Looking for new laptop

[RobReab]

Mostly good advice. I've been working in IT for 40 years or so.

IMHO, i3 to i5 won't make too much difference. Then again, if it were me, $60 is not much when spending a few hundred.

The SSD will make a noticeable difference in overall speed. A little limited on storage but that's easy to solve with an external drive or usb stick.

SSD's will survive drops and hard physical use much better.

Chromebooks are great. I'm using one now and use it for most of my daily use. I get on a computer with a mouse to do anything serious.

Chromebooks are made by many different companies, like laptops. Some are good quality some aren't. Mine is an Asus and is about 5 years old. Works just like the day I got it.

This is all subjective. Like everyones opinion on RV's, Cars, toads etc. it depends on you and how you're going to use it.

Take everyones thoughts and apply it to your situation and budget.

Good Luck!

[l1v3fr33ord1]

wagonmaster2-

The answers to the question "What computer should I buy" are as varied as the answers to "What RV should I buy?" So, let me address specifically the issue of i3 vs. i5 vs. i7, etc.

It is almost always the case that the one thing you cannot change after purchase is the processor. In the case of portable devices, it often can't be replaced if it fails. As time goes on, Microsoft and Windows application developers create bigger programs that take more processing power to run well, meaning at a speed you can accept.

Therefore, if you want to have the best performance over the longest period of ownership, buy the best processor the manufacturer offers in the line of computers you want. That means an i7 (or similar if not an Intel processor) if you can afford it, followed by an i5, then the i3.

The trick is finding a small and lightweight laptop with the i7 or i5. They are made- I have one- but I specifically ordered on online to the specs I wanted. My last laptop met the same specs (for its time) and lasted 13 years before I passed it along to a home-school family. I'm hoping this one lasts as long.

In any case, if you can get the i5 instead of the i3, do.

[theoldwizard]

Originally Posted by RobReab

This is all subjective. Like everyones opinion on RV's, Cars, toads etc.

I disagree with that statement !

Originally Posted by RobReab

It depends on you and how you're going to use it.

I DO agree with this statement ! If you are crunching numbers, Intel is still king, but who really does that day after day ?

I have been involved with computers for over 40 years (back when a minicomputer was as large a 2 double door refrigerators). One thing people who full the technology will agree on is that AMD is "back from the edge of doom" and Intel IS worried !

A 17" laptop based on an AMD Ryzen 2500U will give even an iCore 7 alptop a run for its money at $75-$100 LESS ! Sadly, none of the "brick and mortar" stores are stocking these.

Once you have tried a laptop with a SSD (especially the latest NVMe M.2 SSDs) you will be blown away ! More memory is ALWAYS a good thing !

Build your own HP Pavilion 17" laptop !

If you want to splurge get the FHD (1920x1080) IPS display ! Not a cheap upgrade but very impressive.

My big gripe with HP is they overcharge for upgrades. The second 8GB is overpriced. Also, for a few dollars more you could have a 512GB SSD instead of the 256GB.

[theoldwizard]

Originally Posted by l1v3fr33ord1

The trick is finding a small and lightweight laptop with the i7 or i5. They are made- I have one- but I specifically ordered on online to the specs I wanted. My last laptop met the same specs (for its time) and lasted 13 years before I passed it along to a home-school family. I'm hoping this one lasts as long.

IMHO, all of the major manufacturers OVERCHARGE for their "lightweight" laptops. The biggest difference on the lightweight models is they do NOT have an optical drive.

I agree with the rest of your comments. I am currently typing on a laptop that is over 10 years. Yes, I installed a SSD over 5 years ago and some parts of the housing are starting to break, but it still runs plenty fast !

[Arch Hoagland]

Classic Shell - Start menu and other Windows enhancements


Once you decide on a machine you may want to use this overlay to make Win 10 it look like it used to look.

[wagonmaster2]

To say I'm overwhelmed is an understatement. Appreciate all the advice and hope I can absorb just a very small amount of it.
Whoever said you can't teach an old dog new tricks sure knew what he was talking about.
After 3 years I'm still wrestling with all the gismos, gadgets, and thing a mabobs on my 2015 DP after trading off my old 2004 DP. Technology is zooming along in a jet plane while I'm still mozzing along in my Model T.

[wildtoad]

Originally Posted by wagonmaster2

Wondering if it's worth an additional $60 to go from Intel Core i3 Processor to i5. Not even sure what the Processor does. Most of my use is doing the Forums, e-mails, researching the Internet on different subjects, and playing games.

Any suggestions?

Based on what you say you do or want to do, I’d question your need for a laptop at all, especially not a Windows based one, with all it’s security issues, and the number of updates. Everything you state can be done quite well on a smartphone or even a basic tablet regardless of brand. My wife and I have both IPhones and IPads as well as Microsoft Surface laptops. We have far fewer issues with the “I” products. Many people have good luck with Android based products. The only reason I still use my Surface is to do my taxes.

BTW the processor controls just about everything that happens on the laptop. The faster the better, but but in your case, you may not get your money’s worth initially.

[RoadEyePie]

I love my Microsoft Surface Pro. It has the Inter Core I5-7300U 2.71 GHz processor with 8 GB ram. I use it most everyday and it does the job very nicely. While on the road, I use it to manage my finances, so it's not just an email / facebook device like some cheapo devices. It can run the full fleet of software (MS Office 365, etc). I can detach the keyboard and use it like a tablet when I want or need to. I can plug my Logitech camera in the USB port, set the camera in the back window and use it to hook up the 5th wheel. With a Wifi Hotspot in the truck, the wife can run apps or browse while we're going down the road to find whatever. It's small and perfect for having in the truck cab, along with all the other stuff we have in there. And best of all, it's not an Apple device. Did I say that I love my Microsoft Surface Pro.
Oh, I'm using it now!

[Dav L]

I love my SurfacePro. i7. prior generation to current. Trouble free.
Just fixed my daughter's iPhone 6S touchscreen chip...needed to be reflowed.
Dropped my Android Google Pixel XL in the lake. Dried it off and no problem.
My son just got an iPhone 6 to replace his Android LG that broke it's USB jack. Now he is complaining over battery life. He does use his Chromebook an awful lot. My daughter uses a Win10 laptop but wants a Mac laptop..
Wife lives on her iPhone 8. She was a flip phone gal before that. Saw no need until she discovered facebook. Now she uses all the popular messenging apps.
Typing this on a Win10 custom water cooled desktop. Relatively trouble free. Just need to clean and replace the coolant twice a year. But it is the workhorse.

They all are good quality products. It's just about getting used to one or the other. Apple tends to get considered as easier to use because they don't support the same number of features so each feature is easier to find. It drives me crazy though because it doesn't do what I want it to do...

[Guoers]

Originally Posted by Waiter21

I purchased a Dell refurb just before Christmas, Dell was running a 1/2 sale, got a nice Latitude 5540 running Win 7 for $200. This replaced my 5 year old Toshiba, that is still kicking. (I prefer Win7 over Win10)

I do a lot of software and web site development, so I live on either the desktop, or when on the road, my laptop.

One of the first things I do when I get a new laptop is to is to load all my software on the hard drive, Then I clone the HD to an SSD. I then remove the HD and install the SSD.

The SSD boots significantly faster, AND, uses significantly less power than the HD. ALSO, its more reliable with bangs, bumps and drops than the HD.

That sounds good.

[theoldwizard]

Originally Posted by Waiter21

One of the first things I do when I get a new laptop is to is to load all my software on the hard drive, Then I clone the HD to an SSD. I then remove the HD and install the SSD.

The SSD boots significantly faster, AND, uses significantly less power than the HD. ALSO, its more reliable with bangs, bumps and drops than the HD.

CONCUR ! Just curious, what software do you use to clone the drive ?

I have found that it is often better NOT to clone the drive, but install Windows from a "retail" distribution media. This is more work because you have to locate all of the drivers BUT, then you don't get all of the useless OEM utilities and free trial software. If you manage things and don't store a lot of pictures, music or videos on your SSD, 256GB is plenty.

IMHO, the Samsung Pro 960 are the best SSDs currently available.

Last tip, take that old hard drive, place it an external housing you bought from Newegg or Amazon (trivial task) and you now have a backup device !

[OregonJim]

Originally Posted by Waiter21

I do a lot of software and web site development, so I live on either the desktop, or when on the road, my laptop.

One of the first things I do when I get a new laptop is to is to load all my software on the hard drive, Then I clone the HD to an SSD. I then remove the HD and install the SSD.

The SSD boots significantly faster, AND, uses significantly less power than the HD. ALSO, its more reliable with bangs, bumps and drops than the HD.

I've been a software developer for 30+ years, and a hardware designer before that (embedded computers).

I've had SSDs since they first came out. I get an average of LESS THAN TWO YEARS use from an SSD before it fails. Of all the SSDs I've had (maybe 10? 15?), only ONE is still functional.

Rotating magnetic media (classic hard drives), on the other hand, lasts MUCH longer, IF you don't bang them around while they're spinning. I still have working hard drives from the late 1980s. Only two out of >150 have failed me in the last 40 years, but I'm careful with them.

Yes, SSD boots faster and is immune to drops & shocks, but it has a very short lifetime. I'll take a traditional drive any day, at least until they can improve the limited lifetime of SSDs.

[AnotherMike]

Originally Posted by Solo_RV_Guy

Dell Finance is running another sale on Latitude laptops this weekend.

www.dellrefurbished.com

The coupon code is DELL40MLK and does not work with items marked "Clearance" and there are a couple of other minor restrictions.

Dell Finance is the leasing arm of Dell, and these are off-lease computers. I've bought 4 so far this "season" as gifts or to replace older (Core2 Duo, anyone?) machines at work.

A decent i5 duo or quad core machine with a 14" screen will run between $200-$300 or so.

As I don't do gaming, video editing or production or huge spreadsheets, I don't need the latest and greatest CPU. More memory serves me better as do Solid State drives.

For what it's worth, Dell has three lines of laptops. You don't want the low end, it's an entry level unit that is built to a price with lots of thin/cheap plastic, low end processor and memory that on some models can't be expanded. The Latitude line is the business/office line, and built decently. The Precision is the high end/engineering line. I have Precision M4600 on my bench at work and like it. They are available used anywhere in the $400-$600 range (depends on the disk and RAM sizes, and if you want a warranty).

More RAM is cheap and is the simplest/cheapest thing you can do to speed up any computer. Personally, I max out my laptops on RAM.

Another thing I purchase extra for any laptop I intend to use in the MH is a 12v DC/vehicle/airplane adapter. Having one of these saves having to run the MH inverter just to run a laptop as many MH inverters have a no-load (idle) current measured in amps - which is many times what my laptop charger draws. That excessive idle current is the reason I built a 12 volt DC to 24v DC adapter for my CPAP (nighttime breathing machine) that originally came with a 120vAC to 24 volts DC power brick).

Some of the laptop manufacturers don't offer a 12 volt DC vehicle adapter, some do. For those that don't there's a outside company called Lind. The one in the photos below is in a City of Los Angeles building inspectors car. A friend works for the City shops and he says that they have several thousand Lind units in service.

And if you want a super-durable laptop, look at a Panasonic Toughbook. I have an older one and you can literally drive a tank over it - that was one of the requirements that the japanese military had when they had Panasonic design it for them. They are available used from multiple sources and with a good warranty, they are the favorite rugged field computer. I watched one take a dive off of a 2nd story balcony handrail. Yes, it dented the case, but it didn't crack the screen, and two years later is still in service (with the dent).
I use my older Toughbook (it came with and still runs Windows XP) strictly for programming 2-way radios as many of them still require a serial port (a 9-pin COM port) for the cable from the radio to the computer.

[theoldwizard]

Originally Posted by OregonJim

I've had SSDs since they first came out. I get an average of LESS THAN TWO YEARS use from an SSD before it fails. Of all the SSDs I've had (maybe 10? 15?), only ONE is still functional.

TOTALLY OPPOSITE EXPERIENCE !

The SSD in the laptop I am typing on is over 7 years old, and no problems !

IMHO, Samsung makes the best SSD and in the Samsung product line they have 2 different versions. Spend the extra and get the PRO version.