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Those refurbished HP CB 13s that I frequently reference are back on Woot here. That selection includes all four versions with the high-res display, and they're all priced well under what they went for new (they ranged from $500 to $1k IIRC.) I think any version is a good choice, with the higher-end models trading battery life for performance (not 100% sure on that, I can't find a good comparison.) Even the base Pentium offers good performance, and the m7 isn't quite necessary for ChromeOS although the 16 GB of RAM is nice. Either the m3 or m5 versions is probably the best balance between performance, longevity, and price.
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May 12, 2017 07:45
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Zenzirouj posted:I'm looking into getting a little laptop for NOT GAMING (bizarre, I know), mainly for things like hooking up to my 3D printer, maybe running things like a SNES emulator (so an HDMI out or something similar would be a plus), small internet-type tasks on the go, etc. I'm not afraid of Linux, so the OS doesn't really matter as long as I can reinstall on it. I wouldn't be looking for a huge harddrive, but something a little bigger than the 16-32 I'm mostly seeing on Chromebooks might be nice. I'm not looking for much in the way of specs; I'm even considering going for an old-rear end e-machine or something, but modern hardware would be nice. Any thoughts? In general some Thinkpad or Latitude, but what's your budget?
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May 12, 2017 08:59
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I CANNOT EJACULATE WITHOUT SEEING NATIVE AMERICANS BRUTALISED!
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Just bought this for $1,400 using the corporate perks code in the OP. 
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May 12, 2017 21:29
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^^^ customized something very similar (dropped down to the 7300U instead) and it's $80 cheaper but only has a 1 year warranty. Seems like all the custom builds are 1 year, while the prebuilts are 3 years -- is this normal?
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May 13, 2017 00:33
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No. Lenovo will change poo poo constantly and things will come and go whenever.
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May 13, 2017 01:15
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Mu Zeta posted:No. Lenovo will change poo poo constantly and things will come and go whenever.
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May 13, 2017 01:23
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Weird, I figured it was a European thing that kept the 3 year warranties as a standard.
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May 13, 2017 02:22
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Mu Zeta posted:Just bought this for $1,400 using the corporate perks code in the OP.   Mine is almost the same thing, and it just arrived. It's nice.
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May 13, 2017 08:30
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How are touchscreen laptops for taking notes in college classes? Would it ever make sense to use a touchscreen plus stylus over pen and paper? I'll be studying CompSci if it makes any difference. I'm looking at some more traditional laptops (used T460 / X260 / XPS 13) vs. touchscreen flippy things (XPS 13 2-in-1, Spectre X360, Yogas) and trying to figure out if there's a use case for the touchscreen. Daviclond fucked around with this message at 10:28 on May 13, 2017 |
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May 13, 2017 10:25
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Daviclond posted:How are touchscreen laptops for taking notes in college classes? Would it ever make sense to use a touchscreen plus stylus over pen and paper? I'll be studying CompSci if it makes any difference. It's niche. My friend's finishing an engineering masters and says that he really likes his Surface thing. But then he's always complaining about drawing straight lines, he's got loads of written notes and you kinda feel that practising with pen/pencil and paper if that's the exam format makes more ergonomical sense. But like, comp Sci apart from the maths, or writing notes/scribbling around algorithms, etc probably has the biggest use case for typing your code snippets. Inconclusive 
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May 13, 2017 11:59
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I really like taking notes on a tablet. I was always really unorganized when taking notes on paper and couldn't find half of them at the end of the semester. OneNote just keeps them in one place, so I don't have to worry anymore. And the ability to easily change notes that I made earlier is invaluable. I would definitely recommend it. I wouldn't do engineering drawings on them though. Straight lines look like poo poo unless you use the tool for straight lines, because you can't use a ruler. For CS you are more likely to draw graphs than circuits, so you will be fine. In other news: The Oled on the X1 Yoga is amazing. Definitely worth the extra money.
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May 13, 2017 15:46
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Daviclond posted:How are touchscreen laptops for taking notes in college classes? Would it ever make sense to use a touchscreen plus stylus over pen and paper? I'll be studying CompSci if it makes any difference. The touchscreen on an otherwise traditional laptop (i.e. not a convertible with a 360° hinge) is largely just good for casual browsing, scrolling, etc. It's a little awkward, but reaching over the keyboard to touch the display and navigate becomes handy after you get used to it. Windows OS operations are still a little awkward via touch though. The convertibles, however, are more comfortable to use via touch because you can flip the keyboard out of the way, and good stylus implementations are indeed useful for drawing and handwriting notes.
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May 14, 2017 02:03
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The XPS 13 I wanted is apparently sold out state-wide at Microsoft stores, and buying it somewhere else means I might as well just buy the next model up at a Microsoft store anyway, since they have way better prices than the competition right now.  e: They actually seem to be out of stock of every non-gold XPS 13, in every store in every city I checked. Elysiume fucked around with this message at 08:28 on May 14, 2017 |
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May 14, 2017 05:32
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It's a Lenovo which can be hit or miss, but an i7 with a 1050ti for $717 is a great deal for anyone who wants a cheap gaming laptop. http://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/laptop...sV1M0&PID=10451
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May 14, 2017 14:14
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How's the 1050 for gaming compared to the 460 on the new MBP? It doesn't have to be super maxed out, I have my desktop for that. Just something to play games a few years older that I bought on Steam sales and never started. I have a 2016 MBP right now that I can still return, and can buy a Razer Blade 1060 from the Microsoft Store to test, but the bezel on that is just... ugh... maybe something in the middle with a 1050 like a Dell XPS 15 will be a good middle ground between performance and good industrial design/larger screen? Also, maybe this is for another thread, but how feasible would be to install Hackintosh on that? Animal fucked around with this message at 15:09 on May 14, 2017 |
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May 14, 2017 15:04
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Have you considered Steam in-home streaming?
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May 14, 2017 15:10
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eames posted:Have you considered Steam in-home streaming? Problem is I travel half the month and stay in hotels with spotty wifi, so I intend to play "older" games, stuff like Fallout 4 would be about the most demanding. I'd like to keep it above 45fps.
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May 14, 2017 15:13
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1050 is a bit anemic, the 1050ti is much better option if you want to play games like fallout 4. The 1060 matches up against the desktop 970, so that's a helluva card for a laptop.
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May 14, 2017 15:46
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Lockback posted:1050 is a bit anemic, the 1050ti is much better option if you want to play games like fallout 4. The 1060 matches up against the desktop 970, so that's a helluva card for a laptop. This thread likes to say that, but when the point of comparison is a MBP with a 460 the 1050 is absolutely a solid upgrade, it is already a fair few watts to cool, but it is also a fair bit faster. If one is considering a MBP I am not sure one will get that happy with going for a 1050Ti or 1060, where the 1050 will do a lot of work without too many compromises.
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May 14, 2017 19:02
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Lockback posted:It's a Lenovo which can be hit or miss, but an i7 with a 1050ti for $717 is a great deal for anyone who wants a cheap gaming laptop. It's $717 for the i5, but ~$800 for the i7 and a 128 GB SSD is a good deal. You can add $100 to upgrade the RAM to 16 GB which somehow only increases the total price by $80 (because of "Lenovo math" I guess  ) but I'm not complaining! Add your own HDD and you've got a helluva "entry-level" gaming laptop!Animal posted:How's the 1050 for gaming compared to the 460 on the new MBP? It doesn't have to be super maxed out, I have my desktop for that. Just something to play games a few years older that I bought on Steam sales and never started. The 1050's OK; it's better than the 460, but the 1050 Ti is worthwhile upgrade (most systems available with the 1050 also have the Ti as an option.) The 470 would rank next in line, followed by the 480 and the 1060, and so on.
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May 15, 2017 03:16
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Hola! I have been shopping around a lot for a thinkpad refurbs on newegg as well as the lenovo store with the promo from the OP. I am wondering whether a 1920x1080 screen resolution is worth the ~120 dollar difference, as oposed to 1366x768. I am not a graphic designer, nor do I play games on my laptop, just consuming media and wondering if that resolution difference really stands out much in your opinion. Thanks!
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May 15, 2017 03:42
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Yes. Under no circumstances get a 1366x768 screen, especially on the ThinkPad (which has the double whammy of low density and terrible panel quality)
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May 15, 2017 03:47
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Thank you! a followup question before i mill this over for the remainder of the week: Would I be getting more value from an aspire (or hp, or dell, etc.) in terms of build quality for the same internal specs, screen res and so on? I'm budgeting between 600-750 dollars US.
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May 15, 2017 03:52
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I'm exiting the Mac ecosystem and know almost nothing about PC laptops these days. I had a 2007 Lenovo (T400 I think) before a 2011 MBP (which I liked better and am still using, but it's on its last legs). The major issue with that Lenovo was that it was a big fuckin' brick, but I liked it otherwise. I'm looking for a Windows 10 laptop that is: - Under $1000 new; this isn't a primary computer so I prefer to minimize costs and keep it closer to $600-$800 but it does have to do some work - Primary intensive uses are programming (including video analysis and machine learning, but a lot of that can be done on a cluster or desktops so a killer GPU isn't necessary), Photoshop, and Illustrator. This is mostly the "finish work at home on the couch" or "gently caress this place, hit the coffee shop" computer. Not intending to use it for gaming. - Excellent quality display - Fairly portable; I'm used to the size and heft of a 2011 13" MBP and I'd prefer something like that or lighter. I carry my laptop to and from work, trains and walking. - I don't really want anything to do with HP Thanks!
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May 15, 2017 05:40
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XPS 13 though it's more like $1,150. It's also significantly lighter and more compact than the 13" MBP. Also more options here http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-windows-ultrabook/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M18UZF5/?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=xm2&ascsubtag=AgEAAAAAAAAAAHkV The Zenbook for $700 is a great deal but I don't personally love the keyboard. Can't discount the significant savings though. Mu Zeta fucked around with this message at 10:43 on May 15, 2017 |
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May 15, 2017 10:39
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Cybernetic Vermin posted:This thread likes to say that, but when the point of comparison is a MBP with a 460 the 1050 is absolutely a solid upgrade, it is already a fair few watts to cool, but it is also a fair bit faster. Fallout 4 in particular on a 1050 is not going to be a very fun experience unless you're willing to drop down to 720p and avoid Boston altogether. 41fps average is no fun at all. But as per the gaming chart on the NBC review I linked above, the 1050 will do perfectly fine in older games. You'd have no trouble running, say, Alien Versus Predator 2010 at max details, or Bioshock Infinite at high details.
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May 15, 2017 11:30
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Shrimp or Shrimps posted:Fallout 4 in particular on a 1050 is not going to be a very fun experience unless you're willing to drop down to 720p and avoid Boston altogether. 41fps average is no fun at all. Wow I remember playing BF3 at 40 fps and being loving thrilled on my GTX 460, Q3 at 32 fps on my PowerBook G4, and back in the day counter-strike in software render mode at 21 fps Kids these days *shakes fist*
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May 15, 2017 16:54
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Hadlock posted:Wow I remember playing BF3 at 40 fps and being loving thrilled on my GTX 460, Q3 at 32 fps on my PowerBook G4, and back in the day counter-strike in software render mode at 21 fps Hell I beat Mass Effects 1 through 3 on an integrated HD4000, and used to play competitive Tribes 2 in the 30s FPS way back when, and played Tribes 1 and Quake II daily on my ATI Rage Pro, if I'm recalling correctly. But TBH FO4 at low FPS is just not fun at all. It's janky enough as it is without having to deal with the ridiculously overloaded engine. And to think, now I've got a GTX 1080 and all I'm playing is Titan Quest 
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May 15, 2017 17:11
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The 41 FPS figure is from one of the opening cinematics with tons of NPCs and foliage though, and is on "High". If gaming is a high priority one should indeed likely look beyond the 1050, but it has that upside that it is significantly faster than the gpus games are primarily designed around (ps4/xbone), giving a bit of margin for a bad port. As such it really is a sweet spot for a lot of the more casual among us.
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May 15, 2017 17:23
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Cybernetic Vermin posted:The 41 FPS figure is from one of the opening cinematics with tons of NPCs and foliage though, and is on "High". This is true, I think the point is usually the step up to the ti is generally worth it, vs the larger leap to a system with a 1060. The guy asking about FO4, to me, means a step about casual. Understanding future-proofing is not possible, I generally also try to get a few years out of a laptop. While 40FPS is probably pretty playable for most people, I'd try not to borderline a target game the first day I had the machine.
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May 15, 2017 17:39
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Alright, I'm looking for a new laptop/keyboarded tablet. I am mainly going to be using it for really basic stuff; no gaming or creative apps for the most part, just something mobile to do quick browsing and work with. That being said, I need something ergonomic and comfortable to type on. My wrists and arms are pretty hosed up these days and it hurts to type and text in general. This is probably why a Chromebook wouldn't work for me. I'd like a screen that's over 13" and good display. Not looking for a bare bones piece of poo poo, just a reliable machine that's not too expensive that's light, mobile, and comfortable to use. Budget would probably be no more than $700 before tax. Best suggestions? Brodeurs Nanny fucked around with this message at 18:11 on May 15, 2017 |
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May 15, 2017 18:02
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Brodeurs Nanny posted:Alright, I'm looking for a new laptop/keyboarded tablet. I am mainly going to be using it for really basic stuff; no gaming or creative apps for the most part, just something mobile to do quick browsing and work with. That being said, I need something ergonomic and comfortable to type on. My wrists and arms are pretty hosed up these days and it hurts to type and text in general. This is probably why a Chromebook wouldn't work for me. You can get a refurbished T460 with a decent 14"/IPS/1080p screen, SSD, long battery life and one of the best laptop keyboards out there for ~$650 off of the Lenovo refurbished site. I got one for my mother who has some fairly bad arthritis in her hands and she loves it. The only negative is that it's not as thin & light as something like an XPS-13.
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May 15, 2017 18:25
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AVeryLargeRadish posted:You can get a refurbished T460 with a decent 14"/IPS/1080p screen, SSD, long battery life and one of the best laptop keyboards out there for ~$650 off of the Lenovo refurbished site. I got one for my mother who has some fairly bad arthritis in her hands and she loves it. The only negative is that it's not as thin & light as something like an XPS-13. I kept seeing that the TP keyboards are the best laptop keyboards but I have a TP440 now and it hurts to type on. I'm starting to think it's just always gonna be uncomfortable for me, but I'd like to try a lighter machine that's more ergonomic. I think just the keyboard being flat with a hard area to rest my wrists is the culprit. Brodeurs Nanny fucked around with this message at 18:41 on May 15, 2017 |
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May 15, 2017 18:39
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Brodeurs Nanny posted:I kept seeing that the TP keyboards are the best laptop keyboards but I have a TP440 now and it hurts to type on. I'm starting to think it's just always gonna be uncomfortable for me, but I'd like to try a lighter machine that's more ergonomic. I think just the keyboard being flat with a hard area to rest my wrists is the culprit. It's going to be really hard to get away from the flat keyboard with hard material below it with a laptop. There are wrist rests built for laptops that you could try but I don't know of anything you can do about the flat keyboard, unless you just mean an elevated keyboard? If you just mean an elevated one the larger thinkpad batteries also have the effect of elevating the keyboard which could be useful to you.
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May 15, 2017 19:22
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AVeryLargeRadish posted:It's going to be really hard to get away from the flat keyboard with hard material below it with a laptop. There are wrist rests built for laptops that you could try but I don't know of anything you can do about the flat keyboard, unless you just mean an elevated keyboard? If you just mean an elevated one the larger thinkpad batteries also have the effect of elevating the keyboard which could be useful to you. Some laptops and 2-in-1's have angled keyboards. A wrist rest is certainly something I'm going to purchase. There are some keyboards which also have lighter keys and place less stress on the fingers, and whatnot. I suppose I'm curious to see if anyone has wrist issues and can recommend a good light mobile laptop or tablet which they find comfortable to use.
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May 15, 2017 19:56
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I posted a while back about finding a suitable case for the Alienware 13 R3, since the odd booty-heavy design makes it a difficult (see:impossible) fit for 13" cases. I went with the 15" version of the Thule Gauntlet 3.0 attache style case and it just barely fits. The zipper can be a little bit hard to close, it's just a few mm too long from back to front. There is a couple cm on either side width wise but overall there isn't a lot of room for it to slide around which is good. Just confirming that it does work though for anybody else searching for a case.
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May 16, 2017 00:44
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Cybernetic Vermin posted:The 41 FPS figure is from one of the opening cinematics with tons of NPCs and foliage though, and is on "High". Yeah there is a tonne of room to move on Fallout settings. I played entirely through on a laptop with the DDR3 version of the 850M - it wasn't what you'd call smooth but it was definitely playable with reduced graphics.
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May 16, 2017 01:15
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Hadlock posted:Wow I remember playing BF3 at 40 fps and being loving thrilled on my GTX 460, Q3 at 32 fps on my PowerBook G4, and back in the day counter-strike in software render mode at 21 fps I remember buying a Voodoo 3 PCI card for $50 from another kid in high school because my PC didn't have an AGP slot.  Shrimp or Shrimps posted:Hell I beat Mass Effects 1 through 3 on an integrated HD4000, and used to play competitive Tribes 2 in the 30s FPS way back when, and played Tribes 1 and Quake II daily on my ATI Rage Pro, if I'm recalling correctly. There's a dude on Youtube with a channel called LowSpecGamer and his whole schtick is getting games to run on weak hardware by nuking graphical fidelity. The end results are often ridiculous (but playable) and it's fun to see the magic he can work with integrated graphics and the like. It's a nice change from just looking at all the latest and fastest (and most expensive) hardware (e.g. Acer Predator 21x.) Brodeurs Nanny posted:Alright, I'm looking for a new laptop/keyboarded tablet. I am mainly going to be using it for really basic stuff; no gaming or creative apps for the most part, just something mobile to do quick browsing and work with. That being said, I need something ergonomic and comfortable to type on. My wrists and arms are pretty hosed up these days and it hurts to type and text in general. This is probably why a Chromebook wouldn't work for me. I'm still struggling to reconcile your requirements/limitations with the thinking that a Chromebook wouldn't work for you. I mean if you don't want a CB that's totally fine, but browsing/productivity + low price + reliable + mobile = CB. You can get one with a display up to 15.6". Hell I think yesterday I just saw the Acer CB 14 for like $160 (refubished) somewhere; here it is for around $200, which is fine.
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May 16, 2017 07:53
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Figuring I'm better off asking you lot before I dig myself in any deeper. I was researching for a laptop I could use for web browsing, Netflix, and maybe some light Steam gaming while out and about. I settled on the Thinkpad T470s, based on the fact that I absolutely hated the keyboards on my very old (and cheap) Asus netbook and a Dell laptop I borrowed for some college work once (I don't remember the model, this was pre-2009?). I ordered a Thinkpad T470s through the B&N Gold portal (couldn't get the corporate perks thing to work), but I'm having second thoughts after having seen this: https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/6aqyjf/thinkpad_t470s_7300u_fhd_notebookchecknet_review/ The notable parts list on mine: - Intel i5-7200U Processor - 14 FHD IPS Touch (went with touch because it sounded nice at that time, but I'm an idiot who likes shiny things, regardless of usability) - 4 GB DDR-4 onboard (was planning to add an upgrade this later, for cheaper) - 128 GB Solid State Drive (it was the default option) - Smart Card Reader addition (no idea if I even had a use for this, but I figured for $10, might as well) - Backlit Keyboard (default on the B&N model, would've upgraded to it regardless) - 3 Cell Li-Ion Battery, Front and Back (would've opted for the bigger one if it were an option) Total cost with tax was around $950. I wanted to keep the budget below $1,000. Mostly I'm just concerned with the screen I chose. If the pulse-width modification is going to be a big cause of headaches and flickering a lot, then I'm wondering if I should eat the restocking fee and order a differently configured one. Semi-edit: at the time of writing, the laptop has shipped, so I don't have the ability to cancel it, unfortunately. FeralWraith fucked around with this message at 11:31 on May 16, 2017 |
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May 16, 2017 11:27
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Looking to stumble my way around Android dev, so looking for a laptop in that sort of direction. Must-haves: - 15"+ screen - i5+ - SSD because I hate slow compile times - Decent build quality. I don't need solid-as-a-rock Thinkpad territory, but nothing where the hinges break after 2 weeks or whatever - 5.5-6lb max weight Aside from the must-haves above, here's a list of my priorities: Price (under $800; under $700 preferred) ~ 1080p > IPS > indie Steam gaming >>>> AAA gaming I see this refurb Dell Outlet (Inspiron 15 7579) deal for $539 after coupon code, but I'm completely out of the loop when it comes to the laptop market. I mostly want to confirm that Dell has decent service and build quality. Open to other suggestions too, of course.
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May 16, 2017 12:31
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