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Help me decide on a Laptop to buy (1 Viewer)

PIK95

Footballguy
I need a little help from the FFA.  I am at the point where I need a new Labtop.  I have anot old heavy Dell media one with a giant screen and all the bells and whistles.  It's getting old so it's time for an upgrade.  The main things I want are as much memory as possible.  I am sick of lugging externals around, and I hate clouds.  A few usb's and HDMI spots are key as I like to stream concerts.  Under a grand would be nice.  Refurbished is ok from Dell.  I did that before.  Tia.  I want to get one tomorrow.

 
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What do you use your laptop for?  That would make a big difference one what you get. 
Organizing pictures, I have over a TB, music, same deal.  A little bit of organizing work files.  Streaming Dead shows to my house system.  Streaming sports to watch at the beach where I have wifi.  That kind of stuff.  My kid does mine plex so maybe a little of that.

 
Are you set on a laptop versus a tablet?  I.e. Ipad. Ever since I got my iPad, I rarely touch my laptop - typically just for work.

 
I recently got a Lenovo ThinkPad with an extended battery. I'm happy with the performance and the battery lasts a long time. I've never fully drained the battery in a day. It can go 10+ hours.

 
Are you set on a laptop versus a tablet?  I.e. Ipad. Ever since I got my iPad, I rarely touch my laptop - typically just for work.
Would a tablet have a terabyte of memory?  Memory and picture organization is my biggest needs.  I will probably buyears photo shop also as Picassa is out it seems.

 
Would a tablet have a terabyte of memory?  Memory and picture organization is my biggest needs.  I will probably buyears photo shop also as Picassa is out it seems.
put that ish on an external HDD and get yourself a Chromebook.  It sounds like a laptop may be overkill for your needs. 

 
I'm lazy and have like five hard drives floating around already.  I really would like to get everything in one place that I can carry around.  So a laptop with big memory is what I need.

 
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I see Dell has TV SATA drive.  Is that inside the laptop?  Is there a downside to that? 

 
I have been rather disappointed with my chromebook, but maybe it's because I'm an idiot with computers.

I've had a Lenovo for years and outside the screen not staying put it's been a workhorse.

 
I want something that is decent quality.  I bought a Toshiba a couple of years back and and now the USB hubs don't even work and battery is dead.  SATA drive?

 
That's three votes for Lenovo.  I am gonna go to best buy and see if they have any.  Italian company?
Chinese, they bought IBM\s laptop business quite a few years ago

ETA> Your 1TB storage requirement is a killer. I'd definitely want to go SSD over standard HD for performance reasons as well as little risk of data loss. But that would mean two SSDs each of 500+ GB which is just not available that I know of in a laptop

 
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I'm lazy and have like five hard drives floating around already.  I really would like to get everything in one place that I can carry around.  So a laptop with big memory is what I need.
What about getting a NAS drive for your pictures and such (at least for back-up)?

Something like a Lima (https://meetlima.com/index.php?lang=en) or a WD MyCloud (http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=1140) they are clouds, but they are your clouds, so it is a bit different.

 
I like this idea alot.  I will still have them all on the physical 8tb hard drive but I can access it like a cloud?  Are those setups expensive?  Thanks for the heads up!
The Lima you attach a HD of your own. Not 100% sure if they have added the ability to use an existing drive as-is. Originally you had to use a blank drive, but they are close to making it plug and play.

Things like the WD are devices that have drives in them.

Use a pre-filled hard drive with Lima

This feature is a tool enabling you to encrypt the data already stored on a hard drive, so that it can be used with Lima. This is useful if you want to use Lima with a hard drive that already contains files. 

Status:
Expected for 1.3 (1.2 releasing soon)
 
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I couldn't imagine going any direction other than a surface, whichever best fits your needs and budget. 

 
I just bought a 1TB Acer for like $550. The Microsoft lady was helpfulooking and said Acernie is decent on the higher end now.  We will see.  The same Dell was a grand and the most mammary in a Lovano was 500gb.  I'm gonna grab a My cloud or Lima asap but I want to research a bit first.  They had ano 8TB Seagate for like $200 but I wasn't sure.  Thanks everyone for your help.

 
Thanks to my guy Acer from the Disney thread.  He's a cool guy, and I bet his computer is gonna be sweet!

 
Last question.  I have a 2007 Office Home and Student with a key left on it.  Can I use it with Windows 10?  Also, Acer doesn't have a CD spot that I can find, so how can I get it loaded.  Tia.

 
You may need an external drive depending on the model. I had an Acer a few years back it was a pretty good machine.

 
I downloaded a 2007 office and my key actually worked!  Just saved a buck fitty.

 
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Looking for a laptop under $340 for occasional office use, Netflix, email, etc. Not a gamer. Is this a good choice or are there better choices in my cheapo price range: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i3-4gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-black/5165000.p?id=bb5165000&skuId=5165000 .

Is it worth $60 more to move up to 6 GB and a dual-core processor: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1260386-REG/lenovo_80sm0059us_core_i3_6100u_6gb_1tb_windows_10_15_6.html . TIA

 
Looking for a laptop under $340 for occasional office use, Netflix, email, etc. Not a gamer. Is this a good choice or are there better choices in my cheapo price range: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i3-4gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-black/5165000.p?id=bb5165000&skuId=5165000 .

Is it worth $60 more to move up to 6 GB and a dual-core processor: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1260386-REG/lenovo_80sm0059us_core_i3_6100u_6gb_1tb_windows_10_15_6.html . TIA
I know it's not for gaming but those not only have underpowered i3 processors but are 5th gen, not the newer 6th gen (Skylake) that are much more energy efficient. 

Here's a good option.

ETA: I like the Lenovo from B&H, seems like a good option - it's 6th gen and the i3 isn't much slower than the i5.

 
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Thanks for helping me understand processors, cstu. Spent the past couple days learning about them. I think I'll wait until Christmas to see if I can get into an i5/6GB/1TB for under $340.

 
Seeking laptop advice from the whiz guys in here...

A good Buddy looking to drop $5-600 on a windows laptop to be used for typical MS office work, audio editing, web browsing, etc. He's looking for something in the 13-15" size. Optical drive is nice but not required. 

He's looking at these options. Is either better? Are there better options in this price range? 

https://www.amazon.com/m6-ae151dx-Envy-15-6-Inch-Touchscreen-Notebook/dp/B0187O19UU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473816335&sr=8-2&keywords=HP+Envy

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-Q304UA-BBI5T10-2---1-i5-6200U/dp/B01HAQHE3M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473818324&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+q304ua

Sorry I'm way out of the loop on PC laptops but wanna help the guy out.

TIA!!! 

 
Seeking laptop advice from the whiz guys in here...

A good Buddy looking to drop $5-600 on a windows laptop to be used for typical MS office work, audio editing, web browsing, etc. He's looking for something in the 13-15" size. Optical drive is nice but not required. 

He's looking at these options. Is either better? Are there better options in this price range? 

https://www.amazon.com/m6-ae151dx-Envy-15-6-Inch-Touchscreen-Notebook/dp/B0187O19UU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473816335&sr=8-2&keywords=HP+Envy

https://www.amazon.com/Asus-Q304UA-BBI5T10-2---1-i5-6200U/dp/B01HAQHE3M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473818324&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+q304ua

Sorry I'm way out of the loop on PC laptops but wanna help the guy out.

TIA!!! 
The Asus looks good.  Can upgrade it to 12GB.

Rough guide:

- get a 6th gen Skylake, either i3-6100u or i5-6200u.  Both of these are roughly the same, get the i5 if it's only a little extra.  Skylake makes a big difference in battery life. 

- Unless you're a gamer, the integrated HD520 GPU in the Skylake is sufficient.  You can get a Skylake with a Iris 540 GPU that is more powerful but it still won't make it a great gaming machine.  Not worth the extra money, better off going all the way with a 970m if gaming really matters to you.  

 
New Dell XPS 13 with Kaby Lake (Skylake successor)

It appears the base model will be $799 with a FHD (1920x1080) screen, i3-7100u Kaby Lake processor, 4GB RAM, and 128GB SSD.  Has an Intel 620 graphics chip, which is quite a bit faster than the HD520 in Skylake but still about 10-15% slower than the Iris 540 graphics.

Dell claims it will have 22 hour battery life with the FHD screen ('only' 13 hours with and QHD (3200 x 1800) touchscreen).

 
I would get a macbook pro. You can find them at a cheap price on craigslist or Ebay. But make sure you boost the ram and HDD, I got mine for $400 about 2 years ago and it does way more then any other laptop I have seen. I use mine to make Music, and Videos. Also play games on it here and there. I'm a huge Tech guy and this will be the best laptop you ever get. You can get a HDMI Adapter for these they're like 10$ online!

Look to alienware: if its gaming

 
 

 
Acer Aspire E 15, 15.6 Full HD, Intel Core i5, NVIDIA 940MX, 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, Windows 10, E5-575G-53VG




$533

 
Lenovo IdeaPad 310 15.6" 768P, i3-6100U, 4GB DDR4, 1TB HDD, WiFi AC, DVD-RW, Win10 Home @ $280 with F/S

Lenovo offers Ideapad 310-15ISK 80SM003SUS laptop with 15.6" 1366x768 LED Display, Core i3-6100U 2.3GHz Skylake CPU, 4GB DDR4 2133MHz Ram, 1TB HDD, DVD-RW, WiFi AC, Win10 Home 64 Bit @ $279.99. Shipping is free and tax in most states.

SPEC:

  • Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
  • 15.6" 1366x768 LED Display
  • Skylake Core i3-6100U 2.3GHz
  • HD 520 Graphics
  • 4GB DDR4L 2133MHz Ram (20GB Max, 1 Free SODIMM)
  • 1TB 5400 RPM HDD
  • DVD-RW, 2x Stereo Speaker with Dolby Audio
  • 802.11ac WiFi + Bluetooth 4.1 + Gigabit Ethernet
  • 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, 4-in-1 Card Reader
  • 1x VGA, 1x HDMI
  • 2 Cell 30 WHr Battery (up to 5 Hrs)
  • 4.8 lbs (2.2 kg)
  • 1 Year Lenovo warranty

 
Ordered this via SlickDeals and wanted to run it by you guys. I'm aware this thing isn't in any danger of triggering the singularity, but wanted to run the config by you guys for thoughts.... 

USE: Basic browsing, MS Office use (email/excel/powerpoint, etc), rare video/dvd watching, as well as potentially some light Photoshop work on occasion. 
 

BASE SYSTEM : Acer Aspire E 15, 15.6" Full HD, 7th Gen Intel Core i3-7100U, 4GB DDR4, 1TB HDD, Windows 10 Home
• 7th Gen i3-7100U 2.4Ghz Dual Core Processor
• 4GB DDR4 RAM (expanded to 8GB, see below) 
• 1TB 5400RPM HDD (supplemented with 275GB SSD, see below)
• Full HD 1080 Backlit LED Graphics w/ HDMI Out
• 802.11 A/C, Two USB 3.0 Ports, SD Card Slot, M.2 SSD Expansion Slot
• 12hr Battery Life, 5.3lbs Weight 

ADDED: Crucial MX300 275GB M.2 (2280) Internal Solid State Drive
• Probably set this up as primary boot drive for speed

ADDED: Kingston Technology HyperX Impact 4GB 2133MHz DDR4 CL13 SODIMM
• Beefing up to 8GB RAM (expandable to 32 if needed

Total Cost $435 all in. 

Thoughts/comments? 


 

 
I'm going to bump this.  For the first time in forever, I am in the market for a new computer.  I currently have a MacBook from 2007 and an iPad 2 from 2011.  As much as I have enjoyed my MacBook, I am not thrilled with the costs of a new one and my computing needs are a lot different than they were 10 years ago.

Uses:  pretty basic.  I will likely need a Windows machine to do some light work from home (our terminal server software is not compatible with my Mac, apparently), handful of times per month.  Most of this remote work will consist of light Quickbooks use via the servers.  I will be using Excel regularly though nothing too off-the-wall intensive.  Otherwise general web browsing, Youtube, Twitch, Spotify.  I do not need crazy video cards, do not do any PC gaming or any art/music projects.  It would be nice to be able to use it with a tablet functionality - I have been looking into 2-in-1s, detatchables, etc.  My iPad 2 still runs fine but is slowing a little and it would be nice to supplement it with a newer machine.

I don't want to buy "too much computer" but I'd also like something that will easily last a few years.  Thoughts?

 

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