Best $1500 Quiet Laptop?

[Gluegun]

I'm wondering what company and model can get me the best laptop for $1500... wireless networking is a must, I dont need a widescreen, and a CD-RW/DVD-Rom drive is prefered... Also, the laptop can't be too noisy, either in the keyboard or in the fan noise. Any suggestions?

 

[Eric1285]

Let me be the first to recommend the eMachines M6805. It has everything you want, and more (widescreen). The fans are very quiet, and don't run all that much, since the laptop rarely gets more than warm. When they do run, they are audible, but for the 10-15 seconds that they are usually on, they aren't all that loud. The laptop can be configured to use less power, which will pretty much keep the fans from even turning on. The keyboard is very "soft", and while it makes noise, it isn't terribly loud either. The buttons for left and right mouse click are silent. They have a firm feel, but don't make a loud click like some other laptops.

 

[viper11885]

All I can say is to go for the Pentium M (Centrino) processor. Under light tasks, the fan will basically never turn on.

As for the keyboard, most laptops do have a quiet keyboard. Don't know of one that is espeically meant to be quiet though. But if you use a light touch, it is very silent.

Just wanted to throw in some general information

 

[BargainSeeker]

I recommend the Gateway M505X. It can be purchased from Gateway for $1499 less a 10% AAA discount = $1349 or from Office Depot this week for $1599 - $200 mail in rebate = $1399.

 

[Threader]

Originally posted by viper11885
All I can say is to go for the Pentium M (Centrino) processor. Under light tasks, the fan will basically never turn on.

As for the keyboard, most laptops do have a quiet keyboard. Don't know of one that is espeically meant to be quiet though. But if you use a light touch, it is very silent.

Just wanted to throw in some general information

I use a work supplied Dell D600 which uses a 1.6ghz Centrino and the fan is always on and the bottom of the laptop is much hotter than my luke warm M6807.

So Maybe slower centrinos have less fan activity but I can assure you that the Dell D600 is always on even under the lightest web browsing

 

[viper11885]

Originally posted by Threader
I use a work supplied Dell D600 which uses a 1.6ghz Centrino and the fan is always on and the bottom of the laptop is much hotter than my luke warm M6807.

So Maybe slower centrinos have less fan activity but I can assure you that the Dell D600 is always on even under the lightest web browsing

You may want to use a program called i8kfangui. It allows you to manually control the fans and set a temperature on when you want them on/off.

It's the same with my i8500. Even with new BIOS (A05), once the fan turns on, it stays on no matter what. I use i8kfangui and manage the temperatures. Under light usage, the fans turn on in about 45 minutes with temperature of cpu at 52 celcius. It gets cooled to 42 celcius. After that, it takes about another 15-20 minutes for temperature to reach 52 celcius again. This is with a P4M as well. So a Centrino should run a lot cooler compared to mine.

 

[BargainSeeker]

The fan on the Gateway M505X does not come on at all during normal use, even while resting on your lap. The hard drive is virtually inaudible and the keyboard is very quiet as well.

 

[Kortiz]

Well, check out best buy, and check out gateway and check out dell.

those are your bargain small/light laptops


a lot of folks are orgasming over the new emachine....its cheap too. check it out. people are starting to say emachines are the best laptop around, which is really strange, but.....its happening.

 

[Eric1285]

Just been using my eMachines on battery for the first time. Watching the game in the living room. I haven't had the fan come on once yet (I'm just web browsing).

 

[lopoetve]

Originally posted by Kortiz
Well, check out best buy, and check out gateway and check out dell.

those are your bargain small/light laptops


a lot of folks are orgasming over the new emachine....its cheap too. check it out. people are starting to say emachines are the best laptop around, which is really strange, but.....its happening.

If the eMachines is in my lap, the fan will sometimes come on, but you don't even notice it. It's SILENT. I have the machine folding almost all the time, and it's silent. Great little system, loads of stuff for the price. I'd get one again in a heartbeat. Blows that Gateway out of the water, which is why Gateway and eMachines merged.

 

[BargainSeeker]

Originally posted by lopoetve
Blows that Gateway out of the water

Quite untrue, I'm afraid. Here's a performance comparison of the two laptops in stock form (without overclocking):

1.4GHz Pentium M Gateway M505X with 512MB RAM:
3Dmark 2001: 9305
3Dmark 2003: 2437

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Emachines 6805 with 512MB RAM:
3Dmark 2001: 9112
3Dmark 2003: 2443

Benchmarks taken from this thread.

 

[lopoetve]

Originally posted by BargainSeeker
Quite untrue, I'm afraid. Here's a performance comparison of the two laptops in stock form (without overclocking):

1.4GHz Pentium M Gateway M505X with 512MB RAM:
3Dmark 2001: 9305
3Dmark 2003: 2437

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Emachines 6805 with 512MB RAM:
3Dmark 2001: 9112
3Dmark 2003: 2443

Benchmarks taken from this thread.

So you post a link to a thread where the only comments of note about it are from you, and then you post 4 synthetic benchmarks

Right.

I don't know about you, but I don't PLAY 3dmark. I play games. I use office programs. I code in Linux. Your numbers are based on a bideo card bottleneck (something you avoided confronting in that thread you linked to), not on the overall power of the system. The anand article linked to (http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.html?i=1916&p=6) shows the TRUE story. Namely, that your 1.4 Centrino can't hold a candle to the Athlon64. The 64 3000+ is only slightly behind the 3200+ mentioned here, even the mobile version (which is tuned for less power and the speed switches).

For a better comparo, take this one:
http://www6.tomshardware.com/mobile/20031216/yakumo_athlon64-11.html
Tom's is normally Nvidia/Intel skewed, but that Athlon64 fights and beats the Centrino 1.7 (which is faster than your 1.4) more often than not.

You mention ONE person who didn't like the screen. I love it. I had a Dell USUXGA screen before it (the BEST laptop LCD available), and the brightness and clarity are quite fine.


Stop showing only part of the story. The Gateway is an nice laptop, but it's not the be-all-end-all you make it out to be. Nor does it truly compete with the newer high-end / mid-end laptops that are coming out.

 

[BargainSeeker]

I have never said that the Gateway M505 is the "be-all-end-all" laptop, only that it is a good value with some clear advantages over the Emachines 6805. These advantages include:

- Lighter weight (6.7 lbs vs. 7.5 lbs)
- Longer battery life (4.5 hrs vs. 2.5 hrs)
- Quieter operation (M505 fans don't run during normal operation)
- Better sound system (M505 has subwoofer and two good speakers)
- Better, longer term track record for reliability
- Local support and service through Gateway Country Stores
- Comparable gaming performance

The main advantage I can see for the Emachines 6805 is the 64 bit CPU which has the potential for greater performance in the future when software and operating systems can take advantage of 64 bits. I think the Emachines 6805 is also a good value. For many people, however, the advantages of the Gateway M505 will out-weigh those of the Emachines 6805.

 

[Eric1285]

Originally posted by BargainSeeker
Quite untrue, I'm afraid. Here's a performance comparison of the two laptops in stock form (without overclocking):

1.4GHz Pentium M Gateway M505X with 512MB RAM:
3Dmark 2001: 9305
3Dmark 2003: 2437

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Emachines 6805 with 512MB RAM:
3Dmark 2001: 9112
3Dmark 2003: 2443

Benchmarks taken from this thread.

Strange...

My eMachines, stock: 9.4k
Buddy's Dell 8600, ATI 9600 Pro Turbo w/ 128mb ram, centrino 1.7: 9.6k

 

[lopoetve]

Originally posted by BargainSeeker
I have never said that the Gateway M505 is the "be-all-end-all" laptop, only that it is a good value with some clear advantages over the Emachines 6805. These advantages include:

- Lighter weight (6.7 lbs vs. 7.5 lbs)
- Longer battery life (4.5 hrs vs. 2.5 hrs)
- Quieter operation (M505 fans don't run during normal operation)
- Better sound system (M505 has subwoofer and two good speakers)
- Better, longer term track record for reliability
- Local support and service through Gateway Country Stores
- Comparable gaming performance

The main advantage I can see for the Emachines 6805 is the 64 bit CPU which has the potential for greater performance in the future when software and operating systems can take advantage of 64 bits. I think the Emachines 6805 is also a good value. For many people, however, the advantages of the Gateway M505 will out-weigh those of the Emachines 6805.

I'll go through your advantages one at a time.

1. Ok, might or might not be a consideration. It depends.
2. Meh.
3. The eMachines is almost silent as well, especially when on full battery mode, which is still == to a 2.2 p4.
4. Headphones > *. Period.
5. Right. That's why Gateway is almost out of business. Gateway has a long term track record for poorly designed, problematic systems, that has gotten them to the bottom of the pile in terms of a computer maker. I'm not saying the M505 is crap, but there has been enough junk from Gateway that I'd personally be very hesitant to touch a Gateway branded anything.
6. Same, buddy, only it's Best Buy that's the front end, and there are a LOT more Best Buys than Gateway stores, especially since the Gateway stores are shutting down about as fast as possible.. They are one and the same company now too, except eMachines controls Gateway. Says something about quality right there... Oh, and eMachines service has been noted as being very good, if only a little slow.
7. That's where I don't think so. Read the reviews and try again. The A64 has a LOT more headroom than the 1.4 Centrino does. It's has as much, if not more, than the 1.7 Centrino, and I'm sure you're not crazy enough to claim that the 1.4 centrino is == to the 1.7.

I'd personally avoid the Gateway on name alone, at least, till eMachines fixes them up again. There is a reason that Gateway only sold 526,000 systems last year.

 

[lopoetve]

Originally posted by Eric1285
Strange...

My eMachines, stock: 9.4k
Buddy's Dell 8600, ATI 9600 Pro Turbo w/ 128mb ram, centrino 1.7: 9.6k

Much more like it. I don't know how he is either inflating the 1.4 scores, or deflating the A64... I can easily get over 11k, IIRC, with a little work on the A64.

New drivers help a lot too.

 

[BargainSeeker]

I am not the source of any of the benchmarks. I provide links to all of my sources in the AnandTech posting.

 

[Gluegun]

I dont care as much about benchmarks as I do about reliability and features (nice screen, battery life, good tech support, good build quality, quiet, etc...), so where does that leave this discussion?

 

[lopoetve]

Originally posted by BargainSeeker
I am not the source of any of the benchmarks. I provide links to all of my sources in the AnandTech posting.

Two synthetic benchmarks show nothing.

 

[lopoetve]

Originally posted by Gluegun
I dont care as much about benchmarks as I do about reliability and features (nice screen, battery life, good tech support, good build quality, quiet, etc...), so where does that leave this discussion?

Screen is debatable. I love the widescreen on the eMachines.

Battery life goes to the Gateway.

Build quality and service go to eMachines.

Quiet goes to either.

Features overall goes to eMachines. Firewire, build in CF/SD reader, 4x usb, etc. And AMD64 is just cool.

I would give both a try. If there is no Gateway store nearby, get the eMachines.

 

[BargainSeeker]

Originally posted by Gluegun
I dont care as much about benchmarks as I do about reliability and features (nice screen, battery life, good tech support, good build quality, quiet, etc...), so where does that leave this discussion?

Nice screen - even
Battery life - Gateway M505
Good tech support - Gateway (see Consumer Reports ratings)
Good build quality - Gateway M505 (made by Wistron who is the biggest subcontractor making ThinkPads for IBM)
Quiet - Gateway M505 (uses mobile instead of desktop CPU which draws less power, produces less heat and requires less cooling by fans)

 

[Ultra Wide]

I like IBM laptops as you can see.

If money were no object I would get the Thinkpad X31 + ultrabase and DVD/CDRW drive.

 

[BargainSeeker]

Originally posted by Ultra Wide
If money were no object I would get the Thinkpad X31 + ultrabase and DVD/CDRW drive.

I agree that IBM ThinkPads are the best choice for durability and reliability if money is no object.

Coincidently, who do you think makes the X- series of ThinkPads for IBM? If you guessed Wistron, who also makes the Gateway M505, then you guessed right.

 

[lopoetve]

Originally posted by BargainSeeker
Nice screen - even
Battery life - Gateway M505
Good tech support - Gateway (see Consumer Reports ratings)
Good build quality - Gateway M505 (made by Wistron who is the biggest subcontractor making ThinkPads for IBM)
Quiet - Gateway M505 (uses mobile instead of desktop CPU which draws less power, produces less heat and requires less cooling by fans)

1&2 are right.
Good tech support-> you read consumer reports? My God man, what is WRONG with you? Consumer reports is the most mislead pile of falsified information this side of the Iraqi war! Gateway has had issues with product quality, tech issues, and more. Why do you think they were GOING OUT OF BUSINESS?

Build Quality -> Arima makes the eMachines. It's one of the most solid machines I have ever used. IBM makes every part of their design, so the fact that they use Wistron means nothing for Wistron's other designs/quality. Use of a company does not imply quality for all of said companies products.

Quiet -> Maybe. Every Centrino I've used has been MUCH hotter than the eMachines. The e gets slightly warm on the bottom, nothing more. All the Centrinos I've used have gotten hot, if not very hot. The eMachines barely runs it's fans, if ever. Most people here don't even notice them.

Seeing how eMachines is now in control of Gateway, I suggest you make your own conclusions, but seeing as to how Gateway plans on mostly dropping it's consumer line for selling EDU and Gov, I wouldn't buy one of them.

 

[BargainSeeker]

Originally posted by lopoetve
Build Quality -> Arima makes the eMachines.

If you recall, I did a lot of research on your behalf in this thread, trying to determine if Arima is the manufacturer of the Emachines 6805. My conclusion was that Arima is probably not the ODM. For your sake, I hope that Arima did not manufacture your laptop. Arima has probably the worst reputation for quality and reliability of all of the laptop ODMs. When HP/Compaq bought most of their laptops from Arima, they developed a dreadful reputation for laptop quality. Arima has since seen their laptop sales and market share plummet. Unable to sell their laptops to name brand computer vendors, Arima has recently contracted to sell their laptops at Walmart under a Walmart brand.

You like your new Emachines laptop a lot. I am happy for you. You think it is a good deal. I agree with you. Is it also the best laptop for everyone else in the world regardless of their needs or requirements? No.

 

[lopoetve]

Originally posted by BargainSeeker
If you recall, I did a lot of research on your behalf in this thread, trying to determine if Arima is the manufacturer of the Emachines 6805. My conclusion was that Arima is probably not the ODM. For your sake, I hope that Arima did not manufacture your laptop. Arima has probably the worst reputation for quality and reliability of all of the laptop ODMs. When HP/Compaq bought most of their laptops from Arima, they developed a dreadful reputation for laptop quality. Arima has since seen their laptop sales and market share plummet. Unable to sell their laptops to name brand computer vendors, Arima has recently contracted to sell their laptops at Walmart under a Walmart brand.

You like your new Emachines laptop a lot. I am happy for you. You think it is a good deal. I agree with you. Is it also the best laptop for everyone else in the world regardless of their needs or requirements? No.

You like your new Gateway laptop a lot. I am happy for you. You think it is a good deal. I agree with you. Is it also the best laptop for everyone else in the world regardless of their needs or requirements? No.

Fixed. Oh, and if you read the other threads, I also recommend Dell and Apple most of the time over the eMachines, and IBM as well. I avoid Compaq/HP, and Gateway due to past history and company instability.

I know you did the research, it came up in some of the other threads that Arima is making the laptops, as far as we can tell, and doing it to a rather strict QC set of standards that eMachines is trying to stand by now.

I personally wouldn't buy anything Gateway till we see how eMachines goes about fixing the brand. You don't know if they will still be making it for much longer, but we know that the eMachines models will continue to be sold in the same fashion at the same places. There is a reason that they were struggling to survive.

EDIT: I also told him to try both. If there is not a Gateway store nearby, I most certainly wouldn't buy one. BB does eMachines service. Try it first, then choose.

 

[Ultra Wide]

My X24 was made in Korea by Hyundai or Samsung...

My T40p was made in China by I don't remember...

My T30 was made in USA, the last of its breed...

I can tell you that out of those 3 Thinkpads the one made in Korea was the best, USA and China were very close 2nd. Not it really matters as long as they keep the quality to ISO 9000 standards.

 

[lopoetve]

I have nothing against gateway other than a long history of shitty computers. I respect that they've gotten another CEO to get them out of the hole, but they're not there yet.

 

[BargainSeeker]

Originally posted by Ultra Wide
My X24 was made in Korea by Hyundai or Samsung...

My T40p was made in China by I don't remember...

My T30 was made in USA, the last of its breed...

I can tell you that out of those 3 Thinkpads the one made in Korea was the best, USA and China were very close 2nd. Not it really matters as long as they keep the quality to ISO 9000 standards.

Wistron makes the X- series ThinkPads now, they have not always done so. I agree that they do not make the T- series of ThinkPads and never have (to the best of my knowledge). The other ThinkPads that Wistron makes are some of the R- series. If you get a ThinkPad that was made in the Philippines, you can bet it was made by Wistron. If its not made in the Philippines, you can't eliminate Wistron though, since they have other factories in China, Taiwan and Mexico.

 

[NecessaryEvil]

FWIW, Sandra detects some motherboard items (USB, I think it was) as Arima.

oh well...


I'll put in a vote for the M6805 as well, but I'd definitely prefer an IBM...it's just too bad that that T41P I wanted was more than 2x the cost of this.

 

[BargainSeeker]

Originally posted by lopoetve
I have nothing against gateway other than a long history of shitty computers.

You seem to trying to have some kind of flame war with me, but I'm not willing to flame back.

Prior to the release of the M505 and M675 laptops, Gateway bought all of their laptops from Quanta. Gateway continues to buy their older models from them. I also am not a fan of these older model Gateway laptops and do not recommend them.

I found out elsewhere that the Emachines 6805 has an Arima motherboard. Apparently Arima is the ODM of the 6805 after all. Since the 6805 doesn't look anything like the Arima W720, the 6805 apparently uses a different chassis from the W720.

For your sake and the sake of all of the others who buy the 6805, I truly hope that the new leaner and meaner Arima has turned the corner on quality.

 

[Kingofl337]

Another Vote for the M6805.

I've owned Dell, Compaq, HP and IBM and while I was very happy with my Dell's & HP Omnibook I can say so far I'm just as happy with the E-machine.

The Compaq's and IBM's I've owned have had problems.

I also repair laptops and the Compaqs and IBM's I've seen like to break down shortly after the warranty is up. I have a friend at RPI and his T20 died at about 2 months after the 1 year was up. Fortunatly he had the extended warranty. It took RPI/IBM to replace the system board. I was never so lucky.

Another thing I really like about the e-machine is its more like a Desktop then a laptop in the sence that you can tweak it alot and it has excellent video.

With the Ability to reach Low to Mid 11k's in 3D Mark with the E-Machines thats a plus also.

 

[lopoetve]

Originally posted by BargainSeeker
You seem to trying to have some kind of flame war with me, but I'm not willing to flame back.

Prior to the release of the M505 and M675 laptops, Gateway bought all of their laptops from Quanta. Gateway continues to buy their older models from them. I also am not a fan of these older model Gateway laptops and do not recommend them.

I found out elsewhere that the Emachines 6805 has an Arima motherboard. Apparently Arima is the ODM of the 6805 after all. Since the 6805 doesn't look anything like the Arima W720, the 6805 apparently uses a different chassis from the W720.

For your sake and the sake of all of the others who buy the 6805, I truly hope that the new leaner and meaner Arima has turned the corner on quality.

I am not trying to start a flame war with anyone. I'm just warning someone off of a piece of hardware that I would avoid like the plague, from a company that I would do the same with. There have been plenty of horror storied around here about Gateway and their warranty / service. There is a reason you NEVER see them mentioned here either; we're all quite tired of dealing with them, and most of us had forgotten that they existed, a decision for the better. They have not made any innovative products since literally the P200 era, with the 36" multimedia screens. After that, they were nothing but a cheap, poorly designed system builder that turned out nothing of note, period. Their service, quality, and worth went through the floor. I most certainly wouldn't buy anything from a company that was literally inches away from going out of business like they were, especially on something as important and pricey as a Laptop.

I certainly hope that their merger works out well, I'd hate to see a crappy company like them take down one that was making solid progress and actually innovating. I wouldn't mind seeing Gateway getting back on it's feet, but seeing as how there have been NO changes yet from the way they were, I would avoid them at all costs. Poor track record, major changes up top, almost out of business... doesn't sound like a good foundation for building anything, let alone computers.

Sorry we feel this way, but I think you'll find that almost the entire [H] avoids Gateway, and for good reason.

 

[jinu117]

Originally posted by Gluegun
I'm wondering what company and model can get me the best laptop for $1500... wireless networking is a must, I dont need a widescreen, and a CD-RW/DVD-Rom drive is prefered... Also, the laptop can't be too noisy, either in the keyboard or in the fan noise. Any suggestions?

I presume you will be using it at school library or someplace like that for quietness? As long as you are not obnoxiously hammering on keyboard any centrino will be fine.
Inspirion 600m is decent choice. There are other options such as e-machines, etc but I would steer away from some of them just because of customer service level. (it isn't like desktop where you can replace parts, etc)
I don't know why someone would complain about fan in D500... though... even my D800 which is much higher powered model very rarely turns on the fan (well, if I am gaming... different story) for 5-10 seconds or so on typical use. Battery life on any centrino is exceptional and I like the WLAN range of dell's truemobile 1300 so far.
Compaq on the other hand has been nice but lacking in support, numerous battery problem, etc. (Armada 500, 700, N800c and what I call disco laptop) - out of 60 or so 15 showed one of these symptons.
Our company got dell this time for trying and so far its been fantastic and one phone call we made to dell was exceptional. (To be seen but they always seems to get good support rating on surveys)
IBM is good one as usual but I would steer away due to budget.
I truely would stay away from emcahines, third party vendor until they can get their support level up to these major vendors in things such as phone call hold time and replacement policy that is painless. Extra $100-200 is well worth the investment on something you don't have much control over when problem happens. IMHO.

 

[Eric1285]

If you're looking to get an extended warranty, nobody beats Best Buy. Not even Dell complete care. Best Buy's policy is if it breaks 3 times, you get a new one. Dell doesn't seem to have a replacement clause in theirs, unless it's irreparable. My friend's Inspiron 8200 broke 6 times before they replaced it. Even then, if it weren't for the fact that I told him exactly what to say to the CSR, he never would have gotten it replaced. With Dell, they send you a refurbished replacement, whereas with Best Buy, you get a new one.

In the calls I've made to Dell, wait time is typically between 5-10 minutes. Often times however, the call is outsourced to India, where there are some CSR's who don't speak too clearly. Somewhat of an issue if you're looking for tech support. I haven't called eMachines yet, but as I understand it, most wait times are under 5 minutes, and the CSR's all have coherent english.