|
I know jack about laptops, but I do know that what you want would be hard in any laptop, and impossible in an ultrabook. If you want something to play modern games in full HD, you can build a nice desktop rig for around $800 that would chew most games to shreds. The sorta performance you want generally is found in full length graphics cards with heatsinks the size of a baby's fist on them. An integrated GPU just is not going to compare.
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 00:28
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 4, 2024 05:21 |
|
|
Wapole Languray posted:I know jack about laptops, but I do know that what you want would be hard in any laptop, and impossible in an ultrabook. If you want something to play modern games in full HD, you can build a nice desktop rig for around $800 that would chew most games to shreds. The sorta performance you want generally is found in full length graphics cards with heatsinks the size of a baby's fist on them. An integrated GPU just is not going to compare. I guess I wasn't clear- I'm a really casual gamer whose aspirations don't extend beyond playing SimCity and Civ5 at 1440x900. I don't really care about playing the latest and greatest FPS (or last year's... or the year before's...).
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 00:30
|
|
|
I tried Civ 5 on my Thinkpad T440p which has a GT 730M and had no issues running the game on high settings at 1080p. I have a desktop with an i7-4770K and GTX 780 Ti, so probably won't be doing much gaming on this thing, but it seems like it would be just fine for a casual gamer. It's not an ultrabook, but also isn't one of those gigantic gaming notebooks, so it might be something to consider. Dick Fagballzson fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Feb 28, 2014 |
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 00:36
|
|
|
Jewmanji posted:and now I'm not even sure if I want an ultrabook at all. You don't want an Ultrabook, they are not for playing games outside of lightweight games (mostly indie games). The whole idea of Ultrabooks is to maximise portability and battery life, you're completely crazy to expect one to be playing modern games.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 00:40
|
|
|
Sendo posted:You don't want an Ultrabook, they are not for playing games outside of lightweight games (mostly indie games). The whole idea of Ultrabooks is to maximise portability and battery life, you're completely crazy to expect one to be playing modern games. You're crushing my dreams. But thank you for the brutal honesty. Back to the search I suppose.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 00:41
|
|
|
Jewmanji posted:You're crushing my dreams. But thank you for the brutal honesty. Back to the search I suppose. Really, you're not going to find what you want in Ultrabooks because part of the requirements for them to be called Ultrabooks(tm) in the first place is for it to last at least 6 hours during video playback, and at least 9 hours when idle, while being no more than 20mm or 23mm thick (for 13.3" and 14" screens, respectively). The practical result of that is no Ultrabook can pack in a viable dGPU, so they all use Intel's recent HD 4x00/5x00 series--which while competent enough for indy games, still aren't powerful enough to crank out modern games at high resolution. The Ultrabook is aimed solidly at the low-powered highly-mobile user: think business man who needs a laptop he can carry around all day long, but doesn't use it for more than web-browsing, presentations, and the like. Also, the review is right--even a powerful desktop with top-end gear would be hard-pressed to push a AAA title at 60FPS maxed out at 3200x1800. That resolution is the realm of SLI'd 780's or multiple 290X's; obviously not gonna happen in a 3lbs laptop.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 01:14
|
|
|
My office is looking to buy a couple laptops for work-use. Here's what we're looking for: - PC - Microsoft Office included (in final price at least) - 15 inch-ish screen - Around (preferably under) $400. - Ability to connect to wifi - Ability to stream youtube videos - Preferably a VGA connection Beyond that it doesn't matter and it's highly likely they'll be trashed / given away by the end of the year anyway. Is this possible/suggestions?
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 01:30
|
|
|
I'm pretty sure everyone in this thread thinks the ATIV is a nice proof of concept, but it's too expensive. The yoga 2 pro is cheaper and better in most ways, has a possibly useful form factor but gets worse battery and is something like 2/3 the price. And if you're set on spending that much money, get a MPB and install windows on it.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 02:35
|
|
|
Sendo posted:You don't want an Ultrabook, they are not for playing games outside of lightweight games (mostly indie games). The whole idea of Ultrabooks is to maximise portability and battery life, you're completely crazy to expect one to be playing modern games. I have an i7/8GB RAM and Bioshock Infinite, while it plays at a low-ish resolution and the framerate isn't super great, is most definitely *playable*. I wouldn't want to try playing Assassin's Creed IV on it or anything, but I think that if you don't mind lower your settings and resolution, you can play a surprising number of relatively modern games.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 03:22
|
|
|
Is there a Chromebook thread? I'm thinking about getting the 14in HP with the t-mobile 4g as a second computer. Just something I can take to the couch or work and browse on. Wondering how many people have one and if they like it. I know low-spec windows machines are cheap, but I just want something light and inexpensive to surf the web, and $350USD with cellular connectivity (albeit limited at 200MB a month) sounds kind of nice. Mental Hospitality fucked around with this message at 06:09 on Feb 28, 2014 |
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 06:06
|
|
|
VulgarandStupid posted:I'm pretty sure everyone in this thread thinks the ATIV is a nice proof of concept, but it's too expensive. The yoga 2 pro is cheaper and better in most ways, has a possibly useful form factor but gets worse battery and is something like 2/3 the price. And if you're set on spending that much money, get a MPB and install windows on it. Windows on a mbp isnt great
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 06:40
|
|
|
200MB a month is loving atrocious though.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 06:48
|
|
Cat Army 
|
Question kind of got lost in the shuffle so I'll try again: What is the cheapest option available for a workhorse laptop that won't be anything aside from word processing, browsing the internet, and watching Netflix? Don't plan on gaming whatsoever, and I don't need any fancy features. Just something I can toss in a backpack and get work done with for as little of an investment as possible without sacrificing durability / functionality.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 07:47
|
|
|
Honey Badger posted:Question kind of got lost in the shuffle so I'll try again: This sounds a lot like Chromebook territory, although that depends on if you're comfortable with the google docs suite.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 08:11
|
|
|
I admit I'm a bit concerned about not having Microsoft Word, I've been using it for basically my whole life and I have no idea how Google's suite compares in that regard.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 08:32
|
|
|
is there a size/resolution limit to what you're looking for? you could look at something baytrail based at that point like the Asus t100 or even yoga 2 11(not pro)
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 09:00
|
|
|
KingKapalone posted:Everything about the Y510p seems better than the T440p and it's cheaper. I'm missing something here. To give you a less abstract answer: The T440p (properly configured) has a FHD IPS screen, with good contrast, that all but covers the sRGB color space. The Y510p has a cheap-ish TN panel, with color and viewing angle deficiencies. The T440p's screen is matte (imperfectly so), the Y510p's is unabashedly glossy. The T440p has a better touchpad than the Y510p, even though everybody likes to complain about it. The T440p has a trackpoint. The T440p has a better keyboard than the Y510p (as in, the keys themselves). The T440p has a spill-resistant keyboard, the Y510p doesn't. The T440p has a docking port and an ecosystem of docking apparatuses, so that you can hook it up to two digital monitor outputs. The T440p weighs less. (In particular, it weighs less than the Y410p.) The T440p is smaller (than the Y410p) with less wasteful bezel around the screen and keyboard. The T440p can be configured with a better CPU. The T440p has more battery life, and the option to put in a bigger battery for double its already-better battery life. The T440p has a few options for "security" features like a fingerprint reader, and security features like a smart card reader. The T440p is easier to open up and maintain, and you won't void your warranty by replacing its hard drive (or whatever the problem was, mentioned upthread). There are a whole bunch of ways the T440p is more durable than the Y510p, but just to look at one, its hinges will last way longer. So it's pretty much better in every way, except for the GPU(s), and lack of built-in S/PDIF output.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 09:13
|
|
|
The Iron Rose posted:200MB a month is loving atrocious though. I know right? But apparently you get those 200 megs for as long as you have the thing. You can put a different SIM card in if you want another carriers data plan (I know AT&T works). Really though, I'd just be dicking around on facebook or the forums with it when I'm not at home or work on wifi. Speaking of y-series Lenovo laptops. I've been using a Y550p from 2009 until, well now, and it's been a really solid machine. It was about $1000 when I got it and had a state-of-the-art first generation i7-720qm+nvidia gt240m and it's been nothing but an amazing machine. I put an SSD in it last year and it still kicks rear end (I treat it like poo poo too). If you're looking at the newer Y-series jobs, I'd go for it.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 11:12
|
|
|
Honey Badger posted:I admit I'm a bit concerned about not having Microsoft Word, I've been using it for basically my whole life and I have no idea how Google's suite compares in that regard.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 15:33
|
|
|
Doctor rear end in a top hat posted:There's nothing stopping you from trying it out now and seeing if you can live with it. Yeah, I think you'll find that it's harder (if possible) to make documents that are as pretty (think resumes), but everything else works just fine.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 15:53
|
|
|
Honey Badger posted:I admit I'm a bit concerned about not having Microsoft Word, I've been using it for basically my whole life and I have no idea how Google's suite compares in that regard. Also I think the new office.com will work on a Chromebook. I haven't read much about the disadvantages of it relative to offline Office, but from playing around with it for a second, it looks pretty good.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 16:13
|
|
|
So, something with my T440p has been busted since I got it and after several attempts to fix it, Lenovo is just sending me a replacement. It's scheduled to get here God Knows When. So my question is, when my replacement comes, can I just take out the hard drive from this laptop and swap it with the one in the replacement to get around reinstalling everything and having to move all my data? I know for sure that the problem isn't in my hdd, by the way.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 16:22
|
|
|
Yes. The hard drive has a plastic mounting piece that hooks into the screw holes on the HDD/SSD. It's held in place on one side by the sata connectors and on the other by a screw. Just swap the hard drives. Shouldn't be a big deal.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 18:24
|
|
|
Tom Guycot posted:is there a size/resolution limit to what you're looking for? you could look at something baytrail based at that point like the Asus t100 or even yoga 2 11(not pro) Not really, I mean as long as I'm not squinting at blurry words on a really tiny screen then it should suit my purposes fine. I will give those a look; would it be worth considering a netbook too? I've already got a PC for any gaming / more intensive work, so really aside from word docs and .pdf files the most demanding thing I'll be doing is probably watching Netflix.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 19:53
|
|
|
tyler is a joke posted:Is this possible/suggestions? You are never going to find a new laptop with legal copies of Windows, and Office installed for under $400. Office keys retail for $140 or $220 depending on if you need outlook or not. You best bet is going to be trying to find cheap refurbished laptops and adding office yourself. Even then you are most most likely looking at about $500.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 20:44
|
|
|
tyler is a joke posted:My office is looking to buy a couple laptops for work-use. Here's what we're looking for: Cut the number of laptops you need in half.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 21:04
|
|
|
Alright, looking to replace my 2011 15" MBP with a new one. The 13" seems tempting - I mostly just use my laptop for email/spreadsheets but definitely do some gaming while on the road. Nothing too strenuous - mainly indie games and strategy games. Does the graphics card that comes stock on the 13s just completely blow or will I be able to play some games reasonably well? Also, any reason NOT to buy a refurb model?
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 21:47
|
|
|
Comrade Flynn posted:Alright, looking to replace my 2011 15" MBP with a new one. You mean the 13" rMBP? Yes it will be able to play some games reasonably well. Look at benchmarks and videos. quote:Also, any reason NOT to buy a refurb model? Cooties.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 23:28
|
|
|
I find that a lot of refurbs don't have that much savings. After tax it's about the same as buying new from a tax-free store. I've also had a couple DOA refurbs.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2014 23:35
|
|
|
tyler is a joke posted:My office is looking to buy a couple laptops for work-use. Here's what we're looking for: Used laptops from ebay that already have office installed are probably your only option. And they'll have to be old, probably Core 2 Duos or first gen Core i5s.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2014 02:30
|
|
|
SouthLAnd posted:Is there a Chromebook thread? No, the Netbook Thread existed for a couple years but Intel quietly strangled the market by never updating the Atom and the same could be said for that thread SouthLAnd posted:I'm thinking about getting the 14in HP with the t-mobile 4g as a second computer. Just something I can take to the couch or work and browse on. Wondering how many people have one and if they like it. Those HP chromebooks are baller as hell, the 11 and the 14 both have the same resolution, plus they use a standard "cell phone" micro usb charger. It's an ARM cpu so you'll have a harder time finding pre-compiled specialty hardware There was an issue with the charger pre-december 2013 but that's resolved now. They're solid devices.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2014 05:55
|
|
|
quote:Lenovo Z510 Models What concerns should I have with this build at a $620 price point? Started by looking for a simple Windows Laptop because I like to fuss around with software so I wanted the compatibility. Trying to keep budget near 600 if at all possible. This seems like its overshooting what I was looking for, except I'd prefer a SSD (which I believe I can install as a replacement?). I just don't know a lot about laptops because I basically get a crash course every 4 years.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2014 11:12
|
|
|
1080p screen for under $700 is a pretty solid deal, you will be trading screen for overall build quality I would look at getting the upgraded wireless - it's worth it. Especially if you aren't planning to plug an Ethernet cord in to it very often. What good is a laptop if it can't get a (good) signal on the couch?? You can always upgrade the hard drive, or when you realize you never use the optical drive, swap in a SSD drive (and swap the rotational drive to the optical bay)
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2014 11:40
|
|
|
I'm was considering picking up a Yoga 11s. This one, for example, from Canadian BestBuy: http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product...35dc67083c0en02 I have a lot of photos that I'm constantly messing around with, so the 128GB hard drive might be a problem for me. Is it easy to switch out the drive? Can I replace it with a regular hard drive if I want to (because big SSDs are expensive)? Or is that a terrible idea?
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2014 12:21
|
|
|
I'm back to stir up controversy after asking why not get the 1366x768 screen on a Y510P! I went to Microcenter (which actually has great selection now) to check it out in person and the FHD screen looked nice but then I realized they'd set the text scaling up to make it visible. I kept browsing around and saw some neat looking Asus laptops with the 17" full HD screens. While comparison shopping on Newegg, I found this one below which appears to be a Best Buy specific version with "only" 8GB of RAM vs 12GB for $250 off as a refurb. For what I was going to spend on the Y510P, I got a bigger screen, better graphics card (765M), and an extra HDD bay. I just got it Thursday and am loving it over my four year old laptop that is now relegated to HTPC duties. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231333
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2014 16:52
|
|
|
Hadlock posted:1080p screen for under $700 is a pretty solid deal, you will be trading screen for overall build quality I'm not sure if I saw it offered. Which kind do you recommend? I'm on a Fios connection and currently I max it out on a 15/5 with just my n card. A review I read says I basically have to take the whole thing apart to do anything. Everything is under the keyboard. Id drop the optical for a SSD in a heartbeat once I read up how to do it though. I already know I never use the optical, evidence being my last Lenovo optical doing nothing for years. And yeah based off of what I've read here the 1080p with that CPU and even that integrated card are usually found in 1k+ machines that I have so little excitement paying for. I have no experience doing anything but the most basic upgrades, so I'm a little concerned about having to take the entire thing apart to upgrade or fix anything. But in that same mentality I've shifted towards valuing resolution and CPU because since I don't care about a GPU at all, I can upgrade RAM later generally or pop in a SSD once I'm ready.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2014 16:56
|
|
|
Namlemez posted:I'm back to stir up controversy after asking why not get the 1366x768 screen on a Y510P! I went to Microcenter (which actually has great selection now) to check it out in person and the FHD screen looked nice but then I realized they'd set the text scaling up to make it visible. Lets not revisit it since you're bound and determined to spite yourself
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2014 17:17
|
|
|
J.A.B.C. posted:"this key cannot be used to activate a personal copy of Windows 8." Were you trying to use the windows utility someone linked before to get a clean windows 8 iso? I was unable to do that with the key provided w/ my t440p (in bios). The windows 8 version of that utility gave me that error, and the 8.1 version just acted like it couldnt connect to download servers. The key I got corresponded with the MSDN version of the iso (8.1 pro x64 volume license). I just copied the key from bios before I reformatted, and put the key in after installing and before doing the online verify.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2014 19:38
|
|
|
Namlemez posted:I'm back to stir up controversy after asking why not get the 1366x768 screen on a Y510P! DrDork fucked around with this message at 23:00 on Mar 1, 2014 |
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2014 22:58
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 4, 2024 05:21 |
|
|
MJBuddy posted:I'm not sure if I saw it offered. Which kind do you recommend? I'm on a Fios connection and currently I max it out on a 15/5 with just my n card. Intel Advanced or preferably Intel Ultimate with the 2x2 or 3x3 antennas, respectively. I get a solid 130mbps connection (about 7MB/s in explorer) anywhere in the house, and I have thick walls. Better Wi-F means browsing the web on the back patio while grilling steaks, listening to Pandora while working in the garden or whatever. Wi-Fi everywhere opens up a lot of options, is what I'm saying. You'll be pleasantly surprised with how powerful the HD4400 is as a built in GPU. Intel opened a whole new chapter.
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2014 03:40
|
|