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Det_Riot

New Laptop Advice

By Det_Riot, in Technology Central

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Det_Riot Post Whore

Det_Riot

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Need help from all you computer geeks :)

I need to upgrade my laptop because my current one is slowly but surely self destructing. I put in a cd with pictures on it the other day and it sounded like it was trying to print a Picasso in my cd drive. So the search began.

As far as price, it remains to be determined because I have no idea what things cost. Things it needs to do:

Stream movies/videos in HD without lag

Run photo/video editing software, photoshop, lightroom

For hard drive disk space, I figure 750gb should be sufficient for storing a good amount of photos, video files, and whatever else I need. Im mainly looking through dell or HP because I get an employee discounts.

Thanks guys!

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Blackmage Senior Member

Blackmage

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I run HP all day long with no problems. Their drivers seem to be a lot more stable than Dell's as well. just my opinion though.

If you want to be running photoshop and video editing software, steer clear of the i3 and don't even bother with AMD's. Look at a quad core i5 or any of the i7's. 4gb of ram will get you by, but i would look at more than that so you dno't have to upgrade in the future. 15.4" or bigger as well for screen size. Most laptop's video cards won't vary much, but more memory on the card the better. If you want to dive deep into specs of that kind of stuff though, let me know.

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SonicBlue Advanced Member

SonicBlue

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What Blackmage said. Dell focuses on quantity instead of quality. You should settle on how much you can afford and get the most you can for the price. 4GB may not be enough anymore - minimum requirements give you minimum performance. Same with hard drive space. Look for more than you think you'll need. Get hands and eyes on your candidates as well. The best laptop is no good if you don't like how the keyboard feels or the screen looks.

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Slykin Senior Member

Slykin

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I'm running a HP DV7 2630 right now with 750GB of hard drive space, 6GB of ram, and an i7 processor. I have no major problems with it, except that with the 17" screen, the hinges have gotten really flimsy and bouncy over time. Also, I wouldn't recommend this for lots of visual stuff. It needs a better video card, and sound likes a little turbine most of the time. With a better video card this would be a real knockout of a computer. Got it for $750 a year or two ago. My old Toshiba worked really well while I had it too, granted, it did die in a catastrophic way. Oh, and the Beats Audio on this HP is really nice. I wouldn't recommend their headphones, but they system on this makes a big difference.

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Steve@CJPP Senior Member

Steve@CJPP

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Advise me sir!
I advise you to not buy anything built by a company. It's great if you want a 750GB HD with only a 1/3 of it avaiable to store stuff on cuz the other 2/3 is all the crap they install on it. You want a system that works make sure it starts with "I" and ends in "it" I stop supporting this companies because all their :censored: sucks.
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95riosnake Senior Member

95riosnake

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I got a Lenovo G570 from my wife for Christmas last year and so far it's nice and I've had good luck with it. They're pretty affordable from what I understand.

That said I am in no way a computer enthusiast or geek, so the more knowledgeable computer guys on here might say to run away from Lenovo at all costs or something, who knows lol. It surfs the internet and checks email/posts on forums flawlessly so it suits my needs for a recreational use home laptop. When I need massive computing power or the ability to create graphics/artwork and such I just use the Alienware I have at work. I rarely need a badass computer at home. Sounds like you're wanting something more heavy duty, I'm sure Lenovo probably has higher end models to cover that.

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SonicBlue Advanced Member

SonicBlue

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I'm with Slick, actually. But there's a bit of an adjustment involved in switching. I have never owned a Windows-based machine - mostly because of all the hassle I've experienced on them that just isn't there on a Mac.

Steve, is it even possible to buy a laptop that's not built by a company? Even so, deleting all the crapware shouldn't be much of an issue. They even make app's to do that.

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Bullitt Senior Member

Bullitt

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I honestly don't remember but half the shit that is on your computer leaves so much other little shit laying around that you don't see. As far as a mac goes there really isn't to much learning curve I went from Windows to Mac and there really isn't to much to it as a regular user as a more advanced play with shit behind the scenes then yeah a eye opener. Honestly I will say this if I need a laptop and i'm doing heavy media (photo, video) I'm getting a mac. If I'm doing shit that requires me to use a PC I'm building a box from scratch because in all honestly if you are doing something that requires space and speed as well as graphics, you will never get your moneys worth out of a PC laptop they just don't perform, hence the reason they are so damn cheap. The money you spend on a PC Laptop I can build you a box that will not only outlast that laptop but be up-gradable in the future with just a few parts being swapped out.

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Slick Advanced Member

Slick

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I honestly don't remember but half the shit that is on your computer leaves so much other little shit laying around that you don't see. As far as a mac goes there really isn't to much learning curve I went from Windows to Mac and there really isn't to much to it as a regular user as a more advanced play with shit behind the scenes then yeah a eye opener. Honestly I will say this if I need a laptop and i'm doing heavy media (photo, video) I'm getting a mac. If I'm doing shit that requires me to use a PC I'm building a box from scratch because in all honestly if you are doing something that requires space and speed as well as graphics, you will never get your moneys worth out of a PC laptop they just don't perform, hence the reason they are so damn cheap. The money you spend on a PC Laptop I can build you a box that will not only outlast that laptop but be up-gradable in the future with just a few parts being swapped out.

What parts do we need to use to make a mac ? what all hoops do we have to jump through to make it work with pc parts ?

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Bullitt Senior Member

Bullitt

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What parts do we need to use to make a mac ? what all hoops do we have to jump through to make it work with pc parts ?

It's an older story but if you understand the components then you could use this as a stepping stone to such a thing.

http://lifehacker.com/5672051/how-to-build-a-hackintosh-mac-and-install-os-x-in-eight-easy-steps

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SonicBlue Advanced Member

SonicBlue

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No, you're right. There's not much of a learning curve. Heck, where do you think Microsoft got most of it's ideas? Software can be an issue - if you already have a bunch for one platform, you don't want to have to rebuy it for the other. But if someone's open to considering it, I'm all about helping them pick a Mac.

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scottydsntknow Advanced Member

scottydsntknow

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Acer, best bang for the buck laptops out there. I've been running them for myself and the wife for YEARS and I love them. And the beauty of them is that there were SO many made that if something breaks, parts are cheap as hell. Look on Newegg, Tigerdirect and Amazon for good deals on them. I got the best deal on a computer I have ever got in my entire life last September. Acer 17" laptop, 500gb hard drive, quad core, 6gb ram, TWO crossfired video cards for $525. Plays Skyrim on Ultra, does everything I want, is fast and has been very durable. All the bells/whistles minus USB3 which is the one compromise I made on it. However, it's got room for 3 hard drives if I ditch the DVD drive which I've used exactly never so I don't need externals. If you need fast external drive support, make sure its got a USB3 port (blue usb port) and you buy USB3 external drives.

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revhead347 Advanced Member

revhead347

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Acer and Toshiba are on the top of Consumer Reports now. Asus is getting up there too. My wife has been using the same Toshiba Satellite for over 4 years now over 8 hours a day. It still runs like new. We've had to buy a new battery for it a few times. Newegg has terrific deals on remanufactured Toshibas. Apple is at the bottom of Consumer Reports for quality. My mother dropped $2K on MacBook Pro, and in less than 2 years it has eaten up $1800 in repairs. She has finally given up on it, and bought a refurbed Toshiba Satellite on NewEgg for $299.

Kurt

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scottydsntknow Advanced Member

scottydsntknow

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Screw Apple, Apple is the Fram of the computer world. Used to have a good product, living off the name and former reputation. Overpriced, proprietary, junk. Also if anything breaks you are royally hosed. Example, my wife's Acer's motherboard had an issue charging the battery. Probably because she never turns the thing off EVER and it got too hot for too long. Anyway, instructions are everywhere for Acers and $75 later I had a new motherboard from eBay and installed it in 20 minutes. Apple product would basically have been done and yay $2k for a new one. Wtf... Seriously... Even if it was totally smashed and irreparable a new Acer or Toshiba that is MORE than enough for 90% of ppl is $300-$500 brand new with warranty.

Also, most ppl on here can use more than basic hand tools since we wrench on our cars regularly. If you can use a screwdriver and a pocketknife you can build a high end desktop for 1/4-1/2 of what someone like Dell would charge or repair all but the most severe damage to a laptop. Laptop parts especially for super mass produced stuff like Acers are so plentiful/cheap it would be dumb to not just fix your laptop until it gets to the point that running programs is a problem. And even then you can usually upgrade the ram and over clock the processor to get you by another year or so. Another great practice is to take apart your laptop every 6 months and blow out the case and fan with compressed air. Desktops are super easy to do this to and should be done more often IMO.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

Edited by scottydsntknow
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Blackmage Senior Member

Blackmage

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If you can use a screwdriver and a pocketknife you can build a high end desktop for 1/4-1/2 of what someone like Dell would charge

I'm sorry to say but this is just not the case anymore. Computers are so main stream now, you are going to be able to buy a very well equipped Dekstop PC for about the same price you will with a home built one. Now, you won't be able to customize it to your exact graphics card, brand and type of ram, etc., but you will have pretty much the same PC for about the same price. On top of that, you will also have a full windows installation included with a pre-built machine, and possibly even office.

Repair is a different story, i do agree if you can fix it yourself, you will save a ton of money :)

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95opal Senior Member

95opal

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Im an acer user myself and have no complaints. Nice 17 " screen, runs PS, lightroom and streams movies with no problem. For the price its hard to beat and if I need anything more I use my desktop.

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scottydsntknow Advanced Member

scottydsntknow

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I'm sorry to say but this is just not the case anymore. Computers are so main stream now, you are going to be able to buy a very well equipped Dekstop PC for about the same price you will with a home built one. Now, you won't be able to customize it to your exact graphics card, brand and type of ram, etc., but you will have pretty much the same PC for about the same price. On top of that, you will also have a full windows installation included with a pre-built machine, and possibly even office.

Repair is a different story, i do agree if you can fix it yourself, you will save a ton of money :)

I re use everything I can. Case, optical drive, sound card... I mean most of this stuff is all at the point where it will be good for years. Last desktop for gaming I priced out from alienware was over $2k. Built a similar one for $800. And that was with a $300 video card. 2 crossfired cards figure $1100. Still way less. You can also install windows on 3 systems so my win7 disk is gtg for that or I can get windows 8 for what $30 new? Rather install it myself anyway and not have to deal with all the bloat not to mention you usually don't get the windows disk when you buy a system, you have to make backup disks. EFF that. Now for a basic web surfer... Yeah you can buy an e machines at wal mart for $300 which is hard to beat although if we are talking a basic integrated mobo, dual core AMD processor and 6 gigs of decent ram yeah I could do it for less reusing the rest of the parts. From scratch with a 21" led monitor, high end cooler, and 8 gigs of ram my wife's desktop was under $500 built by me from scratch reusing nothing. When it comes time to upgrade it will be a simple mobo/processor/ram.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

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Blackmage Senior Member

Blackmage

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I re use everything I can. Case, optical drive, sound card... I mean most of this stuff is all at the point where it will be good for years. Last desktop for gaming I priced out from alienware was over $2k. Built a similar one for $800. And that was with a $300 video card. 2 crossfired cards figure $1100. Still way less. You can also install windows on 3 systems so my win7 disk is gtg for that or I can get windows 8 for what $30 new? Rather install it myself anyway and not have to deal with all the bloat not to mention you usually don't get the windows disk when you buy a system, you have to make backup disks. EFF that. Now for a basic web surfer... Yeah you can buy an e machines at wal mart for $300 which is hard to beat although if we are talking a basic integrated mobo, dual core AMD processor and 6 gigs of decent ram yeah I could do it for less reusing the rest of the parts. From scratch with a 21" led monitor, high end cooler, and 8 gigs of ram my wife's desktop was under $500 built by me from scratch reusing nothing. When it comes time to upgrade it will be a simple mobo/processor/ram.

Im with Steve, where can you get 8 for $30? lol and im calling BS on installing windows 7 on 3 devices, that is just not true. If you have a FAMILY PACK, then yes you can. Windows 7 pro you can install on one laptop, and one desktop as well, that's the only exception.

As for not getting disc's, laptops you will most of the time not get a disc, (all of my HP ones come with them though). It may not be the actual windows disc, but it does have windows on it and the full installer as well as restore and repair functionality.

Also, we didn't say anything about building a computer and re-using stuff, so all that jibber jabber about building a computer for $800 compared to buying one for $2g, you can throw that whole statement out the window. Doesn't apply here.

I'm not even going to dig into what you're calling your wife's pc, you have no info on what it is, so that whole sentence is worthless to have even written lol

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scottydsntknow Advanced Member

scottydsntknow

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It was $15 to upgrade under the special and they ran a deal recently where it was around $30 new. That's probably over. Still you can get a new legit copy for $93 on Amazon.

And yes going from scratch can nickel and dime you but it doesn't have to.

Solid quad core websurfing system with a nice LED monitor is going be around $500 from scratch. Even paying $93 for a new copy of Windows.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

Edited by scottydsntknow
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Det_Riot Post Whore

Det_Riot

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damn I was going to get Windows 8 if it was $30. Hell I'll give anything a shot for $30 lol.

That explains the tranny porn at your house.....

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Jeremy95GT Advanced Member

Jeremy95GT

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Not gonna read through this so I'm not sure if someone suggested this but when I was deployed this dude bought a computer from ibuypower.com and he custom made his laptop online and it was like 900 bucks or a lil more and it was a sweet computer

Jeremy

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Jeremy95GT Advanced Member

Jeremy95GT

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And I have a windows 8 disc u can get and just upgrade it for 30 bucks online if u want too... It's a beta version that came out a while back and and I got it from someone fo free and it just prompted me to upgrade and it was like 30 bones

Jeremy

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Steve@CJPP Senior Member

Steve@CJPP

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That explains the tranny porn at your house.....
you weren't suppose to tell anyone. seeesh!!
And I have a windows 8 disc u can get and just upgrade it for 30 bucks online if u want too... It's a beta version that came out a while back and and I got it from someone fo free and it just prompted me to upgrade and it was like 30 bones

Jeremy

we'll be talking after my big move this weekend.
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scottydsntknow Advanced Member

scottydsntknow

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And I have a windows 8 disc u can get and just upgrade it for 30 bucks online if u want too... It's a beta version that came out a while back and and I got it from someone fo free and it just prompted me to upgrade and it was like 30 bones

Jeremy

This is the deal I was talking about. Take THAT doubters lol. Also, Steve or anyone who needs it, I've got a backup copy of Windows 7 Ultimate Black fully unlocked if you want it. Auto activating and everything. I'm personally still on 7 for everything, I see 0 reason to "upgrade" to 8.

If you are going to build a Desktop hit me up if you have any questions. HIGHLY recommend building your own desktop if you are going to be doing gaming. Web surfing... if you just want to spend $299 you can go to Wal Mart and get a decent emachines or something with a warranty. If you wand a quad core/lots of ram/better OS/more storage etc... I still say build it. I haven't bought a prebuilt computer since 1998. It really isn't difficult, if you can wrench on a motor you can EASILY build your own system. Tons of how-tos and guides.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

Edited by scottydsntknow
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Blackmage Senior Member

Blackmage

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i still do not believe that to be true any longer, back when it first came out they pushed it bigtime and left it cheap to get so people would jump to it. I have not seen it that low since about December, in january it was bumper to $69, and a lot of companies had a $40 instant rebate which put it at $29... If you can pull a screen shot today showing its only $30, id gladly believe ya!

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PurrdGT Advanced Member

PurrdGT

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I skimmed the posts, feeling lazy.

I agree with most, DO NOT GET A DELL! Mine is a year and a half old and I've already replaced the motherboard and had to reboot it from scratch twice after the motherboard was replaced.

As for something big enough for photos and what not, I suggest storing your photos on an external hard drive and not the computer itself. Just my opinion though. I'd hate for you to lose your photos as I have.

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scottydsntknow Advanced Member

scottydsntknow

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An external can fail just as easily as a good internal can. I mean it is less likely if you only turn it on for backups and have it stored in a nice safe place but any decent sized one is still going to be a platter drive. If you are paranoid about your photos and info and whatever either back it up online or do a RAID setup for your storage drives.

Honestly the $299 e-machines setup at my Mother in Law's house has been going strong for almost 3 years now. It gets used a pretty good amount too by my 2 brother in laws that still live there. The home built setup for my wife is still going really strong too almost 3 years later and the gaming rig I built was 2010 IIRC. That still runs ANYTHING with a new video card and the 6 core processor still running at stock 2.9ghz speed. I could crank it up to 4.0+ and I might but I don't see the need to stress it when it has 0 issues as it stands.

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