[Discuss] My HP Pavilion's HD bit the dust and it is 13 years old, so instead of replacing the disk again, I would like a new laptop. But I would like to pay <$300. I do not expect the best or the biggest. I have been told that some computers do not l

[Richard Pieri]

On 5/31/2015 4:45 PM, Eric Chadbourne wrote:
> Probably depends on the brand and the time.

Not the brand. The ODM, the original design manufacturer.

There are the big national brands: Dell, HP, Toshiba, Sony, Compaq, 
Lenovo... who did I forget? Doesn't matter. None them design or 
manufacture their own notebooks (ThinkPad is an exception, a requirement 
of the sale agreement). They source bare-bones notebooks from ODMs like 
Clevo, Compal, MSI, ASUS, and so forth. They "customize" each unit with 
RAM, storage, wireless cards, optical drives and sometimes display 
panels. Then they slap a copy of Microsoft Windows on top whether you 
like it or not.

The national brands sign contracts with multiple ODMs. Pick two 
different notebooks from a given brand; chances are they were 
manufactured by two different ODMs. What's happened is the brands have 
been using this to force the ODMs to complete on price points. Quality 
has deteriorated as a result of this forced competition.

-- 
Rich P.