New Laptop Advice

[Beejsterious]

Hi cral12,

I specialize in the configuration and repair of computers so I have a good knowledge of quality laptops. The best "bang for your buck" is definitely this one from memory express.

Very fast and reliable computer with the core i5 haswell processor. this one is a 15" screen though but the clear advantage is that its that its on windows 7.

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX51775

If you dont mind windows 8 then this on might be better for you since its the 14" screen your looking for and checks everything on your list:

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX50385

...and if you dont want to put up with windows 8 on the second one, we can do a OS downgrade to windows 7 for you anytime > http://xps.unmix.ca

[cral12]

Awesome - many thanks.

I forgot to mention I'd also prefer it to have a SSD drive.

Don't really mind having the Windows 8 (sounds like you're big on Windows 7 vs 8 though!).

Any suggestions on similar specs & SSD? (Yeah prefer 14" or less screen - this is for the wife and she's picky on this point).

[cral12]

Any other suggestions, other than those from the banned dude...

[Diemenz]

Originally Posted by cral12

Any other suggestions, other than those from the banned dude...

The banned dood on several occasions showed he actually knows very little about computers.

First off I wouldn't buy MSI, they tend to have lower build quality scores and reliability scores then the other gaming laptops.

The Lenovo 410 can be had at around $800 ish on sale right now.
http://shop.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops...-series/y410p/
Reviews are great for this laptop and it can play most current games at high settings. Work gave me one and to be honest I have dropped it about 6 times and it keeps on kicking. At $800 this Lenovo is a no brainer.....they actually had it listed at $279 on a price error on Friday and cancelled everyone's orders then corrected the price.

I would also look into asus, however they are going to be considerably more money as they don't seem to go on sale nearly as much.

[cral12]

Thanks - didn't realize Lenovo online store would have such deals! Brilliant.
This laptop's for the wife who is insistent on light weight as the main "feature". I'll look at all their options.

[DoubleF]

The Lenovo linked looks good. You should jump on it.

Consider installing a SSD or hybrid drive on your own if the option doesn't exist on a decent laptop. I believe it's cheaper and you get to choose your own options. You just need a windows installation disc, which I'm sure you can probably borrow (or grab an iso). The key to use will be on the bottom of the laptop. I know that Lenovo (not too sure who else off the top of my head) allows for you to do such a thing without voiding the warranty. My own belief has always been that if I do send in the laptop for repairs (via warranty) to swap the original HDD back in and everything should be fine. Windows 7 and 8 are super easy with drivers, so after initially installing the OS, everything else is generally pretty easy from there even for someone doing it for the first time. It's also nice to do a clean install so that you don't have to deal with crap programs. Additional drivers are on the Manufacturer website, so if an acceptable driver isn't installed via windows update it's never really a huge issue.

Pay attention to the keyboard. I know some people love grabbing the keyboard with the numpad (because it's free). DON'T DO IT. It's generally a terrible keyboard with weird extra backslashes that get in the way of the left shift key and the enter button. Highly frustrating to have to constantly fix your typing. Go to Bestbuy or Futureshop and try typing with one of those Canadian -French Keyboards (the red or green letters on the side) to know what I mean. The seconday numpad is a pain in the ass to figure out how to turn it off too when you accidentally do (I personally delete the French keyboard layout from the default and with only the USA keyboard, I can't accidentally swap keyboard and start typing crazy crap).

I personally buy business grade laptop vs commercial grade ones (specific lines from companies). Sony is the S or Z series, HP is the probook and elitebook series, Lenovo is the X or T and Toshiba I think is the Tecra. I avoid Dell, but their business line I think is the XPS. I have never lost any of these laptops with annual maintenance (defragging, cookie cleaning and a burst of air to get dust out of the fans). They may cost a little more, but if it lasts 5 years and is a pleasure to use, it's worth it (IMO) in comparison to a laptop I will replace in 2-3 years and hate the feeling of the laptop.

The Y410 linked looks pretty good. Budget another $100-150 for a good 240GB SSD (I suggest Kingston, Intel, Sandisk or Samsung if you're new at it) and you're probably good (less funky bugs and issues). A hybrid drive might be a good alternative too. I have the older Y series, hated it because of the keyboard, but have to admit it was a pretty decent laptop. This new Y series looks good too and I wonder if it rivals the business grade laptops.

[Anduril]

My turn to ask. Not for myself but a friend who is in an architecture program and she's been told to get a laptop capable of rendering photos and anything else they would be doing in that program. I don't have much in the way of knowing what to look for when it comes to this short of moar is better.

Part of me wants to recommend a MacBook Pro just based on the reputation of Mac's being preferable for this sort of thing (plus they do check off the right boxes in terms of specs+her desire for a less manly looking laptop...)

So my question is two parts:
1) What should we be looking for aside from the vague lots of RAM, i7 processor, with ideally a good video card
2) If a MacBook, does the jump to the Iris Graphics suffice?

Any recommendations as well are appreciated.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Anduril

My turn to ask. Not for myself but a friend who is in an architecture program and she's been told to get a laptop capable of rendering photos and anything else they would be doing in that program. I don't have much in the way of knowing what to look for when it comes to this short of moar is better.

Part of me wants to recommend a MacBook Pro just based on the reputation of Mac's being preferable for this sort of thing (plus they do check off the right boxes in terms of specs+her desire for a less manly looking laptop...)

So my question is two parts:
1) What should we be looking for aside from the vague lots of RAM, i7 processor, with ideally a good video card
2) If a MacBook, does the jump to the Iris Graphics suffice?

Any recommendations as well are appreciated.

The architecture program needs to provide more descriptive specifications and requirements than just "rendering photos". I don't even know what that means.

Most architecture programs rely on CAD and there are specific 3D rendering cards and requirements for those applications.

[Anduril]

Looks like I misunderstood what she said. It's not required but something she's anticipating she'll likely need. Some of the applications include Photoshop, Rhino, Revit architecture, basically the entire adobe suite.

[Mass_nerder]

She'll be using a lot of Photoshop, illustrator etc, but also autocad, and maybe even revit. If she needs to use cad or revit, I would say to steer away from Mac, as I've heard horror stories about Mac os and Autodesk from colleagues.
And if she's using revit, especially for renderings, I would say she'll need a bare minimum of 8gb ram (I would recommend more.)
Also, probably self evident, but she'll need a dedicated video card as well.

[Hack&Lube]

She really needs to find out which CAD applications she would require and then find out if the dedicated GPU in the laptops she is evaluating has specific driver packages or support those applications.

Most consumer graphics cards will probably work but most AutoCAD/Revit workstations will using something like an Nvidia Quadro or NVS card with specific driver packages designed for those applications. You can get laptops from Dell, Lenovo, etc. that have these professional cards instead of an off-the-shelf machine which will probably have a gaming card. Often they are actually cheaper since you don't need all the texture memory, etc.

That said, there are Autodesk for MAC packages but I'm not familiar with any of this stuff but maybe Mass Nerder is.

http://www.autodesk.com/solutions/ma...tible-software

[DoubleF]

And while not quite a laptop suggestion, but still a tip. If she will be doing some higher level rendering stuff, laptop fans may help some. Regular maintenance would be a quite important too.

[cral12]

Any CPers buy a Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro laptop?

[J pold]

Well dropped my old HP laptop today and she is officially dead so I guess that means I am in the market. What I am looking for is

- Main use will be for work so email, and ability to run Microsoft office is a must
- 11 – 14 screen size
- Windows based
- Good battery life
- Looking to spend under $1,000

I won’t be using it for gaming or anything other than basic work functions and internet browsing. Any thoughts and suggestions are appreciated!

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by J pold

Well dropped my old HP laptop today and she is officially dead so I guess that means I am in the market. What I am looking for is

- Main use will be for work so email, and ability to run Microsoft office is a must
- 11 – 14 screen size
- Windows based
- Good battery life
- Looking to spend under $1,000

I won’t be using it for gaming or anything other than basic work functions and internet browsing. Any thoughts and suggestions are appreciated!

Pretty much any laptop produced in the last 5 years can run MSoffice. No need to worry there.

Depends what you consider "good" battery life?

I am currently using a refurb laptop I purchased at staples. It's a 14" HP elitebook 8440, regular battery gives me about 3 hours, with the secondary battery, I get 8 hours. The solid state drive also vastly reduces the speed that I have to wait for the loading of programs, turning on the laptop etc. I also highly recommend you upgrade the SSD on your own.

Mine: Laptop base price $400, solid state drive $100 (optional), Secondary battery $50 (optional). GST + Enviro fee... 70-80 combined?

http://www.staples.ca/en/HP-Eliteboo...4_2-CA_1_20001 (Refurb. It's hit or miss. Mine was a little dirty, but I cleaned it up myself and I have no issues with the laptop. Just return the laptop within the return period if you're not satisfied)

http://www.battdepot.com/ca/model/no...p/lhp221x.aspx (I know it's not OEM, but I have never had an issue with batteries from battdepot. Mine is OEM which I think is over $100 on the HP website.)

I have never waited longer than 20 seconds for anything to open on this laptop. I can go several days on a single charge with the secondary battery attached (You may need to charge it once a day or so if you use it for work). This laptop is not very heavy, and fits neatly into most laptop cases even with secondary battery attached. Another pro is that this laptop comes with Windows 7, so if you're not familiar with Windows 8, you won't have to relearn everything for your work laptop. This laptop also sports a full keyboard without those annoying half keys. It's a great workhorse laptop.

Business grade laptops are designed to be better when used for business purposes. They are "supposed" to last longer, be more comfortable to use etc. The HP elitebook and probook series, Sony S and Z series, Lenovo X and T series are ones I have had great experiences with.

Hope it helps. Good luck.

[cral12]

Best buy telling me new laptops coming in in about a month. Anything you know in ultrabooks coming out that I should be watching for?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[cral12]

Anyone have the Acer Aspire S7?

[cral12]

Gentle bump, if anyone has any suggestions on an ultrabook. I'll be purchasing in next 2 weeks for the wife. I'm trying to convince her to get Mac book Air, but she wants windows based.

[Diemenz]

Lenovo and Asus offering are solid and what we use at my work. By personal experience of buying 10-15 new laptops every year I would suggest those are the brands that we have had little to no issues with. I tried HP (about 40% of them didn't make it the year) and Sony (looked pretty but had lots of hardware failures) so now we just stick to Lenovo or Asus. I picked up 4 T440's recently and they seem pretty solid with amazing battery life.

[cral12]

Lenovo has some good deals available online now.

Use code "FRUGAL" at checkout to get some great savings. I was going to use, but ended up with Macbook Air.