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OT: Looking for laptop recommendations....

psuro

psuro

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Aug 24, 2001
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The corner table at the Skellar
Have about $175 in Best Buy credit that I would like to use, and my current Toshiba Laptop is 12 years old - which I think makes it 108 in computer years.

Don't really want to use it for work - mostly personal stuff, although I will have the latest MS Office downloaded. Personal accounting, watch Youtube vids, etc etc

Any recommendations?

Edit- need to know what memory/gig/ram etc are the latest and greatest also...
 
psuro said:
Have about $175 in Best Buy credit that I would like to use, and my current Toshiba Laptop is 12 years old - which I think makes it 108 in computer years.

Don't really want to use it for work - mostly personal stuff, although I will have the latest MS Office downloaded. Personal accounting, watch Youtube vids, etc etc

Any recommendations?

Edit- need to know what memory/gig/ram etc are the latest and greatest also...
Click to expand...

iPad Pro?
 
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psuro said:
Do you think they are better than a standard laptop? What specific features do you like?
Click to expand...

Mostly it's form factor - a cross between a tablet and a laptop the smallness of a a tablet combined with the functionality of a laptop. I'll be using it primarily for personal stuff but would like to occasionally use it for work at home or on the road.

The New Surface Pro (named Surface Pro 2017) is due out in June, so I'm thinking that there will be some deep discounts on the 4, which is what I'd be purchasing.
 
If you just want a laptop that replaces your 12 year old Toshiba and does web browsing, MS Office, plays Youtube, Netflix etc., you can get that for as little as $250. It will have 14-15 inch screen and weigh somewhere around 5 pounds. With Windows 10, 6 GB of ram is a minimum and really should be 8. But RAM upgrades are super cheap so you're prob. fine buying a 4 GB model and just adding ram.

Any number of brands are fine -- HP, Lenovo, Dell etc. Shop at Best Buy so you can see what you like and then check prices on the web -- these day Best Buy should be in the same ballpark.

If you want touch screen you'll pay more. If you want something very light and thin you'll pay a lot more -- 3 pound ultrabooks start around $700. (I have an Asus ultrabook and it's just gorgeous but I would discourage anyone from buying Asus because their warranty service is awful if you get a bad unit. Well, I shouldn't say it's awful, it's great if you like being apologized to by call centers in India while it takes 8 weeks to get a working computer back.)

Some people swear by Surface type machines that convert from a laptop into a tablet. I'm not sold though. For a Surface with decent specs and screen you'll pay maybe $900. It's cheaper to just buy a laptop AND a tablet.

If you are interested in a tablet, Ipads are way cheaper than they used to be. the 9.5 inch Ipad is around $325 now new I think. On the other hand the 8 inch Amazon tablet is $40.

With tablets be aware that they may not run a true computer OS -- so they'll support tablet apps but they won't run Windows or Mac software.

It's interesting to me that market demand for tablets has fallen to almost zero. Most of the tablets in the world are sitting in drawers somewhere. Meanwhile, old fashioned laptops (Windows and Macbooks) are selling well again. As it turns out, a keyboard is a pretty handy thing.
 
Last edited:
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tboyer said:
It's interesting to me that market demand for tablets has fallen to almost zero. Most of the tablets in the world are sitting in drawers somewhere. Meanwhile, old fashioned laptops (Windows and Macbooks) are selling well again. As it turns out, a keyboard is a pretty handy thing.
Click to expand...

Slight correction.
Tablets have cratered as you note
Laptops have leveled off and are in a very slight decline
2-in-1s are growing very fast. The 3 top selling mobile computers are different Surface models.

As you note, people love the form factor of a tablet, until they realize they need to actually create some content or do work.
I work for a computer manufacturer and everything is going toward the 2-in-1.
 
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heckmans said:
Slight correction.
Tablets have cratered as you note
Laptops have leveled off and are in a very slight decline
2-in-1s are growing very fast. The 3 top selling mobile computers are different Surface models.

As you note, people love the form factor of a tablet, until they realize they need to actually create some content or do work.
I work for a computer manufacturer and everything is going toward the 2-in-1.
Click to expand...

I'm still not sold. If 2-in-1 is just another name for a laptop with a detachable keyboard, and you almost always want the keyboard, what's the advantage? Why pay a $600-$700 premium for a 2-in-1?

If 2-in-1 means it runs a phone OS (Ios, Android) instead of a real computer OS (Mac or Windows), to me that is not an advantage, that is a disadvantage. There is a lot of stuff that you can't run on a phone OS.

Seems to me, everybody on earth wanted a tablet, we all bought them, played with them, and then either gave them to the kids or put them in a drawer.

I get that the Surface is a great piece of hardware, and it does run real Windows, which is good. I just don't see any advantage over a laptop unless you want the tablet for some kind of sales presentation.
 
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psuro said:
Have about $175 in Best Buy credit that I would like to use, and my current Toshiba Laptop is 12 years old - which I think makes it 108 in computer years.

Don't really want to use it for work - mostly personal stuff, although I will have the latest MS Office downloaded. Personal accounting, watch Youtube vids, etc etc

Any recommendations?

Edit- need to know what memory/gig/ram etc are the latest and greatest also...
Click to expand...

Just bought my parents a simple little 15.6" HP with AMD A6 processor, 4 gigs ram, 500 gig hd for $210 shipped (and brand new). Your requirements, even as an engineer, are basic. The stuff you do just doesn't require any horsepower, nor will it. People constantly pay for things they never need or use in a computer. Look how long your last one lasted. High end specs are for gamers and intensive video editing. Now, you could look for an ssd, they're fast at startup, but they are also much, much smaller. Ram is cheap and easy to upgrade when you finally need it years from now.
 
psuro said:
Well, that is good.
Click to expand...

Everything "just works." If you want a high end computer, seriously consider Microsoft's lineup. Outstanding performance, and much cheaper than macs. Seriously, Mac users have lost their minds for paying such a premium, and it seems the higher the margin apple charges the more they want it.
 
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I would recommend buying the laptop straight from Microsoft because they sell them without any of the unnecessary "bloat software.
 
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91Joe95 said:
Everything "just works." If you want a high end computer, seriously consider Microsoft's lineup. Outstanding performance, and much cheaper than macs. Seriously, Mac users have lost their minds for paying such a premium, and it seems the higher the margin apple charges the more they want it.
Click to expand...
every Microsoft based product I have had, I have had to throw in the trash, couldn't keep up, locked up etc. I have Apple products now, 10-12 yrs later still going strong. so tell me whats wrong with that?
 
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I have a Chrome Book, which does everything I need plus more. I'm retired, so your needs may exceed mine if you're in business or have another professional job. Those more computer savvy than I may want add on.
 
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sluggo72 said:
every Microsoft based product I have had, I have had to throw in the trash, couldn't keep up, locked up etc. I have Apple products now, 10-12 yrs later still going strong. so tell me whats wrong with that?
Click to expand...

Because they are obscenely overpriced, and their hardware isn't even top of the line. They don't update the hardware and still keep the original high prices for years. You can actually wipe the hard drive, install Windows, and get faster performance. In fact, you can even do that with older unsupported macs. I grew up on apple and macs, but I've had PC's for about 20 years and never had any problem, except a hard drive failure once. My original Quantex PC (long since chapter 11), which wasn't even high end back then, is still going strong running xp and Mame programs in an arcade machine. You can't run Mame on a Mac. It just doesn't let you. In the engineering and business world I've come across a fair number of important programs that wouldn't run on macs, not because they didn't have the horsepower, but because apple locks you out. Serious machine vs. a toy is the way I look at it. To me, a forced castration isn't a sign of a superior product. Apple likes to force people into their ecosystem and make it hard to play well with others. My 81 year old parents turn on their machine, and either open up a browser or Microsoft word and just go. In fact, I even added their gmail site to the start menu to make it even easier for them. Its simple, it "just works," and its literally a fraction of the cost. I'll give apple credit, they know how to gussy up some plastic and sucker people in.
 
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91Joe95 said:
Because they are obscenely overpriced, and their hardware isn't even top of the line. They don't update the hardware and still keep the original high prices for years. You can actually wipe the hard drive, install Windows, and get faster performance. In fact, you can even do that with older unsupported macs. I grew up on apple and macs, but I've had PC's for about 20 years and never had any problem, except a hard drive failure once. My original Quantex PC (long since chapter 11), which wasn't even high end back then, is still going strong running xp and Mame programs in an arcade machine. You can't run Mame on a Mac. It just doesn't let you. In the engineering and business world I've come across a fair number of important programs that wouldn't run on macs, not because they didn't have the horsepower, but because apple locks you out. Serious machine vs. a toy is the way I look at it. To me, a forced castration isn't a sign of a superior product. Apple likes to force people into their ecosystem and make it hard to play well with others. My 81 year old parents turn on their machine, and either open up a browser or Microsoft word and just go. In fact, I even added their gmail site to the start menu to make it even easier for them. Its simple, it "just works," and its literally a fraction of the cost. I'll give apple credit, they know how to gussy up some plastic and sucker people in.
Click to expand...
Price is only an issue in the absence of value. Besides it sounds like 'you can't run Mameon a Mac' is a software problem not a hardware problem. Lightroom runs just fine for me
 
sluggo72 said:
Price is only an issue in the absence of value. Besides it sounds like 'you can't run Mameon a Mac' is a software problem not a hardware problem. Lightroom runs just fine for me
Click to expand...

I don't understand. Lightroom works on a PC and a Mac. The Windows PC also runs many, many more programs. The PC is a fraction of the cost. When you point out a software problem, you are correct, but its the origin of that problem that you seem to be missing, to say nothing of the term value.
 
91Joe95 said:
I don't understand. Lightroom works on a PC and a Mac. The Windows PC also runs many, many more programs. The PC is a fraction of the cost. When you point out a software problem, you are correct, but its the origin of that problem that you seem to be missing, to say nothing of the term value.
Click to expand...
You're arguing with sluggo, Joe. That's a no win situation. No offense to sluggo intended. Just the way it is.:)
 
If you're good with literally nothing but web browsing, Apple will be great for you. But if you need/want to deviate from exacly that, you'll be extremely frustrated with your Apple. They look nice though.

I have two Acer laptops with Win 10 and they're the best machines I've had in a long time.
 
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psuro said:
Have about $175 in Best Buy credit that I would like to use, and my current Toshiba Laptop is 12 years old - which I think makes it 108 in computer years.

Don't really want to use it for work - mostly personal stuff, although I will have the latest MS Office downloaded. Personal accounting, watch Youtube vids, etc etc

Any recommendations?

Edit- need to know what memory/gig/ram etc are the latest and greatest also...
Click to expand...
Do you need "portability" or are you good with letting the thing sit on a desk/table?
 
artsandletters said:
You're arguing with sluggo, Joe. That's a no win situation. No offense to sluggo intended. Just the way it is.:)
Click to expand...

I like sluggo. I admit, I may be a bit overly critical of the Mac, but apple doesn't make anything unless they can absolutely fleece the customer and force them into their ecosystem to then make even more money off them. Don't get me started on wireless earphones, the lightning port, the removal (and subsequent expense to "fix") of the audio jack, how hard it is to extract even simple phone numbers from an iPhone, the apple watch, etc. etc. Margins, margins, margins is all apple focuses on. Sorry, if I'm buying something, I want serious value added for their premiums, and I just don't see it.
 
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91Joe95 said:
I like sluggo. I admit, I may be a bit overly critical of the Mac, but apple doesn't make anything unless they can absolutely fleece the customer and force them into their ecosystem to then make even more money off them. Don't get me started on wireless earphones, the lightning port, the removal (and subsequent expense to "fix") of the audio jack, how hard it is to extract even simple phone numbers from an iPhone, the apple watch, etc. etc. Margins, margins, margins is all apple focuses on. Sorry, if I'm buying something, I want serious value added for their premiums, and I just don't see it.
Click to expand...
I like sluggo too but not a he's not a good one to argue with. :)
 
I converted from a PC to a MacBook Air about two years ago. It took about six months but I am totally sold on the MacBook over the PC. its just solid. It is more expensive, but my workstation is by far my most valuable tool so I don't skimp.

The thing performs and is solid. Used with an iPhone and Apple TV, it is a pleasure. I won't go back. I am 100% an Apple shop with several iPhones, several iPads, Apple TV and a MAcBookAir. And two years ago, I'd have never bought an apple product.

it is what it is
 
tboyer said:
I'm still not sold. If 2-in-1 is just another name for a laptop with a detachable keyboard, and you almost always want the keyboard, what's the advantage? Why pay a $600-$700 premium for a 2-in-1?

If 2-in-1 means it runs a phone OS (Ios, Android) instead of a real computer OS (Mac or Windows), to me that is not an advantage, that is a disadvantage. There is a lot of stuff that you can't run on a phone OS.

Seems to me, everybody on earth wanted a tablet, we all bought them, played with them, and then either gave them to the kids or put them in a drawer.

I get that the Surface is a great piece of hardware, and it does run real Windows, which is good. I just don't see any advantage over a laptop unless you want the tablet for some kind of sales presentation.
Click to expand...

You do you Mr Boyer. I wasn't advocating. I was just telling you want the market trend is. People want a tablet for sitting on the couch surfing the web and watching videos, and then a keyboard to attach when they have to work, type emails, etc.
 
Obliviax said:
I converted from a PC to a MacBook Air about two years ago. It took about six months but I am totally sold on the MacBook over the PC. its just solid. It is more expensive, but my workstation is by far my most valuable tool so I don't skimp.

The thing performs and is solid. Used with an iPhone and Apple TV, it is a pleasure. I won't go back. I am 100% an Apple shop with several iPhones, several iPads, Apple TV and a MAcBookAir. And two years ago, I'd have never bought an apple product.

it is what it is
Click to expand...
me too, I found all of those things play well with each other, but really aren't you concerned at all you wont be able to do this....


MAME (an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open source emulator designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms.[1] The intention is to preserve gaming history by preventing vintage games from being lost or forgotten. The aim of MAME is to be a reference to the inner workings of the emulated arcade machines; the ability to actually play the games is considered "a nice side effect".[2] Joystiq has listed MAME as an application that every gamer should have.[3]

The first public MAME release (0.1) was on February 5, 1997, by Nicola Salmoria. The emulator now supports over seven thousand unique games and ten thousand actual ROM image sets, though not all of the supported games are playable. MESS, an emulator for many video game consoles and computer systems, based on the MAME core, was integrated into MAME in 2015.
 
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sluggo72 said:
me too, I found all of those things play well with each other, but really aren't you concerned at all you wont be able to do this....


MAME (an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open source emulator designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms.[1] The intention is to preserve gaming history by preventing vintage games from being lost or forgotten. The aim of MAME is to be a reference to the inner workings of the emulated arcade machines; the ability to actually play the games is considered "a nice side effect".[2] Joystiq has listed MAME as an application that every gamer should have.[3]

The first public MAME release (0.1) was on February 5, 1997, by Nicola Salmoria. The emulator now supports over seven thousand unique games and ten thousand actual ROM image sets, though not all of the supported games are playable. MESS, an emulator for many video game consoles and computer systems, based on the MAME core, was integrated into MAME in 2015.
Click to expand...

Lol, you went through all that effort when I told you what it was in my post? Its a simple program. It runs on dos, Linux, windows, but not Mac. Why? Its not the hardware, it'll run on an old 486 machine. Its because apple says you can't. You know what else apple won't run (and which I also pointed out)? Lots of useful vendor software. Mind you, this isn't difficult stuff, but apple says no. Nothing like being unable to run a simple control valve sizing program because apple says no. Apple is for people who like to pay a premium to be locked out of their own machine. Its just not a serious computer. Hey, looks pretty though.
 
91Joe95 said:
Lol, you went through all that effort when I told you what it was in my post? Its a simple program. It runs on dos, Linux, windows, but not Mac. Why? Its not the hardware, it'll run on an old 486 machine. Its because apple says you can't. You know what else apple won't run (and which I also pointed out)? Lots of useful vendor software. Mind you, this isn't difficult stuff, but apple says no. Nothing like being unable to run a simple control valve sizing program because apple says no. Apple is for people who like to pay a premium to be locked out of their own machine. Its just not a serious computer. Hey, looks pretty though.
Click to expand...
According to the link it does run on OS. I m not trying to argue with you. You have had no problem expressing your opinion, but for me and my needs I'll never use Microsoft stuff again. Too many hassles
 
Mac is just BETTER. FAR FAR less "problems".
But if you have $175 buy a PC. (they are OK)
I do not want to get into a "discussion" about WHY the Mac is better. I have a great deal of experience with both platforms, having been responsible for over 150,000 laptops and desktops (MAC, Dell, HP as well as Gateway and IBM/Lanova). It is kind of comparing a Ford with an Audi. Nothing wrong with the Ford, but :)

OK, if you are a game player then get the PC :)
 
sluggo72 said:
According to the link it does run on OS. I m not trying to argue with you. You have had no problem expressing your opinion, but for me and my needs I'll never use Microsoft stuff again. Too many hassles
Click to expand...

My apologies sluggo, for whatever reason this topic makes the engineer in me go full prick mode.
 
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