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yeah, nothing against touchscreens but the shaving mirrors suck a lot.
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Dec 10, 2018 18:34
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I just never really had a reason to use the touchscreen and find the motion to use them in normal laptop mode really annoying, and don't like tablet mode. Though I also don't like tablets at all, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
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Dec 10, 2018 19:05
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Blade Runner posted:Now I simply wait the ten years it takes the Thinkpad to ship (I forgot how awful shipping was on these things, god drat) Yeah, I wasn't expecting it could be this bad... I knew there would be some kind of delay because I ordered a custom laptop on "Cyber Monday" but the shipping was pushed back from 8 days to 14 days and now it's late January! Sigh.
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Dec 10, 2018 21:51
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Belbos Computer posted:Yeah, I wasn't expecting it could be this bad... I knew there would be some kind of delay because I ordered a custom laptop on "Cyber Monday" but the shipping was pushed back from 8 days to 14 days and now it's late January! Sigh. It's not even Black Friday, it's just Lenovo being garbage at shipping these things.
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Dec 10, 2018 21:59
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I don't use the touchscreen frequently but when I do it's making things a hell of a lot easier, mostly when I need to enter unusual text and can switch to handwriting it. The glare on my screen has been pretty minimal so far so I've no complaints there, and a glass screen is a lot easier to clean than a matte one. Even when I'm not actively using the touchscreen it's collecting some dust and grease from the keyboard area when closed.
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Dec 10, 2018 22:25
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isndl posted:I don't use the touchscreen frequently but when I do it's making things a hell of a lot easier, mostly when I need to enter unusual text and can switch to handwriting it. Actually I guess there's this for windows (but I don't know if it still works): https://sourceforge.net/projects/touchpad-hw/ And this for linux: https://github.com/Saren-Arterius/google-chinese-handwriting-ime
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Dec 10, 2018 22:36
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mystes posted:If you're talking about Chinese characters it's sort of silly because there's no technical reason you shouldn't be able to do this with the touchpad but I guess nobody has bothered figuring this out. Chinese is one example but yeah, in theory the touchpad can handle it. On-screen keyboard has two big advantages though: you have your input lines visible (important when you're not familiar enough to be blind writing, basically transcribing from a reference), and when there's the inevitable gently caress-up the recognition suggestions are right there to fix it. Sometimes you have the odd diagram or whatever you want to draw too if you're one of those dedicated note-taking types. Thinking back to my SP3, on rare occasions you might have your Bluetooth driver stack hang and the touchscreen is nice for quickly restarting it (I use the setting to disable the touchpad while a mouse is connected).
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Dec 10, 2018 23:18
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Touchscreen laptop is definitely a user preference. It does make day to day stuff like Google maps zoom easier, but going without is still a snap, it's not like losing the trackpad or keyboard
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Dec 11, 2018 02:56
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Blade Runner posted:It's not even Black Friday, it's just Lenovo being garbage at shipping these things. Yeah...I am getting tempted to just cancel my order and get something else. This is ridiculous.
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Dec 11, 2018 23:27
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Tsyni posted:Yeah...I am getting tempted to just cancel my order and get something else. This is ridiculous. The reason it's so hit or miss is because they don't actually advertise what they have in stock for custom builds. So, for example, I ordered on the Monday after Thanksgiving, it shipped on the Fourth, and I just got it today, which is basically as advertised and a pretty decent speed; but that's because they had everything I ordered immediately in stock. If you ordered a terabyte SSD or 16 gigabytes of RAM and they just don't have that to build, they won't tell you they don't have it on their site. They'll just sell you a product they can't actually build for you, then keep you waiting a month while they get the parts.
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Dec 11, 2018 23:50
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Walmart has an HP 15" 1050 Ti 4 GB laptop with the 8300H (4C8T) for $480, local pickup. Seems to be the regular (holiday) price and not a doorbuster/clearance/limited supply thing. Comes with an HDD but has a free m.2 SATA/NVMe slot, and 8 GB of DDR4 and one DIMM slot free. Comparable to the <$500 refurb'd Acer Nitro 5 that was in short supply during the last eBay 15% off everything sale.
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Dec 13, 2018 07:53
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Custom builds are gonna ship when they ship. Depends on when they next set up the production line to make your general model. Could be 18 hours, could be four weeks. It's literally a custom build, so it's not like it's sitting on a shelf waiting to go out same day.
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Dec 13, 2018 10:06
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I don't think anyone is complaining about having to wait a little longer for a custom configuration. The problem is that (the customer support side of) the company has no way to roughly guage how long it will take. As a customer we have no way of knowing the delay is because of production back log, or if just one part in our configuration is back ordered for six weeks. Right now Lenovo has order support staff that are literally incapable of modifying an order for you. It would go a long way if they could look and say "your build is delayed because the factory is out of stock of teledildonics modules, if you would like we can remove that from your order and it should ship within two weeks."
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Dec 13, 2018 18:03
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So I think I'm going to buy a surface laptop 2 really soon, and my question is more about deals than about the hardware itself. Any online outlets etc that don't charge sales tax or is that a thing of the distant past? Otherwise I may as well just waltz into Best Buy and snag the $800 base model.
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Dec 13, 2018 18:30
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CopperHound posted:I don't think anyone is complaining about having to wait a little longer for a custom configuration. The problem is that (the customer support side of) the company has no way to roughly guage how long it will take. As a customer we have no way of knowing the delay is because of production back log, or if just one part in our configuration is back ordered for six weeks. It's possible they have a pretty clear picture of how long it'll take, but they have a clear financial incentive not to tell you its gonna be two months, because that's basically saying "gently caress off, go buy a Dell."
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Dec 13, 2018 18:35
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Clark Nova posted:It's possible they have a pretty clear picture of how long it'll take, but they have a clear financial incentive not to tell you its gonna be two months, because that's basically saying "gently caress off, go buy a Dell." We would just buy from CDW or whoever and have them add ram/SSD Same price (usually cheaper) then upgrading on lenovos site but obviously you can’t upgrade cpu/cpu Plus they have them in stock so we get them next day
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Dec 13, 2018 18:58
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Bob Morales posted:We would just buy from CDW or whoever and have them add ram/SSD Yeah, but they'd rather just gently caress you over for it because it's fiscally sensible for them to do so.
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Dec 13, 2018 19:00
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Atomizer posted:Walmart has an HP 15" 1050 Ti 4 GB laptop with the 8300H (4C8T) for $480, local pickup. Seems to be the regular (holiday) price and not a doorbuster/clearance/limited supply thing. Comes with an HDD but has a free m.2 SATA/NVMe slot, and 8 GB of DDR4 and one DIMM slot free. Comparable to the <$500 refurb'd Acer Nitro 5 that was in short supply during the last eBay 15% off everything sale. Thanks for sharing this, my family has been looking for options for a new laptop in the $500-600 range for my brother as a Christmas gift, this is perfect.
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Dec 13, 2018 19:39
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CopperHound posted:I don't think anyone is complaining about having to wait a little longer for a custom configuration. The problem is that (the customer support side of) the company has no way to roughly guage how long it will take. As a customer we have no way of knowing the delay is because of production back log, or if just one part in our configuration is back ordered for six weeks. It's definitely ridiculous if they're holding up the order for some specific but interchangeable part like RAM or an SSD that the customer should be able to substitute for if that'll speed up the build. Like, if the MX500s are backordered and you have an 860 Evo in stock or vice-versa, at least offer the customer the option. KingSlime posted:So I think I'm going to buy a surface laptop 2 really soon, and my question is more about deals than about the hardware itself. Any online outlets etc that don't charge sales tax or is that a thing of the distant past? You are generally obligated to pay either sales or use tax, depending on where you live. Whether or not the retailer can/does collect sales tax is a separate issue, but you choosing to commit tax fraud because you don't want to report unpaid use tax isn't acceptable. That's not to say people haven't been doing it for many years (and that the laws should really be fixed, but that's another story,) but you need to be aware that your perception of the situation at least is incorrect.
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Dec 13, 2018 21:49
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I don't care about any of that homeslice, I should have reworded my question and saved you the trouble of typing that up. To rephrase: I'm going for the base $800 surface laptop 2 model and want to get as good of a deal as I can possibly snag, any particular sites or offers I should be on the lookout for? Other than the standard keep an eye out on the Microsoft store/Amazon/Google Shopping approach. Maybe some sort of credit sign up bonus (my credit score is really good)? Or is 800 (plus 8.25 percent sales tax, my law abiding amigos) about as good as it gets given that it's a fairly new release? I know I can get more bang for my buck with other devices, but man I love the way that thing looks + 12 hour battery life and that aspect ratio is choice for my needs. I'm fine with paying $870, I'm just out of the loop with general laptop deals (either in store or online).
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Dec 13, 2018 22:15
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Ugh, I had a customized T580 in my lenovo cart yesterday for just under $1k. Today it's just over $1400! I guess I will see what it costs tomorrow before changing my plans.
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Dec 13, 2018 22:46
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KingSlime posted:I don't care about any of that homeslice, I should have reworded my question and saved you the trouble of typing that up. Not an unexpected response. Anyways, to the best of my knowledge, Surface pricing/discounting is closer to that of Apple products, i.e., retailers are less likely to have unilateral sales and the prices are kept inflated, compared to other computing products where you'll often have sales, especially on retailer-exclusive variants (think BB, Walmart and their unique SKUs for say, HP or Acer laptops.) I don't see many discounts on the Surface products, barring the occasional refurb or previous model on Woot.com. With that in mind the best deal is likely to come from some refurb or eBay (especially when they have 10-15% discounts like once a month) or even Amazon Warehouse Deals. If we were talking about pretty much any other product aside from the MS Surface line, the story would be different. If you want a new Surface though, I'm not aware of any deep discounts. Your best bet would then be to take advantage of any "turn in an old laptop for credit" thing and/or buying discounted gift cards to lower your out-of-pocket cost.
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Dec 13, 2018 23:41
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Other than a generic holiday sale price the only discounts I know of for Surface devices would be their educational discount if you have a .edu email address. They might offer something similar for military or whatever, I don't pay attention to those since I don't qualify.
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Dec 14, 2018 01:10
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Ah fair enough, I figured I would ask before walking in and getting my mitts on that sexy, sexy weird faux fabric keyboard. Thanks for the info guys, I appreciate it! Now to decide if the 4 year extended warranty is worth it...
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Dec 14, 2018 03:22
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KingSlime posted:Ah fair enough, I figured I would ask before walking in and getting my mitts on that sexy, sexy weird faux fabric keyboard. Thanks for the info guys, I appreciate it! Usually they aren't but in this case you should be aware that Surface devices are largely un-repairable....
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Dec 14, 2018 03:31
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In case anyone else was in my situation where I had a T580 in my cart one day, and then the next day the price jumped almost $400, the ~$370 off the T580 seems to be back in the configuration tool so I was able to order the laptop I wanted to order on Thursday.
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Dec 15, 2018 08:31
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Rexxed posted:In case anyone else was in my situation where I had a T580 in my cart one day, and then the next day the price jumped almost $400, the ~$370 off the T580 seems to be back in the configuration tool so I was able to order the laptop I wanted to order on Thursday. I was not in your situation but I did notice your post and felt bad for you. I'm glad it's fixed now !
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Dec 15, 2018 09:09
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Had a play with an x1 extreme and new xps 15. The x1x feels way higher quality in person (I think an unreasonable amount of that might be the ugly font on the xps keyboard). Not sure about thermals in practice buy the x1x also had mote substantial looking vents
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Dec 15, 2018 09:37
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Acer Aspire 5 for $470. MX150, 7200U, HDD, open m.2 slot, 15" FHD display, no backlit keyboard, 8 GB RAM (4 GB soldered, 1 slot occupied with 4 GB.) It's straight-up inferior to that HP I just posted (8300H, 1050 Ti 4 GB) in terms of CPU, GPU, expandability, and other features, especially for being about the same size/weight, but if that's sold out near you, this is another fairly cheap option for a light gaming system (very cool and very legal.) It can take a (1-slot, as above) RAM upgrade (for 20 GB max after swapping in a 16 GB module) and has both an m.2 slot and 2.5" bay, and although the RAM slot and 2.5" bay are easily accessible via their own service panels, the m.2 slot requires you to remove the whole bottom panel. There's also a version with the 8550U and an SSD for $600. The CPU upgrade alone is probably worth it over the above model, and although the SSD is likely m.2 you may have to order the cable and bracket separately (~$30 total) to install a 2.5" drive. Overall the more expensive model is probably not worth it considering what kind of GPU performance you can get for around that price, unless you want the substantial CPU performance and only need a modest GPU for occasional casual gaming in an otherwise no-frills package.
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Dec 15, 2018 13:01
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Some refurb'd HP gaming laptops. Most of them are 17" unfortunately, but if that's not a problem there are some decent deals here. RX580 for $750. For an alternative to a 1060 that's not bad, and Freesync may work on either the internal display and/or an external one (whereas G-Sync generally isn't going to work on nVidia mobile parts.) Needs an SSD though. 1070 for $1050. Solid performance for the money. Or for $150 more, get a 120 Hz display and upgraded CPU. 1080 and 120 Hz display for $1.6k.
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Dec 17, 2018 09:03
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I took a chance and ordered the (Walmart-brand) Overpowered 15” gaming laptop for $799. Apparently it’s a rebranded Tongfang GK5CN6Z, so it will hopefully not be as awful as their gaming desktops. The specs just seemed too good to pass up at its price range. 6 core i7 8750H NVIDIA GTX 1060 Mechanical Keyboard with brown switches 144Hz 1080p IPS display (LGD05C0) - ~300 nits, 94% sRGB, 60% AdobeRGB 16gb RAM (I believe reviewers said they put a cheap single stick, but this can be upgraded) 256gb SSD (with a spare M.2 slot) 1TB HDD 14" x 9.5" x 0.75" dimensions 4.55lbs It’s out of stock right now, but I’m planning to put the larger 4 cell battery into it and removing the HDD to increase the battery life a little bit. As well as getting better quality ram and SSD.
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Dec 17, 2018 21:59
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ihatepants posted:I took a chance and ordered the (Walmart-brand) Overpowered 15” gaming laptop for $799. Picked this up too for $899, will have to get the price adjusted if I keep it. Impressions after a few days:
If you don't care about fan noise this this is a crazy steal. I am waiting on a Y7000 so I can compare the two.
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Dec 18, 2018 00:53
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Yeah, that thing has nice specs for the price, especially that CPU + GPU combo. There isn't really anything you need to do to it (like add an SSD) out of the box. The 144 Hz display seems kind of unnecessary, because while the 1060 is strong enough for high details at FHD resolution, it won't approach 144 FPS unless you lower the details. I've seen mixed reviews on the keyboard; some people say it's "mushy" but I'm wondering if that's just uninformed people who are expecting blue switches when they see "mechanical" and don't realize that the browns it has are supposed to be non-clicky.
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Dec 18, 2018 08:36
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Atomizer posted:I've seen mixed reviews on the keyboard; some people say it's "mushy" but I'm wondering if that's just uninformed people who are expecting blue switches when they see "mechanical" and don't realize that the browns it has are supposed to be non-clicky. There also certainly are legitimately bad mechanical keyboards, especially on laptops. I'd personally be leery of any 15" laptop that made the poor choice of slamming a numpad in there, because there's no way to do that without making the keys noticeably smaller than most people are used to. I also hate the offset having a numpad forces, but that's mostly a personal thing. The other big criticism seems to be that the trackpad is hot trash, but if you're using it as a semi-mobile desktop replacement that'll be using a mouse 95% of the time, that may not matter. I do wonder what sort of battery life it actually gets. Obviously not great, but are we talking 2 hours, or 4-5? 
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Dec 18, 2018 16:47
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So it appears they are legit Cherry Browns and not even a knockoff, but they must be a low-profile style that I didn't realize existed until now (I've seen knockoff LP mech switches though.) The response again ranges from "great" to "mushy" and it does sound like the latter is coming from people expecting blues (based on they way they describe the brown switches.) The trackpad, also has received a wide range of reviews, and while the manufacturer response on the product page stated that they don't use MS Precision drivers, Dave Lee of Dave2D stated the opposite, so  The battery life does appear to be closer to 2 hours (!!!!) although there is an upgraded battery if you don't mind removing the HDD cage.
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Dec 18, 2018 19:36
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Yeah, overall it seems like a pretty poor laptop in the traditional sense, but a pretty great deal for a semi-mobile desktop replacement. Which is perfectly fine, because that'll fit nicely into a lot of people's actual needs.
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Dec 18, 2018 20:25
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Truly can't fathom buying that laptop and then spending money on a bigger battery for it Or why people talk about battery life at all in those machines
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Dec 18, 2018 20:53
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Statutory Ape posted:Truly can't fathom buying that laptop and then spending money on a bigger battery for it In this case, you're right. But there are others that aren't that different that get pretty solid battery life, so it's worth the question at least. The XPS 15, for example, can be configured with a 1050Ti and 97wh battery that'll run for somewhere around 14 hours in light use. Admittedly, it's also $500 more expensive. But, yeah, it's pretty clear here they did not optimize this for battery life, but just for raw specs at a super-low price. I agree that upgrading the battery to...what, 2hrs 30min? can't possibly be worth the time, money, or effort.
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Dec 18, 2018 21:52
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Yeah for a gaming laptop, you're not going to get more than a couple hours of actual gaming on the battery, but it's not that unreasonable to expect maybe 5-7 hours of non-gaming life. This OP-2 or whatever it is only gets around 2.5 hours non-gaming, and that gets stretched to maybe 4 hours with the replacement battery, and neither of those numbers are really acceptable in TYOOL 2018. It's definitely worth the money for a portable, desktop-replacement gaming system though. Also, I'll reiterate that that HP from Wal-mart with a 1050 Ti was around $500 total, compared to an XPS 15. The only real annoying thing about it is that, despite being upgradeable, the bottom panel is both screwed in and has clips all around; it's a little difficult to remove the panel but even more difficult to replace it, because the clips in the corners nearest the display hinge must get re-inserted first or they'll get trapped in the extracted position. Other than that, though, for the price, it's great.
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Dec 19, 2018 09:05
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I stupidly want to ask what are these situations where you have a gaming laptop and need to run off battery instead of plugging in? I've owned gaming laptops for ten years and I cannot think of any scenario where I really needed to run off battery. Are you guys just taking them to lecture halls?
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Dec 19, 2018 14:44
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