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Laptop Replacement/Suggestions Thread: Bring out yer dead laptops!

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Posts

  • StormwatcherStormwatcher Blegh BlughRegistered User regular
    EvilMonkey wrote: »
    According to wiki none of the i5s are quads. As for the i7s, if it has a Q then it's a quad.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Bridge_(microarchitecture)#Mobile_processors
    The MOBILE i5s are dual cores with 4 threads. The desktop i5s are all quad cores.

    Steam: Stormwatcher | PSN: Stormwatcher33 | Switch: 5961-4777-3491
    camo_sig2.png
  • EvilMonkeyEvilMonkey Registered User regular
    edited June 2012
    To be fair I at least attempted to link directly to the mobile section. I should have double-checked my work.

    Just pulled the trigger on ordering a Sony E Series. i5-3210M, 4GB RAM, HD 7650M. Now back to ordering one for me.

    EvilMonkey on
    [PSN: SciencePiggy] [Steam]
  • StormwatcherStormwatcher Blegh BlughRegistered User regular
    Oh, hum, the link is not bad. I was just clarifying inside the thread.

    Steam: Stormwatcher | PSN: Stormwatcher33 | Switch: 5961-4777-3491
    camo_sig2.png
  • CheesecakeRecipeCheesecakeRecipe "Should not be allowed to post in the Steam Thread" - Isorn Squalor Victoria, Squalor Victoria!Registered User regular
    edited June 2012
    Forgive me father for I have sinned.

    I went ahead and picked up a Dv6 during the last HP clearance sale, but I stuck with the default screen. The resolution didn't bother me so much and going on the impression that the screens weren't so bad thinking back to the laptop my family got my mother for christmas (A Samsung something or other, really nice and wasn't really expensive but they don't sell the model anywhere now).

    Well, that line of thinking was an awful, awful mistake. HP's 1336x768 screen is by far the worst laptop screen I've had the displeasure of looking at. Colors all faded, horrible ghosting and a strange texture to everything that makes it look sandy or cross hatched. Text is a little fuzzy. Everything has a blue-ish feel to it and there's absolutely no way to color correct even just a little bit to try to mute the blues. Atrocious viewing angles. I've seen portable DVD players left to die on the beach side with better color contrast and definition. From the sounds of it, I'll have to be pulling a DIY when I have more money to replace this screen. I'm already missing my beautiful old Macbook Pro's screen which was crystal goddamn clear.

    So if for whatever reason you end up going HP despite the horror stories from jungleroomx, for the love of god get it with the 1080 screen instead of the default.

    CheesecakeRecipe on
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    Now I feel bad because I'm partly responsible.

    steam_sig.png
    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • CheesecakeRecipeCheesecakeRecipe "Should not be allowed to post in the Steam Thread" - Isorn Squalor Victoria, Squalor Victoria!Registered User regular
    edited June 2012
    Don't sweat it cook, it's a fine machine otherwise from what i've spent my time testing with it! I'll just need to look into buying a new monitor and taking this thing apart myself when I have the extra funds to do so. Shouldn't be too much of a pain in the ass, I replaced the fans and the cooling pipe/thermal paste on that MBP and they packed that sucker tight. I just wanted to mention that if someone does go HP, I highly suggest they get the upgraded screen to save themselves the trouble.

    CheesecakeRecipe on
  • EvilMonkeyEvilMonkey Registered User regular
    edited July 2012
    VAIO E just arrived and I've stolen it until it's "updated". Early impressions ...
    - happy with the keyboard
    - trackpad is better than I expected
    - 3 usb ports on front-right side is dumb
    - I need 6 dvds for the recovery image? Time to read PA

    Edit: DVD-tray also feels cheap. Like it doesn't slide properly.

    EvilMonkey on
    [PSN: SciencePiggy] [Steam]
  • DraygoDraygo Registered User regular
    Upgrading a screen can be tricky on a laptop. sometimes you wont be able to upgrade the resolution because the better screens will be physically not compatable. (gaaah). Do you have an exact model number of your laptop? Like DV6174CA?

    Sidenote: I dislike the HP dv anything series laptops, i see more of these break down than any other laptop ive dealt with. Its a good thing you replaced the cooling pipe.

    On the color issues if you are running windows 7 try typing in the following into the search box calibrate display color it should get you to the calibration where you can mute the blue spectrum a bit.

  • CheesecakeRecipeCheesecakeRecipe "Should not be allowed to post in the Steam Thread" - Isorn Squalor Victoria, Squalor Victoria!Registered User regular
    edited January 2013
    PAGE 99

    “It had to have been 50 Yod Lane”, you say to yourself, making a left and crossing the street before entering an unsuspecting looking little restaurant located at the address. Perhaps some sort of free brunch, you think? The decor of the place screams Italian, lush red and black furnishings all over the walls with fancy booths and tons of gorgeous paintings lining up on the walls. The lighting is dim, but the room is vibrant of its own accord. Circular tables fill out the rest of the room, with gorgeous tablecloths stretched over them. There appears to be no one eating at this time, and only a lone person can be found in the back at the bar. His blonde hair is slicked back and his attire is spotless, gorgeously tailored to his figure. He cleans a glass and addresses your entrance with a nod. You work your way back to the man.

    “How can I help you, sir?” he asks with a slight accent. He keeps his attention to you while still giving that glass a good wipe down.

    “Yeah, I uh, I got this invitation?” You slip the paper onto the counter and push it toward the bartender. He glances down at it. “At least, I think this is the right place. I kinda forgot my envelope with the address and I’m pretty sure this was what it was…” You trail off as the man looks up at you with a smile of recognition.

    “I’d recognize this invitation from just about anywhere, sir.” His confirmation sets you at ease. “Have a seat anywhere you’d like, I have to get the manager.” He sets the glass down on the counter and grabs the invitation, making his way to the back of the room.

    “What’s this about?” you blurt out just as the man takes his first step onto a stairway slightly hidden by being painted all black like the whole wall and floor behind the bar area.

    “It’ll be just a moment!” He calls down as he hurries up several flights. You turn to face the restaurant and pick a booth at random to slink into. You glance around the room a little, admiring the wide variety of works the owner had collected for his restaurant’s walls. You turn your head to take a look at the paintings on the wall hanging above your booth, but sitting directly across from you in your booth is a man wearing an elaborate white and red outfit. You pull your head back in surprise, and the mystery man lets out a bit of a chuckle. How the fuck did he get there without you hearing him even coming down the stairs?

    “I am sorry my friend,” the man leans forward in his seat and warmly smiles. “Sometimes I forgot not everyone is used to this.”

    “Used to what?” you ask.

    “Used to the shadows, gliding on the air and hiding from the sun’s eternal gaze…” The man speaks with a heavier Italian accent and a heavy fetish of romanticism. He reproduces your invitation out of nowhere and slaps it between the two of you. “This is why you came, no? This was sent to your house with your name on it?”

    “Well, yes. I mean, I forgot the envelope but it was in my mail today and your bartender seemed positive that it came from here.”

    “That it did. I’ve come here because I have learned that you are in command of a particularly strong skillset, one that would be put to much better use than your current living and working situation permits. You… don’t know where you are?” He seems almost hurt that you have no recollection of what this restaurant is.

    “No, beyond an Italian restaurant?” You flash a smile as if to not offend your host. He shakes his head.

    “This is not just a restaurant, my friend. This is the headquarters of the legendary Brotherhood! We are internationally feared by major powers, we are the professionals’ professionals. Assassination is the name of the game, and we’re at the very tip top of it. We’ve been in need of new recruitment, and some of my most trusted men have spied on you and your past to tell me if you were an acceptable candidate. They feel you have what it takes to put the knife deep into the back of the world’s most powerful men!” He flicks his arm up and a closed knife slides into his hand. A high pitched click comes forth when he snaps the blade open, stabbing the invite straight down the middle.

    “Oh god,” you wimper. The man grips the handle of the knife, twisting it in his hand ever so slightly.

    “So what I need to know from you is, do you think you have what it takes?”

    If you puff your chest out and say boy I say now boy I say now, turn to page 23.
    If you shit your pants, turn to page 75.




    Draygo wrote: »
    Upgrading a screen can be tricky on a laptop. sometimes you wont be able to upgrade the resolution because the better screens will be physically not compatable. (gaaah). Do you have an exact model number of your laptop? Like DV6174CA?

    Sidenote: I dislike the HP dv anything series laptops, i see more of these break down than any other laptop ive dealt with. Its a good thing you replaced the cooling pipe.

    On the color issues if you are running windows 7 try typing in the following into the search box calibrate display color it should get you to the calibration where you can mute the blue spectrum a bit.

    According to FN + ESC my model is HP Dv6-A1U56AV. It was the last revision of the Select Edition before they cycled them out for the new model with the sleeker case and ivy bridge processors. i5 2.4ghz, 8GB RAM, 7690XT1GB. I am a little worried about the fans because i'm hearing some clicking noise coming from under the keyboard near the top of the unit every 30 seconds to a minute, sometimes a few times in rapid succession and then not again for a few minutes. I haven't taken this unit apart yet, but I have heard from someone that it may be a loose cable brushed up against the fans? Doesn't seem to make the noise when i'm gaming and the fans are at full tilt though. Really confusing, maybe you have some insight on what's going on with it?

    Also wow, I have been looking for that calibration tool for a while. Turning the gamma and lowering the blues a bit made a massive difference in image quality on the laptop. Like, I can't believe this is the same screen kind of difference. Maybe I can tweak it enough that I can live with this screen for a while longer.

    CheesecakeRecipe on
  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    Hey guys I need a new ultraportable laptop, or even a netbook. Most of my colleagues have said the new Thinkpads are the way to go, and they swear by them. But I'm open to anything.

    I'm looking for a laptop that is very small and light, but also robust. This is important. My priorities are word processing and battery life. I won't be playing any games on this machine, and very rarely watching video or other multimedia. I'd like a comfortable keyboard and a reasonably good quality screen. Visibility is important, as I'll be using it mainly outside. Long story short, it will be visiting some warzones in the middle-east.

    I'm fine with it being grotesquely underpowered, as long as it will run Microsoft Word and connect to the internet. Anything more than that is a bonus. My budget is around £250-400 ($350-650) and I'm willing to shop around. It has to run Win7 though, for work related stuff. I have a desktop tower pc for gaming, so this won't be a main computer for the household. But it will be travelling a lot, so portability is essential.

    I have absolutely no experience buying laptops, let alone ultraportable ones. In fact, I didn't even know that was a class of machine until this morning. While my desktop PC is state-of-the-art and up to date, I've been out of the loop on laptop spec for years and have no idea where to begin.

    Also, tablets are out of the question. I need a mechanical keyboard.

  • floobiefloobie Registered User regular
    edited July 2012
    Looks like this is becoming the official laptop thread.

    Your budget is a bit low for a Thinkpad. The actual Thinkpads (not Ideapads or whatever else Lenovo sells) seem to start around 1000 bucks. You definitely get what you pay for. These are among the most durable laptops around, in the same league as Apple's Macbook Airs/Pros. They absolutely wipe the floor with basically everything else out there in terms of durability. As I understand it, the rest of Lenovo's lineup is rather mediocre, though.

    I'd suggest searching Kijiji for a used Thinkpad X series. These are small, have great keyboards, good battery life, and can definitely take a beating. You'll probably be able to get one in your price range. Personally, if the price range is firm, I think you'd be better off buying something good and used than something new and crappy.

    I'm not really in the know when it comes to netbooks. It seems to be somewhat of a dying category. Tablets are really eating into that market. That said, you can get an Asus Eee of some sort in your price range (http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX38901). They seem to be pretty decent. I'd stay away from Acer, though. The name isn't exactly synonymous with quality... Also bear in mind that netbooks tend to come with Windows 7 Starter edition. I don't know the specifics, but it is pretty damn crippled. You'll probably want to factor in the price of upgrading that to Home Premium or Professional.

    floobie on
  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    My budget is flexible. Like I said, I'm willing to shop around for something good even if it means pushing my price range.

    I just need to know what to go for. I have no concept of the product range out there. I mean, I thought Thinkpads were still IBM properties, that's how out of the loop I am.

  • floobiefloobie Registered User regular
    edited July 2012
    Well that's good. I'd say, for the purposes you describe, there are two "ultimate" laptops out there:

    - A Lenovo Thinkpad X230 (This is a 12.5")
    - An 11" Macbook Air (depending on how critical Windows 7 is to what you're doing)

    I'd suggest hopping over to their websites and fiddling around a bit. Both can be had for around 1000 bucks if you go light on the options. Both would be exceptionally durable and mobile. If the price is a bit much, consider those as points from which to scale back from.

    floobie on
  • NosfNosf Registered User regular

    IBM spun off that hardware business to Lenovo 7 years ago, a Chinese companyI believe. They ship with a lot of lenovo bloatware - each machine seems to have it's own SQL Express install for example. I deal with a client who gets their hardware from a third party and they always get Lenovo kit. It's ok; not great, not bad. The software load is wretchedly bloated compared to what you'd get from Dell which has all of nothing other than the OS and whatever apps you bought from them and specified in your build. Warranty wise, Lenovo is mediocre at best; I can elaborate if you care. Pricing is higher than it should be from my experience.

    Dell - Last I checked they'd canned their netbook line and were doing the ultrabook thing which is pretty far out of your price range by the sounds of it. You could look at the Inspiron line, they have a little 13" which is nice and thin, but that would be their consumer line, not a business product. If anything, I'd look at the Vostro 3350 or 3360 or similar, aluminum-ish body, slim, decently powered and decent price. We're a dell shop and do a fair bit of business with them - I have never, ever had a problem getting warranty work done thankfully and problems are rare.

    On the warranty note, my suppliers' and my experience with Asus is that they go above and beyond to figure out a way to determine that your item is out of warranty. That said, the little EEE PC netbooks aren't bad, so long as it never breaks. Last one I used was ok for general piddling about, had XP home and an Intel atom CPU. Keyboard had no right shift key - total deal breaker, can't begin to explain how many times that screwed me up. I actually go it from my boss, who coudln't use the damn thing because of the keyboard. It was nice and tiny though. Asus always has some cool stuff, and the nice thing is you can almost always hit Best Buy for hands on.

    I'm in Canada so pricing is hard to translate at the best of times, but if you need something that will survive, you should also look at Panasonic toughbooks, you can't kill those damn things. They cost accordingly though.

  • Indica1Indica1 Registered User regular
    Whats a decent website to buy a laptop?


    If the president had any real power, he'd be able to live wherever the fuck he wanted.
  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    floobie wrote: »
    Well that's good. I'd say, for the purposes you describe, there are two "ultimate" laptops out there:

    - A Lenovo Thinkpad X230 (This is a 12.5")
    - An 11" Macbook Air (depending on how critical Windows 7 is to what you're doing)

    I'd suggest hopping over to their websites and fiddling around a bit. Both can be had for around 1000 bucks if you go light on the options. Both would be exceptionally durable and mobile. If the price is a bit much, consider those as points from which to scale back from.

    I mean, you could just straight up install Win 7 with no OS X install on the Macbook Air, right? You'd just need to make sure you have a disc for the Boot Camp drivers so the touchpad and stuff work in Windows.

    And he could probably find a refurb'd 11'' last-gen MBA for less than $1000.00. Intel HD 3000 isn't really that much worse than 4000, at least when it comes to the kinds of light workloads he'd see with it.

  • KandenKanden Registered User regular
    So I'm looking for a new laptop. My budget is around $800. I'd like it to be able to run as many games as possible. It doesn't need to be a desktop replacement. Just something that can run newish stuff at a decent framerate.

  • EvilMonkeyEvilMonkey Registered User regular
    Kanden wrote: »
    So I'm looking for a new laptop. My budget is around $800. I'd like it to be able to run as many games as possible. It doesn't need to be a desktop replacement. Just something that can run newish stuff at a decent framerate.

    The VAIO I mentioned earlier came to ~$780 CDN after tax and coupons. I've stolen it for the Steam sale and enjoying it. Really need to pick up something for myself :P

    ... Sony E Series. i5-3210M, 4GB RAM, HD 7650M ...

    [PSN: SciencePiggy] [Steam]
  • Romero ZombieRomero Zombie Registered User regular
    Seeing as this is somewhat of the laptop thread - I need a new one! My wife started a work from home job which uses our office where my desktop is hanging out at.

    So I need a laptop to access my Steam library while she's working. There have been some good laptops mentioned in this thread but I have a feeling I will get most bang for my buck going with a dell, mostly because the wifes job gives her a pretty good discount through Dell. 20 or 30% I believe. I'm not looking to spend more than $1k if I can get away with it. I want to be able to play Skyrim, MW3, and most other games which are out or about to come out. Suggestions?

    steam_sig.png
  • That_GuyThat_Guy I don't wanna be that guy Registered User regular
    Gaslight wrote: »

    Are they really asking me to pay $1200 for an ultrabook with a Core 2 Duo?

    Ultrabooks are stupid expensive no matter where you get them from, yes.

    Thankfully, the o.p. doesn't want an ultrabook. They want a laptop, which AVA do very well.

    What makes them different from other Sager/Clevo resellers?

    I've had multiple people tell me they're quick, reliable and have excellent customer support? Also their build-your-own prices seem to be pretty good to me.

    I just wanted to pop in here and say how awesome Sager/Clevo notebooks are. Clevo manufacturers barebones notebooks that Sager put together and resell. Clevo is the absolute best manufacturer of notebooks these days. They are typically ABS plastic on a magnesium for strength and durability. The cooling solution is typically better than other notebooks in that class. On average they have a lower failure rate than even Asus.

  • EvilMonkeyEvilMonkey Registered User regular
    Seeing as this is somewhat of the laptop thread - I need a new one! My wife started a work from home job which uses our office where my desktop is hanging out at.

    So I need a laptop to access my Steam library while she's working. There have been some good laptops mentioned in this thread but I have a feeling I will get most bang for my buck going with a dell, mostly because the wifes job gives her a pretty good discount through Dell. 20 or 30% I believe. I'm not looking to spend more than $1k if I can get away with it. I want to be able to play Skyrim, MW3, and most other games which are out or about to come out. Suggestions?

    I don't have any experience with Dell's "home" laptops but maybe take a look at the Inspiron 15R Special Edition?

    Dell's (Canadian) site annoys me. They advertise the XPS15 as being customizable with an ivy i7 and NVidia 640M but I can't seem to find the magic model with these options once I start customizing.

    [PSN: SciencePiggy] [Steam]
  • Romero ZombieRomero Zombie Registered User regular
    EvilMonkey wrote: »
    Seeing as this is somewhat of the laptop thread - I need a new one! My wife started a work from home job which uses our office where my desktop is hanging out at.

    So I need a laptop to access my Steam library while she's working. There have been some good laptops mentioned in this thread but I have a feeling I will get most bang for my buck going with a dell, mostly because the wifes job gives her a pretty good discount through Dell. 20 or 30% I believe. I'm not looking to spend more than $1k if I can get away with it. I want to be able to play Skyrim, MW3, and most other games which are out or about to come out. Suggestions?

    I don't have any experience with Dell's "home" laptops but maybe take a look at the Inspiron 15R Special Edition?

    Dell's (Canadian) site annoys me. They advertise the XPS15 as being customizable with an ivy i7 and NVidia 640M but I can't seem to find the magic model with these options once I start customizing.

    That 15R looks promising. I've been running the same Inspiron E1505 forever and haven't had any issues, just can't run anything I want it to anymore.

    steam_sig.png
  • syndalissyndalis Getting Classy On the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Products regular
    Alecthar wrote: »
    floobie wrote: »
    Well that's good. I'd say, for the purposes you describe, there are two "ultimate" laptops out there:

    - A Lenovo Thinkpad X230 (This is a 12.5")
    - An 11" Macbook Air (depending on how critical Windows 7 is to what you're doing)

    I'd suggest hopping over to their websites and fiddling around a bit. Both can be had for around 1000 bucks if you go light on the options. Both would be exceptionally durable and mobile. If the price is a bit much, consider those as points from which to scale back from.

    I mean, you could just straight up install Win 7 with no OS X install on the Macbook Air, right? You'd just need to make sure you have a disc for the Boot Camp drivers so the touchpad and stuff work in Windows.

    And he could probably find a refurb'd 11'' last-gen MBA for less than $1000.00. Intel HD 3000 isn't really that much worse than 4000, at least when it comes to the kinds of light workloads he'd see with it.

    No, you need OSX on a macbook air.

    OSX has something called boot camp, which gives windows the bios underpinnings needed to be installed.

    That said, once windows is installed, you can set up your MBA to boot to windows by default.

    SW-4158-3990-6116
    Let's play Mario Kart or something...
  • That_GuyThat_Guy I don't wanna be that guy Registered User regular
    syndalis wrote: »
    Alecthar wrote: »
    floobie wrote: »
    Well that's good. I'd say, for the purposes you describe, there are two "ultimate" laptops out there:

    - A Lenovo Thinkpad X230 (This is a 12.5")
    - An 11" Macbook Air (depending on how critical Windows 7 is to what you're doing)

    I'd suggest hopping over to their websites and fiddling around a bit. Both can be had for around 1000 bucks if you go light on the options. Both would be exceptionally durable and mobile. If the price is a bit much, consider those as points from which to scale back from.

    I mean, you could just straight up install Win 7 with no OS X install on the Macbook Air, right? You'd just need to make sure you have a disc for the Boot Camp drivers so the touchpad and stuff work in Windows.

    And he could probably find a refurb'd 11'' last-gen MBA for less than $1000.00. Intel HD 3000 isn't really that much worse than 4000, at least when it comes to the kinds of light workloads he'd see with it.

    No, you need OSX on a macbook air.

    OSX has something called boot camp, which gives windows the bios underpinnings needed to be installed.

    That said, once windows is installed, you can set up your MBA to boot to windows by default.

    Windows has had EFI support of a while now. Now that they finally updated most of the newer macs to EFI 2.x, you can install Windows without Bootcamp.

  • TommattTommatt Registered User regular
    edited July 2012
    As a sort of benchmark, I was wondering what you thought of this pc
    http://m.dell.com/mt/www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15r-se-7520/pd?oc=fncwm40b&model_id=inspiron-15r-se-7520&un_jtt_v_page=TechSpec&#un_details

    It looks pretty promising at $999 for price and performance. I noticed the video card it has gets 41FPS on high on diablo 3, one of the games I play. Highest settings is a decent 27fps. Seems like a decent laptop, not sure.

    What says you? Good price, over priced, what would you swap out?


    @Kanden
    @Romero Zombie

    Saw your posts above, this pc could fit your needs

    7730m benchmarks

    http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-7730M.72678.0.html

    Tommatt on
  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    Trip report:

    Just thought I'd follow up on the advice earlier, just for reference for others.

    My budget was around $650 and I arrived well under. I was going to go for the Thinkpad x230, as recommended, but instead I picked up a new x121E for half price.
    Going off comments here and on SA I went for the E450 model, with the much newer and better AMD processor. It's exactly what I needed. It's less of a machine than the 230, but it was much, much cheaper and does enough for what I need.

    It's incredibly tough without being heavy and the spec is no more and no less than what I needed. It runs word processing perfectly, plays video files fine and, well, that's all I wanted.
    The hinges are reinforced (a nice touch) and the keyboard is one of the best I've used. It has that exact amount of 'clackiness' that you want.

    I mean, other people are going to want all sorts of other multimedia things, so my circumstances will be uncommon. But it slides right into my rucksack, weighs basically nothing and I can do all I wanted on it. The sturdiness of the construction is incredibly impressive. I'm so used to laptops being fairly flimsy and fragile. I get the feeling this could take a bullet and still be able to send my emails. Touch wood, of course, it may have to.

    I get the feeling low spec netbooks are on the way out thanks to things like the iPad. But this is a really superb little machine and so cheap it's insane. Even from the Lenovo site it's only £300. I honestly considered getting two, just in case.

  • syndalissyndalis Getting Classy On the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Products regular
    That_Guy wrote: »
    syndalis wrote: »
    Alecthar wrote: »
    floobie wrote: »
    Well that's good. I'd say, for the purposes you describe, there are two "ultimate" laptops out there:

    - A Lenovo Thinkpad X230 (This is a 12.5")
    - An 11" Macbook Air (depending on how critical Windows 7 is to what you're doing)

    I'd suggest hopping over to their websites and fiddling around a bit. Both can be had for around 1000 bucks if you go light on the options. Both would be exceptionally durable and mobile. If the price is a bit much, consider those as points from which to scale back from.

    I mean, you could just straight up install Win 7 with no OS X install on the Macbook Air, right? You'd just need to make sure you have a disc for the Boot Camp drivers so the touchpad and stuff work in Windows.

    And he could probably find a refurb'd 11'' last-gen MBA for less than $1000.00. Intel HD 3000 isn't really that much worse than 4000, at least when it comes to the kinds of light workloads he'd see with it.

    No, you need OSX on a macbook air.

    OSX has something called boot camp, which gives windows the bios underpinnings needed to be installed.

    That said, once windows is installed, you can set up your MBA to boot to windows by default.

    Windows has had EFI support of a while now. Now that they finally updated most of the newer macs to EFI 2.x, you can install Windows without Bootcamp.
    That said, it seems horribly silly NOT hot have a partition with OSX on it when you buy a mac, even if Windows will be your primary ride.

    there are certain utilities and programs on the Mac side that have no analog on the windows side, and a minimalist OSX install with room to spare for apps and cacheing can be done in 20-30ish gigs.

    SW-4158-3990-6116
    Let's play Mario Kart or something...
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Okay laptop thread, I have a problem.

    I want to get a docking station for a laptop so I can hook up a decent monitor, ergonomic KBAM, and some speakers to a Toshiba R700. The Toshiba dock is $300.

    There must be a cheaper solution.

    Is this type of thing actually any good, or just a piece of shit that is going to piss me off more than actually be useful?

  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    edited July 2012
    Okay laptop thread, I have a problem.

    I want to get a docking station for a laptop so I can hook up a decent monitor, ergonomic KBAM, and some speakers to a Toshiba R700. The Toshiba dock is $300.

    There must be a cheaper solution.

    Is this type of thing actually any good, or just a piece of shit that is going to piss me off more than actually be useful?

    Maybe I'm missing something, but as far as I can tell the only connection from laptop to docking station is USB 2.0, so I guess everything is routed over that? I don't see how that can be good. Max resolution is pretty low as well.

    Alecthar on
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited July 2012
    The geniune dock you just sit the lappy on top of, and leave everything else plugged in, like this:
    4909095544_57b5249d93.jpg

    I'm getting a dock because the laptop user is studying, and hard, for the next 6 years, and she has this bad habit of hunching over the laptop and also making the text really really tiny so she can see more of the document at once. Strangely enough (not actually) her eyesight is beginning to deteriorate enough that she had to get reading glasses recently. So a dock with an ergo KBAM and a nice big high res screen in vertical mode will hopefully alleviate most of the posture and eyesight problems cropping up.

    Because of prices over here, all that gear together is going to cost quite a lot, and if I could save $235 on the dock itself I would of course be very happy!

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
  • StormwatcherStormwatcher Blegh BlughRegistered User regular
    Hum
    You can always just plug stuff onto the notebook without a dock, I guess. I did that sometimes.

    Steam: Stormwatcher | PSN: Stormwatcher33 | Switch: 5961-4777-3491
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  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited July 2012
    Well yeah, but trying to get an impatient teenager to do that twice a day every day for the next six years will be counter-productive. I need to make this as quick and irritation free as possible.

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    If no dock isn't an option, and Toshiba dock isn't an option, I think you've covered the alternative. Buy the other dock, see if it works, maybe you can get Amazon to accept a return on it if it doesn't.

  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Ergh, poop. I hoped someone had experience with them. Thanks anyways, guys!

    Also, next month I can finally genuinely actually really definitely start getting bits together for my über gaming pc. Excited!

  • SerpentSerpent Sometimes Vancouver, BC, sometimes Brisbane, QLDRegistered User regular
    Keep in mind most laptops don't have docking ports. The $300 dock posted above is generally aimed at business use and connects to business style laptops.

    Alternate solution: external monitor and a bluetooth mouse and keyboard. This is what I use, I plug in ONE thing and ONE thing only when I hook my laptop up. The monitor.

  • EvilMonkeyEvilMonkey Registered User regular
    Well yeah, but trying to get an impatient teenager to do that twice a day every day for the next six years will be counter-productive. I need to make this as quick and irritation free as possible.

    I know the idea has already been shot down but I used one of these for a few years at the office (taking the laptop home with me every night). I liked it because it made using the laptop monitor as your secondary screen more comfortable.

    [PSN: SciencePiggy] [Steam]
  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    Ok folks, I need a new laptop, because my 6 year old Thinkpad R52 that the university gave me freshman year has served me well, but it's about time to let the old girl die with dignity

    I do basically zero PC gaming, so attributes related to that are not major concerns, though they're welcome bonuses if it's still an affordable machine

    I mostly just use the internet a lot, and I stream a fair amount of media, so that's probably my main concern
    The job I'll hopefully be starting in the fall will provide PCs at the workplace, so I don't need to do a whole lot of that sort of thing on the lappy, but I usually like to have some word processing and office capabilities as a backup in case I wind up needing to do some work from home

    My budget caps at about $500-600

    I'm not a technical guy at all and I know literally nothing about selecting a laptop

  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    some of the Lenovo Ideapads look neat, can anyone speak about those firsthand?

  • taliosfalcontaliosfalcon Registered User regular
    Grey Ghost wrote: »
    some of the Lenovo Ideapads look neat, can anyone speak about those firsthand?

    I just received a y580 yesterday actually, very impressed with it so far, cost me 1100 after taxes, the cheapest i could find with comparable specs was the MSI GE60 which was a couple of hundred more and lacked blu ray, so the price is unbeatable. So far the build quality is great, it doesn't heat up unreasonably playing games and the screen is awesome. The only thing i would warn people about is lenovo's shipping/build time sucks if you order from their website, took a month from the date i ordered it to actually receive it.

    steam xbox - adeptpenguin
  • EvilMonkeyEvilMonkey Registered User regular
    edited July 2012
    Just a heads-up on the Y580, if you live in Canada there are reports that you can only get this laptop with a bilingual keyboard. Might not be an issue for you even if you are Canadian but I really really hate these keyboards.

    EvilMonkey on
    [PSN: SciencePiggy] [Steam]
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