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Virtue posted:Thanks for the advice. It's for a small-ish girl so I think the 15" T series might be a bit too big for everyday use. I'll take a look at the XPS13 and see if I can squeeze the budget unless there are other options. If you want small, you could look at a Surface Pro 3, might be cheaper than the XPS13 now that the Surface 4 is out.
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Jan 7, 2016 18:56
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Neddy Seagoon posted:Your degree worked different to mine then, because at the end of the day all they cared was you submit the work online, it didn't matter if it was done on your own PC or a school terminal. Plus having it all on-hand is extremely useful when it comes time to doing assignments and projects. The quad-core wasn't for a basic linux VM (hell I managed that fine on an Eee 1000h during my own Uni time), it was more for if they're doing server/client stuff requiring multiple VM's active simultaneously. Yea i was more CE than pure CS. My school didn't care what you did it bit it was going to go be tested on a stock department machine. The mak files had to be setup for the stock machines. I never had to do client server stuff with VMs.
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Jan 7, 2016 19:21
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Hey guys, I just got a Thinkpad X250 today and it owns. I've been to Ninite and got my favourite programs and that, but is there anything in particular I should uninstall/install right off the bat? It's been like over 5 years since I got a new computer so I feel like there may be some general wisdom that I'm not aware of. ,Also, I have the option to upgrade to Windows 10 - should I do that right now or not? It's on 8.1 at the moment and it is a touch screen laptop so the whole giant blocks thing isn't as bad as it could be
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Jan 7, 2016 22:51
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I'm in the market for a new laptop come March (upgrading from a Thinkpad x230, which has an awful 1366x768 TFT screen) where the following in rank order are important to me: 1. screen resolution - important not for sharpness/colour but because I never feel like I have enough desktop "real estate". I work on spreadsheets where I always have to zoom out to 80% and have size 8 font to see stuff. Luckily my eyesight is very good. 2. build quality 3. portability 4. quiet/low fan noise for basic tasks 5. dockability I've narrowed it down to the Thinkpad x260, XPS 13, Surface Pro 4 probably in that order and will be doing a bit of everything, some music production, software development, lots of spreadsheet modelling, and lots of browsing the internet with a million tabs open. I'm nervous 1080p on the Thinkpad won't be enough, but people say that for the QHD XPS13 you have to scale everything up so much anyway you don't really get a lot of 'real estate' given the screen size. If anyone can post a photo of an XPS 13 with 100% scaling it would be good to see how tiny everything really is in reality, e.g. unreadable, or just very small, but any thoughts/tips/suggestions welcome.
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Jan 7, 2016 23:20
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Virtue posted:Thanks for the advice. It's for a small-ish girl so I think the 15" T series might be a bit too big for everyday use. I'll take a look at the XPS13 and see if I can squeeze the budget unless there are other options. SP3/4 is good but I would not want to code on it all day, even with the new keyboard. It would be nice for the note taking in OneNote, so she could save tons of backpack space by not lugging around textbooks and physical notebooks to lecture. XPS 13 with 1080p screen is an amazing ultrabook. A 13" screen in an 11" chassis is just wtf good. Used/refurbished ThinkPad X250 with a 1080p display is another good choice for durability and keyboard. An i7 X220 with IPS display is plenty fast, has a better keyboard and is much cheaper, but it is heavier than X250 and has worse battery life. And its screen resolution is 1366x768...which kinda blows for coding in any IDE or otherwise.
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Jan 7, 2016 23:28
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headlight posted:I'm in the market for a new laptop come March (upgrading from a Thinkpad x230, which has an awful 1366x768 TFT screen) where the following in rank order are important to me: I apologize for the lovely photos, but the following should get the point across: 100% scaling:  200% scaling  E: On an unrelated note the Razer Core looks pretty sweet. I know a lot of you here are not too keen (mostly for good reasons) on GPU docks, but I still think it's a pretty sweet niche product. http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade-stealth#razer-core-specs bigmandan fucked around with this message at 23:45 on Jan 7, 2016 |
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Jan 7, 2016 23:39
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So, I had to return a computer for the first time in my life. I ordered a Dell Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 and put it under the tree until Christmas, so I was technically outside of the 30-day return window, but it had something like a half-dozen issues so tech support did me a solid. I'll be replacing it with an XPS 13 once the refund goes through.
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Jan 8, 2016 01:03
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Volcott posted:So, I had to return a computer for the first time in my life. I ordered a Dell Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 and put it under the tree until Christmas, so I was technically outside of the 30-day return window, but it had something like a half-dozen issues so tech support did me a solid. Sounds like you fell into same the trap that I nearly did. My shortlist for a 2-in-1 ended on a Dell Inspiron 11 3000... right up until the three stores I went looking for one at all said they only had a stack of returned defective ones  .I did far too much research on the 11.6-inch models, and I can tell you the only two that aren't mediocre or outright crap (Chromebooks aside) are the Yoga 3 11, and the HP Pavilion X360 11t. Even then, the Yoga 3 11's screen is pretty crap, and the Pavilion only ranks up as decent due to being kinda chunky but at least being one of all of two models (that I know of) with a decent IPS touchscreen and having a quadcore processor (I'd still recommend it though). The Dell Inspiron 11's the other with an IPS.
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Jan 8, 2016 01:49
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Neddy Seagoon posted:Sounds like you fell into same the trap that I nearly did. My shortlist for a 2-in-1 ended on a Dell Inspiron 11 3000... right up until the three stores I went looking for one at all said they only had a stack of returned defective ones It was something like 400 dollars off on Black Friday, and I've never had a problem with Dell laptops before in the 10+ years I've been buying them. Figured I'd found myself a good deal.
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Jan 8, 2016 02:02
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Neddy Seagoon posted:Sounds like you fell into same the trap that I nearly did. My shortlist for a 2-in-1 ended on a Dell Inspiron 11 3000... right up until the three stores I went looking for one at all said they only had a stack of returned defective ones I was looking at a Yoga 3 11 in a store today and was actually fairly impressed with the display - it was definitely IPS or equivalent and was decently bright. Overly reflective but that's to be expected.
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Jan 8, 2016 02:20
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dissss posted:I was looking at a Yoga 3 11 in a store today and was actually fairly impressed with the display - it was definitely IPS or equivalent and was decently bright. Overly reflective but that's to be expected. Where it falls down is the colour range is atrocious compared to just about any other model, and it's got some bad construction with pressure applied to the monitor in the corners. It actually is an IPS display, that's my bad though. Could've sworn it said it wasn't on my first look through the reviews. It's still not a bad machine, just saying that the 11-inch ones tend to come down to "decent screen, modular parts, build quality; Pick two and tank the other one".
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Jan 8, 2016 02:29
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Any opinions on the updated Asus zenbook ux305ca? Ars seemed to like it, other than the track pad. I think I might pick up the Microsoft signature edition as a general use personal laptop. http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-ZenBook-UX305CA-UHM1-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.328071300
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Jan 8, 2016 04:23
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I have one and like it a lot. Battery lasts all day but all I do is web browse and write. It's like 80% of the build quality of a Macbook Air at half the price. Trackpad sucks. The 1080p IPS display is pretty good.
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Jan 8, 2016 05:34
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The UX305 is pretty solid for a cheap laptop and you're right to get the Microsoft Edition In other news, Samsung has dropped their Exynos CPU-powered chromebooks in favor of Intel CPU, and also apparently dropped their 1080p Chromebook 2 model, leaving just a 1366x768 Chromebook 3. The Chromebook 2 was pretty universally panned as underpowered so that's not a huge shocker but I'm a little surprised to see them drop the 1080p model. Paperhouse posted:Hey guys, I just got a Thinkpad X250 today and it owns. I've been to Ninite and got my favourite programs and that, but is there anything in particular I should uninstall/install right off the bat? It's been like over 5 years since I got a new computer so I feel like there may be some general wisdom that I'm not aware of. ,Also, I have the option to upgrade to Windows 10 - should I do that right now or not? It's on 8.1 at the moment and it is a touch screen laptop so the whole giant blocks thing isn't as bad as it could be If it's not on ninite, it's generally not worth installing. I switched over to Chocolatey (powershell based, linux-style package installer) since you can just type code:
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Jan 8, 2016 06:05
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Dell detailed out their new docks on Weds at CES http://www.slashgear.com/dell-outs-usb-c-and-thunderbolt-3-docks-and-macs-can-play-too-06420821/ They are pricey, but also look pretty drat nice. The USB-C dock will be $199. It has three USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, HDMI, mini DisplayPort, VGA, a stereo output, combo audio in/out, and gigabit ethernet. The Thunderbolt 3 dock is $299. It adds a full-sized DisplayPort and a Thunderbolt 3. Both are powered. One thing i wonder is if you had this TB3 dock, would you be able to use the TB3 port on it to then connect to an external graphics chassis? I know you can daisy chain up to six devices on Thunderbolt 3, but I didn't know if there were any caveats or restrictions around it. That's the one thing that would stop me from buying one of these docks right now. If I wanted to get an external graphics card down the line, it would suck to spend $299 on a dock that I would then have to stop using it if I wanted to use external graphics. They go on sale the 28th. I'm probably going to get the Thunderbolt 3 one and just replace my whole desktop setup with my XPS15 since it's faster across the board anyways.
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Jan 8, 2016 07:28
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That's pretty rad. Especially since most smartphones two generations from now will also sport USB Type-C, and these will most likely be compatible with those phones/tablets/whathaveyou as well. Pretty sure that "lightning" dock reverts down to USB 3 Type-C if you don't have a lightning-capable device/port.
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Jan 8, 2016 08:17
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Paperhouse posted:Hey guys, I just got a Thinkpad X250 today and it owns. I've been to Ninite and got my favourite programs and that, but is there anything in particular I should uninstall/install right off the bat? It's been like over 5 years since I got a new computer so I feel like there may be some general wisdom that I'm not aware of. ,Also, I have the option to upgrade to Windows 10 - should I do that right now or not? It's on 8.1 at the moment and it is a touch screen laptop so the whole giant blocks thing isn't as bad as it could be Upgrade to Windows 10 now while you still can for free since there's no downside and you get a free Windows 10 license (albeit not transferable) and can use the Windows 8.1 key for another PC which you can then also upgrade to Windows 10 etc.
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Jan 8, 2016 08:25
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I CANNOT EJACULATE WITHOUT SEEING NATIVE AMERICANS BRUTALISED!
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So dell announced an iris graphics upgrade (and gold finish) for the xps 13 at CES which seems to be exactly the thing I've been waiting for. Presumably it will be the i7-6650U with Iris 540 graphics. This should be a noticeable improvement in graphics performance, hopefully without too much of a battery or thermal performance hit.
Fruit Chewy fucked around with this message at 10:50 on Jan 8, 2016 |
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Jan 8, 2016 10:04
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Are there any good laptops with the swivelly screen thing that aren't bad? If my problem is 'I break the hinges a lot' then it stands to reason that I should just get one that is swivelly and designed to have flexible hinges. Or I'll just get another Thinkpad 400something. 
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Jan 8, 2016 14:44
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Re: the XPS 13, I'm going for the i5 non-touch model, so no Iris for me. That gold finish looks neat, though. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of adapter I need to get HDMI on the thing.
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Jan 8, 2016 14:55
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Hadlock posted:That's pretty rad. Especially since most smartphones two generations from now will also sport USB Type-C, and these will most likely be compatible with those phones/tablets/whathaveyou as well. That's one of the reasons why I'm willing to look past the price. These docks (and their power supplies!) will be compatible with a poo poo ton of things moving forward and should last though several generations of devices.
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Jan 8, 2016 15:05
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Bogart posted:Are there any good laptops with the swivelly screen thing that aren't bad? If my problem is 'I break the hinges a lot' then it stands to reason that I should just get one that is swivelly and designed to have flexible hinges. They're generally called 2-in-1's if you want to search models. At the 11-inch size you're looking at either the Lenovo 3 11 or the HP Pavilion X360 11t. Go with the former if you want a basic tablet, the latter for a laptop. 13 inch, probably the Lenovo Yoga 900 or the HP Spectre x360 13t. Be aware they're all going to have reflective displays in bright light, and dont go near the Dell models.
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Jan 8, 2016 15:57
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DaveWoo posted:So I recently purchased a Dell XPS 15, and I'm encountering a problem where whenever I try to put the machine into Sleep Mode, it just immediately wakes up a second later. Update - wasn't able to fix the issue, went in and exchanged it for another Dell XPS 15, same problem happened again.  Anyone know of any good alternatives to the Dell XPS 15? DaveWoo fucked around with this message at 17:47 on Jan 8, 2016 |
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Jan 8, 2016 17:44
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The XPS 15 has a shitload of issues but if you can get a good one it seems to be unmatched by anything other than a rMBP as far as actual design, usability, and build quality. There's a million lovely laptops that can match it in specs.
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Jan 8, 2016 19:02
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As far as I know, all of the known outstanding issues (aside from physical stuff like space key mushiness) have been resolved in this week's BIOS update. I would be more inclined to point the finger at Win 10 in general for that sleep issue if you still have it after you updated everything.
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Jan 8, 2016 19:54
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Yeah we're in a weird state where you can almost trust software issues to go away after a month or two on a new laptop. I had 10 different software issues with my Surface Book a couple months ago which is why I returned it, but now pretty much all of those have been fixed. I'm still happier with my XPS 15 now, but that BIOS update really did a lot of heavy lifting. I don't know if all of this can be traced back to W10 and Skylake issues but it sure is a lot more stable now than it was 2 weeks ago!
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Jan 8, 2016 20:10
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DaveWoo posted:Update - wasn't able to fix the issue, went in and exchanged it for another Dell XPS 15, same problem happened again. T450s perhaps? Comedy option: the razer blade
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Jan 8, 2016 23:15
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Cat Army 
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DaveWoo posted:Update - wasn't able to fix the issue, went in and exchanged it for another Dell XPS 15, same problem happened again. This? It's a Macbook Pro clone.
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Jan 9, 2016 01:19
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Lolcano Eruption posted:This? It's a Macbook Pro clone. You know that cloning technology has come a long way from duplicating sheep when your clones have far better hardware for 60% of the price.
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Jan 9, 2016 03:51
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Except for the utterly poo poo keyboard and trackpad - Asus still uses nasty cheap plastic that goes shiny and gross after a month of use.
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Jan 9, 2016 04:28
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Hadlock posted:The UX305 is pretty solid for a cheap laptop and you're right to get the Microsoft Edition What advantage does buying from the MS store confer that reinstalling (presumably) Windows 10 cleanly doesn't confer? I haven't used it but I've heard that their support is good. Edit: I'm not actually a 'Busy mom' but I appreciate her priorities. 
ItBurns fucked around with this message at 04:49 on Jan 9, 2016 |
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Jan 9, 2016 04:46
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Mom knows best. They should make a Linux version with all those people angry and shaking their fists at the camera.
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Jan 9, 2016 05:24
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DaveWoo posted:Update - wasn't able to fix the issue, went in and exchanged it for another Dell XPS 15, same problem happened again. I'm in the same boat, just returned my MS Edition XPS15 for irreconcilable differences. SolidWorks 2105 and AutoCAD won't respect display scaling, and the UHD screen, while gorgeous, yielded 4 hours of light web-browsing and file work, and it blue-screened on me twice in a week. I'm buying a FHD XPS15 to replace it once there's a coupon code that applies. ItBurns posted:What advantage does buying from the MS store confer that reinstalling (presumably) Windows 10 cleanly doesn't confer? I haven't used it but I've heard that their support is good. sharkytm fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Jan 9, 2016 |
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Jan 9, 2016 20:56
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So, im kinda looking to *maybe* get a laptop. Most uses would be browsing web/sa, watching movies and streaming stuff. But id like some light gaming capabilities as well. I dont expect anything major from the gaming aspect, just something that can pick up games like Starbound, maybe Diablo 3 or StarCraft 2, and some older games on steam. Nothing heavy duty, because its well... a laptop, not my dedicated gaming desktop. I dont travel a lot, but when i do, my windows tablet with 2 gigs of ram can play Terraria, and thats about it. Minecraft for Windows 10 runs great as well, but id like to push beyond these 2 games and be able to do something a little more fun for the times when im out of town or at family get together I was looking at this deal on on a Lenovo But i am completely clueless as to how to judge laptop hardware/value. edit: Also, how is Best Buys return policy? I have never had to return anything to them and was curious if they charge restocking fees/etc.
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Jan 10, 2016 00:21
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grimcreaper posted:Also, how is Best Buys return policy? I have never had to return anything to them and was curious if they charge restocking fees/etc. At my local store it's 14 days, no fee. Assume it's the same online but I've never had to return an online order.
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Jan 10, 2016 00:39
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BottleKnight posted:At my local store it's 14 days, no fee. Assume it's the same online but I've never had to return an online order. Thanks for the heads up on that. Guess i could buy it, give it a test run, and if i dont like it i could return it.
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Jan 10, 2016 00:49
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Buying a laptop. Can't go too wrong with a laptop with 256 ssd drive and USB 3.0? Looking for something near $500 or so on Amazon. Any quick suggestions? It's going to be my travel computer and while I enjoy a game or two it's going to be primarily word processing, Internet and Netflix. I found an Asus product that looked decent but I know some of you guys got eagle eyes for good deals.
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Jan 10, 2016 03:44
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Here is a refurb x230 with 240gb ssd for $375 shipped. It has two USB 3.0 ports. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thin...bkAAOSw3KFWeYXf Screen is only 1366x768 but for general web browsing and watching video that is plenty. Currently typing this from an x230 with 250gb ssd that's been to something like 15 countries and five continents. The HD4000 will play casual games on steam ($10 bin and under) no problem but will choke on anything fancy like Battlefield 3.
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Jan 10, 2016 06:06
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I recently started my first job and I was thinking of using some of that money to replace my old, burnt-out rear end alienware laptop with something more practical in the next few months. Anyone have any recommendations for something reasonably portable I can use for light gaming(think Telltale Games-level 3D stuff, lots of 2D roguelikes/platformers/RPGs, maybe some less graphically intense strategy games) and as a general internet/media consumption platform? Preferably around $500, certainly under $1000 - I have a nice desktop and a work laptop, so I'm not looking for anything super powerful or for tons of storage, just something more versatile than my iPad that my employer can't rummage through at will.
Spiritus Nox fucked around with this message at 23:35 on Jan 10, 2016 |
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Jan 10, 2016 23:32
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Looking for laptop primarily for word processing (I work as a translator) & web browsing. I don't need for it to be particularly light, portable, or quiet. I'd like to see, though, how much it would cost to get me something that could run a few single-player Steam games, the most demanding of which specwise is D4 (min.: 6 GB RAM; Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 2.83 GHz; GeForce GTX 470 or Radeon HD 6870). What's the least I'd be putting down for such a machine?
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