|
A year ago or so (maybe almost two years ago), I did an experiment turning VT-d on and off in the BIOS and using VirtualBox. It affected the performance of the Ubuntu 11.10 Unity desktop running inside of VirtualBox pretty drastically, taking it from completely unusable to usable. Later versions became less unusable in the absence of VT-d. I haven't tried this experiment recently, the one machine I have without VT-d has VMware Workstation running on it and it seems OK.
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 03:19
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 13:23 |
|
|
shrughes posted:A year ago or so (maybe almost two years ago), I did an experiment turning VT-d on and off in the BIOS and using VirtualBox. It affected the performance of the Ubuntu 11.10 Unity desktop running inside of VirtualBox pretty drastically, taking it from completely unusable to usable. Later versions became less unusable in the absence of VT-d. I haven't tried this experiment recently, the one machine I have without VT-d has VMware Workstation running on it and it seems OK. In VirtualBox, unless you set it up manually, VT-d is not used: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch09.html#pcipassthrough VMware only supports VT-d in ESX/ESXi, Workstation and Player do not support it at all. Maybe the setting in your BIOS did more than just turn VT-d on and off, but VT-d is not used unless you specifically configure PCI passthrough.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 03:38
|
|
|
So I see the Lenovo's Yoga 13 has made the highly acclaimed list of recommended laptops. I see that its got some pretty good specs for its price, but what else about it has earned it such good referrals? And what do you goons think about buying laptops from the Microsoft store?
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 04:39
|
|
|
Build quality is approaching Thinkpad levels (think Thinkpad Edge levels); does not creak, squeak or groan when you pick it up by one corner and wave it around. Screen is not phenomenal, but certainly well above average, great keyboard, 2 mSATA slots (1 free). The hinges are straight-up thinkpad quality solid metal hinges (they'd have to be). They're cam hinges which means they're designed to move in a certain way throughout the full motion without getting loose or feeling sloppy. It's a fine piece of engineering all around. You can pick up a Yoga 11s for $703.99, and depending on the phase of the moon a Yoga 13 will run you $850, currently $934.15 using the B&N site http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/na/StdAffinityPortal/en_US/Lenovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=barnesnoblegold Hadlock fucked around with this message at 05:10 on Jul 29, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 05:06
|
|
|
the boston bomber posted:So I see the Lenovo's Yoga 13 has made the highly acclaimed list of recommended laptops. I see that its got some pretty good specs for its price, but what else about it has earned it such good referrals? And what do you goons think about buying laptops from the Microsoft store? Change your username. My thoughts on the Microsoft Store: they must have an easier time peddling products when far from an Apple Store,
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 05:14
|
|
|
the boston bomber posted:So I see the Lenovo's Yoga 13 has made the highly acclaimed list of recommended laptops. I see that its got some pretty good specs for its price, but what else about it has earned it such good referrals? And what do you goons think about buying laptops from the Microsoft store? I tried to buy a laptop at the Bellevue, WA store but they didn't have the one I wanted in stock. The clerk said there's a 10% discount on all products for university students but when I tried to order from the web the page their support linked me to only had a code for discount on Surface, accessories and software. The Assurance warranty thing sounds kinds neat but I went with a Squaretrade warranty instead because they have international coverage. Otherwise I guess they're just another store? No big reason for or against?
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 06:37
|
|
|
syzygy86 posted:In VirtualBox, unless you set it up manually, VT-d is not used: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch09.html#pcipassthrough Maybe it did do something more. I can confirm that the VT-d setting doesn't seem to affect performance on a fresh Ubuntu 11.10 installation on the latest VirtualBox version on a Thinkpad Helix, anyway. Someday I'm going to have to reproduce the W520 behavior. I'm pretty sure I have the old Windows installation on an mSATA drive somewhere around here...
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 07:11
|
|
|
Chokes McGee posted:I'm looking for a laptop for my wife, since hers is more or less on its last legs. Ideally, I'd like to get a Thinkpad with 8GB and a BluRay drive. However, I'd like to not go way way over the magic $640 price point, because we're If you just need something for surfing, office, and DVDs then a chromebook is fine except that it has no optical drive. A chromebook with a USB DVD drive might be something to consider. Otherwise, you should consider watching one of the deal sites like techbargains or fatwallet until something you like (with a dvd drive) comes along at a cheap enough price. Also, don't immediately turn down refurb laptops; usually they're perfectly good laptops with nothing actually wrong with them, and if they do have problems then they'll probably appear within the refurb warranty period. It's a very small gamble that can save you a lot of money
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 09:13
|
|
|
Athropos posted:What do you guys think about the new ASUS N550JV? This is one I've been looking at myself. The specs are definitely in the ballpark for what I had in mind. If you end up getting it, I'd love to know what you think of it, as I am still several months away from pulling the trigger on anything.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 10:41
|
|
|
Is anyone else bummed about the lay of the XPS 12 landscape? Through Dell Outlet, I was able to find an Ivy Bridge-based XPS 12 with the top i7 and 8GB RAM for $850 after coupon. The new Haswell XPS 12 is out, and obviously it's not on Outlet yet. The cheapest I can get it with an i7 and 8GB is $1372. The newer model offers literally double the battery life, and swaps out the practically-defective Cypress touchpad for a Synaptics one that's earning very high praise over at NotebookReview. I need a new laptop basically yesterday, but maaaaaaaan, I'm really not excited about swallowing that $522 delta. gently caress.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 10:42
|
|
|
It happens. Its not the first time a manufacturer has improved a model that much with just with just a single refresh. It just happens.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 13:50
|
|
|
kbar posted:Is anyone else bummed about the lay of the XPS 12 landscape? You're getting a hell of a lot more for your money so I'm not sure what the problem is?
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 17:17
|
|
I EVER SPENT
|
Keep in mind, the Dell Outlet price might be additionally discounted to clear out the old stock. I think it's worth it to get the newer model. Future-proof your purchase as much as you can. Haswell makes huge strides for portable systems.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 20:22
|
|
|
sports posted:The Razer Blade is poorly supported and for all intents and purposes is a Clevo in a mediocre case.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 21:12
|
|
|
kbar posted:Is anyone else bummed about the lay of the XPS 12 landscape? Haswell is still brand new, people just recently started receiving the first Haswell XPS 12s and you expect to find a bunch of them in Outlet already? Really?
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2013 23:45
|
|
|
kbar posted:an i7 and 8GB is $1372. You're also getting the 2nd generation dell carbon fiber chassis process with the haswell model, adding whatever revisions were required to improve whatever deficiencies were in the first gen design. AFAIK 2012 was the first year Dell mass produced a CF laptop frame.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 00:31
|
|
|
So is there any chance of getting a good quality laptop that is 13in or less for less than ultrabook prices? My lovely laptop that I started using once my usual laptop died just died itself, which leaves me in a bind for the next semester. So far the best I can find is a refurbished 13in macbook air for $850 (or a yoga or (haswell) 11in MBA for $900)
|
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 04:04
|
|
|
Watermelon Daiquiri posted:So is there any chance of getting a good quality laptop that is 13in or less for less than ultrabook prices? My lovely laptop that I started using once my usual laptop died just died itself, which leaves me in a bind for the next semester. So far the best I can find is a refurbished 13in macbook air for $850 (or a yoga or (haswell) 11in MBA for $900)
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 04:09
|
|
|
Sergeant Hobo posted:This is one I've been looking at myself. The specs are definitely in the ballpark for what I had in mind. If you end up getting it, I'd love to know what you think of it, as I am still several months away from pulling the trigger on anything. I ordered it, going to let you know once I get it 
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 04:10
|
|
|
Watermelon Daiquiri posted:So is there any chance of getting a good quality laptop that is 13in or less for less than ultrabook prices? My lovely laptop that I started using once my usual laptop died just died itself, which leaves me in a bind for the next semester. So far the best I can find is a refurbished 13in macbook air for $850 (or a yoga or (haswell) 11in MBA for $900) The ASUS VivoBook X202E or some similarly-numbered VivoBook with an i3 is worth considering. $450 or so.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 05:32
|
|
|
I've considered those, but I wonder just how good the keyboard, the screen, or the touchpad can be at that price. I want something that can last. I'm strongly considering stretching for the MBA, but I don't like the lack of a straight HDMI port, I still need windows to run some engineering software and I do like the Netflix windows 8 app.
|
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 06:37
|
|
|
What you'd expect from ASUS at that price: Decent, okay, not great. See http://www.mobiletechreview.com/notebooks/Asus-VivoBook-X202.htm I wouldn't mind the MacBook's lack of straight HDMI port -- you can get a pass-through adapter from mini-DisplayPort, I'm pretty sure. Or whatever Apple's expensive adapter is. shrughes fucked around with this message at 07:39 on Jul 30, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 07:35
|
|
|
shrughes posted:I wouldn't mind the MacBook's lack of straight HDMI port -- you can get a pass-through adapter from mini-DisplayPort, I'm pretty sure. Or whatever Apple's expensive adapter is. Monoprice has it covered for $7: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=5311&seq=1&format=2
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 12:32
|
|
|
shrughes posted:The ASUS VivoBook X202E or some similarly-numbered VivoBook with an i3 is worth considering. $450 or so. I have a similar question: Would the Asus X202e be the best budget (<$600) 11.6" laptop, or are there any others out there (either new or used) that should be considered? A good keyboard is very important to me, but weight will be the biggest thing (I'd like it to be something I can just slip into a bag at 3lb or less).
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 13:10
|
|
|
Does anyone have experience with laptops that only have 128 gigs of SSD space and nothing else? I'm helping my sister pick out a computer for university, and one of the candidates is a Lenovo that has but 128 gigs of SSD. At first I figured it wasn't enough to use for a primary computer, but now I'm wondering if it might be alright if she makes good use of an external hard drive for storage. She's got a 1tb external drive that she has a bunch of stuff on, where she could store what doesn't need to be on the computer all the time. Besides school, she's also going to use the computer for photoshop and toying around with photography, which is another concern of mine. I don't know if photoshop files are gonna take up too much space for 128 gigs. So the question is if 128 gigabytes is enough for school stuff, a little bit of photoshop and photos, and music, provided that an external hard drive of 1 tb is used for storage?
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 18:13
|
|
|
csidle posted:Does anyone have experience with laptops that only have 128 gigs of SSD space and nothing else? I'm helping my sister pick out a computer for university, and one of the candidates is a Lenovo that has but 128 gigs of SSD. At first I figured it wasn't enough to use for a primary computer, but now I'm wondering if it might be alright if she makes good use of an external hard drive for storage. She's got a 1tb external drive that she has a bunch of stuff on, where she could store what doesn't need to be on the computer all the time. Besides school, she's also going to use the computer for photoshop and toying around with photography, which is another concern of mine. I don't know if photoshop files are gonna take up too much space for 128 gigs. So the question is if 128 gigabytes is enough for school stuff, a little bit of photoshop and photos, and music, provided that an external hard drive of 1 tb is used for storage?
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 18:20
|
|
|
DrDork posted:It's certainly doable if she isn't planning on playing any games or whatnot, if she's an organized type. It's not too hard to keep all your media on another drive, but it is mildly obnoxious. Photoshop files can get quite large, but they shouldn't be an issue as long as she's willing to put them into storage once she's done with them. What laptop is it, anyhow? There may be a way to stuff a HDD in there, anyhow. Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E531 6885. She's buying in Denmark, so the prices aren't quite the same as the US, but basically, the reasons for this at the moment are: Good price -- between 6000 and 6500 DKK; Appropriate size at 15"; Good monitor size at 1920*1080 -- a lot of the other computers we've considered have been 13xx*768, which is too small for the photoshop stuff and not optimal in general. Only drawback is the hard drive.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 18:35
|
|
|
I'm looking for a new laptop for my sister for likebetween $500 or $600- maybe a little bit above $600 if there's a significant jump in quality? It needs to be capable of photo editing and some gaming (not super intense stuff, just stuff like the sims 3, but it'd be nice if it'll be able to run new releases reasonably well), have a not-tiny screen, and an SD card slot. Portability isn't an issue at all and it doesn't need to be made of titanium, but it needs to be able to cope with a bit of neglect/ rough handling. She's had a couple of laptops she got from Best Buy that didn't do very well so it'd be nice if there's one that will last a while. I tried a bit of searching already and realised I am terrible at looking for laptops so it'd be nice if some goons can save me here! 
Koramei fucked around with this message at 20:19 on Jul 30, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 19:30
|
|
|
I start a new job soon and they've given me a budget for a new work laptop. I can choose anything up to 12500DKK (which probably ends up around a $1200 laptop I guess). I want to get something thin, light and pretty snappy, they want something with an on site warranty. It's going to be used for web development, so needs to be running Windows with Visual Studio and probably local copies of some databases. At the moment I'm leaning towards getting the new MacBook Air 13, but I'm a bit wary about running windows 8 on that. Is there anything else in that kinda range that has a 256GB SSD and doesn't look like crap?
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 19:37
|
|
|
yoyomama posted:I have a similar question: Would the Asus X202e be the best budget (<$600) 11.6" laptop, or are there any others out there (either new or used) that should be considered? A good keyboard is very important to me, but weight will be the biggest thing (I'd like it to be something I can just slip into a bag at 3lb or less). Probably. The 3.6 lb Lenovo X131e can be configured with some kind of i3 (a Sandy Bridge i3?). It will have a good keyboard for sure. I haven't tried the X202e in person, but if you want something around 3 lbs, and in the <$600 price range, ASUS is probably more reliable than anybody else in that dept.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 19:44
|
|
|
csidle posted:Does anyone have experience with laptops that only have 128 gigs of SSD space and nothing else? I'm helping my sister pick out a computer for university, and one of the candidates is a Lenovo that has but 128 gigs of SSD. At first I figured it wasn't enough to use for a primary computer, but now I'm wondering if it might be alright if she makes good use of an external hard drive for storage. She's got a 1tb external drive that she has a bunch of stuff on, where she could store what doesn't need to be on the computer all the time. Besides school, she's also going to use the computer for photoshop and toying around with photography, which is another concern of mine. I don't know if photoshop files are gonna take up too much space for 128 gigs. So the question is if 128 gigabytes is enough for school stuff, a little bit of photoshop and photos, and music, provided that an external hard drive of 1 tb is used for storage? I haven't crossed over 128GB... 64GB doesn't even cramp me as long as I don't load the computer up with my iTunes library, emulators, and multiple VM's.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 20:07
|
|
|
csidle posted:Does anyone have experience with laptops that only have 128 gigs of SSD space and nothing else? I'm helping my sister pick out a computer for university, and one of the candidates is a Lenovo that has but 128 gigs of SSD. At first I figured it wasn't enough to use for a primary computer, but now I'm wondering if it might be alright if she makes good use of an external hard drive for storage. She's got a 1tb external drive that she has a bunch of stuff on, where she could store what doesn't need to be on the computer all the time. Besides school, she's also going to use the computer for photoshop and toying around with photography, which is another concern of mine. I don't know if photoshop files are gonna take up too much space for 128 gigs. So the question is if 128 gigabytes is enough for school stuff, a little bit of photoshop and photos, and music, provided that an external hard drive of 1 tb is used for storage? One thing to note is you may not get the whole space available anyway - my T430s has a 128GB SSD but only 109GB is available (the rest is a dedicated hibernation partition) Anyway I'm coping just fine, the only downside is I can only have one or two games installed at a time.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 20:21
|
|
|
csidle posted:Does anyone have experience with laptops that only have 128 gigs of SSD space and nothing else? I'm helping my sister pick out a computer for university, and one of the candidates is a Lenovo that has but 128 gigs of SSD. At first I figured it wasn't enough to use for a primary computer, but now I'm wondering if it might be alright if she makes good use of an external hard drive for storage. She's got a 1tb external drive that she has a bunch of stuff on, where she could store what doesn't need to be on the computer all the time. Besides school, she's also going to use the computer for photoshop and toying around with photography, which is another concern of mine. I don't know if photoshop files are gonna take up too much space for 128 gigs. So the question is if 128 gigabytes is enough for school stuff, a little bit of photoshop and photos, and music, provided that an external hard drive of 1 tb is used for storage? My new XPS 12 has a 128 SSD. After the partitions that come with the system, I have about 98GB of total space on the drive. It all depends what you're going to put on the drive. * Music library? That'll eat up a large amount. * Video library? Even worse. * Video games? If you only have one or two AAA titles installed at a time, you'll be okay. I think 128GB will be enough for me. I don't expect a need of larger storage.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 20:43
|
|
|
BobHoward posted:Monoprice has it covered for $7: The one linked to in the OP is confirmed to carry HDMI audio as well (I own one) Its also less than half the price ($2.99) with free shipping vs $6.59 + S&H
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 20:52
|
|
|
Anyone know if the "VAIO Pro 11 Custom Touch Ultrabook" is any good? Is there something that is equiavlent that isn't Sony? A professor loves Sony and wants to get one, but I know what a pain the driver situation is, and he likes to give his laptops to his wife and she does a lot of "shopping" and they keep getting viruses, so something we could easily flatten would be great.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 21:14
|
|
|
My needs a no frills laptop. Honestly a chromebook might do it for her but she has a scrapbooking program she has to use so that's out. Anywyas, she MUST HAVE A 17" SCREEN. I know they're terrible, but what's the least terrible somewhat budget 17" laptop?
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 22:23
|
|
|
They are all bad. Just pick the cheapest one.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 22:25
|
|
|
Mu Zeta posted:They are all bad. Just pick the cheapest one. This is honestly the best advice. You should be able to pick up a 17" laptop for $399-$449 at Best Buy. When it breaks in a year or two (or three, I doubt it will leave the table/couch that often) she can replace it with another one for about the same price. Buying a more capable laptop like a $600 Thinkpad for three years for 3/4 the price of two laptops ($800) for four years someone who only needs a chromebook ($250) isn't a very good value. Hadlock fucked around with this message at 22:37 on Jul 30, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 22:35
|
|
|
shrughes posted:Probably. The 3.6 lb Lenovo X131e can be configured with some kind of i3 (a Sandy Bridge i3?). It will have a good keyboard for sure. I haven't tried the X202e in person, but if you want something around 3 lbs, and in the <$600 price range, ASUS is probably more reliable than anybody else in that dept. Thanks, I'll see if I can try either one of those options in person (or try to wait it out for the x240 and save up some extra money).
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 22:36
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 13:23 |
|
|
TheReverend posted:I know they're terrible, but what's the least terrible somewhat budget 17" laptop? Used unibody 17" Macbook Pro.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 22:50
|
|