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Non Tool Forum => Gadget Freak and EDC Forum => Topic started by: Grant Lamontagne on December 01, 2015, 12:58:48 AM

Title: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 01, 2015, 12:58:48 AM
It looks like it is time for me to do something I hate doing- upgrade to new equipment.

Don't get me wrong, I love shiny new toys as much as the next guy, but I hate the process of going from one machine to another.  Something always gets lost, missed, forgotten etc. 

I also hate dropping that much money on something.

At any rate, I'll probably be keeping this new one as long as I've kept the old ones, which is at least 5 years.  My current machine is still good, but maxing out at 4gb of RAM is sadly very limiting.  So, I'd like to get a higher end machine and is like to keep it around $1000.

I'd also like an i7 processor and at least 12gb of RAM- upgradeable if not from the factory like that.

So far the closest I've found is the Asus ROG     GL771JW.  It's a bit overkill for me but I like overkill because it means the things I do won't tax it too heavily and very likely it will live a longer and more relevant life.

Any other suggestions?  If anyone suggests a Mac, please also be prepared to have your suggestions ignored....

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Higgins617 on December 01, 2015, 01:00:54 AM
After my experience with this one, I'm pretty sold on Lenovos and can't say I'd be getting anything but from now on.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: enki_ck on December 01, 2015, 01:12:40 AM


....

Any other suggestions?  If anyone suggests a Mac, please also be prepared to have your suggestions ignored....

Def

How about a ...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Big_Mac_hamburger.jpg)
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: derekmac on December 01, 2015, 01:29:32 AM
I'd never suggest a Mac, but my Macbook Pro runs very well with only 4gb of RAM.  And if I did suggest one, would you ignore it like kirks ignore thread? :think:

 >:D

I've always been a big fan of Asus gear myself, and never had any problems with any of their gear.  I don't know what they're like today though.

This one has 8gb of RAM, and I'm not sure what it can go up to, but it seems like a half decent machine.  http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/asus-asus-15-6-laptop-black-intel-core-i7-5500u-1tb-hdd-8gb-ram-windows-10-x555la-bh71-cb/10394373.aspx?path=8806b6e578d2760230857104f7cbb2b1en02
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: sLaughterMed on December 01, 2015, 01:53:57 AM
After my experience with this one, I'm pretty sold on Lenovos and can't say I'd be getting anything but from now on.
I am also very happy with my Lenovo.

As for transfering files, Windows built in file backup software is pretty good. As long as you have a hard drive big enough (you do back up your computer regularly, right? ) transferring your files should be a matter ofv drag and drop, and letting the computer work overnight.

If you really want speed improvements,  get an SSD (solid state drive). You can go from pressing the power button to browsing the web in 30 seconds (including password typing)
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: detron on December 01, 2015, 02:01:48 AM
After my experience with this one, I'm pretty sold on Lenovos and can't say I'd be getting anything but from now on.
I am also very happy with my Lenovo.

As for transfering files, Windows built in file backup software is pretty good. As long as you have a hard drive big enough (you do back up your computer regularly, right? ) transferring your files should be a matter ofv drag and drop, and letting the computer work overnight.

If you really want speed improvements,  get an SSD (solid state drive). You can go from pressing the power button to browsing the web in 30 seconds (including password typing)

I bought This ASUS Transformer Laptop (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TIJLLY8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00)

and put a SanDisk Extreme Pro 480Gig SSD (http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-2-5-Inch-Warranty--SDSSDXPS-480G-G25/dp/B00KHRYRLY/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1448931395&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+extreme+pro) in in.

this laptop has a Core i5 (dual core with Hyper Threading, so 4 threads) and 8 Gig of RAM.
as a Linux user, I had to disable the Windows 8.1 fast boot (it would just hibernate and lock the Hard drive) so when I turn on Windows instead of Linux it is a full boot, not a resume.  from power button to Windows accepting my password is about 9 seconds.  everything is fast. 

the SSD I bought comes with a 10 year warranty, so that makes me feel better too.

EVERYTHING seems fast now, Linux screams, Windows screams , massive spreadsheets do not even hiccup.  400 MB PDF,  no problem!
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 01, 2015, 03:20:29 AM
I can vouch for the change an SSD makes, it took my brother in law's old laptop from barely usable in winxp to very snappy win7.

Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: sLaughterMed on December 01, 2015, 03:27:21 AM
After my experience with this one, I'm pretty sold on Lenovos and can't say I'd be getting anything but from now on.
I am also very happy with my Lenovo.

As for transfering files, Windows built in file backup software is pretty good. As long as you have a hard drive big enough (you do back up your computer regularly, right? ) transferring your files should be a matter ofv drag and drop, and letting the computer work overnight.

If you really want speed improvements,  get an SSD (solid state drive). You can go from pressing the power button to browsing the web in 30 seconds (including password typing)

I bought This ASUS Transformer Laptop (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TIJLLY8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00)

and put a SanDisk Extreme Pro 480Gig SSD (http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-2-5-Inch-Warranty--SDSSDXPS-480G-G25/dp/B00KHRYRLY/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1448931395&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+extreme+pro) in in.

this laptop has a Core i5 (dual core with Hyper Threading, so 4 threads) and 8 Gig of RAM.
as a Linux user, I had to disable the Windows 8.1 fast boot (it would just hibernate and lock the Hard drive) so when I turn on Windows instead of Linux it is a full boot, not a resume.  from power button to Windows accepting my password is about 9 seconds.  everything is fast. 

the SSD I bought comes with a 10 year warranty, so that makes me feel better too.

EVERYTHING seems fast now, Linux screams, Windows screams , massive spreadsheets do not even hiccup.  400 MB PDF,  no problem!
Def, you may want to just buy an SSD for your computer, and do a fresh install of windows. You would be amazed what a fresh install will do, and a SSD will make your old computer faster than anything on the market that dosent have one
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: detron on December 01, 2015, 04:04:34 AM
I cannot afford it, but I can dream right

Core i7 with 10 cores with Hyper-Threading, (20 threads) (http://www.extremetech.com/computing/218050-intel-reportedly-prepping-10-core-broadwell-e-processors-with-25mb-l3-cache)
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: sir_mike on December 01, 2015, 04:55:33 AM
I have a HP laptop that has been great!  I don't know what model it is but it is a i7 with 8gigs and a 15.6 inch touch screen that is 1920x1080 that is pretty light. 

My son bought a new laptop and let me have this one so I don't have to sit at my desk all day and use my desktop which is also a i7 but with 32 gigs of ram and GTX750 video card.  Now my desktop just sits here unused!  I should get rid of it sometime.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks on December 01, 2015, 08:27:12 AM
you are already a "Jeep" guy

..you do not want to become an "apple/Mac" guy too, do you? .. Next thing you know you will be 100% hipster   >:D   :D

I am still using my netbook (remember those?). Had i followed fashion/logic i would have bought 3 new laptops until now.
I also have 2 proper PCs (old and new) for any serious work that requires a large screen, and phone/tablets for reading the forum.

As mentioned previously, deleting everything and doing a completely new installation with a SSD upgrade may save you some money.

With an old PC, anything new you buy will be a huge improvement. Just get the largest HD you can. I have 3TB HDs and they are getting full quickly.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: zoidberg on December 01, 2015, 08:46:41 AM
Easy dks, you'll go blind...   :P
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks on December 01, 2015, 08:49:59 AM
-only if I see you naked....  :P
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: zoidberg on December 01, 2015, 09:01:48 AM
Oh that would do it.   :D
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks on December 01, 2015, 09:06:53 AM
Oh that would do it.   :D

 :worthless:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: zoidberg on December 01, 2015, 09:29:41 AM
Oh that would do it.   :D

 :worthless:

This thread forum is doomed if I posted those pics.   :D
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks on December 01, 2015, 10:07:35 AM
you have been voted as the most attractive moderator...   :D
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: zoidberg on December 01, 2015, 10:49:05 AM
Yeah voted by blind people.   ::)
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks on December 01, 2015, 11:00:45 AM
blinded with admiration, love.....
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: derekmac on December 01, 2015, 12:48:21 PM

Yeah voted by blind people.   ::)
:rofl:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: ToolJoe on December 01, 2015, 05:27:42 PM
I've had no issues with my Chromebook but it sounds like it might be a little light duty for you..
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: ducttapetech on December 01, 2015, 06:38:36 PM
I cannot afford it, but I can dream right

Core i7 with 10 cores with Hyper-Threading, (20 threads) (http://www.extremetech.com/computing/218050-intel-reportedly-prepping-10-core-broadwell-e-processors-with-25mb-l3-cache)
I am still waiting for one that a 383 stroker with NOS powering it.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 02, 2015, 12:53:41 AM
I have thought about doing a clean install with an SSD upgrade but in the end I figure I'm still limited on RAM and it's still a lot of money in an old machine.  How long until the fans go or the MB develops issues and the money I've spent becomes worthless?

If I could upgrade the RAM to at least 8gb I'd run this one for a few more years.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: JP on December 03, 2015, 05:50:18 PM
At work we use Dell laptops. They are still on Cyber Sale at Dell.ca

Sent from my XT1563 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: tjfarrington2000 on December 03, 2015, 10:48:36 PM



....

Any other suggestions?  If anyone suggests a Mac, please also be prepared to have your suggestions ignored....

Def

How about a ...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Big_Mac_hamburger.jpg)
ooh! Dual processors?!



Sent from my iPad using a box of monkeys on a treadmill and a quantum leap
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: sLaughterMed on December 05, 2015, 02:48:13 PM
I have thought about doing a clean install with an SSD upgrade but in the end I figure I'm still limited on RAM and it's still a lot of money in an old machine.  How long until the fans go or the MB develops issues and the money I've spent becomes worthless?

If I could upgrade the RAM to at least 8gb I'd run this one for a few more years.

Def
YOu do know that hard drives are removable,  right? if you go to SSD,  abd the motherboard dies, you can take the SSD and put it into a different computer. plus, SSDs run cooler,  so less stress on the fans.  I seriously doubt you need more than 4GB of RAM.

If you haven't yet,  open your computer up and clean out the dust with a can of compressed air. It will help your computer run cooler,  and faster (marginally,  but it's a start until you commit to buying something)
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 05, 2015, 09:34:06 PM
changing to an SSD made a system feel like I had doubled or quadrupled the ram... and as pointed out you can keep the drive, buy an external usb case for it (and maybe wack the old drive in that)
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 05, 2015, 10:40:48 PM
Don't need more than 4gb of RAM?  Apparently you have never tried to edit video coming from a Gopro. ...

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: firiki on December 05, 2015, 11:17:53 PM
<----  Informatics village idiot here.

Would a SSD work on a Netbook with a Intel Atom processor?

Thanks in advance :)
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: derekmac on December 06, 2015, 12:48:25 AM

Don't need more than 4gb of RAM?  Apparently you have never tried to edit video coming from a Gopro. ...

Def
A lot has to do with read and write speeds though. That's where an SSD can make major performance enhancements.

My 6 year old MacBook (4 gigs of RAM) gained a lot of speed when I put an SSD in it. I really noticed the increase when editing 1080p videos.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: sLaughterMed on December 06, 2015, 04:13:25 AM
Don't need more than 4gb of RAM?  Apparently you have never tried to edit video coming from a Gopro. ...

Def
Hey, I thought I was the expert! :pok:

Just kidding. I'm a layman at best. But dmac is right, a lot has to do with read and write speeds. You really will see greater improvement across the board with a SSD in your old computer than an new computer with a normal HDD. Consider it an investment.

If you are worried about space (SSD's are more expensive per GB), its possible to have both a SSD and HDD in a laptop in the same time (SSD for OS, programs, and current work, HDD for archiving). This allows you to get a cheaper, smaller SSD (around 128GB or 256GB would be great for this setup, depending on the size of your actively editied GoPro Vids), and still have plenty of storage. Your current laptop may even have room for it stock if its a 17" monster laptop, or you may be able to replace your CD reader with a HDD cradle (my 14" Lenovo has this feature, as do many other laptops this size and higher).


<----  Informatics village idiot here.

Would a SSD work on a Netbook with a Intel Atom processor?

Thanks in advance :)
Does it have a standard 2.5" hard drive?
If yes, I don't see why not. Although in a situation like that, the lack of RAM and processing speed may be a problem, unlike in Def's case. You may not see the same improvements as someone who has enough of both
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 06, 2015, 11:57:54 AM
<----  Informatics village idiot here.

Would a SSD work on a Netbook with a Intel Atom processor?

Thanks in advance :)
Does it have a standard 2.5" hard drive?
If yes, I don't see why not. Although in a situation like that, the lack of RAM and processing speed may be a problem, unlike in Def's case. You may not see the same improvements as someone who has enough of both
There are non standard format (smaller) SSDs available... so it's really a factor of seeing what you can afford that will fit, and what is currently installed. Many smaller machines don't actually have discreet components (like my Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro where the ram is actually soldered on, so there's no possibility to upgrade or change it.) Hard drive on the other hand usually is removable, but I'm not sure it will help a whole lot with such low horsepower. you might be better off looking at a more modern machine and spending a little more to have some decent performance and sell/pass on the notebook to someone who would be happy with it as is.

Putting an SSD in my (now 6+ year old PC) made a huge difference. At the time I sprang for a 60gb which was about the best bang for the buck. Given the age of my PC it still gives several modern machines a run for the money, hence my hesitation to upgrade or replace it (aside from being able to afford a replacement) I'm currently at a point where there really is nothing else I can do to make this machine faster, and any further upgrades are just throwing money away unless they can be used in a replacement.

As mentioned the manufacturers finally caught on and started making hybrid devices which is great for speed and maintaining storage capacity where you have limited space like laptops. Definitely worth looking at.

One of the most important things IMHO with SSDs is to make sure both the read and write speeds are fast, some drives are cheaper and have about only half the write speed vs the read, this will still be better than standard, but in heavy use like video editing I suppose it's best to have both maxed as possible (both 500+ MB/s).
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: sLaughterMed on December 06, 2015, 04:36:27 PM
<----  Informatics village idiot here.

Would a SSD work on a Netbook with a Intel Atom processor?

Thanks in advance :)
Does it have a standard 2.5" hard drive?
If yes, I don't see why not. Although in a situation like that, the lack of RAM and processing speed may be a problem, unlike in Def's case. You may not see the same improvements as someone who has enough of both
There are non standard format (smaller) SSDs available... so it's really a factor of seeing what you can afford that will fit, and what is currently installed. Many smaller machines don't actually have discreet components (like my Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro where the ram is actually soldered on, so there's no possibility to upgrade or change it.) Hard drive on the other hand usually is removable, but I'm not sure it will help a whole lot with such low horsepower. you might be better off looking at a more modern machine and spending a little more to have some decent performance and sell/pass on the notebook to someone who would be happy with it as is.

Putting an SSD in my (now 6+ year old PC) made a huge difference. At the time I sprang for a 60gb which was about the best bang for the buck. Given the age of my PC it still gives several modern machines a run for the money, hence my hesitation to upgrade or replace it (aside from being able to afford a replacement) I'm currently at a point where there really is nothing else I can do to make this machine faster, and any further upgrades are just throwing money away unless they can be used in a replacement.

As mentioned the manufacturers finally caught on and started making hybrid devices which is great for speed and maintaining storage capacity where you have limited space like laptops. Definitely worth looking at.

One of the most important things IMHO with SSDs is to make sure both the read and write speeds are fast, some drives are cheaper and have about only half the write speed vs the read, this will still be better than standard, but in heavy use like video editing I suppose it's best to have both maxed as possible (both 500+ MB/s).
Frankly, SSDs are still so new I wouldn't really trust a cheap SSD to last anyhow. I had forgotten about the non standard connections, but for most people, anything beyond swapping out standard easily removable parts is too much.

Dont most old netbooks use 2.5" HDD's anyhow? I was assuming they did, but now im not sure
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 06, 2015, 07:38:43 PM
Depending, some are 1.8 iirc, and you can get SSDs that are essentially a matchbook size. In any case most of them are the standard side by side SATA power connectors, so swapping is pretty easy imho... getting to it might not be so much... depends on the machine.

Probably best bit of SSD is that it has no moving parts, so your data is probably safer than in a standard platter based disk.

I'm not an expert either, just speaking from my limited experience.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: sLaughterMed on December 07, 2015, 03:05:53 AM
Feeling pressured yet Def? >:D

Just kidding. We just really like SSDs, and think you will too. Im sure you'll make the right choice in the end.... :pok:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Gerhard Gerber on December 07, 2015, 02:50:11 PM
I can tell you this, and i7 with the OS living on a SSD just flies, I was lucky enough to have a 17" Dell with 2 drive bays at my previous job, and you don't wait for anything!
And, that was still the previous gen chipset......

I always liked Asus, but they tend to be expensive.
I was very happy with every Lenovo I worked on so far, but I am worried about constant reports of factory-installed spyware...

JMO FWIW :salute:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Gerhard Gerber on December 07, 2015, 02:52:12 PM
Have to add, used the Dell about 2 months before we got the SDD's - the performance gain is significant.

Also, for reasons I don't understand, all i7's just seem to be exponentially faster as far as network comms is concerned.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: sLaughterMed on December 07, 2015, 07:00:44 PM
Have to add, used the Dell about 2 months before we got the SDD's - the performance gain is significant.

Also, for reasons I don't understand, all i7's just seem to be exponentially faster as far as network comms is concerned.
The programs the run the comms areprobably designed to work with the 4 cores, plus hyperthreading. Many programs arent programmed to take advantage of hyper threading, so you see no performance gain over a 4 core processer without hyperthreading
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 07, 2015, 08:01:36 PM
Well, you have all convinced me to try an SSD upgrade and reinstall.

The factory drive in it is all of 120 gigs so it won't be hard to beat that.  I think I'll look for a 240ish gig drive and see how it works out.  I'm sure a clean install and faster drive will keep this machine alive a little longer at least.

Now to find a decent drive.... and how to clean install Win 10. ...
Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: firiki on December 08, 2015, 11:53:36 AM
Thank you for the info, gentlemen :cheers:

This is a Netbook my wife got in 2011 for basic Internet access and file retrieval for her work as she would have to be travelling a lot for the next year and a half. That thing worked OK for about six months then started slowing down and then freezing. We did a disk format and new install but it is still very slow. 1GB RAM. I doubt trying to salvage it would be worth it. I think we'll sell it to a second hand shop and get a SSD for our poor laptop that's been struggling a lot lately. Breaking the Internet thread? Nope nope nope.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 08, 2015, 12:00:05 PM
Well, you have all convinced me to try an SSD upgrade and reinstall.

The factory drive in it is all of 120 gigs so it won't be hard to beat that.  I think I'll look for a 240ish gig drive and see how it works out.  I'm sure a clean install and faster drive will keep this machine alive a little longer at least.

Now to find a decent drive.... and how to clean install Win 10. ...
Def
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9642327&CatId=5300 or similar maybe?
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: sLaughterMed on December 08, 2015, 04:28:25 PM
Well, you have all convinced me to try an SSD upgrade and reinstall.

The factory drive in it is all of 120 gigs so it won't be hard to beat that.  I think I'll look for a 240ish gig drive and see how it works out.  I'm sure a clean install and faster drive will keep this machine alive a little longer at least.

Now to find a decent drive.... and how to clean install Win 10. ...
Def
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9642327&CatId=5300 or similar maybe?
Page is dead Whooy

I know Samsung makes good drives, but they are a bit pricey. I'd go for one with a long warranty (the SanDisk detron got had 10 year warranty, sounds good to me), and good read/write speeds. This might be a handy resource to help you decide Def:

http://ssd.userbenchmark.com

Also, keep in mind that SSDs will slow down if you fill it up. TRIM on Windows 7 and up deletes files permanatly to help prevent this, but it does mean that if something is deleted, its gone forever (unless it ends up in the Recycle Bin). Overwhelming recomendation is to not fill it up more than 75%. So while you are shopping for a SSD get a HDD enclosure for the old one, and use it as a file archiver (so your SSD dosent get above 75%

Oh, and did I ever tell you having a spare HDD as a file backup is a really really good idea?
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: raistlin65 on December 11, 2015, 11:48:30 PM
This might help:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269.html

They recommend Samsung for best budget price/performance. I've used a couple of them. They work well.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 12, 2015, 01:12:02 AM
Good to know.  I usually lean towards SanDisk when it comes to flash memory.  If they say that Samsung is better then I guess I'll give it a shot.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: detron on December 12, 2015, 01:24:36 AM
Good to know.  I usually lean towards SanDisk when it comes to flash memory.  If they say that Samsung is better then I guess I'll give it a shot.

Def

I bought a SanDisk Extreme Pro.  those come with a 10 year warranty.  that made me feel I could trust it a little more
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 12, 2015, 01:36:40 AM
The drive itself is the cheap part.  The warranty can't/won't cover the loss of data and that's where the real problem is.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: sLaughterMed on December 12, 2015, 02:33:03 AM
The drive itself is the cheap part.  The warranty can't/won't cover the loss of data and that's where the real problem is.

Def
Which is why you buy a backup drive and BACKUP ALL YOUR DATA REGULARLY!
:twak:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: detron on December 12, 2015, 02:51:43 AM
The drive itself is the cheap part.  The warranty can't/won't cover the loss of data and that's where the real problem is.

Def

I agree with that statement, but I always back-up.  but I figure if I am going to invest in a drive, I like to know it wont die in one year and the company just shrug it off and expect me to buy another one
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: raistlin65 on December 12, 2015, 05:04:59 AM
The drive itself is the cheap part.  The warranty can't/won't cover the loss of data and that's where the real problem is.

Def
Which is why you buy a backup drive and BACKUP ALL YOUR DATA REGULARLY!
:twak:


I have a backup drive. Do a backup every couple of months of everything with it. But I also have a SugarSync account that backups over the Internet to the cloud all my main stuff in My Documents folder as I make changes/add new files to my hard drive. It's immediate. That's the best combo, IMO.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: raistlin65 on December 12, 2015, 05:07:47 AM
You guys might also be interested in the results of this endurance tests of Kingston, Samsung, Intel, and Corsair SSDs:
http://www.zdnet.com/article/ssd-endurance-death-by-petabyte/
The bottom line: all of these drives were written to much, much, much more before reaching failure than the average consumer would in ten years.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 12, 2015, 03:42:19 PM
The drive itself is the cheap part.  The warranty can't/won't cover the loss of data and that's where the real problem is.

Def
Which is why you buy a backup drive and BACKUP ALL YOUR DATA REGULARLY!
:twak:

I do indeed do that.

I have a 1tb external drive will all kinds of stuff on it that just failed.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: derekmac on December 12, 2015, 09:44:39 PM
I backup locally, and online.  My entire computer is backed up to Backblaze, and it does it constantly. 
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Sea Monster on December 17, 2015, 09:32:40 PM
Backup regularly?

Or....delete regularly, destroy the hard drive with fire, shred your passport, shave your beard and move to another country every 7 years...

Philosophies on data hoarding differ....

I'm on my fourth laptop since 1997 (so about 4 years each?)

I generally go "cheapest possible option with features to work with other stuff if required".

I have the benefit that work provides a computer for Autocad and images etc, so all my personal computer has to do is access MTO.org and play music.


I have absolutely no technically useful advice.
Get one with a screen?
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on January 08, 2016, 08:38:56 PM
Well in light of some disk failures or rather impending failure warnings I decided to finally move a bunch of my data around, and a few days ago snapped up a Samsung SSD 850 EVO (250gb) on sale.

It arrived this morning and I bunged a clean copy of Xubuntu on it, and I've now just about got everything configured back to how I had it for the most part. Did not think this old girl had much speed to be recovered but it sure is a lot snappier than my old setup!
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Smashie on January 08, 2016, 08:53:57 PM

Well in light of some disk failures or rather impending failure warnings I decided to finally move a bunch of my data around, and a few days ago snapped up a Samsung SSD 850 EVO (250gb) on sale.

It arrived this morning and I bunged a clean copy of Xubuntu on it, and I've now just about got everything configured back to how I had it for the most part. Did not think this old girl had much speed to be recovered but it sure is a lot snappier than my old setup!

Good choice, my desktop runs two of them in raid 0. :tu:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: raistlin65 on January 08, 2016, 11:44:08 PM
Well in light of some disk failures or rather impending failure warnings I decided to finally move a bunch of my data around, and a few days ago snapped up a Samsung SSD 850 EVO (250gb) on sale.

It arrived this morning and I bunged a clean copy of Xubuntu on it, and I've now just about got everything configured back to how I had it for the most part. Did not think this old girl had much speed to be recovered but it sure is a lot snappier than my old setup!


Anyone who hasn't tried an SSD, will be pleasantly surprised once they do.

In early November, my brother bought a new HP 17" laptop with 6GB of ram and a mobile Core i7 processor. Asked me if he should up the RAM (he wanted to see if it was possible to get more speed), and talked him into getting the same SSD. He was very surprised at how even on that Core i7, things just felt a good bit snappier with the SSD installed.

BTW: upgrading a modern HP laptop hard drive is a tortuous process of removing about 20 screws. I kid you not. Crazy how many screws were in the back of that thing to get to the HD inside. 
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on January 09, 2016, 12:07:40 PM
I already had an OCZ Agility 3 (60gb) I picked up about 3 years ago. It is/was primarily for my windows os which I never use.

I could never really make up my mind as to what linux distro to install as most of them didn't feel quite right and came with apps I don't want preinstalled. Also a bit worried at how long it would take to get everything in line again. Xubuntu is pretty close to the mate setup I had, albeit a tad different, there a couple apps it came preinstalled with that I axed in favor of my preferred ones, but for the most part it's what I need.

I'd say I'm not quite completely restored yet, maybe somewhere around 75%. A few apps aren't configured and a few tweaks still need making. For the most part my daily use programs are up and running. I'm still missing a few items I have/used in my old system.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Smashie on January 09, 2016, 12:20:29 PM
Is Linux supporting TRIM now?
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on January 09, 2016, 02:42:01 PM
apparently so, although it seems unclear if newer distros and drives require it to be enabled or not...

this seems a pretty thorough guide:
http://www.webupd8.org/2013/01/enable-trim-on-ssd-solid-state-drives.html
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on January 09, 2016, 03:12:37 PM
My laptop died a month or so ago and I had to buy a new one and I also HATE spending money on stuff like that.  My requirements are very lean though so I just bought a budget business dell laptop for 600 all in and IM happy with it.  I cant stand the consumer line they sell though loaded with crap and have shiny glare screens, but the business ones come without junk and have a matte display.  Not a gaming machine but it runs well and works and thats all I needed. :D
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 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.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Sazabi 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.

Microsoft:
Surface Pro 4, i5, 8GB of RAM, 128GB SSD
Lenovo:
Thinkpad 460 or 460s
Thinkpad X1 Carbon, 4th Gen.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks 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.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey 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.

Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks on March 11, 2016, 01:33:50 PM
... or just get this:   :facepalm:

http://store.hp.com/us/en/mdp/Laptops/star-wars-special-edition


(http://www.theforceawakensblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Star-Wars-Limited-Edition-HP-Laptop-2.png)
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks 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.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: anditsgone 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.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: derekmac 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!!
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Sazabi 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.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: anditsgone 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 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.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Ricardomfs 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!
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl 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.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Poncho65 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Poncho65 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: powernoodle 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.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: campussecurity 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.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey 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.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks 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
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: raistlin65 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.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Singh on May 04, 2016, 01:19:31 PM
I just got another business machine, a Dell Latitude with Windows 10 Pro.

I never get civilian laptops. Get a business machine; Better made and no bloatware.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on May 04, 2016, 11:57:25 PM
My previous laptop was a Dell Vostro 1000 and it was a business machine.  I agree- there was no bloat on it at all.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on May 05, 2016, 12:54:29 AM
The ones you get from MS store has no bloat, except the ones that comes with windows.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on May 05, 2016, 07:17:14 PM
Nice one!

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on October 23, 2016, 10:16:40 PM
It's that time boys and girls.  My laptop had an unfortunate incident earlier today and surprisingly is nonfunctional after my fist went through the keyboard.

It actually functions well enough, but there's no keyboard and the monitor is having issues, so I figure by the time I get a new keyboard, get a new screen and replace the hard drive I have been wanting to replace with an SSD.... well... I might as well have just bought a new machine.  So that's what I'm going to do is buy a new machine.

I'm hoping to keep it under $500 mostly because I really don't even have that much to spend, but I really can't be without a computer for any length of time.

Any other info not already posted in this thread that I should keep in mind when looking for a new machine?

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: derekmac on October 23, 2016, 11:07:22 PM
You're not supposed to practice your ninja skills while near anything delicate. :pok:

Keep an eye on the flyers, and you'll be able to grab something decent for under $500.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Tomcat_81 on October 23, 2016, 11:14:20 PM
Don't believe all that sensational news about IBM finally converting to apple products because they're sooooo much cheaper on the long run.
First check, why IBM would announce something like that.
Brave new world.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on October 24, 2016, 12:17:51 AM
WI hasn't even heard that so I doubt I'll believe it.  :P

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: raistlin65 on October 24, 2016, 12:50:35 AM
Keep an eye on the flyers, and you'll be able to grab something decent for under $500.

Is there a Canadian equivalent of Fat Wallet or Slickdeals? That's how I always find the best laptop deals.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on October 24, 2016, 12:51:37 AM
If there is, I've never heard of them.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: chrono on October 24, 2016, 04:27:55 AM
Do you have a Costco nearby? I love their 90-day return policy for electronic stuffs. Not to mention the holiday season is approaching, so more sale and enough time for you to swap machines if you don't like.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: ryan1835 on October 24, 2016, 09:19:53 AM
It's that time boys and girls.  My laptop had an unfortunate incident earlier today and surprisingly is nonfunctional after my fist went through the keyboard.

It actually functions well enough, but there's no keyboard and the monitor is having issues, so I figure by the time I get a new keyboard, get a new screen and replace the hard drive I have been wanting to replace with an SSD.... well... I might as well have just bought a new machine.  So that's what I'm going to do is buy a new machine.

I'm hoping to keep it under $500 mostly because I really don't even have that much to spend, but I really can't be without a computer for any length of time.

Any other info not already posted in this thread that I should keep in mind when looking for a new machine?

Def

i wonder how much second hand toughbooks are  :think: i had one at my old job and and an engineer ran his over in his van and it was fine
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks on October 24, 2016, 10:04:37 AM
make sure the its colour matches the colour of your eyes 
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on October 24, 2016, 01:04:03 PM
Do you have a Costco nearby? I love their 90-day return policy for electronic stuffs. Not to mention the holiday season is approaching, so more sale and enough time for you to swap machines if you don't like.

There are three of them within a 15 minute drive of my house.  I have been thinking of checking them out and seeing what they have.  Anything I get I will keep, even i it isn't the right thing.  I only return things if they are broken.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on October 24, 2016, 01:11:16 PM
It's that time boys and girls.  My laptop had an unfortunate incident earlier today and surprisingly is nonfunctional after my fist went through the keyboard.

It actually functions well enough, but there's no keyboard and the monitor is having issues, so I figure by the time I get a new keyboard, get a new screen and replace the hard drive I have been wanting to replace with an SSD.... well... I might as well have just bought a new machine.  So that's what I'm going to do is buy a new machine.

I'm hoping to keep it under $500 mostly because I really don't even have that much to spend, but I really can't be without a computer for any length of time.

Any other info not already posted in this thread that I should keep in mind when looking for a new machine?

Def

i wonder how much second hand toughbooks are  :think: i had one at my old job and and an engineer ran his over in his van and it was fine

I love the idea of a Tough Book, but they aren't cheap, even second hand.  I can destroy a lot of regular laptops before I come close to the price of a Tough Book.

Laptops are actually a decent investment for me.  I usually get at least 5 years out of them.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on October 24, 2016, 01:15:15 PM
make sure the its colour matches the colour of your eyes

Funny you should mention that- color is a bit of a thing for me.  Usually with most things I don't really care, but I can't type properly.  I hunt and peck as fast as most people type, but I do it while looking at the keyboard.  If it's dark and the keyboard/body of the computer is also black then I have a problem typing.  I actually have a gooseneck LED light somewhere that I had bought for my old Dell for just that reason.

So, while it may not need to match my eyes, the keyboard needs to be silver or white or backlit.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on October 24, 2016, 01:32:14 PM
I'm also hunt and peck for the most part, but I don't need to look at the keys as much these days.

That being said I can't imagine life without a backlit keyboard. I love my g15 on my desktop, and my lenovo laptop also has backlighting.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on October 24, 2016, 01:52:14 PM
I think I am going to try and use my HP Split for a bit and maybe pick up a laptop closer to Christmas or after when everything is on sale.

Assuming this poor little machine is up to the task.  It is remarkably underpowered.  :ahhh

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: 16VGTIDave on October 24, 2016, 04:03:02 PM
But it was cheap, right?...
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on October 25, 2016, 01:11:45 AM
It was indeed. It didn't cost me a thing.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on October 25, 2016, 10:08:28 PM
If there is, I've never heard of them.

Def

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/hot-deals-f9/?c=5120

Don't think now is a good time to buy though, sorta between the back to school and black Friday/Christmas sale season.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: sLaughterMed on October 25, 2016, 10:26:58 PM
Grant, since you are looking at a completly new Laptop here is my suggestion:

Whatever you do, don't buy a laptop with an SSD preinstalled. There is a massive markup on laptops with fairly unimpressivly sized SSDs. My suggestion is to find a laptop with a large HDD (1TB is pretty standard nowadays, and cheap), and a removable (by disassembling the laptop) Optical drive. Replace the Optical Drive with a Hard Drive Caddy and SSD, and install Windows to the SSD using a USB installation media (use the copy of Windows your computer comes with to create the installation media. This gives you a fresh install, without the extra bloat that most laptops come with). You might have to play with the boot order to format the HDD without completely removing it. But with both the SSD (for your OS, and important programs), and the HDD (for general file storage), you get the best of both worlds.

I realize now that i've written this that it's probably more involved than you might want.... I promise it isn't as hard as it seems. I'll even send you some links to some how-to's if you are interested.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on October 26, 2016, 04:15:50 PM
That does seem a bit involved, but I could probably manage it.  I noticed that many of the laptops I was looking at with SSD's had remarkably small ones.

I have to say though, this teeny laptop-ette that I have been using is somewhat more functional than I had originally expected.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on October 26, 2016, 04:49:09 PM
just a guess but there's likely to be more hybrid drives now? (part SSD and part traditional platter for storage)
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: sLaughterMed on October 27, 2016, 06:00:46 PM
just a guess but there's likely to be more hybrid drives now? (part SSD and part traditional platter for storage)
The problem with those is that he SSD part of the drive tends to be very small, and the drives are still very expensive
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: JP on October 27, 2016, 07:29:54 PM
Go Furbie, ReFurbie

www.dellrefurbished.ca



Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: JP on October 27, 2016, 07:36:32 PM
Go Furbie, ReFurbie

www.dellrefurbished.ca


And maybe put it in a hamsters cage so you can still type but the cage roof prevents HammerFist to Keyboard
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on October 27, 2016, 08:29:12 PM
Go Furbie, ReFurbie

www.dellrefurbished.ca

I've looked at those since I need a new desktop, they all come with win7 which already lost mainstream support and will lose all in 4 years, at which time other software makers will abandon it as well. Might have worked when there was free update to win10, but not a good deal now (price wasn't that good for used electronics to begin with).
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Fortytwo on October 31, 2016, 03:18:22 PM
just a guess but there's likely to be more hybrid drives now? (part SSD and part traditional platter for storage)
The problem with those is that he SSD part of the drive tends to be very small, and the drives are still very expensive

I also heard that it could be problematic if/when it crashes. Supposedly since the way it allocates stuff to either the SSD or the HDD parts makes it much harder to extract info if that becomes necessary.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on November 01, 2016, 12:47:34 PM
everything fails... that's why backups are important.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: 16VGTIDave on November 02, 2016, 02:49:26 PM
Backups, plural. More than one. I have 2. One is an incremental backup run hourly and the other is a full clone that is bootable. The clone is kept "off site" and brought in once a week for updating.

I often hear people say they have "nothing of value" on their computers. Then I watch them cry when the realize they've lost the video of their child's first steps. Or the documents they need to provide to the government for personal taxes or business reasons. I used to cringe and even apologize when handing an invoice to someone that included $1500+ for data recovery services, in addition to my fees. Usually months or years after I'd recommended implementing backups, which they had obviously declined. And I wouldn't markup the recovery fees. Now I just add my 20% markup on and let them worry about how much they could have saved by having a backup or 2. I sometimes even have to shake my head in dismay when they still refuse to implement some sort of backup afterwards.

Stupid is not learning from ones mistakes. There are many stupid people out there...
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on November 02, 2016, 03:23:46 PM
I don't recall the last time I used a DVD drive in a laptop, and I'm giving serious thought to an ultrabook without a DVD drive and I'm wondering if there's still some important reason to have one?

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Sazabi on November 02, 2016, 03:40:05 PM
Grant, if you ever do find yourself needing a DVD drive, you can always pick up an external one for between $20 and $30.  The only reason to get one with it is to swap it out for a secondary hard drive enclosure or an ultrabay battery.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: microbe on November 02, 2016, 06:43:14 PM
i got an external DVD drive when I bought a laptop without one. It turned out to be a waste of money in my case. I only used it once to watch a movie when there was a power outage. (At that time, I was happy I had it)
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on November 04, 2016, 05:00:59 PM
Yeah, that's what I figured.  I don't need to worry about a DVD drive.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks on November 05, 2016, 07:19:03 AM
Yeah, that's what I figured.  I don't need to worry about a DVD drive.

Def

next thing you will  tell us you do not need a floppy drive either..... 
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Don Pablo on November 05, 2016, 05:05:06 PM
5 1/4" or 3 1/2"?
Which is not needed?  :ahhh
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks on November 05, 2016, 08:59:18 PM
 a 5 1/4 , one side, normal capacity, is absolutely needed even for a basic pc
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Don Pablo on November 05, 2016, 09:34:59 PM
Ok, grey or black?  :D
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks on November 05, 2016, 09:36:34 PM
brownish
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Don Pablo on November 05, 2016, 10:07:40 PM
Are there any other requirements/features that I should know about for this brownish 5 1/4" floppy drive?
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks on November 05, 2016, 10:08:22 PM
It has to be very floppy
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Don Pablo on November 05, 2016, 10:22:58 PM
floppy floppy floppy?
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on November 05, 2016, 11:53:27 PM
I don't recall the last time I used a DVD drive in a laptop, and I'm giving serious thought to an ultrabook without a DVD drive and I'm wondering if there's still some important reason to have one?

Def

My Asus zenbook doesn't have one, never felt the need for one. If I really need it I can always image the disc on my desktop then mount it on my laptop with daemon lite.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Fortytwo on November 07, 2016, 12:37:53 AM
I don't recall the last time I used a DVD drive in a laptop, and I'm giving serious thought to an ultrabook without a DVD drive and I'm wondering if there's still some important reason to have one?

Def

My Asus zenbook doesn't have one, never felt the need for one. If I really need it I can always image the disc on my desktop then mount it on my laptop with daemon lite.

Agreed, an external DVD reader/writer should come cheap if ever needed but it's far between these days. I much prefer having it separate and saving the space.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on November 07, 2016, 09:20:27 PM
I cant think of anything Id need a dvd drive for any more.  Maybe to read some of my old backups of work stuff, but for day to day use, nope.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Poncho65 on November 07, 2016, 10:43:28 PM
Who would have thought in 2006 (just 10 years) that optical drives would be made obsolete essentially in a decade :o I know that as soon as netbooks and tablets came out cd/dvd drives were no longer needed :ahhh How long have they been out now :think: 6 years or more? When I got my first computer over 20 years ago I would never have thought we would have been this far along with certain bits of tech :like: Still no real hover boards or flying cars though :bnghd: :rofl:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks on November 08, 2016, 07:13:28 AM
I remember reading an article that was saying that the new 286 machines would never really be used by consumers and they would only be for serious businesses, as the consumers did not need that much power, or ever will.

It was in PC compute or PC advisor, so it was a serious article, that proved seriously shortsighted

The problem with CD/DVD/Blu ray drives, the reason they are still needed, is that many organisations will still give you a CD disk, if you go to a seminar or a meeting or buy a product and, you will need to play it somewhere.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on November 08, 2016, 02:39:23 PM
I remember reading an article that was saying that the new 286 machines would never really be used by consumers and they would only be for serious businesses, as the consumers did not need that much power, or ever will.

It was in PC compute or PC advisor, so it was a serious article, that proved seriously shortsighted

The problem with CD/DVD/Blu ray drives, the reason they are still needed, is that many organisations will still give you a CD disk, if you go to a seminar or a meeting or buy a product and, you will need to play it somewhere.

My wife goes to these workshop/learning things and what she usually comes home with is a small usb fob with the material on it.  So they switched to handing those out instead of CDs.  Much smaller to carry too, and small size ones are pretty cheap.   
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on November 08, 2016, 10:55:08 PM
Even flash drives are considered old tech now.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Don Pablo on November 08, 2016, 11:36:10 PM
The hot stuff now is data storage on glass discs:
Show content
http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/16/11018018/5d-data-storage-glass
.  :drool:

(Why did they have to put the bible on it? thats only a few megabytes. :P )
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on November 09, 2016, 01:32:13 PM
The hot stuff now is data storage on glass discs:
Show content
http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/16/11018018/5d-data-storage-glass
.  :drool:

(Why did they have to put the bible on it? thats only a few megabytes. :P )

That looks like one step away from the Star Trek isolinear chips!

http://www.nerdlingen.de/wp-content/uploads/isolinear2.jpg

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Don Pablo on November 09, 2016, 02:47:19 PM
Those isolinear chips look like transparent flash drives.  :rofl:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on November 10, 2016, 01:12:02 AM
How cool would that be?  :D

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on November 10, 2016, 12:36:40 PM
 :think:

http://shop.empmuseum.org/product/Star_Trek_Isolinear_Chip_USB_Drive

Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on November 11, 2016, 01:14:31 AM
That is pretty cool. ...

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on November 25, 2016, 03:23:02 PM
I have been using this teeny HP Split (earlier version that the reviewers all say to avoid like the plague, not the later one that everyone says is so great) for a few weeks now, and I have to say, I am very surprised at how well it is holding up.

Pros:

1- I love the battery life.  I charge this bugger at night and use it all day long and it still has power when I plug it in again before bed.  Admittedly this is largely because it has two batteries, but the first one is usually at 2% and the other is well above 60% when I plug it in, so even one of the batteries would probably be sufficient, more or less.  My old laptop barely had a battery that would last long enough to move the charger from the living room to the kitchen, so being able to go all day without plugging in is a whole other world to me.

2- I don't find the small screen (I think it's 11 ish inches?) that restrictive.  Mind you, I have also been a big fan of netbooks for a while, and resisted tablets for the longest time, preferring to have a keyboard, and compared to the 7 and 10 inch screens the netbooks had, this is massive.  I also like the small form factor, and while I might prefer something a bit bigger, this works well.  What I need is a 13 inch computer with a 17 inch screen.  Does Tardis make laptops?  :P

3-  I hate to admit it, but I am really digging the aluminum chassis.  I never had a metal computer before, always avoiding them because of the price and weight issues, but I will say that I think it is pretty sweet.  It has a matte finish and I have to keep resisting the urge to take a buffer to it and mirror polishing it!  :D

Cons:

1- It is slow and painfully underpowered.  I'm ok with the proc being what it is, but having only 2 gigs of memory should be illegal.  Many times I have to actually type things and wait 10 seconds for the words to appear om the screen.  Other times it takes web pages forever to load, because the machine is busy doing something like downloading a photo to update Dropbox.  I have actually disabled Dropbox on startup because of it, and I use Dropbox constantly so that's frustrating.  If I could double the RAM in this machine I'd be thrilled.  If I could jump up to 8 gigs and Win 10 (stuck on 8), and maybe swap in an SSD I'd keep this machine for years to come.

2- HD is super small.  This was a lightweight machine, not meant for anything more serious than executives responding to emails on their lunch breaks, and as such only has a 60 gig hard drive.  I have portable flash drives bigger than that.   :ahhh

3- It's top heavy.  Since it is basically a tablet with a docking station, most of the electronics are in the screen half, so unless you are using it on a perfectly flat surface, it has a tendency to flop over backwards the second you take your hands off the keyboard.  It kind of defeats the term "laptop" since it is kind of difficult to use in your lap.

All in all, I am managing better with this machine than I thought I would.  It's a nice machine, and I really quite like it, although the lag involved in finding typos is quite frustrating, as is the time involved in going back to fix them.  I am still planning to get a new machine (maybe after Christmas) but I will say this has changed my aim slightly on what I am looking for in a new one.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on December 01, 2016, 04:56:18 PM
Mine wouldn't boot this morning and since it has a wonky charger and wifi... it was fixed permanently with a hammer.  I feel better but then had to order a new one.

I grabbed this dell latitude for 599 CAD

http://www.dell.com/ca/business/p/latitude-35x0-laptops/pd?oc=s005l356015usca&model_id=latitude-35x0-laptops

So we'll see how well it works.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 02, 2016, 11:37:17 PM
Mine wouldn't boot this morning and since it has a wonky charger and wifi... it was fixed permanently with a hammer.  I feel better but then had to order a new one.

I grabbed this dell latitude for 599 CAD

http://www.dell.com/ca/business/p/latitude-35x0-laptops/pd?oc=s005l356015usca&model_id=latitude-35x0-laptops

So we'll see how well it works.

I was looking at a slightly upgraded version of that- basically the same thing but with an i5 and 8gigs.  It looks like a good machine, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on December 03, 2016, 12:17:17 AM
Mine wouldn't boot this morning and since it has a wonky charger and wifi... it was fixed permanently with a hammer.  I feel better but then had to order a new one.

I grabbed this dell latitude for 599 CAD

http://www.dell.com/ca/business/p/latitude-35x0-laptops/pd?oc=s005l356015usca&model_id=latitude-35x0-laptops

So we'll see how well it works.

I was looking at a slightly upgraded version of that- basically the same thing but with an i5 and 8gigs.  It looks like a good machine, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

Def

It's more than enough for my needs!  Non 3d cad and email.  I only buy the Dell business machines as they come with anti glare screen.   In my day most were anti glare then apple convinced people glare was great.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 03, 2016, 12:40:31 AM
Mine wouldn't boot this morning and since it has a wonky charger and wifi... it was fixed permanently with a hammer.  I feel better but then had to order a new one.

I grabbed this dell latitude for 599 CAD

http://www.dell.com/ca/business/p/latitude-35x0-laptops/pd?oc=s005l356015usca&model_id=latitude-35x0-laptops

So we'll see how well it works.

I was looking at a slightly upgraded version of that- basically the same thing but with an i5 and 8gigs.  It looks like a good machine, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

Def

It's more than enough for my needs!  Non 3d cad and email.  I only buy the Dell business machines as they come with anti glare screen.   In my day most were anti glare then apple convinced people glare was great.

I have mixed feelings- I had the anti glare on my old Dell Vostro 1000 and it was nice, but it also made the screen seem really dull.  My Toshiba had a standard (non-anti glare) screen and the colors were nicer, as long as you weren't in a bright setting or trying to use it during the day.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: derekmac on December 03, 2016, 03:47:09 AM
My MBP has the antiglare screen.  I don't think I would want to get a new laptop that doesn't have one.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Smashie on December 03, 2016, 12:34:26 PM
My Dell has the glass touch screen and I haven't had any problems with glare yet YMMV
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: dks on December 03, 2016, 03:22:23 PM
i have both types.
when done properly they both work
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on December 03, 2016, 08:28:06 PM
When the weather is nice I work outside on the porch in summer.  Glossy sucks donkey nuts for outdoor day use.  If you are a basement dweller and rarely see sun, its probably a non issue.  :D
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on December 05, 2016, 02:44:03 AM
Even sunlight through window can make glossy screen unusable, I'm glad my current laptop has a matte screen. Color isn't as brilliant as glossy screen, but brilliant color isn't useful when you can't see it.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 05, 2016, 11:26:05 AM
glossy screens can be ok, but they are a very stupid idea for a touch screen imho. Constant cleaning required.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 05, 2016, 06:44:03 PM
glossy screens can be ok, but they are a very stupid idea for a touch screen imho. Constant cleaning required.

I'm noticing that with this little HP machine.  It's a touch screen and glossy and absolutely full of fingerprints!

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on December 08, 2016, 10:29:35 PM
Got the laptop yesterday.  I was scared Id hate Win 10 but its just fine.  What everyone has said is true.. win 7 or win 10, 8 is garbage. 

The ram from my old vostro was the same as this new one so I pulled the 4gb from it and put in the new one for a total of 8gb.  Though when checking ram usage it hasnt gone past 3 so I dont know if that even has any value.

Im happy with the i3 vs i5.  Less power usage on a laptop is more important for me, battery life is always my first concern.  I didnt buy this to win a SETI number crunching award.  First use was 3.5 hours but that will always creep down over time but still acceptable. 

I love it has no optical drive, and it has all the ports I need ( dont think dirty! ).  My old one didnt even have hdmi, so that is one upgrade.

So.. so far so good.   :tu:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on December 08, 2016, 10:53:07 PM
Yep win 10 is pretty good, like traditional windows for the most part, and tablet mode works well on tablets.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 09, 2016, 01:58:12 AM
I like 10.  I think it is a great upgrade from 7, which was a good upgrade from XP.  Anything in between those was a pain in the arse.

That having been said, I did use Vista for a while with no real issues, and I am currently stuck on 8 and managing well enough.  But yes, I would much rather have 10.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on December 09, 2016, 02:27:26 AM
Isn't yours basically a tablet? 8 is actually decent for touch screen, liked it on my 8" tablet.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 09, 2016, 09:56:44 PM
Yes, it is both, but I really hate switching back and forth between the two different interfaces- when I try to play a video off the hard drive, open a photo etc it switches to the tile interface, while everything else is in the standard Windows Interface.  It's annoying having to switch back and forth.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on December 10, 2016, 07:32:52 AM
What if you use another program for those things, like VLC player for video (not sure about photos), that should keep it in standard windows mode.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 10, 2016, 11:11:45 AM
I admit I setup our laptop to log straight into the desktop instead of sitting at the tile screen in windows 8, also I tended to not use fullscreen apps as multitasking required back and forth.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 10, 2016, 02:49:44 PM
What if you use another program for those things, like VLC player for video (not sure about photos), that should keep it in standard windows mode.

I do use VLC media player but I'm also not a fan of having to get add on soft ware to do things the machine does natively either.

VLC isn't a problem as it plays things the machine doesn't play in Windows Media so not a big deal there.  I just don't want to have to have to work around stuff that shouldn't need to be worked around.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 10, 2016, 02:53:52 PM
I admit I setup our laptop to log straight into the desktop instead of sitting at the tile screen in windows 8, also I tended to not use fullscreen apps as multitasking required back and forth.

If the tile screen was just an expanded start menu that would be tolerable. I try to look at it that way, but when certain programs want to run on the tile gui and others want to run in desktop mode it gets a little annoying.

Win8 was just trying to do too much and only marginally succeeded.  It is still useful enough, and these are only minor annoyances but they also tend to be very visible in a machine as limited as the one I'm using.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on December 11, 2016, 08:19:08 PM
VLC is a much better player anyway, I install it first thing on new computers and completely disregard the built in windows video player.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Smashie on December 11, 2016, 08:34:27 PM
VLC is one the first apps I install on a fresh build.

Just a tip in case people have missed it, there's a website called ninite, select the apps you want and download the installer, it will install the apps you want without any crapware  :tu:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: raistlin65 on December 11, 2016, 08:37:40 PM
VLC is one the first apps I install on a fresh build.

Just a tip in case people have missed it, thee's a website called ninite, select the apps you want and download the installer, it will install the apps you want without any crapware  :tu:

Wow! Hadn't seen that before. Awesome. I usually like to do a reinstall of Windows on my main machine about every 1 to 1 1/2 years, so this will be really nice.  :tu:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on December 13, 2016, 08:57:31 PM
Ok it's just abut 2017 now... why is there still a num-lock button and why the smurf does it not default to ON.  Hands up who expects cursor key movements when you hit the number keys instead of, oh I dont know.. NUMBERS!  There used to be arrow and number keyrs on keyboards but now there are just numbers. 

Windows 10 does not solve this either and the regedit setting I tried failed as well as the bios setting to default to ON!

WHY!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Smashie on December 13, 2016, 09:00:52 PM
Ok it's just abut 2017 now... why is there still a num-lock button and why the smurf does it not default to ON.  Hands up who expects cursor key movements when you hit the number keys instead of, oh I dont know.. NUMBERS!  There used to be arrow and number keyrs on keyboards but now there are just numbers. 

Windows 10 does not solve this either and the regedit setting I tried failed as well as the bios setting to default to ON!

WHY!!!!!!!

No idea, but my Corsair keybod defaults to num lock on but more importantly doesn't give me crap functions on the F keys like some still do
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 13, 2016, 09:20:16 PM
gotta be a setting...
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Smashie on December 13, 2016, 09:21:33 PM
gotta be a setting...

Was this the reg hack you tried?

http://www.howtogeek.com/244606/how-to-enable-num-lock-automatically-when-your-computer-boots/
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on December 13, 2016, 10:21:52 PM
gotta be a setting...

Was this the reg hack you tried?

http://www.howtogeek.com/244606/how-to-enable-num-lock-automatically-when-your-computer-boots/

Yep.  No luck with either 2 or the other number
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Smashie on December 13, 2016, 10:33:03 PM
gotta be a setting...

Was this the reg hack you tried?

http://www.howtogeek.com/...when-your-computer-boots/ (http://www.howtogeek.com/244606/how-to-enable-num-lock-automatically-when-your-computer-boots/)

Yep.  No luck with either 2 or the other number

BIOS setting perhaps? Clutching at straws here
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 13, 2016, 11:54:59 PM
I've never even had a laptop with a number pad on it....  :ahhh

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 14, 2016, 11:42:16 AM
Bios setting does sound like it might be a possibility.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Sazabi on December 14, 2016, 04:16:33 PM
Ok it's just abut 2017 now... why is there still a num-lock button and why the smurf does it not default to ON.  Hands up who expects cursor key movements when you hit the number keys instead of, oh I dont know.. NUMBERS!  There used to be arrow and number keyrs on keyboards but now there are just numbers. 

Windows 10 does not solve this either and the regedit setting I tried failed as well as the bios setting to default to ON!

WHY!!!!!!!

Syph, I use an Acer desktop that originally came with Windows 8; in both 8 and 8.1, NumLock was defaulted to on, however, in the Windows 10 update, that is no longer the case, but I do not wish to mess with the BIOS settings to correct the annoyance.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on December 14, 2016, 04:45:14 PM
Ok it's just abut 2017 now... why is there still a num-lock button and why the smurf does it not default to ON.  Hands up who expects cursor key movements when you hit the number keys instead of, oh I dont know.. NUMBERS!  There used to be arrow and number keyrs on keyboards but now there are just numbers. 

Windows 10 does not solve this either and the regedit setting I tried failed as well as the bios setting to default to ON!

WHY!!!!!!!

Syph, I use an Acer desktop that originally came with Windows 8; in both 8 and 8.1, NumLock was defaulted to on, however, in the Windows 10 update, that is no longer the case, but I do not wish to mess with the BIOS settings to correct the annoyance.

Oh there is an option in the bios to default it to ON.  Ive toggled it both ways and windows 10 does not care. 

I know its not a major deal, but Im confused as to why the option even exists anymore.  Most keyboards that have a number pad have separate cursor keys anyway.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: raistlin65 on December 14, 2016, 05:31:56 PM
Ok it's just abut 2017 now... why is there still a num-lock button and why the smurf does it not default to ON.  Hands up who expects cursor key movements when you hit the number keys instead of, oh I dont know.. NUMBERS!  There used to be arrow and number keyrs on keyboards but now there are just numbers. 

My keyboard has arrows and other alternatives on the numbers keypad, and the keyboard is only two years old.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on December 14, 2016, 06:15:54 PM
Ok it's just abut 2017 now... why is there still a num-lock button and why the smurf does it not default to ON.  Hands up who expects cursor key movements when you hit the number keys instead of, oh I dont know.. NUMBERS!  There used to be arrow and number keyrs on keyboards but now there are just numbers. 

My keyboard has arrows and other alternatives on the numbers keypad, and the keyboard is only two years old.

My desktop kb Still has arrows but new laptop only numbers.

Do people really use the keypad for navigation?   That's gotta he a low amount of users compared to those who enter numbers with the number pad
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: raistlin65 on December 14, 2016, 06:59:02 PM
Ok it's just abut 2017 now... why is there still a num-lock button and why the smurf does it not default to ON.  Hands up who expects cursor key movements when you hit the number keys instead of, oh I dont know.. NUMBERS!  There used to be arrow and number keyrs on keyboards but now there are just numbers. 

My keyboard has arrows and other alternatives on the numbers keypad, and the keyboard is only two years old.

My desktop kb Still has arrows but new laptop only numbers.

Do people really use the keypad for navigation?   That's gotta he a low amount of users compared to those who enter numbers with the number pad

I don't use the arrow keys, but I do use the dedicated page up, page down, ins, etc.

I think why they still have is that not all keyboard layouts have dedicated keys for those.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Fortytwo on December 15, 2016, 11:39:14 AM
Ok it's just abut 2017 now... why is there still a num-lock button and why the smurf does it not default to ON.  Hands up who expects cursor key movements when you hit the number keys instead of, oh I dont know.. NUMBERS!  There used to be arrow and number keyrs on keyboards but now there are just numbers. 

My keyboard has arrows and other alternatives on the numbers keypad, and the keyboard is only two years old.

My desktop kb Still has arrows but new laptop only numbers.

Do people really use the keypad for navigation?   That's gotta he a low amount of users compared to those who enter numbers with the number pad

I don't use the arrow keys, but I do use the dedicated page up, page down, ins, etc.

I think why they still have is that not all keyboard layouts have dedicated keys for those.

This, home and end are really useful once you start using them. What's up with caps lock though? Isn't that an invention from the time when it was physically heavy to hold shift on old typewriters? The only thing I seem to use it for myself is to mess up passwords. :rant: I't doesn't help that the indicator light is on the front of the computer where it's not really visible without bending down to look.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 15, 2016, 11:52:24 AM
after setting up my new motherboard num lock is definitely in the bios. I thought it was, perhaps not always the case. Odd that win10 would ignore that.

This, home and end are really useful once you start using them. What's up with caps lock though? Isn't that an invention from the time when it was physically heavy to hold shift on old typewriters? The only thing I seem to use it for myself is to mess up passwords. :rant: I't doesn't help that the indicator light is on the front of the computer where it's not really visible without bending down to look.
I guess I'm too used to my fancy keyboard, but I don't recall caps lock light ever being on my tower, that makes no sense, I've pretty much only had two lights on my towers for a long long time now, power and harddrive activity.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: raistlin65 on December 15, 2016, 04:57:15 PM
What's up with caps lock though? Isn't that an invention from the time when it was physically heavy to hold shift on old typewriters? The only thing I seem to use it for myself is to mess up passwords. :rant: I't doesn't help that the indicator light is on the front of the computer where it's not really visible without bending down to look.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO STILL LIKE TO USE CAP LOCKS TO SEND TEXT MESSAGES AND POST ON THE INTERNET. C'MON! DON'T YOU LIKE THE POSTS THAT ARE ALL CAPS?

(and yet another reason why we need to get rid of the cap locks key  :rofl:)
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on December 16, 2016, 05:22:46 PM
This laptop has been very impressive for battery life compared to my old one.  I know a new battery helps but I wonder if win 10 is any help on that.

Im getting 4 hrs of general work use no problem.  email / cad work / youtube
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Smashie on December 16, 2016, 06:18:33 PM
This laptop has been very impressive for battery life compared to my old one.  I know a new battery helps but I wonder if win 10 is any help on that.

Im getting 4 hrs of general work use no problem.  email / cad work / youtube

4 hrs is pretty good, you'll get an improvement if you replace the HDD with an SSD  :salute:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 16, 2016, 10:42:19 PM
That's good to hear.

The neat thing about this little machine is that I charge it overnight and the battery will run all day long with no worry of killing the battery. 

My last laptop wold give a low battery warning when you unplugged it to move to the next room, and my Dell before that would actually die before making it that far!   :ahhh

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Fortytwo on December 17, 2016, 05:32:09 PM
after setting up my new motherboard num lock is definitely in the bios. I thought it was, perhaps not always the case. Odd that win10 would ignore that.

This, home and end are really useful once you start using them. What's up with caps lock though? Isn't that an invention from the time when it was physically heavy to hold shift on old typewriters? The only thing I seem to use it for myself is to mess up passwords. :rant: I't doesn't help that the indicator light is on the front of the computer where it's not really visible without bending down to look.
I guess I'm too used to my fancy keyboard, but I don't recall caps lock light ever being on my tower, that makes no sense, I've pretty much only had two lights on my towers for a long long time now, power and harddrive activity.

Right, this is in regards to my laptop if that makes more sense?
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Aloha on December 17, 2016, 05:54:28 PM
Anyone have a Acer R15 Model: R5-571T-57Z0?  My friend was looking at the newer one with Intel i5 7200U processor, 1TB hard drive, 8GB memory for $650.  This would serve as first laptop for a high school student who will not be gaming.  WEB surfing, papers, day to day computing.   
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 18, 2016, 02:15:25 AM
Those specs souks be more than adequate.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Fortytwo on December 18, 2016, 02:16:42 AM
Anyone have a Acer R15 Model: R5-571T-57Z0?  My friend was looking at the newer one with Intel i5 7200U processor, 1TB hard drive, 8GB memory for $650.  This would serve as first laptop for a high school student who will not be gaming.  WEB surfing, papers, day to day computing.   

I don't have the model in question but I am a student with a 15,5" laptop (that I use for gaming). 15+" is huge if (s)he plans on bringing it to lectures etcetera and while I wouldn't recommend doing that (it's much better for understanding and retention to write notes on paper) it seems to be the current trend. I would probably suggest something closer to 13" for portability.

My girlfriend got herself a new Lenovo IdeaPad 710 and I'm really impressed by its size, there is almost no bezel around the screen and in fact it fits in the bag she bought to fit her old 11" laptop.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Aloha on December 18, 2016, 05:24:07 AM
Thanks.  It spec'd out pretty decent.  He will be mostly using it for home usage and such.  Time to go take it for a test drive is what I passed along. 
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 18, 2016, 11:31:19 AM
Anyone have a Acer R15 Model: R5-571T-57Z0?  My friend was looking at the newer one with Intel i5 7200U processor, 1TB hard drive, 8GB memory for $650.  This would serve as first laptop for a high school student who will not be gaming.  WEB surfing, papers, day to day computing.   

I don't have the model in question but I am a student with a 15,5" laptop (that I use for gaming). 15+" is huge if (s)he plans on bringing it to lectures etcetera and while I wouldn't recommend doing that (it's much better for understanding and retention to write notes on paper) it seems to be the current trend. I would probably suggest something closer to 13" for portability.

My girlfriend got herself a new Lenovo IdeaPad 710 and I'm really impressed by its size, there is almost no bezel around the screen and in fact it fits in the bag she bought to fit her old 11" laptop.
I think the 710 is a more current version similar to our Yoga 2 Pro. For portability I think those 13/13.3/14 are perfect. Previously we had a 15.6 and being a normal laptop rather than ultrabook it was like lugging around a large concrete brick. The 11 inch models are nice, but I fear they might be too small to work on for longer periods other than minor tasks.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Fortytwo on December 18, 2016, 12:57:30 PM
Anyone have a Acer R15 Model: R5-571T-57Z0?  My friend was looking at the newer one with Intel i5 7200U processor, 1TB hard drive, 8GB memory for $650.  This would serve as first laptop for a high school student who will not be gaming.  WEB surfing, papers, day to day computing.   

I don't have the model in question but I am a student with a 15,5" laptop (that I use for gaming). 15+" is huge if (s)he plans on bringing it to lectures etcetera and while I wouldn't recommend doing that (it's much better for understanding and retention to write notes on paper) it seems to be the current trend. I would probably suggest something closer to 13" for portability.

My girlfriend got herself a new Lenovo IdeaPad 710 and I'm really impressed by its size, there is almost no bezel around the screen and in fact it fits in the bag she bought to fit her old 11" laptop.
I think the 710 is a more current version similar to our Yoga 2 Pro. For portability I think those 13/13.3/14 are perfect. Previously we had a 15.6 and being a normal laptop rather than ultrabook it was like lugging around a large concrete brick. The 11 inch models are nice, but I fear they might be too small to work on for longer periods other than minor tasks.

I mostly agree but somehow my girlfriend seemed to handle the small screen fine even for writing longer texts for her university courses. Nothing I would recommend but it meant that for her the recent dry-up of actual 11" laptops, as opposed to the more tablet like deals (touch-screen, 64 GB or less storage) that seem to be what's offered, was about to make her carry solutions obsolete.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 18, 2016, 11:36:43 PM
I used to take my 15.6" machine everywhere and I never really had a problem with it, largely because I didn't know any different.  :P

Now, using this 13" machine I can really appreciate having a smaller and lighter machine.  I had carried 10" netbooks for a while, but they ended up being too small.  The 13" screen is a little cramped from time to time, but then I also felt the same about the 15" screen too.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 19, 2016, 12:30:09 PM
It's easy to see how netbooks got crushed by tablets.

After a run through the local electronics superstore yesterday (omg sunday shopping, must be close to christmas!) There seem to be a smurf ton of keyboard options for tablets now if you ever did need one regularly vs onscreen typing.

I know I seem to love all things Lenovo, but the new Lenovo Book is exactly what I had hoped for for quite some time. Sadly it's only 10.1 atm. http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/lenovo/yoga-book/
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 19, 2016, 07:28:54 PM
That's a nice looking machine.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 20, 2016, 01:00:30 PM
yeah there's an android and windows version too...
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on December 21, 2016, 06:09:02 AM
Anyone have a Acer R15 Model: R5-571T-57Z0?  My friend was looking at the newer one with Intel i5 7200U processor, 1TB hard drive, 8GB memory for $650.  This would serve as first laptop for a high school student who will not be gaming.  WEB surfing, papers, day to day computing.   

Generally speaking Acer is crap, you can feel why it's the cheapest out there. My new desktop is Acer and initially dies randomly within a few hours of turning on, turns out the BIOS has a bug that would make hard drive stop responding. How the F could you let such an obvious problem slip by QA? There's also video on youtube that shows their laptop came without heatsink installed.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Aloha on December 21, 2016, 06:19:02 AM
Anyone have a Acer R15 Model: R5-571T-57Z0?  My friend was looking at the newer one with Intel i5 7200U processor, 1TB hard drive, 8GB memory for $650.  This would serve as first laptop for a high school student who will not be gaming.  WEB surfing, papers, day to day computing.   

Generally speaking Acer is crap, you can feel why it's the cheapest out there. My new desktop is Acer and initially dies randomly within a few hours of turning on, turns out the BIOS has a bug that would make hard drive stop responding. How the F could you let such an obvious problem slip by QA? There's also video on youtube that shows their laptop came without heatsink installed.

I appreciate the feedback. 
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 22, 2016, 03:18:15 AM
I've had two Acer netbooks and never had an issue with them.

Well, until the first one died, but that was due to age more than anything else.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on December 25, 2016, 04:49:09 AM
To be clear I'm not saying not to buy Acer, since I'm typing this from an Acer right now (with its included awful keyboard), but you need to be prepared to deal with crap that you probably wouldn't have with other brands.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 25, 2016, 02:52:07 PM
If you say so Jie.

But I warn you, that little bit of backpedaling isn't going to fool the Acer hit squad that has been dispatched to discuss your disturbing lack of faith in their products.....

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on December 25, 2016, 06:06:15 PM
If you say so Jie.

But I warn you, that little bit of backpedaling isn't going to fool the Acer hit squad that has been dispatched to discuss your disturbing lack of faith in their products.....

Def

Hey, at least they can tell my why they include dinky laptop sized keyboard and dollar store grade mouse with a full size i7 desktop.  :facepalm:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Smashie on December 25, 2016, 06:20:44 PM
I don't know about Acer laptops but I do know that my 2 Acer G-Sync monitors are freaking amazing  :salute:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 26, 2016, 05:29:28 PM
If you say so Jie.

But I warn you, that little bit of backpedaling isn't going to fool the Acer hit squad that has been dispatched to discuss your disturbing lack of faith in their products.....

Def

Hey, at least they can tell my why they include dinky laptop sized keyboard and dollar store grade mouse with a full size i7 desktop.  :facepalm:

#valueadded.

 :facepalm:

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 31, 2016, 07:40:54 PM
my niece is in the market for a new laptop so I've been looking at ultrabooks on her behalf. It's pretty hard to fit her requirements (she does a lot of autocad work and wants discrete graphics) but there sure are some nice looking machines these days!
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 31, 2016, 08:09:36 PM
There are a lot of nice machines- unfortunately they also seem to come with hefty price tags!   :ahhh

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on December 31, 2016, 08:13:13 PM
that is very true, nearly everything I've been looking at starts at about 1400 euros.  :ahhh
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on December 31, 2016, 08:15:11 PM
Yeah, I am finding a lot of stuff I am interested in between $500 and $100, but not much at $500 or less, which is what I was hoping to spend.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on January 02, 2017, 02:52:37 PM
I'm very happy with my Dell so far no issues.  Unless the user is a hard core gamer I think most people vastly over estimate their needs. 

Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on January 02, 2017, 03:34:05 PM
I'm very happy with my Dell so far no issues.  Unless the user is a hard core gamer I think most people vastly over estimate their needs. 
You are mostly right, in my niece's case however she does a lot of Autocad work which when rendering a discrete graphics card makes a huge difference vs the usual integrated Intel HD etc systems (my lenovo has one, and it's been mostly ok for games I tried it with, not mind blowing like the level of my desktop, but fine for a ultrabook).
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on January 02, 2017, 07:47:05 PM
my niece is in the market for a new laptop so I've been looking at ultrabooks on her behalf. It's pretty hard to fit her requirements (she does a lot of autocad work and wants discrete graphics) but there sure are some nice looking machines these days!

Ultrabook and computing power doesn't go in the same sentence lol. A thin fanless body just can't dissipate heat generated by a high power CPU.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on January 03, 2017, 07:30:30 PM
my niece is in the market for a new laptop so I've been looking at ultrabooks on her behalf. It's pretty hard to fit her requirements (she does a lot of autocad work and wants discrete graphics) but there sure are some nice looking machines these days!

Ultrabook and computing power doesn't go in the same sentence lol. A thin fanless body just can't dissipate heat generated by a high power CPU.
I agree, personally there's some excellent thinkpad models that would do exactly what she needs, but her hubby is convinced she needs one of the shiny underpowered metal casing machines because her clients are picky about aesthetics rather than functionality and then tack on one of those xconnect external graphics cards...  :facepalm:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on January 03, 2017, 11:26:14 PM
my niece is in the market for a new laptop so I've been looking at ultrabooks on her behalf. It's pretty hard to fit her requirements (she does a lot of autocad work and wants discrete graphics) but there sure are some nice looking machines these days!

Ultrabook and computing power doesn't go in the same sentence lol. A thin fanless body just can't dissipate heat generated by a high power CPU.
I agree, personally there's some excellent thinkpad models that would do exactly what she needs, but her hubby is convinced she needs one of the shiny underpowered metal casing machines because her clients are picky about aesthetics rather than functionality and then tack on one of those xconnect external graphics cards...  :facepalm:

You need to smack some sense into him. :D Even if she can plug in an external GPU, it'll just be bottlenecked by the dinky CPU. My Asus zenbook has a Core M processors, watching a 1080 movie will make the aluminum shell pretty warm, and an ad laden webpage will bog it down pretty bad. The M processor has TDP of 4.5 watt, compare to i7's 65 watt. Even though it can burst to 2GHz it cannot maintain that because of heat buildup.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on January 04, 2017, 12:16:36 AM
To be fair he does think i7 and 8gb+ ram is essential
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on January 04, 2017, 02:09:45 AM
(http://i.imgur.com/TToy25p.gif)

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: campussecurity on January 22, 2017, 05:13:32 PM
Thinkpad's are great machine's. My primary is a Thinkpad W520 mobile workstation. Quad core i7, 16GB RAM, SSD, and dedicated Graphics. My on the go is a lighter 15" Thinkpad E550 with an i5 and 12GB RAM. I'm a serious geek though. I like gadgets and gear.

Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on January 22, 2017, 06:09:29 PM
Ideally I would like an i7 quad, but I'd settle for an i5, and the machine needs a minimum of 8 gigs of RAM, or be expandable to that (and preferably more).  I am not as concerned about hard drives- of course I would prefer an SSD, but I'll take what I can get in that department.

Size wise, I am also not a huge stickler on.  I have usually used 15" laptops, but I am not against going over that or under, but I think 13" would be the smallest I would like to go.  I am currently using an 11 inch screen and I am not finding it that cramped, at least not as much as I thought I would.  I suppose you get used to whatever circumstances you are in, right?  I am ok with anti glare or not too.  I guess I'm just not that picky.

Speaking of which, I keep going back and forth on touch screens.  I seem to use it a fair bit on this little machine, but I don't think I need it.  I would certainly like to have a touch screen, but for most of what I am seeing it bumps up the cost of a machine by about $100, and it certainly isn't worth that much to me. 

Keyboards don't matter, I have no preference, although I would totally be on board with a backlit keyboard.

DVD drive is immaterial to me- I doubt I would ever use it, but it seems to cost a lot more to get a machine without one, so I guess I absolutely have to have one.   ::)

Beyond that, numbers of USB ports and other silliness doesn't really matter. I'd like it to have Bluetooth, but pretty well everything does these days, so I guess that isn't really worth mentioning.  Ditto for an SD card slot.

All in all, I guess I want a decent processor and RAM (or at least the potential for decent amount of RAM) at a reasonable price more than anything else.  Everything else is really not that huge of a concern, as the bare minimums built into most modern machines are mroe than good enough for my needs.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on January 23, 2017, 03:28:44 AM
It never rains but it pours....  ::)

Now that I am kind of making some headway on buying a new laptop my phone has died.  Sort of.

The phone still works, but the screen is completely gone on it, which means I have no way of accepting calls, reading texts, emails etc.  Luckily, I can see texts and other incoming messages on my watch, and can respond sometimes using voice to text, and my Jeep has a full Bluetooth system so I can voice dial there and accept calls through the screen on the dash.

It is very frustrating having a phone that works, but I have no way to use it.   :ahhh

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on January 23, 2017, 12:12:34 PM
can you install airdroid ?

https://www.airdroid.com/
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on January 23, 2017, 05:46:13 PM
Do I have to install it on my phone?  It's no good if I can't install it on the phone.  I have no way to interface with it when the screen is completely dead.

I have looked up replacement screens on eBay to see if that is worthwhile, and at $160-200 for just the screen, no thanks.  I can get a new phone for that.

Here's the really fun part.  I contacted the Live Chat on the carrier's website and they told me that they couldn't help replace my broken phone, and that I had to call the 800 number.  Because my phone was broken.  And I can't make phone calls.  I pointed that out, and they said they couldn't help me, and that the only way I could get help was to call the 800 number.  With a broken phone.   :facepalm:

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Syph007 on January 23, 2017, 06:00:37 PM
I just grabbed a brand new s5 active on ebay for 200.  S5s are pretty affordable now.  My normal s5 is fine but I wanted to try the active and not use a case on it.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on January 23, 2017, 06:04:45 PM
You should be able to do it all via your laptop browser.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sand.airdroid with your browser, install it to your phone (you may need to login with the same gmail credentials as your phone) and then access via: http://web.airdroid.com/

I'm sure I saw airdroid come up as a method of phone access with a dead screen...
https://www.androidpit.com/how-to-use-your-broken-smartphone-from-a-pc
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on January 23, 2017, 07:53:58 PM
Well I just bought a Samsung S5 Neo.  I liked my S5, and the price was reasonable, so here I am.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on June 01, 2017, 12:48:34 AM
It looks like it is time for me to do something I hate doing- upgrade to new equipment.

Don't get me wrong, I love shiny new toys as much as the next guy, but I hate the process of going from one machine to another.  Something always gets lost, missed, forgotten etc. 

I also hate dropping that much money on something.

At any rate, I'll probably be keeping this new one as long as I've kept the old ones, which is at least 5 years.  My current machine is still good, but maxing out at 4gb of RAM is sadly very limiting.  So, I'd like to get a higher end machine and is like to keep it around $1000.

I'd also like an i7 processor and at least 12gb of RAM- upgradeable if not from the factory like that.

So far the closest I've found is the Asus ROG     GL771JW.  It's a bit overkill for me but I like overkill because it means the things I do won't tax it too heavily and very likely it will live a longer and more relevant life.

Any other suggestions?  If anyone suggests a Mac, please also be prepared to have your suggestions ignored....

Def

Two years later I have finally ordered a new laptop.  This little HP machine has held it's own a lot better and longer than I expected it to, but I am getting sick of working around it's shortcomings.  So, this morning I ordered a Lenovo model 80ST001NUS.

A short list of the specs include a quad core AMD A12-9700P processor that runs at 2.5ghz, 1 TB hard drive (only 5400rpm though), DVD RW (for some reason), Radeon R5 graphics processor and 12gb of RAM.  It's a plain, boring looking machine with decent specs for the price and I am looking forward to getting it.

I am also a little excited about it- it is my first new laptop in several years, and as much as I dislike breaking in new equipment but it's overshadowed by the difficulties of trying to run an online business with a tiny, underpowered and outdated computer!   :ahhh

I'm going to watch the tracking info like a hawk between now and Friday, when it is expected to be deivered....  :mail:

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on June 01, 2017, 04:21:55 PM
When I placed the order it said it would be delivered on Friday, but I see from the tracking info that it is out for delivery now.   :ahhh

I am refusing to leave the house under any circumstances today....  :ahhh

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on June 02, 2017, 12:44:22 AM
The machine arrived today and I have been updating it and installing software, uninstalling other stuff and doing the usual setup stuff.

Since I have been using a 13 inch screen for some time this 15.6" laptop seems absolutely huge, and it feels a bit awkward typing off to one side of the keyboard since it has a number pad on the side.

Of course, the little machine I have been using for a while has a touch screen and this one doesn't, so guess how many times I have poked the screen before realizing that doesn't work.   :facepalm:

In fact, I just did it again trying to submit this post.  :facepalm: :facepalm:

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: jzmtl on June 02, 2017, 08:35:17 AM
Sounds like a big machine! I've used 15.6" laptops and they aren't fun to lug around in either shoulder bag or backpack.
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Grant Lamontagne on June 02, 2017, 11:51:35 AM
My last two laptops were 15" and I took them everywhere for work.  I didn't mind the size at all.   But when you have been used to 13" for a while, 15.6 is a huge change.

Def
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Smashie on June 02, 2017, 11:56:21 AM
I moved from a 15" to a 13" and I can't believe I used to carry that damn brick around with me! However I do struggle sometimes with the smaller screen, oh the joys of getting old  :facepalm:
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Whoey on June 02, 2017, 03:44:50 PM
we also moved from a 15.6 to a 13, however the 15.6 was 1366x768 and the 13 is 3200x1800  :o
Title: Re: Time for a new laptop. Maybe...
Post by: Smashie on June 02, 2017, 04:02:48 PM
we also moved from a 15.6 to a 13, however the 15.6 was 1366x768 and the 13 is 3200x1800  :o


Yup same as mine XPS 13