[JRamos]

I'm pretty sure that Sony & HP are pretty good brands & I've heard that Dell's have a tendency of breaking down. Can someone tell me if Gateway is a good brand?

[JBeaucaire]

Sony's are great, except for the ones that breakdown. Those people aren't happy.

HP's are great, except for the ones that breakdown. Those people aren't happy.

Dell's are great, except for the ones that breakdown. Those people aren't happy.

Gateway's are great, except for the ones that breakdown. Those people aren't happy.

I have owned computers from all those companies, and laptops from all but Gateway. I can assure you they are, for the most part, quality pieces of equipment across the board.

All the BIG BOX brands make A LOT of computers. Underline A LOT three times. That means they get more than their share of good and bad press, and rightly so.

Rather than garnering 100% support or rebellion to an entire BRANDNAME, go about this more pragmatically. Get your top 3-4 contenders down as to what laptops seem to have met your criteria:

1) Price
2) Features
3) Warranty
4) Support

Then go online and do a Google search on those specific model numbers and read through what info you can regarding feedback on those specific models. Much fairer approach.

Personally, after all these years, I've come to the conclusion that perhaps the whole brand loyalty thing could be just as misleading as it could be helpful. Nowadays, I would list my "features" requirement, determine my budget, then simply PURCHASE the unit from any company that fit that bill.

I usually buy from TigerDirect.com since their weekly deals are... well, unbelievable sometimes. The 4 computers in my home/office right now all came from there, 3 different brands, and no problems.

And here's the kicker, 3 of them I bought "refurbished". I have phenomenal success buying refurbs. Basically, someone else bought it, had some issue with it that caused it to be returned, it was fixed, and now I get the benefit of the "thing" that was wrong is now fixed and I get it at a discount.

Win-win-win.
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In the end, buying electronics is a crapshoot. Do the best research, buy best the value, then make efficient use of the warranty if required.

[Perito]

Sony's are great, except for the ones that breakdown. Those people aren't happy.
HP's are great, except for the ones that breakdown. Those people aren't happy.
Dell's are great, except for the ones that breakdown. Those people aren't happy.
Gateway's are great, except for the ones that breakdown. Those people aren't happy.

Some companies are more responsive to customer complaints and warranty problems than others. I suggest you look around the 'net to get a handle on which companies are having trouble right now, and stay away from them. Infoworld's "gripe line" is one place to start:

Christina Wood's blog - InfoWorld