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dbcooper
Mar 21, 2008
Yams Fan

euphronius posted:

Right you need a gpu.

Also I need one to be convertible and small because it's going to on my lap behind my desk while I play at work using Bluetooth k\m and using my phones data. What laptop would be good for this?

I'm a degenerate.

What about some small PC (Intel NUC?) with a USB bluetooth adapter you can fit in a backpack and deploy/plug in behind your desk/cubicle that can "cast" the screen to a tablet you sit on your lap?

PC and tablet are on the tethered WiFi network from your phone, the tablet is using a remote desktop/screencast app to display the video from the PC and most of the heat is dissipated by the NUC which is on the floor/suspended behind your desk. The bluetooth keyboard and mouse are paired to the PC so as long as you can get a good video update rate from the PC to tablet, it should work?

It appears Intel is giving away four new i7 gaming NUCs to people who will tell them how they'll use it. I'm certain they'd be interested in your workplace gaming adventures ;)

Edit: Looks like most (all?) NUCs have Bluetooth built-in

dbcooper fucked around with this message at 18:06 on Aug 4, 2016

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euphronius
Feb 18, 2009

dbcooper posted:

What about some small PC (Intel NUC?) with a USB bluetooth adapter you can fit in a backpack and deploy/plug in behind your desk/cubicle that can "cast" the screen to a tablet you sit on your lap?

PC and tablet are on the tethered WiFi network from your phone, the tablet is using a remote desktop/screencast app to display the video from the PC and most of the heat is dissipated by the NUC which is on the floor/suspended behind your desk. The bluetooth keyboard and mouse are paired to the PC so as long as you can get a good video update rate from the PC to tablet, it should work?

It appears Intel is giving away four new i7 gaming NUCs to people who will tell them how they'll use it. I'm certain they'd be interested in your workplace gaming adventures ;)

Edit: Looks like most (all?) NUCs have Bluetooth built-in

I thought about that but I also want to play in my carpool rides .

I ditched my convertible requirement and went with the one recommended by wirecutter.

Atomizer
Jun 24, 2007



Ryuga Death posted:

My parents want to get a new laptop to replace their crappy Best Buy laptop. They say their max budget is 1500 dollars and they want something high quality. They will only use it for browsing the web and paying bills. Is the Dell XPS 13 overkill for that purpose? They said that having a larger screen would be nice but not completely needed.

$1500 is so outrageously overkill for Web browsing. I get that they don't want a tablet; do they intend to move the laptop around the house or is it just going to sit at a desk? Would they be interested in a PC hooked up to their big-display TV, and a wireless mouse/keyboard combo for comfortable couch-browsing?

If it has to be a laptop, then it sounds like all they need is something with a nice display. Get an Acer Chromebook 15 for like $250 (there's a refurb on Amazon) or the Acer Chromebook 14 for $300, or the Toshiba Chromebook 32 (2015) for $300; those I'm basically just recommending in decreasing display size. The Toshiba has one of the nicest displays, and the first Acer has the largest on a Chromebook; I'd recommend the Toshiba over the Acer 14 despite the latter's larger display, though. The HP Chromebook 13 also comes with a very nice high-resolution display for $500, in addition to a nice build and backlit keyboard. The Dell Chromebook 13 is one of the best all-around, although it's more of a tanky business-oriented machine than a flashy Mom & Pop device.

If they're really intent on spending that $1.5k then just go with the Google Pixel LS, it's the highest-quality laptop they're ever going to need. I say that as I type this out on one, and I'd recommend it over the similarly-priced highest-end HP CB 13. I'd still think they'd be in love with the $500 or $600 HP CB 13 though.

Ryuga Death
May 14, 2008

There's gotta be one more bell to crack
Fun Shoe

Atomizer posted:

$1500 is so outrageously overkill for Web browsing. I get that they don't want a tablet; do they intend to move the laptop around the house or is it just going to sit at a desk? Would they be interested in a PC hooked up to their big-display TV, and a wireless mouse/keyboard combo for comfortable couch-browsing?

If it has to be a laptop, then it sounds like all they need is something with a nice display. Get an Acer Chromebook 15 for like $250 (there's a refurb on Amazon) or the Acer Chromebook 14 for $300, or the Toshiba Chromebook 32 (2015) for $300; those I'm basically just recommending in decreasing display size. The Toshiba has one of the nicest displays, and the first Acer has the largest on a Chromebook; I'd recommend the Toshiba over the Acer 14 despite the latter's larger display, though. The HP Chromebook 13 also comes with a very nice high-resolution display for $500, in addition to a nice build and backlit keyboard. The Dell Chromebook 13 is one of the best all-around, although it's more of a tanky business-oriented machine than a flashy Mom & Pop device.

If they're really intent on spending that $1.5k then just go with the Google Pixel LS, it's the highest-quality laptop they're ever going to need. I say that as I type this out on one, and I'd recommend it over the similarly-priced highest-end HP CB 13. I'd still think they'd be in love with the $500 or $600 HP CB 13 though.

Yeah, I know it is. They don't plan to move it around. They don't want to hook it up to anything. I offered to build them a cheap desktop but they don't want it. They also said they want a windows laptop. I don't know, really. Would a chromebook be alright for printing stuff using a regular printer? The one my parents have come with software you need to install.

Atomizer
Jun 24, 2007



Ryuga Death posted:

Yeah, I know it is. They don't plan to move it around. They don't want to hook it up to anything. I offered to build them a cheap desktop but they don't want it. They also said they want a windows laptop. I don't know, really. Would a chromebook be alright for printing stuff using a regular printer? The one my parents have come with software you need to install.

Printing is the only major hitch with ChromeOS (particularly since I'm sure they probably aren't going to be using Crouton to install Ubuntu.) If it's an older printer that doesn't natively work with Google Cloud Print, you either have to setup a Raspberry Pi to be the print server (http://www.howtogeek.com/169566/how-to-turn-a-raspberry-pi-into-a-google-cloud-print-server/) or just let that old laptop you mentioned do it (https://support.google.com/cloudprint/answer/1686197?rd=1).

Other than that, a Chromebook would be fine for your parents. I'm sure they'd be quite happy with the aforementioned HP CB 13 and especially the fact that it costs a fraction of what they were originally considering on spending. They could even buy one each and still have spent less than the 1500-goddamn-dollars that they are planning on blowing on a Web browsing machine.

If they really, really want a Windows laptop, there's literally no reason to spend any more than is absolutely necessary for an entry-level device because anything you buy is going to be able to handle browsing & printing. Figure anything with an SSD, 4-8 GB of RAM, and either a xxxxU Celeron or i3 at most. You could look for something with a nice display, 1080p and maybe 15.6" or larger. Find a refurb, like the stuff that's randomly available on Woot: http://computers.woot.com/plus/a-hapless-pride-of-hp-laptops-4?ref=w_gh_cp_4_wp_7

dbcooper
Mar 21, 2008
Yams Fan

Atomizer posted:

Printing is the only major hitch with ChromeOS (particularly since I'm sure they probably aren't going to be using Crouton to install Ubuntu.) If it's an older printer that doesn't natively work with Google Cloud Print, you either have to setup a Raspberry Pi to be the print server (http://www.howtogeek.com/169566/how-to-turn-a-raspberry-pi-into-a-google-cloud-print-server/) or just let that old laptop you mentioned do it (https://support.google.com/cloudprint/answer/1686197?rd=1).

Depending on the quality of their existing printer, you could replace it with one compatible with chrome OS/Google cloud print and still have money leftover.

ArgaWarga
Apr 8, 2005

dare to fail gloriously

The motherboard on my 1.5 year old T450s is starting to go (I hate losing the warranty game). I'm assuming it's unreasonable to try and replace it, yes? I'm leaning towards replacing it with a modest T460p, anything I should know or is there something I may be missing? I'm leaning towards the T460p because a discrete graphics card sounds nice, I usually just play basic stuff like Paradox games (Stellaris, EU4, Cities Skylines) and older 3D games like Dark Souls.

Seems like a decent deal for the price

ExcessBLarg!
Sep 1, 2001

Ryuga Death posted:

They will only use it for browsing the web and paying bills. Is the Dell XPS 13 overkill for that purpose?
It's not overkill. It's a very nice machine in a lot of look-and-feel and build quality ways that regular people actually appreciate. You don't need the highest end model. 8 GB of RAM, 200+ GB SSD and the 1080p/FHD screen would be fine for them and last them a while. I would personally avoid the 1800p/QHD+ screen as Windows still has issues with scaling sometimes and you'll get better battery life out of the FHD model.

It may also be worth looking at the new Dell XPS 15 that came out a few months ago, which is basically the same as the 13 but has a bigger screen, which could work out better for them depending on how good their vision is.

Atomizer posted:

Chromebooks!
So, honestly, Chromebooks are fantastic machines within the scope of what they're designed to do, which is principally web browsing. The OS is streamlined and stays out of your way. Updates are automatic, fast, and generally unintrusive. Low-end Chromebooks are generally a better experience than low-end Windows laptops in part because Chrome OS, from a software perspective, is exceptionally consistent across all make and models.

However, as soon as you try to do something on a Chromebook that isn't in that scope the experience goes downhill fast. That's why they make great second computers, but for a lot of people, don't make for as great primary computers. If someone really just needs a web browser for paying bills, then a Chromebook is pretty solid. But if they need to use an old printer or scanner, some unusual third-party software, or not-quite-compliant PDF file, or hell just want to store photos on it, it doesn't work so well.

Atomizer posted:

If they really, really want a Windows laptop, there's literally no reason to spend any more than is absolutely necessary for an entry-level device because anything you buy is going to be able to handle browsing & printing.
Sure there is--if they want a high quality laptop with great look-and-feel, build quality, and battery runtime.

ExcessBLarg! fucked around with this message at 19:02 on Aug 5, 2016

Frankenfinger
May 1, 2007
I have twins who are both going into 7th grade this year and need laptops. I need reliable machines that can run internet browsing nonsense (and flash for school apps) basic office applications and Minecraft. The laptops also need to be as light as possible because they are not allowed to go to their lockers once school starts and therefor need to carry every single book they need for their entire day with them, from class to class.

It'd also be great if the machines could last them a couple years and not cost a ton since I have to buy two (and they have to be identical because good lord don't ever buy one that's even slightly better than the other for twins).

With all those conditions in mind, how does this latitude rank? I know nothing about modern laptops, but the dell I bought in 2002 lasted about 8 months before the battery failed and random keys stopped working on the keyboard.

Is there another solution that I'm not aware of that is better/lighter/cheaper? Thanks.

anothergod
Apr 11, 2016

Woot's got 3 y/o HP Elitebooks on a deal now. This is the one I'd get if I had to buy today.

http://computers.woot.com/offers/hp-elitebook-folio-14-500g-ssd-ultrabook?ref=cp_cnt_wp_1_4

Anything with an Intel HD Graphics 4000 or better should work just fine for your Minecraft performance. I don't think you'll get durability (especially with 12 yr old boys), low weight, *and* economy very easily, but if you're patient you gotta be able to find something. There's gotta be some back to school computer deals around. I'm just not sure if you can expect better than that one above.

Eletriarnation
Apr 6, 2005

People don't appreciate the substance of things...
objects in space.


Oven Wrangler

Frankenfinger posted:

With all those conditions in mind, how does this latitude rank? I know nothing about modern laptops, but the dell I bought in 2002 lasted about 8 months before the battery failed and random keys stopped working on the keyboard.

I have the 12.5" version of that (E6230) and think it's great for what you are describing, but you can probably get a better system for that price or a better price for that system. Check out the Dell Outlet, they have a link to a page with current coupons right out front. Probooks/Elitebooks from HP and T/X series Thinkpads are also durable and readily available refurb from the same generation.

In general you'll notice that there aren't many refurbished consumer laptops available (and the ones that are tend to be new models which are lightly used if at all) but there are a lot of refurbished business laptops. This is partly because of the common practice of leasing business systems for three years, but also because after a few years a lot of consumer laptops are falling apart anyway. The business models are definitely a good call if durability is a consideration.

The Elitebook from Woot above is still not great value for money in my book because the only thing that is really better than the Dell is the SSD - it's still an Ivy Bridge system with a 720p screen. If I'm paying more than $400 I would want full HD or a newer processor generation, both ideally.

e: Check this out - T430, which is the equivalent of the E6430, with SSD and 8GB memory for $310.

Eletriarnation fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Aug 5, 2016

DNK
Sep 18, 2004

e: ^^^^ yeah the Lenovo T-series are good quality bets

Go for build quality over specs. A child is going to do silly things with their computer like accidentally sit on it or throw a backpack around with the laptop inside of it.

You'll be far better off with a tried and true $750 business-class laptop than a $400 consumer laptop even if the specs are better on the $400 one. It WILL break. The business-class one at least has the chance of surviving two years.

e: not sure where you work but ask your local IT department if you can purchase old hardware. Or ask a friend who works at a big corporate place where there's constant hardware churn.

DNK fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Aug 5, 2016

Markovnikov
Nov 6, 2010
So are gaming laptops still a bad idea? I'll probably be moving places a couple of time in the next couple of years and the thought of dragging a pc tower and monitor along makes me want to die.

I mostly play rpgs and turn based strategy games. Don't care much about graphics quality, just want them to run well. Let's say for example, Pillars of Eternity and XCOM2.

I also need to ran Linux, had some trouble dual booting into it in the past. And my budget is under $1000. Any options? Sorry if the request is completely deluded, it's been a while since I had a proper pc or laptop so I'm completely out of the specs game.

The Iron Rose
May 12, 2012

:minnie: Cat Army :minnie:

Markovnikov posted:

So are gaming laptops still a bad idea? I'll probably be moving places a couple of time in the next couple of years and the thought of dragging a pc tower and monitor along makes me want to die.

I mostly play rpgs and turn based strategy games. Don't care much about graphics quality, just want them to run well. Let's say for example, Pillars of Eternity and XCOM2.

I also need to ran Linux, had some trouble dual booting into it in the past. And my budget is under $1000. Any options? Sorry if the request is completely deluded, it's been a while since I had a proper pc or laptop so I'm completely out of the specs game.

Well you really want to wait until September or October at a minimum since the new lineup of pascal cards are coming to laptops then. Use the opportunity to save up for a $1300 budget or so, since that ought to get you a 1070m if Maxwell sales are any indication. Similarly, if we're basing performance off of previous/current generation mobile chips, the x60m chip is going to be a huge pile of poo poo compared to the x70 chip. We're talking half the performance here.

Xcom 2 will barely run at 1080p on a 960m for reference, between 20 and 35 FPS.

Markovnikov
Nov 6, 2010

The Iron Rose posted:

Well you really want to wait until September or October at a minimum since the new lineup of pascal cards are coming to laptops then. Use the opportunity to save up for a $1300 budget or so, since that ought to get you a 1070m if Maxwell sales are any indication. Similarly, if we're basing performance off of previous/current generation mobile chips, the x60m chip is going to be a huge pile of poo poo compared to the x70 chip. We're talking half the performance here.

Xcom 2 will barely run at 1080p on a 960m for reference, between 20 and 35 FPS.

Thanks! Needed this sort of reality check. Might just go with a normal laptop for work and play whatever I can fit on the integrated graphics card.

Sininu
Jan 8, 2014

The Iron Rose posted:

Similarly, if we're basing performance off of previous/current generation mobile chips, the x60m chip is going to be a huge pile of poo poo compared to the x70 chip. We're talking half the performance here.
All the current rumors about 1060 'mobile' say it will be full desktop chip with bit lower clocks.

Frankenfinger
May 1, 2007

Eletriarnation posted:


e: Check this out - T430, which is the equivalent of the E6430, with SSD and 8GB memory for $310.


Thanks everyone for the input. Went with the T430. Hopefully they last at least until high school.

Eletriarnation
Apr 6, 2005

People don't appreciate the substance of things...
objects in space.


Oven Wrangler

Markovnikov posted:

So are gaming laptops still a bad idea? I'll probably be moving places a couple of time in the next couple of years and the thought of dragging a pc tower and monitor along makes me want to die.

I mostly play rpgs and turn based strategy games. Don't care much about graphics quality, just want them to run well. Let's say for example, Pillars of Eternity and XCOM2.

I also need to ran Linux, had some trouble dual booting into it in the past. And my budget is under $1000. Any options? Sorry if the request is completely deluded, it's been a while since I had a proper pc or laptop so I'm completely out of the specs game.

PoE is not very demanding, so something like this would work fine. From what I have heard XCOM 2 is really badly optimized, and from searches it looks like a 960M might chug some even on 1080p/medium detail. If you really aren't that concerned about quality settings though, I don't think that you necessarily need to wait for a new generation or a bigger budget. Anything less intensive than PoE should not be a concern at all.

That said, the new generation is likely so close that if you're not in a hurry it's a good time to wait. Even if you buy something from the current generation, the sales will be better.

The Iron Rose
May 12, 2012

:minnie: Cat Army :minnie:

SinineSiil posted:

All the current rumors about 1060 'mobile' say it will be full desktop chip with bit lower clocks.

still relevant for the purpose of distinguishing between the two, imo. It's not cut down, but it's in mobile units.

Remind me, were the laptops with desktop 980s (monstrosities all of them) cut down/underclocked or no?

Sininu
Jan 8, 2014

The Iron Rose posted:

Remind me, were the laptops with desktop 980s (monstrosities all of them) cut down/underclocked or no?
They weren't cut down and clock speeds were pretty much the same as well. Kinda crazy

Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

The 1070 and 1080 mobile will be full desktop chips, dunno about the 1060 etc

The 1080 does twice the work with half the thermal output, i.e. 4x the work per heat unit of current generation. That should result in some pretty significant performance increases in laptops in real world use. Mobile VR might actually be a thing for people equipped with 1080 laptops come this fall.

Atomizer
Jun 24, 2007



ExcessBLarg! posted:

It's not overkill. It's a very nice machine in a lot of look-and-feel and build quality ways that regular people actually appreciate. You don't need the highest end model. 8 GB of RAM, 200+ GB SSD and the 1080p/FHD screen would be fine for them and last them a while. I would personally avoid the 1800p/QHD+ screen as Windows still has issues with scaling sometimes and you'll get better battery life out of the FHD model.

So, honestly, Chromebooks are fantastic machines within the scope of what they're designed to do, which is principally web browsing. The OS is streamlined and stays out of your way. Updates are automatic, fast, and generally unintrusive. Low-end Chromebooks are generally a better experience than low-end Windows laptops in part because Chrome OS, from a software perspective, is exceptionally consistent across all make and models.

However, as soon as you try to do something on a Chromebook that isn't in that scope the experience goes downhill fast. That's why they make great second computers, but for a lot of people, don't make for as great primary computers. If someone really just needs a web browser for paying bills, then a Chromebook is pretty solid. But if they need to use an old printer or scanner, some unusual third-party software, or not-quite-compliant PDF file, or hell just want to store photos on it, it doesn't work so well.

Sure there is--if they want a high quality laptop with great look-and-feel, build quality, and battery runtime.

The thing is, this is a perfect case for a Chromebook, since the stated use was solely Web browsing. It's pretty ridiculous to try to justify a $1500 Windows laptop or whatever if you're just gonna browse. Also, it was explicitly mentioned that this laptop is just going to sit plugged in at a desk the whole time so battery life is irrelevant. Also, you don't have to blow anywhere near $1500 or even half that to get a high quality laptop.

He hadn't mentioned printing at first, which would've been useful information, but as we've discussed there are workarounds. Also I'm guessing that printing isn't even that important to his parents; they're probably just printing their bills out of habit instead of keeping the digital copies.

Mu Zeta
Oct 17, 2002

Me crush ass to dust

Yeah unless you're getting a massive gaming laptop or some sort of Thinkpad with a 1TB SSD I can't see justifying spending $1500. I honestly rather have like 6 Chromebooks. At least they'll be useful and you can give the extras away to family.

Spaseman
Aug 26, 2007

I'm a Securitron
RobCo security model 2060-B.
If you ever see any of my brothers tell them Victor says howdy.
Fallen Rib
I've been tasked with finding a laptop for my Grandmother that is somewhere between $350 and $450 and is also an HP (she seems to like the brand). I found this one but it does not exist on HP's site. They do acknowledge it in the support site a bit but other than that it's like HP does not recognize that the laptop exists. Is there a good reason for this or does HP just have a lovely website?

Instant Grat
Jul 31, 2009

Just add
NERD RAAAAAAGE

Spaseman posted:

I've been tasked with finding a laptop for my Grandmother that is somewhere between $350 and $450 and is also an HP (she seems to like the brand). I found this one but it does not exist on HP's site. They do acknowledge it in the support site a bit but other than that it's like HP does not recognize that the laptop exists. Is there a good reason for this or does HP just have a lovely website?

I'm not sure I understand what you mean - there's a support page for it here with manuals and driver downloads, what else do you want?

Spaseman
Aug 26, 2007

I'm a Securitron
RobCo security model 2060-B.
If you ever see any of my brothers tell them Victor says howdy.
Fallen Rib
I just don't understand why hp doesn't list it at all on their main site. It just seems odd to me that I can buy a laptop off Amazon that the manufacturer doesn't also sell.

roomforthetuna
Mar 22, 2005

I don't need to know anything about virii! My CUSTOM PROGRAM keeps me protected! It's not like they'll try to come in through the Internet or something!

Mu Zeta posted:

Yeah unless you're getting a massive gaming laptop or some sort of Thinkpad with a 1TB SSD I can't see justifying spending $1500. I honestly rather have like 6 Chromebooks. At least they'll be useful and you can give the extras away to family.
If printing is the sticking point, you can also get a new cloud-compatible laser printer for like $100, then printing from a chromebook is no problem. Though of course the useful life of this feature is limited by how long Google chooses to run their cloud print servers, and you do have to trust that Google deletes your print files (or not care that they have access to them).

Instant Grat
Jul 31, 2009

Just add
NERD RAAAAAAGE

Spaseman posted:

I just don't understand why hp doesn't list it at all on their main site. It just seems odd to me that I can buy a laptop off Amazon that the manufacturer doesn't also sell.

Consumer laptops are a maze of a million slightly different product names for slightly different laptops, or the same laptop but sold in a different region, or the same laptop but with a different brand of RAM in it, or the same guts but a different screen, etc etc. There's nothing unusual about a laptop maker not offering every single SKU for sale on their own site - that's what retailers are for. The laptop isn't gonna be any worse because you bought it from Amazon instead, and all the downloads and support you need is on their site. That's par for the course.

logis
Dec 30, 2004
Slippery Tilde
My (old) current laptop is starting to die (hard drive making noise, fan might have gone out), so its time for a new one. Currently I have a Sager laptop with i7-2630QM @ 2GHz with 8GB RAM running Windows 7 with Ubuntu installed through VM. It was a gaming laptop, so it came with a GTX 560M. All of this is probably pretty old by now, but for my typical applications (work, browsing, some gaming) I have been pretty happy (well, except when firing up the VM).

I would like a gaming-ish laptop, priced under/around $1000. Being able to run a VM (and not fall apart) and being able to run a new game (I only play about one per year), as well as being a long-lasting laptop (my last two have lasted about 5+ years) are probably my main concerns. Also, I like the keyboard on this Sager (i.e. deeper keys).

Suggestions on what to go with? Seems like Dell or Lenovo...something?

sarehu
Apr 20, 2007

(call/cc call/cc)
X62 mods for sale



1400x1050 FlexView and i5/i7 Broadwell, and VGA replaced with mini-DP and mini-HDMI. PC Card, modem, docking port don't work.

Also here's an X320, i.e. has a 13.3" 1080p screen squeezed into an X220/230 chassis, Ivy Bridge with X220 keyboard. (I think X230 with X220 keyboard is straightforward already.)

Phosphine
May 30, 2011

WHY, JUDY?! WHY?!
🤰🐰🆚🥪🦊
Hello laptop thread!

My friend wants a new laptop, mostly for browsing and casual photoshop (not for work, but she does some art and some touching up of photos, and photoshop is what she knows. CS5 if that significantly affects requirements).

Her current is a Sony Vaio SVE1112M1EP (Highlights: AMD E2-1800, 4GB ram) and it's just slow all over.

Weight isn't super important, but lighter is obviously better.

Goals: 13", 1080p, doesn't choke completely when trying to google with photoshop open.

In general I'd assume at least 8GB of ram and a fairly recent i5, but I don't really know photoshop well enough.

No gaming.

Budget: Preferably sub-600$, but I can poke her above it if doing so would get a better/longer lasting computer.

The Bumpasaurus
May 12, 2001
I can't fucking decide.
Thoughts on the x1 Carbon vs. an x260?

x1 carbon through the B&N portal is $970 and the x260 is $930 (with a backlit keyboard, which I want). Seems like the difference is basically the form factor / design, and the x260 has a 256 gb drive instead of a 180 gb.

Or I could go to an i7-6500u / 256 gb drive on the x1 instead of an i5-6300u for an extra $120.

I prefer the x1 for its weight and the bigger screen, but not sure if it's worth the extra $ when I know the x260 would be totally fine. On the other hand it's not a big price difference and I expect to have the machine for years.

Don't really play modern games. It would be nice to be able to try Cities Skylines but it looks like that needs a dedicated graphics card, so not a dealbreaker by any stretch. The most resource-intensive thing I do is GIS work. Beyond that some light Illustrator / InDesign stuff, and lots of Excel and R.

The Iron Rose
May 12, 2012

:minnie: Cat Army :minnie:

logis posted:

My (old) current laptop is starting to die (hard drive making noise, fan might have gone out), so its time for a new one. Currently I have a Sager laptop with i7-2630QM @ 2GHz with 8GB RAM running Windows 7 with Ubuntu installed through VM. It was a gaming laptop, so it came with a GTX 560M. All of this is probably pretty old by now, but for my typical applications (work, browsing, some gaming) I have been pretty happy (well, except when firing up the VM).

I would like a gaming-ish laptop, priced under/around $1000. Being able to run a VM (and not fall apart) and being able to run a new game (I only play about one per year), as well as being a long-lasting laptop (my last two have lasted about 5+ years) are probably my main concerns. Also, I like the keyboard on this Sager (i.e. deeper keys).

Suggestions on what to go with? Seems like Dell or Lenovo...something?

You wait till september and save an extra $200 while you are doing so.

babydonthurtme
Apr 21, 2005
It's my first time...
Grimey Drawer
So I've been seriously considering a chromebook for my next laptop, since my current windows thingy's keyboard is starting to go. I've got a fairly flexible budget, and have considered a lot of options re replacing it, from the XPS 13 to the updated 12" macbook to some sort of tablet + keyboard combo, but all those come with caveats at a higher price than seems justified by how they would perform, especially since I'm planning to go with a small desktop for light gaming/photo editing and would really just like to have the laptop for faffing around. If we were 3 years in the future and the Surface Book form factor was still around and had been massively improved/iterated on, that's what I'd have, since it would mean having a powerful tablet and a non-lovely keyboard dock AND a laptop all in one.

For now, I just want something in the 12-13" form factor that's reasonably thin and light, with good battery life and a great keyboard/trackpad etc. I also want a touchscreen because I just like having one. The option I'm leaning toward is one of the slightly higher-specced Dell Chromebook 13s, and conveniently the i3, 4gb touchscreen option is on sale this week. I know ~$540 before tax is more than you'd usually spend on a Chromebook, but I feel like it's worth it for the slightly bumped specs + touch. Should I camp the Dell Outlet or wait for a better deal, or is this about as good as it gets?

Mu Zeta
Oct 17, 2002

Me crush ass to dust

If I got a Chromebook today it would be this one

http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/18/5817400/the-best-chromebook

The Acer R11. It's one of the first ones that supports Android apps. $250 is just right for a Chromebook. $500+ for a Chromebook is nuts.

babydonthurtme
Apr 21, 2005
It's my first time...
Grimey Drawer

Mu Zeta posted:

If I got a Chromebook today it would be this one

http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/18/5817400/the-best-chromebook

The Acer R11. It's one of the first ones that supports Android apps. $250 is just right for a Chromebook. $500+ for a Chromebook is nuts.
I just don't know if going down to 11.6" and ditching the ability to upgrade the SSD (which I want to do, if installing ubuntu is as easy as it looks) will be worth it. There's definitely a massive price difference, though, even when you go looking for the 4gb/32gb models (whhich seem to come to $280 ish).

Quite A Tool
Jul 4, 2004

The answer is... 42
I've had a Toshiba Chromebook 2 for about two years now and it's been killer for browsing and school work. The screen quality is nuts for the price point and it handles a bunch of open tabs admirably. One of my favorite tech purchases by far. I use it to HDMI MotoGP races to my TV and experience little to no slowdown in the video too.

Atomizer
Jun 24, 2007



babydonthurtme posted:

So I've been seriously considering a chromebook for my next laptop, since my current windows thingy's keyboard is starting to go. I've got a fairly flexible budget, and have considered a lot of options re replacing it, from the XPS 13 to the updated 12" macbook to some sort of tablet + keyboard combo, but all those come with caveats at a higher price than seems justified by how they would perform, especially since I'm planning to go with a small desktop for light gaming/photo editing and would really just like to have the laptop for faffing around. If we were 3 years in the future and the Surface Book form factor was still around and had been massively improved/iterated on, that's what I'd have, since it would mean having a powerful tablet and a non-lovely keyboard dock AND a laptop all in one.

For now, I just want something in the 12-13" form factor that's reasonably thin and light, with good battery life and a great keyboard/trackpad etc. I also want a touchscreen because I just like having one. The option I'm leaning toward is one of the slightly higher-specced Dell Chromebook 13s, and conveniently the i3, 4gb touchscreen option is on sale this week. I know ~$540 before tax is more than you'd usually spend on a Chromebook, but I feel like it's worth it for the slightly bumped specs + touch. Should I camp the Dell Outlet or wait for a better deal, or is this about as good as it gets?

Now this is something I can work with! :)

As far as installing Ubuntu goes, yeah, it's pretty simple. You basically enable Developer mode (a few keystrokes, and 5-10 minutes to let the system do its thing,) login & setup ChromeOS, then download the Crouton script, and type a console command. Then you answer a few prompts (like account name & password) and let the script work (maybe 15-20 minutes?) This is still a good guide: http://www.howtogeek.com/162120/how-to-install-ubuntu-linux-on-your-chromebook-with-crouton/

I can give you a specific Chromebook recommendation based on your criteria. First, you're not really going to find anything literally within 12-13" except for the Pixel, which is great but not necessarily supposed to be your first Chromebook purchase (I upgraded to one when I realized I loved ChromeOS and did everything in it, so decided to get something nicer than my old c710.) With that in mind you're looking at 13.3" displays, and there are really only two with touchscreens: there's an upcoming Lenovo Thinkpad 13 CB in addition to the Dell you're looking at.

You will 100% love the Dell, and barring a hypothetical refresh with USB-C ports you're not missing out on anything. The non-touch Thinkpad 13 is out now if you want to check out reviews and decide if it's worth waiting until maybe October for the touchscreen versions. Otherwise just jump on a Dell now, although I'd recommend 8 GB of RAM if you can spring for it, unless you're really not a heavy user.

If you don't like those options then you're going to have to consider a smaller display size; the aforementioned Acer R11 is good and everyone loves the Asus Flip (which may have an upgrade coming soon.)

TITTIEKISSER69
Mar 19, 2005

SAVE THE BEES
PLANT MORE TREES
CLEAN THE SEAS
KISS TITTIESS




Mu Zeta posted:

If I got a Chromebook today it would be this one

http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/18/5817400/the-best-chromebook

The Acer R11. It's one of the first ones that supports Android apps. $250 is just right for a Chromebook. $500+ for a Chromebook is nuts.

Now this looks interesting, since it can convert Yoga-style into a tablet I wonder if it could be mounted inside a car and used for Android Auto.

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Atomizer
Jun 24, 2007



Wilford Cutlery posted:

Now this looks interesting, since it can convert Yoga-style into a tablet I wonder if it could be mounted inside a car and used for Android Auto.

Why wouldn't you just use an Android device for that (as intended) instead of trying to run the Android Auto app via ARC on a Chromebook (especially when you'd just be flipping the keyboard over and using it as a tablet anyway)? :confused:

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