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Oxxidation posted:Stupid question, but what does "poor driver support" actually amount to? My last laptop's video drivers stopped updating, ooh, call it 2008, so I was never quite sure exactly what updated drivers did aside from help your system stay stable. Helping your system stay stable is a really big deal, though. Especially since OS updates and software keep updating. If the drivers you do have are hacky custom jobs for proprietary hardware that are sometimes unstable, slow, or else suddenly react poorly to some new update or software, that really puts a serious damper on how long you can use the computer. Sony is improving, in that even just a few years ago, their drivers were often really unstable or slow and often based on way outdated reference drivers or else the hardware was weird configurations so you couldn't even hack in reference drivers, but I'm still skeptical. Also because they used to charge you for driver updates beyond a certain date, which is completely inexcusable, though I think they stopped that part.
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Jun 24, 2013 19:47
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Vinlaen posted:Anandtech posted their 2013 Macbook Air review and it looks like the HD 5000 GPU is about 16% faster than the HD 4000 which isn't bad.
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Jun 24, 2013 19:58
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Vinlaen posted:Anandtech posted their 2013 Macbook Air review and it looks like the HD 5000 GPU is about 16% faster than the HD 4000 which isn't bad. Yeah, the performance gain isn't bad, especially since it comes with so much better battery life. I'm a little worried that the super high resolution screens that are getting put on nice-looking ultrabooks are going to cause problems, though, since they'll likely be paired with the HD4400 (as far as I know). Does anyone have a good idea how the HD5000 vs. 5100 vs. 5200 shakes out? As far as I can tell, HD5000 and 5100 are both available with ULV cpus, but the HD5100 itself is like double the power draw? Then the HD5200 only comes with mobile quad-core, non-ULV chips, and is again double the power draw of the 5100? I remember reading that the 13" rMBP had some performance issues. Is the 3200x1800 screen in the new Samsung laptop, with a Core i5-4200U and HD4400, really going to avoid those kinds of problems? I'd rather have only like 8 hours battery life, if it means the thing actually runs significantly better.
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Jun 24, 2013 20:02
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Master_Odin posted:So basically don't have it sit on my actual lap while playing a game and use headphones? Is there a video or something of this as I'm not sure "very very loud" is. If it's anything like the 2012 model, it's just barely audible if you have speakers, but very noticeable without any sort of background noise.
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Jun 24, 2013 20:09
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I EVER SPENT
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RVProfootballer posted:Does anyone have a good idea how the HD5000 vs. 5100 vs. 5200 shakes out? As far as I can tell, HD5000 and 5100 are both available with ULV cpus, but the HD5100 itself is like double the power draw? Then the HD5200 only comes with mobile quad-core, non-ULV chips, and is again double the power draw of the 5100? I remember reading that the 13" rMBP had some performance issues. Is the 3200x1800 screen in the new Samsung laptop, with a Core i5-4200U and HD4400, really going to avoid those kinds of problems? I'd rather have only like 8 hours battery life, if it means the thing actually runs significantly better. Anandtech has an interesting discussion: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7072/intel-hd-5000-vs-hd-4000-vs-hd-4400 The real answer is that the sum of the power used by the chip won't exceed the TDP rating. Therefore, the real difference between the 5000 and the 5100 isn't that the GPUs are different, just that the 5100 is allowed the power headroom to actually run at higher frequencies. The above linked article talks about how in the low-power chips like the one in the MacBook air, load on the GPU can force the CPU to downclock and vice versa. In their benchmarks the 5000 in the air doesn't really drastically outperform the 4400, which you might expect it to given that it's twice the GPU on paper.
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Jun 25, 2013 00:41
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SOD it, I ordered an X120e with 4gb for 180 on Ebay. Seems like a much more flexible and comfortable machine than a Chromebook. I might upgrade it to SSD if I enjoy it enough, but for now i'm just hoping for a computer I don't break within 3 months.
SSJ Reeko fucked around with this message at 03:14 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 00:46
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All this macbook talk has come at a convenient time. I just finished having a hands on look at the new airs, to see for myself how much they weigh etc. The very nice man at the store has offered me a new 13" air, with a haswell i5, 8gb ram, 128gb ssd, and apple care, for $1518. He also said I can do it interest free (which is good as I don't have that much money right now). The same thing would be $1648 online. I know I've been looking at thinkpads, but to get a nice one would cost the same or more (australia) and wouldn't have haswell. I'd have basically the same usage as the guy upthread ; uni work, mild steam games, and lots of carrying it around. Edit: buying it directly from apple with educational pricing would be $1538. So I guess I can stop worrying about having to decide right away. Schmetterling fucked around with this message at 02:07 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 01:32
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Naffer posted:Anandtech has an interesting discussion: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7072/intel-hd-5000-vs-hd-4000-vs-hd-4400 Cool, this is very helpful. Thank you!
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Jun 25, 2013 01:43
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Fina posted:I've been considering getting a new laptop for a while and now that Haswell is out I figure that stores will start discounting more of the older stuff. Just asking this again before I pull the trigger on the laptop. Is there anything I should be aware about with the model I linked or are there any superior models for an equal price? I'm not expecting to get the latest or greatest and I'm willing to sacrifice on the weight/form factor for a little more power and from the benchmarks I've found it seems like this will handle whatever I'll be playing on it quite well.
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Jun 25, 2013 03:18
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Schmetterling posted:All this macbook talk has come at a convenient time. I just finished having a hands on look at the new airs, to see for myself how much they weigh etc. The very nice man at the store has offered me a new 13" air, with a haswell i5, 8gb ram, 128gb ssd, and apple care, for $1518. He also said I can do it interest free (which is good as I don't have that much money right now). The same thing would be $1648 online. I know nothing about Australian prices, but that sounds like an awful lot of money to spend on a laptop. If it's a good deal and interest free, though, then that's pretty nice and I say go for it (just be sure to read the fine print, ie find out for how long it is interest free)
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Jun 25, 2013 05:30
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Fina posted:Just asking this again before I pull the trigger on the laptop. Is there anything I should be aware about with the model I linked or are there any superior models for an equal price? I'm not expecting to get the latest or greatest and I'm willing to sacrifice on the weight/form factor for a little more power and from the benchmarks I've found it seems like this will handle whatever I'll be playing on it quite well. It's terrible in that it's an Acer, has a 5400 rpm hard drive, and a 1366x768 screen at 15". Also, it's pretty overpriced. For that money you could get a Thinkpad, which has one of the best budget TN 15" screens out there, and add in an SSD which will probably give you better real-world performance than the quad core in there. Or maybe a used macbook. Or a W530 if you really must have a QM.
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Jun 25, 2013 05:37
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How do these look? http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y410p/ At $799, it seems a lot more attractive... the graphics and cpu are overkill but it's just still so much cheaper than a macbook air that I'm not so sure I can resist
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Jun 25, 2013 05:46
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whalestory posted:How do these look? http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y410p/ That is a pretty drat good deal. I have been waffling between a Helix, X320T or W530 . . .but that is just really good bang for your buck. $450 off! The only big turn off for me is the 1600x900 screen, but other than that, it is a great deal on Lenovo's first Haswell machines. Anyone know if you can upgrade beyond 8gigs on that Y410P? EDIT: drat. Looks like the Helix drivers don't support pressure sensitivity. WTF?!!? The hardware is rated for 2k levels of sensitivity but doesn't work. Pressure sensitivity doesn't work on the the Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro either!! sigma 6 fucked around with this message at 07:01 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 05:58
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QuarkJets posted:I know nothing about Australian prices, but that sounds like an awful lot of money to spend on a laptop. If it's a good deal and interest free, though, then that's pretty nice and I say go for it (just be sure to read the fine print, ie find out for how long it is interest free) Even with the big discounts on Australian Thinkpads at the moment ($200 off x230, $800 off x1 Carbon!) it is still cheaper to buy a brand new macbook air than to get a thinkpad with equivalent stats. Everything costs more here, and it sucks.  I think that I'm leaning towards the macbook air, despite the giant cost. A thinkpad would let me upgrade bits, but to do so still requires me to buy the bits. At least macbooks seem to retain part of their value when selling secondhand, and there's an offical apple store at uni I could take it to if anything goes wrong. The interest free thing requires me to sign up for something called a GE Creditline, which has 0% interest for 12 months, and then 22.9% interest after that. So if I pay $200 a month I'll be done well before the interest kicks in.
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Jun 25, 2013 06:17
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Schmetterling posted:Even with the big discounts on Australian Thinkpads at the moment ($200 off x230, $800 off x1 Carbon!) it is still cheaper to buy a brand new macbook air than to get a thinkpad with equivalent stats. You'll be more than happy to know that the MBA is a very capable machine that does sacrifice some "upgradability" for reliability and cost effectiveness. Please don't miss the payments for the creditline, though!
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Jun 25, 2013 06:25
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whalestory posted:How do these look? http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y410p/ This is what I'm talking about, this is $70 more than the one I linked but it is superior in every way. This is much more tempting. Edit: What's the deal with the B&N Gold link in the OP to buy from the Lenovo site? It takes me to a login page but I am unable to create an account. Fina fucked around with this message at 06:48 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 06:39
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You can create an account on the lenovo site and then use it to login on the B&N one...!
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Jun 25, 2013 07:52
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whalestory posted:You can create an account on the lenovo site and then use it to login on the B&N one...! The y510p with 750M SLI is still cheaper at Newegg than at the B&N Lenovo site. I don't understand.
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Jun 25, 2013 07:56
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voltron posted:The y510p with 750M SLI is still cheaper at Newegg than at the B&N Lenovo site. I don't understand. Just checked and Newegg is telling me that is out of stock/discontinued.
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Jun 25, 2013 08:07
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sigma 6 posted:drat. Looks like the Helix drivers don't support pressure sensitivity. WTF?!!? The hardware is rated for 2k levels of sensitivity but doesn't work. That drivers issue was about pressure sensitivity in certain applications like Photoshop. Pressure sensitivity existed and worked in other situations. Drivers are out that fix the problem (but I don't have Photoshop, haven't verified myself, but there are videos).
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Jun 25, 2013 08:25
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Hmmmm. So, is it safe to assume that the driver issue will be solved eventually for software like zbrush and photoshop? Is it also safe to assume there will be no Haswell version of X320T because the Helix is the succesor to the X320T? I don't really like the idea of half the device swiveling on one point. Is there any other reason to go with the Helix over the X320T? Seems like some don't like the build quality of the Helix here.
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Jun 25, 2013 08:34
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sigma 6 posted:Hmmmm. So, is it safe to assume that the driver issue will be solved eventually for software like zbrush and photoshop? quote:Is it also safe to assume there will be no Haswell version of X320T because the Helix is the succesor to the X320T? quote:I don't really like the idea of half the device swiveling on one point. quote:Is there any other reason to go with the Helix over the X320T? Seems like some don't like the build quality of the Helix here.
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Jun 25, 2013 09:18
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Schmetterling posted:Even with the big discounts on Australian Thinkpads at the moment ($200 off x230, $800 off x1 Carbon!) it is still cheaper to buy a brand new macbook air than to get a thinkpad with equivalent stats. Just so you know, as bad as Harvey Norman is, they have 18month version of the finance thing until 30th June. I know this as I'm about to buy a Macbook Air too on it. Had a GE card for years, never paid a cent in interest. Just make more than the min payments and you'll be fine.
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Jun 25, 2013 09:22
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Fina posted:This is what I'm talking about, this is $70 more than the one I linked but it is superior in every way. This is much more tempting. I'd still look at a Thinkpad first. Ideapads aren't really that great and that price seems to only be on a similarly poo poo quality screen and slowass hard drive as the one you linked.
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Jun 25, 2013 13:12
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I allllllmost bought a Lenovo x1 today. There were a bunch for $819 on the Outlet. The cheapest had a slightly better i5 than the rest and there was only the 1 available. I was checking out and had submitted the order....buti entered my credit card information from memory. I forgot my middle initial was on my card. By the time I got my wallet to double check everything, someone else had snagged it. It was only the difference between like i5 3370 or whatever and an i5 3470 or something. I might still buy one of the slightly slower models...but now I feel like I missed out. Also they are available for about 800$ on eBay...and no sales tax...but then you don't get a return policy. Lenovo has free returns right now so that's why I was going to get it. If I don't like it, just send it back. johnny sack fucked around with this message at 18:19 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 18:16
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Does anyone know whether installing an mSATA SSD into my X230 (purchased April) would void the extended warranty. I have asked Lenovo several times and they constantly tell me that "it might, it would be better for you to send it to us". Online videos of the installation look super easy, I just thought I'd ask before I head over to the SSD drive megathread to ask for recommendations.
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Jun 25, 2013 19:54
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Schmetterling posted:Even with the big discounts on Australian Thinkpads at the moment ($200 off x230, $800 off x1 Carbon!) it is still cheaper to buy a brand new macbook air than to get a thinkpad with equivalent stats. I used to have a GE account and I believe they charge a ~$3.95 - $5.00 monthly 'account keeping fee' in any month where your GE balance is non-zero. But still, ~$60 of 'interest' over 12 months is pretty good.
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Jun 26, 2013 00:29
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Unless you are a student working towards a professional degree (doctor, engineer, etc) you should never ever buy your hardware via a credit card.
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Jun 26, 2013 00:47
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Most (all?) of Lenovo's ThinkPads have yet to be refreshed with Haswell, right? How big of a spike in prices should we expect once that happens, a couple hundred dollars maybe?whalestory posted:You can create an account on the lenovo site and then use it to login on the B&N one...! You are a god among men. Hadlock posted:Unless you are a student working towards a professional degree (doctor, engineer, etc) you should never ever buy your hardware via a credit card. I'm curious, why? It seems like a good idea if you're going to pay it all off that same month, and you're just trying to get the cashback/air miles/etc.
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Jun 26, 2013 01:02
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surf rock posted:I'm curious, why? It seems like a good idea if you're going to pay it all off that same month, and you're just trying to get the cashback/air miles/etc. This obviously doesn't apply to you if you're going to just pay it all back immediately.
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Jun 26, 2013 01:08
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I'm expecting 0 spike in prices. In fact Apple's Macbook Air lowered in price when it was updated with Haswell.
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Jun 26, 2013 01:10
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EAT THE EGGS RICOLA posted:This obviously doesn't apply to you if you're going to just pay it all back immediately. Pretty much this. 99% of people who use credit cards lose money on them. People like you who use them to farm airline miles are loss leaders who do free advertising for them to people who can't afford your lifestyle. Credit cards exist because most people use them to buy poo poo they can't afford. This is a fact and the reason why all american CC companies are headquartered in SD http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/borrowers/sioux-falls-town-credit-built NPR economics radio show posted:But banks could only charge around 10 percent interest on loans and credit cards. That's because most states had strict usury laws that capped interest rates. With inflation higher than interest rates, banks were losing money every time they made a loan. tl;dr the federal credit card interest rate limit is a reasonable 10%, credit card companies live in South Dakota to charge you 29.99% APR
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Jun 26, 2013 01:28
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Chemical Shift posted:Does anyone know whether installing an mSATA SSD into my X230 (purchased April) would void the extended warranty. I have asked Lenovo several times and they constantly tell me that "it might, it would be better for you to send it to us". Online videos of the installation look super easy, I just thought I'd ask before I head over to the SSD drive megathread to ask for recommendations. But, no, if you tossed in a mSATA SSD and your screen died a month later, they would not be able to deny your warranty. Obviously you should remove the SSD before you ship it back to them, but that's about it.
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Jun 26, 2013 01:30
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My Thinkpad T400s is falling apart for the second time in about a year, and its battery life is down to about an hour, so I think it's time for something new. My experience with it has been pretty underwhelming- build quality probably better than other brands but not where it should be, crap battery life, just about the worst screen I've seen on a laptop post-2000, and absolute garbage warranty support. I was ready to abandon Lenovo forever after my last warranty service experience, but I get the impression that other brands (except possibly Apple) are all even worse. So right now I'm pretty much looking at the T430 and X430. I think going with the T430 would solve my problems with build quality and battery life, but it still has that awful screen. It's really tough to tell from the website, but it looks like every model of the X430 has an IPS display? Can anyone who has one comment on build quality and real-world battery life? E: I'd also be switching to an SSD, does the X use some goofy small sized drive like my T400s does?
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Jun 26, 2013 01:34
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z16bitsega posted:E: I'd also be switching to an SSD, does the X use some goofy small sized drive like my T400s does? The T430 is one of the best-built, most durable laptops you can buy under $1000, but the battery life on the standard battery still isn't amazing--about 3-4 hours. You can get an extended battery off Amazon for $70-$80 that'll go 6+ hours, though. The screen is, admittedly, mediocre at best and there's nothing you can do about it. Unless you need to replace your laptop NOW, you may be better off waiting for the Haswell refresh in a month or two and hoping that Lenovo bothers to pair the new T4xx with a monitor that doesn't suck. I'm curious as to how your warranty experience has been poor. Every dealing I've had with IBM so far has been extremely easy and usually results in them sending whatever parts I ask for with only the most basic of questioning, most of which usually revolves around whether or not I want to pay for weekend shipping.
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Jun 26, 2013 01:45
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Just how bad is the build of the y410p? The sale looks really tempting and looks like it'll be over soon. I'm planning on using it to take it over to friends houses and play your typical PC games, the hardware looks pretty great for being under $1000. I'm probably going to ignore the trackpad. But the screen concerns me. I've seen some terrible laptop screens, like ones where there is no viewing angle that doesn't look terrible, are Leveno screens that bad?
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Jun 26, 2013 02:52
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Are there any 11.6 inch i7 quad cores? Does that even exist? I'm looking to buy the smallest fastest laptop/netbook/whatever
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Jun 26, 2013 02:55
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Megaman posted:Are there any 11.6 inch i7 quad cores? Does that even exist? I'm looking to buy the smallest fastest laptop/netbook/whatever Even if someone built it, it would be near impossible to cool. What do you need that will use 4 cores but a 15" Macbook Retina is too big? Anyway, the Macbook Air is the fastest tiny machine. Just get the CPU upgrade and get a Haswell Macbook air if you need a powerful tiny computer for some reason. If you need a powerful CPU more than you need a small machine and your budget is the moon, option up a 15" Retina Macbook. Twerk from Home fucked around with this message at 03:01 on Jun 26, 2013 |
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Jun 26, 2013 02:59
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Megaman posted:Are there any 11.6 inch i7 quad cores? Does that even exist? I'm looking to buy the smallest fastest laptop/netbook/whatever There's really no point in getting a quad-core processor today when most dual cores virtualize 2 more cores themselves. These guys are small market enough to retail a 14" laptop with a quad core option. The grad student I work for runs Autodesk Inventor 2013 and physics simulations on an ancient dell laptop with a core 2 duo at very reasonable speeds. It's not exactly a prerequisite to have some squad-portable Alienware when literally every "i-" prefixed processor now is very very capable of delivering the throughput required for what has classically been regarded as "demanding" tasks. As long as a laptop is well maintained, given a copious swap partition, and not subject to tons of clicking during loading, it will happily meet needs.
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Jun 26, 2013 03:23
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Also, Megaman, If you do end up buying a quad core laptop, I hope you keep a fire extinguisher on hand. Maybe even one that can tackle lithium fires.
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Jun 26, 2013 03:25
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