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Time for a new laptop. Maybe...

ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #60 on: January 10, 2016, 10:59:24 PM
Well a number of other issues have cropped up in my life so it looks like I am going to be plugging away on this sad old machine for a while longer.

It still works fine, it just gets bogged down easily which is amazingly frustrating.

Def
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fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #61 on: January 11, 2016, 03:36:37 PM
can you try a clean install/restore of win10? (not sure what you have installed but save all your files first obviously)

you'd be surprised at how much better a clean setup is vs the in place upgrade
The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.


ca Offline Syph007

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #62 on: January 11, 2016, 03:56:15 PM
can you try a clean install/restore of win10? (not sure what you have installed but save all your files first obviously)

you'd be surprised at how much better a clean setup is vs the in place upgrade

What do you use for disk imaging?  I still have this old live usb stick with clonezilla on it and when I get a new laptop I image the HD with that, then if it screws up majorly I restore that image.  My new Dell still had the option to come with win 7 so I just stuck with that, it works.
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us Offline Sazabi

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #63 on: March 11, 2016, 04:00:07 AM
I'm going to piggyback off of Def's thread:  I, too, am looking for a new computer after not having a computer to call "mine" for a couple years.  Yes, I have access to four desktop computers in the office, to my old Android tablet, and to my mum's MacBook Air (on which I'm typing this), but it isn't the same; I feel like I'm mooching.  To that effect, I have been looking at my options for what to go with:  I know I want to have Windows, as this MBA drives me nutty, and... well, that's about it. :/

I've made a tentative list of possibilities, but am again open to suggestions.  I am trying to find something that should theoretically last for four or five years.  I don't have a pressing timeframe in which to make my purchase, but do have a limit on spending; ultimately, the SP4 would give me the most flexibility, and I do like the ability to write with the stylus - trying it out at Best Buy was more legible than my normal writing with a pen on paper.

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ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #64 on: March 11, 2016, 01:12:50 PM
Piggyback all you like- I haven't done anything to replace mine yet so I'm still keeping my eyes open too.  It would be nice to see if there are any updates on people's opinions or suggestions that have come forward since the last time.

Def
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cy Offline dks

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #65 on: March 11, 2016, 01:24:25 PM
I got 2 Lenovo Laptops, in the past few months. One to use as a laptop and one to replace a desktop that died (it was cheaper than buying the same spec desktop).

I still use my Netbook, Acer from 2009.

Most will have an HDMI output, a few USB, sound and possibly a VGA output.
You need to decide on how many USBs you will need (More if it will be used as a desktop replacement), whether you are happy with USB 2 or you need 3, screen size/quality, whether you want a touch screen, hard disk size, internal memory !!!, DVD writer, how many cores you will use etc.

Any of the i Series Pentium processors will be OK. You can compare  here: http://cpuboss.com/compare-cpus

See their speed in actual use, rather than just compare the MHz and cores.

None will be future proof, but a computer with over 4Mb memory and an i series processor should be fine for a few years. The price will determine what you get.
Look out for special offers, as most dealers nowadays sell the same 2, 3 brands and the same 10-20 models.

in my case the low price was a major factor in my purchases, as I did not Really, need another computer.
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fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #66 on: March 11, 2016, 01:28:31 PM
There's a rather wide range of Lenovo Yoga laptops now... including models that are similar in spec to my Yoga 2 pro but at about half the price I paid.

Best thing about them is the portability aspect imho. Also they function in tablet modes too... which is a bonus at times.

The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.


cy Offline dks

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #67 on: March 11, 2016, 01:33:50 PM
Kelly: "Daddy, what makes men cheat on women?
Al : "Women!"

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fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #68 on: March 11, 2016, 01:50:05 PM
saw that... it's so tempting... and they have some actually not as expensive as I expected options
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cy Offline dks

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #69 on: March 11, 2016, 01:56:40 PM
They are around 880 euro here, which is not that bad, for a good i5 system. The touch screen seems interesting, and you can probably sell it in 5 years a s a collectors item and get anew one, for the money.
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ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #70 on: March 11, 2016, 02:30:25 PM
Good thing it comes with Darth Vader on it.  If it came with Kylo Ren then it would probably never stop whining.

Def
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nl Offline anditsgone

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #71 on: March 11, 2016, 02:33:08 PM
I have a macbook air with 1.3 ghz i5 and 4gb ram and have done some video editing with it. It handled it without any problems.

Unless you are dependeble on programs that only run on windows or one of those guys that swears by windows without any real reason i would suggest trying a second hand Macbook pro or something. ( i know this message will probably be ignored  :think: )

With a mac you don't really have to look at the specs. Our windows laptop has much much much better specs than my 2013 macbook air but that thing is as slow as sh*t compared to my mac every single tast takes longer.

So don't compare mac and windows specs against each other.
Even though mac's are expensive they also hold their value much better. an 800 euro windows laptop is 400 euros as soon as you have opened the box.
« Last Edit: March 11, 2016, 02:37:34 PM by anditsgone »


ca Offline derekmac

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #72 on: March 11, 2016, 02:38:34 PM
I have a macbook air with 1.3 ghz i5 and 4gb ram and have done some video editing with it. It handled it without any problems.

Unless you are dependeble on programs that only run on windows or one of those guys that swears by windows without any real reason i would suggest trying a second hand Macbook pro or something. ( i know this message will probably be ignored  :think: )

With a mac you don't really have to look at a mac. Our windows laptop as much much much better specs than my 2013 macbook air but that thing is as slow as sh*t compared to my mac every single tast takes longer.

So don't compare mac and windows specs against each other.
Even though mac's are expensive they also hold their value much better. an 800 euro windows laptop is 400 euros as soon as you have opened the box.
Even if you are dependant on Windows, just use Bootcamp.  I have our old 24" iMac running Windows 7 on Bootcamp for the kids, and it runs great! 

I also second getting a good used MBP.  My 2009 MBP runs awesome, and can handle anything I throw at it.  With the SSD I installed, it easily beats out my PC that's WAAAAY better spec'd!!


us Offline Sazabi

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #73 on: March 11, 2016, 02:44:07 PM
anditsgone: I've been using my mum's MBA for the past three months to complete my homework.  I'm not saying it's a bad machine; it isn't.  It just is not what I'm looking for in a computer; I greatly prefer Windows between the two.  I know what programs I run, and what flexibility I want out of it; I'm afraid the Mac just isn't my cup of tea.

Grant: IIRC, good old Snape-lite is on the cover.

Dks: I know the computers will be out of date in less than a year, but at least the three options I listed have the sixth generation i processors, and also the reason why I was looking at a build with at least 8GB of RAM.  For both the SP4 and the X1, the RAM is nonreplaceable, IIRC.  I have seen a couple models of their Yoga models, but no where around here carries the X1 or T series, so I cannot get a hands on feel of them.


nl Offline anditsgone

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #74 on: March 11, 2016, 04:06:44 PM
anditsgone: I've been using my mum's MBA for the past three months to complete my homework.  I'm not saying it's a bad machine; it isn't.  It just is not what I'm looking for in a computer; I greatly prefer Windows between the two.  I know what programs I run, and what flexibility I want out of it; I'm afraid the Mac just isn't my cup of tea.

Grant: IIRC, good old Snape-lite is on the cover.

Dks: I know the computers will be out of date in less than a year, but at least the three options I listed have the sixth generation i processors, and also the reason why I was looking at a build with at least 8GB of RAM.  For both the SP4 and the X1, the RAM is nonreplaceable, IIRC.  I have seen a couple models of their Yoga models, but no where around here carries the X1 or T series, so I cannot get a hands on feel of them.

I mainly use my MBA for mailing and surfing the web. I barely run in the problems with programs that only are available for windows. Only thing is gaming, if you are a gamer than mac suxxs because there are almost no games available for it. unfourtanly i am not a gamer.  :D


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #75 on: March 12, 2016, 06:29:15 PM
I'm not interested in a Macbook- I have looked at them and seriously considered one, but I simply can't justify the price.  You say they maintain their value more, and you are probably right, but the fact is that things tend to get beat around pretty good with me, and I am not going to sell it in three years.  I'm going to use it till it drops dead, and the argument that it will last longer than a PC is invalid, as I'm still using a Toshiba PC manufactured in '08 or '09. 

And, this was not a high end machine when it was new.  For the price of the Macbook I can get an upper mid range PC.  Maybe Mac OS has some benefits, but a 17" monitor beats a 13" monitor for the same price.

Def
Leave the dents as they are- let your belongings show their scars as proudly as you do yours.


ca Offline Syph007

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #76 on: March 12, 2016, 06:37:55 PM
Im still happy with the dell budget business line.  For $600 it does all I need and I get an avg of 3 years of one.  Then I just go buy whatever the equivalent is again when id dies.  The last one went for about 4 years.

http://www.dell.com/ca/business/p/vostro-15-3558-laptop/pd?ref=PD_OC

Apple ruined the consumer market with their glossy shiny display, so the consumer DELLs that used to have the option of matte or shiny went away for all shiny, and now only the business class ones have matte.  Its a huge deal breaker to me as I like to work on the porch or back yard in summer and shiny displays just suck for that.
« Last Edit: March 12, 2016, 06:40:49 PM by Syph007 »
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pt Offline Ricardomfs

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #77 on: March 12, 2016, 10:40:13 PM
They are around 880 euro here, which is not that bad, for a good i5 system. The touch screen seems interesting, and you can probably sell it in 5 years a s a collectors item and get anew one, for the money.

Kind of expensive mate just for some decals and light on keyboard, i´ve payed that for my Hp dv6 and it comes with an i7 and the amazing beatsaudio (bad part hp haven't launched yet the drives for win10, i miss that sound!), apart of that Hp are very bad at overheating, i regret buying this one because of that, but for the money/specs, it´s a must have definitely!


ca Offline jzmtl

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #78 on: March 12, 2016, 11:29:05 PM
I'm a big fan of these new ultra thin solid state everything notebooks, assuming you don't need too much processing power. I have last year's Asus 13" zenbook UX305 and it's enough for everything I do, even some light video editing. Mine's the base model with core M and non-touchscreen (but matte display), there's a higher end/price one with i-something and touchscreen, but I'm not sure if it's fanless. Dell XPS13 was another option but it does have a cooling fan. Make sure you buy model with enough RAM since they aren't upgradeable.

Oh and superb battery life too, easily 6~8+ hours on a charge.
« Last Edit: March 12, 2016, 11:31:43 PM by jzmtl »


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #79 on: March 13, 2016, 12:49:01 AM

Grant: IIRC, good old Snape-lite is on the cover.


Vader is on the lid, Kyle is the wallpaper.  At least that's what it was showing at that link you posted.

Def
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us Offline Poncho65

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #80 on: March 13, 2016, 04:16:04 AM
can you try a clean install/restore of win10? (not sure what you have installed but save all your files first obviously)

you'd be surprised at how much better a clean setup is vs the in place upgrade

That is sage advise right there :cheers:

If you are not up to clean install or a restore then you can get a few free utilities for registry errors, defragging always seems to help and then checking for malware/spyware (which will slow a pc way down)

I use Hiren's Bootcd for most all my problems :tu:

Most of the utilities that I use still work in Windows 10


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #81 on: March 13, 2016, 01:08:01 PM
I've given a clean install some serious thought and I will probably do that.  I'm sure that part of this machine's problems stem from the fact that it shipped with Vista, was upgraded to an illicit copy of 7, then upgraded to a legitimate copy of 8 and finally a legitimate copy of 10.

A fresh install would probably do wonders for it.

Def
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us Offline Poncho65

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #82 on: March 13, 2016, 02:51:05 PM
I've given a clean install some serious thought and I will probably do that.  I'm sure that part of this machine's problems stem from the fact that it shipped with Vista, was upgraded to an illicit copy of 7, then upgraded to a legitimate copy of 8 and finally a legitimate copy of 10.

A fresh install would probably do wonders for it.

Def

Yeah I would think a clean install would do the trick :D With that many versions of windows overtop of each other I am sure it is doing some crazy stuff in the background :ahhh :D


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #83 on: March 13, 2016, 05:05:50 PM
Yeah I imagine it is. 

I just think about the effort involved in backing everything up, wiping the drive, reinstalling, finding all of the correct drivers for an old machine, reinstalling all the software then replacing all of the files.... hell, I'd almost rather just go out and drop $1,000 on a new machine than go through all of that!   :facepalm:

Def
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us Offline powernoodle

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #84 on: March 13, 2016, 05:55:29 PM
I just received a new laptop from my employer (Dell Latitude E6440), and it is a joy to have a new machine.  Its fast, it has 2x the RAM, the keys feel like magical angel burps, and so on.  If you get a new one, you may wonder why you waited so long.


fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #85 on: March 13, 2016, 06:07:07 PM
To be fair considering how win 10 prefers to control all drivers that's one issue you may not actually worry about.

I thought my new xubuntu install on my new ssd would have been more troublesome than it was. I think within 48h I was all back up to speed,  and everything seems far better than it was. In fact it was a good opportunity to prune some apps I no longer needed or used.

When maría's machine was acting up I tried two different upgrade methods on a full system image on different hard drives,  one over existing the other complete wipe,  while we stick with the over existing,  the clean install was definitely better
The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.


us Offline campussecurity

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #86 on: April 10, 2016, 06:35:53 PM
Go with a lenovo Thinkpad. I have 2 and have had 2 in the past. You can pick up slightly older mobile workstations online for cheap and they have Quad core i7's and you can add two hard drives, 32GB RAM, and dedicated graphics. All for around $500. I have a Thinkpad W530. look into it. It's a beast of a machine and will handle life and tough tasks easily.

My W530 is a 2.6Ghz Quad Core i7, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1TB HD, and Nividea Quatro graphics with 2GB dedicated memory. Also has a HD screen. I got it off lease for $500.


fr Offline Whoey

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #87 on: April 11, 2016, 12:46:45 PM
have to admit the thinkpads were a great line of IBM before they sold off to Lenovo, and that model does look like a decent workhorse for the money.
The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.


cy Offline dks

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #88 on: April 11, 2016, 02:03:35 PM
I do not know the situation elsewhere, but Lenovo seem like really good value for money in PCs, Laprops, Tablets, phones...

every time i want to spend more that 100 euro on such an item, I end up getting a Lenovo, after a looooooooot of research
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us Offline raistlin65

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Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Reply #89 on: April 11, 2016, 03:50:18 PM
Another vote for Lenovo. I purchased a refurb laptop directly from Lenovo about four years ago for my 12 year old son. It has held up well, so Lenovo is boy tested for its hardiness :)

However, for the average user, I recommend a Core i5 and then do an SSD upgrade over a Core i7. A much more significant performance upgrade, IMO. And the Core i5s do run cooler/use less power than a Core i7.


 

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