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NewFatMike posted:Have you checked any Chromebooks? I think that's sincerely going to be your best option. A new Windows laptop under $650 is going to be an incredibly ehhhhhhhhhhh purchase, and that budget will get you an awesome Chromebook that can do those things. I can't figure out what makes for a good chromebook. I'm not versed in the celeron processor series like I am with Intel iX stuff. Any suggestions in my budget?
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Apr 2, 2019 02:20
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Deviant posted:I was looking at the Acer Aspire E15 (either in i3 or probably the i5 variant to get the SSD) for my father who primarily browses the web and watches streaming cable TV via HDMI to his television. Is this my best option, or can I do better for the same 300-600 budget? I got this for my Dad for Christmas (the i3). I added an M.2 SSD and upgraded his memory so it would be dual channel. He is ridiculously happy with it. He really wanted an SD card reader and DVD player and this has both.
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Apr 2, 2019 02:57
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Deviant posted:I can't figure out what makes for a good chromebook. I'm not versed in the celeron processor series like I am with Intel iX stuff. Any suggestions in my budget? Does your CS program offer a recommendation? I'd go with whatever you can get within their input.
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Apr 2, 2019 03:36
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Deviant posted:I can't figure out what makes for a good chromebook. I'm not versed in the celeron processor series like I am with Intel iX stuff. Any suggestions in my budget? Just within your budget, the Samsung Chromebook Pro & Plus models should be worth a look! The Plus especially handles Android apps well, and the USB-C charging may be a sell on convenience. They have all sorts of other good quality of life stuff, like screen resolution, stylus, and tablet mode. If you do family tech support, I gave my ma and partner old Chromebooks of mine, and I haven't really had to do anything. I'm on mobile, but definitely check out the Chromebook megathread! Some links in here have dropped for it as well. E: link: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3838891
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Apr 2, 2019 03:55
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isndl posted:There are refurbished laptops that are cheap and plenty good, but it's hard to suggest anything more specific than that without use case details. 13" is light and portable for taking to class but 15" gets you the bigger screen for multitasking or keeping documentation and code windows side by side, different models have different keyboard feel, etc. I guess I can go to a store before I buy online and try out the keyboard and see if I hate it. I'm not a big snob but I really hate the squishy ones. I use cherry reds at home. I guess I'll mostly be using it at uni etc or on the train or sometimes a plane, I have a dekstop at home. I don't really need a great GPU, on board will probably be fine, I don't play games that much anymore anyway and I have a 1060 at home. If I do something that requires a good GPU I can probably just leave it running at home. I just want to be able to code my assignments, write the reports, and perhaps use it for light work stuff after I graduate (I expect that I'll have a plenty powerful enough workstation at any sort of dev job). If I need a fantastic laptop for work I'll have much more disposable income. I would like whatever I get now to be usable for a few years though. My assignments have all been pretty straightforward, nothing with insane compute times except for an algorithm analysis course where I purposely fed it enough input to run it for a few hours (one algorithm did the last input set in minutes, the other took like 90), and honestly I can just leave that sorta stuff running on the desktop while I do other things on the laptop. I don't think I need something insane, I just want cheap and capable of running my visual studio based assignments (c# and f#) without too much hassle. if 13 inch is cheaper then 13 it is, I don't know if 15 is comfortable enough (personally) to have stuff side by side anyway, I'd probably just end up alt tabbing like I do on the single monitor desktops at uni. The problem I have is that I can't be productive unless I'm at home or uni, and at uni half the time I have to connect to a VM because the software on the actual computers is very out of date (if its there at all).
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Apr 2, 2019 07:05
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isndl posted:I do think that you should stick to a Windows laptop rather than a Chromebook as someone else suggested, they're much cheaper but generally lack CPU power (compile times will suck) and you don't want to run the risk of being unable to run whatever piece of software is necessary for a class, whether it's switching to a new programming environment or testing executables that your partners compiled. I started coding on a Celeron/Atom low budget crap top laptop recently for grins recently Previously on my Mac Pro I just assumed that the pylint was instantaneous for a couple thousand lines of Django web app Now it's like 8-10 seconds to lint 200 lines of a single class it's pathetic and agonizingly slow Low end Chromebooks are great for English majors, sort of ok crutches for developers
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Apr 2, 2019 11:54
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For cheap laptops I'm a big fan of the dell outlet. If you can be a bit patient and wait for relevant coupons you can get some fantastic deals. I was able to stack deals around black friday and got a refurbished 5379 for $400 and after putting in another 8gb ram and a big SSD it's a great do-it-all small laptop.
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Apr 2, 2019 13:31
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harmless_fun posted:I got this for my Dad for Christmas (the i3). I added an M.2 SSD and upgraded his memory so it would be dual channel. He is ridiculously happy with it. He really wanted an SD card reader and DVD player and this has both. what SSD and ram did you buy? if I can make one amazon stop that'd be ideal. Amazon listing says it already has 6gb of dual channel ram? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079TGL2BZ
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Apr 2, 2019 16:15
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https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-edge/ThinkPad-E585/p/22TP2TEE585 are these any good, was thinking about the bottom level one (949 aud)
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Apr 3, 2019 07:48
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Not as good as true ThinkPads (P/T/X/W series). The E series is the ThinkPad Edge, which is better than the IdeaPad but a step down from the full-on business models. Also I have no idea if those AMD CPU are any good or not.
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Apr 3, 2019 07:58
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TITTIEKISSER69 posted:Not as good as true ThinkPads (P/T/X/W series). The E series is the ThinkPad Edge, which is better than the IdeaPad but a step down from the full-on business models. Also I have no idea if those AMD CPU are any good or not. Does not as good mean bad? Are there any pitfalls? Someone on the reddit laptop discord suggested it to me https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-edge/ThinkPad-E580/p/22TP2TEE580 They have an Intel version as well, the intel version is $20 more but you get a 256gb ssd vs 125 for the ryzen. Upgrading the ryzen to 256 costs $50 and i was going to do that so the intel version is $30 cheaper E: Apparently the intel version underperofms really badly to keep temps down? underage at the vape shop fucked around with this message at 08:13 on Apr 3, 2019 |
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Apr 3, 2019 08:05
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The E model has a plastic frame which is subject to getting stress cracks in the frame, squeaking, rattling etc like you would expect from any consumer level laptop. The build quality is still quite a bit higher than a $400 USD Dell bought at Best Buy. The E is still built to hit a certain price point. With any other Thinkpad, you're getting a magnesium or carbon fiber frame that is considerably more durable, generally higher quality parts etc. Price is a factor but there is a quality floor; hinges, keyboard, components are all midgrade or higher E series is something you buy for the QA department or similar where quality doesn't matter, and the employee isn't going to leave because they're insulted with the laptop you gave them, because you have a purchase contract. T, X or W series is something you buy for your engineers, data scientists, sales people where it's traveling a lot, quality or appearance matters, and reliability matter (for example I needed to replace the keyboard on my Mac at work but had to suffer as it would have taken too much time up transition to a different laptop, in silicon valley you can easily pay an engineer the value of a quality laptop the time it takes them to install all their software, tool chains, etc... reliability and quality of parts matter as downtime is expensive) Also, I haven't checked lately but I don't think the E series has the self draining keyboard If you want a Thinkpad on a budget check out the T or X series refurbished. Pretty sure we discuss the E series in the OP too I wouldn't worry about CPU throttling, all modern CPUs will do it pushed hard enough, it's highly unlikely you'll push all 4/8 cores at 100% for more than a few seconds on any given day
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Apr 3, 2019 08:27
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I don't neccessarily want a thinkpad, but I want to try and spend no more than a grand AU. I can get 10% off at the AU dell outlet but even then the cheapest XPS13 is still $1100. Couldn't find a proper dell style outlet on lenovos site, their equivalent feels more like a SALE BUY NOW LIMITED TIME thing where the sale always ends 12 hours from now. The prices are the same as their normal site.
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Apr 3, 2019 13:46
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Is there a secret way to sort Lenovo's refurbs by model, or just stupid things like screen size, CPU, etc?
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Apr 3, 2019 14:58
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Bob Morales posted:Is there a secret way to sort Lenovo's refurbs by model, or just stupid things like screen size, CPU, etc? I found this site off of the Thinkpad reddit, it has some ability to filter: https://lw.ofwiz.com/
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Apr 3, 2019 15:23
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Anyone have any experience with the HP Envy or Spectre lines? HP is having a sale and there's some decent-looking deals such as this: https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-spectre-x360-13-ae052nr?jumpid=ma_hp-days-sale_product-tile_laptops_5_2lv00ua_hp-spectre-x360-lapt
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Apr 3, 2019 15:40
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I ended up with the i3 model Acer Aspire, and put a 250gb ssd in it, feels snappy and should suit his needs nicely. After I blew away the existing crapware loaded windows install, that is.
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Apr 3, 2019 18:09
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If I'm stalking the Lenovo outlet for deals, is there a significant difference between the X1 Yoga 2G and 3G, other than about $500? I'm replacing an older model Yoga that I use for work so either one will be a big upgrade and I'm inclined to go for the cheaper option but wanted to check before I settled.
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Apr 3, 2019 18:19
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Everything Burrito posted:If I'm stalking the Lenovo outlet for deals, is there a significant difference between the X1 Yoga 2G and 3G, other than about $500? I'm replacing an older model Yoga that I use for work so either one will be a big upgrade and I'm inclined to go for the cheaper option but wanted to check before I settled. I just got a 3G, and have a 1G for work. Depending on your use case, it may not be a material difference. My 1G for work is really really good and solid. It's an i5 and handles pretty much everything I throw at it (good size excel and data models, etc.). My basic point is that my 1G is still a fantastic computer so if you're not looking for the bleeding edge, you will not be disappointed. It's form factor is nearly identical, but the screen is better on the 3G. Hoping someone else can provide more feedback on the specific hardware, as I'm pretty dumb about all of that stuff other than more is gooder.
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Apr 3, 2019 18:58
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Just got a Lenovo Legion Y520 instead of the Yoga 720 I ordered  Amazon seller seems willing to fix it quickly, so hopefully I have my new laptop soonish.
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Apr 3, 2019 19:05
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BrianBoitano posted:Just got a Lenovo Legion Y520 instead of the Yoga 720 I ordered I have a y720 and I like it lots. There is some Lenovo advantage stuff you should turn off and I undervolted mine wth throttle stop. Now the fans are generally silent unless you're actually doing something heavy duty. edit: ok I actually have a 730. maybe that will still apply. Tsyni fucked around with this message at 21:58 on Apr 3, 2019 |
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Apr 3, 2019 19:20
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What's the cheapest thing to get to run rimworld while bored at work?
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Apr 3, 2019 21:25
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Anyone have experience or strong opinions on 2-in-1s / writing devices? I got a Surface Pro 6 and I love handwriting in OneNote for school, but I'm considering returning it and trying a 2-in-1 instead because it's so clunky for every other purpose. I don't need it to be a primary device, but it would be cool if it was a little more versatile.
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Apr 3, 2019 22:41
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When I had an SP(4) for work as a primary device I thought it was excellent - been pining for one ever since moving jobs. It spent probably 80% of its time docked however. What are you finding clunky? Others said good things about the yoga 2in1 in the past although it is more laptop than tablet.
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Apr 4, 2019 01:20
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headlight posted:When I had an SP(4) for work as a primary device I thought it was excellent - been pining for one ever since moving jobs. It spent probably 80% of its time docked however. What are you finding clunky? Using the type cover is pretty awkward on small desks because of the kickstand. Plus right now it gets so hot while charging that it's sort of scary. I believe it's actually throttling charging because the battery indicator thing says "connected (not charging)" even if the battery is nowhere near full. It's a shame because the build quality is phenomenal.
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Apr 4, 2019 01:56
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AgentCow007 posted:Anyone have experience or strong opinions on 2-in-1s / writing devices? I got a Surface Pro 6 and I love handwriting in OneNote for school, but I'm considering returning it and trying a 2-in-1 instead because it's so clunky for every other purpose. I don't need it to be a primary device, but it would be cool if it was a little more versatile. Depending on your use case they're fine, the Surface Pro is better about lying on your desk at a slight angle for handwriting or being held like a clipboard (since you can flip the type cover around so you aren't mashing keys). Stylus support usually isn't as precise as the Surface but that's mostly an issue for art not notes. Definitely stick to 13" if you plan handling it a lot, 15" is too heavy and bulky for most people. AgentCow007 posted:Using the type cover is pretty awkward on small desks because of the kickstand. Plus right now it gets so hot while charging that it's sort of scary. I believe it's actually throttling charging because the battery indicator thing says "connected (not charging)" even if the battery is nowhere near full. It's a shame because the build quality is phenomenal. If it's stopping consistently at the same % it might be the battery lifespan saver, it's a feature with newer processors. I have my laptop set to stop charging at around 60% for example since it spends almost all its time plugged in anyways so it's just a glorified UPS for when I need to move to another desk.
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Apr 4, 2019 02:13
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ErikTheRed posted:Anyone have any experience with the HP Envy or Spectre lines? HP is having a sale and there's some decent-looking deals such as this: https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-spectre-x360-13-ae052nr?jumpid=ma_hp-days-sale_product-tile_laptops_5_2lv00ua_hp-spectre-x360-lapt I have/had a 13" spectre x360, I'm really fond of it. After 18 months or so my only negative feedback is that the hinge has started to loosen a little, which would potentially be annoying if you liked to use it in "tent" mode a lot. It's nothing catastrophic, just not as snug as I would like. Otherwise it's pretty hard to beat for the price, since, from my perspective, only the xps 13, macbook pro, and X1 Carbon are arguably better laptops, and they all cost a fair bit more. I recently replaced it with an X1 Carbon basically because I'm bad with money. The x360 is still in great shape.
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Apr 4, 2019 03:56
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The MS Store had a sale on Huawei Matebook X Pro over the weekend (899) so I picked one up. Seems quite nice so far, screen especially. 3:2 ratio is a godsend. The arrow keys do function in combo with FN for PgUp/Down/etc even though they aren't labeled as such (so basically equivalent to other keyboards). That it comes with 1xUSBC 1xTB and 1xUSB3 is also very nice in this day and age. Gonna miss the SD card slot that my original XPS 13 had though. Also the fan can get fanny. Now to have all my data shipped off to China. lurksion fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Apr 4, 2019 |
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Apr 4, 2019 04:02
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Submarine Sandpaper posted:What's the cheapest thing to get to run rimworld while bored at work? You can probably get away with an X230 for about $150 shipped. I think the improved integrated graphics in the X240 is probably worth the extra $20-50. Minimum GPU is the HD3000, that would mean a $100 X220 but the HD3000 is about 30% slower than the HD4000 that comes in the X230, and the HD4600 in the X240 is probably double the speed of a HD3000 Caveat; the trackpad on the X240 is flaming dumpster fire bad
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Apr 4, 2019 04:24
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Deviant posted:what SSD and ram did you buy? if I can make one amazon stop that'd be ideal. Dual channel kicks in when both sticks are the same. It's not a huge deal, but I also wanted him to have 8gb, so I swapped the 2gb stick for a 4gb. I got the ram from NewEgg.
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Apr 4, 2019 04:34
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Deviant posted:I ended up with the i3 model Acer Aspire, and put a 250gb ssd in it, feels snappy and should suit his needs nicely. That's what I used to recommend all the time: get the $350 Acer Aspire E 15 (-33BM) and upgrade the SSD/RAM and you've got an excellent entry-level Windows laptop for ~$450. harmless_fun posted:Dual channel kicks in when both sticks are the same. It's not a huge deal, but I also wanted him to have 8gb, so I swapped the 2gb stick for a 4gb. I got the ram from NewEgg. And aside from the fact that we haven't had many requests for cheap Windows laptops recently, I stopped recommending the above because they replaced the aforementioned Kaby Lake Aspire and replaced it with an inferior newer model, which among other things has that odd RAM configuration (they went from 4 GB DDR4 to 2+4 GB DDR3 for some reason.) Other than that, it's still a better device than pretty much any other new <$500 Windows laptop. Submarine Sandpaper posted:What's the cheapest thing to get to run rimworld while bored at work? Hadlock gave you some specific suggestions, but I was just going to say that anything with an Intel iGPU should run it. So pretty much anything you can find with, say, an i3, perhaps something used off eBay should suffice. AgentCow007 posted:Anyone have experience or strong opinions on 2-in-1s / writing devices? I got a Surface Pro 6 and I love handwriting in OneNote for school, but I'm considering returning it and trying a 2-in-1 instead because it's so clunky for every other purpose. I don't need it to be a primary device, but it would be cool if it was a little more versatile. The only issue is that the convertible 2-in-1s are clunky as tablets because they're generally larger and heavier, with the keyboard sticking out of the back where you're trying to hold it. Other than that they're probably more practical than detachables (unless you primarily need a tablet) which are often top-heavy and unstable.
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Apr 4, 2019 09:05
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Yeah I'm sad that those are the only two reasonably-priced options. The Wild West of convertible hinges was crazy but fun times 
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Apr 4, 2019 19:16
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Dell Vostro 14 5000 $549 shipped after code - 256GB SSD, 8th Gen i5, 8GB RAM, 1080p screen
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Apr 4, 2019 20:46
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lurksion posted:The MS Store had a sale on Huawei Matebook X Pro over the weekend (899) so I picked one up. Another other impressions such as the gaming performance or speaker quality?
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Apr 4, 2019 22:28
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etalian posted:Another other impressions such as the gaming performance or speaker quality? I ended up returning mine, probably for stupid reasons but it throttled pretty badly and got super fan noisy when gaming. Speakers were pretty good and loud for a laptop.
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Apr 5, 2019 02:47
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https://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&brandid=2201&fid=200001quote:Certified Refurbished This strike me as a pretty good deal on a solid computer yeah? Those Dell refurbs are good as new and thats the 9360 refresh with the 8th gen
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Apr 5, 2019 04:39
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Statutory Ape posted:https://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&brandid=2201&fid=200001 That's awesome, buy it now before I do
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Apr 5, 2019 04:59
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AgentCow007 posted:That's awesome, buy it now before I do Go for it, I just wanted people here to see it. I haven't kept up with prices on that model but it looked good from what i'd think. probably the best $650 you could spend on an ultrabook
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Apr 5, 2019 05:02
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That's also the last model with USB-A ports if you still need those
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Apr 5, 2019 14:43
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etalian posted:Another other impressions such as the gaming performance or speaker quality? Cozmosis posted:I ended up returning mine, probably for stupid reasons but it throttled pretty badly and got super fan noisy when gaming. Speakers were pretty good and loud for a laptop. Speak seems fine, I'm always on headphones though.
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Apr 5, 2019 16:10
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