pm | 
 
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   you must have got the last one lil_nic!! there's none there for that price now    .  is it the EB series?  do you love it?? tell me more!!!    | 
 
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     Anita
 Mum to Cian (Aug 08), Josh (Jun 10)
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  | High9   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 14 July 2009
 Location: North Island
 Points: 6750
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 06 November 2010 at 9:04pm | 
 
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   I LOOOOOOVEEE It! I saw Noel Leeming had them for $1700 I have the E series VPCEA16FG intel i5... 
 Really I felt like I needed a windows for my studies next year (had the mac for when I was doing graphics at college) but am studying something else now and DP wanted my mac.
 
 I love the colour! Lime green!
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  | minik8e   Senior Member
 
   
   
 Joined: 01 January 1900
 Location: Taranaki
 Points: 5838
 |  Post Options  Thanks(0)  Quote  Reply  Posted: 16 November 2010 at 10:57am | 
 
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   I have a Compaq and love it.  Never had any problems with it either.  Have had it for almost 2 years now, the only thing that guts me is the battery has crapped out and you can only run it on the power now - it doesn't hold any charge whatsoever (maybe 3-4 mins if I'm lucky?).  I especially love that it has the number pad on the side - awesome, especially when you're so used to using that one on a normal computer!!!
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