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Thread: Laptop <$1k - what are my options?

  1. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by 370Z View Post
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    This is exactly what my wife needs... is this a smoking deal? Seems like the others I've seen are around $650-699 on sale.
    It's perfectly fine for a basic usage PC (email, internet, youtube, MS Office, etc.) Any gaming or photo editing and you will want something better.

    At $200 off the everyday price I would say it's a good deal not a smoking deal. It checks all the boxes for a basic system (current gen i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1080P display). The SSD still runs on a SATA3 interface, which isn't uncommon even at much higher price points and is a trick they often play. It's about $100 cheaper than what you could probably find something similar at if you kept an eye out for sales.


    Quote Originally Posted by ExtraSlow View Post
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    If a laptop is going to be used at your desk 70% of the time, do you need one with docking functionality or just use the USB port for Mouse/keyboard and whatever display output for monitor?
    Nah, you don't need a dock. As long as it has a couple USB ports or bluetooth functionality for your Keyboard/Mouse you have everything you need. Can always buy a cheap USB hub if there aren't enough ports. Virtually every laptop has HDMI, Thunderbolt or USB-C to run external monitor(s) from as well.

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    I spent my university career with a dock and I would be hard pressed not to use one if it's constantly being plugged and unplugged.

    Things I had plugged in were:
    -Ext Monitor
    -KB/M set
    -5.1 Speaker system
    -Ethernet
    -Printer
    -Scanner (yes this was separate.)
    -Ext hard drive
    -Separate charger so I didn't have to crawl under the desk daily

    But I guess nowadays a lot of that stuff can go wireless/cloud but there's some conveniences I would still find in a dock. I bet with a lot of laptops though that "dock" could just be one USB-C plug which would cover the power and KVM

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    Quote Originally Posted by jwslam View Post
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    I bet with a lot of laptops though that "dock" could just be one USB-C plug which would cover the power and KVM
    This is the takeaway. If you can't make do with the ports/wireless connections right from the laptop, you don't need to buy a $300 dock - a $30 USB-C hub will do the job for most users.

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    OK guys, I think I have (finally) figured out the requirements.
    - 15.6" size
    - MS windows
    - SSD, must be 256gb or larger
    - Lots of RAM (just because I love RAM)
    - No requirement for graphics card.
    - Mostly office-type applications, Excel, Powerpoint, Visio, chrome browser with lots of tabs.
    - Kinda sorta lightweight (which is tough for 15.6" size)
    - Good reputation for reliability/durability
    - Touchscreen would be nice.

    I'm paying my own money for this, so don't need to get too crazy with the specs, but it's for work, and I'll be travelling with it a little, so it's nice if it's "nice", ya know? Don't want to wait too long to buy. Need this thing in under two weeks for sure including shipping.
    Last edited by ExtraSlow; 07-17-2019 at 09:53 AM.

  5. #45
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    Just pick something from the Lenovo site. Barring that go to MemEx and pick up an Asus.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ExtraSlow View Post
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    OK guys, I think I have (finally) figured out the requirements.
    - 15.6" size
    - MS windows
    - SSD, must be 256gb or larger
    - Lots of RAM (just because I love RAM)
    - No requirement for graphics card.
    - Mostly office-type applications, Excel, Powerpoint, Visio, chrome browser with lots of tabs.
    - Kinda sorta lightweight (which is tough for 15.6" size)
    - Good reputation for reliability/durability
    - Touchscreen would be nice.

    I'm paying my own money for this, so don't need to get too crazy with the specs, but it's for work, and I'll be travelling with it a little, so it's nice if it's "nice", ya know?
    Not needing a dGPU is going to save you a lot of trouble, but they are a lot more common in the 15.6" size anyway. You're looking at 3.5-4lbs though for most of them.

    Do you want a 2in1 with a reversible hinge or just a touch screen on a standard laptop? Touch screens can be a bit limiting as sometimes they only come on the 4K models which means way higher price. To get 16GB of RAM with more budget-friendly specs elsewhere also means you will probably have to custom build one.

    I found a Lenovo T580 with touch screen upgrade and RAM upgrade to 16GB for $1395.80 ($590 savings with code):

    Processor : 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-8250U Processor (1.60GHz, up to 3.40GHz with Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
    Operating System : Windows 10 Home 64
    Operating System Language : Windows 10 Home 64 English
    Display : 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS anti-glare multi-touch
    Memory : 16 GB DDR4 2400MHz
    Graphic Card : Integrated Intel® UHD Graphics 620
    Camera : 720p HD Camera with ThinkShutter and microphone
    Keyboard : Keyboard - US English
    Security Chip : Hardware dTPM
    TPM Setting : Hardware dTPM2.0 Enabled
    First Hard Drive : 256GB Solid State Drive PCIe-NVMe OPAL2.0 M.2
    Front Battery : 4 cell Li-Ion 32WH
    Rear Battery : 3 cell Li-Ion 24Wh Rear
    Power Cord : 65W AC Adapter (2pin) - USB Type C
    Wireless : Intel Dual Band 8265 Wireless AC (2 x 2) & Bluetooth 4.1 with vPro
    Display Panel : 15.6" FHD (1920x1080), slim flat IPS, Touch, with 2D-Camera, with Mic, with WLAN, No WWAN
    Base : Intel Core i5-8250U Processor, Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Language Pack : Publication-English
    Warranty : 1 Year Depot or Carry-in

    You can save $100 if you drop down to a SATAIII SSD and another $110 if you drop the touch screen.

    That would be a quality laptop that seems to do what you want. To get 16GB of RAM and touch screen in an off-the-shelf laptop is a lot harder without buying the premium configurations.

  7. #47
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    Don't need the reversible hinge design. And the more I think about it, the less that a touchscreen matters. so let's put that in a "nice but not required" category.

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    Those lenovo laptops have "onboard" memory plus DIMM memory? What's that mean?

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    Quote Originally Posted by ExtraSlow View Post
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    Those lenovo laptops have "onboard" memory plus DIMM memory? What's that mean?
    1 stick soldered to the motherboard and 1 stick added/replaceable. A DIMM is just a stick of RAM.

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    Gotcha, I only look at computer specs/builds every few years, so I never seem to keep up with the lingo.

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    I’m in need of something very similar extraslow. Let me know if you find any deals
    sig deleted by moderator, click here for info

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mitsu3000gt View Post
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    I don't know which ones you guys are looking at exactly, but most of those Dell refurbished laptops are ~7 year old machines with the bare minimum specs, and the prices are not good (at least the ones I looked at on the first few pages). Couple hundred more gets you into a 2019 machine with much better specs and probably half the weight haha. Just make sure you know what you're getting - I am surprised they have stock that is so old.

    Edit:

    This this is enormous but look what you can get for only $579:

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/p/as...t:techspecstab

    If you don't mind a little meat on your laptop that is incredible value.
    Seems like 90% of the orders were cancelled including mine.
    Got slapped in the face with a $50 promo credit for next order.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jwslam View Post
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    Seems like 90% of the orders were cancelled including mine.
    Got slapped in the face with a $50 promo credit for next order.
    Oh wow, I wonder if too many people ordered or something. That's kind of a shitty thing for MS to do.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mitsu3000gt View Post
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    Oh wow, I wonder if too many people ordered or something. That's kind of a shitty thing for MS to do.
    I ordered pretty early around 4pm our time.
    Seems like RFD says all the west orders didn't go through.

    Sounds like it was a serious error where $699 was the CAD price but got posted as $529 (USD site price)
    Last edited by jwslam; 07-18-2019 at 08:49 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ExtraSlow View Post
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    OK guys, I think I have (finally) figured out the requirements.
    - 15.6" size
    - MS windows
    - SSD, must be 256gb or larger
    - Lots of RAM (just because I love RAM)
    - No requirement for graphics card.
    - Mostly office-type applications, Excel, Powerpoint, Visio, chrome browser with lots of tabs.
    - Kinda sorta lightweight (which is tough for 15.6" size)
    - Good reputation for reliability/durability
    - Touchscreen would be nice.

    I'm paying my own money for this, so don't need to get too crazy with the specs, but it's for work, and I'll be travelling with it a little, so it's nice if it's "nice", ya know? Don't want to wait too long to buy. Need this thing in under two weeks for sure including shipping.
    Hah, I've sort of changed my mind on a bunch of this. Here's the revised requirements
    - 14 or 15.6" size
    - MS windows
    - SSD, must be 256gb or larger
    - 16GB RAM (just because I love RAM)
    - No requirement for graphics card.
    - Mostly office-type applications, Excel, Powerpoint, Visio, chrome browser with lots of tabs.
    - Kinda sorta lightweight (which is tough for 15.6" size)
    - Good reputation for reliability/durability
    - Touchscreen doesn't matter

    So yeah, can be the smaller form factor of 14" AND I no longer care about touchscreen. Realized that just because I saw one sales guy once run a tablet doesn't mean I would ever operate like him.

    Since the laptop world is such a mess of specs and models that aren't clear, different SSD connection types and other stuff that confuses me, here's the summary: I just want a decent deal on a current-gen laptop with a fast SSD and lots of RAM. Anyone who sees a deal pop up let me know. The Asus Zenbooks seem nice, although their naming system is baffling too.

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    I should also mention that I hate Dell with a burning passion, so not them please even though they seem to score well in reviews.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ExtraSlow View Post
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    Hah, I've sort of changed my mind on a bunch of this. Here's the revised requirements
    - 14 or 15.6" size
    This will generally dictate if you get a number pad (not sure if you care) as 15.6" is when they start putting them in

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    Quote Originally Posted by jwslam View Post
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    This will generally dictate if you get a number pad (not sure if you care) as 15.6" is when they start putting them in
    I will have a full keyboard in my office, so that's where I'll do any data-entry tasks I think. So I decided to let that go.

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    I figured I’d post here instead of a new thread.

    What I’m looking for is a basic gaming/task laptop. Looking to plug into a monitor and have it docked.

    Games I play are Divinity2 and Bloodbowl 2. I also use it for surfing, office, and there pretty much it.

    I have a ROG that’s 3.5 years old now and is just slow at startup. Never quite was a good unit from day one. Had a USB charging error forever. Couldn’t fix it.

    Budget 1000ish?? Might consider a smaller 14” since I’ll be plugging in to a monitor.
    "The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents... some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new Dark Age."

    -H.P. Lovecraft

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    Okay kiddies, choose between these two laptops
    Lenovo Thinkpad X1 carbon 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U 4" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS anti-glare, 8 GB (Onboard)256 GB SSD PCIe for $1406 (from Lenovo EPP site)

    or Asus Zenbook 15 UX533FN-RH54 w/ Core™ i5-8265U, 8GB, 512GB SSD, 15.6in FHD, GeForce MX150, Windows 10 for $1199 (From the source, $100 off regular price)

    Seems like the Asus is the better deal because it's got slightly newer processor and a larger SSD and two hundred bucks cheaper. I think the Asus is lighter and has a larger screen too. I know that Lenovo is suppose to be the premium laptop out there, but even on sale it's really expensive.

    Getting sick of looking, want to pull the trigger soonish. Come to think of it, assuming I price match at MemEx, that $200 difference pays for a 2 year IPP and I could have this shit in my hands tomorrow.
    Last edited by ExtraSlow; 07-18-2019 at 03:19 PM.

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