|
The Yoga 2 Pro came in today. First impressions are fairly great. Speedy. The Lenovo software isn't terrible Keyboard is great. Overall build quality is fantastic. Downside. That yellow issue mentioned previously. All yellows look more like a puke green. There was a BIOS and energy managing utility update which changed the way the colors are displayed in an attempt to warm them up a bit. It was mildly successful. Not sure if I'm going to be trying to send it back due to this or just live with it.
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 06:01
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 15:14 |
|
|
Another b school starter here. I originally thought I could get a good laptop for the $640 in the OP, but that sounds like it's just the bare minimum to get one that is pretty poo poo. My school and other current students say to not get a Mac. I'm sure I could figure out whatever the conflicts are there, but they are also too expensive. In the recent past I've always just used my desktop since my personal laptop was old and I left my work laptop at work most of the time. That makes it hard to know what type of laptop to get. Do I just want to get a cheap one that will be used the bare minimum? Based on me being really into my computers I think I would just hate having one that wasn't very good. I'll need it when I travel home or to career type destinations too. Playing the usual laptop games when I'm visiting home would be nice. If I've learned anything from the thread it's that a 1080p screen is the way to go. Those T440p get expensive with that thing added. I don't really know anything about Dell or Asus yet. Is Acer definitely something to avoid? I saw this Acer Aspire V7 deal for $599 getting recommended on reddit http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...YtVl7as8PtpNm4g
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 06:16
|
|
|
I honestly wouldn't overthink speccing the right laptop for b-school. 1080p is a nice-to-have and not essential especially if you're used to a lower res laptop screen and it'd breaches your budget. And are you guys talking MBA or undergrad? If it's the former, I'm a bit surprised at the number of MBA goons coming out of the woodwork.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 06:28
|
|
|
MBA and I always just assume 'b school' is an MBA term. Are there other models from other brands that can compare quality wise for the most part with the T440p at the same specs at (hopefully) a cheaper price?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 06:41
|
|
|
KingKapalone posted:If I've learned anything from the thread it's that a 1080p screen is the way to go. Those T440p get expensive with that thing added. I don't really know anything about Dell or Asus yet. Is Acer definitely something to avoid? I saw this Acer Aspire V7 deal for $599 getting recommended on reddit http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...YtVl7as8PtpNm4g
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 07:00
|
|
|
You could take a look at the Dell XPS or the Asus Zenbook. I should also correct myself in saying that whatever brand/model you end up with, you should try to get it with a SSD.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 07:04
|
|
|
I'm about to drop $3200 on a Macbook and it makes me mad! The reason I'm purchasing the high-end model, is due to the Nvidia 750M graphics card. I got into advertising portfolio school, and I want to make sure video editing/photoshop/indesign wont be a bottleneck for me. Can I get away with a comparable Windows laptop, or am I stuck in OSX hell?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 09:16
|
|
|
A lot of people don't like the current Final Cut and all the Adobe stuff is on Windows.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 10:27
|
|
|
GiveUpNed posted:I'm about to drop $3200 on a Macbook and it makes me mad! The reason I'm purchasing the high-end model, is due to the Nvidia 750M graphics card.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 11:43
|
|
|
You know, XPS 15s are available for around half that...
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 13:29
|
|
|
shrike82 posted:You could take a look at the Dell XPS or the Asus Zenbook. I looked at the XPS and 13" seems tiny and the 15" is really expensive. Am I missing something?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 16:51
|
|
|
GiveUpNed posted:I got into advertising portfolio school, and I want to make sure video editing/photoshop/indesign wont be a bottleneck for me. Can I get away with a comparable Windows laptop, or am I stuck in OSX hell? Unless your school specifically requires a Mac or Final Cut, no, you'd be fine with a Windows laptop.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 17:34
|
|
|
There's always Avid, which was (when I used to use it four or five years ago) a great Windows editing suite, though I believe it required an Intel CPU to work (obviously not really a factor for most of us now with everything using an Intel CPU). I also like Premiere but I personally thought Avid was easier to learn. I was told that it was industry standard along with Final Cut.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 19:31
|
|
|
Premiere is currently in vogue (somewhat due to it being included in the Adobe CC suite) but realistically they're all fine for 99% of users. Final Cut lost some functionality when it updated to X but it's pretty solid now.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 21:02
|
|
|
KingKapalone posted:Another b school starter here. I originally thought I could get a good laptop for the $640 in the OP, but that sounds like it's just the bare minimum to get one that is pretty poo poo. I spec'd a T440s up to $1,200 (including the FHD screen) for business school. Could've gotten away with less, I suppose, or just gotten a Mac. But poster below you was right. Don't overthink it. What's $200 -$300 in upgrades you're on the fence about in light of $150K debt anyway.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 22:49
|
|
|
Is there any hope of getting a durable laptop for $400 or less? I don't care about weight, battery life, high performance, or a great screen. All I want is something that will chug along reliably for three to five years. It would be nice if it's capable of streaming video from Netflix and looking not-terrible, but by and large this is going to be a Quickbooks and email terminal that won't actually be lugged around much.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 22:52
|
|
|
Supraluminal posted:Is there any hope of getting a durable laptop for $400 or less? New, with the functionality you're looking for? No. Refurbished/used? Yes! Look up Windows 7 laptops to approximate the release timeframe you'd need.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 23:05
|
|
|
Pyroxene Stigma posted:New, with the functionality you're looking for? No. Refurbished/used? Yes! Refurb is fine. I'm not picky. quote:Look up Windows 7 laptops to approximate the release timeframe you'd need. Not sure what this part means? Look them up where? What release timeframe?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 23:13
|
|
|
bam thwok posted:I spec'd a T440s up to $1,200 (including the FHD screen) for business school. Could've gotten away with less, I suppose, or just gotten a Mac. But poster below you was right. Don't overthink it. What's $200 -$300 in upgrades you're on the fence about in light of $150K debt anyway. Yeah that's a decent point. I'll keep looking into it. Can you list the upgrades you picked? What's the wireless upgrade the OP mentions? And do most people leave the RAM as is and buy that separate? Anyone know how long it takes from order date to arrival from the Lenovo outlet? KingKapalone fucked around with this message at 02:22 on Jul 18, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2014 02:17
|
|
|
Supraluminal posted:Not sure what this part means? Look them up where? What release timeframe? Wherever you're shopping? Newer products will have Win 8 on them. Older ones will have 7.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2014 03:32
|
|
|
KingKapalone posted:Yeah that's a decent point. I'll keep looking into it. Can you list the upgrades you picked? What's the wireless upgrade the OP mentions? And do most people leave the RAM as is and buy that separate? From the base model I upped the wireless to the AC, processor to the mid-tier i5, HD to 256 GB solid state, and the screen to the FHD (not the touch panel). I didn't get the ram because they were charging $80 for a 4 GB stick I can get for half that elsewhere. The only really gratuitous upgrade, in retrospect, amongst those was the hard drive. Filling up a 128 would probably take quite a while since most of my media and stuff is in the cloud now. But hey, I have the leeway to do audio/video stuff on it now without needing external storage, so worth it. Came to about 1200 after corporate and web discounts.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2014 05:59
|
|
|
Pyroxene Stigma posted:Wherever you're shopping? Newer products will have Win 8 on them. Older ones will have 7. Oh, are you suggesting I should look for refurbs of products released within a specific date range to avoid those with Win 8? I guess that makes sense. I haven't used Win 8 personally but what I've seen/heard of it is kind of unappealing.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2014 06:02
|
|
|
The Toshiba Portege R30 now has a 1920x1080 FHD panel option. That makes it a 13.3" laptop with i7-4710MQ, FHD panel, optical drive, 2 RAM slots, bad keyboard.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2014 06:19
|
|
|
Supraluminal posted:Oh, are you suggesting I should look for refurbs of products released within a specific date range to avoid those with Win 8? I guess that makes sense. I haven't used Win 8 personally but what I've seen/heard of it is kind of unappealing. It's just that the newest laptops are Windows 8.1, a bit older are 8, and then before that was 7. By looking for 7 you're looking at the right relative release timeframe to fit your budget.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2014 14:07
|
|
|
But the upgrade from 8 to 8.1 is free and only about a 300mb automatic download. Throw on Classic Shell and you'll swear you're using Windows 7
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2014 14:48
|
|
|
Supraluminal posted:Oh, are you suggesting I should look for refurbs of products released within a specific date range to avoid those with Win 8? I guess that makes sense. I haven't used Win 8 personally but what I've seen/heard of it is kind of unappealing. Yeah. I'm not saying don't use Windows 8, it's fine if Windows is your thing. Just that Windows 7 laptops will obviously be older and more likely to hit your budget.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2014 14:52
|
|
|
Can someone recommend a "convertible" laptop for business use? I was looking at Lenovo Yoga's and Dell XPS's. It needs to be portable yet fairly durable. The user will be a construction project manager who wants to show clients/subcontractors/etc documents and whatnot while outside at job sites. I was thinking of an XPS 12 as I hate Lenovo's current-gen touchpad, but our VAR said it was going EOL soon.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2014 23:09
|
|
|
My sister is looking for a laptop. She told me she is willing to spend up to $800 and wants it primarily for watching movies/videos/listening to music. She is 19 and in college. She is pretty set with wanting a MacBook but I want to know if there are other (cheaper) options. She commutes so she will be bringing it to class everyday as well. Thoughts?
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2014 00:05
|
|
|
She should get a used or refurbished 13" Macbook Air. This is a good choice because people won't think she's poor and thus treat her better, if she has a MBA.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2014 00:08
|
|
|
Hey, so my old dell m1530's second hard drive finally hit the dust, and I decided that it was time for an upgrade. What I want is a 14-15 inch screen, with the ability to play league of legends at good fps, and also be able to handle steam streaming. It also needs an hdmi port and sd card reader. My absolute max is 800 dollars, but the cheaper the better. After asking around a bit, people suggested an Acer aspire v7 582pg. Is that a good choice?
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2014 00:45
|
|
|
Work is buying me a new laptop with basically no price limiter. I'm currently considering a Lenovo X1 Carbon - part number is 20A7CTO1WW, but the relevant configuration options are: 14.0” WQHD (2560x1440) display i7-4600U 8GB PC3-12800 DDR3L 512GB Intel SSD The real thing that I'm wondering about is that there is also an option for a 240GB SSD with Opal compatibility. I use software full drive encryption normally, but doing this in hardware seems to have a few advantages: 1.) No wondering whether luks is passing TRIM through right/losing perf to overfilling disks 2.) Not vulnerable to attacks where someone gains physical access, modifies your bootloader to record the password you use to unlock the disk, and either adds exfiltration code via the bootloader or picks the password up later. 3.) Better perf / less CPU load However, I'm worried about whether it will actually work and/or be worth the drop in size. Specifically: 1.) The Opal spec says it provides a chaining MBR to take the key - does that mean it is incompatible with EFI boot? 2.) Spec also only specifies AES-128/AES-256, e.g. the block cipher. I couldn't see any specification of which mode it uses, and I'd feel like a fool if I bought a drive that used ECB or somesuch :P. 3.) Are there management utilities in most BIOSes? In Linux? I'm also open to advice about superior laptops (though I'm somewhat attached to ones with trackpoint), but I'm mostly interested in experience/info about Opal drives.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2014 00:50
|
|
|
goobernoodles posted:Can someone recommend a "convertible" laptop for business use? I was looking at Lenovo Yoga's and Dell XPS's. It needs to be portable yet fairly durable. The user will be a construction project manager who wants to show clients/subcontractors/etc documents and whatnot while outside at job sites. I was thinking of an XPS 12 as I hate Lenovo's current-gen touchpad, but our VAR said it was going EOL soon. With a convertible notebook such as a Yoga I doubt you would be using the touch pad much?
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2014 04:43
|
|
|
Supraluminal posted:Is there any hope of getting a durable laptop for $400 or less? I don't care about weight, battery life, high performance, or a great screen. All I want is something that will chug along reliably for three to five years. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=8595200&sku=JOS-102033731 300 bucks for an off lease Dell Latitude business class notebook. I had one of these at work and they are very sturdy.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2014 04:43
|
|
|
system protocol posted:With a convertible notebook such as a Yoga I doubt you would be using the touch pad much? Why not? Touch screen are no replacement for proper pointing devices
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2014 04:44
|
|
|
Think Pad Yoga has a pointing device as well as a ho-hum track pad.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2014 04:45
|
|
|
On my Yoga I tend to use the trackpad as a mouse and the touchscreen to scroll/flick things and occasionally click things in the lower-right section of the screen. They're fairly complementary.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2014 04:50
|
|
|
Ur Gilgamesh posted:The real thing that I'm wondering about is that there is also an option for a 240GB SSD with Opal compatibility. I use software full drive encryption normally, but doing this in hardware seems to have a few advantages: Personally I feel more paranoid about hardware stuff. I think it's much less likely that luks will pull some poo poo like storing the key plain and having the password just unlock the key -- I don't know how the hardware stuff actually works but I always assume the worst -- how do you know it's not just storing the key in plaintext and treating whatever you give it as a password? Apparently some OCZ drives did this, and I would expect others to gently caress this up too. Also, the CPU load is so small with any Intel CPU (even if you don't use the AES-NI instructions -- but you do). The real perf problem is stuff can't use O_DIRECT, I think. (Which is totally dumb.) I've had people actually tell me they had a perf problem, but I never experienced one -- maybe they're doing more interesting stuff than me. Also, the Thinkpad T440s now has a switch that detects if the bottom was opened. It'll (if you enable the feature) lock you out from booting and you have to type in the supervisor password on the BIOS to boot it or turn off the message. Maybe the X1 Carbon has this feature too! Ur Gilgamesh posted:However, I'm worried about whether it will actually work and/or be worth the drop in size. Specifically: XTS is already kind of ECB-ish anyway :P
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2014 05:24
|
|
|
goobernoodles posted:Can someone recommend a "convertible" laptop for business use? I was looking at Lenovo Yoga's and Dell XPS's. It needs to be portable yet fairly durable. The user will be a construction project manager who wants to show clients/subcontractors/etc documents and whatnot while outside at job sites. I was thinking of an XPS 12 as I hate Lenovo's current-gen touchpad, but our VAR said it was going EOL soon. Well, it doesn't really change anything for you if it does.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2014 05:39
|
|
|
system protocol posted:http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=8595200&sku=JOS-102033731 300 bucks for an off lease Dell Latitude business class notebook. I had one of these at work and they are very sturdy. That's a slick deal, great find! Looks like a tank, too. Also, I laughed at this on that page: quote:You May Consider This Alternative
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2014 06:22
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 15:14 |
|
|
shrughes posted:She should get a used or refurbished 13" Macbook Air. This is a good choice because people won't think she's poor and thus treat her better, if she has a MBA. What in the gently caress are you smoking?
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2014 07:06
|
|