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I'm wanting to replace a creaky old 11" Skylake celeron Chromebook that's falling out of support soon, and trying to compare Chromebook vs non-Chromebook. What's up with Chuwi laptops? Are they a fine budget option? I want this thing to be a knockaround couch or travel computer, ideally the size of an XPS 13 or smaller but cheap because I don't need it to do anything computationally intensive. I've got two Beelink mini-PCs that I've been happy with for years now so I'm not afraid of China-brand stuff, and I know that an N100 CPU would be fast enough because the N5095s in the Beelinks are fine. https://www.chuwi.com/product/items/chuwi-minibook-x-n100.html https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805576865569.html Has anybody actually lived with a Chuwi for a few years? What's the downside?
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Sep 14, 2023 22:29
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Another good older Thinkpad sale. X1 Nano 13" with 2K screen. 11th gen intel which is meh but it's $600. https://www.ebay.com/itm/304975643648
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Sep 15, 2023 05:43
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Did I get a good deal or a bad deal or an okay deal? $850 (plus tax) for Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16" WUXGA - Core i7-12700H - 16GB - GeForce RTX 3060 - 512GB SSD (It was an open box + clearance from Best Buy, seems like a good deal for the model, but maybe the common price for the model is bad now because it's outdated or something, I don't know.)
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Sep 18, 2023 00:42
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For an open box that sounds about right. You're gonna pay about $1100+ for a current gen CPU and GPU. That is last gen CPU and GPU but still very capable
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Sep 18, 2023 00:57
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Hadlock posted:For an open box that sounds about right. You're gonna pay about $1100+ for a current gen CPU and GPU. That is last gen CPU and GPU but still very capable Guess I'll find out what I hate about it when it arrives in a few days! (Other than the trackpad not having buttons, but seems there's no getting around that in anything but rare nipple laptops now, which is weird to me since games often use mouse buttons!)
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Sep 18, 2023 01:58
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roomforthetuna posted:Did I get a good deal or a bad deal or an okay deal? That's pretty decent, if the condition was good. If there's stuff that looks scuffed or anything that isn't working right I'd return it, but if it's in good shape that's a reasonably good find. Here's the closest comparable, but it would need more RAM and doesn't have the build quality of the legion. https://slickdeals.net/share/android_app/t/16913122
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Sep 18, 2023 02:05
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Hello goons, I used to play (and work) on a desktop, but since I've got young children my time budget as well as my privat space has shrunk considerably. ATM I am using a ROG GW731-EV121T (i7 and RTX 2070M) laptop which I got from a relative for free two years ago and also have a desktop with a dual screen setup for productivity. Due to a lack of space I want to focus solely on the laptop when upgrading in the next 6 months. The laptop is already struggling with BG3 so I think it is at the end of its cycle. I play stuff like Stellaris, CIV6, BG3 and Elite Dangerous and would definitely like to play Cyberpunk 2077 and Starfield (and ARMA or DCS should I ever find the time) with the new machine as well as plugging it into my existing work setup. So mobility and battery endurance is not a big issue for me, as I would mostly move this machine from the bedroom to the living room). I want raw gaming power for less than 4,000€ - unfortunately prices in Germany are higer than in the US, so in US terms this would be ~3500S. I don't want to tinker with undervolting and repasting anymore, so I prefer a large, well ventilated case to a smaller one that's prone to overheating and throttling. I researched models with either an RTX 4090 or RTX 4080. I discarded the Razer Blade and the Zephyrus M16 as being too expensive as I don't need a slim/elegant laptop. My sights are on the Alienware m18, ROG SCAR 16,17 and 18, G18 Aorus 17H or 17X, Omen 17, Legion 7i pro, X40 Beast, XMG Neo 17 (the latter two with optional water cooling). I want to stick to this laptop for 5 years at least. Is my list exhaustive or did I miss a candidate? How important is good (mini led) screen? Is the 4090 worth the premium?Is water cooling a good way to extend the life span of the laptop? I read that the m18 r1 is prone to CPU throttling, can this be avoided at all with CPU/GPU like these? Is it worth waiting for the next GPU generation as the 4000er series is considered to be somewhat lacklustre? Is it OK to stick with "weaker" 13700 CPU if possible or is the Ryzen 7 series/13900 that much better? Thank you for any insight!
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Sep 18, 2023 09:26
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Einbauschrank posted:Hello goons, So a couple things: the 4000 series is pretty good on a laptop, but realize that desktop and laptop GPUs are fundamentally different. You won't get the same performance from a laptop. So if you're looking at getting the tip-top performance you won't. At the top end the 4090 laptop will perform more like a 4070ti, and it goes down from there. That said, I think you have the right idea on what you're looking for, and heat management will be a huge factor. I doubt thermal throttling will be completely avoidable if you are pairing a 150w GPU with another high wattage CPU. I still think you should be able to get reasonably high performance. I can't speak to water cooling in a laptop, you still need to dissipate the heat out of the chassis, so my thinking is its not an overwhelming benefit, but it probably has more to do with the design than anything. 5 years ago a top-end laptop like this would have probably been a 1080ti or if you wanted a year, maybe a 2080m. So if you feel like you would have been happy until now with one of those then you'll get 5 years out of it. I sorta expect you'll want better performance before a 5 year window is up. You might be better off getting a cheaper laptop now and aiming for a 3 year replacement instead.
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Sep 18, 2023 15:01
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Einbauschrank posted:I play stuff like Stellaris, CIV6, BG3 and Elite Dangerous and would definitely like to play Cyberpunk 2077 and Starfield (and ARMA or DCS should I ever find the time) with the new machine as well as plugging it into my existing work setup. So mobility and battery endurance is not a big issue for me, as I would mostly move this machine from the bedroom to the living room). you should not get a laptop. you should be looking at ITX builds, or an eGPU setup. the whole point of a laptop is mobility and they inherently sacrifice performance, comfort, usability and price to get there.
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Sep 18, 2023 16:07
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god forbid somebody ask a laptop question in the laptop thread
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Sep 18, 2023 23:32
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Lutha Mahtin posted:god forbid somebody ask a laptop question in the laptop thread ??? I think we're just trying to set expectations that "I want to spend a lot of money on a high end laptop that will be high end for 5 years" is going to come with some serious caveats. Laptops can be good gaming experiences but if your looking at high end the returns diminish much quicker than desktops.
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Sep 18, 2023 23:43
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Hello, can I get some input on a potential purchase please? Looking at getting a used refurbished laptop to carry out some fairly basic tasks - web browsing, video streaming, emails, spreadsheets, that sort of thing, nothing too demanding. Its going to mainly be used around the home so battery life isn't a huge concern as I won't ever normally be fair from a power source, and I'm also aware refurbs are going to have degraded batteries anyway. I'm pretty much dead set on a Thinkpad, I had a T21 many years ago and in a previous job had a second gen E15 and I still rate them far above any other laptop brand I've used. I've not had an X series before but spotted these X280s going for £179. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/32577682...emis&media=COPY Seller has decent ratings and it comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Plus it comes with a 1 year RTB warranty. Ideally I'd like to keep it under £200 and will go to £250 maximum if it offers value for money. I know on Reddit they rave about the T480 but these are considerably more expensive in the UK. I'm playing games on my desktop which has a 4th gen i5 so I expect an 8th gen i5 to be more than sufficient for the tasks I plan to use it for. Thanks in advance thread.
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Sep 19, 2023 00:13
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Lockback posted:I think we're just trying to set expectations that "I want to spend a lot of money on a high end laptop that will be high end for 5 years" is going to come with some serious caveats. Laptops can be good gaming experiences but if your looking at high end the returns diminish much quicker than desktops. i should have been more specific in my earlier post. i thought your post was constructive. i did not think it was as constructive for the other person to just say "build a desktop duh" preemptively Lutha Mahtin fucked around with this message at 00:35 on Sep 19, 2023 |
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Sep 19, 2023 00:31
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Yeah, decent value. I mean, the big strike is that it's 5-6 years old but I'm sure you're pretty aware of that. With your budget at what it is that's probably as good of a value as you'll likely find.
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Sep 19, 2023 00:44
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Lockback posted:??? Also, if all you're doing is going between your bedroom and livingroom, you can do what I did: - build a desktop, noise/size doesn't matter because you're sticking it in a far corner of your house, skip the monitor - two pieces of 1/2" plywood, sand down the corners, add some friction hinges to create a folding wooden "laptop": https://www.amazon.com/ZZHXSM-Adjustable-Furniture-Electric-Hardware/dp/B0BLYV4H5J/ - portable screen, for example this 1440p 120hz 16-inch panel for $150, stick it to the top half of the plywood clamshell like a laptop screen: https://www.amazon.com/UPERFECT-Portable-2560x1600-FreeSync-External/dp/B0BHNLZCNF - wireless keyboard, mouse, and headphones - 15-foot USB active repeater if you wanna position the wireless dongles in line of sight, in which case they'll work from like 30+ feet consistently https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-15-Feet-Female-Active-Extension/dp/B00AA0U08M/ I went even further with mine, I gave it a 17.3" 4K 120hz mini-led panel using an eDP-to-DP board, but you don't need to do all that if you just use an off-the-shelf portable screen like the one I linked.  Looks a bit goofy but runs 100% silent, lightweight and cool. Having a 17.3" two feet from your face is like having a 65" on a wall 8 feet away. The only things going into mine are the optical DisplayPort and a USB-C from the wall for power. I use the armrest of my La-Z-Boy as the mouse pad, which has been easy on my wrist.
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Sep 19, 2023 00:52
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P-p-p-powerbook!
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Sep 19, 2023 00:57
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Lutha Mahtin posted:i should have been more specific in my earlier post. i thought your post was constructive. i did not think it was as constructive for the other person to just say "build a desktop duh" preemptively Yeah but in his case "no laptop exists for the purposes you want that will last as long as you want, you should consider a desktop" is the right answer
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Sep 19, 2023 00:58
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Lutha Mahtin posted:i should have been more specific in my earlier post. i thought your post was constructive. i did not think it was as constructive for the other person to just say "build a desktop duh" preemptively it wasn't preemptive, the dude described his use case in detail. a small desktop build is the right move. if you have a better solution i'm all ears. how do you make an image the thread title Dr. Fishopolis fucked around with this message at 01:07 on Sep 19, 2023 |
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Sep 19, 2023 01:01
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Einbauschrank posted:I play stuff like Stellaris, CIV6, BG3 and Elite Dangerous and would definitely like to play Cyberpunk 2077 and Starfield (and ARMA or DCS should I ever find the time) with the new machine as well as plugging it into my existing work setup. So mobility and battery endurance is not a big issue for me, as I would mostly move this machine from the bedroom to the living room). I want to stick to this laptop for 5 years at least. Another option, since you're in the developed country of Germany as opposed to the third-world internet of the USA, have you checked into GeForce Now? It has most of those titles you listed (Starfield, Cyberpunk, Arma, Stellaris, BG3), the $20/month tier streams you a 4080, and some of these games are adding the frame generation support. With that you could use any laptop at all, like the cheaper Asus laptops that have 120hz OLED screens. I'm impressed they have Starfield running this well on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md3Dc4MNw9o They have a free tier that lets you play 60 minutes at a time or something like that, so you could see if the latency is acceptable. It'll run on your phone too.
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Sep 19, 2023 01:25
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Zero VGS posted:Another option, since you're in the developed country of Germany as opposed to the third-world internet of the USA, have you checked into GeForce Now? Honestly, a solid 4060 or 4070 laptop to play the stuff that fits in there for around 1,500-2000 Euros then a GFN subscription is a really good use case.
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Sep 19, 2023 03:04
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GFN is fine if you can't get a gaming PC for whatever reason but it's pretty limited and you're starting to see it struggle with games like starfield due to anemic CPUs even on the highest tier
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Sep 19, 2023 03:38
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I mean I get it, if you live in the city center, or all you can afford is a small living space, personal space can be at a real premium, especially with a baby Get the most powerful gaming laptop you can, you won't get permission to buy another one for a very long time Please post more photos of that homemade laptop thing
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Sep 19, 2023 05:20
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Lockback posted:Yeah, decent value. I mean, the big strike is that it's 5-6 years old but I'm sure you're pretty aware of that. With your budget at what it is that's probably as good of a value as you'll likely find. Thanks, well no one else has chimed in to say I’m making a terrible choice which on the internet is as glowing a recommendation as you’re going to get. I’ve messaged the seller to check that the BIOS isn’t locked but I think I’ll be pulling the trigger on this one. Thanks for your input.
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Sep 19, 2023 07:48
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Lockback posted:So a couple things: Thx for the good suggestion, it is as Hadlock wrote (but its a baby and a toddler). I think its easier to negotiate this deal once every five years rather than every three years. My desktop was last upgraded in 2017 with a 1080ti and runs an E1231-v3, the current laptop hosts a 2070M - so I think 5 years are realistic as I can manage my expectations and play Stellaris until 2029  -but I'd like to play Starfield nett yearHadlock posted:Get the most powerful gaming laptop you can, you won't get permission to buy another one for a very long time You get my logic 100% - including the fact that it is easier to negotiate a spending spree every 5 years rather than every 3 years;) I will wait for a bargain before I pull the trigger. In the meantime I will think about the option of an (upgradeable) itx build that I can stream onto my laptop as I have a wired network with a LAN outlet in nearly every room (including one near the couch) so the connection should be OK.
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Sep 19, 2023 11:23
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roomforthetuna posted:Did I get a good deal or a bad deal or an okay deal? I just got this exact machine for the same price and it’s super nice, no complaints. I was going to spend another few hundred dollars for something with a 4050/60 (like the msi posted a while back) but it seems the consensus is you are trading off build quality for not much more power. The slim 7i feels like a premium machine, even if the specs are a year old.
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Sep 19, 2023 16:21
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meanolmrcloud posted:I just got this exact machine for the same price and it’s super nice, no complaints. I was going to spend another few hundred dollars for something with a 4050/60 (like the msi posted a while back) but it seems the consensus is you are trading off build quality for not much more power. The slim 7i feels like a premium machine, even if the specs are a year old.
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Sep 20, 2023 02:18
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I've found the 3060 in my machine to be a pleasantly capable laptop GPU. DLSS also goes a long way with keeping frames up with more modern games. I think it's 6GB of VRAM and lack of frame generation like the 4000 series cards may become a hindrance in the near future for certain AAA titles, but so far it's been quite performative.
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Sep 20, 2023 03:46
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My current laptop, which I got in 2019, is on its way out. I haven’t been very pleased it overall, the battery took a poo poo when I first got it and pretty much the entire time I’ve had it would only last an hour if it wasn’t plugged in. It could play some games, but none of them well, and its had odd problems as well like random keys on the keyboard needing to be mashed like 6 times to get the character to register. I’d like to avoid this again so I am coming to this thread for help! I do some data work and some occasional light gaming. So I do things like work with large datasets from time to time and crunching stats from them, and I’d like to also be able to do something like play BG3 reliably but not necessarily at the highest settings. I also occasionally do graphics work and bulk image processing in things like photoshop. I have a NAS at home but I still need some decent storage on the laptop. Battery life doesn’t have to be amazing, but I’d like to get at least a 6 hours charge out of it. I’m looking for a machine that is going to remain viable for at least 4 years, and will cost around $1,000 but I can go over that a bit if I have to. Anyone have any specific recommendations? I figure I should probably look at gaming laptops but I don’t need something super high end. I’m just diving back into looking current laptop specs and the last few pages of this thread have been helpful but I feel like I need more info or some recommended machines to look at.
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Sep 20, 2023 16:15
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Look for a laptop with a 4060. You may be able to get away with a 4050. You'll probably do better with a budget closer to 1,200 but shouldn't need to go much over. If you can hold off another month or so that's the best time of the year to buy. This is a good choice now though. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6534470.p?skuId=6534470
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Sep 20, 2023 16:26
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Awesome, thanks. I can go up to $1,200 so thats ok. Are there new graphics cards or something coming out in a month or is that just when all the end of year and holiday sales typically start?
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Sep 20, 2023 16:32
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nesbit37 posted:Awesome, thanks. I can go up to $1,200 so thats ok. Are there new graphics cards or something coming out in a month or is that just when all the end of year and holiday sales typically start? Holiday sales. That one above is probably on par with what you'll see, but if anything about that isn't your jam, the next month or so will have more options. If you like that guy I'd pull the trigger. The legion is a great laptop and the slim is the only "slim" laptop that I think is worth it. You'll also probably see sales on the G14 which is smaller and more portable, the ROG Strix line which is a bit more power typically (though may not have the same battery), a legion pro or legion 5, etc. I think you'll see similar laptops for similar prices as that legion slim.
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Sep 20, 2023 16:46
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Can someone answer for me real quick: when an aging laptop's fan starts being loud, and you've cleaned it, is it worthwhile to replace the fan to try and reduce noise or is it just working overtime due to its age/weakened thermal performance due to dried paste/etc?
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Sep 20, 2023 22:07
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Better to replace it, the bearing is wearing out on you.
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Sep 20, 2023 23:10
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Is it 1) loud because it's blowing really hard (hair dryer mode), or is it 2) making loud noises when blowing (playing card in your childhood bicycle) due to obstruction(s) It's possible that you have #1 which is causing #2 pulling the laptop apart and blowing out the fan with compressed air might fix it. laptop blower fans for many models can be found on ebay and for for $8-20. i reccomend this doubly if you have pets and/or a very dusty house thermal paste wearing out is possible but I'm extremely skeptical of this theory
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Sep 20, 2023 23:11
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Or you have crap running in the background that is using up a ton of resources and keeping everything clocked up.
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Sep 21, 2023 00:12
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Its an old Asus with I believe a third gen i7 that I was gifted for free. I already had it apart and blown out with electric duster, so its not obstructed. Was pretty good inside for the age. Its just for a little project or sorts.
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Sep 21, 2023 00:21
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If you've blown it out already then see if you can find a replacement fan, or, remove the fan and see if it will run whatever projects you want on it without thermal throttling old laptops are the new raspberry pi
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Sep 21, 2023 00:28
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A 3770 mobile is going to get redlined pretty quick, I'd check task Manager and make sure nothing is pushing your CPU. If it is then the fan is doing it's job trying to keep up.
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Sep 21, 2023 01:04
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Looking to get a cheap 400usd or less travel/beater laptop. It will be general use, no gaming necessary. Trying for at least 16g ddr4 and at least 256GB ssd, decent processor. I don't mind refurbished or a few years old as long as the battery is still good. Last requirement is that it is pink or gold but that's not absolutely necessary. Micro center has some stuff in this range for in-store pickup, but the closest is 2 hours away from me so shipped is better
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Sep 21, 2023 15:40
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Stuff like that not infrequently appears in SA-Mart, I got one a couple months ago that's working great for that exact use case. Obviously not going to be able to customize for color that way though.
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Sep 21, 2023 15:47
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