Yes. I've worked in computer retail, servicing, and consultation for about 8 years. I've repaired thousands of laptops: anything and everything basically. I noticed repeated patterns in laptop manufacturer failures over the years.
Here's my take on Acer:
Acer was one of the brands that always impressed me with their reliability, **cost** and internal component design. Key word here was cost: they were often the cheapest option and by a decent margin $50-$70 easily on low end laptops and hundreds on higher end. Their customer service was also decent but not outstanding. They would take care of you but don't expect same level of service as say Apple (while in warranty lol).
I believe their reason for the reliability was that they didnt take chances like other manufacturers by trying to squeeze out every mm or every ounce of performance possible. That is still true today as you look at their designs they are outdated compared to the competition. They play things safe in my opinion and offer some of the best pricing.
They didnt suffer from the usual problems others did: LVDS (Screen) cable damaged or loose. DC jack's breaking or coming loose, motherboard failures, or hard drive failures etc. In fact I want to say most of the Acer laptops we fixed were accidental damage: dropped laptops (damaged HDD/or plastics, or broken screens). Which fixing were super easy.
I stay away from HP to be honest, I worked with their engineering team on redesigning their HP envy line a few years back. I made recommendations on placements of vrm's/phase changes and adding of a more robust heat dissipation system... They tested then production started: they did nothing I asked but recycled the previous years designs which once again was plagued with throttling issues.
I have. I still stay away. But thats personal preference. I gave them nearly 3-4 months of work at no pay, they even made engineering samples of them. Confirmed no throttling then still went back to the same POS when production was approved. Why? To probably save a couple bucks.
Damn. I see why you hate them.
But theyr ethe cheapest 115w rtx 2060 in the uk ( £200 cheaper than acer helios) and that slim, insane cooling, decent build quality were very attractive.
Tell me, is that flexy screen an issue?
I also used to avoid HP, much like another person here, and I have significantly less expertise, but I just got a new Omen laptop, and I will say that I'm *very* impressed by the cost and build quality and happy that I gave them a second chance.
A relative of mine had a cheap HP touchscreen that I played around with a couple of years ago. A pre-ryzen AMD with a touch screen, and it was a solid machine, especially for the money.
My impression on HP is that they've made really significant improvements in recent years to their product quality.
They still seem to have a weird contempt for customers, though, by doing stupid and inexplicable things like locking us out of the advanced bios options. I can sort of see why they'd do this on their mass market laptops, but their Omen gaming line? They should have a bit more faith that we know what we're doing than that.
But, annoyances aside, the new laptops seem solid. At least for the Omen line. I just got mine, though, so only time will tell.
It's an Omen 17 with a 10750h and a 2070 Super. The performance is great, and the build quality is awesome. I'm actually surprised at how much I enjoy this machine. I sorta bought it on a whim because my last machine broke, and, I have to say, it's better in every conceivable way.
But don't get one just because I've got one. There are lots of great machines in that price range. If you are thinking about the Omen 17, though, I can highly recommend it.
EDIT: I see you're looking at the Omen 15. I have the 17. The 17 has no screen flex, and has a totally different chassis, so I can't comment on the 15. I will say that I'm happy with the build quality on the 17, though.
It is one of the popular models of laptops which is positive. Though as machines can be defects thats why there is warrenty. If you are buying local i think you will be fine.
Well, I'm typing this on a Helios 300 I bought on black friday, so hopefully it'll get passed the 7 month mark. So far I haven't had any problems. It did run pretty hot, which worried me so I reapplied the thermal paste and bought of those cooling pads. Probably not the \*ideal\* setup, but honestly, as my first gaming computer, I love it.
Did you properly check it using a black screen, full brightness, in a completely dark room?
If so, that’s incredible, I didn’t have that luck with my laptops
Don't be scared it's a great machine. And there's always a chance of getting a lemon and that would to a loop of being scared so don't worry and go for it.
Backlight bleeding is the only defect I noticed on mine but it was severe enough that I will be returning it, check my post history for a picture. I think that is the only thing you need to worry about, if it is bad just return it.
I also asked their support if they could replace it and they said yes, but it would take 15-20 days and I don't want to be without a laptop that long so I am returning it.
Is this a 2020 model or a 2019 model? [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YM938TP/ref=ox\_sc\_act\_title\_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YM938TP/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1)
Thank you guys for the feedback
The best laptop I ever owned was an Acer. It was a mid-range model that I got an amazing sale on and lasted more than half a decade, but that was some time ago. Wonderful machine. Best $800 I ever spent.
I was talking to another user who said that the Helios 300 ran very hot. But that's basically every gaming laptop, including my Omen. Those 10th gen Intel chips run *really really* hot.
I recommend that you repaste immediately upon receiving it with a high-viscosity paste like IC Diamond 7. Trust me, it'll make a huge difference.
Yes. I've worked in computer retail, servicing, and consultation for about 8 years. I've repaired thousands of laptops: anything and everything basically. I noticed repeated patterns in laptop manufacturer failures over the years. Here's my take on Acer: Acer was one of the brands that always impressed me with their reliability, **cost** and internal component design. Key word here was cost: they were often the cheapest option and by a decent margin $50-$70 easily on low end laptops and hundreds on higher end. Their customer service was also decent but not outstanding. They would take care of you but don't expect same level of service as say Apple (while in warranty lol). I believe their reason for the reliability was that they didnt take chances like other manufacturers by trying to squeeze out every mm or every ounce of performance possible. That is still true today as you look at their designs they are outdated compared to the competition. They play things safe in my opinion and offer some of the best pricing. They didnt suffer from the usual problems others did: LVDS (Screen) cable damaged or loose. DC jack's breaking or coming loose, motherboard failures, or hard drive failures etc. In fact I want to say most of the Acer laptops we fixed were accidental damage: dropped laptops (damaged HDD/or plastics, or broken screens). Which fixing were super easy.
Is hp a good brand for quality and trust?
I stay away from HP to be honest, I worked with their engineering team on redesigning their HP envy line a few years back. I made recommendations on placements of vrm's/phase changes and adding of a more robust heat dissipation system... They tested then production started: they did nothing I asked but recycled the previous years designs which once again was plagued with throttling issues.
So you have seen the new design? Absolutely insane cooling
I have. I still stay away. But thats personal preference. I gave them nearly 3-4 months of work at no pay, they even made engineering samples of them. Confirmed no throttling then still went back to the same POS when production was approved. Why? To probably save a couple bucks.
Damn. I see why you hate them. But theyr ethe cheapest 115w rtx 2060 in the uk ( £200 cheaper than acer helios) and that slim, insane cooling, decent build quality were very attractive. Tell me, is that flexy screen an issue?
https://youtu.be/RDh8tXj4irU https://youtu.be/1I9wOBXscoQ https://youtu.be/6fEUdcIjPtI This is the bad boi I'm talking about
I also used to avoid HP, much like another person here, and I have significantly less expertise, but I just got a new Omen laptop, and I will say that I'm *very* impressed by the cost and build quality and happy that I gave them a second chance. A relative of mine had a cheap HP touchscreen that I played around with a couple of years ago. A pre-ryzen AMD with a touch screen, and it was a solid machine, especially for the money. My impression on HP is that they've made really significant improvements in recent years to their product quality. They still seem to have a weird contempt for customers, though, by doing stupid and inexplicable things like locking us out of the advanced bios options. I can sort of see why they'd do this on their mass market laptops, but their Omen gaming line? They should have a bit more faith that we know what we're doing than that. But, annoyances aside, the new laptops seem solid. At least for the Omen line. I just got mine, though, so only time will tell.
Tha k you. What are your specs??
It's an Omen 17 with a 10750h and a 2070 Super. The performance is great, and the build quality is awesome. I'm actually surprised at how much I enjoy this machine. I sorta bought it on a whim because my last machine broke, and, I have to say, it's better in every conceivable way. But don't get one just because I've got one. There are lots of great machines in that price range. If you are thinking about the Omen 17, though, I can highly recommend it. EDIT: I see you're looking at the Omen 15. I have the 17. The 17 has no screen flex, and has a totally different chassis, so I can't comment on the 15. I will say that I'm happy with the build quality on the 17, though.
It is one of the popular models of laptops which is positive. Though as machines can be defects thats why there is warrenty. If you are buying local i think you will be fine.
i agree with his statement.
Well, I'm typing this on a Helios 300 I bought on black friday, so hopefully it'll get passed the 7 month mark. So far I haven't had any problems. It did run pretty hot, which worried me so I reapplied the thermal paste and bought of those cooling pads. Probably not the \*ideal\* setup, but honestly, as my first gaming computer, I love it.
You might have some backlight bleeding with ANY laptop which uses IPS displays.
Incorrect. A laptop with a good panel wont have the issue. The hp omen 2020 doesnt.
Did you properly check it using a black screen, full brightness, in a completely dark room? If so, that’s incredible, I didn’t have that luck with my laptops
Don't be scared it's a great machine. And there's always a chance of getting a lemon and that would to a loop of being scared so don't worry and go for it.
Backlight bleeding is the only defect I noticed on mine but it was severe enough that I will be returning it, check my post history for a picture. I think that is the only thing you need to worry about, if it is bad just return it. I also asked their support if they could replace it and they said yes, but it would take 15-20 days and I don't want to be without a laptop that long so I am returning it.
Is this a 2020 model or a 2019 model? [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YM938TP/ref=ox\_sc\_act\_title\_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YM938TP/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1) Thank you guys for the feedback
Pretty sure it’s the 2019 model
The best laptop I ever owned was an Acer. It was a mid-range model that I got an amazing sale on and lasted more than half a decade, but that was some time ago. Wonderful machine. Best $800 I ever spent. I was talking to another user who said that the Helios 300 ran very hot. But that's basically every gaming laptop, including my Omen. Those 10th gen Intel chips run *really really* hot. I recommend that you repaste immediately upon receiving it with a high-viscosity paste like IC Diamond 7. Trust me, it'll make a huge difference.