New Laptop

[TwiceHorn 31,539]

1 hour ago, 52-80 said:

im skeptical about consumer grade lineup.  lenovo has a cult following and for them its thinkpad or bust. 

 

costco very recently had a very good deal on thinkpad x1 carbon 6th gen.  deals are being put on them as the 7th gen are just about to be released.

 

your preferences may vary but for me 3 really important things about laptops are: chassis build and feel; battery management and life; and display quality.  buying on specs and price doesnt tell you about the first factor..and most consumer lineup are not good on it.  the 2nd one can only be ascertained from user reviews because advertised numbers are false.

Good points.  As mentioned, the Lenovos at Best Buy felt very solid.  They had the 730 2-in-1 out and the screen was nice, but pretty dim (looked fine in the store but was all the way up).  Especially in comparison to the flagship 930C.  And that's a conventional knock on the 730 2-in-1.  The 730 clamshell, according to reviews, is brighter. 

Definitely with you on the build and feel and at least out of the box, the Lenovos sitting out at best buy seemed to have it.  I don't find myself needing all day battery life, and screen past a certain point, doesn't matter to me.  The non-Retina screen on my MBA was not as nice as on the MBP,  but made no long-term difference to me.

This is another candidate https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/5591744/Asus-ZenBook-13-UX333FA-DH51-133/  It is apparently Mil Spec, but reviews say the display is flexy.  Dammit.

I find it odd that the XPS is a "consumer" machine.

A part of me wants to save a couple hundred bucks to lessen the sting of it crapping out in 18 months. A part of me just wants to eat it on the XPS.  My last Dell lasted five years and it was the closest thing to an ultrabook at the time.

Edited June 16, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[crash_davis 23,115]

18 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

 

Lenovo IdeaPad 730S i7/8/256 for 692!!!!

At Best Buy, Lenovo had the best looking and feeling machines out.  Both of these are good deals, but it's unclear how long they'll last.

 

that lenovo is even cheaper with JUNESAVE15 code (better than the JUNESAVE10 coupon shown on the webpage).  you have have the I7 8th gen, 256 GB SSD, 1080 IPS, 8 GB RAM for $655.  the 16 GB model is a little more.

damn i wish my dell inspiron 7000 would break...

[TwiceHorn 31,539]

12 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

that lenovo is even cheaper with JUNESAVE15 code (better than the JUNESAVE10 coupon shown on the webpage).  you have have the I7 8th gen, 256 GB SSD, 1080 IPS, 8 GB RAM for $655.  the 16 GB model is a little more.

damn i wish my dell inspiron 7000 would break...

One thing I noted about that Lenovo is that it sucks air in through vents in the keyboard, so it is less spill resistant than usual.  I have only damaged a laptop (apparently) by spill once in about 30 years and that was the MBA that apparently sucked it in from the rear, so it wasn't a spill per se and I have no memory of how it happened or where.  And, of course, there's no telling whether that incident actually damaged it, but it disqualified it from any type of warranty/post warranty consideration.  Nevertheless, I am paranoid about it now.  I've had cheaper car wrecks than that little doozer (in fact all of them).  And I fear that something similar is about to happen with this MBP.

Edited June 16, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[tx 3 putt 77,459]

Good stuff 52-50. Please keep posting deals. 

[Dahobbs 17,685]

In addition to xps 13, I am also very interested in hp spectre folio, which is covered in leather. Uses a low power processor, but battery life is supposed to be fantastic. And, leather. The only thing I dont like is its 16:9 and not 3:2 ratio. Still waiting on ice lake later this year and see what prices look like. 

[TwiceHorn 31,539]

I thought it rather conspicuous that HP was getting no play here.  Don't think I'm interested in leather, are there any models I should be investigating otherwise?

This looks pretty good, price is nice, and good reviews. https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-envy-laptop-13t-6vc06av-1?jumpid=ma_weekly-deals_product-tile_laptops_9_6vc06av-1_hp-envy-laptop--13t

Edited June 16, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[52-80 19,259]

5 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

I find it odd that the XPS is a "consumer" machine.

A part of me wants to save a couple hundred bucks to lessen the sting of it crapping out in 18 months. A part of me just wants to eat it on the XPS.  My last Dell lasted five years and it was the closest thing to an ultrabook at the time.

XPS is positioned above Inspiron, and I think it comes with longer warranty, which informs a bit to the expected quality

[TwiceHorn 31,539]

Well, as posted in the other thread, Apple stepping up with upper body/top case replacement.  So crisis averted until they come back and tell me it's something else.

I do need to get some kind of backup machine though.  Maybe get a cheap chromebook.  

Edited June 16, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[TwiceHorn 31,539]

So, I had tried to hog out all the major work last week in anticipation of losing my MBP for a couple of days.  But I have a bunch of shit going on, so I really needed some kind of backup machine, for now and for the future.

So, in contrast to all these high-dollar high horsepower, slim, small things, I got a cheapass 15"  Acer chromebook.  It's monstrous, all plastic, shitty-ish display, pretty nice keyboard actually, Celerystick processor.  But I gotta say, it fucking rocks for what it is.  I'm not invested at all in the Google system, which would make it easier, but I can do what I need to do on this between Dropbox and Word online, and was able to enable the Crostini Linux VM and install Libre Office, which is my go-to word processor.

Edited June 17, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Soldierhorn 206]

23 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

I thought it rather conspicuous that HP was getting no play here.  Don't think I'm interested in leather, are there any models I should be investigating otherwise?

This looks pretty good, price is nice, and good reviews. https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-envy-laptop-13t-6vc06av-1?jumpid=ma_weekly-deals_product-tile_laptops_9_6vc06av-1_hp-envy-laptop--13t

I've had two HPs over the years but it may have been so long now that it might not be relevant. HP sucked me in with all kinds of external capabilities but they all ended up dying rather quickly... so what's the point of all that potential if the core components cant handle it.  I dont even look at HPs any more and even their printers, which is what they were know best for in the '90s. 

Edited June 17, 2019 by Soldierhorn

[Dahobbs 17,685]

Just now, Soldierhorn said:

I've had two HPs over the years but it may have been so long now that it might not be relevant. HP sucked me in with all kinds of external capabilities but they all ended up dying rather quickly... so all that potential if the core components cant handle it.  I dont even look at HPs any more and even their printers, which is what they were know best for in the '90s. 

HP, Dell, and Lenovo pretty much make the best Ultrabooks now. You could count Microsoft too, but they have lagged in a bit in design since redefining the genre with the Surface Pro 3. 

[TwiceHorn 31,539]

7 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

HP, Dell, and Lenovo pretty much make the best Ultrabooks now. You could count Microsoft too, but they have lagged in a bit in design since redefining the genre with the Surface Pro 3. 

I was a bit underwhelmed at the Surface 2 that I eyeballed.  Alcantara gives me the willies in cars and particularly so on the palm rest of a laptop that tends to get grubby, but, what they use is really low nap, so maybe it's ok and it does feel kind of nice.  And the 3:2 ratio is a nice thing.

When I went to bestbuy to pick up the Chromebook, I noticed HP ultrabooks, including that leather one, that I had overlooked the first time.  Since my MBP is in shop now for free, I didn't tempt myself by looking at them.  One thing I read that seems bizarre is that HPs have a USBC/Tbolt port that you can charge through, but only with an HP charger?  Dafuq.

[Dahobbs 17,685]

37 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

I was a bit underwhelmed at the Surface 2 that I eyeballed.  Alcantara gives me the willies in cars and particularly so on the palm rest of a laptop that tends to get grubby, but, what they use is really low nap, so maybe it's ok and it does feel kind of nice.  And the 3:2 ratio is a nice thing.

When I went to bestbuy to pick up the Chromebook, I noticed HP ultrabooks, including that leather one, that I had overlooked the first time.  Since my MBP is in shop now for free, I didn't tempt myself by looking at them.  One thing I read that seems bizarre is that HPs have a USBC/Tbolt port that you can charge through, but only with an HP charger?  Dafuq.

My understanding is that it will probably work with some other USB-C chargers if the HP model supports charging from the Tbolt port. However, third-party chargers aren't officially supported. Issue is always going to variances in supplied voltage/amps. And some HP models don't support charging from the USBC/Tbolt port at all. 

[TwiceHorn 31,539]

46 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

My understanding is that it will probably work with some other USB-C chargers if the HP model supports charging from the Tbolt port. However, third-party chargers aren't officially supported. Issue is always going to variances in supplied voltage/amps. And some HP models don't support charging from the USBC/Tbolt port at all. 

Yeah, that German laptop review place, notebookcheck I think, didn't mention that, while some of the more consumer-oriented places did.  Probably confusing a power requirement with a branded charger requirement.  I suppose you have a fair number of people trying to charge a laptop with a 15W phone charger and if they have a low-power cut-off, that's just smart.

[crash_davis 23,115]

3 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

One thing I read that seems bizarre is that HPs have a USBC/Tbolt port that you can charge through, but only with an HP charger?  Dafuq.

you own apple products and are surprised by proprietary nonsense?  

chromebooks open up a whole nother set of options.  you can find some $2-250 1080 screen chromebooks if you are patient.

[Soldierhorn 206]

12 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

you own apple products and are surprised by proprietary nonsense?  

haha  couldnt have said it better

[TwiceHorn 31,539]

1 hour ago, crash_davis said:

you own apple products and are surprised by proprietary nonsense?  

chromebooks open up a whole nother set of options.  you can find some $2-250 1080 screen chromebooks if you are patient.

To be fair, Apple doesn't try to jack with industry standards like USB.  They just try to create their own BS, like Lightning.

I bought a cheap-ass Chromebook.  I love it.  But, to make it very workable as a daily machine, I'd have to go whole hog google and I ain't about that.

[crash_davis 23,115]

1 minute ago, TwiceHorn said:

To be fair, Apple doesn't try to jack with industry standards like USB.  They just try to create their own BS, like Lightning.

I bought a cheap-ass Chromebook.  I love it.  But, to make it very workable as a daily machine, I'd have to go whole hog google and I ain't about that.

that's fair.

i don't do chromebooks because when the russians turn off our internet, i want to still be able to fap to pron without the need for the internets.

 

[TwiceHorn 31,539]

10 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

that's fair.

i don't do chromebooks because when the russians turn off our internet, i want to still be able to fap to pron without the need for the internets.

 

Also an excellent point!  When they first intro'ed em, I was like whaaaat, you gotta have the intergoogles all the time?  I don't even prefer Chrome as a browser, but it's a pretty handy package overall and lets pretty awful hardware do some amazing stuff.  This honker has a 10 hour battery life.  If my work were less complicated document centric, this would be a viable alternative.

[Soldierhorn 206]

30 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

 bought a cheap-ass Chromebook.  I love it.  But, to make it very workable as a daily machine, I'd have to go whole hog google and I ain't about that.

why do  you "have to go whole hog google"?  I dont google practically anything, including web searches.  

[Dahobbs 17,685]

Just now, Soldierhorn said:

why do  you "have to go whole hog google"?  I dont google practically anything, including web searches.  

What do you use, yahoo? Seriously, I can't imagine not using google for web searches. 

[Soldierhorn 206]

nope, not bing either.  90% of the time duckduckgo. Then maybe 8% dogpile on a private browser, VPN, or TOR; then google only when I dont find what I need, which is rare

Edited June 17, 2019 by Soldierhorn

[TwiceHorn 31,539]

Yep I use duckduckgo.  A chromebook is, like an android phone, a google critter.  You need to sign in with a google account, it assumes that you are going to use all the google spyware, er services, for everything.  For documents and storage it assumes you use gdocs, sheets, etc. and drive. For email, gmail.  I dislike webclient email.

Anything you can use online you can do on a chromebook.  M$ services are probably super-feasible for documents, etc.  But Word online and gdocs don't handle the things I need to do well.  Tables, columns, line numbering, cutting and pasting graphics, etc.

You can run Android apps, which helps.  On some of them and all the most recent ones, you can install a Linux virtual machine and run Linux apps side by side with Chrome browser and the android apps.  For example, to do heavy duty document creation, I have to download a doc from dropbox, edit it using full LibreOffice, then re-upload it to dropbox.  There's no good pdf handling solution online or in the google universe.

[Dahobbs 17,685]

2 hours ago, Soldierhorn said:

nope, not bing either.  90% of the time duckduckgo. Then maybe 8% dogpile on a private browser, VPN, or TOR; then google only when I dont find what I need, which is rare

Fair enough. I find the convenience of google outweighs other issues. But I get why some people feel differently. 

[elfenix 34,334]

2 hours ago, Soldierhorn said:

nope, not bing either.  90% of the time duckduckgo. Then maybe 8% dogpile on a private browser, VPN, or TOR; then google only when I dont find what I need, which is rare

you must watch some pretty out there porn.

[Soldierhorn 206]

33 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

I find the convenience

You might be surprised how few things you web search that requires an in-depth search and it's just as easy searching on something like duckduckgo that doesnt track your search history for whatever reason.  

It's not right or wrong but "convenience" explains and justifies a lot of stuff whether shopping, buying cars, functions and operations on the computer, etc etc. and people are willing to pay more for convenience - and nothing wrong with that.  An extra step here or there with computer operations can save a LOT of problems but it's not AS convenient so they'd rather not... and I get it.  I rebuilt my mother's computer a couple of times, my sister's computer, my daughters computer, on and on and on and with doing so I organized it so it would prevent 90% of the problems that led to the situation to begin with. Although it was an extra step or two, it's not convenient, they end up going back to their old habits and everything happens all over again in 6 mnths or a year; like clock work, you want convenience, you pay for it in one way or another.  The biggest benefit for convenience is saving time... but if it doesnt save more time, is it really a convenience? 

Edited June 18, 2019 by Soldierhorn

[Soldierhorn 206]

19 minutes ago, elfenix said:

you must watch some pretty out there porn.

not at all. Who has time for that nonsense?  I dont even go to hacking sites any more; it's just not interesting.  BTW, I'm not a hacker but it was interesting to keep up on what was going on. Plenty of tech sites nowadays so no need to risk it any longer

Edited June 18, 2019 by Soldierhorn

[Dahobbs 17,685]

2 hours ago, Soldierhorn said:

You might be surprised how few things you web search that requires an in-depth search and it's just as easy searching on something like duckduckgo that doesnt track your search history for whatever reason.  

It's not right or wrong but "convenience" explains and justifies a lot of stuff whether shopping, buying cars, functions and operations on the computer, etc etc. and people are willing to pay more for convenience - and nothing wrong with that.  An extra step here or there with computer operations can save a LOT of problems but it's not AS convenient so they'd rather not... and I get it.  I rebuilt my mother's computer a couple of times, my sister's computer, my daughters computer, on and on and on and with doing so I organized it so it would prevent 90% of the problems that led to the situation to begin with. Although it was an extra step or two, it's not convenient, they end up going back to their old habits and everything happens all over again in 6 mnths or a year; like clock work, you want convenience, you pay for it in one way or another.  The biggest benefit for convenience is saving time... but if it doesnt save more time, is it really a convenience? 

I build my own machines. I get it. But I also appreciate google, its numerous free to use APIs, and programs. I find all that useful, so I dont mind sacrificing some privacy for the access.

[Soldierhorn 206]

6 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

I build my own machines. I get it. But I also appreciate google, its numerous free to use APIs, and programs. I find all that useful, so I dont mind sacrificing some privacy for the access.

yeah, I tried to go back and delete most of what I posted but this site locks you out after a short time.  I posted way too much jibber-jabber in that post that nobody should care about.  

[HiggyBaby 2,546]

I’m done buying new. I just picked up a pre-owned Dell Latitude E7440 (slim body) with the I5 and 8gig of ram, 10 Pro, 1080P display off eBay for $140. Added a 500GB SSD drive. Granted you can get a newer spec pre-owned Latitude for maybe $300 but these were $1500 machines a couple years ago and mine looks and runs like new.

 

[Dahobbs 17,685]

27 minutes ago, HiggyBaby said:

I’m done buying new. I just picked up a pre-owned Dell Latitude E7440 (slim body) with the I5 and 8gig of ram, 10 Pro, 1080P display off eBay for $140. Added a 500GB SSD drive. Granted you can get a newer spec pre-owned Latitude for maybe $300 but these were $1500 machines a couple years ago and mine looks and runs like new.

 

That sounds like a good deal. But I feel you and others on this thread should know that means you're using a Haswell processor, which is now 6 generations old and was first released in  2013.  Newer processors, even from 2 years ago, are easily 2 or 3 times more powerful for computational tasks, not to mention the extra boost for programs that take advantage of certain newer instruction sets. The increase in integrated graphics performance is even higher. And, none of that includes things that may be even more important for day-to-day use like huge improvements in battery life, support for faster wifi standards, support for thunderbolt, usb-c, and faster solid-state drives and memory. Sorry, not meaning to rain on the parade.    

[52-80 19,259]

battery have limited charging cycles.  thats probably the biggest thing from used laptops. 

[HiggyBaby 2,546]

That sounds like a good deal. But I feel you and others on this thread should know that means you're using a Haswell processor, which is now 6 generations old and was first released in  2013.  Newer processors, even from 2 years ago, are easily 2 or 3 times more powerful for computational tasks, not to mention the extra boost for programs that take advantage of certain newer instruction sets. The increase in integrated graphics performance is even higher. And, none of that includes things that may be even more important for day-to-day use like huge improvements in battery life, support for faster wifi standards, support for thunderbolt, usb-c, and faster solid-state drives and memory. Sorry, not meaning to rain on the parade.    

True. Guess it just depends on what you need it for.

[Dahobbs 17,685]

9 minutes ago, HiggyBaby said:

 

True. Guess it just depends on what you need it for.

 

Oh, sure, and not meaning to suggest it isn't usable. My surface pro 3 for work uses the same processor and works fine for general stuff. Just saying that new machines have significant advantages, so there is some value in getting new vs used. 

[TwiceHorn 31,539]

6 hours ago, 52-80 said:

battery have limited charging cycles.  thats probably the biggest thing from used laptops. 

Mmhm, that gruntled me greatly that I got a new battery with my top case replacement.  Weirdly, it seems not to be lasting quite like the old one, but I'm guessing the battery meter isn't calibrated yet.  Original battery had lost about 15-20% of capacity according to coconut battery.

I don't tend to use anywhere near the 7-8 hours or more of life they have.  Two or three of actual use with a full day sleeping  generally does it for me.

Edited June 22, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[tx 3 putt 77,459]

any upcoming deals ?

[crash_davis 23,115]

On 7/4/2019 at 12:36 AM, tx 3 putt said:

any upcoming deals ?

challenge accepted although i think you missed all of the 4th of jewlie specials.  lemme check for you.

[crash_davis 23,115]

kinda dead for deals as of today. 

did see this.  not a great deal but it's decent if you are in need of a laptop right now.  i don't have a ryzen but i keep reading driver issues, running hot, and shorter battery life compared to intel icores.  not sure how valid the concerns/issues are.   i like lenovo.  small bezels, 14" 1080.  don't know if it's ips.  but there may be an issue with screen flicker as stated in some reviews.

https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/2553990/Lenovo-IdeaPad-530S-Laptop-14-Screen/?cm_mmc=Affiliates-_-CJ-_-1122587-_-11263938

 

[Handcruser 2,805]

Sounds like a great deal!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[tx 3 putt 77,459]

1 hour ago, crash_davis said:

challenge accepted although i think you missed all of the 4th of jewlie specials.  lemme check for you.

 

im holding out until back to school deals, not a huge need but my current laptop is going on 6 years (dell makes an underrated machine)

[torre 1,286]

https://images.frys.com/art/email/070719_sun987kjs/sun_web.html?promocode=5204460

 

Seems Frys has some good deals especially on refurbished models Lenovo and HP.    Promo code:   5204460 

 

 

Edited July 7, 2019 by torre

[crash_davis 23,115]

great deal!

https://slickdeals.net/f/13203019-lenovo-yoga-730-2-in-1-laptop-intel-core-i5-8265u-13-3-1080p-ips-touchscreen-8gb-ddr4-256gb-ssd-win-10-new-583-20-free-shipping-vip-outlet-via-ebay

 

[tx 3 putt 77,459]

any back to school deals ?

[crash_davis 23,115]

1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

any back to school deals ?

What are you looking for? Screen size, resolution, SSD, RAM?

There are plenty of good deals. Nothing great.

[tx 3 putt 77,459]

15 inch, middle of the road on everything, leaning towards better performance 

[elfenix 34,334]

gaming or nah?

[crash_davis 23,115]

What's your budget? Costco has some good laptops for =< $500.

[crash_davis 23,115]

great deal if you are able to get a student discount.  love the small bezels.

https://slickdeals.net/f/13304701-lenovo-yoga-730-2-in-1-laptop-i5-8265u-15-6-1080p-12gb-ddr4-256gb-ssd-550-free-shipping#commentsBox

i think it's too late for this deal to sign up for the student program from best buy.  i signed up last year.  you do not need a .edu email addy.  any addy works.  

[TwiceHorn 31,539]

34 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

great deal if you are able to get a student discount.  love the small bezels.

https://slickdeals.net/f/13304701-lenovo-yoga-730-2-in-1-laptop-i5-8265u-15-6-1080p-12gb-ddr4-256gb-ssd-550-free-shipping#commentsBox

i think it's too late for this deal to sign up for the student program from best buy.  i signed up last year.  you do not need a .edu email addy.  any addy works.  

I will say that when I was looking a few months ago, the 730 (really all the Lenovos) looked really nice.  However, on the 7xx series, the screen seemed kind of dim (had to crank it up to see it even under fluorescent lights in the store), and the bottom bezel was distractingly wide (didn't check if there was a funny aspect ratio), making the taskbar sit what appeared to be unusually high above the keyboard.  The 9xx series didn't have those problems.  I was also looking at 13."  YMMV.

That's kind of a minor issue for most, and that's a kickass deal for the hardware.

Edited August 12, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[crash_davis 23,115]

GREAT deal.

https://slickdeals.net/f/13316485-asus-vivobook-f512fa-ab34-15-6-fhd-i3-8145u-8gb-ddr4-128gb-ssd-fingerprint-reader-win10h-349-f-s?src=frontpage