Miscellaneous laptop discussions forum: Down to 2 Laptops: Please help me Choose: Dell vs. Toshiba

would pick the Toshiba hands down. Ypu get more bang for the money. I wouldn't worry about a warranty on a 500 dollar notebook but it may be important for you.

Toshiba would be my pick, good stuff.

"Is there anything to be aware of as it relates to 32 bit vs 64 bit processors. I read something about compatibility issues with 64, but that info may be dated."
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I believe you're thinking of operating systems, not processors.

There were some minor driver incompatibility issues with vista 64, but they've been mostly ironed out.

Win Vista 64-bit should work very well in a laptop. The manufacturer has made sure all necessary drivers can run the built in hardware.

The only thing one would need to be aware of is the need for 64-bit drivers for a printer, scanner, or camera one might want to use with such a laptop. Most manufacturers have both 32-bit and 64-bit drivers. Still, should you be considering a Win Vista 64-bit laptop, you should check to see if 64-bit drivers are available for any external devices you plan to use with it.

If I had a need for a laptop, I would definitely go 64-bit.

The Dell is also a Core 2 Duo (T5800)

Still take the Toshiba over the Dell, maybe twice on Sunday.

Dell support is crap. You will likely need to use it.
Toshiba support is rumored to be crap, but you are less likely to need it.

Toshiba wins.

get the Dell. Dell support was fine for me when I got my dell desktop, my toshiba laptop (3 yrs old) has broken keys and continual-slowness syndrom.

Not worth it long term (also nix the 2 year warrenty)

Toshiba may not have been good for you with other products, but their laptops are first class. My daughter has one and it works great. Personally, I've owned a couple Toshiba products (Toshiba HD-DVD player and VCR) and have yet to have either break on me. The VCR is fairly dated now but still works fine.

Wish I could say that about Sony, Panasonic, and Samsung!

I would definitely stay away from Dell. Their support is not in the USA and you can't understand those people and most of the time they don't understand what we are asking them. Find a company who hires people from our country. We need the jobs here. I have wasted a lifetime with Dell support for my desktop. I know nothing about Toshiba. I am looking also for a laptop but am considering Acer. Hard to find one with 8 GB ram but I am sure I will find one or have additional ram added. I hear nothing but good about Acer computers. I believe their support is in the US also.

I would definitely go for the Toshiba. The video card has dedicated memory as opposed to shared memory in the Dell. Also the version of Vista it comes with is 64 bit which means it can handle the whole 4 gb of RAM. 32 bit can only use just over 3 gb of RAM. I have had 4 Toshiba laptops and have had very few problems in 9 years. One HDD died after 2.5 yrs but that can happen with any computer. Fingerprint sensor on my latest Toshiba died under warranty. Fixed here in New Zealand in less than a week. It also appears from looking on Fry's Website that it comes with Vista Home Premium whereas the Dell appears to come with Home Basic and its only 32 bit. This only really matters if you are using applications that needs lots of RAM such as Photoshop etc. Also the Toshiba comes with a Webcam which is useful. Do you need Firewire?? Since you are doing a bit of Video editing and some picture editing then the Toshiba is the one.

Dells computers are OK, but, and its a big butt, there online help and general customer service is horrible. I haven't bought a computer from them in years, even though my company has an employee purchase discount plan with them. I've been an HP fan for years; I own a HP desktop, printer and a lap top. Good luck with your decision.

I would absolutely get the Toshiba. Not only does it appear to have better specs than the Dell, it'll probably save you trouble in the long run. Most all the computers I work on or hear about having problems are Dell (or Gateway). The school district in the town I live in has Toshiba laptops exclusively, as well as myself, my parents, and much of my family, and the reliability is top notch. This, of course, is just from personal experience. Any computer could be a lemon. Hope that helps.

We have had two Toshiba laptops and two Dell laptops over the last four years. We have had absolutely no problems with either Toshiba, but we had charging problems with both Dells right off the bat. Both of the Dells were purchased last year (2008). The first Toshiba in 2005, the second in 2008. One Dell ended up needing a motherboard replacement (which meant it had to be shipped back to Dell) and the other needed the power adapter replaced. The first Toshiba spent a year in Iraq with me and despite the amount of dest, it performed flawlessly.