Most reliable notebooks and the best brands

What are the most reliable notebooks and the best brands

best brands

Which brand of laptops is more reliable? What are the things to watch to buy the perfect laptop for us?

With so many options available, choosing the new laptop can be difficult.

Certainly the best way to find the right laptop is to go to a nearby electronics store and try them live with your own hands and your own eyes.

How to know which is the most reliable notebook manufacturer , so buy a device that lasts at least 3 years without breaking?

This article is about buying a laptopis divided into three sections: in the first part we list the ones that, in my opinion, are the most important things to look at in a new notebook, in the second the sites where to find reviews and comments, while in the third part we will see the results of a statistical study for understand which computer manufacturer is better than others and which brand ensures more reliability.

The factors that I recommend to judge before buying a new laptop are:

1) Screen size

You can buy a PC with a screen of different sizes, from 10 “or even less than 18” or more .

The size of the screen is important: a small screen can be difficult to read, but it is lighter and easier to carry, a big screen is more cumbersome and big, can have less battery life, but you see much better.

The ideal screen size is around 15 inches, so as to achieve a good compromise between weight and visibility; Larger screens are only good for playing (and it’s not always the right choice), smaller screens only make sense if we do not need a lot of power, but we’re all focusing on lightness.

The screen resolution is no longer linked to the size it used to be: it is now possible to find small laptops with a very high resolution of the screen.

The minimum recommended is 1024×768, but we can also find the FullHD screens that you see very well (although at first it might seem all small, we will get used soon).

2) Keyboard

On most laptops the numeric keypad is missing which can be redundant unless you are used to working with it; in this case there are available USB numeric keypads to be connected to take advantage of this part of the keyboard missing on laptops for obvious reasons of space (it is integrated on the buttons present, to be able to use combinations difficult to use quickly).

3) Weight

A difference of 1 or 2 kg between different models can make a big difference when carrying the laptop bag every day.

The latest generation laptops weigh all around 3 kg (the time of 5 or 6 kg mega-notebooks is over!) And, for ultra-light models, the weight starts from less than 2 kg.

A light notebook can be taken anywhere without getting tired, but it may not be very powerful; a slightly heavier notebook will be cumbersome but will offer a power comparable to a mid-range desktop PC, so it all depends on our needs.

4) Optical

drive The optical drive (DVD burner) now seems to have run its course, although it is still present in a multitude of models due to the installation discs of the programs.

Instead of an internal DVD drive, you can place an additional hard drive or SSD to speed up or get more space on the laptop; if we still need to read or burn an optical disc, it is better to point an external DVD burner that can be connected via USB only if necessary.

5) Processor and video card

In a laptop the choice of a powerful processor is a must; although it does not make much difference if you use the PC just to check email, surf the Internet and write documents, the processor ensures watching movies in HD and opening heavy programs without difficulty.

Let’s make sure that the processor has at least four cores , whether they are physical or recognized as logical (ie a dual-core CPU with HT system to double the computing capacity) and a minimum frequency of 2 GHz, so as to run the great any program or any web page.

The same can be said for the video card, but since laptops are rarely suitable to play even the latest integrated video cards are fine.

6) Hard disk and RAM

The minimum amount of RAM recommended on laptops is 8GB, enough to open the operating system and all major programs, without fear of big slowdowns.

Hard drives mounted on laptops always have a large capacity (minimum 500 GB), so there should not be any major problems with space, but we must consider placing immediately (better if already included) a nice SSD, which guarantees high performance in reading and writing, plus allows the notebook to turn off and turn on in a few seconds.

Our advice is to buy one with a traditional hard disk and then add the SSD instead of the DVD player paying the intervention to the computer store.

7) Touchscreen

Many notebooks with Windows 10 also have a touch screen.

Although it may seem like a good idea that gives a new feeling and that makes a lot of scene, in the end it raises the price and may not be very practical, since we will still use the touchpad or mouse for most operations.

8) Other components

Other requirements that may be important are the USB 3.0 ports (at least 3), the HDMI port to connect the laptop to the TV, the Bluetooth technology support, the front webcam, the various microphone and headphone jacks, support for a docking station and the removable screen (which turns the laptop into a tablet).

Sites where to see some laptops and get opinions and comments

1) Amazon , the most obvious choice, in Italian, to find those for sale in Italy and full of comments, good and bad.

2) Newegg a popular site in English with reviews that are often more technical in nature.

3) Test Freaksideal for the search for how computers are evaluated in sites such as Amazon, CNET, Best Buy and others (in Italian)

4) Forum HWUpgrade best Italian site where to ask and find comments on the various portable models.

What is the best brand of laptops?

Every laptop can break, but some manufacturers have a better reputation than others.

The study taken into consideration in 2012 is SquareTrade, which examined the breakdown rate of laptops in three years and found that Asus PCs are less broken than HP laptops.

With HP, there is a one in four probability that the laptop will break in three years while for Asus the percentage is reduced to 15%.

The reliability ranking,from best to worst, is as follows:

Asus: 15.6%

Toshiba: 15.7%

Sony: 16.8%

Apple: 17.4%

Dell: 18.3%

Lenovo: 21.5%

Acer: 23.3 %

HP: 25.6%

According to this study, which will not be the Bible but is always a starting point and a respectable point of view, Apple is less reliable than Asus, Toshiba and Sony that can be a surprise for many.

Related to the reliability ranking is that of technical support .

If you plan to keep a computer for several years, it is important to know what kind of support is offered to the customer and what happens if that laptop breaks down or has faults.

I personally hate dealing with customer support and ideally prefer to sell a laptop before the warranty expires so I can sell it well and buy a new one.

If you want a computer that has good service then, according to another study by Consumer Reports, you should buy an Apple computer or a Lenovo or Asus if you want a Windows PC.

The ranking, from best to worst, is:

Apple: 86

Lenovo: 63

Asus: 62

Dell: 60

Toshiba: 59

HP: 58

Acer: 51

Sony: Not available

Statistics, however, should not be taken for gold; at the end, every manufacturer has put on the market at least a very reliable jewel handset flanked by models that are decidedly weaker from the point of view of reliability.

It also depends on how much you spend and it is clear, for example, that a 2000 Euro Apple computer will tend to be better in terms of reliability of a Asus 500 PC (see also: Comparison Windows PC vs. Mac: which computer is better to buy? ).

Better and more reliable notebooks: buying guide

After seeing which manufacturers are the most reliable, let’s take a look at the best models that can be purchased for each manufacturer, so as to choose only the best of each one.

The products will comply with the requirements shown and the reliability ranking shown above.

Please note that Toshiba and Sony no longer produce laptops, so they will not be included in the list.

1) Asus VivoBook N580VD-DM160T – Pro N15

Asus laptop

The best notebook Asus we can buy is the Asus VivoBook N580VD-DM160T – Pro N15, which features Intel Core i7-7700HQ octa-core 2.8 GHz, SSD 128 GB and 1000 GB HDD, 16 GB of RAM, 15.6-inch FullHD screen, aluminum body, nVidia GeForce MX 1050 and Windows 10 pre-installed.

We can view this model from here -> Asus VivoBook N580VD-DM160T – Pro N15 (€ 957).

2) Apple MacBook Air

Poartatile Apple

The best Apple laptop is definitely the MacBook Air, really light and elegant but with a soul powerful enough to do anything.

The Apple MacBook Air features an Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB SSD, Dual Band WiFi, a 13.3-inch screen with a Retina resolution and an updated MacOS XZ operating system.

We can view this model from here -> Apple MacBook Air (€ 878).

3) DELL XPS 9560

Dell laptop

One of the best laptops in circulation is certainly the DELL XPS 9560, which features a 15.6 “Full HD screen, i7-7700HQ 2.8GHz processor (3.8GHz Turbo) i7-7700HQ, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, GeForce GTX 1050 4GB and Windows 10 operating system.

We can view this model from here -> DELL XPS 9560(1245 €).

4) Lenovo 520S-14IKBR

Lenovo laptop

A good brand that combines quality and price is Lenovo, thanks to the model 520S-14IKBR which boasts an Intel Core I5-8250U, 8 GB RAM, 1TB HDD, 128 GB PCie SSD, Graphics Card Nvidia 940MX. FullHD 14 inch screen and Windows 10 Home.

We can view this model from here -> Lenovo 520S-14IKBR (€ 739).

5) Acer Swift 3

Acer laptop

Acer has always been a good manufacturer of mid-range laptops, as in the case of the Acer Swift 3, which features a 14 “FHD screen, Intel Core i5-7200U, 8 GB DDR4 RAM, 256 GB Intel PCIe SSD and Windows 10.

We can see this model from here -> Acer Swift 3 (€ 719).

6)HP Pavilion 15-ck003nl

HP laptop

HP is not at the top in terms of reliability, but still offers good products like the Pavilion 15-ck003nl, which features a 15.6 “HD display, Intel i7-8550U processor, SATA hard drive from 1 TB, 12 GB of RAM, GeForce 940MX and Windows 10 as operating system

We can view this model from here -> HP Pavilion 15-ck003nl (€ 899)

By: Web Digital Media Group