Packard Bell

Hi everyone,

about packard bell laptops. I've used to sell them along with brands like acer, toshiba,hp,fijutsu siemens and i would just like to ad that most of pb models (models like r-series, w-series) have a very high build quality. Those models have a very decent chassi and perform like any other a-brand.
Also it is one of the few companies that realy asks sellers for ideas and realy use them.
I would recomend an pb any time over an acer (problems).

sorry for poor english.

and no im not a pb fanboy (i have a hp nx8220)

 

It seems to me that the positive opinion about PB in this thread is only expressed by those who are related to the notebook selling business. As I told, so far PB notebooks are only able to compete in the low budget sector, and they don't seem to offer the
best price per quality there either.

Let us waite for a first impartial happy Packard Bell owner here.

 

The biggest problem pb had for a long time was low gpu-power in there notebooks. I also was one of the many sellers who said that was a problem, an other problem was quality of casing in older products. Both have gone up (alot, surpassing (to my opinion) acer (not hard) and toshiba). Also an other big thing is service, here pb scores again average to good.

And reputation, remember that making a bad name goes fast, very fast and making people see improvements is hard. When someone bought a pb lappy 4 years ago, than in some cases they had very bad (week) casings and screens (what is admitted by pb (wrong partnership (casings)) and now will automaticaly say its a bad brand non the less i would just say check them out (handle them and than make an opinion). Something that stands for all brands.

 

I have taken these photos yesterday in an IT-Computer exhebition named COMPEX in Istanbul, TURKEY. Sorry for photo quality coz I've used a Nokia 7710 mobile phone. Anyway...Enjoy!


Packard Bell Exhebition Stand and Notebooks

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/Clearday-TRForce/pbstant3.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/Clearday-TRForce/pbstant1.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/Clearday-TRForce/pbscreen.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/Clearday-TRForce/pbdualcoreseries1.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/Clearday-TRForce/pbdualcoreseries1.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/Clearday-TRForce/pbvseries.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/Clearday-TRForce/pbvdualcoreseries.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/Clearday-TRForce/pbwseries.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/Clearday-TRForce/pbwseries2.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/Clearday-TRForce/pbwseries4.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/Clearday-TRForce/pbwseries3.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/Clearday-TRForce/pbscreen2.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/Clearday-TRForce/pbstant.jpg



regards,
CDTRF

 

very good photos clearday, the notebook in the eleventh photo is my current notebook

 

Very not related to PB notebooks, but back in the day, Packard Bell desktops were the cheapest, ****tiest PCs you could buy. They sold them everywhere. You would buy one, and it would fall apart. It came with this crappy shell that stayed on top of windows. This ****tiest support that ever existed. Turds.

 

Is Packard Bell = NEC?
In some Asia Pacific contries, eg Singapore, Malaysia,Indonesia, Aussie there is no packard bell notebooks, but I found resemblance between packard bell and NEC notebooks

 

Packard Bell is indeed a division of NEC computers.

 

this topic is interesting just because of this

Im almost positive pacard bell was one of the companies that were owned by at and t. Why they would be absent from the us market and present in the rest of the world I dont know.

I mean.... Im ok with not knowing too dont get me wrong. But whatever it is is some strange story.

 

Hi there!

Im a newbie for notebook computing and Ive loads of concerns on which brand to buy for the last couple of weeks.

Although Im an advanced desktop user, I find out that notebooks are totally different in the matter of the subject that you are going to use them.

Ive been searching a lot for PB in this period of time and it seems that EasyNote W3624 is a perfect match for me to buy.

I prefer an AMD notebook with the most capable battery life.
17" would of course be a nice bonus.

One of the options was HP NX6125 EK156EA AMD TUR 1.8G 512MB 60GB 15 XPH but PB seems more fitted to what Ive expected from a notebook.

Although HP is cheaper than PB and a better known brand among notebooks, I think Im going to prefer EasyNote W3624.

Id very like to know your opinions on the subject.

Rgards,

Vectis.

 

I've had nothing but bad experience with Packard Bell computers. My notebook I bought two years ago is a piece of cheap junk that is falling apart, has no battery life and is hotter than my oven. I don't care if they've improved in the last year or two, they're going to have to do a LOT better for me to ever consider them again. They are indeed a very big brand in the UK but are almost exclusively associated with cheap computers.

 

Packard Bells are usually sold in stores through huge chaines such as Dixons. So what Packard Bell do is they add a nice looking screen, a fancy design (though ugly in my eyes), so the machine is tempting to the naked eye. Too bad people can't see what's on the inside, because as mentioned earlier in this thread PB buys the cheapest parts they can lay their hands on, except the parts people can see like the screen and chassis. The biggest problem with PB laptops is the battery and battery life. The battery usually lasts 7-10 months, and then you have to buy a new one because the warrany on the battery is 6 months (The cheaper MSI brand has a 2 year warranty on the battery). Battery life? How about a 2000mAH battery in a power hungry machine? Sometimes 4400mAH in the expensive models. And how about no option to buy better batteries with higher capacity? And if you're a little bit careless when you type, buttons will fall off the keyboard, something that's not covered by warranty either. So keyboard and battery quality is CRAP.

I used to work with service in a store that sells PB, FSC, Toshiba, HP, LG and Advent(MSI), and there's definately a lot more problems related to PB than the other brands I mentioned.

 

I can personally verify the keys falling off statement.

 

What about dell? Dell used to be pretty cheap. They can burn up your house as well.

 

Packard Bell Easynote R9200 help!!!
Can anyone give me advice. I have a pb notebook as above and the dc jack pin is broken. It is less than a year old but I have been told that this is not covered by the manufacturers guarantee and NO ONE will help. The helplines have passed me around various other helplines, I have been to the local store and have even spoke to PB. I have been told that it will cost £120.00 PLUS PARTS, POSTAGE AND TAX.
Has anyone else encountered this problem, any advice would be much appreciated.

 

In the gulf region, Toyota dominates the market especially Lexus (the high end Toyotas). In Japan, you can get a Toyota fully loaded that is more luxurious than any Lexus out there. It's a matter of taste and needs. I love american cars, but you wouldn't find me dead in a Camaro (which is a great car). It's just that it has a bad rep here in Kuwait.

Before NBR, I used to hate Asus and thought it was a cheap quality laptop. I was obviously wrong and actually thinking of getting one. Don't trash a brand unless you've tried it. Packard bells are great machines, Core Duo, Ati, great screen and lightweight for its size. What's not to like? Notebooks nowadays are like Hamburgers and the bread is not as important as the contents and "special sauces".

 

First off, Azza, did you really just call someone a "whimp" because they didn't agree with you?

Anyways, Packard Bell was a **** company for YEARS here in the the states. There wasn't a sane mind that would touch one. And for good reason, too! Poor quality, terrible design, bad performance, and a **** lame excuse of a computer.

So now, you are telling me, because they realesed a "new line" of notebooks, we should all forgive them and buy one?! We should look over HP, Compaq, Dell, Acer, Asus, etc., who have been making great PC's for years, for a **** company who claims to have "re-invented" themselves. BULL!

So tell me this- if you bought a Chevy in 1965, and it completly broke down in 1966, you would be quiet angry, correct? Okay, so in 1967, you figure, "heck, I'll give them another shot". In 1968, the truck breaks down. In 1969, you see an add in the paper that says "New Line of Chevy Trucks!". Now, are you telling me you would buy them again, when Ford has been doing just fine for all these years? You would overlook Ford for Chevy, because of a "new line"?! (These were just figures. I honestly couldn't care less if you like Ford or Chevy more)

Remember, you can cover s**t up, wrap it, spray some perfume on it, and call it some fancy French name... but it will always be s**t.

 

Well I will never forget my packard bell 386 sx 16 computer, it took 3 hours to install windows 95 albiet a 386SX probably didn't meet minimum requirements. plus the packard bell slogan when it would boot up brought a tear to my eye, it said "PACKARD BELL, America grew up listening to us, it still does!" and with a slogan like that, you fell like your king **** everytime you boot up that computer. I also had it hooked up to a colour dot matrix printer a panasonic that would take 20 mins to do a full color page print, no joke.

 

Packard Bell is big in the UAE
Im also plannin to buy one.
Its an Easynote V Series notebook
its got x1600 and duo core

 

Too bad for you. Good luck though.

Better try to find something more reasonale in spite of the big presence of PB on the market in your country. I am sure they will even glue a sticker with "Islamic notebook" in order to sell it to their new victims but it will not change their quality and service to better.

 

Both brands ae awful. Packard Bell is the sort of PC brand you would find in a supermarket. NEC computers are super unreliable, and have awful customer support.

 

i havent seen a packard bell pc in yrs. and ive never seen a packard bell notebook, the last packard bell pc was a mid 90s desktop.

 

I've still got my heap of rubbish Packard Bell of 4 years. What cheeses me off about it was what awful value it represented, although that was partly due to my inexperience at the time with computers, nevertheless, its still a pile of c***.

 

yup always useful to do research

 

I think this is their "market strategy" to target inexperienced ones.

 

no wonder i havent seen a packard bell in years because they dont sell anything in the u.s, cant even shop online from the u.s fair enough they suck anyway lol.

 

you'd think if PB was soooooooo good they would sell in the u.s market since it is one of the biggest markets around that alone should tell you something.

 

your comparisson between vw and bmw just doesn't make sense, bmw is renowned for their handling and no one (other than exotic supercar maker such as lotus, porsche, ferrari, etc) can match them. from the looks of things; you never drive a bmw.

Packard bell a VW??!?! more like a KIA to me. I mean a VW? lol

i wouldn't even touch one, if someone gave me one! (seriously! well... maybe i'll play with it and do my 24hour download with it, but i wouldn't put my precious data in it)


in here (australia), packard bell is indeed sold through supermarket, along with other unnamed brand. I've seen one in store, and i just can't stand their design. i checked their website and they indeed improve their design, instead of an ugly beige box, to an ugly black and silver box. i mean, who on earth compare this to sony and toshiba?!? dude, are you insane? who is on their right mind crazy enough to buy their PB notebook priced closed to sony and toshiba? their model just scream budget to me.

btw, i've also seen NEC pc, and it is also the most cheap built notebook i've seen

 

i did some research; an indeed; packard bell is pretty popular across some part of europe. but saying putting it in the same caliber as toshiba and sony is just absurd. packard bell is clasified as low to medium-low caliber notebook. it is perhaps comparable to dell notebook (as in making budget line up). most of the review state that (roughly like this); the build quality is below standard; but is no crap either.

 

hey i had a kia it was a nice ride hard to get parts for it if it would break down but it was a alright car till i wrecked it

 

how bout a hyundai ? hyundai Getz its called here; i've driven it and it is one of the most horrible car i've ever driven.

 

yeah thats cool hyundai are cheap lol i never bought one but thats the poor poor mans ricer lol

 

Recently I had an opportunity to help to the university guard with his new huge 17" Packard Bell notebook. I must admit that in spite of my scepticism, I haven't noticed major drawbacks: the keyboard was nice to use, the screen was bright and nice, the build quality was OK and really sturdy, though plastic, the fan noise was not annoying. I don't know how much he paid for it and if the thing will serve him long as a desktop replacement to manage his private photos collection during his long night work hours.

 

what was the specs in it was it up to date?

 

,

Give me an Audi with a Quattro drivetrain any day.

 

I bought a PacBel notebook as recent as yesterday!
EasyNote MV85-002, Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 2.0GHz 4MB L2 Cache, 15"4 Diamond View, 2GB DDR2 Ram, 120GB 5400RPM, DVD dual layer, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600, Windows XP Home.

What I wanted was a processor with Intel VT technology.

What I found out so far is not very exciting.
(1) Keyboard does not feel as good as Sony, IBM or Acer, which I used to use.
(2) Battery only lasts about one hour.

I have yet to find out whether Intel VT is enabled in the machine (BIOS InsydeH2O has no such option). I was playing around with Sony Vaio SZ28GP/C (Intel Core 2 Duo T2500 2.0GHz, Pheonix BIOS). T2500 has VT according to Intel, but that Vaio does not seem to have enabled it. Now T7200 has EM64T VT according to Intel, and this EasyNote has VT-enabled, as claimed by sales people. We shall see.

If anyone can tell me how to verify that, I'd be really appreciated! And if VT is really enabled, I am the one to say that PacBel is better than Sony, at least for me!

 

Was consider this model for a while
http://www.cnetasia.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050488,39312292p,00.htm

But after reading from page 1-9, dont think I want to spend my hard earn cash for a "second chance" notebook. Thanks for the review.

 

Amen. An Audi to me is the essence of understated cool.

And I've finally got rid of my old Packard Bell desktop! Gave it to my uncle in Scotland

 

It's not all that bad.
I am getting used to it. Part of my uncomfortableness with keyboard was due to it being UK keyboard. Just a little bit extra brain power needed for me to find @#"£ etc.

Now I am running SUSE10.1 on it. I installed VMware server and was able to get Ubuntu6.0.6 running as guest operating system under SUSE. Not a bad start after all.

 

Well we had a PB desktops years and years ago - it was a 60MHz processor, Windows 3.1 etc. and the keyboard is still going strong - made from proper metal! But I wouldn't buy a PB system today, they're a cheapo-PC World brand and NOT well respected here in the UK.

 

Hello to all,

I am thinking to buy a Packard Bell EasyNote MX51-205 laptop:

CPU: 1.6 AMD Turion 64 X2 (512kb cache)
Memory: 2GB DDR2
HDD: 120 GB
Graphic: Nvidia geforce Go 6100 (64mb)
Monitor: 15.4" (1280x800) 16:10
DVD-RW

Can you tell what kind of quality are Packard Bell laptops?
Does someone know can be used on them another laptop brand battery, because I dont have any authorised Packard Bell service in my city neither any Packard Bell parts.

This model uses standard 6-cell batery, is there any compatible battery with same capacity for this Packard Bell EasyNote MX51-205 model.

Any suggestions or views of this laptop are welcome.

Thank you in advance!

 

I am using EasyNote MV series, different from yours in terms of CPU, GPU etc, so I am not able to rate it accurately.

Just from my own experience, 15"4 Diamond View screen is great, my SUSE10.2 runs nicely on it. 2GB memory is good for running multiple programmes. I am actually running virtual machines on my laptop on top of SUSE.

Now CPU cache and graphics card memory of your model might be a touch low but if you are not going to stretch the laptop I guess it is just fine.

Share some fun with us if you ever buy one!

 

usually, you can only use batteries from the same brand.

 

Packard Bell and NEC are my least favourite laptop companies, and there customer service is Con Man Style.

I'd like to see their shares plummet...

 

I vehemently second that notion

 

im sitting here looking at a brand new PB and it is junk,and it just don't like working.and with vista on it.

it's going back.monday morning under the 28 day agreement.

Dear Mod's can i swear please

 

the one im looking at just has to many faults,build quality ?
the one here has vista on it and has trouble with its wifi,and screen blur.and its only been out of the box 10 days

 

When I lived in Thailand, I ordered a nice computer from Packard Bell. P3 800MHz 128MB RAM. 20GB HD. Old computer.

And it was a BEAST. I found it to be a very reliable computer, and didn't experience many slowdowns.

I was surprised to find that PB was of poor quality according to some reviews, and I refused to believe it. But since I have been living in the US for a good amount of time I have not kept up with them.

 

Packard Bell is one of the brands used by DSG (a UK company owning the PC World, Currys and Dixons stores) but they don't seem to be sold elsewhere although there is a P-B website. The pricing is usually attractive, but I would shop around for a better known brand, even if I have to settle for a lower specification. The same comment applies to Advent and Philips (nothing to do with the big electronics company). Aside from not doing too well in reliability surveys, the models seems to change very frequenty.

John

 

I'll be submitting a review of a Packard Bell MZ-36 to Andrew maybe tonight or tomorrow. I found it to be pretty reasonable if a bit basic.