OT: Laptop Computers

[MarkPSU]

I'm thinking of replacing my very old Dell PC (windows 7 premium) with a laptop, which I use for business. Looking for something that's fast and maybe offers more storage than what I have. ( I currently use 165 of 286 GB) I don't do gaming, videos, etc. .....it's mostly lots of documents and I'm on the internet all day. Any recommendations? I've done some research, but everyone has a different top ten list. Was thinking of looking at Dell XPS 13, Lenovo ThinkPad x1 carbon, and Microsoft Surface Pro 6.

 

[sluggo72]

go big or stay home....
MacBook Pro
The best for the brightest.

Designed for those who defy limits and change the world, the new MacBook Pro is by far the most powerful notebook we’ve ever made. With an immersive 16-inch Retina display, superfast processors, next-generation graphics, the largest battery capacity ever in a MacBook Pro, a new Magic Keyboard, and massive storage, it’s the ultimate pro notebook for the ultimate user.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro brings a whole new class of performance to the notebook. Thanks to a more advanced thermal design, the Intel Core i9 processor with up to 8 cores and 16 threads of processing power sustains higher performance for longer periods of time — and delivers up to 2.1 times the performance of a quad-core MacBook Pro. So whether you’re layering dozens of tracks and effects, rendering 3D models, or compiling and testing code, you’ll be doing it in no time flat.

 

[Lion78]

I've had a couple of dells in the past and always had issues with the monitor going bad. I have a Lenovo Yoga now and it's been great (3 years old). I'm betting someone will have the exact opposite opinion.

 

[Woodpecker]

I have a SurfacePro2 with a 500GB SSHD. I'm happy with it but don't know if there might be better computers out there.

 

[TheBigUglies]

Just bought this Dell:, no issues so far.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-i...12gb-ssd-optane-black/6339275.p?skuId=6339275

 

[interrobang]

go big or stay home....
MacBook Pro
The best for the brightest.

Designed for those who defy limits and change the world, the new MacBook Pro is by far the most powerful notebook we’ve ever made. With an immersive 16-inch Retina display, superfast processors, next-generation graphics, the largest battery capacity ever in a MacBook Pro, a new Magic Keyboard, and massive storage, it’s the ultimate pro notebook for the ultimate user.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro brings a whole new class of performance to the notebook. Thanks to a more advanced thermal design, the Intel Core i9 processor with up to 8 cores and 16 threads of processing power sustains higher performance for longer periods of time — and delivers up to 2.1 times the performance of a quad-core MacBook Pro. So whether you’re layering dozens of tracks and effects, rendering 3D models, or compiling and testing code, you’ll be doing it in no time flat.

Or get 2 non-Mac laptops that are just as good for the same price as that one.

 

[sluggo72]

Or get 2 non-Mac laptops that are just as good for the same price as that one.

that's a good plan, that way you have a back up when the first one breaks!!!

 

[CF LION]

My company uses ThinkPads. Our IT guy swears by them.

 

[YeOldeCup]

Surface Laptop -- I've used pretty much every brand (Windows, Mac, Unix) over many years, and this is by far my favorite to date. Didn't care for the Surface Pro, as it's not really a laptop, but rather a tablet with kickstand and detachable keyboard.

 

[91Joe95]

go big or stay home....
MacBook Pro
The best for the brightest.

Designed for those who defy limits and change the world, the new MacBook Pro is by far the most powerful notebook we’ve ever made. With an immersive 16-inch Retina display, superfast processors, next-generation graphics, the largest battery capacity ever in a MacBook Pro, a new Magic Keyboard, and massive storage, it’s the ultimate pro notebook for the ultimate user.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro brings a whole new class of performance to the notebook. Thanks to a more advanced thermal design, the Intel Core i9 processor with up to 8 cores and 16 threads of processing power sustains higher performance for longer periods of time — and delivers up to 2.1 times the performance of a quad-core MacBook Pro. So whether you’re layering dozens of tracks and effects, rendering 3D models, or compiling and testing code, you’ll be doing it in no time flat.

Did they fix the cooling issues that cause them to slow down the processor to keep it from being damaged?

 

[sluggo72]

Did they fix the cooling issues that cause them to slow down the processor to keep it from being damaged?

of course!!!

As testing from LinusTechTips shows, the 2019 15-inch MacBook Pro with its 8-core Core i9 processor does not suffer from any kind of thermal throttling even under an extended period of load. The laptop comfortably runs around 2.6GHz — 200MHz more than its base clock, with no issues whatsoever.

For the 2019 MacBook Pro lineup, Apple has used a higher quality and more effective thermal paste which helps with better heat dissipation. It is a small change on Apple’s part but one that has a major impact on the overall performance of the 8-core 15-inch MacBook Pro. Apple has seemingly also undervolted the CPUs which helps in lower temperatures and better thermal dissipation. This can be confirmed while running Windows using BootCamp as the same 8-core MacBook Pro starts throttling way below its base clock for the same heavy workload.

 

[lein]

Did they fix the cooling issues that cause them to slow down the processor to keep it from being damaged?

As opposed to other laptops that just cook everything inside causing premature decline?

 

[LionDeNittany]

I'm thinking of replacing my very old Dell PC (windows 7 premium) with a laptop, which I use for business. Looking for something that's fast and maybe offers more storage than what I have. ( I currently use 165 of 286 GB) I don't do gaming, videos, etc. .....it's mostly lots of documents and I'm on the internet all day. Any recommendations? I've done some research, but everyone has a different top ten list. Was thinking of looking at Dell XPS 13, Lenovo ThinkPad x1 carbon, and Microsoft Surface Pro 6.

Only real advice is to get a SSD.

Not a SSHD or standard hard drive.

Makes a massive difference.

I would make the additional point that if you upgrade your hd to a ssd your pc will last another year or so.

LdN

 

[91Joe95]

of course!!!

As testing from LinusTechTips shows, the 2019 15-inch MacBook Pro with its 8-core Core i9 processor does not suffer from any kind of thermal throttling even under an extended period of load. The laptop comfortably runs around 2.6GHz — 200MHz more than its base clock, with no issues whatsoever.

For the 2019 MacBook Pro lineup, Apple has used a higher quality and more effective thermal paste which helps with better heat dissipation. It is a small change on Apple’s part but one that has a major impact on the overall performance of the 8-core 15-inch MacBook Pro. Apple has seemingly also undervolted the CPUs which helps in lower temperatures and better thermal dissipation. This can be confirmed while running Windows using BootCamp as the same 8-core MacBook Pro starts throttling way below its base clock for the same heavy workload.

This is what I find amusing about apple proponents. Apple deliberately misrepresents the performance of their "top end" product that they massively overcharge for in comparison to an equivalent setup. Then they get caught, and people actually defend this behavior. Phone lasting too long? Cut the battery and blame the consumer. Suddenly start using massive amounts of data? Blame the consumer. Phone bending, problems with antennas, etc.. well you get the idea. I'm amused people trust this company when one of its primary strategies is to sabotage it's own products and then try a massive upsell to fix the problem they created. Hey, defend away.

 

[91Joe95]

As opposed to other laptops that just cook everything inside causing premature decline?

Nobody causes massive premature failure to apple products like apple. But at least they massively overcharge for the privilege.

 

[91Joe95]

Only real advice is to get a SSD.

Not a SSHD or standard hard drive.

Makes a massive difference.

I would make the additional point that if you upgrade your hd to a ssd your pc will last another year or so.

LdN

This is probably the best advice. Clone the hd to a new ssd and it is amazing the sudden performance upgrade you get.

 

[84Lion]

Have you checked out Dell Business Outlet, specifically the Precision Workstation laptops? Might be a bit more than what you need but I have had their Precision series for years and have not been disappointed. The 7520/7530 (15 inch) or 7730 (17 inch) are very nice.

 

[Richard the LIONhearted]

Surface laptop 3.

 

[PSUSignore]

The Dell XPS line is very nice, I have an XPS 13 2-in-1 and like it a lot. You pay a premium for them because they are very small and thin though, but they have a good build quality. For example, the XPS 13 is basically the size of a traditional 12" laptop because the screen has such a thin bezel. This is a feature I desired because I take it on airplanes where space is at a premium. If you need lots of ports and connectivity think hard before buying a really small laptop. My XPS 13 only has two USB C ports and that's it. I always carry dongles and use it with docking stations at home to circumvent the lack of ports. If you want a more traditionally sized laptop from Dell the Latitude line is good. I tend to stick with products more geared towards business users. They are more expensive but have a better build quality and usually have better warranties as well.

 

[PS4814]

I'm thinking of replacing my very old Dell PC (windows 7 premium) with a laptop, which I use for business. Looking for something that's fast and maybe offers more storage than what I have. ( I currently use 165 of 286 GB) I don't do gaming, videos, etc. .....it's mostly lots of documents and I'm on the internet all day. Any recommendations? I've done some research, but everyone has a different top ten list. Was thinking of looking at Dell XPS 13, Lenovo ThinkPad x1 carbon, and Microsoft Surface Pro 6.

Any of the ones you have there will be way more than enough for your needs if you're just doing documents and internet. You could actually get away with going cheaper but the extra power/speed isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Biggest thing for you to look for is a SSD as opposed to an HDD for the hard drive and all those you've listed have SSD's as most laptops do these days except for budget versions at stores like Best Buy / Staples etc.

I was given an 11 year old Sony laptop running windows 7 and was so slow it was unusable. I swapped out the HDD for a Samsung SSD and used the free upgrade to windows 10 and it's perfectly usable for internet and document work. I could spend a few more bucks to replace the battery and increase the RAM but there's no need.

 

[91Joe95]

Microsoft support for Windows 7 (which the OP is running) ends of January 14th. This means that Microsoft will no longer send out updates on bug fixes and security. You can continue to run Windows 7 but interfaces to new software won't be provided and eventually it will become difficult. Depending on your needs it may take a long time before you'll notice a problem.

Microsoft has ended their free upgrade to Windows 10 and they are strongly encouraging current Windows 7 users to purchase a new computer. I suspect this is why the OP started this thread.

I suspect those users that currently own a copy of Microsoft Office will run into some difficulty getting it moved if they buy new.

Alternatively, hit Craigslist and purchase a fully loaded Dell Latitude for less than $300 that is running Windows 10 Pro. You'll most likely find some with i7 processors, 16 GB memory and a large capacity SSD for about $200.

I think you can still upgrade to 10 from 7 by choosing the disabilities option.

 

[84Lion]

Microsoft has ended their free upgrade to Windows 10 and they are strongly encouraging current Windows 7 users to purchase a new computer.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-how-you-can-still-get-a-free-windows-10-upgrade/

 

[PS4814]

Well, according to this article it was still working in mid-September 2019. Apparently, the free-upgrade ended but no one at Microsoft disabled the upgrade software so was available to everyone. I'm sure it will eventually be taken down but just recently was available.

Anyone out there want to give it a go and report back?

I did this about 6 months ago - just did the normal upgrade process - no disability workaround.

 

[Nitt1300]

I misread the thread title as lapdance- which seemed at least interesting

by all means, geek on

 

[Secret Asian Man]

As a computer guy (asian man, amiright?) I switched to macbooks five years ago and will never go back. The OS and hardware are solid. It doesn't slow down. And it has the same predictable performance every day. Not unusual to find people using ten year old devices. Amazon has them for $699

 

[PSU77sh]

Bought a HP Envy x 360 with a SSD about a year ago. Love it.

 

[schoolie]

of course!!!

As testing from LinusTechTips shows, the 2019 15-inch MacBook Pro with its 8-core Core i9 processor does not suffer from any kind of thermal throttling even under an extended period of load. The laptop comfortably runs around 2.6GHz — 200MHz more than its base clock, with no issues whatsoever.

For the 2019 MacBook Pro lineup, Apple has used a higher quality and more effective thermal paste which helps with better heat dissipation. It is a small change on Apple’s part but one that has a major impact on the overall performance of the 8-core 15-inch MacBook Pro. Apple has seemingly also undervolted the CPUs which helps in lower temperatures and better thermal dissipation. This can be confirmed while running Windows using BootCamp as the same 8-core MacBook Pro starts throttling way below its base clock for the same heavy workload.

Atta boy, Sluggo. I'm with you!

 

[johnmpsu]

that's a good plan, that way you have a back up when the first one breaks!!!

Parts is parts. Only difference is the OS. Macs run a decent unix OS and PC's a crappy windows OS. If money is no object buy the Mac. If compatibility doesn't matter buy the pc with the parts you like and install Linux. Chances are if it's for work you are stuck in the Windows world. No matter what you buy make sure it's has an SSD.

 

[LMTLION]

I'm thinking of replacing my very old Dell PC (windows 7 premium) with a laptop, which I use for business. Looking for something that's fast and maybe offers more storage than what I have. ( I currently use 165 of 286 GB) I don't do gaming, videos, etc. .....it's mostly lots of documents and I'm on the internet all day. Any recommendations? I've done some research, but everyone has a different top ten list. Was thinking of looking at Dell XPS 13, Lenovo ThinkPad x1 carbon, and Microsoft Surface Pro 6.

Surface Pro is an amazing piece of technology if you need extreme portability. It is the most useful tech I have used in some time, but I personally only use it as a supplemental specialized tool for taking notes on the fly, making presentations to my team, and accessing data when I hit our nursing floors . I am old fashioned and use the desktop with dual screen to get real “work”done. Regardless of what you get, make sure you get an ssd, as it makes any desktop or laptop feel like a speed demon regardless of other specs. We pay $1,000 for our laptops and $1,500 for our surfaces and I only authorize a surface for my people that need extreme portability.

 

[BoulderFish]

FWIW I have two Acer Aspire laptops and have been very satisfied with them. Both are running Windows 10 (the best Windows OS since your Windows 7) and have the SSD that LdN and a few others mentioned above.

Like you, I don't do gaming. I pretty much just use them for email, web browsing, "cloud-based" web development (my day job), porn, basic architecture software, and some relatively rudimentary Photoshop work.

Both seem almost as fast as the day I got them (the older one is about five years old), and unlike computers in the past, because they don't seem to be slowing down, they seem like I'll be using them for a long long time.

And just to be clear, I'm not advising that Acer is better than any other particular brand, as I don't have any recent experience with any others. I'm just saying that I've been satisfied with my Acers. I have less recent experience with Dell, Lenovo, HP, and Apple laptops, and I much prefer my current Acers -- But that's kinda like comparing apples (pun kinda intended) to oranges, as the laptops are from different times.

All JMO of course.