Build quality question

Hi

I noticed that alot of people on these forums mention a laptop's build quality, but i don't really understand how it's ''measured''.
Also i noticed alot of ''horror stories'' about notebooks falling apart in a year, and that was from more reputable companies like dell, hp, or even sony Is getting a laptop that survives more than a year really like winning the lottery? This thing scared me. My packard bell mv86-003 is 9 months old now and it's almost like new: it never gived me any BSODs or crashes. The only issues so far is with the case: the HDD lid creaks when i press it and the right side of the screen bezel is a little loose. other than that the case feels pretty solid, since it only creaks a little when i grab it by the edges, and it never bends or flexes. And it's weakest spot, the hinges, are as sturdy as ever: they are very smooth and you could actually lift the base unit just by the screen. I didn't ''torture'' it, but i moved it around quite a bit: about 5 times to a friend's house and every day from my desk to another place in my room, where i keep it when not in use. Fortunately, i have 2 years of warranty.

So, is this thing falling apart?

Thanks in advance

 

no u should be fine.

 

Build quality is half subjective and half objective. E.G., to one person, a particular notebook can be built like a rock, but another person thinks the quality is mediocre at best.

There HAVE been real cases of crappy build quality in the past (i.e., Sager had a particular series 2 or 3 years ago that was notorious for cracking hinge covers, if not outright breaking hinges), but most manufacturers have gotten over this. Generally, if a notebook's hinges or hinge covers are showing signs of damage now, it's either because of serious abuse or because some chuckle-head at the factory screwed the hinges on too tight.

Now, most of the complaints you'll hear about build quality are that the keyboard flexes a little too much or the plastic "feels cheap." Keyboard flex is an entirely subjective complaint, because it's impossible to measure, and some people don't even notice it.

So, unless your notebook is falling apart, I wouldn't worry about it falling apart . I would, however, advise that you NEVER lift the entire notebook by the screen. That will just get your warranty voided when the LCD cracks under the strain.

And don't trust Dell, HP, or Sony to make a notebook that won't fall apart...they're more interested in churning out as many cheap notebooks as possible than they are in ensuring the cheap notebooks don't break.

 

I didn't lift it off the desk(i agree, bad idea), just tried to open it with one hand and couldn't because the base unit would follow the screen. That's what i meant by ''you could lift the entire notebook by the screen''.

LOL, if that's how sony and hp are, i don't even dare to think what you would say about packard bell

 

Build quality is important. While many notebooks will feel solid out of the box after many years of use you'll see which one is build like a tank or build like crap.

Take this example: A student brings 14 inch laptop to school everyday and 1 weekend a month to a LAN or something. That's 6 days and at least 12 times he'll transport it in a week(more like 50 times because 4 classes a day 2 ways x 5 days). During transport he'll gonna run to catch a train, run up the stairs to class, put his bag down on the floor and lift it up. The bag might drop. Books put huge pressure on the notebook. It's cold out then hot.

A cheaply made laptop might take 1 year's worth of use like that and start to get loose and squeek and the keys might pop off or the hinges might crack.

A well built enterprise class laptop would take 3 years worth of usage like this and keep on ticking.

Sure many will say oh I can get a cheap one every year and still end up less than an expensive one. My T60p cost 1200 you'd have to get 3 400 laptops. Another thing is I know that this thing will work when I need it and I won't need waste time every year transferring stuff between laptops.

P.S. I've lifted my Thinkpad by the screen many times, and stood on it once.

 

But in your example, will the ''squeeky'' laptop have other than cosmetic problems(like creaks)? Will, for example, the heatsink move away from position and allow the cpu to overheat or will the motherboard snap because of the pressure? Or in my case could the slightly loose bezel come off completely? Or the hdd lid get completely busted?

While i take it to different places, i'm very careful with it(i always keep alone in one compartment of the bag i carry it in and i make sure that no pressure is applied to it(especially the back of the screen, which in my case is pretty flimsy). So i should be fine, right?

9 months for a packard bell to be almost like new is, according to some, pretty good(some said that it'll die in 6 months )

 

It'll be fine. Just use it. If it breaks it breaks and you live and learn. I had a Compaq back in high school. Lasted 1.5 years before it toasted itself, before it finally died the CD-RW died, the Screen showed some pressure damage from the keyboard pressing against the screen. The hinges were cracked, the laptop creaked all over.. I then got an Asus which was nice and a huge step forward in quality but it was big so I sold it and got my current Thinkpad.

 

Another weigh-in here: I've found that "user quality" goes a long way toward determining "build quality." Transporting a notebook from place to place isn't going to hurt it unless you're an idiot about how you transport it. By the same note, USING a notebook isn't going to hurt it unless you're an idiot about how you USE it.

If you're a chainsmoker who shakes ash into your notebook's keyboard and smokes a pack while using the notebook, you're probably going to have "build quality" complaints when your notebook dies after a year-and-a-half because the heatsink is so clogged with tar and grime that the fan just acts as a convection oven. If you keep your notebook away from smokers and/or make sure to clean it a few times a year, you'll see a drastic improvement in build quality.

My former boss was a chain-smoker from hell, and her notebook looked like a freshly crapped turd when it finally died. I pulled out enough crap from her CPU heatsink to make a wig for Cher!

 

I just want to say, that many people who think transporting a laptop isn't harsh. It is. Think about it you're not going feather touch everytime you lift or put your bag down you grab and go and that's quite a bit of acceleration. Running around from place to place puts a lot of vibration on the machine. Overtime this can loosen screws. Even if you have the best laptop bag it isn't going to protect the notebook from these forces 100%.

Speaking of screws. My old Compaq only had blue loctite on some of the main screws. My Thinkpad uses red loctite on every screw. That's Detail.

 

@tebore:

Actually, I would consider someone who "grabs and goes" a notebook abuser. ESPECIALLY if they shake it enough that screws are loosened. If I carry my $500 guitar somewhere, I carry it carefully. If I carry my $1,000 desktop somewhere, I carry it carefully. If I carry my $1,500 notebook somewhere, I STILL carry it carefully. I don't see a difference in handling these three items. I consider it a sign of respect for the fact that that's $500 - $1,500 that I will never see again. If someone can afford to not respect that fact, they can afford to replace the notebook when it breaks due to carelessness.

I've never had a loose screw in my notebook, and it's a very crappy Dell Inspiron 5100. Granted, I clean it about once every 3 months now, but I went a year before I ever cleaned it, and didn't have an issue.

 

I wouldn't call it abuse. Dropping it on occasion or extreme temps or resting heavy stuff on it is.

If it is abuse then 90% of university students are abusers.

 

:yes:
And the ones who had to buy the notebooks themselves make up the remaining 10%.

 

Ha I paid for mine myself, and am part of the 90% but I know my machine will still be ticking after this school year.

 

My dad bought my first notebook when I was a sophomore in Uni. The LCD was broken within a month because I was careless. I had to buy my crappy little Inspiron myself (and I made do with my spiderweb LCD for about a year before I could afford it), and, besides some discoloration on the wrist rest and keys, it's in pristine condition.

Incidentally, that 5-year-old computer (a Winbook J4) actually remained a solid little backup workhorse for me until 3 months ago, when the LCD inverter finally died and I decided to scrap it instead of trying to replace the LCD.

 

Agree whole heartedly.

A few random thoughts . . .

I am on my third notebook (bought in 1994, 2001, and 2004), and can truly say that build quality has improved a lot over the years--especially in the last five.

My Thinkpad had creaky palm rests when I first bought it, and still does now.

And . . . I'm one of those chain smokers who smokes a pack while using my computer. It only takes a small amount of sense to realize you shouldn't put your ashtray anywhere near your computer. Same goes for a drink.

My two current computers are now nearly four years old, and I haven't had a hardware failure yet.

 

If only more smokers thought the way you do! Not being a smoker, I hardly even wanted to TOUCH my former boss's notebook. Even the touchpad was caked in tar...not a pretty sight, and not at all surprising that it was dead.

 

Just to further add, the 1994 notebook (a generic copy of a Sager) still works, and is stashed away in a closet, gathering dust.

The 2001 Sony also still works, and is at a friend's house, after having a hard drive replacement.

Computers can last a long time, if you treat them decently.

 

I'm a very careful user then. Some say too carefull
I'm not a smoker, so no ashtray next to it . The same goes for liquids. I saw a guy who literraly threw his lappy around , altough that was a dell latitude

I noticed the same thing with mobile phones: many of my schoolmates's phones look like out a warzone in a 3 months from purchase. My old sonyericsson k700 was 2 years old when i sold it. The only time it was dropped was when a friend of mine dropped it, and that left a few dents on it. The same guy, when he saw my laptop for the first time and tried to put a dvd in the drive almost broke the tray. Talk about being careless....

And, one final question: do case problems like creaks affect the internals?

 

Not at all. The only thing a creak would affect would be the casing. Now, granted, if the creak is the creaking of plastic as you twist your LCD out of its casing, that might affect the internals .

 

Agreed. thanks everyone for the replies

 

I have yet to see a screw on my t60 with red threadlocker - but almost every screw does have blue threadlocker.

In fact, I would be hard pressed to find ANY electronic device that uses red threadlocker on a screw. Blue threadlocker is more than enough for the pressures the screw is going through - and it's "same tools off as on". Red threadlocker is super-strength and you usually have to apply a massive amount of heat to break it open (that's how it's designed). There's no manufacturer that's going to risk having to take a blowtorch to the screw to remove it

 

Most laptops have good build quality, but then you get what you pay for.

I had a MacBook Black and for £950 you would expect the build quality to be perfect, it wasn't. I sold it.

Horrible horrible machine.

I also had a Dell Inspiron, it is built really really well, just a shame about the keyboard, now I have a rebranded Clevo.

IT IS PERFECT!!! but the keyboard is just like the Dell's.

I would say the keyboard is the worst part of a laptop, on most if not all notebooks excluding the IBM Thinkpads you get this cheap thin-plastic keyboard.

I wish all brands would give good keyboards. Hopefully they will, but all notebooks have problems with keyboards.

Nick.

 

If said all the screws have red loctite I was wrong. Red is only used for parts that are not intended to be removed. Like the LCD hinge screws, the screws holding the HDD to the rack is the most easily accessible to see it.

Blue is used on all the user serviceable parts like the screws holding the kb.

I know when used in a car a good amount of red will require superman strength. But the amount used on these screws is just enough and while it required more than usual strength I didn't need a blow torch.

Still better than the HP's I've seen which only uses blue on the critical parts.

 

Sony build quality maybe expensive but its very delicate...

My Dad's vaio sz (donno complete code), its keyboard comes out as if it has been stuck to the chassis with a cheap paper glue..
The CD drive has given lot of trouble & entire section had to be replaced including the speaker grills & power button.

The laptop is just over one year old

Also, the click buttons on touchpad need to be hammered with finger or else they dont work.
Does anyone else has these kind of problems?

I mean its damn expensive compared to my budget HP notebook (check signature)

 

Sony Vaio laptops are just for the name, they probably are Compal.

I just wished that all laptops had the IBM thinkpad keyboard, I would expect excellent quality from a Sony that costed $$$$$ then when I had my MacBook Black, the most expensive version. It has worse build quality then my older Dell.

Food for thought.

Nick.

 

Keep in mind that the "in" thing amongst notebook manufacturers now is to make lightweight, "stylish" designs. Compare a ThinkPad design to a MacBook or Vaio. The Sony and Apple products look sleek and stylish, while the Thinkpad looks kind of blocky. One is made to be taken seriously, one is made to go well with a Gucci handbag. The one made to be taken seriously is made to last for a while, but the one made to accessorize is made in the hopes that it won't HAVE to be around long enough to be really solid, because there's a new model just around the corner.

I'm a cynic, in case you couldn't tell .

 

Also, a thinkpad would probably overkill if you're like me(VERY carefull when ahndling the notebook)

 

I just noticed the loctite in screws thing. Well, guess what: none of the screws in mine has any loctite