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Buying a New Lap Top looking for input.

Don Baer

Don Baer

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Monday morning when I turned on my lap top the screen was dim after boot up. The usual attempts to make adjustment yielded negative results, also other function would not work. With all else failed to fix the problem I shut down the machine removed the battery and then reinstalled the battery and powered it back up. Same results. I attempted to do System Restore and it could not find the utility. When all else failed I restored the machine back to factory original using the backup discs. This took care of the problem since I re-installed the driver etc. The machine functions fine and I am still loading on all the stuff that was lost in the process. LOML asked me what happened and I told her that I had no idea but remarked that the machine is 7 years old and maybe I had some sort of a hardware failure that caused the systems files to become corrupted. IT didn't act like any kind of a virus so. It is an HP Compac with 2 G memory a 300 G Hard drive running WIN 7. I have been reluctant to replace it simply because it works.

This morning my CFO (my wife) said since I need a reliable machine for my business why don't I get a new lap top. She asked me to try to keep the price down. So I am looking for input. Before it comes up don't even bother suggesting an Apple . I won't go into the reasons but iit is not an option.

Needs include WIN 10, Touch screen, WIFI if I can get 5G WIFI that would be nice since my home network has that as an option. Other than that I am open to suggestions.'


I
 
Take a look at a microsoft surface pro tablet Don.

Thats my next move when my current Lenovo is fully depreciated.

Also question is what do u use it for. You can do an amazing amount these days with a decent android tablet.
 
The surface pro's are nice, but don't have large screens is the only draw back for me. I'd probably suggest at least an i5 processor or equivalent, the i7 processors really just aren't that much faster than the latest generation of i5 processors. I'd also suggest a primary ssd drive (256 gb to 500 gb) and a 1 or 2 tb secondary drive. I primarily run the os and any priority software (virus scan, programming software, and cad software mostly) on the primary disk and all casually used apps from the secondary, then save all data to the secondary too. I've been running my current laptop with this config for about a year and have yet to see it slow down like they usually do. Ram is cheap, get as much as you can afford.
 
I'm shopping for one, also. Like Rob said, what you use it for is the biggest question. Unless you need higher speed for gaming, the i3 processor may be fast enough for you. It's going to be lightning fast compared to what you're using now. Every one I looked at had 500GB or 1TB hard drive. Most come with 4, 6, 8 or 12 GB RAM. The faster the processor, the higher the RAM, the higher the price. I've seen $300-1300 at Best Buy and Office Depot. Have fun, but read the reviews. One that came highly recommended in the store really got slammed in the online reviews.
 
Couple of notes:
1) For me, the resolution of the screen is a main criteria. 1920x1080 is the minimum I would look for.
2) 5g Wifi is faster, but has a shorter range.
 
Rob Keeble said:
Take a look at a microsoft surface pro tablet Don.

Thats my next move when my current Lenovo is fully depreciated.

Also question is what do u use it for. You can do an amazing amount these days with a decent android tablet.
Click to expand...

Like Darren said the tablets screen are a bit small. I already have a Toshiba 10" tablet and I got a blue tooth keyboard for it since I hate having the screen cut in half while I am typing. I will be using the new machine primarily for my business.

Darren Wright said:
The surface pro's are nice, but don't have large screens is the only draw back for me. I'd probably suggest at least an i5 processor or equivalent, the i7 processors really just aren't that much faster than the latest generation of i5 processors. I'd also suggest a primary ssd drive (256 gb to 500 gb) and a 1 or 2 tb secondary drive. I primarily run the os and any priority software (virus scan, programming software, and cad software mostly) on the primary disk and all casually used apps from the secondary, then save all data to the secondary too. I've been running my current laptop with this config for about a year and have yet to see it slow down like they usually do. Ram is cheap, get as much as you can afford.
Click to expand...

Good information on the SSD drive, I hadn't thought about that configuration I see that 1 T hard drives are very common and your right memory is cheap. It's also good info on the i5 vs the i 7

Steve Kniffen said:
I'm shopping for one, also. Like Rob said, what you use it for is the biggest question. Unless you need higher speed for gaming, the i3 processor may be fast enough for you. It's going to be lightning fast compared to what you're using now. Every one I looked at had 500GB or 1TB hard drive. Most come with 4, 6, 8 or 12 GB RAM. The faster the processor, the higher the RAM, the higher the price. I've seen $300-1300 at Best Buy and Office Depot. Have fun, but read the reviews. One that came highly recommended in the store really got slammed in the online reviews.
Click to expand...
Steve, check out Frye's electronics and Amazon before you purchase, BestBuy is not always the best buy. You can always purchase memory separate and upgrade yourself. It is cheap and easy to do.

Sharon Korn said:
Agree with Darren on the ssd. Makes absolutely no noise on my new Dell that is both a laptop and a tablet since it folds every which way (however I really only use it as a pc).
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I like the folding screen since a lot of the newer application I do want a signature and the screen can act as a signature pad.
Brent Dowell said:
Couple of notes:
1) For me, the resolution of the screen is a main criteria. 1920x1080 is the minimum I would look for.
2) 5g Wifi is faster, but has a shorter range.
Click to expand...

I presently have my phone set up for 5 G when I am home and have no problem with Range but I don't live on a big ole Ranch either....:rolleyes:

thanks for the input I will keep checking this thread for more good ideas.
 
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I have the Surface as a replacement for my Dell Laptop. I like the small size for travel, but it definitely is small - at home I use it in a dual monitor configuration with a fairly large external monitor. I use a "Plugable" brand port extender, and a big thumb drive to expand the storage. One of my friends who consults with PCs says I was dumb to have bought the Surface - too expensive for what you get (but since my wife and I travel so much, we like the small size).

For my wife, who is a CPA, we recently bought a Dell H602 Inspiron laptop with big hard drive, big memory, big keyboard (with numeric keypad), Win 10, touch screen, camera, wireless, etc. etc. Dell changes models every few hours, so I didn't see it on their site, but I believe we got everything for under $500.
 
My current configuration - which I'm happy with - is an HP laptop (about 5 or 6 years old, so likely will get replaced in a year or three). It's running Windows 7. It's got 6MB of RAM as I recall, and a quad-core AMD chip of some flavor. It is plenty fast for the types of things I do on it. (I'm not doing any heavy video or graphics work. If I was doing serious music recording I'd probably have a faster, dedicated machine.) I intentionally bought one with as many USB ports as I could get (4). It came with a 500 MB hard drive, which died last year and got replaced with a 1TB SSD. Add my vote for the SSD. Much faster bootup and operation. I also have 1TB and 2 TB external drives for backups connected via USB. Everything's also backed up on Carbonite. Like Charlie, I need two monitors, so I have a 24" or so monitor added via the HDMI port. I also prefer a full-size keyboard and mouse, so I have both running via a single wireless dongle (something Logitech offers). My next computer will likely be a similar configuration running Windows 10, but with a touch screen, too. Like Charlie said, you can get a very respectable machine for under $500 these days. (Particularly if you're not trying to get the thinnest, lightest computer on the market.)

I've also got two Android tablets with keyboards, but I wouldn't think of doing any serious office work on them. I don't even use them around the house, because I'd rather sit at my desk when I'm surfing the 'net. I use the tablets (minus the keyboards) with the band as WiFi controllers for our PA mixer. (Great machine, BTW. It's the Behringer XR-18. With a box the size of a loaf or bread and a tablet, I have the equivalent of a mixing board the size of an office desk and a rack of effects and processing gear the size of a side-by-side refrigerator.) I can tweak the PA system from anywhere in the room during soundcheck, and then I can mount a tablet on my microphone stand and run the sound system while I'm playing. Makes it handy for hitting the Mute button when the drummer starts telling one of his corny jokes for the 900th time, lol.
 
My laptop is a four year old Dell Precision workstation with a 17" screen plus 27"auxiliary monitor, 16MB of Ram, a 250MB SSD internal HD and two 500 MB external drives. I bought this machine when I was still working and needed to run graphics and CAD programs and it was pricey. Going try to keep it running for a few more years and add another larger internal SSD and switch to TB size external drives. HD prices have come down a lot. Seems like most of the newer machines come loaded with RAM and decent hard drives. After the last time this thing broke I priced out a new one with double the RAM and larger HD and it came in at about the same price as I paid for the old one....still pricey....but I don't need the same capabilities now, so would go with a cheaper model.
 
larry merlau said:
another question along don's lines, not trying to hyjack don.. desk top machine or laptop? i need something in shop and use lap top in house.
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Larry If I didn't need the portability I would seriously consider a desk top.As I see it the big advantage of a desk top is the size of the monitor and with these old eye, there is some appeal there. Unfortunately I need the ability to take it with me when I am sitting with clients.
 
Don Baer said:
Larry If I didn't need the portability I would seriously consider a desk top.As I see it the big advantage of a desk top is the size of the monitor and with these old eye, there is some appeal there. Unfortunately I need the ability to take it with me when I am sitting with clients.
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Viewing size is the main reason I went with the 17" Dell "laptop." An additional nicety was the numeric keypad.
 
Don Baer said:
Larry If I didn't need the portability I would seriously consider a desk top.As I see it the big advantage of a desk top is the size of the monitor and with these old eye, there is some appeal there. Unfortunately I need the ability to take it with me when I am sitting with clients.
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Don, it's easy to add another monitor to a laptop. At my previous job, I used my laptop at home and at the office, and had a second monitor at both places. (I really like the extra real estate the second monitor adds.) In your case, you can still have the big monitor at home, then just unplug the laptop and take it to your clients.
 
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larry merlau said:
another question along don's lines, not trying to hyjack don.. desk top machine or laptop? i need something in shop and use lap top in house.
Click to expand...

Like many woodworking tools, I'd lean heavily toward a desk top if you don't need the portability of a lap top. There's so much more space for ventilation and superior components, have better reliability, plus it's much easier to replace or upgrade individual components within. It's not hard to assemble one from parts yourself (Newegg, Tigerdirect, Amazon, Ebay, etc) ....that allows you to pick better components, and tailor it to suit your needs. I've built 4 desk top machines for < $400 each. Just a thought.
 
Larry, I agree with Scott. If you don't need the portability, you'll get more bang for the buck with a desktop. (Even if you don't want to put it together yourself.)
 
scott and vaughn,, i have never thought i could build one but have dabbled with replacing ram and a hard drive in the past.. could you two give me a grocery list of what i needed to do this? what about the box to hold it need a new one or can i use a a old box that is to old to be upgraded to newer software..
 
larry merlau said:
scott and vaughn,, i have never thought i could build one but have dabbled with replacing ram and a hard drive in the past.. could you two give me a grocery list of what i needed to do this? what about the box to hold it need a new one or can i use a a old box that is to old to be upgraded to newer software..
Click to expand...

Your on a woodworking forum, so you should be able to turn a screw. You have done ram and a hard drive, so you know those. Basically your going to have to learn to install a processor and fan, no big deal.
I didn't see a list of what style of case you have. (how old of machine are we talking) Pentium ones, were about the last of the AT style cases, but having an old ATX case will fit, however with modern processors, I would want more cooling then something from the Pentium one/two days. (could be done with hole saw, etc, though)

You can do it, but if your not sure, a book the library tend to have that has been good in the past (haven't seen a current version for a few years).....
Upgrading and Repairing PC's, by Scott Mueller
 
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