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thechosenone posted:Decided I'd order the Acer you showed me. It does have dual-channel RAM right? It does, but it's actually a member of this new trend of laptops that have some RAM soldered on with one available slot (check the item specs.) In this case, it's 4 GB onboard with another 4 GB module, and you could upgrade it to 20 GB max with a 16 GB module, but if anything the most practical and cost-effective option would be to just swap the 4 for an 8 GB module and be done with it at 12 GB, which is plenty for that type of lower-end gaming laptop. You can still find laptops with the more traditional dual DIMM slots though (check that filtered list.) NewFatMike posted:Thanks for clarifying that for me, I could have done better! Yeah it actually caught me by surprise at first, because I didn't think they'd release those mobile APUs that were heavily gimped compared to the already-modest desktop counterparts, but keep a very similar naming scheme (and the 2200U vs. 2200G has like a 3x difference in performance between the two, which is especially deceptive.) At least with Intel iGPUs we have our expectations set low to begin with so there's little confusion there.
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Oct 7, 2018 00:05
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Unsinkabear posted:Nvidia normally doesn't need those reboots to power graphics on and off, that's only on Gsync machines because the Optimus firmware that does the smart switching is incompatible with Gysnc for some reason. It's required because Optimus keeps the display connected to the iGPU and just does the rendering on the dGPU, then passes frames over PCIe. This adds latency (which makes it incompatible with VR) and means it can't work with G-Sync (but this is also why doing basically the same thing through an AMD GPU allows Freesync to work). Going in to the mode that allows G-Sync and VR actually switches the connections internally and hooks the display up to the dGPU. This probably shouldn't actually require a reboot, I can definitely switch my monitor back and forth between dGPU and iGPU on my desktop and it works fine, but I'm sure there were a few weird quirks affecting 0.01% of the userbase. That's insignificant to us individuals but would be a huge support issue at the scale of a big-name OEM, so they require the reboot just to avoid the trouble. Older Mac laptops that had their first-gen switchable graphics before the framebuffer swapping stuff was sorted out required all users to log out, probably for similar reasons.
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Oct 7, 2018 01:37
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How is the Lenovo ThinkPad P1? I can't seem to find many substantial reviews for it, but it looks like a beast for the weight (3.76 lbs). The Quadro P2000 seems like an analog for a GTX1050 Ti, which is good enough for me when gaming on the go. And it looks like the RAM and storage are upgradeable? edit: Seems like the ThinkPad X1 Extreme is nearly the same, with less of the enterprise workstation features. space marine todd fucked around with this message at 21:39 on Oct 7, 2018 |
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Oct 7, 2018 21:23
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Idk the exact differences between the P1 and X1 Extreme, but I think unless you know for certain that you need a Quadro GPU, you probably want the latter. I'm typing this on a 1080p X1 Extreme. I've only had it a few days, but so far I absolutely love it. Gaming performance is solid, the color accuracy is shockingly good for a 1080p matte screen from Lenovo, the touchpad is precise, the keyboard is wonderful, it's nice and light for a 15" multimedia laptop, and I can actually use it screen for work on the road. By comparison 14" and below feels a little cramped whenever I'm not plugged into a monitor (most UIs/tasks are fine, but it only takes one that isn't fine to make your whole workflow annoying). Compared to the XPS 15 you accept a larger footprint and 20% less battery in exchange for a bit lower weight, better cooling, a second drive slot, a non-nostril-view webcam, not having to replace the WiFi card, and (in my highly subjective opinion) a more sexy and professional all-black aesthetic. Also it comes with the Trackpoint nipple but unless you're an old grandpa at heart like me, you won't care about that. It just comes down to your preferences on those minor factors. My only beef with it so far is that it's a fingerprint magnet, which is also true of the XPS 15. Notebookcheck reviewed the 4k version and gave it very high marks in spite of its flaws, and none of those flaws apply to the 1080p version except the fans and CPU performance on battery which are easily user-corrected. Unless Dell announces in the next 27 days that their new XPS 15 has a relocated webcam and improved thermals, I think I'm keeping this laptop. 
Unsinkabear fucked around with this message at 23:03 on Oct 7, 2018 |
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Oct 7, 2018 22:44
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Unsinkabear posted:I'm typing this on a 1080p X1 Extreme. I've only had it a few days, but so far I absolutely love it. Gaming performance is solid, the color accuracy is shockingly good for a 1080p matte screen from Lenovo, the touchpad is precise, the keyboard is wonderful, it's nice and light for a 15" multimedia laptop, and I can actually use it screen for work on the road. By comparison 14" and below feels a little cramped whenever I'm not plugged into a monitor (most UIs/tasks are fine, but it only takes one that isn't fine to make your whole workflow annoying). Awesome, that sounds exactly like what I'm looking for, especially a beefy CPU that can scale up with an eGPU. I definitely want the 1080p version (I still don't get the lust for 4k screens on laptops). Which CPU did you get with it?
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Oct 7, 2018 23:00
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space marine todd posted:Awesome, that sounds exactly like what I'm looking for, especially a beefy CPU that can scale up with an eGPU. I definitely want the 1080p version (I still don't get the lust for 4k screens on laptops). I got the standard ready-to-ship model with i7-8750H. It's much cheaper than a custom config of the same parts (at least for now), and aside from the lack of IR camera it's pretty much exactly what I wanted.
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Oct 7, 2018 23:06
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Unsinkabear posted:I got the standard ready-to-ship model with i7-8750H. It's much cheaper than a custom config of the same parts (at least for now), and aside from the lack of IR camera it's pretty much exactly what I wanted. Got it. Did you undervolt/plan on undervolting? space marine todd fucked around with this message at 23:22 on Oct 7, 2018 |
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Oct 7, 2018 23:15
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space marine todd posted:Got it. Did you undervolt/plan on undervolting? I do plan to but won't have time till Tuesday at the earliest, if you're still on the fence by then I'll let you know how it goes.
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Oct 8, 2018 04:47
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Where do I start looking for about a $1200 budget mild gaming laptop? Acer Predator line?
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Oct 8, 2018 14:11
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For "mild gaming" I wouldn't buy anything actually gaming-branded. I say T480s with MX150 for that budget, but that's based on nothing more than my own personal preference because you didn't really tell us what you want, need, and are used to
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Oct 8, 2018 14:40
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Has anybody put a >1G NIC in to a normal size laptop yet (meaning not some ultra-gaming monster like the MSI GT75VR)? I know 10G over copper has some power consumption issues which would not be ideal for mobile use, but what about the 2.5/5G varieties? I've been pretty picky about the built in ethernet port in my search for a new laptop, but I was just thinking that I'll probably start upgrading my home network in the next year or so and so if I can't get higher speeds built in maybe I just give in to the dongle early and stop caring about what's actually inside the device.
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Oct 8, 2018 16:05
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Sonnet still makes that 10GB Thunderbolt adapter for $999, right?
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Oct 8, 2018 16:10
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Bob Morales posted:Sonnet still makes that 10GB Thunderbolt adapter for $999, right? The plan if I couldn't find something with it internal was to go with an Aquantia AQC111U based USB 5GBaseT dongle which is supposed to be around $100, but it seems that no one's actually shipping that just yet. Thunderbolt 10G adapters are definitely out of my price range.
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Oct 8, 2018 17:31
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AgentCow007 posted:You'll need discrete graphics for bl2 so yes, you're asking for a "gaming laptop". If you want something cheaper than that, it'll be used, or it won't run bl2. I think anything with a Intel hd4600 will do just fine I was playing borderlands 2 on a 2010 era gtx 460 when it came out years ago. You don't need much to game at 1366x768 @ 40fps Probably like a T440 off of eBay for $300, should survive for 2-3 years would do it. I would not buy new if you are balking at a $700 bill.
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Oct 8, 2018 17:45
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Any recommendations for a 2in1 or surface pro equivalent? Looking for a semi-work machine, mostly office apps and hand-written note taking. No real gaming or anything strenuous but I'd be looking for at least an i5. Current laptop is roughly 5 years old, looking for a similar lifespan. A couple of my co-workers have used surfaces for this and they seem to like them for it, checking the competition like the Thinkpad x1 tablet I've read a few reviews that take issue with the screen material for writing. The new surface doesn't seem to inspire confidence and is missing a usb-c port while charging for the pen/keyboard.
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Oct 8, 2018 18:11
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Hadlock posted:I think anything with a Intel hd4600 will do just fine Seriously you can pretty much type anything into youtube now it seems and there'll be a video on it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Na71jTndHU If anyone wants to game, look up the graphics chip and some games you want to play (or equivalents from the same generation) and see how it looks
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Oct 8, 2018 20:31
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The new Lenovo Vantage has that cool charging threshold thing that you guys were mentioning from the Dell power management software (set it to only go up to 80% to reduce battery wear, and then toggle it on/off from taskbar when you need the full charge). I normally do a clean install of Windows so I don't know if this is standard on all Lenovo machines, just Thinkpads, or just the X1. But thanks for mentioning it or I probably wouldn't have tried it out.
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Oct 9, 2018 14:48
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I just upgraded the SSD in my X1Y3, and did a fresh install. You can install Vantage from the store. When you fire it up it does download an 'update' that runs a traditional installer. I'm guessing that's for bypassing the sandbox. There was a time where I was opposed to crap like this, but this one can mostly stay out of the way and does significantly reduce the janitoring I have to do, so uh good job Lenovo.
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Oct 9, 2018 16:51
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Gaming laptops and factory installed programs that are useful...huh
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Oct 9, 2018 17:32
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The downside is it shares all your data with the world, but for many people this is an acceptable tradeoff. 
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Oct 9, 2018 17:40
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I for one enjoy having my SSL certificate trust records tampered with by the Chinese and web telemetry sent in to a black hole from the factory * cough * Lenovo * cough * Which reminds me, I need to reinstall Windows 10 from scratch and then upgrade to pro to turn off all the consumer app store bullshit. After having Windows pro on my thinkpad for years with all the consumer stuff dialed down or turned completely off, it's amazing how much advertising and soft pitching the consumer version does. Windows 10 pro gives you a lot more lattitude to run the os more tightly.
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Oct 9, 2018 22:15
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Hadlock posted:I for one enjoy having my SSL certificate trust records tampered with by the Chinese and web telemetry sent in to a black hole from the factory * cough * Lenovo * cough *
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Oct 9, 2018 22:17
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I am close to pulling the trigger on the most expensive DELL XPS 13. Right now it looks like Best Buy has it for $1669. I am less trusting of shady 3rd party Amazon sellers and see lots of different models on their site. Is there anywhere else I should be looking for this model laptop? It looks like I am going to have to purchase it online since the stores around me don't carry the 4k 16gig ram with 1tb SSD models. I know black friday is 6 weeks away but I am suspect of whether this model will drop in price that much around then. It's usually the base or one step up models that go on sale.
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Oct 10, 2018 05:13
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The Dell site tends to have coupons, and you can get reductions like "15% off all XPS laptops", especially around Big Deal Times The outlet too if you're up for that e- although if it is a brand new 4k 16GB model with the 1TB SSD then that looks insanely cheap, the Dell site has it for $1679 (and that's 14% off, there's a $50-off code on the listing you can apply too) - and that's with the 256GB SSD. It's a lol $500 to add a 1TB drive instead, but even so that's a pretty big discount you're talking about! Dunno if I'd expect to see anything close to that This is assuming it's the 9370 you're talking about and it's not a refurb baka kaba fucked around with this message at 05:36 on Oct 10, 2018 |
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Oct 10, 2018 05:20
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Nostalgia4Ass posted:I am close to pulling the trigger on the most expensive DELL XPS 13. Right now it looks like Best Buy has it for $1669. I am less trusting of shady 3rd party Amazon sellers and see lots of different models on their site. Is there anywhere else I should be looking for this model laptop? It looks like I am going to have to purchase it online since the stores around me don't carry the 4k 16gig ram with 1tb SSD models. Depending on how patient you're willing to be there might be a site-wide coupon rather than model specific price drops. When I got my XPS15 a few weeks back it was with a 17% off code that was good on everything.
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Oct 10, 2018 05:25
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isndl posted:Depending on how patient you're willing to be there might be a site-wide coupon rather than model specific price drops. When I got my XPS15 a few weeks back it was with a 17% off code that was good on everything. It looks like the same model on Dell's website is $2219 compared to $1669 on Best Buy's site. They REALLY markup those SSD though. 550 dollars to upgrade from 256 gigs to 1Tb is where most of the price difference is coming from. I am not going to stress a hundred dollars or two in either direction if I buy now instead of wait. I am really just trying to make sure I am not making a terrible mistake buying right before a giant reduction in prices or something. The most I've spent on a laptop in the past was 1500 for a MacBook 6 or 6 years ago. I need something fast and light that I can dual boot linux with so I can take it to work and do some programming and school work type stuff on it. Everyone I've seen recommends this laptop or a fancy Lenovo Thinkpads but I've played around with both and prefer the Dell.
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Oct 10, 2018 05:36
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Oh you posted while I was editing When I was gettin a Dell I spent a bunch of time watching the sites for deals (not the US ones but still) and the discounts weren't that steep - especially considering the model on the Dell site is already 14% off. It would take a pretty hefty discount just to bring it to the same price as the one you're looking at, never mind beating it But yeah check it's not an older model, or a refurb - if it's the latter the Dell outlet has that model for $1620, plus there's a 12% off coupon on the main page
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Oct 10, 2018 05:43
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baka kaba posted:The Dell site tends to have coupons, and you can get reductions like "15% off all XPS laptops", especially around Big Deal Times I've personally seen Dell customer service chat people hand out one time use 10% coupons if you say you're trying to decide between X and Y. Never hurts to ask.
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Oct 10, 2018 05:45
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Last year i got the QHD+/16g 9360 for a sick rear end discount (new) on black friday. It was actually a week long sale thing, I think, not the day itself. I also got the 256g because lol at $500 for that HD. One of these days I'll get around to throwing a 1 TB drive in there
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Oct 10, 2018 14:29
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Hadlock posted:I for one enjoy having my SSL certificate trust records tampered with by the Chinese and web telemetry sent in to a black hole from the factory * cough * Lenovo * cough * I was considering options from Dell, Lenovo, and Huawei, all of which manufacture in China afaik. I guess Dell at least isn't a Chinese-owned, but idk how much difference that makes. I don't know anything about this. Is it a legitimate risk I should be concerned about?
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Oct 10, 2018 17:40
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Are there usually Black Friday/holiday deals for Lenovo laptops that are worth waiting for? I won't be getting my laptop until I move in November anyway, but I don't know if there will be deals better than the B&N Gold program.
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Oct 10, 2018 18:37
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Unsinkabear posted:I was considering options from Dell, Lenovo, and Huawei, all of which manufacture in China afaik. I guess Dell at least isn't a Chinese-owned, but idk how much difference that makes. Only if you're a racist.
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Oct 10, 2018 19:42
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Tsyni posted:Only if you're a racist. Uh, if you look at the context of the two posts I was replying to (sketchiness in networking by China's government) I hope it's obvious that the skin color of the people assembling my poo poo was not the loving concern. 
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Oct 10, 2018 20:58
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XPS-havers, how do you like your fingerprint scanners? This one on the X1 Extreme is giving me trouble about 50% of the time.
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Oct 10, 2018 21:47
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v good, but I had to update the driver to make it reliable. Also maybe redo the setup and make sure you're placing your finger in realistic ways instead of perfectly each time - like do some standing up, that kind of thing
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Oct 10, 2018 21:54
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Unsinkabear posted:Uh, if you look at the context of the two posts I was replying to (sketchiness in networking by China's government) I hope it's obvious that the skin color of the people assembling my poo poo was not the loving concern. it did sort of seem like you were treating them as a wholly inferior race tbh
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Oct 10, 2018 22:24
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Don't pile on someone for asking if all this paranoia about Chinese hardware and security is actually anything to worry about, especially since it's hyped up in the media and by the government more and more every day (look at this Bloomberg thing right now). There's definitely people out there pushing a racist yellow peril attitude, but bear's post wasn't doing that at all?
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Oct 10, 2018 22:59
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Fwiw i was joking
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Oct 10, 2018 23:43
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Sorry bud, just felt like it was getting generally shady in here 
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Oct 11, 2018 00:43
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I appreciate both posts and I almost took yours seriously too, don't blame baba kaba. That ultra-dry irony posting is dangerous.
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Oct 11, 2018 00:47
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