Dell v HP v IBM v Apple
I originally wrote this for my dell rep position, but the results were so surprising I just had to post it here.

Keep in mind, I own a HP laptop. I've been an avid supporter of it, until, well, now. And I also favored apple, but after writing this, I don't believe apples are worth it anymore.

I originally posted this as a comment on someone else's post, but now I decided to actually go in-depth and figure out what's the big deal about Dell vs. all these other major competitors.

I went ahead and configured a dell with the following components:
Tuxedo Black Casing XPS M1530
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.5GHz/800Mhz FSB, 6MB Cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition
High Resolution, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch LCD(1440x900) & 2MP Camera
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms)
Size: 320GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write)
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT
Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Mini Card
Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth Internal (2.0+Enhanced Data Rate)
56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy HD Software Edition
Finger Print Reader XPS M1530
(also, dell COMES WITH the following warranty:)
3Yr In-Home Service, Parts Labor, 24x7 Phone Support
Add Accidental Damage and LoJack Theft Protection to 3Yr Warr.
Included 10GB DataSafe Online Backup for 1Year

The Dell XPS M1530 configured as-so costs about $1,624
(Note: I had to go with 2.5ghz instead of the featured 2.6 ghz because HP DOESN'T OFFER IT)

Now, let's check out HP:
(Their site is really hard to navigate compared to Dell's. This is almost impossible to configure)

Components

* • Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
* • Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.50 GHz, 6 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
* • 15.4" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
* • 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* • 50% OFF 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS - For Core 2 Duo Processors
* • HP Imprint Finish (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Microphone
* • Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
* • 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
* • SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
* • No TV Tuner w/remote control
* • 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* • FREE Upgrade to Computrace LoJack for Laptops, Four Years from LoJack for Laptops, Three Years
* • Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
* • 3-year HP Accidental Damage Protection with Pick Up and Return

Okay guys, I really tried with this one, but they just didn't have the discrete graphics card dell offers. I built the best laptop HP would sell me at that size. It comes out to: $1,548.97

Now, keep in mind, the dell laptop comes with a better screen to begin with, which might account for the difference. And, it has more options, a faster, more secure hard drive (drop protection), and even an option for a SOLID STATE drive. Also, HP does NOT offer a Blu-Ray burner, just a reader, and Dell offers many screen options (all the way up to 1080p!!!), whereas hp doesn't. Not to mention, I had a million days of trouble trying to configure that hp system!


Okay, now for IBM: Their key is that their laptops are more durable, but only in the sense that you could throw a thinkpad against the wall and it will still work. Unless you're in construction, I don't know how useful this will be. Espescially for students, whose worst worry is spilling coffee on their laptop (which dell covers).

IBM wouldn't give me an easy to past summary, but the main differences were:
Screen comperable to HP's (but lesser than Dell's, and no upgrade options)
Smaller hard drive (250GB, with no option for anything larger, just smaller.)

The price came out to $1,572.60, but that was only with a 1yr warranty (no accidental damage coverage).

Alright, to compare the main three laptop PC's, I'd have to say, they're all of equal value per buck, but dell offers more for less. Also, the base configuration for the XPS model I used was the MOST UPGRADED for HP and IBM. Look, if you want a laptop that will survive the test of time, both physically and technologically, you're gonna need a dell. That's the only way to go about it.

Now, Apples are good, right?
Let's configure it to the same as the rest of these.
15.4" macbook pro:
o 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
o 4GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x2GB
o 250GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
o SuperDrive 8X (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
o MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display
o Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
o AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook Pro (w/or w/o Display) - Auto-enroll
Total price:
$3,248.00
Wow, that's uhh...
WOW
WOW
WOW
WOW
THATS MORE THAN TWICE AS EXPENSIVE!!!!!

And one last note: The only notebook that would let me get the 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT discrete graphics card that dell includes is apple, who also includes it. IBM would only offer me a quadro, and hp an out of date lower-model card.

So, if you want to get the latest and greatest for the least, do yourself a favor, GO WITH A DELL.

And if you want to get FREGGIN RIPPED OFF, have fun with your macbook pro. I'll be in a corner laughing at your overhead, with my sweet dell.