The laptop recommendation and discussion megathread

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware / Software Crap > The laptop recommendation and discussion megathread

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

Rashomon posted:

Are there currently any i7 laptops with switchable graphics that are 13 or 14"?

The UL30JT that's coming out in a bit as a ULV i7 and switchable nvidia 310m.

# ¿ Feb 13, 2010 04:21

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 23, 2013 03:40

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

Corte posted:

Thanks for the tip but I actually already use redflagdeals, great site for us Canucks. Still isn't the 35% off Visa offer though which would be loving amazing.

Just to be clear that 35% deal only works on certain things, usually it's more like 5-15%.

# ¿ Feb 15, 2010 23:55

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

Anyone in here ever had a thinkpad x200 or x200s? I'm really interested in both for school. Any comments on the display specifically?

# ¿ Feb 17, 2010 22:27

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

What are some laptops (that aren't tablets) that have really nice screens?

# ¿ Feb 26, 2010 17:41

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

Alfalfa posted:

So I am thinking of selling my 13" MacBook Pro Unibody just because I really want to go back to Windows 7 and don't like the way it runs on Bootcamp.

I would like another laptop around 13" display as I carry it back and forth from places daily, so something as thin as the MBP or close to it would be preferred.

I don't use it for much except internet, email, office docs, and photoshop so it doesn't have to be blazing, but I would like it to perform decently.

I was looking at that new Dell Adamo because I'm a huge style whore (which is why I went with the MBP to begin with). If anyone has any good/bad stories about them as well.

The Dell Adamo has serious build issues according to http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/13/dell-adamo-review/

It's also extremely overpriced regarding performance vs cost.
There was a deal an the microsoft store to get it for nigh 700 though, and at that price it's a steal.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2010 22:12

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

Anyone have any experience with the x200 tablet? I want to pick one up for college and use the writing to take notes. Good/bad idea?

# ¿ Mar 18, 2010 22:19

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

mike fictitious posted:

If anyone is curious about the Alienware M11x, I bought one.
It is pretty awesome. Surpassed most of my expectations about it.

It is a little on the heavy side, but the form factor is great.

Fire away with any questions. Can post pics if people are interested.

How loud is the fan?

# ¿ Mar 27, 2010 17:52

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

Pretty much anything HP makes is horrible IMO, but the Envy series took ripping people off to entirely new levels.

# ¿ Mar 31, 2010 21:59

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

Quick question: If a user replaces a hard drive or RAM modules in their laptop does that void the warranty? Can anyone provide links expressly stating the answer? My stepdad is a drat moron and refuses to believe that the warranty isn't voided by replacing user serviceable parts.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2010 01:12

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

Ron Jeremy posted:

I previously had a lenovo x61 tablet with a high resolution (1400x1050 on a 12") display.

I know it'll make me go blind, but I really like having that high resolution / small screen size. Can someone recommend other laptops that have this feature? It doesn't have to be a tablet.

The Sony Z has a 1920x1080 display on the signature and non-US models, it's a 13-inch display.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2010 19:33

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

WaveLength posted:

For a sub 5lb i5 with non-discrete graphics, do I have any options other than the vaio z?

The asus UL30JT coming out soon.

# ¿ May 5, 2010 01:09

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

Faceless Clock posted:

Laptop Magazine just published their Tech Support 2010 showdown.

http://www.laptopmag.com/mobile-lif...10.aspx?page=15

Only big surprise is that HP went from a C- to B+. Apple is still on top.

HP Support Review posted:

We called again during the week, and were connected to Seha in India in 1 minute and 22 seconds. She was very pleasant and thoroughly knowledgeable, but there was a fair amount of static and some background noise on the line. After we told her that our computer took a long time to boot up, she took control of it and unchecked startup items, deleted temporary files, ran the disk cleanup utility, and even downloaded CCleaner. After running the app, she told us to run it at least once a month. Finally, she noticed that our antivirus protection had expired, and after unsuccessfully trying to get us to buy a subscription for Norton 360, she installed the free AVG antivirus program on our notebook. All in all, the call took 40 minutes, but we were very pleased with the results.

I am going to order an Envy 14 because of this right here. gently caress the haters

# ¿ Jul 15, 2010 02:58

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

Archer2338 posted:

Oh god I have so many options and so many brands to choose from Would appreciate some help from goons!

I'm moving away from my home with my main desktop for a couple months (Korea - America), and I'll probably be doing a lot of office work, and maybe a whee bit of non-demanding gaming. However, I am kind of used to quick responses when I open a lot of programs and such on my gaming rig, so I suppose I will need a decent processor at the very least. Graphics aren't going to matter.

I have a white macbook 13' that I'm giving away to a friend, and it was decent, but not quite what I want now. So here's a list:

1)Decent screen size (14+, and probably under 14-17)

2)Not a brick (yeah, I know it conflicts with #1, but I don't want a 20" brick of a laptop either)

3)Good keyboard (I doubt I will be carrying a keyboard along in trains, planes, and the like - but doesn't have to be full. Just nice to type on)

4)Good battery life (I may be without a power cord for a few hours a day)

5)Does not need to run a lot of games (honestly, minecraft or Bf2 is going to be the max)

6)Good overall performance (like, when I have 5 minutes to get off an email with an attachment, I do not want to have to wait 3 minutes for the computer to boot up and firefox to fully load up. Also, I like to multitask like gently caress, so expect firefox with 5 tabs, a PDF reader, and maybe even some winamp/pandora all at the same time)

7)Video/DVD playback, and photoshop occasionally (so maybe a bit more than integrated? and of course, a DVD drive)

8)Looks

Price range... Well I'm not expecting more than $1000, but under $1500 definitely. And no OSX/dual boot, that is a pain to take care of.

Some opinion on what brand and model would best fit those would be appreciated, goons. Thanks.

Edit: checking out the Envy series, it seems pretty good. However, I have some qualms about HP as a brand. Any experiences, both good and bad?

What you just described is pretty much the Envy 14. I just got mine and it is loving grand. I've read a lot about HP in general and it seems they've tremendously improved their support service over the last year. That said, I still wouldn't by any of their lower end models.

# ¿ Aug 4, 2010 14:55

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 23, 2013 03:40

Jeseuss: Aug 28, 2007

I have a quick seemingly easy question though this may not be the place for it. After installing only the necessary HP and Intel drivers on my Envy 14, there appears, upon startup, two folders in my C: root: C:\hp and C:\Intel. Both folders contain seemingly nothing important, yet deleting them makes them reappear on startup. The Intel one contains a shortcut to what is basically intel's catalyst control center. I found the shortcut key in the registry and removed it, but it came back again on start. Any help here?

# ¿ Aug 9, 2010 03:48

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware / Software Crap > The laptop recommendation and discussion megathread