New Laptop

S

SteveB

Well-Known Member
In need of replacing my 5 yr. old HP Win XP machine. Besides packed to the gills on a 100gig HD, the machine is suffering from the typical Windoze old computer slowdowns, the buttons on the trackpad are getting flaky.

While I'd love to get a Mac Pro, I can't see spending close to a grand on a Mac when Windows machines can be had for $400. I've also had good luck with HP and know to stay away from Dell and Gateway, so Asus, Lenovo and Toshiba are possibilities.

I prefer a Win 7 machine, but there are some steals on Windows 8. Any reason not to go Win 8 ?.

Any good mail order places as well ?

P.S. usage is mostly home web usage, also using Vectorworks, Lightwright and Eos Off-Line.

Any advice helpful.
 
Any problem with reworked, refurbished machines?

Some of these are commercial machines coming off of leases. They are generally stripped machines without any software beyond Windows. The only reason I'm mentioning it is that we actually had luck with ours. Well worth the $200.
 
Windows 8 removed what made Windows be Windows, the Start Menu. While there are third party programs that replicate it, getting Windows 8 to work like previous versions of Windows takes a bit. And honestly, there are very few times I sit down and think it would be great to have a touchscreen.

For the actual computer part, I'm a fan of Lenovo laptops which are very well built and designed to last. However, the pricing is a little more than a comparable Windows computer but not as much as a Mac.
 
Take a look at the Lenovo outlet, killer deals there even on new hardware. If you are going to go windows 8, you HAVE TO have a touchscreen. If you don't want to pay for a touchscreen, get windows 7. Running windows 8 without touch misses the whole point of windows 8.
 
I've really grown fond of Dell - and while I usually avoid service contracts all together, I like Dell's. The labels were wearing off the keys and actually had worn through after 3 1/2 years and when I called they quickly offered to send a new keyboard or I could send laptop. I let then send it and they talked me through the 15 minute replacement at my desk.
 
While I haven't been following it closely, there have been some positive developments on the Start menu problem. Windows will soon be releasing an update for 8 that brings that back in. I haven't don research to see how nice it is, but at least they have started to address the issue.

Techradar on Windows 8.1
 
I've currently got my eye on the newest versions of the Samsung Series 7 laptops, particularly the 17" version. If you really want to avoid Windows 8 there is always the option to format the machine and install Windows 7 on it. Like Footer said, the point of Windows 8 is to work in combination with a touchscreen so be sure to get a touchscreen if you plan on using Windows 8.
 
I try to support my local independent computer store as much as I can, but when I buy on-line, it's usually via Tiger Direct they have good prices and delivery is quick (at least to NY). They still offer either Win7 or 8 as a pre-load. The same people who developed 'Fences' have a package that will make 8 work like 7 if you end up needing that.
 
Ah, as always, some good advice to be found.

I have no issues with refurbished, the 5 yr. old HP (plus an identical work unit) were both "used" - I.E. returned un-used to HP, re-conditioned, then sold with a 3 yr. warranty. Great units, just getting a bit long in the tooth.

I'm now heading over to Tiger Direct and Lenovo to see what's on the web.

Aiming for Win 7 as I have that on a (refurbed) HP desktop and understand the lingo. I really don't want Win 8 if I can avoid it, bitch is Win 8 machiens are actually CHEAPER then Win 7 in some cases, go figure.

Thanks again
 
As far as buying online, I have to say that my go to place is Newegg.com. and yes I have the hat to prove it. They also host Eggxpert.com which is awesome.
Sometimes Amazon beats the prices at Newegg, but not often.
 
Ended up with a Lenovo Win7 Pro machine, paid $430 with tax, 320HD, 2gig to which I will add another 4 ($30)

Got it at the local computer store - Microcenter. I'm glad they exist, they are reasonably competitive, have great items, though finding a Win 7 machine was tough, it was this or an HP for $500 (4gig/500HD). BestBuys was a joke as usual.

Lot's of Win 8 machines to be found cheaper, but not with a touch screen at that price and in stock. I did not want to mail-order, paid cash.

I have gotten better at doing the software and data file swap-over from old to new machine, iTunes was the biggest PITA. Still, been using Windows since '95 or so and every 5 years it's do the new machine setup all over again.....

Thanks again for the advice
 
SteveB said:
Ended up with a Lenovo Win7 Pro machine, paid $430 with tax, 320HD, 2gig to which I will add another 4 ($30)
Click to expand...

Which specific model if you don't mind sharing? I'm going to be in the market for one soon going off to college in two months...
 
Lenovo B590
Decent basic unit in Win 7 Pro 64 bit.

15.5"
Intel Core i3-2328M
Microsoft Windows 7 64 bit Pro
2GB DDR3-1600 RAM, 2 slots, 1 in use
320 Gig HD

EDIT: The added 4gig of RAM makes this unit pretty snappy. MUCH quicker all around then my XP machine.
 
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CrazyTechie said:
I've currently got my eye on the newest versions of the Samsung Series 7 laptops, particularly the 17" version. If you really want to avoid Windows 8 there is always the option to format the machine and install Windows 7 on it. Like Footer said, the point of Windows 8 is to work in combination with a touchscreen so be sure to get a touchscreen if you plan on using Windows 8.
Click to expand...

FWIW, I had a work laptop that was 17". I got it as I thought using Vectorworks on a larger screen would be helpful. In truth the larger screen didn't matter and I was just (and am) happy on a 15". As well the 17" was heavy to carry as well as having poor battery life due to the larger screen. Lesson learned.
 
SteveB said:
FWIW, I had a work laptop that was 17". I got it as I thought using Vectorworks on a larger screen would be helpful. In truth the larger screen didn't matter and I was just (and am) happy on a 15". As well the 17" was heavy to carry as well as having poor battery life due to the larger screen. Lesson learned.
Click to expand...

That's very good to know and I shall keep that in mind, thanks! Vectorworks is one of the reasons why I was contemplating a 17" screen and because the specs said the weight was similar to a 15" laptop. I've been using a 15" for quite a while and for a laptop it seems to have enough room for what I expect out of it. So maybe I'll continue to use 15" sized laptops. There are a lot of variables that I'm trying to look at and I haven't quite found the perfect fit as of yet.
 
Look for local used/refurbished laptop joints. I just got a factory refurbished quad core HP with 4 gigs RAM and a 500 gig HD for 300 at a local place. The guy buys them from the factory wipes it and installs a clean non-bloatware version of Windows and creates a partition with a clean restore image on it. He even gives 90 days warranty. Seattle can't be the only place with a cool shop like this.


Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
 
gafftaper said:
Look for local used/refurbished laptop joints. I just got a factory refurbished quad core HP with 4 gigs RAM and a 500 gig HD for 300 at a local place. The guy buys them from the factory wipes it and installs a clean non-bloatware version of Windows and creates a partition with a clean restore image on it. He even gives 90 days warranty. Seattle can't be the only place with a cool shop like this.


Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

It's hit and miss here in the Long Island area. The shop where I had purchased my HP business machines went belly up, sadly as they were really nice folks. Their HP machines came with a 3 year warranty from HP, they were great deals. It's just hard for the Mom and Pop places to compete with places like Best Buy, even though the big box had zip that I needed, including RAM. I could've had it shipped. What's the point of a STORE if you don't stock stuff. They also had lot's of Win8 crap though. Microcenter had one Win 7 refurb, an HP whose trackpad I hated.
 
[URL='http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?t=slicinc-20&tag=slicinc-20&ascsubtag=fx4avtifEeKN6EIMSvjoXw8ma5_eQcb3_mlN_0_0&ie=UTF8&docId=1001224941"]Here's a good deal on Amazon right now[/URL]. Buy a laptop get a $100 amazon gift card. Nice selection of laptops to choose from at competitive prices.

Get a 15" Dell Inspiron for $429 +free shipping + $100 gift card to spend later at Amazon. Not bad at all.
 
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I'm in the market, just wondering about software compatibility. Are all of the necessary lighting softwares compatible with Win 8? Lightwright, Vectorworks, console OLEs, ETC GCE, sACN Viewer, etc. I'm not a big fan of Win 8 either, but the prices on touchscreen laptops these days just can't be beat.

-Tim
 
If you are buying for Vectorworks be sure to get a good speed on the video card and 2GB VRAM min. They say the video is a huge speed factor and I really noticed when we went to V2014.
My killer ($2K) "workstation" class machine is no longer within VW recommended specs due to the video card.
 
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