Looking for a new laptop. Need advice.

Dalboz

My current laptop (Dell Inspiron N5110) is over four years old but is giving me a lot of trouble, as I've mentioned in some other threads. The DVD-RW drive essentially doesn't work, several of the keyboard keys are having difficulty responding, I have a big scratch on my screen (that one's my fault for putting it in my overloaded Bag of Holding), and I keep running out of hard drive space (500GB). So, I'm thinking of getting a new laptop and leaving this as a spare.

The problem is that I've been out of the computer field for a while and hardware has changed a lot since I last really closely paid attention to it. I've done a little studying through Google, but I'm not sure how much I'm truly understanding all of it.

For now, I've narrowed my choices down to a Dell Inspiron 17 5000 series

(Specs):

Processor & Memory:
Intel® Core i7-6500U Processor at 2.5GHz
16GB DDR3L 1600MHz RAM

Drives:
1TB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
DVD-RW (Writes to DVD/CD)

Operating System:
Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional

Graphics & Video:
17.3" Trulife LED-Backlit HD+ (1600 x 900) Display
4GB AMD Radeon R5 M335 Graphics

Communications:
Integrated Widescreen HD (720p) Webcam + Dual Digital Microphone Array
Intel® 3160 AC (1x1 AC, 433 Mbps) + Bluetooth® 4.0

Keyboard:
Dell Backlit Keyboard with Touchpad and 10-key Numeric Keypad

Ports & Slots:
1x USB 3.0
2x USB 2.0
1x HDMI
1x Media Card Reader

Power Supply:
4-cell 40 WHr Battery

Additional Information:
Dimensions: 16.41"W x 11.15"D x 1.06"H

or a Toshiba Satellite S75

(Specs):

Processor & Memory:
Intel® Core™ i7-4720HQ Processor 2.6GHz
16GB DDR3L 1600MHz RAM

Drives:
2TB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
DVD-RW (Writes to DVD/CD)

Operating System:
Microsoft® Windows 10 Professional

Graphics & Video:
17.3” TruBrite® TFT FHD (1920 x 1080) Display
Native support for 1080p content
16:9 aspect ratio
2GB AMD Radeon™ R9 M265X dedicated Graphics

Communications:
HD webcam + TruTalk™ Dual Microphones
10/100/1000 Ethernet (RJ-45 Connector)
Intel® 7260 AC (2x2 AC, 867 Mbps) + Bluetooth 4.0

Audio:
Built-in Harmon/Kardon® stereo speakers
DTS Sound™ Processing

Keyboard:
TruType LED-Backlit Keyboard with 10-key
Clickpad pointing device with multi-touch control

Ports & Slots:
2x USB 3.0 port (1x with USB Sleep and Charge)
2x USB 2.0 port
HDMI® (with 4K Ultra HD output capability)
Memory Card Reader
Microphone input jack
Headphone output jack
RGB

Power Supply:
6-cell Lithium Ion Battery

Additional Information:
Dimensions: 16.3" x 10.6" x 1.3”
Approximate Weight: 5.9lbs

I picked these two from Costco because I'm on a budget and can't afford (and don't need) anything super high end. Right now, I'm kind of leaning towards the Toshiba, but I'm not totally sold on it, since I read that the CPU can run a bit hot and my wife's Toshiba has really sucky speakers. But I like the bigger HDD, and it looks like the screen and the GPU are slightly higher-end, with only a $100 price difference. My needs are as follows:

It will be my only computer; I don't have a desktop.
I do a lot of media (like videos) and online stuff, including hooking my laptop up to my TV (1080p; not 4K for now).
Productivity. I will likely be using LibreOffice a lot, as well as CorelDraw and Quickbooks.
Longevity. I tend to drive computers really hard, so I need something that will last for a quite a long time with regular to intense use. Basically, I need the Toyota of laptops.
Gaming, sort of. I usually still stick to older games, but there's a few I would like to try through Good Old Games, like Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition or especially Dreamfall Chronicles. Other than that, the option to game is nice, but like I said, I tend to stick to older games.

Help! The sales I linked are ending soon, so I need to make a decision if I ultimately go with one of these. I need opinions. Tack!

BlindZenDriver

Both brands usually makes good gear, but solely based on a quick look of the specs I would go with the Toshiba as it is a newer model which is reflected in the specs fx. higher screen resolution, two USB 3 ports and double the hard drive space.

Tip. If you go with the Dell for some reason then note that you can upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free until around mid-june. Since Windows 7 is is on the end of it's life with regards to receiving updates from Microsoft.

Dalboz

The only thing that makes me question that the Toshiba is newer is that I think the CPU is an older model. My research said that the i7-6500U can use beyond DDR3L RAM, although that doesn't matter since the Dell still has that installed. On that note, I should add that I'm taking the laptop as is. It's pretty unlikely that I'm going to swap out any hardware (although I'll upgrade the software if it comes with Windows 7, but having Windows 10 Pro is an interesting prospect).

Gaslight

Dalboz wrote: »

The only thing that makes me question that the Toshiba is newer is that I think the CPU is an older model. My research said that the i7-6500U can use beyond DDR3L RAM, although that doesn't matter since the Dell still has that installed. On that note, I should add that I'm taking the laptop as is. It's pretty unlikely that I'm going to swap out any hardware (although I'll upgrade the software if it comes with Windows 7, but having Windows 10 Pro is an interesting prospect).

You're right, the Dell has a newer CPU.

I personally would not buy a laptop now without an SSD.

Djeet

If it's the RAM that's bugging you then don't let it. Eventhough the processor might support DDR4 there is no way the motherboards on these laptops have both DDR3 and DDR4 sockets (different slots and pin configuration) and if the laptop ships with a U processor and DDRL RAM, then you are likely constrained to DDRL (low voltage RAM) by the motherboard.

There's not a huge difference in CPU capability, but the 6x gen processor should be more power efficient and provide for more low power states than the 4x gen processor.

If you upgrade from Win 7 Pro, you'll get Win 10 Pro.

There is no Toyota of laptops. You get one with a strong warranty (so you can get back to work with little cost but time during hardware failure). SquareTrade extended warranties have been good to me. And assume the thing might die at any minute, so backup often. Since I'm price-conscious I go with refurbs of the big 3 PC brands on their enterprise/business models (not their consumer lines). They are generally built better and ship with the original warranty, so sometimes you end up with very nice extended warranties without having to pay for them.

mRahmani

I would second what @Djeet said. A used business class laptop is generally much more rugged and cost efficient than anything you're going to find in a big box store. Speaking from experience: we've had two Costco grade Toshibas and an HP, all of which ended up having massive thermal issues. Meanwhile, I've picked up a trio of used HP workstations that are still rock solid. What you pass up in raw numbers performance (if anything) you gain back tenfold in peace of mind.

If you really want it to feel like a slick new PC, take the savings and throw a 500 gig SSD into the used workstation.