My computer blew up

[peanut]

Which means I'm relying entirely on my almost 4 year old Macbook, which oddly enough still works - mostly. The Dell I bought last year decided to blow up tonight, just shy of a year after I bought it.  I had a Dell Inspiron with an AMD processor that cost about $500.  Warranty repair isn't possible so I guess I have to buy a new one.  Can anyone recommend something reliable?  I thought Dells were supposed to be reliable but I guess not!  No Macs - I don't have the money.

Thanks  folks

[Kaesekopf]

What doesn't work anymore?  Just fix the current Dell, if possible?

Sent from my HTC Sensation using Tapatalk 4

[peanut]

It comes on for about 5 minutes then the screen goes black and nothing happens, meaning I have to force the power off, meaning when I start up again I get "windows could not load, now checking your disk".  I don't really want to repair it; that'd just mean spending half as much as it's worth again for someone to gain access to my data so they can sticky-tape it together and give me another 6 months of use. I'd rather start again with something decent.

[Maximilian]

I have bought several Toshiba laptops. They seemed to offer the best value for the money, and I have been very satisfied with the quality and durability.

I bought directly from the Toshiba website. However, first I did some comparison shopping on Amazon.

[LouisIX]

You mean a Macbook outlasted a PC?  That never happens.  Ever.

[Pheo]

Refurb Mac.

Posted from my 5+ year old MBP

[LouisIX]

Refurb Mac.

Posted from my 5+ year old MBP

I've never had a PC that lasted much longer than 2 years.

[peanut]

Anyone got a Sony Vaio?  I've heard they're supposed to be pretty reliable.

[The Harlequin King]

I've never had a PC that lasted much longer than 2 years.

I can believe that if you mean pre-built types like Dells, but my custom-built PC's last the better part of a decade. Any upgrades I make are only to run newer games with more intense graphic settings; not because it's broken.

[LouisIX]

I've never had a PC that lasted much longer than 2 years.

I can believe that if you mean pre-built types like Dells, but my custom-built PC's last the better part of a decade. Any upgrades I make are only to run newer games with more intense graphic settings; not because it's broken.

And this perfectly highlights the niche markets of both types.  I do not have nearly enough knowledge of computers to order a custom one.  For someone like me, a Macbook is the best option, certainly better than pre-built PCs.

[The Harlequin King]

And this perfectly highlights the niche markets of both types.  I do not have nearly enough knowledge of computers to order a custom one.  For someone like me, a Macbook is the best option, certainly better than pre-built PCs.

Sure. I'm not a Mac-hating fanboy. I'd call a Macbook a boutique but durable laptop for users who only need basic functions (Internet, word processing, etc.). That covers the majority of people who use laptops at all. I understand that the Mac desktops can be pretty good for creative software like the Adobe Suite.

However, if anyone on SD wants advice on ordering a custom-built gaming rig, I'd be happy to dispense my wisdom.

[Pheo]

Dell seems to have given up on building things that last.  My first laptop was a Dell (Inspiron 8600) - I got it back in 2004, and my dad still uses it as a cheap beater computer to have at work.  He replaced the harddrive and the bulb in the screen, but those aren't really surprising fixes.  The thing just keeps going.  Good luck getting anywhere near that out of a modern Dell...

Of course the price of laptops was pretty scary back then.  Maybe they're just playing to the market now.

[Kaesekopf]

It comes on for about 5 minutes then the screen goes black and nothing happens, meaning I have to force the power off, meaning when I start up again I get "windows could not load, now checking your disk".  I don't really want to repair it; that'd just mean spending half as much as it's worth again for someone to gain access to my data so they can sticky-tape it together and give me another 6 months of use. I'd rather start again with something decent.

Hrm.  Could it be a hard disk problem and you need to replace the HDD?  I'm unsure what it could be.

Also, I doubt anyone cares what your data is. 

[Bonaventure]

Once you go Mac, you'll never go back.

Also, I doubt anyone cares what your data is. 

LOL. But it's peanut. Everyone is out to get him.

[peanut]

Hrm.  Could it be a hard disk problem and you need to replace the HDD?  I'm unsure what it could be.

I don't know, but I don't think so - I'm thinking more likely some sort of power supply issue - it seems almost like it's trying to go to sleep because it's lost power or something.  But I don't know anything so ignore me.  Anyway I think I'm just going to replace it; I obviously paid for junk and got junk.  No good throwing good money after bad.  This time I'll get the extended warranty.   I'm looking at getting a ThinkPad Edge E531, since everyone seems to have nice things to say about Lenovos. Plus Windows 7, obviously - this means I can have another go at dual booting Kubuntu.

Once you go Mac, you'll never go back.

Or in my case, once you ditch Mac you'll never go back? 

LOL. But it's peanut. Everyone is out to get him.

Actually it's not the illuminati I'm worried about as they've probably got everything anyway.  But imagine if I had photos of myself sitting in my underpants watching Star Trek saved on my hard disk.  I'm fairly sure I don't, but when you don't have access to the disk it's easy to forget how much personal stuff is on there.  With 4chan still in operation, I'm not willing to take the risk.