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The Reliability Factor in Choosing a Laptop

There are some amazingly cheap prices when it comes to buying laptop computers. Yet if the main factor for you is price, you may be in for some unexpected disappointments. Competition is huge in the electronic industry and there is always the pressure by manufactures to cut corners to get the edge on price or to improve its profit line by using cheaper parts that are more likely to have problems.

Another factor that you have to be careful with is a brand’s reputation. The industry is constantly changing, so an individual brand may in a short time drop quality considerably. The old adage that, “You pay for what you get” is often still true even in the computer world. Check up on each brand every so often to see where they stand.

What can go wrong with computers? Computers are complicated machines with lots of different moving and stationary parts inside. I don’t care what a company makes, if humans are involved in it, things can go wrong. Hard drives fail, processors fizzle, keyboards stop working, etc. All manufactures have products that need to be sent back for repairs.

Taking time to do a bit of research can minimize your risk and save you a lot of time and money down the road when it comes to making the best choice for your personal or business use. So who makes the most reliable products when it comes to laptops?

PC Magazine recently gave out its Reader’s Choice Awards for 2010. Here are some of the interesting statistics that it reported. The percentages of repairs needed for each brand, according to the Magazines’ readers are as follows: MSI 5%, Asus 6%, Acer 10%, Toshiba 10%, Gateway 11%, Compaq 12%, Sony 12%, Apple 15%, HP 15%, Lenovo 15%, and Dell 18%.

Laptops less than a year old had this repair record according to its readers: Asus 5%, Apple 6%, Toshiba 7%, Gateway 8%, Acer 8%, Lenovo 9%, Compaq 10%, HP 10%, Sony 11%, and Dell 13%. The overall ratings for the top two are Apple #1, and Asus #2. To read the full article, go to http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2368149,00.asp

Every brand will have some computers that need help. The real question is how much will manufacture stand behind its products with support and a warranty. Most companies give a standard one year warranty that covers basic malfunctions like a hard drive failure or if the motherboard fizzles out all on its own. Asus provides a minimum two year warranty. So if you want to compare costs, most places will charge an addition $150 or more for an added year to the manufacturer’s warranty just to cover the same basic things. In addition if you want accidental damage protection from drops and spills it will cost an additional $100 more per year. So before buying, add in what it would cost you to get two full years of warranty and accidental damage protection before evaluating price alone.

Some other suggestions will be to take the time to read buyer’s feedback. If possible read more than one site’s comments on a particular product to get a broader perspective. One note of caution is about reader’s comments. People who have something to complain about often do and those that don’t are not as motivated. Balance reader’s comments with computer magazines and consumers reports. Hint: check the date of the article before reading the article. If it is more than two years old move on to another article. It is likely its information is outdated with the changes in the industry.

When considering all the factors, paying more for a computer may in the end cost you less and save you a whole lot of grief. Have fun shopping.

About the Author

My name is Caleb and I have been working with computers for years, my friends would say that it’s one of the things I’m most passionate about doing and helping others with their computers. Check out my site at Asus PC World, don’t hesitate to ask any questions about computers and I’ll see what I can do for you.

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