Are brand name computers worth it?

[bczoom]

I recently bought an off-brand laptop. Damn thing is nice. I got it for under $400. I liked it enough to put another in my Amazon cart. Planned on placing the order the next day. Came back and it's back to full price (over $1200).

Amazon.com

Bought another laptop today. Again for a price in the $300's.

Amazon.com

My question is, if these cheap laptops have the same specs as the name-brand models, why buy the name brand?

A comparable Dell, HP, Lenovo... is over $1,000, Why is it $6-700 more if it has the same specs?

 

[tommu56]

I'm an ACER fan for laptops' and powerspec store brand from microcenter

 

[pirate_girl]

I don't even have a computer now.
I do everything from and on my phone.
Motorola Edge 2021
Android 13

 

[Doc]

The old tower computers the cheaper ones used really cheap components. I used to repair them for family and friends and the issues were always with a cheap card they put in to save a few bucks.

With laptops I would suspect the same, but I've bought cheap ones and had them work over a year. I've bought Dell's and had issues with them.
For the past 10 years I've been on an ASUS kick.. I loved their motherboards an would use them in computers I built. I've went with their laptops and never had a major issue. Last I bought one with solid state drives in 2020 for 600 and have been very happy with it.

 

[NorthernRedneck]

I have both acer and Asus laptops in the $4-500 range. Both have been fine. My wife has an hp. Unless you are into gaming, is there a need for anything more expensive? They probably all come from the same factory in China anyway. They just put a different label on it and raise the price 4xs.

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

It usually just depends on driver support and long term support. If you are reasonably technical then you can probably get by just fine with an off-brand computer.

 

[bczoom]

..
With laptops I would suspect the same, but I've bought cheap ones and had them work over a year. I've bought Dell's and had issues with them.
For the past 10 years I've been on an ASUS kick.. I loved their motherboards an would use them in computers I built. I've went with their laptops and never had a major issue. Last I bought one with solid state drives in 2020 for 600 and have been very happy with it.

Doc - what do you mean by "had them work over a year"? Did they die or have you just had them for a year?
I have a ASUS all-in-one that's a pig. Don't recall the specs but I'm thinking it's the auto-updates from Windows that are killing it.
I bought a high-end Dell laptop. Crapped out within a couple hundred hours.
I'm retired so I just need to do basic Windows Office type tasks + internet browsing.

 

[Doc]

I bought a cheap one on special in 2008 or 9. It was a small laptop with 11" screen. I used it as a desktop by hooking a keyboard and monitor to it. Worked like a charm. It might still work if I dig it out but I used it for a year or two and then moved on to something else.
Currently using an ASUS Vivobook 15. These are not top of the line. It cost 600 loaded up with 16 gb ram and a solid state TB hard drive.

 

[jpr62902]

I've had my Dell laptop for 8 years. Every Acer I've had only lasted about half that long. I also have a 10 year old Asus tablet that I take on vacation with me multiple times every year.

 

[KitKat2023]

When I bought my Asus laptop, I hadn't really heard of the name and now it's popular. I guess the non-popular ones have to start out somehow? I'll never buy another Dell again because of how heated they become so quickly! My Asus is never hot.

 

[Smilingreen]

Doc - what do you mean by "had them work over a year"? Did they die or have you just had them for a year?
I have a ASUS all-in-one that's a pig. Don't recall the specs but I'm thinking it's the auto-updates from Windows that are killing it.
I bought a high-end Dell laptop. Crapped out within a couple hundred hours.
I'm retired so I just need to do basic Windows Office type tasks + internet browsing.

Computers for some guys are like purses and shoes for women. Buy it, wear or use it once, then it goes up in the closet. Same thing with PC's. I buy and collect Micro-PC's.....and Mac Mini's. Pick them up for a song and dance online, clean them up, max out the memory and hard drive, put a new OS on it, play with it for a week, then buy another one. Same thing with IP cameras. Those I use for a lot longer. But I still collect them......

 

[Smilingreen]

When I bought my Asus laptop, I hadn't really heard of the name and now it's popular. I guess the non-popular ones have to start out somehow? I'll never buy another Dell again because of how heated they become so quickly! My Asus is never hot.

ASUS started out with Motherboards. I was buying them 25 years ago to build souped up PC's......damn, I am getting old.

 

[Doc]

ASUS started out with Motherboards. I was buying them 25 years ago to build souped up PC's......damn, I am getting old.

Same here. Loved the ASUS MoBo's.
If you are in collectors mode ... I have a Tandy Radio Shack Model 100. The first so called laptop. Wrote programs in Basic and stored them on a cassette tape. Also have a Tandy Model 1000 just sitting in storage. Message me if any interest in buying. Look on ebay to see what they are selling for.

 

[Smilingreen]

Same here. Loved the ASUS MoBo's.
If you are in collectors mode ... I have a Tandy Radio Shack Model 100. The first so called laptop. Wrote programs in Basic and stored them on a cassette tape. Also have a Tandy Model 1000 just sitting in storage. Message me if any interest in buying. Look on ebay to see what they are selling for.

I started off with a old TRS-80.......