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I am looking to get a laptop for my cousins first year in college next year, I am looking for something that will be a good all around laptop that will survive his college years. Does anybody have a recommendation on a laptop they have used from personal experience? I figure most laptops will do for a college kid if it will mainly be used for homework and research projects but I figured maybe some of you all would have some favorites or features that came in handy for school.
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Aug 10, 2013 18:08
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Ask again next year when you're buying it. A lot can change in that time. Right now I'd say the overall best laptop is the 13" Macbook Air. It's very light, thin, built well, has the best trackpad, and the battery lasts over 10 hours with normal use like movies, music, web browsing. I lugged around a 15" Macbook Pro in college and I wish I had an Air back then.
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Aug 10, 2013 18:14
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There are very few i3/i5 Haswell machines widely available outside of a Macbook Air.
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Aug 10, 2013 18:46
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Mu Zeta posted:Ask again next year when you're buying it. A lot can change in that time. But only if you can stand Macbook designs. It's a 'you love it or hate it' kind of deal. Luckily, pretty much every retail electronics store will have macbooks on display, or your mall may even have an Apple Store. But seriously, gently caress that keyboard it feels awful and I hate that my job makes me use one (but obviously not everyone agrees with my opinion)
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Aug 10, 2013 19:49
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I've actually never personally met someone that hated my Air. Everyone that sees it ogles at it and wants to touch it.
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Aug 10, 2013 19:52
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hey guys. I need a new laptop and my budget is only $500 tops. I was looking at these two: http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-E1-571-6837-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B00AZVTBOK/ref=amtcd_B00B3P08IK_B00AZVTBOK http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-V3-551-7423-15-6-Inch-Midnight/dp/B00B3P08IK/ref=amtcd_B00AZMJ9BE_B00B3P08IK but i know absolutely not poo poo about computers. Are they both awful or is one actually kinda good (for the price). I've never used windows 8 either I hear it's really bad but maybe for someone like me who just uses the internet and maybe play a computer game once or twice a year it might be fine. thanks for the help homies.
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Aug 10, 2013 20:06
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Eat My Fuc posted:I've never used windows 8 either I hear it's really bad but maybe for someone like me who just uses the internet and maybe play a computer game once or twice a year it might be fine. If you can live without the little search box which is really good at pulling up the file or program you need very quickly, then you are fine to go with 8. That's the main thing missing, not so much the whole start menu. edit: taking it to yospos agarjogger fucked around with this message at 01:46 on Aug 11, 2013 |
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Aug 10, 2013 21:09
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agarjogger posted:If you can live without the little search box which is really good at pulling up the file or program you need very quickly, then you are fine to go with 8. That's the main thing missing, not so much the whole start menu. You can search in the same way on 8 as 7, though. The box isn't there, but just start typing. It works the same. Not sure what you mean on the 2nd point as explorer is unchanged except for the ribbon interface which is an improvement.
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Aug 10, 2013 21:15
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WHERE MY HAT IS AT posted:You can search in the same way on 8 as 7, though. The box isn't there, but just start typing. It works the same. Not sure what you mean on the 2nd point as explorer is unchanged except for the ribbon interface which is an improvement. It doesn't work the same at all because it divides search like three ways, into files, apps, and settings. This is what I mean when I refer to file navigation. The "file manager" itself is the same. I'm talking about search, which was even more effective than the start menu in launching programs in 7.
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Aug 10, 2013 21:22
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Hi there - I'm most likely going to university in a month, and I'm looking for the standard all-round laptop. Notes, general internet use, and perhaps a bit of gaming (although it's usually low-intensity games, no BF3 or anything). I'm in the UK which is why I'm asking, as I'm unsure if my choices were the same as in America. My budget is £500-£600; $775-$930 according to Google. Of course if there are any suggestions that end up cheaper I won't refuse. A quick browse gave me this: http://www.tesco.com/direct/acer-as...&skuId=743-9324 Would this be a terrible choice? I'm thinking that at this price range, nothing will be particularly awful to have, I don't think I'm picky/knowledgeable enough to care about differences between laptops. Thanks in advance! Edit: A bit longer browsing and I found this -> http://www.johnlewis.com/lenovo-g580i-laptop-intel-core-i5-2-6ghz-4gb-ram-1tb-15-6-metal/p231848023 Lenevo series which this thread says is quite good, plus I have a friend who works there so along with a discount, I'm feeling this might be a very good purchase? Cokeysmoke fucked around with this message at 00:36 on Aug 11, 2013 |
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Aug 10, 2013 21:50
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You can just download "Classic Shell" for free to "fix" Windows 8. You can get rid of the ribbon interface and regain a normal start menu, and even get rid of those stupid breadcrumbs in the file path window. Outside of the stupid GUI poo poo, which can be fixed with classic shell, Win 8 is pretty great and has a ton of modern improvements under the hood.
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Aug 10, 2013 23:09
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Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus is announced for August 18th (next saturday) It's basically a 13" macbook air with Windows 8 driver support. And a 3,200x1,800 pixel QHD+ screen. So it's basically a windows native 13" macbook air retina. With touch. With IPS. I mean, look at that sexy viewing angle. It's a macbook air with all the new improvements. $1300 Several people in here post about Samsung 7, 9 series, buy them, and never return, that's a pretty strong recommendation for a device.     http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/pcs/NP940X3G-K03US
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Aug 11, 2013 00:51
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Hadlock posted:Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus is announced for August 18th (next saturday) I for one have been enjoying idiots trying to compare it to the Macbook Pro. Never read Engadget/TheVerge comments so amazingly stupid. Also everything I've read puts it at $1400 well $1399 because apparently people round down. Duck and Cover fucked around with this message at 01:19 on Aug 11, 2013 |
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Aug 11, 2013 01:12
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Probably because TheVerge article reads "Samsung undercuts Retina MacBook Pro with $1,399.99 Ativ Book 9 Plus" even though it's pretty clearly a MBA competitor, not a MBPr You're probably correct about the price.
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Aug 11, 2013 01:21
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Duck and Cover posted:I for one have been enjoying idiots trying to compare it to the Macbook Pro. Never read Engadget/TheVerge comments so amazingly stupid. Also everything I've read puts it at $1400 well $1399 because apparently people round down. It's more of a Retina competitor in terms of battery life and screen. They should have went with 8GB by default, and a larger HD/SSD. 128GB doesn't get you far with Windows 8 + a restore partition. Nice thing about the Air is only about 14-15GB are taken up by the OS, etc out of the box. Apple should give the rMBP a 256GB SSD in the base config as well, they basically had to offer 8GB because the onboard graphics take over a gig of RAM by themselves. Hopefully the Windows 8 drivers for those QHD graphics doesn't do that. The other thing is did they get the trackpad right yet? Apple is still the only one who can get a keyboard and trackpad that isn't poo poo in the same machine. Bob Morales fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Aug 11, 2013 |
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Aug 11, 2013 01:30
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I want to drop a quick PSA for people looking for a low-cost ultrabook with a 1080p IPS touchscreen, based on my experience. Following the XPS 12's Haswell refresh, the refurbed Ivy Bridge models are hitting comically-low prices on Dell Outlet. I snagged one with an i7-3537U, 8GB RAM, and 128GB SSD (which I'll be replacing after 512GB mSATA SSDs hit popular prices) for $734 + tax = $789 shipped. I've been using it for about a week as my only machine at the office and at home (I'm about to pair it with one of these fuckers for a legit pixels-for-days workstation under $1,200 all-in). At 3 pounds, it's definitely shittier than a 1-pound iPad in tablet mode, but drat it's nice to have a touchscreen device with legit processing power, and a full-fat version of Chrome with Adblock, LastPass, and friends for extended lounging and reading sessions. Convertibles still have a ways to go, but this isn't a terrible jumping-off point. So the big debate is getting one of these for $734 or ponying up $1350 for a Haswell version. Make no mistake, this poo poo's an Ivy Bridge machine: you're gonna get like 4-5 hours of battery life. I was inches away from dropping the cash on a Haswell version, but cheaped out this time around because I don't think the XPS 12 is the future of this market. I'm convinced that this concept is going to be executed with a 1440p display (hello pixel-doubled 720p games!), a lighterweight chassis, a smaller bezel on the display, and a touchpad closer to par with MacBooks', and yes, Haswell, all in the pretty-near future. Still, though. An Ivy Bridge XPS 12 for 7-and-a-half bills beats the crap out of most of the stuff people are shopping in this thread at the same price range. Google "dell outlet coupons" and serve that poo poo up. EDIT: Also Hadlock, that new Samsung machine is basically the perfect laptop, but it breaks my heart because I've learned that I'm not shopping for a perfect laptop anymore. I'm shopping for a perfect laptop that will also let me ditch my 10-inch iPad vis-a-vis carnival-style transformation gimmicks. 
kbar fucked around with this message at 03:24 on Aug 11, 2013 |
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Aug 11, 2013 03:14
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What's the word on the Haswell XPS 13?
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Aug 11, 2013 03:55
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Mu Zeta posted:I've actually never personally met someone that hated my Air. Everyone that sees it ogles at it and wants to touch it. They're very pretty to see, but a pain to use (for me; seriously, gently caress that keyboard)
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Aug 11, 2013 04:43
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You may want to check and make sure your laptop can push that resolution on the external monitor. Older HDMI specs topped out at 1920 * 1080, just a heads up
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Aug 11, 2013 05:37
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It works.QuarkJets posted:They're very pretty to see, but a pain to use (for me; seriously, gently caress that keyboard) If Apple delivered the hardware features I wanted and stopped intentionally half-assing their Windows drivers, Dell/HP/Lenovo and all the other bottom-feeders basically wouldn't exist to me. kbar fucked around with this message at 05:46 on Aug 11, 2013 |
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Aug 11, 2013 05:38
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Bob Morales posted:It's more of a Retina competitor in terms of battery life and screen. They should have went with 8GB by default, and a larger HD/SSD. 128GB doesn't get you far with Windows 8 + a restore partition. Nice thing about the Air is only about 14-15GB are taken up by the OS, etc out of the box. I wish everyone would just use Synaptic it's pretty much on par with Apple (at least the one I used it was kind of small though) , but noooo lets all be cheap shits. While Apple does gently caress some things up (last time I had a mac I went through uhhh 3ish power cords? Yeah the magsafes are flawed.) they at least put effort into pretty much everything. PC makers? Love cheaping out on trackpads, graphical representation for FN keys is uh bad (HAHAHA Asus why does it go from right to left to turn something up that's TERRIBLE HAHAHA) , just to give some examples. Heck I had a Lenovo with the headphone port on the front.
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Aug 11, 2013 06:03
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Hadlock posted:Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus is announced for August 18th (next saturday)
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Aug 11, 2013 06:57
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kbar posted:If Apple delivered the hardware features I wanted and stopped intentionally half-assing their Windows drivers, Dell/HP/Lenovo and all the other bottom-feeders basically wouldn't exist to me. Upside of going with Lenovo: getting a quality computer that you can a: leave unattended in a coffee shop/library for thirty seconds without guaranteeing its theft b: take out on the subway without someone sticking a gun in your chest and asking for it
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Aug 11, 2013 07:01
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kbar posted:Weird, it's incredibly rare that I see this opinion. Even if you blast OS X off of the hardware altogether and just run Windows on it (hell, Lifehacker's editor-in-chief does just that) it only takes a week or so to get accustomed to the odd key positioning. There is also the sub-par wifi reception and heat issues the Air has to consider. Not to mention that glossy display (apparently less so the an MBP but that's not saying much). It's a shame because the battery life and packaging are so good
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Aug 11, 2013 07:59
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I took SH/SC's advice and bought a Lenovo last November, and now I've run into what is apparently a frequent problem: my hinges are loving the rest of it to hell. The top right of the case is popping off if I try to shut the laptop and it looks like the screw is missing. Does anyone know a good size replacement screw or have any recommendations on how to fix it without sending it in to Lenovo? (From what I've Googled, few people have succeeded in getting this repaired for free and it usually ends up costing $150-200.) The alternative, I suppose, is simply leaving it open 24/7 and putting it in sleep/shut down mode when away for long periods of time and only closing it if I absolutely need to travel somewhere. timeandtide fucked around with this message at 08:16 on Aug 11, 2013 |
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Aug 11, 2013 08:12
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kbar posted:Weird, it's incredibly rare that I see this opinion. Even if you blast OS X off of the hardware altogether and just run Windows on it (hell, Lifehacker's editor-in-chief does just that) it only takes a week or so to get accustomed to the odd key positioning. I used a G4 iBook for many years and that keyboard was excellent, but I seriously can't stand the "new" keyboards. I guess it's just the weird spacing between the keys.
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Aug 11, 2013 11:28
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timeandtide posted:I took SH/SC's advice and bought a Lenovo last November, and now I've run into what is apparently a frequent problem: my hinges are loving the rest of it to hell. The top right of the case is popping off if I try to shut the laptop and it looks like the screw is missing. If you bought it last November, it's still under warranty. What model did you get?
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Aug 11, 2013 17:16
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Goons, I'm going through a pretty serious cancer operation this Friday, and I wanted some suggestions on maybe a under $1,000 laptop I could use in bed to play some modern games (BioShock, StarCraft, Something else I use big guns to kill stuff with) type games while I'm laid up for 6 months. Any advice? I currently use a MacBook Pro 13 with the onboard intel gpu bullshit, but I was wondering if a Windows based machine would be a better option for this entertainment. I'm looking at Alienware models, but I'm sure the price hit is just because it's market'd as a "gaming laptop." I think its the same model Sheldon uses on Big Bang Theory, so it must not suck that much. http://www.microcenter.com/product/413142/Alienware_M14x_14_Laptop_Computer_-_Stealth_Black Size, weight does not matter, I just need to sit on my lap in a cooler for the next 34 weeks. Any advice is great, as my gaming desktop is going to be sold off on SA-Mart I guess tonight. 
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Aug 11, 2013 18:32
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kill your idols posted:Goons, I'm going through a pretty serious cancer operation this Friday, and I wanted some suggestions on maybe a under $1,000 laptop I could use in bed to play some modern games (BioShock, StarCraft, Something else I use big guns to kill stuff with) type games while I'm laid up for 6 months. Any advice? I currently use a MacBook Pro 13 with the onboard intel gpu bullshit, but I was wondering if a Windows based machine would be a better option for this entertainment. I would say that this laptop is decent, though not exactly amazing. It would be OK for the games you mentioned by name, though there would be slowdown on the highest settings. The graphics card is a mid-range card which probably won't give you too much room for new games in future. The specs also talk about an "optional 1600x900 screen", which means you won't get actual HD. Finally, the screen is only 14". If you plan to use this for a long time, you might want to look at a larger screen for gaming.
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Aug 11, 2013 19:14
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Goodpancakes posted:I am actually going to the Netherlands this month (19th) and could bring you a laptop. Though I likely would have a hard time getting it here before the 19th Thanks for the offer, but I won't actually have my money before the 19th, so it's not really logistically feasible. The sentiment is appreciated, though!
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Aug 11, 2013 19:32
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sincx fucked around with this message at 06:33 on Mar 23, 2021 |
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Aug 11, 2013 19:47
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sincx posted:Is there such a thing as a light weight (< 4 lbs) 15" Haswell laptop with either discrete graphics or Intel Iris HD? See if Samsung updates the 15" Series 9
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Aug 11, 2013 19:52
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nerve posted:Can someone tell me the best laptop to get under $800? Sorry if this is like the absolute most common thing that gets asked here but I've looked back multiple pages and looked in the OP and didn't find anything to really help. Would it be worth spending an extra $150 on the $600 I spent for the S300ca to get a Q501LA with an i5 4200 and 1080p touchscreen? Looks really tempting. s300ca vs q501la The trade off of a bigger device and $150 seems worth it for the Haswell CPU and 1080p IPS screen. nerve fucked around with this message at 23:30 on Aug 11, 2013 |
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Aug 11, 2013 19:54
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Since gaming came up, I'll just throw this out - my nearly-four-year-old Sager 8690 is making GBS threads the bed and I'm looking to replace it. This Lenovo Y510P is catching my eye without getting too expensive - http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y510p/?sb=:000001C9:0000ECB2: - thoughts? I've thought about jumping back in the Sager/Alienware expensive side of the pool, but I don't think there's much of a performance gain for the money.
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Aug 12, 2013 03:19
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^^^ Oh, I didn't even see your post there. This looks like a good laptop overall, but ditch the SLI graphics; it's an extra $200 over a DVD device (which can be useful) and generally SLI graphics in laptops are always a bad idea unless you're some sort of mobile GPU fetishist. I've also got a coupon code for you if you order this week:kill your idols posted:Goons, I'm going through a pretty serious cancer operation this Friday, and I wanted some suggestions on maybe a under $1,000 laptop I could use in bed to play some modern games (BioShock, StarCraft, Something else I use big guns to kill stuff with) type games while I'm laid up for 6 months. Any advice? I currently use a MacBook Pro 13 with the onboard intel gpu bullshit, but I was wondering if a Windows based machine would be a better option for this entertainment. The M14x really is a little outdated, $900 is a pretty high price for what you'd be getting. There are tons of relatively inexpensive Haswell + discrete GPU laptops floating around, it's just a matter of finding one that you like and at a good price. Checking today's techbargains laptop listings, I found this: Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p It has an i7 Haswell processor, the new generation of NVidia discrete GPUs, two more GB of RAM, a twice as large hard drive + 24GB SSD, a 1080p screen, and the screen is an inch larger (15.6") than the Alienware that you were looking at. It's $999 free shipping as-is, or $949 after coupon code USPY505808 (Expires 8/16). This is a whole lot more for just an additional $50 and would be a lot more capable of dealing with the games on your list than that Alienware M14x. I know nothing about the IdeaPad build quality, keyboard, etc., but judging by the tech specs alone this would be a good choice and inside of your price range. Of the reviews that I've read, the complaints are regarding things like weight and battery life (IE it is a gaming laptop), so not an issue for you. To be honest, my first thought was the new Alienware 14, but it seems to be $1199 now when it was $999 a month ago. Weird e: Hell, I'm thinking of getting one of these myself now that I've had a close look at the specs. I've been laptop shopping for months and am starting to get tired of waiting for more models with Intel HD 5000 to come out QuarkJets fucked around with this message at 09:14 on Aug 12, 2013 |
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Aug 12, 2013 09:07
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Ideapads have average build quality, although the Y series frequently get good reviews here. Note: Ideapad != Thinkpad
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Aug 12, 2013 09:32
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I just bought an ideapad y410p and I can say it's a good little laptop. Love the keyboard, and I can finally have a mobile workstation that can play PS2/whatever at maximum carnage. Unless there's a gigantic clusterfuck of like 200 mans or whatever. You guys have any specific questions about it?
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Aug 12, 2013 10:17
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A bunch of us posted some good info on the y410p a few pages ago. Some pros and cons. To sum it up: Good keyboard Average screen Wifi might have issues, and is bios locked so you can't change the internal card until someone hacks the bios Trackpad isn't good Plays most games on medium/high at 30-60 fps (1600x900) Mine hasn't gone above 76c so far after any hours of gaming Screen hinge on the y series screen occasionally has issues, no problems here so far I don't find the build quality to be that lacking. Better than my last HP Despite the list of cons, none of which are deal-breakers. I'm quite happy with mine. The y510p will have the same specs and a bigger screen, so you'll probably be turning down graphics a bit more on the newest games to run at 1080. Not sure how that screen will look running at 1600x900. I wouldn't get sli, it'd run too hot. You're better off buying a caddy for the ultra-bay and putting in an SSD with the money.
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Aug 12, 2013 13:37
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Yeah, after running a Lenovo y410p (which is the exact same machine as the y510p at 14" and 1600x900) for 5 days now, I can say I'm pretty pleased with the little laptop. My wifi transfer speeds are still a little on the slow side for some reason, but it's at least fast enough to max out my internet, so I'm not too terribly concerned at the moment. As long as you're not expecting the build quality of a Thinkpad, then I think you'll be fairly pleased with it. There's at the very least no denying just how much power you get with it for $800. This is really my first laptop that's been capable of playing the games I want at a decent quality. I used to just turn everything to low. People are right though, skip the SLI, save some cash, and put that into getting an SSD and a hard drive caddy for the optical bay. On an SSD this laptop just zips around. Also, at 70% brightness and wifi turned on, my laptop runs at around 4 hours battery life for internet browsing. I haven't tested battery life for video playback yet, but I'm fairly happy with this. It's double the battery of my old crappy Dell at least, and I'm almost never in need of being on battery for 4 hours at a time. pezzie fucked around with this message at 14:17 on Aug 12, 2013 |
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Aug 12, 2013 14:13
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QuarkJets posted:Checking today's techbargains laptop listings, I found this: Great deal but I'm afraid to order it from the Canadian site because bilingual keyboards are terrible.
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Aug 12, 2013 15:11
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