[evoker]

Originally Posted by GTO

Quite sad to hear. Which particular model was it from the EliteBook family?

Please stay away from the HP Elitebook x360. It has slowed down tremendously after 2 years despite having a 1TB SSD. It gets a random blue screen crash where the computer has to reboot quite often now (2-3 times a week). This is a common issue with this model.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by shishir333

I have a macbook pro 16 top of the line as my work laptop. Costs a bomb @ 2.39 lakhs

After about 6 months of purchase, one fine day the laptop refused to boot. Went to the service center; the guy says its because of the voltage fluctuations that the motherboard is gone kaput. Left it to be repaired, the motherboard arrived in 20 days and then they figured that the touch ID has to be replaced as well (as it is unique to every motherboard)
Got the laptop back after almost 40 days with a dent on the machine.

Now few points to note

• Voltage issue, seriously! There is an adapter between the AC and the machine, I have stabilizer for the house and all other appliances work perfectly fine
• You (service center) didnt order the touch ID along with motherboard when you knew that both had to be replaced together
• 40 days for repair
• All data lost as the SSD is soldered on the machine

For all those swearing by the macbook reliability, I agree. I owned 5 macbook pros in the last 8 years. But once something goes wrong with your machine, be ready to pay exorbitant amount for your repairs. I remember the screen on my macbook pro 13 retina stopped working and I was asked around 50K for replacement of screen and the shell

I have never been told by Apple Service why something went wrong unless it is something as obvious as water damage because they dont know. I think he just shot an arrow in the dark. Its hard to believe that it took 40 days to repair because most of the times I have had to use Apple service either I have been given a replacement on the spot (for iphone, apple watch etc) or a new MacBook Air because the service center scratched it while repairing in a week or so. Its perhaps due to Corona but 40 days would not be acceptable to Apple themselves let alone the customer. That is now how Apple has built its reputation.

Did you ask them if there was a way to recover data in your SSD? 2 min search shows me that there is a way https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250527032

[shishir333]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Did you ask them if there was a way to recover data in your SSD? 2 min search shows me that there is a way https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250527032

So looks like apple has a way to recover data but these guys at the service center didnt wanted to or probably didnt had the device thats discussed on the forum.
Either ways, they would have known this but didnt tell me anything.

I told them several times of how critical the data was and asked them if they allowed me to look at motherboard, I myself would try to desolder the SSD out and get the data. But as expected, their response was a NO

I could have opened the machine myself but if they get to know this then I am pretty sure they will not touch my machine and OR for repairing charges more than the machine itself

[amit1agrawal]

Irrespective of which system one goes for, I would recommend buying an external drive and regularly backup all the data onto it. My office, for example, has made it mandatory to backup the 'Documents' folder to MS OneDrive though an employee can manually stop the sync he/she will start getting repeated reminders. For my personal MacBook, I keep backing up data once is while (data is not that critical).

Originally Posted by shishir333

So looks like apple has a way to recover data but these guys at the service center didnt wanted to or probably didnt had the device thats discussed on the forum.
Either ways, they would have known this but didnt tell me anything.

I told them several times of how critical the data was and asked them if they allowed me to look at motherboard, I myself would try to desolder the SSD out and get the data. But as expected, their response was a NO

I could have opened the machine myself but if they get to know this then I am pretty sure they will not touch my machine and OR for repairing charges more than the machine itself

[navin]

Originally Posted by GTO

Guys, please share the make + model names of Windows laptops you recommend. Am sure there are many others in the same dilemma who are looking for a high quality, reliable laptop. Your answers will help all of us . Thank you!

Ok I don't normally venture in to the technology section but someone told me you posted here.

I have had a Thinkpad since the days that IBM made them. I get them because their keyboard has the best tactile feedback, last forever, and they always have a good docking station (I always get the docking station as it simplifies life).

My current machine is a T480s with an Ultradock that has 4 USB ports, HDMI out, and some other ports I have no idea about. I have a 2TB backup hard drive connected to one port, my speakers connected to another, a wireless charger / pen holder connected to a third and dual 30" DELL monitors connected to the HDMI.

My older X series laptop is still working but I was forced to upgrade by my IT team. I think it was because I was holding up everyone else who wanted to upgrade and couldn't do so because "the boss had not done so yet".

A good laptop is not cheap but for me it is a work tool and reliability trumps performance. My old X series is from 2010 I think and still works. BTW my MacBook is from 2008 and still going strong. Its got a dink on one corner from falling out of my hand and I damaged the battery because I had left it on my desk the day before lockdown and forgot to switch the power off. But other than that it still works fine.

Thinkpad and MacBook laptops may look "plain jane" but have outlasted all the fancy Dell XPS, HP and Acer laptops others in my office have.

BTW a good laptop bag is essential to protect your laptop. The ones they supply free are less than useless. I recommend Crumpler. My "Part and Parcel" is from 2007 and has little sign of wear.

[GTO]

Guys, thanks a ton for all the help & advice. When I started this thread, I thought maybe it'll be a Lenovo, HP or something similar that I'll end up with. Never even imagined I'll move to the Mac world, but thanks to all the advice, that's exactly what I did .

Bought a Macbook Pro 16 (need bigger screen for content) with 32 GB of RAM (to make it future proof) and 1 TB SSD. Got it from USA for $2719, thanks to an employee discount from a dear friend who works for Apple. Also got Apple Care+ for $322 - extended warranty is a no-brainer for me, no matter what I buy.

I have a close relative flying in from the USA end October. He'll be carrying my Macbook Pro.

Once again, thank you!

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by GTO

Bought a Macbook Pro 16 (need bigger screen for content) with 32 GB of RAM (to make it future proof) and 1 TB SSD. Got it from USA for $2719, thanks to an employee discount from a dear friend who works for Apple. Also got Apple Care+ for $322 - extended warranty is a no-brainer for me, no matter what I buy.

That’s super GTO, congratulations. That’s a very good cost difference too, compared to India. Look forward to your review sometime later, especially on the move from Windows to MacOS. It will help people who are contemplating a similar move.

Did you buy the i7 or the i9 version? Are you also getting the Word, Excel and PowerPoint software for Mac?

Cheers

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by GTO

Guys, thanks a ton for all the help & advice. When I started this thread, I thought maybe it'll be a Lenovo, HP or something similar that I'll end up with. Never even imagined I'll move to the Mac....

Congratulations! You've got yourself the Lexus of notebooks. An iPhone might follow a few years later, but that's not a bad thing if you ask me.

I hope you enjoy MacOS and don't worry about the "walled-garden" nonsense some people will give you. Sure you can't customize a few settings, but everyone who buys a Mac just buys it because IT WORKS. Period.

[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by GTO

Bought a Macbook Pro 16 (need bigger screen for content) with 32 GB of RAM (to make it future proof) and 1 TB SSD. Got it from USA for $2719, thanks to an employee discount from a dear friend who works for Apple. Also got Apple Care+ for $322 - extended warranty is a no-brainer for me, no matter what I buy.

I have a close relative flying in from the USA end October. He'll be carrying my Macbook Pro.

Congratulations on the great buy.
The configuration looks amazing, 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD. I guess its the i7 10th generation prossesor.

For high-end laptops, getting it from the US is the trick. You have got one of the best products around and saved loads of money.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by GTO

Guys, thanks a ton for all the help & advice. When I started this thread, I thought maybe it'll be a Lenovo, HP or something similar that I'll end up with. Never even imagined I'll move to the Mac world, but thanks to all the advice, that's exactly what I did .

Bought a Macbook Pro 16 (need bigger screen for content) with 32 GB of RAM (to make it future proof) and 1 TB SSD. Got it from USA for $2719, thanks to an employee discount from a dear friend who works for Apple. Also got Apple Care+ for $322 - extended warranty is a no-brainer for me, no matter what I buy.

I have a close relative flying in from the USA end October. He'll be carrying my Macbook Pro.

Once again, thank you!

Nice. As soon as I read it I was praying that you got Apple care and bingo there you have it. Now that you are at it, move away from the galaxy to an iPhone and enjoy the ecosystem. Its not just the iPhone that is keeping me with Apple, it is everything else and how they all work together like magic. Congrats once again.

[GTO]

Thank you, all!

Originally Posted by Cyborg

That’s a very good cost difference too, compared to India.

Especially when high-end Windows laptops are costing 1.75 - 2 lakhs with 32 GB RAM / 1 TB SSD.

Did you buy the i7 or the i9 version? Are you also getting the Word, Excel and PowerPoint software for Mac?

2.3 GHz 8-core 9th-gen.

Yes, will absolutely get MS Office.

If I am okay with the Mac world, then I'll buy another 13 / 14 inch Mac ARM (whenever it comes out) because one thing I've realised is, I need 2 laptops identically set up at all times (in case one gets busted). Will use the smaller one when I step out for field work.

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Congratulations! You've got yourself the Lexus of notebooks.

Thanks! All I want right now is reliability + uptime + longevity. Incidentally, my stupid Dell Latitude froze when reading this thread earlier today. See the mess it's in - it hung up even though I'm not using the docking port. Besides these issues, there was a Dell update last week for which I had to restart in the middle of the day and a Windows error another time. Am hoping my Mac experience is superior. That being said, a BHPian (thanks - you know who you are!) stepped in and expedited my Dell repair. New motherboard + keyboard coming today.

An iPhone might follow a few years later, but that's not a bad thing if you ask me.

Am open, am open. Incidentally, my Samsung S9 now enters its 3rd year and is due for replacement in a couple of months.

I hope you enjoy MacOS and don't worry about the "walled-garden" nonsense some people will give you. Sure you can't customize a few settings, but everyone who buys a Mac just buys it because IT WORKS. Period.

90% of my work is in the browser, man. Give me a walled reliable, stable garden over an unreliable, bloated system any day. After seeing all the "new to MacOS" videos on YouTube, I hope I never have to return to Windows again. Fingers crossed.

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

The configuration looks amazing, 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD. I guess its the i7 10th generation prossesor.

Thanks. 10th-gen still not out on the Macbook 16 (it is on the 13 though). I researched on Reddit and there's not much of a difference between the 9th & 10th gens, so I didn't wait. With my Dell falling apart, not like I could wait anyway.

For high-end laptops, getting it from the US is the trick. You have got one of the best products around and saved loads of money.

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

As soon as I read it I was praying that you got Apple care and bingo there you have it.

Thanks! If they offered 5 - 7 years Apple Care, I would've taken that too. I'm the kind of guy who takes extended warranty not just for cars, but also every gadget in the house . Every air-con, fridge, TV, microwave & washing machine in my house has the 5-year warranty from Vijay Sales. Last fortnight, my bedroom air-con conked off and Vijay Sales-OnsiteGo had it up and running in 4 working days (no hassle of diagnosis, repair estimates, bargaining, repair vs replace predicament etc.).

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by GTO

Never even imagined I'll move to the Mac world, but thanks to all the advice, that's exactly what I did .

Bought a Macbook Pro 16 (need bigger screen for content) with 32 GB of RAM (to make it future proof) and 1 TB SSD. Got it from USA for $2719, thanks to an employee discount from a dear friend who works for Apple.

Congrats Rush! That's an awesome purchase, and while I'm not a fan of Apple software, its hardware is top notch. Apple is indeed the Lexus of IT world-Expensive and Reliable.

Also got Apple Care+ for $322 - extended warranty is a no-brainer for me, no matter what I buy.

+1. My Omen is almost 2 year old now, and is out of its 1 year factory warranty. And I saved lot of money when its fan blades broke recently. This post will also be about my latest experience with service.

23rd Sept: I start noticing a bit of hindrance in movement of one of the fans. It was as if fan is hitting something and was very minor. BIOS throws 90B error which is for malfunctioning fan. I immediately contact HP Whatsapp support. They ask me to make a video, despite me telling them that it can make matters even worse. And as expected, something breaks inside and the primary fan stopped. I called their toll free number since I was not at all satisfied with their support over Whatsapp. They transferred my call to their Technical department, and for a change I was happy to be dealing with someone who actually understands laptops. He asks me not to use the laptop and he will send an engineer with parts ASAP.

25th Sept: An engineer comes with required spares, removes the service cover to reveal that some blades are broken and they were stuck inside the fan cowl. While he cleared the debris, the remaining fan was unbalanced and was vibrating a lot when moving. He expressed his inability in replacing the part, since it was broken, he needed to take approval in such cases. Fair enough. My laptop was usable, but with crazy vibrations.

26th Sept: I am told that the claim was rejected, as this came under physical damage. Also, ADP is valid only till factory warranty is valid. They however gave me an option to get this changed on payable basis.

I escalated the matter over email, to Service Head, HP India. Since it was weekend, I was not expecting any action till Monday.

28th Sept: I receive a call from a Gentleman who introduced himself as one of the senior Customer care managers of Asia Pacific region. He wanted to understand the entire case, asked me many questions and after understanding the case completely, asked me couple of days till he discusses this matter with the technical team.

Around 2PM, I get a call from the engineer that my warranty replacement has been approved. Since I was not in town, I requested him to come today.

29th Sept: During lunch, I came home, and arranged a temporary setup downstairs so that he doesn't have to enter my room. In these times, its neither safe nor desirable. The engineer came exactly at the time promised and replaced the fans. He also cleaned all visible dust inside, and I requested him to use the thermal paste I had-Arctic Silver 5, and not the OEM one(which is crap!). I was very happy with the service and professionalism of the Engineer.

The extended warranty paid for itself because the entire setup which was replaced costs well over 10k.

Regards,
Shashi

PS: Some Pics:

90B error thrown at BIOS:



Long time user of AS5:



Had made this temporary setup downstairs so that engineer doesn't have to come to my living room-Best for both parties:



Microfibers to prevent scratches:



Note the broken primary fan blades:









Fan and Heatsink removed:



Spares Box:



The escalation email:



Again, HP lived up to my expectations.

Regards,
Shashi

[Amien]

Originally Posted by GTO

Especially when high-end Windows laptops are costing 1.75 - 2 lakhs with 32 GB RAM / 1 TB SSD.


Thanks. 10th-gen still not out on the Macbook 16 (it is on the 13 though). I researched on Reddit and there's not much of a difference between the 9th & 10th gens, so I didn't wait. With my Dell falling apart, not like I could wait anyway.

At this price, the value proposition changes and tilts in favor of the Macbook. Waiting is less relevant for the Pro compared to the Air.

Not only is there virtually no difference between Intel's 9th and 10th gen. non-U parts, They also have nothing new to offer for the 11th gen.

After putting in all this work, one cannot go wrong no matter what they choose. Congratulations

[rdst_1]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

The extended warranty paid for itself because the entire setup which was replaced costs well over 10k.

Are the fans part of the heatsink or are they seperately removable like in most laptops. I have changed the fan for my Lenovo laptop and it cost only 350 bucks and not 10k.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by rdst_1

Are the fans part of the heatsink or are they seperately removable like in most laptops.

They replaced both fan assemblies under warranty. They apparently come under one single part number. I did check in aftermarket and this being a rare model, no one had any clue about the replacement parts.

I have changed the fan for my Lenovo laptop and it cost only 350 bucks and not 10k.

350 bucks? Was that a Genuine Lenovo spare or a generic one?

HP spares in general( except the regularly replaced ones like battery and charger) are too expensive. I had misplaced the inspection cover of my 2011 DV6 once, and its replacement was almost 4k, for a cheap tiny plastic part.



Regards,
Shashi