Extended Warranty for a laptop? Yes/No?

Post by **Pieceofsand** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:17 pm

Basically I'm looking at purchasing a new laptop for around $700, maybe $750 with tax. It comes with a one year warranty. My question is should I get the extended 2 year warranty for additional $80? Or the extended 3 year warranty for $100?

This is going to be my first laptop. I will take very good care of it of course, but that doesn't mean I can promise that nothing will happen to my laptop.

What are your thoughts?

Post by **heliochrome85** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:19 pm

depends on brand. dell has been good to me, but HP blows. As does sony.

Post by **Jesda** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:37 pm

Is it an HP?

Is it AMD-powered?

If either of the above is a Yes, buy the warranty.

Post by **Kompresshun** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:40 pm

Jesda wrote:Is it an HP?

If the above is a Yes, buy the warranty.

FTFY

HP is junk in almost all cases. Buy either an Asus, Dell, Sony or Toshiba. Yes in that order too.

Post by **Razi** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:51 pm

HP = Lol

Regardless of brand, for 80 bucks, I'd say go ahead and buy the warranty!

Post by **Pieceofsand** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 11:54 pm

It's a Lenovo. Here is what my friend told me:
"The laptop is covered for the first year. By the end of the first year, your laptop will begin to be outdated and it's 2nd hand. It's value will have dropped dropped from $700 to say $300. Does it make sense to insure something worth $300 for $80? It's a really bad bet for the consumer, but a money maker for the PC company. That's why they push it.
By the end of the 3rd year, there will be so many bells and whistles on the new models, yours is going to seem like a dinosaur and will have a value of $100 if that."

Post by **downedzephyr** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:07 am

unless it's a top of the line PC that will be relevant for a while (i.e. has a core i7, top of the line graphics, 4gb ddr3 ram, etc.) don't bother with an extended warranty. Lenovo's are pretty nice laptops, so I wouldn't be too worried about it breaking on you *knock on wood*.

Post by **Jesda** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 3:33 am

AMD-powered Lenovos still get pretty hot. Ideapads use cheaper materials than Thinkpads. Thinkpads tend to be rock solid.

I have a Lenovo S10 that enjoy using, but I've had to replace the lid on the back of the LCD due to cracks from hinge stress, and in the process I managed to crack the front bezel. My expectations were met for a $200 purse-sized computer.

Post by **MinisterofDOOM** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:33 am

Jesda wrote:AMD-powered Lenovos still get pretty hot.

Exactly. It's not a reliability issue with AMD, per-se, it's just that mobile chips have never been AMD's strong suit design-wise, and they run a lot hotter than Intel's lappy chips.

Post by **zer0c123** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:05 am

I don't think those warranties are worth it, especially on tech stuff that gets outdated so fast. I bought a dell 700m towards the end of 2005, which was used heavily while I was in school and I still use it today. When I bought it, I used a coupon and spent the savings on an extended warranty, because the component upgrades were a ripoff from dell. Throughout the 4 years, the laptop never had any major problems. The only time I had to use the warranty coverage was to replace a broken AC charger, because of frayed wires. Too bad dell did not warranty the laptop battery, which doesn't last more than 15 min now. Time to upgrade.

Post by **mike.strong** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:33 am

Pieceofsand wrote:Basically I'm looking at purchasing a new laptop for around $700, maybe $750 with tax. It comes with a one year warranty. My question is should I get the extended 2 year warranty for additional $80? Or the extended 3 year warranty for $100?

This is going to be my first laptop. I will take very good care of it of course, but that doesn't mean I can promise that nothing will happen to my laptop.

What are your thoughts?

Buy Sonny or Toshiba...No need for warranty with them.
Lenovo = IBM.
Just dont drop them into water...

And what are you going to do with the laptop?
If you are doing some serious programing or design maybe I can help you out picking the laptop.
And I personally have HP laptop and Sony and Toshiba. So my HP is great I has Intel I 7 and 8 GB or RAM 1T of HD, AND Nvidia 330 gt.
Who ever says that HP blows is referring to the HP cooling system.But based on the performance my HP is in top 5 %. HP did have a mayor recall on the overheating but who ever is using laptop for 5+ hours a day should buy a cooling pad.

HP(high end) rocks if you need to design database or for any programing and pro work!

Post by **AppleBonker** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:48 am

mike.strong wrote:Who ever says that HP blows is referring to the HP cooling system

Or that HP has consistently had the highest warranty repair rate out of any manufacturer. By a large margin as well. So by "blows", I think the fact that they are prone to failure was the idea...

Post by **mike.strong** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:16 am

AppleBonker wrote:
mike.strong wrote:Who ever says that HP blows is referring to the HP cooling system
Or that HP has consistently had the highest warranty repair rate out of any manufacturer. By a large margin as well. So by "blows", I think the fact that they are prone to failure was the idea...

Did you ever think that they are the biggest comp manufacturer in the world. So if you have the most comp in the market you will have the most repairs.

And sorry dell is not #1...

FYI I use high end HP computer and I never had a problem, I work a lot in Oracle and SAP...
Almost every comp professional will use HP elite book or some high end HP.
( 7 out of 10)

I am not sure where do you work but I do a lot of consulting in law and the accounting and IT and all what we use is HP.

Post by **AppleBonker** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:25 am

The reliability is calculated based on market share:

http://www.rescuecom.com/RESCUECOM269.html

Post by **AppleBonker** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:01 pm

mike.strong wrote:Almost every comp professional will use HP elite book or some high end HP.

Also, most I know carry IBM/Lenovo. Could just be that limited dataset I have, but I can't imagine wanting to use an HP as a professional-duty computer (and I do actually own an HP laptop for personal use, thought I only bought it because I got a sweet deal - I wouldn't generally recommend them).

Post by **mike.strong** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:04 pm

AppleBonker wrote:The reliability is calculated based on market share:

http://www.rescuecom.com/RESCUECOM269.html

Lol...You are basing your argument on this web site?

First of all Asus just entered US market and they do specialize in the Gaming computers aka Republic of Gamers. Just recently they started to produce mid range products.
Apple WILL be more reliable than any PC because APPLE uses only Apple designed and approved product.
Lenovo bought IBM personal computer division It is so so.
Toshiba and Sony are the only ones that will be more reliable than HP( depending on the model).

So HP dose not suck.

For me Dell is garbage, Asus is a nice machine if you are looking for gaming, Samsung garbage, Fujitsu most of them are garbage unless you get high end, Acer is so so, IBM is so so, Apple is good, Hp IS good, Toshiba is great and Sony is great.

But if you really want to trash HP please provide me with the model.

They did have a bad line ( overheating) several times, but so did Toshiba

And please take a look at top 2 spots link: http://www.cpu.com/computers/laptops/top-10.html

BASED ON THE CUSTOMER RESEARCH: HP ENVY RULES!!!!
http://www.consumersearch.com/laptops

There are few comp that can be better than HP envy....

Post by **Jesda** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:06 pm

Mike, it appears you want us to accept your argument based on a web site.

You also sound like a virgin.

Post by **RobPaulson** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:10 pm

seriously bro? you sound butt hurt, sorry, but I have a degree in computer engineering and every professional setting i've entered involving hard/software, HP has not had the overwhelming presence you speak of.

You want to speak best? Fine. Build your own. To me, any s*** like dell, HP, asus, IBM, sony, bla bla etc etc can all be lumped into the same category, which is "Choked by bloatware and susceptible to virus's and (what I like to call) stupid user syndrome."

Show me something with reliable hardware specs, and that doesnt include a Canon Picture Management software from HP. (no, you're oracle servers don't count, lulz, we're talking consumer electronics here)

Post by **AppleBonker** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:20 pm

mike.strong wrote:
AppleBonker wrote:The reliability is calculated based on market share:

http://www.rescuecom.com/RESCUECOM269.html
Lol...You are basing your argument on this web site?

These work too:

http://www.electronista.com/articles/09 ... 4th.place/

http://www.pcworld.com/article/156452/h ... ility.html

A quick google search for "HP reliability" backs it up. Most of the links on the first page are sites rating them at the bottom.

mike.strong wrote:First of all Asus just entered US market and they do specialize in the Gaming computers aka Republic of Gamers. Just recently they started to produce mid range products.

Gaming computers tend to be pushed the the extreme a bit more, so I would think they'd be more prone to failure.

mike.strong wrote:Apple WILL be more reliable than any PC because APPLE uses only Apple designed and approved product.

I fail to see what this has to do with anything. Are you claiming HP is using components that aren't somehow approved?

mike.strong wrote:But if you really want to trash HP please provide me with the model.

It's actually the brand in general. And I'm not really trashing them. They've done it to themselves. I'm not sure why your panties are in a bunch, unless you work for HP. I don't really care what people buy. I just warn them and try to give them facts before making their decision.

I'm sorry if I've somehow offended you. But I've had limited positive experience with HP. Most people I know with HP machines feel the same. And I've had really nothing but positive experience with Asus. Granted, this is all my opinion. Which is why I backed that up with some data from the web.

Post by **downedzephyr** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:29 pm

From my personal experience, I hate HP. Crappiest desktop I had ever bought, and my mom's HP laptop isn't all that fantastic. On the other hand, I've had nothing but positive experience with Acer.

As for apple, you could buy an apple laptop and overpay for outdated tech, and then get bent over backwards for repairs if you don't get applecare.

Although I will say that apple computers are nice for things like photoshop, movie editing, and music production. I'd still take a PC over an apple any day though.

Post by **RobPaulson** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:33 pm

downedzephyr wrote: Although I will say that apple computers are nice for things like photoshop, movie editing, and music production. I'd still take a PC over an apple any day though.

common misconception, your top end PC is now better at handling media editing than your top end mac, and you'll pay less for the PC.

now-a-days, only reason a person has to buy a mac is cause they are user friendly and you basically can't break them accidentally. So for the people that don't care to put the time in to learn how to handle a PC to be virus free and in top performance, I just tell them to buy a mac.

EDIT: PS, above post isnt tryin to troll you downedzephyr, i just hear this a lot, and while macs do make media editing easier, PC's are still 'better' at their greatest userknowledge/hardware potential.

Post by **Jesda** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:35 pm

In general, I prefer OS X for doing actual work.

Sometimes, I run OS X on a Wintel box.

Post by **downedzephyr** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:40 pm

RobPaulson wrote:common misconception, your top end PC is now better at handling media editing than your top end mac, and you'll pay less for the PC.

now-a-days, only read to buy a mac is cause they are user friendly and you basically can't break them accidentally. So for the people that don't care to put the time in to learn how to handle a PC to be virus free and in top performance, I just tell them to buy a mac.

EDIT: PS, above post isnt tryin to troll you downedzephyr, i just hear this a lot, and while macs do make media editing easier, PC's are still 'better' at their greatest userknowledge/hardware potential.

true, but if you're in the industry for media editing macs are pretty much the standard now. I wasn't contesting that PCs have greater potential, but merely commenting on how apples are indeed very user friendly, especially for those who are not too computer savvy. That being said, I do all of my media editing on my PC using the typical Adobe software

Post by **RobPaulson** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:43 pm

downedzephyr wrote: true, but if you're in the industry for media editing macs are pretty much the standard now. I wasn't contesting that PCs have greater potential, but merely commenting on how apples are indeed very user friendly, especially for those who are not too computer savvy. That being said, I do all of my media editing on my PC using the typical Adobe software

Post by **sentrastace** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:23 pm

Hp blows, toshiba blows---both from personal experience.
get the warranty...if something goes wrong and it isn't your fault (which it likely will at some point I have learned with 2 HP laptops in a row, 2 toshiba laptops in a row, not sure about the other brands) they will try to screw you out of your $ if you dont have extended warranty and will say it is your fault. stupid technology.

Post by **Kompresshun** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:28 pm

AppleBonker wrote:It's actually the brand in general. And I'm not really trashing them. They've done it to themselves. I'm not sure why your panties are in a bunch, unless you work for HP. I don't really care what people buy. I just warn them and try to give them facts before making their decision.

But I've had limited positive experience with HP. Most people I know with HP machines feel the same. And I've had really nothing but positive experience with Asus.

I'm sure that not all HP models are complete junk, but from my experience and the feedback i've heard on them, they're not the best. I had an HP laptop and absolutely despised it, my father in law has a high end HP tablet PC and it has been a complete nightmare of constant problems, and my father in law also has a HP desktop that is less than 2 years old, nothing but problems and he just replaced it with a Dell a couple of months ago.

Personally, I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop that's just over a year old. I have no complaints about it at all, 2.3ghz Intel Dual Core, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive, 16" HD screen, ect. I went into Best Buy that day with full intentions of buying either a Macbook or a Sony Vaio, I ran across this and was shocked that it was priced at $679, I compared it to everything else there and I could see no huge difference aside from it not having a good graphics card. I had no need for a good graphics card though so it was an obvious decision.

Post by **the a3k** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:35 pm

definitely get it. it all depends on what the plan covers though. i sell/fix laptops ( i hate my job btw) and the plans we have are a lot more money. if it covers you for 3 years, parts and labor, its definitely a good idea. its not a scam, depending which retailer or shady place you go to lol. personally i have a mac and the 3year plan saved me $1500 worth of repairs even though my mac only cost a grand

Post by **AppleBonker** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:01 pm

Also, to answer the OP, I would avoid the extended warranty. They wouldn't sell them if they didn't make money on them. Just my humble opinion, however.

Post by **mike.strong** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:05 pm

Jesda wrote:Mike, it appears you want us to accept your argument based on a web site.

You also sound like a virgin.

Ok buddy.

Did I want you to accept my opinion? NO.

I am just simply proving that HP has the biggest share of the PC market as today.

As of being a virgin:
I will f...you until you like me f.a.g.g.o.t.! And after I do that than you can ask me if I virgin or not.
Capiche Mr Fried Rice?

Post by **AppleBonker** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:23 pm

mike.strong wrote:I am just simply proving that HP has the biggest share of the PC market as today.

The average consumer is a retard. Especially when it comes to computers. Because your grandmother thinks her HP is the bees knees doesn't make it so.

Also, Toyota has a pretty huge market share. That doesn't make them good. You wont find me driving one without having first obtained a partial lobotomy.

Finally, Jesda likes bacon. Get him drunk with this first if you wish to be successful: