Toshiba vs. HP: Quality/Durability

[NoneAvail]

Wow, Bad timing as I've ordered myself an HP-DM31047NR laptop just last night. I've got a really good price for it so I just went with it.

Also, you're making a real good choice wih the Lenovos.

[+jamesyfx Subscriber²]

I've seen to many HP's needing a reflow due to the nvidia graphics chipset not soldered properly to the motherboard that I'd say Toshiba..

Yup. It's a problem with all the dv6 series. I do reflows almost every day now for people bringing in those laptops.

[BGM]

HP have different lines of laptop (and desktop), the low end ones are pretty ropey.. and the high end ones are awesome.

i use a HP Elitebook for work, and it's a beast.. love it, even though it is a bit heavy.

I changed to this FROM a Thinkpad..

Granted it was not a cheap machine, but it is a very very good laptop

[TEX4S]

Had Compaq and Hp Computer all my life and they all have been fantastic.

GO TO VEGAS - YOURE THE LUCKIEST PERSON ON THE PLANET

If you have owned Compcrap and Hewlett Crapard - youre also a glutten for punishment

I second Lenovo. They bought IBM's brand of computers right? The Think Pads? Think Pad = Best Windows PC... EVER imho. Sure they aren't anything to look at but just try and break one.

ThinkPads are the best, period.

None. Buy a Lenovo ThinkPad. Once you own one, you won't go back. :D

"..once a ThinkPad, Always a ThinkPad."

This is how it works:

HP are physically built very well and solid.

Toshiba are built very cheaply.

HP have average customer support.

Toshiba also have average customer support, probably not quite as good as HP.

HP are above average with durability.

Toshiba are below average with durability.

So overall HP seems to be a bit better than Toshiba. I know you only asked to compare those two but I would strongly, strongly recommend Lenovo if your budget permits it. :)

Also, welcome to Neowin, and good luck!

That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard in my entire life, in fact I think we are all dumber for having read it.

Get a clue and dont come back

SUMMARY:

Anyone who recommends an HP doesnt have a clue what they are talking about - and will back up their idiotic claim with something like: "I have one and its been great" - WOW

As mentioned by some of the regulars in HH (Hardware Hangout) - Lenovo ThinkPads are the best, not IdeaPads they are junk.

Like a Lexus - you have to pay to get that kind of quality, but once you do, you will never want anything else.

As far as the Lenovo site: get a T400 or a T500 - nothing less than 4GB RAM

CPU, and HDD are personal preference.

Welcome to neowin, you came to the right place looking for info on hardware

- there are a ton of very knowledgeable people who are on this site everyday helping others.... as for those people who recommended HP....well they dont know as much as my dogs when it comes to computers.

(the Elite-books are the one and only exception)

[BGM]

Anyone who recommends an HP doesnt have a clue what they are talking about

offended :(

as i say, i like mine.. i changed to it from a thinkpad (T series)

[TEX4S]

offended :(

as i say, i like mine.. i changed to it from a thinkpad (T series)

sorry - I did tone it down a little in the end by saying you were on really good drugs :p

[Roger H. Veteran]

I second Lenovo. They bought IBM's brand of computers right? The Think Pads? Think Pad = Best Windows PC... EVER imho. Sure they aren't anything to look at but just try and break one.

Hehe, for being so young you seem to know your stuff :) Thinkpads are the best! :)

As for toshiba and HP - i would say from what i've seen, the Toshiba might be more durable but HPs are better overall. I can't say i've had personal experience with either but at the sametime 1 friend of mine has a Toshiba and more friends of mine have HP DV6000s, years later and only thing i've replaced on them are the HDDs but generally they are still fine and look new even.

So it's a tough call - I saw just get some videos of the device or high res photos and see which one you like better.

[TEX4S]

Hehe, for being so young you seem to know your stuff :) Thinkpads are the best! :)

As for toshiba and HP - i would say from what i've seen, the Toshiba might be more durable but HPs are better overall. I can't say i've had personal experience with either but at the sametime 1 friend of mine has a Toshiba and more friends of mine have HP DV6000s, years later and only thing i've replaced on them are the HDDs but generally they are still fine and look new even.

So it's a tough call - I saw just get some videos of the device or high res photos and see which one you like better.

No joke ! 13 years old and described ThinkPads better than I could have -

[Migra]

HP sucks horribly!!!! ... TOSHIBA is 2nd to Apple :yes:

[Skulltrail]

A custom laptop is the best kind of laptop. It is exactly what you want so you cannot complain about bad manufacturer, bad hardware, etc.

My first PC was a Compaq but since HP bought out Compaq, I guess I've always been an HP customer. Their customer service is decent and their desktops are built to last (I've had my a1700n for over 4 years now with no problems). Toshiba on the other hand looks like a cheap brand. Their laptops lack quality in the sense that it looks as if they just slap random hardware onto a laptop and start shipping it out.

Other manufacturers to consider are Lenovo and Gateway. Both make great looking and durable laptops.

[+jamesyfx Subscriber²]

Toshiba are 2nd to Apple?

Since when did Toshiba make their laptops out of metal and glass? Last I saw they made all their consumer laptops out of horrible glossy plastic.

[murkurie]

Between those two the HP, I have 3 HP computers and my family has HP's and 1 Toshiba and both have lasted well. The Toshiba feel's cheapest I think but it runs the coolest. I do know the HP have a heat problem like mine from shoddy Nvidia Graphics Cards. Not sure if the new ones do.

[TEX4S]

Something I am noticing on this thread - the people who are regulars in HH are recommending Lenovo & Toshiba - the people I have never seen before in here are sayinh HP, Compcrap, and Gateway.

Skullpture - when is the last time you have seen parts for a custom laptop ? Nobody does it anymore - parts are waaaaay too hard to come by.

Check out unbiased reviews online (ZD net, tomshardware, anandtech, MaximumPC, c-net) and see what they say:

HP suck beyond belief, the only thing that sucks more is e-machine

Toshiba, ASUS, and apple are great

ThinkPads have a 30% lower warranty repair than ANY other manufacturer. (I worked @ Wistron for 2 years) Wistron is the largest warranty repair for computers on the planet. The OEMs dont do their own repairs, when you send it in for a repair most come to Wiston in Grapevine, TX (5 minutes from my house)

[+jamesyfx Subscriber²]

HP tend to send reps to big stores like PC World/Currys (UK) or Best Buy (US) to coax buyers from other manufacturers by pointing out the design flaws and showing you why the HP/Compaq design is more practical and that it has extra bits thrown in.

I guess those people have been won over. I've spoken to one of the reps at length and we became friends - turns out he'd never buy a HP to save his life. :laugh:

[sweetsam]

I would recommend Toshiba over HP. I have seen many HP's fail miserably due to poor circulation.

[bero 2.1]

Hello,

I'm pretty new here (read a lot of the threads and news but just signed up to answer this thread).

Working in both consumer and corporate markets, I totally agree on what has been mentioned earlier about the consumer vs. business laptop, and would like to add a few things:

All major brands will have their own technology, Lenovo Thinkpads have their roll cage, and spill proof keyboards, HP's EliteBook will have their hard drive protection etc.

The thing is, that these technology are not put into the consumer level notebooks. The reason is simple; people want the cheapest computers possible, so it's impossible to offer that without impacting quality.

Business laptops (from all brands really, Dell Vostros, Lenovo Thinkpads, Hp EliteBooks, Toshiba Tecras) are made to be a lot more solid.

They integrate each company's technologies and allow them to last longer while also having some more power efficient processors.

A few years ago, the price difference between a consumer and a business laptop was huge (over 500 or 600$ for the same configuration), making it a hard choice to make.

Nowadays, the price gap has gone down in major way, and the 200 or 300$ price difference is basically the price of an extended warranty that I highly recommend when buying a consumer market laptop.

A lot of people will state that their old HP or Toshiba's lasted them over 10 years without a problem. Keep in mind that this was 10 years ago.

The laptops then cost a fortune to produce, quality was higher and the specs were so minimal that there was barely any modules that could break.

Today, a simple laptop has a webcam, microphone, SD card reader, WiFi, CD/DVD burner as a base model, all cramped up, making all of the small pieces not only turning faster, but also being produced a lot cheaper.

My advice is exactly what I did: get a business laptop, spend the 200$ difference (in my case it was 150$) and get a laptop that will truly last you longer.

Keep in mind that having a business notebook, as mentioned previously will also give you better and faster technical support in case anything happens.

That is my two cents.

A proud Thinkpad T400 owner.

[Shadrack]

I have had horrible experiences with HP in the past, and I have had really great ones with Toshiba.

That being said, Toshiba looks like they have really gone down hill in recent years. Their laptops look cheaper and cheaper every year in terms of build quality. Meanwhile HP has really been catching up in terms of contemporary design and solid builds. I would probably go with HP today if I had to choose between the two.

[TEX4S]

Hello,

I'm pretty new here (read a lot of the threads and news but just signed up to answer this thread).

Working in both consumer and corporate markets, I totally agree on what has been mentioned earlier about the consumer vs. business laptop, and would like to add a few things:

All major brands will have their own technology, Lenovo Thinkpads have their roll cage, and spill proof keyboards, HP's EliteBook will have their hard drive protection etc.

The thing is, that these technology are not put into the consumer level notebooks. The reason is simple; people want the cheapest computers possible, so it's impossible to offer that without impacting quality.

Business laptops (from all brands really, Dell Vostros, Lenovo Thinkpads, Hp EliteBooks, Toshiba Tecras) are made to be a lot more solid.

They integrate each company's technologies and allow them to last longer while also having some more power efficient processors.

A few years ago, the price difference between a consumer and a business laptop was huge (over 500 or 600$ for the same configuration), making it a hard choice to make.

Nowadays, the price gap has gone down in major way, and the 200 or 300$ price difference is basically the price of an extended warranty that I highly recommend when buying a consumer market laptop.

A lot of people will state that their old HP or Toshiba's lasted them over 10 years without a problem. Keep in mind that this was 10 years ago.

The laptops then cost a fortune to produce, quality was higher and the specs were so minimal that there was barely any modules that could break.

Today, a simple laptop has a webcam, microphone, SD card reader, WiFi, CD/DVD burner as a base model, all cramped up, making all of the small pieces not only turning faster, but also being produced a lot cheaper.

My advice is exactly what I did: get a business laptop, spend the 200$ difference (in my case it was 150$) and get a laptop that will truly last you longer.

Keep in mind that having a business notebook, as mentioned previously will also give you better and faster technical support in case anything happens.

That is my two cents.

A proud Thinkpad T400 owner.

Well said. Welcome to Hardware Hangout and neowin

[Howling Wind]

I would NOT say Toshiba is second to Apple. =/ At all.

Why? Well first Aluminum and glass compared to well... plastic? Umm no. Firstly, aluminum might be strong but drop a Macintosh on the ground and see what happens. A dent, right? Or broken glass =/ Drop plastic on the ground? It might bounce but it could crack. Aluminum might be strong compared to plastic in a lot of ways.. its surely cheaper to manufacture a multipart plastic body than a 2 or 3 piece aluminum one. But Macintosh notebooks aren't meant to be dropped. I would say ThinkPad is equal with Apple if not above as far as dropping the thing goes.

I remember a few years ago.. I was 11. I dropped my dads thinkpad (it was IBM) and I thought. OH MEH GAWD IM SO DEAD!! Lucky for me all it left was a scuff. My friend dropped her aluminum MacBook and well, yeah.. a noticable dent in the side. It still works.. but the lid closes weird and the disks get stuck in the drive =/

I'm a fan of Apple quality.. unibody seems more durable as far as heat getting out.. opening it and cleaning it.. weight.. stuff like that. But anything metal seems to... end up in worse shape when you drop it compared to plastic. I could be wrong >.<

@ShoTTa35 Awww thankies <3

[zhangm Supervisor]

Just some other thoughts: don't buy into brand loyalty - that is, don't purchase based on the brand name. It is the only reason why Lenovo gets away with selling IdeaPads, Dell gets away with Inspirons, etc.

The other thing is that asking for personal experience with laptops is...hard. Perhaps the question undoes itself: the people with the most experience have probably purchased cheaper, less durable units, because they're affordable, and because the failure of one necessitates a replacement. The people who purchased higher quality machines are somewhat impaired in their ability to compare different brands. If you have something that works already, why bother looking for something different?

At the highest level (Thinkpad T/W, Elitebooks, Precisions), the features and price point become most relevant. As far as capability and durability is concerned, they'll be on-par. Fall back onto other things: how good is the screen (I noticed that you've picked a very low resolution for a 15.6" screen)? How well does the advertised battery life match reality? What is the weight? How large is the power brick? Have people complained about the trackpad (Alps, in particular, has been notoriously bad)? Hinges? Optical drive? Do you like its appearance?

Finally, don't just relax after receiving whatever you purchase. Most manufacturers give you a very short window to return an item (Dell is about a month after the machine is built, not received). Use it. If you find any annoyance, contact tech support. This is both your chance to fix an issue and test whether you can live with the service quality. If they won't acknowledge or fix a flaw, box the machine and punt it back to them. Make sure you have the damn OS disks and take them with you to school. Not a recovery partition, but a DVD that will install vanilla Windows 7 Whatever Version. I worked on the other side of the tech support bench at a college for three years, and having OEM installation media is the difference between 2 hours of downtime, and two weeks.

[.Kompressor]

toshiba..

[+virtorio MVC]

I've had good experiences with Toshiba and several bad with HP.

[chconline Veteran]

Like a Lexus - you have to pay to get that kind of quality, but once you do, you will never want anything else.

Yeah, once you drive a Lexus, you will never stop.

[Solid Knight]

They are more or less the same in terms of quality. Really depends on the individual models being compared as some HPs are poorly designed and some Toshibas are poorly designed.

Yeah, once you drive a Lexus, you will never stop.

I drive a Toyota and I can't stop even when I want to. [/joke]

[Biotoxic_hazard_835]

I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop and it has worked flawlessly for 2 years now. I for once recommend Toshiba as good and durable laptops, but then it all depends on what your are going to use your machine for and how good care you take of it.