Packard Bell v Toshiba

nd2no

hi all

i'm buying a new laptop and am down to 2 laptops a Packard Bell and a Toshiba, I've had a Toshiba in the past and know there good for money but have no experience with Packard Bell. The PB laptop is €40 more expensive but a much higher spec. See links below. If anyone has had any PB hardware particularly laptops please share your experience. Many thanks

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5089820/Trail/searchtext%3EGREAT+OFFERS+ON+SELECTED+COMPUTING.htm

http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Packard_Bell_EasyNote_TE11_Core_i3_4GB_500GB_15.6_DVD_Laptop_NX.C0AEK.007EB/version.asp

johnnykilo

I bought a Packard Bell Easynote LJ65 about 3 and a half years ago. Haven't really had any problems with it I have to say. I'm a newly qualified computing student so it was well used for hours upon hours nearly everyday and it withstood everything I threw at it. It's even had a few falls from the bed onto the carpet and it's been ok.

I was a bit wary when buying it as Packard Bell wasn't really a name I had heard since the early 90s but it was a great spec at the time for a reasonable price, and looking back now I'm glad I did go with it.

nd2no

Thanks for the prompt reply johnny, exactly the info I'm looking for. Like you I haven't heard of PB in a while and a bit sceptical but your experience seems good

Overheal

I googled Packard Bell and got an image of the old logo they used when they still sold PCs in the US and a shudder ran down my spine. Nothing especially wrong with them, except that they are an Acer subsidiary, much like Gateway, and Acer itself isn't exactly known for a spotless record. They try, granted, and I love them for putting the things out that they do, but when you do things to a price you end up sacrificing the much-needed quality. My first foray into Acer was an Iconia tablet and while I thought the design was ambitious (light, comfortable, fullsize USB) it sadly suffered from poor body strength and developed touchscreen issues because the panel had warped; a microcosm of Acer. I could say the same of Acer's PC designs: they are ambitious and they stand out, and they don't scream "cheap" but in some instances they just are (Unlike Toshiba's entry-level C-series laptops which just yell "We're here, we're cheap, and we're proud of it!"). You're kinda rolling the dice with them. Acer and its subsidiaries represent good value, sure, but they aren't without problems and sometimes you might just be rolling the dice on that.

Of the two though, at gunpoint, I'd still the PB. I know little about PB since they've scuttled off from the US Market but I know for a fact the Toshiba C-series chassis looks AND feels cheap, and is cheap. Customers come back because of poor quality keyboards and plastic-bits. One guy came back in because his laptop was coming apart at the seam when he went to close the lid. Sure enough the hinge was trying to come apart from the base of the laptop and it was shredding the corner to bits (and no, it wasn't drop damage. Not evidently). If you've ever seen a Toshiba C-series in a B&M you'll know what I'm talking about once you've taken a look at the keyboard; the trackpad isn't even my biggest complaint about them, in fact I strangely like their trackpad even if it is weird and goosebumpy on most C-variants. My techs @ work seem to lament both Acer/Gateway and Toshiba in equal measure. If you're going with a toshiba you're much better off looking at an L-series or P-series (model starts with the letter, next 3 numbers are the body type, the dash-4 numbers are the unique spec of the model).

What worries me most about the PB is they're offering an i3 for considerably less than the nearest-priced Lenovo with a Celeron in it. It should set off an alarm somewhere in your head. The Lenovo is a better built machine and you'd expect that for the higher price, but it's a lower spec?? Either the seller is in the trees or something is not as it seems on the PB. But **** it, for the price I'd still jump at it and hug the warranty like a teddy bear.

shanard

nd2no wrote: »

Thanks for the prompt reply johnny, exactly the info I'm looking for. Like you I haven't heard of PB in a while and a bit sceptical but your experience seems good

I recently bought pb eadynote te and have had nothing but problems with it crashing and it actually reset itself without prompting me first..... had one yrs ago and same thing happened but i thought they would have gotten their act together by now....OBVIOUSLY NOT.... I heading back to shop with it now to cause uproar...