page 6

2/16/2012 2:14:12 PM

Quote :

"I generally keep my equipment at around 6-8 years before replacing, "

That's seriously stretching it. I'd half that at least.

2/16/2012 2:49:47 PM

Quote :

"max memory is only 8 GB. i'm not sure you'll be happy with that in 5 years if you do keep it that long."

i can't imagine what the AVERAGE user would be doing on a laptop that 8GB of memory wouldn't be enough, even after 5 years...only with windows 7 have we seen a significant offering of laptops with more than 4GB and even then, the average laptop doesn't have more than that...and i suspect most people wouldn't notice the difference

just my opinion, of course

2/16/2012 3:14:39 PM

I have 12 on my desktop and it's just enough. I imagine if I did the majority of my work on a laptop I'd need a similar amount.



[Edited on February 16, 2012 at 3:21 PM. Reason : nmv you said AVERAGE. hehe. ]

2/16/2012 3:20:48 PM

I am looking for a new powerhouse of a laptop.

Because of the stuff I run, 16GB ram and a SSD are a must. The only laptops I have found readily available like that, and even with a second SATA storage drive and blu-ray drive are Alienwares, but I am really hesitant to pay the name premium for them.

My work subsidizes a large portion of personal machines, so there really isn't a price limit. I have a killer desktop, just looking for something good to start carrying and using in the garage, etc...

Any suggestions? Not having bought a laptop in the past decade, I am not even sure what names there are for enthusiast brands anymore.

2/16/2012 7:16:50 PM

I would say any big name brand has laptops that meet your requirements. An SSD plus a secondary storage HDD is pretty common now. Just check out Asus, Dell, Lenovo's offerings then compare prices.

2/16/2012 7:23:03 PM

http://www.originpc.com/

2/16/2012 9:28:57 PM

Yeah 32GB ram. i7 and dual 580's. Not to mention spaces for 3 HDDs. 2 SSDs in raid and a storage drive.

2/16/2012 10:43:46 PM

Origin PC, Direct AVA and Sager notebooks are on the top of my list for my next big powerhouse laptop.

Sager has some nice stuff and good prices; you can snag a 15" 1080p quad core with a 6990, 8gb of ram for $1500. Cheapest I've seen for such a spec'd laptop. Both AVA and Sager are based on the Clevo barebones that offer a lot of user end customization.

2/16/2012 10:51:41 PM

How big is the performance difference between say a GTX570 and its mobile equivalent? I saw Tom's Hardware's Hierarchy chart and I was rather dismayed, but I figured I'd ask you cats as well.

2/17/2012 3:23:47 PM

not on the same par. This isn't exactly the best way to compare them.

http://3dmark.com/compare/3dm11/2185044/3dm11/504059

2/17/2012 7:14:16 PM

Ouch.

2/17/2012 8:32:25 PM

how is MSI's reputation as a manufacturer?

i know absolutely nothing about them and only noticed them a year or so ago.

2/27/2012 8:15:30 AM

I've been using MSi for the last 10 years, they work pretty good and I like them, but they've gone a bit lower on the ranking in the last year or two; still I would have no hesitation in buying MSi right now if the price was right. It's just that there are other brands that I'd stick to before them if the features and price were all equal.

For their laptops? I have no idea, never used them, but they seem to make good barebones with good quality of what I'm told. Probably look for reviews if you are interested.

2/28/2012 2:00:13 AM

i was just curious because i was looking at preconfigured laptops on newegg with i7 processors and gtx560/570m graphics and a lot of them were MSI in the 1000 - 1500 dollar range.

or course feel free to flame me if this was completely n00b- i have no shame.

2/28/2012 7:55:03 AM

Since my company gives heavier subsidies for Dell/Alienware, I decided to go with an Alienware m17x.

If I don't like it, I can just turn around and sell it for more than I paid for it.

2/28/2012 2:21:02 PM

Buddy of mine needs a new laptop:

Needs:

12-14"
Don't need to be ultra powerful
Doesn't need tons of hard drive space
Laptop, not tablet
Lighter is better, but not a hard requirement
Budget is wide open, up to $600/$700ish

Any ideas?

I noticed a refurb Macbook Air is $700 from Apple (with 64GB flash drive)...what else should we be looking at?

2/28/2012 8:11:50 PM

macbook air is a horrible choice unless they already have another apple pc or laptop.

Just go to a local store like best buy, see which model he likes in terms of fit and finish, then look online at newegg or amazon to see what the prices are. Honestly, Lenovo, Toshiba, Acer and Asus have pretty good 14" models that would work. The smaller you go, the higher the price and usually above your 700 price range for good features.

2/28/2012 9:39:31 PM

i think the new toshiba textured laptop body looks and feels great.

or maybe i just fall easily for cheap gimmicks.

2/29/2012 8:15:25 AM

Quote :

"maybe i just fall easily for cheap gimmicks."

If you did, you would be complacent with apple iFuck products

Honestly, I kinda want to build a product named iFuck just so I could get sued by Apple.

[Edited on February 29, 2012 at 6:57 PM. Reason : ]

2/29/2012 6:56:14 PM

Alienware came today, it's pretty damn awesome. First computer I've ever bought that didnt have bloatware on it.

The only things "extra" beyond a regular windows install were the 3 Alienware applications to control the lighting effects, submit support info, and restore the computer.

3/15/2012 8:04:12 PM

Quote :

"First computer I've ever bought that didnt have bloatware on it."

Welcome to 1995. Actually, no. 1992. 486 with win 3.1 that had no bloatware.

3/16/2012 12:59:59 AM

^ I always build my own desktops.

And you know exactly what I mean, don't try to be a douche just to be one.

3/16/2012 12:23:31 PM

need a new laptop for internet / office while traveling want the cheapest one possible - as long as it is reliable. but I am open to ideas. if I need to spend an extra 50 or so..

it's between -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215259
and
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230265

any thoughts on acer v. asus laptops?

3/16/2012 7:26:01 PM

^Between the 2 I'd go for the Asus but there are better deals out there. You can find i3's for $400 all day long and an i5 will slip in for $450 pretty regularly. Either would be a better choice. I'd also really prefer a 13-14" for travel for the little better weight/size. I'd for for this Dell

Dell 14" w/ i3/6gb/500gb for $450 + $100 Visa giftcard (Staples' rebates are usually really easy too) http://www.staples.com/Dell-Inspiron-14RN-1227BK-14-Laptop/product-nr_423370

or something like this if you want bigger:
Asus 15" w/ i3/4gb/320gb for $400 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i3+Processor+/+15.6%26%2334%3B+Display+/+4GB+Memory+-+Textured+Black+Suit/3677442.p?id=1218426416903&skuId=3677442

I think there's an HP 8-core AMD floating around for $400-450 at Office Depot or OfficeMax still too. Just check http://slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9&sort=lastpost&order=&icon=23and see what catches your eye.

3/16/2012 7:48:08 PM

Quote :

"And you know exactly what I mean, don't try to be a douche just to be one."

Welcome to tdub... try to be a douche? There was no trying on my part. There was quite a bit of snobbish on your part so in turn it required a snobbish reply.

Maybe actually post some specs of said laptop instead of sayin "hey look! I got an alienware and I love it because it has this button and it turns it on!" like some apple faggot.

3/16/2012 8:13:51 PM

^^ thanks.

3/16/2012 8:34:24 PM

How is what I said snobbish?

Anyway, its a M17x, i7-2760, 16GB Ram, SSD for the main drive, and a regular drive for the secondary, 2GB Radeon 6990, and the Killer Wireless N upgrade.

3/16/2012 9:42:25 PM

Seriously?

The first thing you post about your new awesome laptop (and it does sound awesome) is the fact that the OS comes clean?!?! Thinking somehow its some sort of new thing... I would have said it was blazing fast and then tout the specs and price.

And besides, Alienware/Dell XPS line has been doing that for years, almost every boutique maker has done this, in fact, you really don't see a lot of bloatware on oem crappy machines today. My Asus came with no bloatware, just the same utilities as your laptop. Shit, sometimes they give you a choice if you want a clean install of win7 from the factory. Even then, its not hard to clean it out or do your own fresh install when you get a new pc/laptop.

3/17/2012 1:09:43 AM

Holy shit JBaz, you are a blight on this website.

[Edited on March 17, 2012 at 1:36 AM. Reason : At least when I'm a dick to someone, they actually fucking deserve it.]

3/17/2012 1:20:42 AM

its fucking tdub... what do you expect?

3/17/2012 1:44:35 AM

^^^ my month old Dell XPS 14z came with plenty of bloatware. All kinds of eBay, mcafee, utility bullshit. In fact, I don't remember the last laptop I bought in the last 2-3 years that didn't other than my macs.

3/17/2012 1:53:13 AM

there should have been an option when you ordered your dell xps to have dell ship you a stock win7 build. I think they charge for that now, like an extra 15 bucks, which is a waste since its easy to clean it. But my older xps 17" came with no bloatware years ago. My current asus has no bloatware and most others who have asus also had no bloatware.

3/17/2012 2:02:00 AM

Quote :

"I would have said it was blazing fast and then tout the specs and price. "

Yeah, your way would have been much less snobbish.

3/17/2012 4:27:37 AM

^^ Nope. The only options are to add more crap. There's a reason that the Microsoft Store has been pretty successful so far selling their "Microsoft Signature" computers with all the junk removed. It's just really difficult to find a computer that doesn't have a bunch of shit installed on it now unless you're willing to narrow your choices down to a select few computers. The past few Asus I've looked at have been the same way.

^Definitely

3/17/2012 12:29:30 PM

it doesn't take that long to remove crapware, so i think the price premium for computers without crapware is retarded

it takes far longer for me to add and configure software, change OS settings, and download/update drivers

after i've done all that, i make a fresh backup and i never have to do it again

3/17/2012 12:35:13 PM

Quote :

"and download/update drivers"

What do you have that still requires a manual driver download? Last few builds have been fully automatic unless I've wanted an overclocking tool or something.

3/17/2012 3:44:02 PM

So i just bought this one - from a slick deals link. Thoughts? I can still cancel it.

http://outlet.lenovo.com/1024xd3.html?AID=10383968&PID=4485850&SID=wuvKXHE6EeGSdH7PW1LjhA0&CJURL=http%3A%2F%2Foutlet.lenovo.com%2F1024xd3.html

3/18/2012 4:42:55 PM

Not bad.

3/18/2012 5:02:39 PM

^^^ where did i say anything REQUIRED a manual driver download? you're fooling yourself if you think that dell/lenovo/toshiba/hp/acer/asus/[insert brand here] makes available the latest drivers the moment they're available from the actual parts manufacturer

so yeah, when i get a new laptop, i search for the latest drivers from the manufacturer of the component, rather than laptop manufacturer...9 times out of 10, there's AT LEAST one driver/firmware update available

like i said, it's just my "new laptop" routine...clean off the bloat, install my preferred software, configure the software/OS to my preferences, download all updates (software, OS, drivers, firmware) and make a backup/restore point...actually, my first step is to make a backup of the untouched configuration so that when i sell it a year or two later, i can put it back into its stock state without much effort

*shrug*

3/19/2012 8:25:34 AM

@clalias: stick with it, its def sick for that price point. i5 for less than 400? they have to be loosing money at that price point; must be clearing inventory out ASAP for ivy bridge.

Quote :

"Yeah, your way would have been much less snobbish"

Hey, if you got an Alienware gaming laptop that you actually like (specially if you got a good deal), you are allowed to be snobbish... You just need to know how to do it right, while you take your vacay to some remote island and game with Romney

3/19/2012 12:37:55 PM

Ugh, this Asus I have is just a hunk of garbage at this point. I've only had it about a year and a half, but it is extremely slow and no matter how much cleanup I do on the thing, it takes several minutes to boot, and just randomly hangs from time to time for no apparent reason.

I'm ready to throw this out the window.

I know there is a lot of Asus praise on the board, but I think I'm done with them.

I may just wait until Windows 8 comes out and go ahead and get a new laptop.

3/24/2012 10:28:02 AM

I would grab an SSD and start from scratch. It's probably just your harddrive or install that's slowing things down.

3/24/2012 11:24:42 AM

sounds like a software/driver conflict although it could also be the drive needs a good defrag; maybe some bad sectors on the drive.

3/24/2012 3:46:12 PM

I've tried a defrag with no luck, and tonight I'm just going to wipe the C: drive and reinstall windows to see if that helps. It came preloaded from the vendor with a bunch of crap on it, so hopefully a fresh install may help.

I don't even know how to replace the HD in a laptop with a SSD hard drive. I used to work on desktops back in the day, but never have played with a laptop. I've done plenty of hard drive tests and memory tests with no errors.

3/26/2012 8:35:22 AM

Hi friends!

I need a new laptop and since tax free weekend is coming up (and I get 5% cash back on my cc if I buy it Friday), I'd like to get the best deal possible. Please halp!

Basically I'll be using it for work - this means daily presentations and weekly video conferencing/online seminars. I don't have too many requirements, but I'd like a built-in webcam and microphone, HDMI port, at least one USB port, minimum of 4GB RAM, not a Mac. Price point up to $1500 but I would prefer to keep it around $1000 or less. Here's what I've found so far but I'm sure you guys can do better:

Dell XPS 14z: http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-l412z/pd

Lenovo ThinkPad T430: http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/thinkpad/t-series/t430/

Lenovo IdeaPad Z580: http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087¤t-category-id=9E3417937C49B1F3743360A5F58746E3

Yay? Nay? Suggestions? Thanks!

8/1/2012 9:01:20 PM

i'm going to to ahead and tell you that there will be hate for the dell and disdain for the ideapad, with the thinkpad being the "winner"

personally, i think thinkpads are overpriced...yes, they're tanks, but you pay for that and unless you're exceptionally clumsy, i think it's a waste given how quickly laptops become dated

i liked my wife's ideapad before she sold it and i currently have the dell 14z (non-XPS) and i think it's solid

without knowing exactly what your configuration is, i'm betting the ideapad is the cheapest, followed by the dell, followed by the thinkpad (but i could be wrong)

a few of items of note:
- you don't need to switchable/dedicated graphics...the vast majority of people don't, for that matter (i can do light photoshopping on my integrated intel graphics just fine and these days, integrated graphics are designed to handle 1080p video just fine)
- don't pay the premium for extra memory...you can buy sticks for 25% the cost and install them yourself (or get a friend to do it, it's not hard)
- if you can afford it, get a 3rd-generation intel core proc (and corresponding intel 4000 graphics)...the 2nd gen is fine (3000 graphics) if you don't want to pay the premium for the latest and greatest

8/1/2012 9:11:29 PM

exceptionally clumsy? let me put it this way - I have an album on facebook named "oops"

how about this guy:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-+15.6%26%2334%3B+IdeaPad+Laptop+-+6GB+Memory+-+750GB+Hard+Drive/5593862.p?id=1218720760463&skuId=5593862

8/1/2012 9:18:46 PM

well, then, maybe you SHOULD get the thinkpad...and a full coverage squaretrade warranty

this is entirely personal preference, but i will NEVER have a 15.6" laptop...they're huge and heavy, IMO...14" is the sweet spot (though i do sometimes miss my old 13" XPS)

the lenovo you linked to is a decent value...it's got the 3rd gen core proc and 4000 graphics, as well as some USB 3.0 ports (which doesn't matter in a lot of cases, but i actually use both of mine on my machine and it was a requirement when i bought it)

you can sort through some of these deals, too: http://slickdeals.net/newsearch.php?q=laptop&showposts=0&archive=0&firstonly=1

[Edited on August 1, 2012 at 9:30 PM. Reason : better url]

8/1/2012 9:28:15 PM

i like my 13.3" but damn if this fucker doesn't get hot, my old Asus never froze and never overheated and this thing can overheat in 5 min from a cold start

i will always buy Asus laptops in the future

8/1/2012 9:36:34 PM