View Full Version : Need a new laptop. Input welcome
Ok, long story short I'm looking at buying a new laptop. As far as intended usage requirements I pretty much just stream movies, writer papers, surf the net, and play the occasional video game, the latter not being anything particular graphics intense. So something in the 15-17" range is fine but I want mid to upper end processing power and memory. Nothing P***es me off more than a computer that can't multitask to save it's life. SATA drives would be a bonus. Relatively thin and mid to lightweight. Price point is 500$ or less and I'm fine with refurbished units so long as there is a reasonable accommodating warranty. Also I'm brand loyal either but I HATE windows 8. Soooo what do ya'll think? I'm not exceptionally tech savvy on this stuff so any input is appreciated.
A few I've been looking at:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9622187&Sku=LEO-102863814
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9602662&Sku=LCU-102846980
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9084285&Sku=HPR-102500341
http://computers.woot.com/offers/hp-elitebook-8460p-14-intel-i7-laptops?utm_campaign=Amazon+Daily+-+20150430+-+Computers.Woot+-+hp-elitebook-8460p-14-intel-i7-laptops&utm_source=Amazon&utm_medium=email
If there is a Best Buy near you then I would recommend speaking with one of their computer reps for a recommendation. Plus you get to see what you are buying and use it too.
For myself, I am partial to Sony and HP. If you don't like winfows 8, then go with 7.
Save your money and buy a new computer.
SilverBullet432
05-01-15, 01:20
Think-pad
.46caliber
05-01-15, 06:49
Win7 is out of support. If you can, consider waiting till the next version of Windows is out. Or check out Win8.1 machines. They behave more like 7.
I love the ThinkPad line. I have 10yr old IBM Think Pads I won't let go.
TigerDirect, Newegg and Microcenter are good places to search. We buy the bulk of our computer equipment at work from Tiger and CDW.
I would suggest a macbook. I have an hp. Nice computer but the company sucks at customer service.
Dell Vostro. It's their business line. Not spectacular specs, but not loaded with bloatware like the best buy specials.
LowSpeed_HighDrag
05-01-15, 09:29
My Macbook Air is 2 years old and runs like a top. My wife's Macbook Pro is 5 years old and runs....like a top. Try getting a 2-5 year old PC to behave like that.
Original investment on a Mac is high, but so is the return after many years.
I will third a macbook, but you wont find one in your $500 price range.
Im on my 2nd Macbook. First one lasted 5 years and its still going strong in the hands of my 7 year old niece(for around 2 years now), my current one is almost 2 years old and still runs like new. My dad is on his second macbook, again first one lasted 5 years and the hard drive started making noise so he backed everything up and bought a new one about 1.5 years ago. I told him just replace the HD, but he didnt seem like he wanted to even mess with a 5 year old laptop.
VooDoo6Actual
05-01-15, 10:01
Macbook AIR or MacBook Pro. Pre late 2011 model. Reason is to change components & not soldered to Motherboard. Can change RAM / SSD etc.
Knowing what I KNOW for a FACT about backdoors, encryption etc. I would never consider a MS product & their collusion to invasion of people's privacy for the time being. Not giving any more to the BORG.
brickboy240
05-01-15, 11:11
I also have had a few Think Pads and love them.
Run Umbuntu or other linux and skip windows and you will be happier.
Buy it online and NOT from Best Buy or other box stores...their package deal laptops are crammed full of bloatware and garbage you don't need.
Not in the $500 range but +1 for macbook pro and air etc. My wife's macbook air boots up in about 20 seconds. I use parallels for the necessary win apps use frequently on my macbook pro, and imacs. A macbook pro might suit your needs best if you decide to go that way.
I just purchased my first MacBook Air last week, I had a MacBook Pro I bought in early '09 last, but recently starting getting to the point where I knew she wasn't gonna last much longer. I was a hard core user with that machine im surprised it lasted this long.
My MBA is amazing compared. It's a beast of a machine, I don't regret it for a second.
Although Macs are expensive how many other computer brands can boast that they last so long. Saving you money in the long run.
Did delay my current AR build tho...
I vote MacBook as well. My MacBook Pro was purchased in 2007, I used it my last year of Architecture school and today, my wife is using it as she is going back to school. 8 years old and irs still running like new.
FromMyColdDeadHand
05-01-15, 17:52
I have one of the Lenovo 'Yogas' and it goes out to lunch a lot- and I like multitasking. That's my work laptop. I can't use the touch pad when it is on my lap because my hand puts enough pressure on it to warp the case and lock the pressure sensative pad buttons.
For home I have an Early 2013 MBP with Retina. It rocks. I think it hiccuped once compared to daily with Win 8/8.1 machines. Windows just sucks now, but I do have to say that Apple ain't what they used to be. The Macs are still pretty good, but I find ipads and iphones to be klugey and take forever to boot-up, things we used to laugh at IBM for.
I do have to say that Lenovo has trashed Thinkpads. I've good things about the X1 Carbon, but all the Lenovo thinkpads since the Chinese took over have been very sub-par.
MBPs are, to me, the only real laptop that I'd trust- the Noveske's of the laptop world.
I purchased a Lenovo G50 last week. Aside from the bloat ware I had to deinstall it has been good thus far. I still have a think pad I've been using since 2009 or 10, so I have brand loyalty to Lenovo and they continue to please.
Decent specs for $300-
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-15-6-laptop-amd-a8-series-6gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive-black/2996026.p?id=1219567191659&skuId=2996026
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231142
I purchased a 13" model very similar to that. Refurb. Th only thing I could find wrong with it was the finish on the part you rest your hands on. Instead of perfectly smooth it had some lines in it like it didn't get sanded down jsut right. Also a label on the back was kinda loose on on end.
Updated it to Win 8.1 free.
Also installed this ... http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/index.html and now it dual boots Win 8.1 and Linux. I've had it a year now and not one issue and I've run quite an array of software.
I got lucky and found a refub that was marked down pretty far so I paid I think $379 for something that was normally priced heading up towards $600.
I was concerned about buying refurb but have had several people tell me to get Apple refub and I've since bought some other refurb stuff and so far, everything I've gotten looks like new to me with just some minor cosmetic issues. I figure computers as just a waste a money anyway so why pay for new. You get a 30 day warranty too. Just be ready to put it through it's paces for 30 days. Run the battery down several times to be sure it holds charge. Run some variety of progs. Let it run a program for days, like a video looping or something.
But you will save maybe $200 easy and can buy an external HD and backup software like Acronis which is a lot safer.
alvincullumyork
05-03-15, 06:37
Sorry to hijack but what if I wanted to edit 4k video from a GoPro, what would you all suggest?
I may ride a little fast and someday it may catch up and bite me in the ass but maybe not if I give it just a little more gas.
I would suggest a macbook. I have an hp. Nice computer but the company sucks at customer service.
The OP stated a $500 limit for his laptop purchase. He's not looking for a serious machine with proven reliability and functionality.
(since Mac has been brought into the conversation, might as well turn it up to full boil :))
.46caliber
05-03-15, 10:31
Sorry to hijack but what if I wanted to edit 4k video from a GoPro, what would you all suggest?
Probably not a laptop. It depends on what you mean by "edit". 4K video files are going to be big and rendering the files after edit needs a good bit of hardware to do it with any semblance of speed.
Our video editors at work have modest setups for video editing via Premiere. They do include $500-800 Nvidia video cards to take advantage of the hardware rendering in Premiere. They're just doing 1080.
Probably not a laptop. It depends on what you mean by "edit". 4K video files are going to be big and rendering the files after edit needs a good bit of hardware to do it with any semblance of speed.
Our video editors at work have modest setups for video editing via Premiere. They do include $500-800 Nvidia video cards to take advantage of the hardware rendering in Premiere. They're just doing 1080.The current MacBook Pro is a beast with max RAM and a 1 TB SSD. Buddy of mine (BangZoomPow) routinely edits 4kRed on his.
Sorry to hijack but what if I wanted to edit 4k video from a GoPro, what would you all suggest?
I may ride a little fast and someday it may catch up and bite me in the ass but maybe not if I give it just a little more gas.
Prioritize a decently big SSD and processor speed over everything else, although you'd probably want the highest resolution available because editing 4k video with a 1080p screen is stupid, though possible.
A retina macbook of some sort will work, but if you're not into that hippy shit there are other options in the PC world.
MacBook without question. I've had my MacBook air for three years and it is by far the best laptop I've ever owned. I resisted trying a mac for years and can honestly say I wish I had made the transition sooner.
Lots of good info everyone. I'd love to have a MBP but it's a matter of priorities. Buy firearms or a MBP lol. Good source for refurbished macs out of curiosity?
500$ limit is based on my intended practical usage. It's tough to justify that kinda $$$ if I'm not going to exploit it's capabilities.
Lots of good info everyone. I'd love to have a MBP but it's a matter of priorities. Buy firearms or a MBP lol. Good source for refurbished macs out of curiosity?
500$ limit is based on my intended practical usage. It's tough to justify that kinda $$$ if I'm not going to exploit it's capabilities.
A MBP is middle of the road in terms of capabilities.
If you don't ask much of your computer besides that it looks nice, feels sturdy, is easy to use, is quick at every day tasks(web browsing, email, watching movies), has a long battery life, and can do video editing, a MBP is a great choice for a laptop and I honestly would save up until you can get one.
If you want your computer to do more, I'd start by looking at the Razer Blade 2015 model, which has eerily similar build quality and design, but has multiple times faster graphics processing.
I'm going to be honest. I have a deep aversion to anything apple and have for a long time.... I swore I would never jump on the iPhone craze and I still haven't. I will also admit however that even deeper down is a begrudging acceptance to their tech superiority it some respects. The MBP would likely be ideal if not more performance than I actually need. Like I said earlier I don't game but if in possession of a machine capable if it, well.......
Perhaps I'll just grab a 300$ dollar unit for and save up for a MPB or Mac air, refurbed or otherwise. Hmmm
I will also admit however that even deeper down is a begrudging acceptance to their tech superiority it some respects.
"some respects?" Apple has been solely or partly responsible for almost every technology innovation or implementation in personal computing.
.
My bias was still shining through...lol
Win7 is out of support. If you can, consider waiting till the next version of Windows is out. Or check out Win8.1 machines. They behave more like 7.
I love the ThinkPad line. I have 10yr old IBM Think Pads I won't let go.
TigerDirect, Newegg and Microcenter are good places to search. We buy the bulk of our computer equipment at work from Tiger and CDW.
Windows 7 is not out of support. I think you mean Windows XP.
.46caliber
05-04-15, 07:37
Windows 7 is not out of support. I think you mean Windows XP.
Mainstream support ended back in January. Win10 is due out in the next few months.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/lifecycle
justin_247
05-04-15, 07:48
Ok, long story short I'm looking at buying a new laptop. As far as intended usage requirements I pretty much just stream movies, writer papers, surf the net, and play the occasional video game, the latter not being anything particular graphics intense. So something in the 15-17" range is fine but I want mid to upper end processing power and memory. Nothing P***es me off more than a computer that can't multitask to save it's life. SATA drives would be a bonus. Relatively thin and mid to lightweight. Price point is 500$ or less and I'm fine with refurbished units so long as there is a reasonable accommodating warranty. Also I'm brand loyal either but I HATE windows 8. Soooo what do ya'll think? I'm not exceptionally tech savvy on this stuff so any input is appreciated.
A few I've been looking at:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9622187&Sku=LEO-102863814
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9602662&Sku=LCU-102846980
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9084285&Sku=HPR-102500341
http://computers.woot.com/offers/hp-elitebook-8460p-14-intel-i7-laptops?utm_campaign=Amazon+Daily+-+20150430+-+Computers.Woot+-+hp-elitebook-8460p-14-intel-i7-laptops&utm_source=Amazon&utm_medium=email
What games, in particular, are you looking at being able to run? Once I know that, I can give you a few options.
First things first, I highly recommend you wait until later in the summer when Windows 10 comes out. A whole bunch of new laptops will arrive at the same time configured for it, especially in light of "back to school" shopping season.
Mainstream support ended back in January. Win10 is due out in the next few months.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/lifecycle
The ending of mainstream support means Microsoft will no longer be enhancing that product. Extended support (which is the one that matters) ends January 14, 2020 for Windows 7. Windows 7 is still being sold.
justin_247
05-04-15, 09:06
Sorry to hijack but what if I wanted to edit 4k video from a GoPro, what would you all suggest?
Dell Precision, HP ZBook 15, or Lenovo W540 if you're a PC guy, or a 15" MacBook Pro Retina is you're a Mac guy. Honestly, if you do a lot of 4k video editing, it's best just to get a full blown desktop workstation.
"some respects?" Apple has been solely or partly responsible for almost every technology innovation or implementation in personal computing.
LOL! That's what they'd like you to believe, at least...
I'm going to be honest. I have a deep aversion to anything apple and have for a long time.... I swore I would never jump on the iPhone craze and I still haven't. I will also admit however that even deeper down is a begrudging acceptance to their tech superiority it some respects. The MBP would likely be ideal if not more performance than I actually need. Like I said earlier I don't game but if in possession of a machine capable if it, well.......
Perhaps I'll just grab a 300$ dollar unit for and save up for a MPB or Mac air, refurbed or otherwise. Hmmm
We have TOTALLY switched over to Apple (for personal computers and for running G&R). Got tired of all the issues related to windows and crappy PC's breaking every 6 months. I have an air book that the kids abuse for going on 5yrs now.
I tried to switch from the iPhone to the Samsung Galaxy S5. While there were some aspects of it that I liked, I am now back to the iPhone 6 plus. Must faster and more reliable (Galaxy was having e-mail issues to slow speed, etc).
C4
Win7 is out of support.
It sure is. In another 5 years. ROFL
Where do people get this shit?
jerrysimons
05-09-15, 12:46
I need a new laptop also and will get another Macbook. My current MB is going on 7 1/2 yrs! It still works but is finally ready to be replaced.
One hang up is solid state vs hard drive. MB are almost all solid-state and I have heard it is smoking fast but it is freaking expensive and obnoxious that the memory capacity increments are the main differentiation between MB prices. At minimum I want 512gb storage, preferably 1tb, but dang it is pricy for solid state (I would rather spend my money on guns and ammo!;) ). Hard drives are proven tech and the non-retina MB can be equipped with 1tb HD for cheep. Is solid state worth it? With the other refinements of the retina MB make it worth it when combined? Here is the decision, considering the longevity I hope this new MB will provide, how should I equip the new MB to remain on top of tech for the next 8 years? Thanks.
I need a new laptop also and will get another Macbook. My current MB is going on 7 1/2 yrs! It still works but is finally ready to be replaced.
One hang up is solid state vs hard drive. MB are almost all solid-state and I have heard it is smoking fast but it is freaking expensive and obnoxious that the memory capacity increments are the main differentiation between MB prices. At minimum I want 512gb storage, preferably 1tb, but dang it is pricy for solid state (I would rather spend my money on guns and ammo!;) ). Hard drives are proven tech and the non-retina MB can be equipped with 1tb HD for cheep. Is solid state worth it? With the other refinements of the retina MB make it worth it when combined? Here is the decision, considering the longevity I hope this new MB will provide, how should I equip the new MB to remain on top of tech for the next 8 years? Thanks.
Solid state drives are definitely worth it. I have an early-2011 MacBook Pro. It had max memory (I bought it with minimum memory, upgraded myself from Crucial for big $$ saving). The MPB also had a 750 gig hard drive. It was very slow, and boot-ups would commonly take a 3 minutes at least. Just three days ago, I bought a Crucial 500 gig SSD off Amazon for $200 and installed it myself (took about 10 minutes with nothing more than a 00 Phillips and a #7 Torx driver. The difference in performance is astonishing. 20 seconds to boot to full usabability and blazingly fast in every day use. Not as fast as my wife's MBP Retina, but very fast. Upgrading to an SSD is a fantastic upgrade and definitely worth the money to me. It was NOT worth upgrading the MBP to a current Retina with Thunderbolt. I find that I rarely use the laptop any more. Almost all of my computing on the road is done by iPad.
Of course, there's no possible way that the top-of-the-line MacBook Pro will remain "on top of tech" for the next 8 years. However, I'm certainly pleased with the results of upgrading my 4 year old MBP and feel it's likely it will get me another couple of years of good usability at least.
As to future-proofing, current MBPs allow max 16 gigRAM and it's easily user upgradeable. SSDs....you know the price-per-gigabyte will drop, so if and when you need more storage, you can just change out as you go. Alternatively, you can add outboard storage. Thunderbolt drives, hot swappable and completely plug and play, have amazing transfer rates. I have a G-Tech Thunderbolt 6 gig RAID that I use on on my desktop machine. Fantastic.
I've had nothing but Apple/Mac since 1985. I've dabbled on a few PC's from time to time and can't figure how people put up with those machines.
I've had nothing but Apple/Mac since 1985. I've dabbled on a few PC's from time to time and can't figure how people put up with those machines.
I use both...all Mac at home, nothing but PC's at work. Windows does indeed suck in that arrangement, but it's true that much of it may be poor functionality in an Enterprise environment, plus significant effect of the competence, or lack thereof, of our IT department.
I do boot into Windows 8 on my Mac once or twice a week for online Call of Duty with my buddies. I've never really had any Windows issues in that situation. Runs fine.
I need a new laptop also and will get another Macbook. My current MB is going on 7 1/2 yrs! It still works but is finally ready to be replaced.
One hang up is solid state vs hard drive. MB are almost all solid-state and I have heard it is smoking fast but it is freaking expensive and obnoxious that the memory capacity increments are the main differentiation between MB prices. At minimum I want 512gb storage, preferably 1tb, but dang it is pricy for solid state (I would rather spend my money on guns and ammo!;) ). Hard drives are proven tech and the non-retina MB can be equipped with 1tb HD for cheep. Is solid state worth it? With the other refinements of the retina MB make it worth it when combined? Here is the decision, considering the longevity I hope this new MB will provide, how should I equip the new MB to remain on top of tech for the next 8 years? Thanks.
Getting a new computer without a SSD is like getting a car without power steering and ABS.
Not a perfect analogy... but it would be if power steering weighed nothing and ABS was perfect.
I was looking into SSDs in 2008. In 2009 and 2010 it was getting good with the Intel x25m SSDs after a bumpy and pricey start. They've leveled out since 2012 or so, not much progress with a few notable examples: the Intel 750 which just came out, the Samsung XP941, and the 2014 retina MBPs which I believe actually use the XP941 or its successor which I believe is the SP941. The reason is the Sata3 (6gbps) interface, which was designed with HDDs in mind, was completely maxed out by basically every SSD on the market by 2011 or so. Remember those Western Digital Raptor and Velociraptor 10k rpm Hard Drive Disks? They get slaughtered by even Sata3 SSDs. Those new SSDs (and rMBP '14) I mentioned are using a different interface made for the ridiculously high bandwidth of SSDs and get speeds 2-5 times faster than other SSDs!
In any case, SSDs are extremely resilient to damage and shock, use less power, and are anywhere from 3x faster to something like 100x faster depending on what you're doing. Basically SSDs are more expensive per GB but otherwise are better in absolutely every other metric by a staggering amount.
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