New Laptop Advice - Page 2 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Mass_nerder · 08-23-2011, 02:53 PM

I guess that explains why you can get 2TB for under $100

Mtt48 · 08-23-2011, 02:57 PM

I just bought the Lenovo Ideapad y570 and it's really quite good. You can get it on sale with a coupon quite easily. I got a fairly upgraded model for 800$ which includes taxes and shipping.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...EC3E976E7F7028

The one that I bought is now on sale for 749.00. It's a great computer.

Edit - Also, the computer makes a really decent gaming machine as well. There is a massive copper heatsink on one side and the laptop runs quite cool even when under heavy load. I get excellent framerates on everything I have tried so far (haven't tried crysis 2 though).

Hack&Lube · 08-23-2011, 04:58 PM

I moved the harddrive that came with my laptop to the optical bay (don't need the DVD drive, can use an external USB powered one that is just as small and portable) and put an SSD into the main bay. That way I have a 128GB SSD for Windows and applications and a 750GB drive for storage and media and everything else that is not speed reliant.

MickMcGeough · 08-23-2011, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mtt48

I just bought the Lenovo Ideapad y570 and it's really quite good. You can get it on sale with a coupon quite easily. I got a fairly upgraded model for 800$ which includes taxes and shipping.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...EC3E976E7F7028

The one that I bought is now on sale for 749.00. It's a great computer.

Edit - Also, the computer makes a really decent gaming machine as well. There is a massive copper heatsink on one side and the laptop runs quite cool even when under heavy load. I get excellent framerates on everything I have tried so far (haven't tried crysis 2 though).

Whoa that $899 machine is great for the price too...

Icon · 08-24-2011, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I moved the harddrive that came with my laptop to the optical bay (don't need the DVD drive, can use an external USB powered one that is just as small and portable) and put an SSD into the main bay. That way I have a 128GB SSD for Windows and applications and a 750GB drive for storage and media and everything else that is not speed reliant.

Are SSD's the same regardless of if its for desktop or laptop?

Hack&Lube · 08-24-2011, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icon

Are SSD's the same regardless of if its for desktop or laptop?

99% are 2.5" and so yes.

MickMcGeough · 08-24-2011, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icon

Are SSD's the same regardless of if its for desktop or laptop?

Most consumer-level SSD drives are 2.5" so you might need an adapter to install it in a desktop, depending on your case. But the SATA II/III standards are the same as far as I know so they'll work on any SATA interface.

In desktops you can get SSD drives that plug directly into a PCI-E slot and sometimes have multiple controllers on them for RAID. You can get some absolutely silly performance out of these.

Mass_nerder · 08-24-2011, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mtt48

I just bought the Lenovo Ideapad y570 and it's really quite good. You can get it on sale with a coupon quite easily. I got a fairly upgraded model for 800$ which includes taxes and shipping.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...EC3E976E7F7028

The one that I bought is now on sale for 749.00. It's a great computer.

Edit - Also, the computer makes a really decent gaming machine as well. There is a massive copper heatsink on one side and the laptop runs quite cool even when under heavy load. I get excellent framerates on everything I have tried so far (haven't tried crysis 2 though).

Question for you:
The details don't list the ports:
How many USB 2.0 or 3.0?
Does it have an HDMI port?
Does it have VGA?

Mtt48 · 08-24-2011, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mass_nerder

Question for you:
The details don't list the ports:
How many USB 2.0 or 3.0?
Does it have an HDMI port?
Does it have VGA?

There is 1 USB 2.0 port
There are 2 USB 3.0 ports
It has both HDMI and VGA ports
It also has mSATA, 5 card reader, and ethernet.

Edit - it also has this technology (I believe) called rapiddrive. I opened up the case and it looks like there is room for an SSD in addition to the 750gb already installed. I'm thinking about getting an SSD as well for it, but I'm waiting for someone else to do it and post a video on youtube or something, showing how to install it properly. It's a sweet comp man.

Mass_nerder · 08-24-2011, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mtt48

There is 1 USB 2.0 port
There are 2 USB 3.0 ports
It has both HDMI and VGA ports
It also has mSATA, 5 card reader, and ethernet.

Edit - it also has this technology (I believe) called rapiddrive. I opened up the case and it looks like there is room for an SSD in addition to the 750gb already installed. I'm thinking about getting an SSD as well for it, but I'm waiting for someone else to do it and post a video on youtube or something, showing how to install it properly. It's a sweet comp man.

Thanks for the help.
Just ordered one.

Mtt48 · 08-24-2011, 02:51 PM

Awesome man. I don't think you'll be disappointed. One thing is that I had to tinker with Win7 to get it how I like for a bit. The other thing to remember is there is an Optimus switch on the front which you want to turn on when you are doing graphics intensive stuff. That will turn on the GT 555m instead of using the intel graphics.

Hack&Lube · 08-24-2011, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

Most consumer-level SSD drives are 2.5" so you might need an adapter to install it in a desktop, depending on your case. But the SATA II/III standards are the same as far as I know so they'll work on any SATA interface.

In desktops you can get SSD drives that plug directly into a PCI-E slot and sometimes have multiple controllers on them for RAID. You can get some absolutely silly performance out of these.

The adapter itself is just a metal frame that holds the drive. It has nothing to do with the technology or interface.

SSDs can be mounted anywhere though, some people stick them into their computers with velcro! They are light, have no moving parts, and are robust and need no special mounting or protection. I just found a random hole and screwed my drive into it instead of buying a bracket adatper.

SuperMatt18 · 08-24-2011, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I just found a random hole and screwed my drive into it.

It is crazy that every thread has to turn into a joke about somebody plowing Fotze's mom.

Hack&Lube · 08-24-2011, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mtt48

There is 1 USB 2.0 port
There are 2 USB 3.0 ports
It has both HDMI and VGA ports
It also has mSATA, 5 card reader, and ethernet.

Edit - it also has this technology (I believe) called rapiddrive. I opened up the case and it looks like there is room for an SSD in addition to the 750gb already installed. I'm thinking about getting an SSD as well for it, but I'm waiting for someone else to do it and post a video on youtube or something, showing how to install it properly. It's a sweet comp man.

Rapiddrive is a very different beast from installing an actual 2.5" SSD as a replacement or primary harddrive.

Rapiddrive is where you plug in a 32 or 64GB mini-PCI-E SSD on a PCB into the compartment designed for it and the system will use that drive as a fast caching/ram drive for commonly accessed files in a sort of hybrid mode with your HDD. This is sort of the same as buying some of the hybrid drives out there that combine a small amount of SSD memory onto a mechanical drive.

You are still better off getting a dedicated, larger capacity, dedicated SSD than to use Rapiddrive. Standard SSDs will be easier to find on the market and will be cheaper in terms of gigabytes per dollar and faster overall because of the advanced controllers they have.

Mtt48 · 08-24-2011, 03:13 PM

@Hack: that was my understanding as well. However, I want the 750gb storage so I don't want to flat out replace the HD. I figure if getting the small 64gb SSD for cheap would substantially help performance then I would consider getting it.

Hack&Lube · 08-24-2011, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mtt48

@Hack: that was my understanding as well. However, I want the 750gb storage so I don't want to flat out replace the HD. I figure if getting the small 64gb SSD for cheap would substantially help performance then I would consider getting it.

Yes I had that conundrum as well so I rook out my optical drive and replaced it with an HDD caddy so my 750GB drive sits in my optical bay.

Icon · 08-24-2011, 04:15 PM

Regarding the Lenovo laptops above... my only hesitancy towards these is the lack of the 1080p monitor (or apparent lack of it according to the specs)... any word from those who've purchased one regarding how it looks / resolution details / etc?

Mtt48 · 08-24-2011, 04:36 PM

It's your typical 1366x768. It's not the best, but the screen looks pretty good imho. I had another laptop with the same resolution and this one looks a lot crisper and nicer. Games obviously look fine.

If you are interested in a 1080p screen with similar specs to the y570 then you will probably have to go for the Dell xps. The only downside is that it'll cost you a couple hundred extra.

Hack&Lube · 08-24-2011, 05:02 PM

1080p on a 15.6" screen is kind of difficult to use to be honest. The pixel pitch is a little too small and fine and it gets hard on your eyes after awhile.

Mtt48 · 08-24-2011, 05:12 PM

Hack, have you had any experience adding that particular type of SSD for rapid drive? Just wondering what I need to do.