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My wife wants a replacement for her old Thinkpad. Mostly used for browsing and youtube, but she uses it for work too. In order of what's required: 15" Backlit keyboard SSD drive i5 (everything I have heard says to avoid i3's. Is that still correct?) 4G of RAM (but wouldn't mind being able to upgrade to 8, 4G seems to be too low these days?) < AU $1500 (is that possible?) She'd like a Dell or Lenovo, but I keep reading contradictory things about them, and being in Australia, the only place to buy them is JB Hifi or Harvey Norman (who are evil) it seems.
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Mar 19, 2016 13:10
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| # ? May 24, 2024 00:40 |
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XPS 15 end of story
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Mar 19, 2016 13:23
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I bought a ThinkPad T440s a couple of years ago and I couldn't stand it because of the trackpad - the click was loud as hell and just felt clunky and cheap. I'm looking at ThinkPads again now because I love the keyboard but just wondering if they've fixed that problem? How's the "click" on the X1 Carbon?
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Mar 19, 2016 14:04
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Do any of the "nice" modern laptops (XPS, X1 Carbon, apple things) have actual buttons for the trackpad? Do any chromebooks? I'm thinking of getting my wife a better laptop, but really she's fine with the low-to-mid range chromebook she has apart from hating the no-button trackpad (even after 6 months getting used to it). I understand this because I hate them too, and wish fiery death upon whoever decided no-button trackpads should be the way of things for each company. Apple gets a pass because they've *always* had fewer buttons than everyone else, but everyone who decided to make lovely copies of Apple's hardware should be smacked.
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Mar 19, 2016 17:17
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Hadlock posted:XPS 15 end of story So nobody likes Lenovo anymore? Last year it seemed like everyone was all about them over Dell... what changed?
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Mar 19, 2016 17:50
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Thinkpads are still great, the quality is the same.... Just that the Dell XPS series are the best consumer laptops on the market currently.
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Mar 19, 2016 21:35
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Hey gang, I can feel my 2010 MBP's case screws loosening after multiple RAM/SSD upgrades & 6 years of daily travel, so I've been trying out cheap replacement Chromebooks. I enjoyed the Lenovo 100s, but the overwhelming consensus of Chromebook reviews lauded the Toshiba Chromebook 2 as the best cheap chromebook (4gb ram and 1080p screen for <$300). The screen is gorgeous, but the delicate plastic case has me more worried about breaking this cheap netbook than the old MacBook I'm replacing. A friend is recommending I look at refurbished Thinkpads, which is a very tempting idea in light of their cult following and the availability of replacement parts. I need a Linux-ready, light, DURABLE machine for ~$300, preferably with the processing power to run some iPython Notebooks. I'm currently sshing into my school's server to run iPython, but I could theoretically harvest the 500gbSSD and 16gb RAM from the MacBook. Priorities: DURABILITY Portability hi-def screen performance reservations about Thinkpad: - are they actually durable? or just cheaply (relative to other computers) repaired? - how easy is it to do a linux? (Chromebook has crouton; installed Linux w/ 1 shell command) Are drivers going to be a nightmare? Thanks much
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Mar 19, 2016 21:39
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I've used and traveled with my X220 heavily since 2011 - aside from some scratches it looks almost new. Installed Linux on it no problem earlier in the year, no issues with drivers. I imagine the X230/40 are similarly durable.
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Mar 19, 2016 21:45
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Red Hat issues T series Thinkpads to all their developers. Thinkpads are probably the best supported Linux hardware on the planet because if it won't run on your dev machine how are you going to fix it? And yeah a refurb Thinkpad is a steal of a deal and durable as all get out. My 2012 x230 has been to probably 15 countries and works the same as when I got it new.
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Mar 19, 2016 21:49
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The issue with the XPS 15 is that in our wacky moon money (Australian) it starts at around $2000. Bit out of the $1500 range the guy wanted to spend. I ultimately dismissed the XPS 13 for me purely because absolutely nowhere was budging on the price and for the specs I wanted I was looking at AU$1800 which was simply too much. Basically, Australian rates suck.
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Mar 20, 2016 04:11
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No point in a nice laptop in Australia since your internet sucks balls anyway.
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Mar 20, 2016 04:29
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No kidding. The fastest internet I can get where I live is 100Mbps down and 50 up. Apparently that's where it starts in America? This poo poo is ridiculous. Also just to update I unfortunately had to not get the XPS 13 as mentioned before. I was really keen on it but I needed more than 128GB for space and that alone jumped the price up way out of my budget. Which sucked. So I went for the ASUS (UA guys, the Skylake one). Spec wise it's the same. The screen isn't infinty edge'd but it's still 1080p like the XPS was. It was the best candidate in my price range, so that's what I went for. I'll hopefully have it in a week or two and will gladly do a little review here if people are interested.
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Mar 20, 2016 04:56
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Average in the US is closer to 20mbps, 60-100 available in select markets
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Mar 20, 2016 06:02
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Why does the Dell Inspiron 15 have a gtx 960m with 4gb of DDR5 but the XPS only has it with 2gb?
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Mar 20, 2016 06:15
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syntaxfunction posted:No kidding. The fastest internet I can get where I live is 100Mbps down and 50 up. Apparently that's where it starts in America? This poo poo is ridiculous. What, all I hear about is how Australia/NZ sucks for internet. Is that also uncapped? That is crazy high. Have you considered just putting an SDXC card into the Dell for data storage? They make really small ones now that fit flush into the system. Shimrra Jamaane posted:Why does the Dell Inspiron 15 have a gtx 960m with 4gb of DDR5 but the XPS only has it with 2gb? Probably the XPS is thinner so it uses a slower version of the card. Mu Zeta fucked around with this message at 08:08 on Mar 20, 2016 |
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Mar 20, 2016 08:05
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Mu Zeta posted:What, all I hear about is how Australia/NZ sucks for internet. Is that also uncapped? That is crazy high. 100mb down is standard for fibre if you can get it, and all but the most budget plans are uncapped. Mobile data is where it starts getting really pricey, especially in NZ Comstar posted:My wife wants a replacement for her old Thinkpad. Mostly used for browsing and youtube, but she uses it for work too. Just wait for a sale and buy direct from Dell or Lenovo roomforthetuna posted:Do any of the "nice" modern laptops (XPS, X1 Carbon, apple things) have actual buttons for the trackpad? Do any chromebooks? I'm thinking of getting my wife a better laptop, but really she's fine with the low-to-mid range chromebook she has apart from hating the no-button trackpad (even after 6 months getting used to it). I understand this because I hate them too, and wish fiery death upon whoever decided no-button trackpads should be the way of things for each company. HP Elitebooks and Dell Latitude E7xxx have proper buttons for both the trackpad and the trackpoint.
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Mar 20, 2016 08:46
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Hadlock posted:XPS 15 end of story Is there a Lenovo that's maybe a bit cheaper than a Dell X15? To get a SSD version it's Au$2500, which is a bit too much 
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Mar 20, 2016 09:29
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Mu Zeta posted:What, all I hear about is how Australia/NZ sucks for internet. Is that also uncapped? That is crazy high. Wasn't just the storage that tipped it. The ASUS has a Skylake i5, 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. I'm getting it for under AU$1500. The XPS 13 here starts at $1700 for i5/128/4GB, which is above what I worked out I could really afford. I do a bunch of audio stuff with loads of hungry, hungry VSTs, which chews through 4GB pretty quickly, so I wanted the extra RAM too. Sadly the RAM and SSD upgrade are packaged together, meaning to get 8GB of RAM I need to pay $2k. Just the whole package is way more expensive for the same specs. The trackpad is nicer (Though the UA has a way better pad than the older ones) on the Dell, and the screen is hella pretty, but I couldn't justify paying >$200 for worse specs, or >$500 for the same specs. Edit: Yeah, my internet is uncapped thankfully. I'm on 50/20Mbps with unlimited. I pay around AU$100/month. Is that decent compared to America?
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Mar 20, 2016 09:47
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Comstar posted:Is there a Lenovo that's maybe a bit cheaper than a Dell X15? To get a SSD version it's Au$2500, which is a bit too much You could look at a Lenovo T series http://www3.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-t-series/T560/p/22TP2TT5600 ($1900 one is the minimum you should be looking at) They are a lot bulkier than the Dell and come with a ULV dual core CPU and no dedicated graphics though.
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Mar 20, 2016 09:52
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Is there a cheaper Windows clone of the Macbook or whatever the sub-MBA one is called? I just played with one at a store and something of that form factor would be perfect to take on a trip. Normally I don't mind the size of a 15" machine but I'd really need something more portable and easier to hide than my tank of a ThinkPad.
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Mar 20, 2016 10:20
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Does it have to be 12"? The Asus UX305CA uses a similar fanless Core M processor. But it's a slightly bigger laptop and the display is only 1080p. There is also a 12" Thinkpad but it's really thick.
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Mar 20, 2016 10:36
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Comstar posted:Is there a Lenovo that's maybe a bit cheaper than a Dell X15? To get a SSD version it's Au$2500, which is a bit too much You should never buy a SSD with your laptop purchase, unless it's literally soldered in (which it might be in an XPS 15). Otherwise it's far cheaper to simply purchase your own aftermarket and install it manually. e: yeah just get an xps 15 with a standard HDD and buy a samsung 850 EVO aftermarket, it'll be far cheaper.
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Mar 20, 2016 11:07
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Cat Army 
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dissss posted:They are a lot bulkier than the Dell and come with a ULV dual core CPU and no dedicated graphics though. Is a ULV dual core CPU a bad thing or a good thing about it? I'm not worried about the graphics card, and I like how the Lenovo T series has mouse buttons and a number pad, which the Dell X15 does not.
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Mar 20, 2016 11:24
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I sniped a really nice Lenovo X250 refurb off of eBay a few months back for about $800, which was probably less than 2/3rds sticker price. It's good and the keyboard is wonderfully tactile and I don't know where I'd be without a trackpoint. e: moral of the story is check eBay.
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Mar 20, 2016 12:15
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Mu Zeta posted:Does it have to be 12"? Doesn't have to be 12" but smaller (and cheaper... the Asus is still over a grand here) is definitely better in this case as I'll probably be traveling in sketchy places with a minimum amount of stuff. The macbook is pretty ridiculous looking in person even compared to normal ultrabooks, but not really that much smaller than the cheap-rear end netbooks that used to exist years ago. So I guess that would be another way to put this question, are there any decent modern netbooks with a Core M or even Atom?
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Mar 20, 2016 12:34
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Netbooks are dead and were replaced by Chromebooks. The Toshiba Chromebook 2 is one of the top choices right now and has a 13" 1080p display.
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Mar 20, 2016 12:50
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quote:Doesn't have to be 12" but smaller (and cheaper... the Asus is still over a grand here) is definitely better in this case as I'll probably be traveling in sketchy places with a minimum amount of stuff. The macbook is pretty ridiculous looking in person even compared to normal ultrabooks, but not really that much smaller than the cheap-rear end netbooks that used to exist years ago. So I guess that would be another way to put this question, are there any decent modern netbooks with a Core M or even Atom? Asus X205 or HP Stream. 11.6" , 32gb ssd, 2gb RAM and runs Windows for under $200. Basically a cheap rear end Chromebook that runs WIn10 instead of Chrome. Given the crappy specs, it is surprisingly agile which says a lot about how much an SSD adds to perceived speed. You end up with 10gb or so for storage, but the Asus has a slot for a micro-sd card if you're not going to have net access.
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Mar 20, 2016 14:38
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How wary should I be of Fry's 'display item' products? I was hoping to grab a thinkpad e550 but just noticed it's 'display item' only. Or is it like 'open box' in that it's a grab bag of what you'll get?
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Mar 20, 2016 18:27
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Wedemeyer posted:How wary should I be of Fry's 'display item' products? I was hoping to grab a thinkpad e550 but just noticed it's 'display item' only. Or is it like 'open box' in that it's a grab bag of what you'll get? It is literally the computer that got displayed. People touched it and stuff. That said, I bought a HP laptop that was the display model at Best Buy years ago and my brother still uses it today. Make sure to check it out first, if it's beat up, either don't buy it or ask for a better price if it's something you can live with. You should still have the manufacturer's warranty effective from the day you buy it.
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Mar 20, 2016 18:37
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Wedemeyer posted:How wary should I be of Fry's 'display item' products? I was hoping to grab a thinkpad e550 but just noticed it's 'display item' only. Or is it like 'open box' in that it's a grab bag of what you'll get?
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Mar 20, 2016 23:13
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It pisses me off almost beyond belief how the best ASUS laptops have that Republic of Gamers crap all over it. They have essentially the perfect stats and price point but I basically have to rule them out because I don't want to feel like a total rear end in a top hat using it in public.
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Mar 21, 2016 00:34
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numtini posted:Asus X205 or HP Stream. 11.6" , 32gb ssd, 2gb RAM and runs Windows for under $200. Basically a cheap rear end Chromebook that runs WIn10 instead of Chrome. Given the crappy specs, it is surprisingly agile which says a lot about how much an SSD adds to perceived speed. You end up with 10gb or so for storage, but the Asus has a slot for a micro-sd card if you're not going to have net access. Thanks, that's more like it. I also looked around similar models and something convertible like the T100 or T300 would be pretty cool options for travel as well, I'll see what I can get refurb/used locally.
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Mar 21, 2016 01:23
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After seeing an XPS 13 today that screen and bezel combo is so drat nice and the whole thing felt solid as a rock. So instead of waiting for a stealth blade and taking my chances i put in a bid on a refurbished (9350) XPS 13, could only find one with the 4k screen but oh well, its got the i7 and the PCiE SSD so hopefully ill win it as i would love to pick it up for 1400$ aud. however only thing that has me is that ive got to apparently buy warranty after the sale so thats a bit of a bummer but hopefully its not to much extra.
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Mar 21, 2016 13:57
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I wish the Dell XPS 13 had a Thinkpad-quality keyboard and not retarded webcam placement.
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Mar 21, 2016 19:33
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The webcam placement always seemed like a weird complaint because that's just the price you pay for having a bezel that thin but yeah, it's tough to find great keyboards in laptops in general. I've been up all night writing essays and my X250 keyboard is just so satisfyingly tactile and clacky, like I hear and feel myself typing and it gives me an instantly gratifying feeling of being productive.
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Mar 21, 2016 19:47
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I'm going back to school, I need a laptop. Will be used for Excel/accounting software down the line, and general browsing and watching Netflix during off hours. My hands sometimes get cramped using small keyboards, so that's a thing I want to avoid. Beyond that I don't even know what I want, though I'd like to get something that has hardware that will last a few years and maybe would be nice to be able to play some less-demanding computer games. The XPS 15 looks pretty great and all, so that's probably my front-runner at the moment, but I'm torn as to options. How easy is it to install a SSD? I've built a ton of desktops before but never modified a laptop. Is the touch screen cool/worth it? I'm also considering a Surface Book, because I've been using a Surface Pro for work and have gotten really used to touching the screen to select things. I don't even know what I want, someone tell me what I want. Also if anyone has recommendations for a usb number pad, I'm going to need one of those - even the few laptops that have a built in number pad, it's tiny.
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Mar 22, 2016 16:34
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Unless you go smaller than 12.5" screen, all keyboards are actually the same size  Once you get down to 10.5" they start shrinking the keys and you get stuff like the 94% sized keys you used to see on netbooks. Key travel is also a measurable metric if you want to go down that rabbit hole.
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Mar 22, 2016 16:46
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I was going to pick up the asus ux305ca since it was 599$ on microsoft. I did notice that they offer a accidental damage Complete plan for 129$ with with a 50$ deductible. Has anyone used this before and was it worth it in terms of getting stuff repaired in a timely manner? It is for a friend and they have broken the screen once and snapped the bottom cover on their old Hp dmz laptop so they laptop does get dropped of the couch onto hardwood floors every so often. My instinct is that it is a decent deal for the accident prone but third party warranties, insurance and service plans from back in the day have always been something I've personally avoided as after the deductible you were not that far from replacing your device.
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Mar 23, 2016 00:39
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I'm looking to buy a used T450 or T450S for developing and design work in Illustrator and AutoCAD. Is the default screen TN? I vaguely remember someone complaining about the T450 screen being worse than the T450S one.
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Mar 23, 2016 01:29
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| # ? May 24, 2024 00:40 |
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HP, I dont think you can really list your hardware replacement instruction page by series when my model varies massively to the older one shown. Also whichever designer thought hidden screws under the rubber feet was a good idea needs a stern talking to or a slight beating.  .
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Mar 23, 2016 03:17
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