Posted on 03/28/2014 2:03:22 PM PDT by Chickensoup
Time for a new laptop. The Sony Vaio is getting tired. Am looking for a reasonably priced laptop with some power to it. It is a desktop replacement so it cannot be one of those sissy teenyweenies.
Currently have a 4gb ram, 2.20ghrtz 64 bit system running my beloved Windows 7 with word and outlook 2003.
Looking for something as big, perhaps a little lighter and certainly faster, that has a disc drive, and ports for my trackball.
I refuse to consider Dell.
Yes I know, Applehead, they are wonderful but no thanks.
Any recommendations?
OS: Windows 8.1 Pro Processor: Intel Core i7-4800MQ Memory (RAM): 16GB/2 DIMM Hard Disk: 256GB SSD Dimensions: 14.8 x 9.8 x 1.1 in (WxDxH) Weight: 5.57 lbs Display: 15.5 3K IPS (300 Nit) (2880 x 1620 resolution) Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro K2100M 2GB Battery: 9 cell 10WH Power Supply: 170w Network & Communication: Intel 7260-AC (802.11 ABGN+AC) with Miracast support, Intel Bluetooth 4.0 I/O Ports: Thunderbolt, 2 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0, VGA, RJ-45, 4-in-1 card reader, express card, smart card, headphone/mic combo Optical Device: Yes, attached DVDRW
My advice would be to make sure you really want a desktop replacement (i.e. large) laptop. You can do a whole lot with one of the modern ultrabooks. A Core i5 with 8GB of RAM and an SSD is plenty fast, and the light weight is great. When I got my Asus Zenbook (latest model is UX31LA), I was worried that not having a DVD drive would be an issue. It hasn't been. I was even able to reinstall the OS using a USB stick (I did have to do some extra work to create a bootable USB disk with the OS on it). Another popular light model that I think does have a DVD drive is the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch. On the other hand, if you're not carrying it around, weight really isn't an issue.
Whatever you get, I highly recommend that you make sure it has an SSD rather than a traditional (magnetic) hard disk. An SSD is the single most notable performance upgrade you can make to a modern computer - way more important than having the fastest processor. Some other things to check if you need them - things that manufacturers frequently skimp on are: USB 3.0 ports, (wired) ethernet port, and Bluetooh.
Finally, if at all possible, go look at one in person. If there is a Microsoft Store in your area, that is a good place to go look. The biggest complaint I have with my Asus is the keyboard. It is impossible to tell that from a picture on a web site. The display is also an important thing to see in person. Some people love high-res displays, some people find they make things too small (although with Windows 8.x, you can make things larger, so that is less of an issue).
I recommend that you ignore the whining from the luddites here (you know, the ones that refuse to use anything but Windows XP). Windows 7 is a better OS than XP and anyone that tells you otherwise is talking out of their backside. Windows 8 is essentially the same thing as Windows 7 with support for touch (Metro) apps and with a controversial new start menu. Windows 8.1 is Windows 8 with the Start Menu button restored and some bug fixes. It is possible to get used to, and even prefer the new start menu (hint - click the start button or the Windows key and then use the keyboard to type the first one or two characters of the app name). When I switched to Windows 8, I initially did not like it, but after a week I can't imagine that I ever used the old method of navigating hierarchical menus in the Start Menu. I'm not a big fan of the Metro interface for laptops, but I stay in Desktop mode all the time, so it does not matter to me. My laptop has a touch screen, but I never use it.
Good luck, and let me know if you have questions.
Thank you, I will get in touch.
Love this ASUS I am typing on now. The only problem is while gaming it tends to get hot. But other than that am looking at a new one here soon.
>>Love this ASUS I am typing on now. The only problem is while gaming it tends to get hot. But other than that am looking at a new one here soon.
LOL. Mine too. For a gaming laptop, it isn’t a good idea to put it in your lap when you are maxxing out the CPU and GPU.
Not unless you are really cold. I have the back of mine elevated and rigged up a small battery operated fan to suck the hot air out.
The one I am looking at has two fans...really neat.
I just bought an Acer Inspire with windows 7! I love it!
Everyone kept saying to go for a Toshiba. It turns out that the old Toshibas were great. The new models are not getting good reviews.
I did my homework. Acer Inspire got great customer reviews. I bought it at Walmart online. I paid $699 with free shipping. All of my techie kids said it has unbelievable specs for the money and they now want one!
Very thin, very light, quiet as a mouse (SSD) and fast. It might be a bit pricey but there are deals to be had.
I would not piss on an HP if it was on fire.
What about a Dell?....................
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