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ExcessBLarg! posted:Get a Mac, use Mac OS and run Linux in a VM if you need. Do it full screen and they'll never know.
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Mar 20, 2015 16:30
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Does anyone buy the extended warranties for Lenovo? I don't mind doing repair/replacement work myself, but wasn't sure if anyone really thinks it's worth it or has high praise for the service. I'm not a big warranty purchaser, but I know Applecare is often recommended so wanted to see if the same rang true here.
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Mar 20, 2015 17:34
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Thoughts on the new Asus UX305? It seems pretty comparable to the Dell XPS 13, but with twice the RAM and an SSD.
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Mar 20, 2015 20:11
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Marklar posted:Does anyone buy the extended warranties for Lenovo? I don't mind doing repair/replacement work myself, but wasn't sure if anyone really thinks it's worth it or has high praise for the service. I'm not a big warranty purchaser, but I know Applecare is often recommended so wanted to see if the same rang true here. I'm a big fan of computer warranties, especially on laptops. They fail so regularly for me that I'd be out hundreds or thousands of dollars if I hadn't had them. OEMs hate me.
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Mar 20, 2015 20:17
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Cat Army 
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NotWearingPants posted:I just bought a Lenovo Y50 (model 59440676 ) with the barnes and noble link for $1059. It seemed like a good deal especially because it came with a 500 GB SSD so I don't have to buy one separately and swap it in. Here are the specs: I want something like this, mostly for portable gaming, but I am concerned about heat issues. I currently have a Qosmio and the drat thing is a blazing inferno of hellfire on my lap until it overheats and shuts down. I was leaning toward an ASUS because I heard they have the best cooling, especially with the way the fans jet out the back instead of downward. Is the Lenovo good on this issue, or are there any other suggestions if what to get?
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Mar 20, 2015 20:30
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blatman posted:Gaming laptops have their place, like if you travel a lot for work but still want to make raid night or whatever. Or if you want to game with a family member using your desktop, or game casually while hanging out with the family watching a movie, and so forth. I have a gaming desktop - I need a second, portable computer than is also adequate for gaming.
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Mar 20, 2015 20:34
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accipter posted:Thoughts on the new Asus UX305? It seems pretty comparable to the Dell XPS 13, but with twice the RAM and an SSD. I think both are configurable to have either 4 or 8 gb RAM and both have ssds. Not sure what you mean by one having twice the RAM and an ssd unless you're talking about configurations that are the same price? Other than that, it looks like the processor (and associated integrated graphics) is newer and better on the xps, the xps is smaller, and the xps has better battery life. Might be worthwhile to test keyboards/trackpads in person to determine personal preference there. E: predicto posted:Or if you want to game with a family member using your desktop, or game casually while hanging out with the family watching a movie, and so forth. I have a gaming desktop - I need a second, portable computer than is also adequate for gaming. These were pretty close to my reasons for getting a "gaming" laptop as well. I grabbed a cheaper version of the Y50 (890 with the B&N link to get an IPS screen and the 860m; no ssd, but I have a spare one in my desktop that I may transfer over later) and just finished installing Windows 7, all the drivers, and most of my games last night. I'll play it tonight and report back regarding cooling performance. marjorie fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Mar 20, 2015 |
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Mar 20, 2015 21:02
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predicto posted:I want something like this, mostly for portable gaming, but I am concerned about heat issues. I currently have a Qosmio and the drat thing is a blazing inferno of hellfire on my lap until it overheats and shuts down. The intake vents on the Asus models are still on the bottom of the system so you shouldn't use it directly on your lap anyway.
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Mar 20, 2015 21:22
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Any suggestions for a lightweight/portable 13" or 15" gaming laptop in the sub $1500 range? I've been looking at 860M GPUs but for the price I'd like to get something that will last another couple of years with AAA titles. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Mar 20, 2015 21:33
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Doesn't the Asus UX305 have a broadwell core M processor (the slower one) instead of the Broadwell U processor that's in the Dell XPS 13.
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Mar 20, 2015 21:37
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BOREophyll posted:Any suggestions for a lightweight/portable 13" or 15" gaming laptop in the sub $1500 range? See if you can find a 970m. An 860m won't last a few years on AAA titles.
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Mar 20, 2015 21:37
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BOREophyll posted:Any suggestions for a lightweight/portable 13" or 15" gaming laptop in the sub $1500 range? Lightweight and portable is always a hard combination for gaming laptops. I've been looking into one to serve as a desktop replacement for me (gonna be travelling around in my VW bus, I need something I can work remotely from, and sometimes I just get that "new assassin's creed" itch that I need to scratch). Sager's pretty much the brand I've settled on, although I'm holding off a little in the hopes of price drops/better battery life with the new skywhatever processor since I don't need it just yet. There are a bunch of models, and you can customize them further. This one seems like it'd be the best from what you said: http://www.powernotebooks.com/configure.php?special=1949 There are a couple other sites that sell sager laptops too, and at different times different sites will be cheaper because of whatever promotion is currently happening, so if you decide to go sager (or the other generic-outside laptop brand which I'm forgetting at the moment), you might want to google the model number you're getting and see if you can find it for like $50/$100 cheaper, or get some more ram thrown in or whatever. surc fucked around with this message at 22:48 on Mar 20, 2015 |
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Mar 20, 2015 22:46
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Toshiba Chromebook 2 arrived today. So far I love it. Thanks thread.
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Mar 20, 2015 22:56
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Marklar posted:Does anyone buy the extended warranties for Lenovo? I don't mind doing repair/replacement work myself, but wasn't sure if anyone really thinks it's worth it or has high praise for the service. I'm not a big warranty purchaser, but I know Applecare is often recommended so wanted to see if the same rang true here. I have only ever bought used Thinkpads, but I'm always glad when the previous owner paid for a warranty  The one time I got service from them it was nice. IIRC, they contract out the service agreements to IBM (for Thinkpads only, not consumer laptops) and you just call and either: they send someone to your house if you have the nice warranty, or they make you mail it in to the depot. My service technician was fast, professional, and got my X220 working.
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Mar 20, 2015 23:17
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havenwaters posted:Doesn't the Asus UX305 have a broadwell core M processor (the slower one) instead of the Broadwell U processor that's in the Dell XPS 13. Yes. The base model XPS13 is an i3, the UX305 has a Core M.
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Mar 20, 2015 23:23
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dissss posted:The intake vents on the Asus models are still on the bottom of the system so you shouldn't use it directly on your lap anyway. True, but it's one thing to make sure that it gets sufficient air intake and another thing to have a burning hot coal on your lap.
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Mar 20, 2015 23:58
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predicto posted:True, but it's one thing to make sure that it gets sufficient air intake and another thing to have a burning hot coal on your lap. If you block the air vents you'll get exactly that. At least on my N550 with an 850M (I don't imagine the models with more powerful GPUs are any better)
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Mar 21, 2015 00:18
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What's a good lightweight OS to put on an olld EeeeeePC T91MT for an HTPC, or maybe just Chromecast controller? 2GB ram and 1.3GHz processor, Win8 and OEM Win7 drag a bit. I was considering some flavor of Linux, but I'd prefer something I can download and install -- there's a fanmade version of ChromeOS, but you have to compile it yourself on your other Linux box. And the Android port for it doesn't have a setting for the odd netbook monitor resolution (what is it, 900x600?), so the aspect ratio's all hosed up, as it is in Win8 if you want to use Metro apps (require 1024x768).
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Mar 21, 2015 01:48
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Bad Angus! Bad!
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Delivery McGee posted:What's a good lightweight OS to put on an olld EeeeeePC T91MT for an HTPC, or maybe just Chromecast controller? 2GB ram and 1.3GHz processor, Win8 and OEM Win7 drag a bit. Quite frankly it's not fast enough for that task. Also it has no HDMI.
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Mar 21, 2015 01:57
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edit: never mind
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Mar 21, 2015 02:58
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Delivery McGee posted:What's a good lightweight OS to put on an olld EeeeeePC T91MT for an HTPC, or maybe just Chromecast controller? 2GB ram and 1.3GHz processor, Win8 and OEM Win7 drag a bit. I was considering some flavor of Linux, but I'd prefer something I can download and install -- there's a fanmade version of ChromeOS, but you have to compile it yourself on your other Linux box. And the Android port for it doesn't have a setting for the odd netbook monitor resolution (what is it, 900x600?), so the aspect ratio's all hosed up, as it is in Win8 if you want to use Metro apps (require 1024x768).
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Mar 21, 2015 08:10
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dissss posted:Quite frankly it's not fast enough for that task. Also it has no HDMI. For the HTPC route, I was planning on going with the quick and dirty VGA-cable option. But more likely I'll buy a ChromeCast and run it off my retired HTC Evo 3D (the TV-to-sofa distance is longer than my monitor cable) and just use the EeeePC as an ebook reader. And eventually put together a descktop from scrap parts and all my old HDDs as a headless server for movies and such. Edit: trying to make a USB boot disk of the HTPC-specific Linux crapped out and broke my thumbdrive -- it's supposed to be 32 gigs, now it only formats as 256MB. Dammit. Chillbro Baggins fucked around with this message at 13:02 on Mar 21, 2015 |
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Mar 21, 2015 12:57
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BOREophyll posted:Any suggestions for a lightweight/portable 13" or 15" gaming laptop in the sub $1500 range? I don't know how they review or their long-term reputation is, but I got some hands-on time with the MSI Stealth line at Fry's and it was by far my favorite design on the floor (and I made it a point to try everything). I desperately want one.
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Mar 21, 2015 16:47
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I guess for thread title, I'm thinking Laptop Megathread: Better Batterylife? Better Buy Broadwell~ReelBigLizard posted:EDIT: As an aside, the OP states that the batteries in Apple machines are non-replaceable but this isn't actually true. Sure you can't do it as a user without voiding your warranty but any apple service provider can do it while you wait if they have the battery in stock, it's not like it's soldered in. I was curious and going to update/correct the OP, but it looks like what you read was someone quoting the OP from the era (2013) when the MBP really did have a glued in battery. It sounds like since then they've addressed this issue. However I can't modify his quote. edit, I added a chart. because I can OP posted:I like charts, have a chart. Hadlock fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Mar 21, 2015 |
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Mar 21, 2015 21:33
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Lenovo Megathread: Special Guest Appearance by Dell
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Mar 21, 2015 23:30
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That is the best chart. If you have the data try making one with a log scale on dollar side.
champagne posting fucked around with this message at 11:27 on Mar 22, 2015 |
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Mar 22, 2015 11:25
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Here is the 'data' if you want to play around with it and I can post a better chart
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Mar 22, 2015 22:26
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Impressions after a week with my Toshiba Chromebook 2: Screen is still great. But the resolution is honestly not doing much for me. I have to play around with scaling to make most text readable; I don't think a 1080p screen is going to be a huge selling point for me on a 13" laptop anymore (but IPS certainly will be!). Processor is totally adequate. A little bit of delay when first starting most tasks, but no problems otherwise. I don't keep a ton of tabs open or run anything intensive, though. Build quality is barely tolerable. The plastic feels solid enough, I suppose, but the keyboard and trackpad leave much to be desired. I'd have no problem paying an even $400 for it if they put a keyboard and trackpad equivalent to the old HP Chromebook 11 in it. Still unsure if I'll keep it. I type a lot, and the keyboard is bad enough to make me really unhappy using it.
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Mar 23, 2015 00:02
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surc posted:Lightweight and portable is always a hard combination for gaming laptops. I've been looking into one to serve as a desktop replacement for me (gonna be travelling around in my VW bus, I need something I can work remotely from, and sometimes I just get that "new assassin's creed" itch that I need to scratch). Sager's pretty much the brand I've settled on, although I'm holding off a little in the hopes of price drops/better battery life with the new skywhatever processor since I don't need it just yet. Thank you for this and thanks to everyone else who replied. I am so torn because I plan on being overseas for a year and desperately need a mobile laptop but at the same time I don't know if I should buy a cheap laptop and then just get a gaming desktop when I return. First world problems.
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Mar 23, 2015 02:02
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Aphrodite posted:Yes. The base model XPS13 is an i3, the UX305 has a Core M. The UX303 is comparable, and the newest one has Broadwell/similar specs and is a bit cheaper, but isn't as sleek/small as the XPS 13 IIRC. http://www.amazon.com/Zenbook-UX303...eywords=ux303la On the other hand, it' s a bit cheaper; http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-Zenbook-UX303LA-US51T-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.313371600 Is a QHD screen and 256GB SSD for $1000; I think something similar for the XPS 13 runs you at least $1300. I own the latter model, but I haven't looked at an XPS 13 to compare, as they're pretty backordered everywhere right now I think.
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Mar 23, 2015 06:14
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Looking at a mobiletechreview.com review from November 2014, apparently they've solved the terrible keyboard problem which was the main reason it never got recommended here. Sounds like 3 years worth of incremental upgrades has paid off. However they rank the XPS 13 as 4.5 stars and the X303 as 4.0 stars. The XPS 13 is a real piece of work. First two sentences of the review read "The new Dell XPS 13 is the best new laptop of 2015. Hey, I know it's January 22, so that might not say much, but I suspect the 2015 XPS 13 will remain one of the better Ultrabooks of the year. " You can pick up the base XPS 13 for $900 (which includes a fantastic 1080p IPS panel), but yeah with QHD+ touchscreen it will run you $1300 out the door.
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Mar 23, 2015 06:25
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Hadlock posted:Looking at a mobiletechreview.com review from November 2014, apparently they've solved the terrible keyboard problem which was the main reason it never got recommended here. Sounds like 3 years worth of incremental upgrades has paid off. For the QHD panel for the UX303 they also mentioned a yellow tint when on battery power on earlier models, but I haven't found anything of the sort so far, so maybe they solved it. I'm still not a fan of the touchpad though, but at least the touchscreen makes it so I don't have to use it as often. The base XPS13 is pretty nice, but I'd at least go for 8GB of RAM I think.
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Mar 23, 2015 06:33
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I keep bouncing back and forth between a new laptop and a trip to (anywhere in the world for the same price), but if I had to replace my current Thinkpad tomorrow, it would be the 8GB XPS 13 @ $999 Apparently the drive in the XPS 13 is an M.2 slot, which means it's upgradable so that's a plus. However the X303 has upgradable ram, so there's that.
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Mar 23, 2015 06:40
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I just ordered an XPS 13; the $999 one with 8GB. I was able to save 12% with my AAA membership, so definitely check out aaa.com/dell if this applies to you.
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Mar 23, 2015 14:20
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marjorie posted:
Hey, did you get a chance to test out the system and its cooling? I am seeing incredible deals on the Y50 through the B&N link, but cooling really is a huge issue for me. I'm considering getting an ASUS with lesser specs for the same price just to have better cooling.
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Mar 23, 2015 20:15
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What kind of uses for a laptop benefit having 8g of ram over 4g - this is for someone who will mostly be using it as an office/internet/citrix machine so I'm thinking 4g should be fine, but are there cases where it'll slow things down?
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Mar 23, 2015 20:27
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predicto posted:Hey, did you get a chance to test out the system and its cooling? I am seeing incredible deals on the Y50 through the B&N link, but cooling really is a huge issue for me. I'm considering getting an ASUS with lesser specs for the same price just to have better cooling. As above you can't practically use it for gaming on your lap anyway. On a proper surface you shouldn't have trouble with either setup.
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Mar 23, 2015 20:29
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evilweasel posted:What kind of uses for a laptop benefit having 8g of ram over 4g - this is for someone who will mostly be using it as an office/internet/citrix machine so I'm thinking 4g should be fine, but are there cases where it'll slow things down? 4GB is fine, but as stuff like Chrome seems eat more and more RAM, 8GB ends up being very nice for multitasking if you don't like micromanaging your tabs/windows/programs.
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Mar 23, 2015 20:34
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dissss posted:As above you can't practically use it for gaming on your lap anyway. On a proper surface you shouldn't have trouble with either setup. Yes, I know. But to the extent I can limit heat issues, I want to do so. There will be times where my kids will want to use it for a while without a desk or a cooling pad. There will be times even when the intake vents are not unobstructed that having all the heat blow out the back would be a lot better than having it blow downward into the lap, or come up through the keyboard.
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Mar 23, 2015 20:52
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put your laptop on a rigid surface, something as simple as a book or cutting board
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Mar 23, 2015 21:02
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