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Looking at laptops for my uncle. Has to come from Currys (UK store). Basic use is emailing/photo and music storage/web surfing. Budget is up to £600, though that's probably more than is needed. I've had a look through the Currys web site and thought about these: ACER Aspire V5-573P/ TOSHIBA Satellite L50t-B-11G HP Pavilion 17-e153sa I'd like to recommend him this Lenovo G5070, but it's out of stock. Edit: How's this one: Leonovo Z50-70? The dedicated graphics is unnecessary of course, but it looks like a nice machine. WattsvilleBlues fucked around with this message at 20:54 on Aug 7, 2014 |
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Aug 7, 2014 16:25
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I went ahead and ordered a used T420 in good condition. I'm using a Dell Studio 1555 from 2009, so I think even the Sandy Bridge i5 and 1600x900 screen will be a dramatic improvement in performance that will fit my budget well. I'll just build a desktop for high-end stuff.
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Aug 7, 2014 16:34
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shrughes posted:Does the screen hurt to look at when it's at full brightness? It could be the PWM flicker is at too low a frequency. The screen hurts to look at, no matter the brightness.  I've looked up PWM, and that sounds like a good possibility. Sadly, there seems to be no way to alter the PWM. I will just have to return it!Edit: Most laptops for sale appear to have ULV processors. How much slower are these ULV processors? Captain Pike fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Aug 7, 2014 |
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Aug 7, 2014 18:33
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Captain Pike posted:The screen hurts to look at, no matter the brightness. If it's at full brightness, there will be no PWM, which is why I asked. I thought maybe those low viewing angle screens you didn't like also had low frequency PWM -- cheap screens tend to have that, and nicer screens tend to be higher frequency (but sometimes they're not). One of the nice things about Apple computers is that either they don't use PWM at all or it's very high frequency. Anyway, maybe look into using Fl.ux or tweaking tho color temperature by some other means?
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Aug 7, 2014 18:40
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I've been reconsidering whether I actually need the specs I posted this/last page or so. I realised I know nothing about this stuff so I'll just describe what it's for instead. My use case is pretty much gonna be traveling a few days a week with it, doing some programming and some basic Unity game development and typing long-ish articles/reports, so I'd love a really nice keyboard. I reckon I'll probably want to run some low-end games, but if I can run DotA2 and League of Legends smoothly on ultra-low I'll probably be happy. Maybe Skyrim at a push. My only difficult requirement really is that I don't want to be stuck on 1366x768 again, but higher res seems to jack up the cost quite quickly. I'm coming from an MSI CX640MX from 2011ish, with an i3-2310m, GeForce 410m and 4GB RAM. No SSD either. Just about any modern laptop is gonna be a hell of an upgrade. Opinions on the sort of machine I should grab with a budget of £500 -/+ 50?
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Aug 7, 2014 19:22
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I want a laptop mainly for typing stuff in a word processor so I don't want to spend more than $400, is this possible without getting something that will crumble in my hands? I also needs to be small and lightweight. My mom bought an $800 Toshiba a while back that was small and lightweight, but one of the hinges completely fell apart after a year or so... Is this ok? Ervin K fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Aug 7, 2014 |
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Aug 7, 2014 20:08
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Ervin K posted:I want a laptop mainly for typing stuff in a word processor so I don't want to spend more than $400, is this possible without getting something that will crumble in my hands? I also needs to be small and lightweight. My mom bought an $800 Toshiba a while back that was small and lightweight, but one of the hinges completely fell apart after a year or so... Will a Chromebook work for you? Is access to google docs and a browser enough to meet your laptop needs? $300 chromebooks are quite nice.
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Aug 7, 2014 20:26
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Twerk from Home posted:Will a Chromebook work for you? Is access to google docs and a browser enough to meet your laptop needs? $300 chromebooks are quite nice. About that, is chrome literally the only thing it can run? Like not even Microsoft word? If that's the case, and they are reasonably durable, then I can settle for using google docs.
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Aug 7, 2014 20:32
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There's office online if you do decide on a chromebook, which is basically word and the rest of the office suite in a browser and more fully featured than google docs. You need a Microsoft account though.
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Aug 7, 2014 21:00
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Captain Pike posted:I just bought a Sager NP7338. I might have to return it, due to the screen hurting my eyes. I am not quite yet sure why, but this screen makes my eyes feel strained after very short periods of use. This is the same feeling I used to get with 60hz CRT monitors, or laptop screens with terrible viewing angles. Turn the lights off and wiggle your fingers or move a pencil in front of the display, and see if they move in steps or have constant movement. And if you think that's a stupid high resolution, know that this Clevo model is available through Eurocom with a 3200x1800 resolution display!
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Aug 8, 2014 03:33
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logicow posted:Turn the lights off and wiggle your fingers or move a pencil in front of the display, and see if they move in steps or have constant movement. I did some research and apparently I've always had TN panels in the past. Perhaps I should just get another TN. logicow posted:And if you think that's a stupid high resolution, know that this Clevo model is available through Eurocom with a 3200x1800 resolution display! Almost every laptop I see for sale has 1080p+ resolution. On this 13" screen, such a resolution is comical. At 'correct' DPI, everything is too drat small. For example, Photoshop looks hilarious. Some programs attempt to 'scale up', but mostly they look like poo poo when they do. I guess I'm going to just choose from the very few 1600px laptops left in existence. Between crazy screen resolutions and laptop touch screens, I am convinced the laptop market is composed of assholes. Captain Pike fucked around with this message at 05:03 on Aug 8, 2014 |
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Aug 8, 2014 04:01
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True story I just got a used blu ray player with a 13.3" 1600x900 screen and 512GB quad raid0 sata II SSD. 1920x1080 is indeed a little bit too high-res.
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Aug 8, 2014 04:33
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So can I use the Barnes and Noble thing to get a discount on the ideapad brand of laptops? Also anyone have any words about ideapads?
Fat_Cow fucked around with this message at 04:39 on Aug 8, 2014 |
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Aug 8, 2014 04:37
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Still hunting for my unicorn gamedev laptop. * Must be able to handle Unity (decent CPU+memory) and decent-ish 3D (last gen shooters, etc) * Must be able to run that stuff on battery power only (don't always have power to hand) * 4+ hours battery life * Not too hot (last two Clevos died of heat and don't want to bake my nuts in any case) * Sub £1500 ideally * Must ship to the UK from either the manufacturer or trusted resellers * Bulk however is not much of a problem. The problem seems to be no middle ground between those that have unacceptable compromises and the ones that are straight up trying to be desktop replacements - I'm not after running current gen stuff with everything turned up to max. The Lenovo Y510 seems to be recommended a lot but I've heard it runs hot, I don't know how much of a problem that actually is. I'd been looking at the Asus N56 but the only way to get a good later model one in the UK was via stuff like "bobslaptopworld" based in Spain through Amazon.
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Aug 8, 2014 12:02
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HauntedRobot posted:Still hunting for my unicorn gamedev laptop. Gigabyte P34G-V2? Several different configurations on Amazon, and no doubt on other UK sites..
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Aug 8, 2014 12:39
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Lenovo shipped my order a few days after I placed it so maybe the delays are clearing up.
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Aug 8, 2014 17:20
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HauntedRobot posted:The Lenovo Y510 seems to be recommended a lot but I've heard it runs hot, I don't know how much of a problem that actually is. The heat is not a big problem, but at least the y500 model underclocks the GPU to 20% performance when running on battery. I think it is the same with the y510 model.
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Aug 8, 2014 17:55
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All these reviews for the Y510Ps and the Y50s mention the display being washed out. Any first hand experience here?
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Aug 8, 2014 19:20
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Fat_Cow posted:All these reviews for the Y510Ps and the Y50s mention the display being washed out. Any first hand experience here? The 410 seems to have nice prices at the moment, anyone have experience with those? http://slickdeals.net/f/7104856-lenovo-y410p-laptop-i7-4700mq-8gb-ddr3-1tb-hdd-8gb-ssd-14-1600x900-led-759-free-shipping
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Aug 8, 2014 19:25
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MixMasterMalaria posted:The 410 seems to have nice prices at the moment, anyone have experience with those? Tonight I shall post a big rant about all of the 14" laptops with i7 QM CPUs that are available. edit: In the meantime, several reviews state that the trackpad sucks. If not for this, I would likely buy one. "NegAura reviews.lenovo.com" posted:Trackpad has terrible sensitivity, scrolling is shaky, and click buttons are awkwardly placed. "Meowhaze reviews.lenovo.com" posted:About the touchpad, just use mouse. Captain Pike fucked around with this message at 23:46 on Aug 8, 2014 |
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Aug 8, 2014 23:22
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Captain Pike posted:Tonight I shall post a big rant about all of the 14" laptops with i7 QM CPUs that are available. Thanks, nothing worse than a poor trackpad!
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Aug 9, 2014 00:44
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HalloKitty posted:Gigabyte P34G-V2? Interesting. I haven't looked at Gigabyte, how's their reliability generally? rantAK posted:The heat is not a big problem, but at least the y500 model underclocks the GPU to 20% performance when running on battery. I think it is the same with the y510 model. Underclocking I can deal with I think. Yeah heat is subjective, as long as it's not in danger of burning out like my Clevos did. They had decent (for the time) GPUs but I don't think they were actually built for actually using.
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Aug 9, 2014 01:41
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WattsvilleBlues posted:Looking at laptops for my uncle. Has to come from Currys (UK store). Basic use is emailing/photo and music storage/web surfing. Budget is up to £600, though that's probably more than is needed. Why does he have to get it from Currys? They are idiots and it makes this difficult. Bacically he doesn't need much, you can get a Chromebook from there for not a lot of money, or otherwise go and look at anything with an Intel processor and see what the screen is like. If he can possibly buy from not-currys he could get this or this which are great machines for the money. e: this one has a better screen Double edit: Dell business line laptops are also good and cheap from their outlet knox_harrington fucked around with this message at 13:04 on Aug 9, 2014 |
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Aug 9, 2014 11:41
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Hey, I'm looking for a laptop. I'm sure you've seen people asking for this exact thing, but I read the last few pages to check if anyone had asked recently and am not sure if the information in the OP is out of date.  I'm looking for a windows laptop in about the $650-700 range. I don't need to be able to play top-of-the-line games, but I'm going to be using it for a lot of music work, so it has to be powerful enough for FL studio at least. I'd also like it to be reliable; that's probably more important. I don't have a ton of money, and I won't be able to fix it if something goes really wrong. I'm guessing I'm looking at some sort of thinkpad?
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Aug 11, 2014 01:11
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Beekeeping and You posted:I'm going to be using it for a lot of music work, so it has to be powerful enough for FL studio at least. I'd also like it to be reliable; that's probably more important. If reliability is the most important, save up for a Macbook. The different OS is worth learning for the hardware longevity.
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Aug 11, 2014 05:58
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How reliable is reliable? $600 will get you a gently used T430 or T430s with some upgrades Macs are very reliable but used models start at $700 If you're a white glove gentle laptop user you may be able to find something new in your price range that's reliable. How much will you travel with it?
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Aug 11, 2014 06:29
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vv Yeah, it was out of place. Screw it
HalloKitty fucked around with this message at 09:02 on Aug 11, 2014 |
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Aug 11, 2014 08:56
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HalloKitty posted:A Panasonic Toughbook would be far more reliable than some Apple toy. Citation needed. The hyperbole of calling a mac a toy doesn't add much credibility to your opinion, especially when you bring zero evidence to the discussion. A+ posting there, pal. Second he's trying to stay under $700, I think even a base model tough book starts well north of a grand?
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Aug 11, 2014 09:01
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Actually, I probably won't be traveling a lot with it, I have a tablet and a bluetooth keyboard if I need to take notes in class. I'm not rough on laptops at all; my last laptop was a 300$ netbook I ended up taking in to be fixed at least three times, so I'm probably just conditioned to think any laptop I get will last less than a year. I'm going out to school and this will be my primary computer for a while.
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Aug 11, 2014 09:21
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Go to best buy and get one of those $750 macbook airs after student discount and sales or whatever.
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Aug 11, 2014 15:20
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chocolateTHUNDER posted:Go to best buy and get one of those $750 macbook airs after student discount and sales or whatever. I would, but I play a lot of indie games, and have always found the mac OS sort of hard to use. Looking back on my few posts, I feel like I didn't know what I want. I guess battery life, portability, and how physically tough it is doesn't matter as much as: -It has to be reliable, and (ideally) not break for years as long as I'm careful with it. -As powerful as possible, for the price. -Windows - >700 dollars I'm sorry if it feels like I haven't been clear. Thanks for all the advice so far!
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Aug 11, 2014 18:03
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MixMasterMalaria posted:Thanks, nothing worse than a poor trackpad! That Lenovo y410p deal really is quite good. Over the weekend I asked on Notebook Review if the touchpad could be "made" to work. Their response is that it can work, if you just want single-finger use: (No multi-touch swipey stuff), by removing the Lenovo driver, and just using the Synaptic driver: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ideapad-essential/721331-lenovo-ideapad-y410p-owners-information-thread-448.html%5C I'm going to order one and find out. Every 14" QM i7 laptop has one problem or another. ("Rocker" touchpad buttons, NO touchpad buttons, terrible view angles, or just plain ugly in the case of the Alienware 14) Captain Pike fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Aug 11, 2014 |
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Aug 11, 2014 18:16
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Beekeeping and You posted:I would, but I play a lot of indie games, and have always found the mac OS sort of hard to use. I'm going to play devils advocate here, and say that with your priorities of as powerful as possible for less than $700, battery life and portability don't matter, you won't bring it anywhere to take notes, and you want it to last a while, you should get a desktop. You can spend under $500 and have money left over for a good monitor, and even put in a GTX 750 Ti and play pretty much any modern game at mid-high settings. The Dell outlet has lots of options. I see an i3 minitower for $329, an i3 tower that will take a GPU for $419, and by the time you break $450 you are getting quad core i5s. Any of these desktop Core processors would run circles around even higher end laptop CPUs. Take a look in the desktop thread if you want to ask questions: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3623433 Edit: If you get one planning to put a GPU in it for games, please check with that thread. Not all GTX 750 Tis will work in Dell prebuilt machines. If you really want a laptop, the Y410p is about the most powerful you can get for the dollar without getting a complete shitbox, and its build quality is already questionable. Trackpad is known to be mediocre. Twerk from Home fucked around with this message at 18:42 on Aug 11, 2014 |
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Aug 11, 2014 18:38
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I'm apparently very indecisive about laptops, it seems, what with me posting here three times in like a page, but I've been seriously considering just saving for a Macbook. I really want build quality, reliability, battery life and a very nice keyboard and trackpad. It seems perfect, if a little expensive. I don't know whether I like the OS much or not, since I've never really used it beyond about 10 lessons over 3 years at University. I know about things like Parallels, which seems really handy for Visual Studio development and stuff, but (and this feels like a really dumb question): say I absolutely can't stand the OS - is a Macbook a decent Windows/Linux machine? I probably wouldn't be opposed to running Mac OS as part of a dual boot setup. Do they come with installation media (unlike every Windows laptop) to reinstall if I do gently caress it all up trying to dual-boot or something? The hardware is top-notch and I can get the student discount, which takes a Retina Macbook Pro to like £850 including VAT. Also, with it having no dedicated GPU - Is it gonna be able to run something like League of Legends or DotA as a casual gaming machine? I assume so, and it's by no means a dealbreaker, but I'd like to make sure. Sorry for posting so many questions, I think I'm just picky with this stuff.
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Aug 11, 2014 19:46
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Beekeeping and You posted:I would, but I play a lot of indie games, and have always found the mac OS sort of hard to use. You can run windows on a MacBook. E: really a 750 macbook air is a great machine for something that is powerful, reliable, and within your price range.
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Aug 11, 2014 21:02
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chocolateTHUNDER posted:You can run windows on a MacBook. That $750 Macbook Air is a terrible machine for parallels though, and questionable for bootcamp. 128GB SSD / 4GB RAM isn't enough for virtualization or dual booting. It's a really great deal, but not for a windows / mac.
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Aug 11, 2014 21:06
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Twerk from Home posted:That $750 Macbook Air is a terrible machine for parallels though, and questionable for bootcamp. 128GB SSD / 4GB RAM isn't enough for virtualization or dual booting. It's a really great deal, but not for a windows / mac. I thought base model got bumped to 8GB ram? Or did the best buy models not get that?
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Aug 11, 2014 21:12
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chocolateTHUNDER posted:I thought base model got bumped to 8GB ram? Or did the best buy models not get that? That's the Pro, not the Air. Air is stuck at 4GB base model, and Best Buy doesn't carry any 8GB ones. I just figured that 25% off a Mac was a good deal, and jumped on it.
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Aug 11, 2014 21:15
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I'm looking for a laptop that will last me a while. That's both in terms of physical durability and in terms of what it's capable of. The games I play usually aren't all that graphically intense (Diablo 3 and Age of Wonders 3 are probably the worst), but I would like to be able to play games that get released a few years from now without my laptop melting down. I have no qualms about turning down graphics settings; I just want to be able to play. From what I can tell, grabbing a Thinkpad T440p or T540p and opting for the better graphics card would be a pretty good match for what I want. The main complaint I can find about these models seems to be trackpad related, but I use a mouse 99% of the time anyways. Does this sound about right to all you people who actually know what they're talking about? Are there any other parts besides the graphics card I should consider upgrading from the base model?
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Aug 12, 2014 02:37
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Don't get a Mac to primarily run Windows. The great battery life you heard about goes down the shitter.
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Aug 12, 2014 04:00
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