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GCValentine posted:Hey laptop goons, any opinions on these two? Never buy a laptop with 1366x768 unless all you plan on using it for is Netflix and Facebook, especially 15" panels. The screens on those were probably pulled from the garbage pile of rejected cheap 36" 1080p TVs and cut down to size.
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Nov 30, 2014 05:35
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Hadlock posted:Never buy a laptop with 1366x768 unless all you plan on using it for is Netflix and Facebook, especially 15" panels. The screens on those were probably pulled from the garbage pile of rejected cheap 36" 1080p TVs and cut down to size. Ok, I found one that has a better display. Is the Flex 2 generally well built? The only specific complaints I have found were the outdated wireless card (shouldn't be a problem at home or work, probably) and battery life. Here is the one with a better display http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834318101
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Nov 30, 2014 06:25
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Bob Morales posted:Launching programs, installing software, all that stuff gets very noticeable when you go back to a platter HD There's no going back once you get used to a SSD.
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Nov 30, 2014 09:41
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Eh, It's not such a big deal depending on the use case. Yes startup will take longer as will installing software, but that's like a once per week thing for me, at most. So this matters more for launching apps but even then for most programs I open them once and let them sit there for weeks. I do have an SSD in my desktop and it does make a significant difference as I do a lot of I/O intensive work on it, but I'd agree with sarehu that for most regular users who just need a facebook machine it's a more questionable value for money, especially since it'd cost a significant chunk of a budget machine's total price.
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Nov 30, 2014 10:33
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My mom has. $299 Black Friday Acer from a few years back, I threw in an old SSD and she was like "holy poo poo". All she uses it for is email, Facebook, and random Solitaire and puzzle games. Things like Windows randomly taking forever to open a new tab or finish loading a webpage don't happen anymore.
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Nov 30, 2014 13:50
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mobby_6kl posted:Eh, It's not such a big deal depending on the use case. Yes startup will take longer as will installing software, but that's like a once per week thing for me, at most. So this matters more for launching apps but even then for most programs I open them once and let them sit there for weeks. It makes enough of a difference to be worth the money. Even the desktops for kids at the school I used to work at were always purchased with SSDs. Ain't nobody got time to piss their life away on Windows Updates, for example, which are mind-blowingly slow on a HDD, and painless on an SSD. They're cheap enough now, there's no reason not to do it. HalloKitty fucked around with this message at 15:28 on Nov 30, 2014 |
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Nov 30, 2014 15:26
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Hey all, my 4 key on my laptop (Thinkpad T430s) fell off about a year ago, and I was getting by fine pressing the plastic nipple but recently that fell off my keyboard and now it hurts like poo poo because I have to press down on a hot, sharp metal plate. Here's what it looks like:  Is there anything I can do??
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Nov 30, 2014 17:27
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butt baby posted:Hey all, my 4 key on my laptop (Thinkpad T430s) fell off about a year ago, and I was getting by fine pressing the plastic nipple but recently that fell off my keyboard and now it hurts like poo poo because I have to press down on a hot, sharp metal plate. You can replace the keyboard.
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Nov 30, 2014 17:31
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With the use case scenario from my previous post in mind, I'd like to know if there's anything bad about any of the following laptops: HP ProBook 450 G2 (K3X17ES) I've had kind of bad experiences with HP, but those laptops have all been of the consumer-grade Pavilion series. I'm willing to give the ProBook series a go if it's any better. Lenovo Flex 2 15-00501 (59427732) This one looks alright, battery aside, though based on some reviews I've read this one seems to have 'bad build quality'. Could someone perhaps elaborate on this, if it's really that bad? Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-00745NL (59425652) This was one of the laptops I had in mind in my previous posts, though people said its screen is kinda crappy. I've been tinkering with my old HP Pavilion dv6 laptop which also has the standard crappy TN panel. Perhaps I should just stop caring too much about the screen quality? These three laptops in particular have fairly heavy discounts currently as a result of a weekend-long Black Friday sale, and they're all similarly priced. Which one of these would be the most sane purchase based on what I'll be using it for?
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Nov 30, 2014 18:13
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Hadlock posted:Never buy a laptop with 1366x768 unless all you plan on using it for is Netflix and Facebook, especially 15" panels. The screens on those were probably pulled from the garbage pile of rejected cheap 36" 1080p TVs and cut down to size. fcuk me, it seems that all of the machiens available on ebay at 1366x768 - but they don't list that and you have to go googling.
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Nov 30, 2014 18:19
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Bob Morales posted:Launching programs, installing software, all that stuff gets very noticeable when you go back to a platter HD I guess that's a problem if you're the type to sit around installing software all day...
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Nov 30, 2014 19:18
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Captain Flame Guy posted:With the use case scenario from my previous post in mind, I'd like to know if there's anything bad about any of the following laptops: I own a Y50-70, and i love it(i primarily use it for gaming), but it seems kind of overkill for general usage, i don't know about the programming. also: the 1080p screen seems fine to me.
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Nov 30, 2014 20:01
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Captain Flame Guy posted:Perhaps I should just stop caring too much about the screen quality? If you're perfectly happy with a TN panel now, don't worry about it.
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Nov 30, 2014 20:07
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butt baby posted:Hey all, my 4 key on my laptop (Thinkpad T430s) fell off about a year ago, and I was getting by fine pressing the plastic nipple but recently that fell off my keyboard and now it hurts like poo poo because I have to press down on a hot, sharp metal plate. Brand New keyboard can be ordered for about $55 and replaced by the owner by unscrewing about 4 screws on the back of the laptop in about 5 minutes (they're the ones with the tiny keyboard logo/icon next to them). This is why we suggested a T series in the first place. In the mean time cover that metal with some masking tape.
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Nov 30, 2014 21:44
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Alright goons, computer-illiterate here. My current laptop's specs (purchased for me 3 years ago) are the following: Currently it chugs when running Premiere Pro CS5 on its own to edit HD game play footage, and while using just Audacity to edit only two tracks of spoken audio, Audacity will consistently freeze and not respond. This makes precise editing on both an audio and video front maddening, if not downright impossible. It also takes 7 hours to render a 1 GB video so it can take a third of the day before I can look back on everything to reliably check for mistakes. Ideally, I'd like to get a laptop that's powerful enough to handle HD video editing smoothly, and hopefully not take as long to render said footage. That's likely the most intensive function I would perform on a laptop, I'm assuming if it can handle that well it could also handle 480P game streaming, which my connection can handle. It would be a plus to play some of the Steam games I've accrued through bundles over the years at more than 15 FPS. The most recent thing I'd like to play is Sonic Generations to try out the mods the community has made (specs here http://store.steampowered.com/app/71340/). That said it's not something I'm aiming for, but if that happens to be something I can accomplish for no additional cost I'd be tickled pink. I'm hoping this could replace my current laptop for day-to-day general usage. Internet browsing, word processing, etc. I was recommended at least an I7 processor from a Twitter follower, but all those numbers are just gobbeldy-gook to me. I've spotted this laptop, here, but the Windows 8 and lack of knowledge about what any of those components mean has me wary so I thought I'd hit this subforum up. If I'd just be better off building a custom PC, let me know and if I've left anything important out, please ask because I am an idiot. Ideally I'd like to pay $700 max. Thank you Goons for reading my rambling.
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Nov 30, 2014 23:15
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The processor on that Lenovo you linked is perfectly fine. Either i5 or i7 will do whatever you need. But the hard drive is slow as balls and should be replaced with an SSD or at least a 7200rpm drive. The screen resolution is also dog poo poo but it looks like they let you get a better one as an upgrade.
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Dec 1, 2014 02:08
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spog posted:fcuk me, it seems that all of the machiens available on ebay at 1366x768 - but they don't list that and you have to go googling. In general if there's no resolution listed you can safely assume a screen is 1366x768. Anyone selling one is either going to leave it out because people are looking for more now, or list it as "high resolution 1366x768" because some people don't know that's the lowest that's been around in years.
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Dec 1, 2014 02:35
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Killer robot posted:"high resolution 1366x768" because some people don't know that's the lowest that's been around in years. I was using 1024x768 back in the windows 95 days. That's almost twenty years....
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Dec 1, 2014 03:18
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Mu Zeta posted:The processor on that Lenovo you linked is perfectly fine. Either i5 or i7 will do whatever you need. But the hard drive is slow as balls and should be replaced with an SSD or at least a 7200rpm drive. The screen resolution is also dog poo poo but it looks like they let you get a better one as an upgrade. Thanks for the response Mu Zeta! With what you said in mind, would this work better for me? Link. 7200 RPM 500 GB hard drive, 1366 x 768 resolution with what seems to be the same processor. Plus Windows 7 and it's cheaper. From what I've seen its graphics card doesn't play too nicely with the game I mentioned but I can live.
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Dec 1, 2014 03:31
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Anyone had any experience with the acer aspire s7 ultra book? Looks like there are some decent deals now them now. It has an i7-4500u, 256gb ssd, 8gb of ram and 1080p screen. Should note that I am primarily looking for something to use for school/relaxing on the couch.
B-Mac fucked around with this message at 03:51 on Dec 1, 2014 |
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Dec 1, 2014 03:46
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B-Mac posted:Anyone had any experience with the acer aspire s7 ultra book? Looks like there are some decent deals now them now. It has an i7-4500u, 256gb ssd, 8gb of ram and 1080p screen. What are the deals you're finding for it?
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Dec 1, 2014 03:47
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space marine todd posted:What are the deals you're finding for it? Amazon
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Dec 1, 2014 04:37
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Ok guys. I went with a Lenovo Y50 and have been largely happy with it, Win 8 aside. There is one thing I'm not clear about that I'm hoping someone can clear up. The machine cam preloaded with several pieces of unneeded Lenovo bloat which has been removed. However, there is one application called Lenovo Updates. My line of thinking is that this is a desktop application for driver management similar to what Samsung uses, but I am not sure. Can anyone confirm this, or is it just updating the unwanted bloat programs? I've tried looking around, but every result page is heavily skewed to the Lenovo System Update application which seems to be confined to Thinkpad series computers. Can anyone enlighten me about this? EDIT - Double checked and the System Update App is indeed not compatible with my system. Can anyone confirm about the Lenovo Updates app? Or am I going to have to start downloading drivers from the support site willy nilly? Warbird fucked around with this message at 05:57 on Dec 1, 2014 |
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Dec 1, 2014 05:54
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Hadlock posted:Grump, check out the thinkpad/yoga selection on Lenovo outlet Are the drives on those user replaceable, or should I pay their premium to have an SSD installed?
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Dec 1, 2014 13:25
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How's the keyboard on the Lenovo tablets? I'm looking to replace my wife's aging Toshiba laptop with some form of Surface Pro 3 or a Yoga 3 Pro or something along those lines. I asked in the tablet thread but I'll ask here as well. What would be recommended? Are the keyboards on the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro's those awful flat things with no feedback or is it a legitimate replacement for a laptop? Anyone know a good deal today?
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Dec 1, 2014 15:21
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shortspecialbus posted:How's the keyboard on the Lenovo tablets? I'm looking to replace my wife's aging Toshiba laptop with some form of Surface Pro 3 or a Yoga 3 Pro or something along those lines. I asked in the tablet thread but I'll ask here as well. What would be recommended? Are the keyboards on the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro's those awful flat things with no feedback or is it a legitimate replacement for a laptop? Anyone know a good deal today? Yoga 2 Pro's are reportedly of better build quality than the 3's and an excellent model can be had on Lenovo for about 33% off today. I seem to recall the keyboard being fine, but I can't speak with any authority. Also note that the Yoga 2/3 Pro are not really laptop replacements as much as genuine laptops that also sort of double as a tablet.
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Dec 1, 2014 15:47
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Gregor Samsa posted:Yoga 2 Pro's are reportedly of better build quality than the 3's and an excellent model can be had on Lenovo for about 33% off today. I seem to recall the keyboard being fine, but I can't speak with any authority. That sounds to be pretty much exactly what I am looking for. My wife is a veterinarian and she'd like to be able to have it function as a tablet for certain things, but she still needs a full-fledged laptop. That sounds about perfect. Thanks! Edit: Which would you recommend that runs Windows? The only one I see in their Cyber Monday that is Windows is the Yoga Tablet 2 13 Windows which is $100 off. Edit 2: What's the deal with the Helix? That's a massive discount. Going from http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/landingpage/promotions/lenovo-doorbusters/#!/tablets ssb fucked around with this message at 16:09 on Dec 1, 2014 |
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Dec 1, 2014 16:05
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Grumpwagon posted:Are the drives on those user replaceable, or should I pay their premium to have an SSD installed? Most are user replaceable, depends on the model.
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Dec 1, 2014 16:17
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The OP for suggested laptops seems to be a bit out of date, my fiancee's laptop has died after a long and productive life and I'm looking for a good new one. Mostly used for work (microsoft office), netflix, web browsing, and some video games. Is there a more recent post somewhere in this thread where I can get recommendations?
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Dec 1, 2014 16:56
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My sister is looking for a new laptop, and I have no idea what is good on the market these days. Her budget is about $400. Screen size can be in the 11” - 14” range. She prefers HP, but will look at other brands. She will be using it mostly for Word documents, storing photos/videos, general internet usage, and some light gaming. She wants it to be Windows. Does anyone have any suggestions that would fit this criteria?
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Dec 1, 2014 17:14
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My Thinkpad X201 overheats and shuts down too easily and the battery is poo poo, so I'm thinking of replacing it with: -Something in the 13" range: I like the size and weight of my X201 -IPS display: my X201 display has horrible off-angle vieweing -8GB RAM: I seem to be okay with 4GB, but 8GB makes sense for something to last 5 years -SSD: upgradable would be nice -HDMI: single most annoying thing absent from my X201 -At least one USB 3.0 port: for portable hard drive, but more is better -Decent webcam: doesn't have to be great but shouldn't be bad -Great keyboard -Good WiFi -Excellent battery life I don't need something with a crazy high resolution screen since that just seems like an waste of GPU power/battery, unless I'm just mistaken on that front. Budget is $1200 and I'm willing to wait for prices to come down a bit. It looks like the ASUS Zenbook, Acer S7, and Thinkpad X1 would all be good choices. Any others? Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 17:42 on Dec 1, 2014 |
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Dec 1, 2014 17:34
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My Dad wants a PC laptop for under $400-500, and I don't know as much as I used to since going Mac several years ago. All he really wants to do is check email, surf online, and use iTunes. A CD/DVD drive would be nice. Any suggestions? Longevity is the key desire.
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Dec 1, 2014 17:37
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Josh Lyman posted:I don't need something with a crazy high resolution screen since that just seems like an waste of GPU power/battery, unless I'm just mistaken on that front. Budget is $1200 and I'm willing to wait for prices to come down a bit. It looks like the ASUS Zenbook, Acer S7, and Thinkpad X1 would all be good choices. Any others?
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Dec 1, 2014 17:54
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Warbird posted:Ok guys. I went with a Lenovo Y50 and have been largely happy with it, Win 8 aside. There is one thing I'm not clear about that I'm hoping someone can clear up. The machine cam preloaded with several pieces of unneeded Lenovo bloat which has been removed. However, there is one application called Lenovo Updates. My line of thinking is that this is a desktop application for driver management similar to what Samsung uses, but I am not sure. Can anyone confirm this, or is it just updating the unwanted bloat programs? I've tried looking around, but every result page is heavily skewed to the Lenovo System Update application which seems to be confined to Thinkpad series computers. Can anyone enlighten me about this? I have a Y50 and I'm pretty sure I either ignored or uninstalled it. Honestly though if I were you I'd flatten and reinstall windows (if you can, with OEM's it's a pain in the rear end) and reinstall what you want from lenovo's support website.
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Dec 1, 2014 18:10
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The Iron Rose posted:if I were you I'd flatten and reinstall windows (if you can, with OEM's it's a pain in the rear end) and reinstall what you want from lenovo's support website. I just have the touchpad driver, because Lenovo's was the most recent one and the Active protection system thing that parks the harddrive's heads when it detects the laptop is falling (because I wasn't sure that feature would be activated otherwise). Maybe the hotkey thing if you're into that. All the rest is garbage you don't need or want. Microsoft made getting install media a lot easier recently: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media Against what I tought was better judgement, I did a clean install from that with my laptop that has the windows-key-in-bios thing and it went flawlessly. Was never asked for a key. Yes, non-OEM install media. Yes, laptop was sold with Win8 license, not Win8.1. No problem. I'm sure I've read many times that all that wasn't supposed to work.
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Dec 1, 2014 19:21
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The Iron Rose posted:I have a Y50 and I'm pretty sure I either ignored or uninstalled it. Honestly though if I were you I'd flatten and reinstall windows (if you can, with OEM's it's a pain in the rear end) and reinstall what you want from lenovo's support website. Flipperwaldt posted:This, except download some key drivers (video, wifi, chipset) from their respective manufacturer's websites and as little as possible from Lenovo's support website. It's not really an issue for me so I'll hold off on reformatting for the time being. Does Lenovo have a disk/image maker? My old ASUS had a propietary utility to burn my own recovery OS disk. And why not download from their site? I'd strongly not prefer to jump through hoops to keep this thing up to date.
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Dec 1, 2014 21:03
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The Intel Driver Update Utility will come in handy.
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Dec 1, 2014 21:28
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Are there any electronics sales that usually pop up over the next two months, excluding today? My laptop fund isn't quite where I'd like it to be, so making a buy today is unlikely.
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Dec 1, 2014 21:39
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Warbird posted:And why not download from their site? I'd strongly not prefer to jump through hoops to keep this thing up to date. I mean, if your goal is keeping your drivers up to date, the Lenovo support website definitely isn't the place to be. Though why that should be your goal, I don't know. I still haven't found someone who could explain me the rationale behind updating a perfectly working set of drivers at all.
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Dec 1, 2014 21:45
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My work just bought 3x Thinkpad 140e's for our Field Techs to use while diagnosing network problems remotely. We basically just needed them to have netbooks to test ethernet connections, but the Chromebooks we have had in the past have been universally hated. I was surprised at the 140e's low price tag (~$270), but they have an AMD in them so I am sure that is what makes them so cheap. I'll give a trip report once I get them in and play with them. I'm curious if the Trackpad is any improvement over my X230's terrible trackpad.
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