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Last Updated: May 23, 2008
Specific Models
Mac Mini: It's a poor man's version of a Mac, but you're only getting half of the Mac experience. The art of an all in one computer is worth something. The art of a Mac keyboard with its extra functionality is worth something. The art of a Mac mouse is worth something. That's why the iMac costs more than the Mac Mini.
No quad core iMacs: Quad core processors are great for software that typically costs $400 or more that can use multiple processors at once to go faster. Software under $300 typically runs the same speed on any processor with the same GHz rating. If you want quad core, you have to go to the workstation grade Mac Pro, which can easily cost $4,000 or more. Ouch. That's why I want a quad core PC and not a quad core Mac.
Lenovo ThinkPad T61 is a 14 or 15 inch, business class notebook starting at $745.
Dell Latitude D630 is a 14 inch, business class notebook starting at $780. It rated 9 out of 10 stars at Trusted Reviews (July 2007). If you're a consumer, make up a company name at purchase time.
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 is a 12 inch, DVD-less, 3 pound, business class notebook starting at $1,020.
Dell Latitude D430 is a 12 inch, DVD-less, 3 pound, 1.2GHz processor, business class notebook starting at $1,150. It rated 9 out of 10 stars at Trusted Reviews (Sep 2007). If you're a consumer, make up a company name at purchase time.
If you still haven't found what you are looking for, then see the notebook reviews at Notebook Review.com. Trusted Reviews rates computer hardware, which includes a notebook from time to time.
Computer Companies
PC Magazine's 20th Annual Reader Satisfaction Survey (Sept 2007) rated the best desktops and notebook computers. Make sure to download the spreadsheet results to see the details for the desktop and notebook computers.
- People like you rated Apple, Velocity Micro, self built (built it yourself), and Dell the best desktops.
- People like you rated Apple, Lenovo and Dell the best notebooks.
Lenovo ThinkPad notebooks: The T series and X series ThinkPads always grab headlines for being a workhorse. The keyboards are the best in the business and everything about them is solid. I own a R series ThinkPad back in the day when they were IBM ThinkPads instead of Lenovo ThinkPads. I haven't heard any complaints about the ThinkPads since Lenovo took over. I think the competition has caught up and the ThinkPads aren't the status symbol they used to be.
Dell desktops and notebooks: They used to be the best of the best in the 1990s, have been average for over 5 years, and seem to be making a comeback. Dell offers cutting edge parts in some of its models. It was one of the first companies to offer LED backlight in the notebook computers, solid state drives, and the newest version of each processor. I like Dell's website to gage if other computers are cheap, expensive or out dated. Dell used to install 20 to 30 different pieces of trial software that I called advertisements. They worked for a short time, but you had to pay to use them beyond the trial deadline. Dell has stopped loading trial software and now only loads a 90 day trial of antivirus, Google Tools, and Acrobat Reader. All of the drivers can be downloaded from the Dell website if you ever need to reformat the hard drive.
HP desktops and notebooks: HP had a horrible past, but it's worked its way up to average. It has a huge market share, but I'm not a big fan of any of their products. There is something better in everything HP sells. All of the drivers can be downloaded from the HP website if you ever need to reformat the hard drive.
Toshiba notebooks: The screen is nice, the parts are modern, and the price is good. People that own them, like them. All of the drivers can be downloaded from the Toshiba website if you ever need to reformat the hard drive.
Sony desktops and notebooks: I hate just about everything Sony produces. I see way too many desktops and notebooks in stores that use ancient parts that other computer companies stopped using 6 months ago. Their video cameras have few manual controls and most options are only accessible through the clumsy menu. Their digital cameras only use expensive, proprietary Memory Stick memory cards. For Sony, it's all about using average, outdated parts and creating a user interface to try to make up for the short comings. None of that appeals to me.
Everything else is not on my radar screen for recommendations.
High-end or Low-end?
Buy the fastest computer you can afford. It will have a longer life by meeting tomorrow’s needs as well as today’s. The four components that have the greatest impact on speed are the processor, memory, hard drive, and video card.
What's Wrong with a $400 Computer?
Computers priced this low have generic or built in parts that may be below average in terms of quality, stability, and performance. Software problems are more common for generic hardware as compared to quality, name brand hardware. The computer case may be smaller and not able to add additional drives. All PCI slots may be taken. The computer may have built in video that is much slower than a separate video card. A computer with "shared memory" has a built in video card. The power supply may have a loud fan. Built in sound is inferior to a $30 sound card. Hard drives may be slower. Sub $400 computers are missing either Windows, software, or a monitor. You get what you pay for, so pay for quality parts for fewer headaches, better performance, and longer useful life.