The laptop recommendation and discussion megathread

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

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Thanks for making the new thread. I'll be refining the OP as I get time, and any suggestions are certainly welcome!

# ¿ Dec 17, 2009 06:04

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# ¿ May 21, 2013 14:36

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Thirst Mutilator posted:

Do you think the MacBooks will have i7's incorporated by then?

I highly doubt it.

# ¿ Dec 20, 2009 04:36

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Kowalski posted:

the reasoning being that this would help make the rarely accessed disk less prone to failure. Is this a correct assessment?

Not really. Disk access isn't a significant contributor to failure.

# ¿ Jan 7, 2010 20:02

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

deltawing posted:

Rate my new Alienware M17X

Sweet waste of money, bro!

# ¿ Feb 10, 2010 20:57

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

deltawing posted:

I won't use it as a laptop, basically a desktop replacement

Either way, haters gonna hate, I should've known.

It has nothing to do with haters. You bought a laptop to be a desktop, something it doesn't even do well at double the price. I'm still baffled as to what you were thinking.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2010 00:52

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Drox posted:

You can make do with a desktopped laptop without paying $3000 is what I'm saying.

That's not the point at all. I use a laptop as my primary computer as well. He spent $3000 on a gaming laptop without a quad-core or an SSD. It's not like he's going to lounge with it on his lap like we do with our laptops. He basically bought a desktop with neutered mobile parts and double the price tag. I just don't get it.

Also pulling the "take my ball and go home" routine is pretty retarded, deltawing. Don't ask for SH/SC's opinion if you don't want to hear it.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2010 01:04

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

line number posted:

doesn't the screen res have a lot to do with most of these small laptops having LED instead of LCD. to save on energy. LED screens usually are lower res. yes/no/maybe circle to continue.

Backlighting technology has no impact on screen resolution.

# ¿ Feb 19, 2010 23:26

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Alienware laptop with two GPUs? Yeah those temps sound about right.

# ¿ Mar 19, 2010 22:23

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Faceless Clock posted:

Don't believe Dell's laptop battery life claims for a second. They routinely overstate battery life (just like everyone else).

Except Apple. I still would love to learn what sort of voodoo they're doing to get almost 10 hours of battery life out of a non-ULV C2D and an NVIDIA GPU. It's not like this is cutting-edge hardware, so I'm curious how they're able to optimize it so well.

quote:

Apple also keeps delivering with its honest battery life claims. I measured between 3.5 and 9.75 hours of battery life on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro depending on workload. The 13-inch gives you a good combination of netbook-like battery life but with the performance on tap when you need it.

Star War Sex Parrot fucked around with this message at Jun 17, 2010 around 06:13

# ¿ Jun 17, 2010 06:10

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Sword in the Brain! posted:

Voodoo as in making the battery non-removable and filling all the empty space inside with battery

They're just making it bigger and bigger

It's only a 63.5WHr, compared to 85WHr in that Dell above. I'm not sure where you're going with this.

That also doesn't change the fact that they managed to get a C2D and NVIDIA GPU to idle at 7-8W.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2010 06:16

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Angry Boat posted:

I think I have some candidates. The Asus UL30, U30, and the current 13" Macbook. The U30 is something like $930 on newegg, the UL30 ranging between $600-$800, and the Macbook at $1100 in the apple store after upgrade to 4gb ($999 without).

If you have a Microcenter near you, the 13" MBP is $999:

http://www.microcenter.com/storefronts/apple/index.html

That'll get you your 4GB of RAM, along with a better body, FW800, SD slot, etc.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2010 19:42

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Butt Reactor posted:

What's the consensus on this ASUS? Looks like it has everything I want (except DX11-capable graphics) and it's within my budget.

16" at 1366x768? Ugh. Also battery life is probably atrocious, if that's of any concern.

# ¿ Jun 22, 2010 07:20

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Tokit posted:

I don't want a mac, but how good in terms of performance are macbooks when running windows 7?

They're PCs. They run exactly the same.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2010 21:39

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

H. Helluva posted:

Are there any notebooks currently in the US market that have USB 3.0?

I've only seen laptops that offer it through a docking station, but I honestly haven't looked very thoroughly. USB 3.0 is still very much in its infancy.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2010 00:42

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Faceless Clock posted:

I also found OS X weird when I first started using it. Something that seems really strange to me on the 13 inch Macbooks is the fact that, by default, the dock is always visible. It is pretty big, too. This really hurts the desktop space on a display that is already on the small size.

Expose + Spaces makes all display size concerns disappear, in my experience -- unless you're just using a single program that has a massive UI.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2010 20:03

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Smeed posted:

Im looking at an alienware m11x but before I pull the trigger... Are there any updates or newer models in the pipes. If not, any discount codes a goon could hook me up with?

It just got updated 2 weeks ago.

# ¿ Jun 27, 2010 20:54

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

rscott posted:

MSI GX640 has a 1680x1050 screen, it might be the only new laptop to come out in the last 18 months or so that actually has a 16:10 ratio.

Apple says you're wrong.

# ¿ Jul 6, 2010 16:08

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

rscott posted:

I'm sorry, the only laptop that's not absurdly expensive and actually has enough graphical prowess to drive the extra pixels, let me qualify my statements lest the mac fanboys get up in arms!

GT 330 is pretty solid. Not everyone needs a gaming laptop like you.

# ¿ Jul 6, 2010 16:36

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

madprocess posted:

You can get a better graphics card in an $800 Dell dude just saying.

I'm not recommending Apple. The comment was essentially "no one offers 16:10 in laptops anymore." He's wrong. It can be found in plenty of new laptops. Apple is just the most visible example.

Star War Sex Parrot fucked around with this message at Jul 6, 2010 around 16:50

# ¿ Jul 6, 2010 16:47

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

fishmech posted:

Yeah they're pretty decent machines. I just want to tell you that the first time you turn it on, go into the BIOS and flip the setting in there that makes you need to use the Fn key to use F1 etc, so that instead you hit Fn to use the volume up or whatever on the F keys.

Why? Most users are going to use the brightness/volume/etc. hotkeys way the hell more than the function keys.

# ¿ Jul 6, 2010 18:23

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Teddybear posted:

...wait, what? I'm not sure what you mean here.

The function keys on laptops usually serve two purpose: the traditional F1-12, and other functions like adjusting brightness, volume, etc. when used in conjunction with a Fn key. However, newer laptops actually use the hotkey mode as the default state, and make you press Fn+F# to get an old school F1-F12 key. Considering most people don't even know what the function keys are used for (besides

), I think it's an understandable move. Apparently fishmech disagrees.

# ¿ Jul 6, 2010 19:50

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

heeebrew posted:

My HP Mini 311 does the opposite, I have to hold FN + F keys to change volume/brightness. How can I reverse this?

Not all laptops let you. Check in the BIOS.

# ¿ Jul 6, 2010 20:32

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Sword in the Brain! posted:

The Compaq is definitely better, the GPU isn't integrated.

How is it any less integrated than the Intel laptop? It's the M880G chipset with shared memory. Either one is going to be pretty lovely. The Toshiba might get slightly better battery life, but I'd probably go with the Compaq.

Star War Sex Parrot fucked around with this message at Jul 7, 2010 around 01:21

# ¿ Jul 7, 2010 01:08

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Texibus posted:

I'm looking to spend about 600 bucks on the notebook and Microsoft Office. I have some wiggle room but not much.

Hopefully you know that Office is only $80.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2010 03:09

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Sentenza posted:

ps the $2300 macbook pro has a worse video card hehe

The MBP also has a faster CPU, vastly superior display, over twice the battery life, a GPU that doesn't steal system memory, 20% less weight, and better construction materials. But by all means focus on one component. Take that CRAPPLE!

But hey at least the Gateway comes with a 56k modem.

That said, it looks like an attractive desktop replacement for the price.

edit:

Sentenza posted:

is it worth paying practically the same amount to get a 2" less screen and better battery life?

Why don't you tell us? Is this behemoth ever going to be running without its AC adapter? Mobility really doesn't seem to be a concern for you.

Star War Sex Parrot fucked around with this message at Jul 7, 2010 around 03:56

# ¿ Jul 7, 2010 03:47

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Dmar posted:

The knee-jerk reaction towards 17" laptops here tends to be outright loathing at the concept, but honestly if you are totally cool with it being glued to your desk, then maybe a 17" laptop is what you want.

Personally, I found that having a heavy and large laptop that got 2 hours on a charge was not particularly advantageous in any way. A cheap desktop will outclass it and a $100 display can be larger than 17". When you have a presentation to prepare with classmates, it's going to be a real hassle to take it to the library with you. What about downtime you have in between classes at the student life center? You will see all of your classmates with their 13" macbooks on their laps, happily Facebooking away, sitting comfortably on sofas or plush chairs. That will never really be an option for you with a 17" laptop.

I'm not completely against the idea of 17" laptops. They have their place, which in my opinion is really only the dorm room where there's no space for a desktop. So long as the buyer knows exactly what sacrifices they're making in return for the performance and their expected usage model, I don't have any issues recommending desktop replacements.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2010 04:03

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Schroedinger posted:

Would it be better to spend the $300 on a netbook? I'm using a netbook-like thing right now and kind of hate the size, but I'm looking for longevity and durability above everything else. I only have about $300-$400 to spend, and this will be my primary machine.

Netbooks are all about form factor and mobility. If you can't stand using one now, don't buy another. For browsing and video watching (which you mentioned earlier) I think you'll be happier with an actual laptop.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2010 04:59

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

MaiaN posted:

3. What is the build quality of Vaios like nowadays?

Generally the same as always: pretty complicated if you ever need to take the thing apart, but solid.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2010 16:23

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

plustwobonus posted:

will the i5 version have noticeably less battery life than the i3?

The i3 doesn't have Turbo while the i5 does, so the i3 is locked at 2.13Ghz while the i5 can clock itself up to 2.93GHz. That should net a huge performance gain, but also chew through more battery. I'm guessing you can still get ~4 hours out of the i5 Edge 14 with light use.

edit: Keep an eye out for Dell coupons, as the Studio 14 is a good alternative to the Thinkpad Edge 14.

Star War Sex Parrot fucked around with this message at Jul 8, 2010 around 22:51

# ¿ Jul 8, 2010 22:30

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

truavatar posted:

it looks pretty nice for the price.

"Nice for the price" doesn't even give us a hint as to what you're gonna use it for, so we can't really recommend anything. You're sacrificing performance with that machine in exchange for the big screen and Blu-Ray. Unless Blu-Ray is your highest priority, you can do better.

truavatar posted:

Also, are some of the Intel Core iX processors interchangeable in their sockets? i.e., would I be able to upgrade this processor to a nice i7 some years down the road?

Almost never.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2010 17:51

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Pron on VHS posted:

I know very little about laptops and hardware in general, and need some help from you guys:

I want to spend around $900 dollars on a laptop that will allow me to play HD movies, games, CS5 software, and other basic functions that any computer can do.

I haven't played games in a while, since I've been using a 9 year old hand-me-down laptop. I'd like to be able to play Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, SW: The Old Republic, and other stuff that's coming out in the next year.

What should I get? I am prejudiced towards Dell. Is that Studio XPS good? What puts me off is the leather trim and stuff, I don't want to spend extra for that crap so if its specs aren't worth the price then gently caress it.

You haven't told us why you need a laptop, which makes me want to recommend a desktop. Do you need it to be portable? Do you need battery life? What size screen are you looking for?

# ¿ Jul 14, 2010 02:28

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

malefactor posted:

SC2 runs like CRAP in OSX, you are going to need to dual boot for that game which means the mac prices goes up by another $100 for buying windows 7.

You have people in the Mac threads saying they run it without issue, so I'm not sure where you're getting this from.

# ¿ Jul 19, 2010 21:57

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

malefactor posted:

The bnet mac technical forums are always filled with people complaining about the game running better in windows.

No poo poo, almost every game runs better in Windows. But you don't "need" to dual boot for SC2.

Star War Sex Parrot fucked around with this message at Jul 19, 2010 around 23:50

# ¿ Jul 19, 2010 23:44

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Faceless Clock posted:

MacBooks are 16:10

Zarkov Cortez posted:

Apple does

Which is a tough sell if all you care about is 16:10.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2010 01:50

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

heeebrew posted:

Do the WD Blacks or Blues have any issues with noise or not working in Unibody Macbooks? I think I read something about the HDD drop sensor and incompatibility.

Either buy a drive without a sudden motion sensor or disable the Mac's internal sensor. I've done both in the past without issue.

# ¿ Jul 21, 2010 21:38

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Hip Hoptimus Prime posted:

Any thoughts on the Sony Vaio? Specifically, this model?

Do you care about battery life at all? Because Sony's quoted numbers are terrible, which means real-world performance is probably even worse.

# ¿ Jul 26, 2010 16:11

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

Alkaiser posted:

Hey there,

I was wondering for those of you who run their laptops as desktop replacements, when it's plugged in a outlet does it bypass the battery? Because I'm on the fence of getting a high end one because I don't want to potentially kill it's battery in the long run by running it as a primary computer.

Since my understanding was that batteries will decay in use even if they are fully charged.

Thanks

Just try to cycle it once a month or so and you're fine. My laptop is almost always plugged in, but I tend to cycle it once every few weeks or so and my batteries maintain their health.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2010 04:47

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

WanderingKid posted:

I was checking out some of the Sony configure to order models and I noticed that on the f series for instance, you get a 320gb 5400rpm HDD as part of the starting price. To upgrade to a 500gb 7200rpm HDD costs +�80.00. However you can buy a WD Scorpio Black OEM 500gb from Amazon for �50.00 with free shipping which begs the question: 'why would I ever buy the upgrade from Sony when I could buy the standard configuration and get similar or better aftermarket upgrades from Newegg or Amazon?'

Is there something I'm missing here?

I can't speak for the model you're buying, but in the past Vaios have been notoriously difficult to take apart so it was often better to just buy it preconfigured.

But in general, yes OEMs are always going to charge more for the upgrade parts. It's easy margin from clueless customers.

# ¿ Jul 31, 2010 06:23

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

dancehall posted:

Also FIREWIRE, why do so few computers seem to include that?

Because so few accessories use it. eSATA has sort of replaced it in mainstream use, while FW400/800 remains in use for professionals.

# ¿ Jul 31, 2010 19:51

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# ¿ May 21, 2013 14:36

Star War Sex Parrot: Oct 2, 2003

rscott posted:

Buying an Apple is like buying a german automobile . The extra money you're paying for it is basically for aesthetics and build quality, and the ability to run OSX. If those 3 things aren't more important to you than the amount of money you would be saving then don't bother getting a mac.

You forgot battery life.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2010 21:33

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