Solved Finding the right laptop

hdmi · Dec 24, 2021

glasskuter said:
I respect anyone's opinion who loves laptops, but I've had enough of them

glasskuter · Dec 24, 2021

OMG The rest of my sentence is worded even worse. Oh well, I'm off to get my leathers and my whip. You're quick, @hdmi...very, very quick.

Winuser · Dec 24, 2021

glasskuter said:
OMG The rest of my sentence is worded even worse. Oh well, I'm off to get my leathers and my whip. You're quick, @hdmi...very, very quick.

Sounds like you can be a lot of fun.

Winuser · Dec 24, 2021

glasskuter said:
My 2 cents is worth...well, 2 cents, but all the points in this thread are exactly why I would never buy a modern day laptop. Nowadays, they are flimsily built, poorly designed from a thermal standpoint, and are basically throw-away devices. I use my PC for work and my ipad Pro for relaxation and travel. (not that I've gone anywhere in almost 2 years) The ipad handles anything I throw at it for what I use it for. I respect anyone's opinion who loves laptops, but I've had enough of them on my workbench to form an opinion of they aren't worth the money.
New PCs don't have the quality they used to, either, but at least I can work on them.

I just wish they would go back to making it easy to gain access like the old laptops did.

barman58 · Dec 24, 2021

There are still laptops that are repairable / Upgradable although they are not cheap throw away items My current laptop has removable drives, battery,Memory, and basically everything you would normally want to upgrade of change out.

I had a good deal on mine at approx UK £2500 [US$ 3350] so not the average purchase but they are still available , [detail in my 2nd system in my specs]

glasskuter · Dec 24, 2021

@barman58 True and definitely not throwaway. But that is FAR from a mainstream laptop and out of most people's price range.

Winuser · Dec 24, 2021

barman58 said:
There are still laptops that are repairable / Upgradable although they are not cheap throw away items My current laptop has removable drives, battery,Memory, and basically everything you would normally want to upgrade of change out.

I had a good deal on mine at approx UK £2500 [US$ 3350] so not the average purchase but they are still available , [detail in my 2nd system in my specs]

If I spent that much money on a laptop my wife would probably get it in the divorce settlement. She still hasn't gotten over me buying the 10' satellite dish years ago. We didn't have cable in our area at the time. That was during the time before they started scrambling the channels.

Haydon · Dec 24, 2021

Well, let's hope that one day Android tablets can run Windows too

Edit: Sorry, that was really terse. I like redundancy. I would normally run Android apps on the tablet and Windows apps on the laptop. But in a squeeze, it would be nice if the tablet could run Windows apps too and the laptop could run Android apps too.

MisterEd · Dec 25, 2021

Would a convertible laptop like the HP Envy X360 work with some people? You can use it as a laptop or tablet.

Haydon · Dec 25, 2021

MisterEd said:
Would a convertible laptop like the HP Envy X360 work with some people? You can use it as a laptop or tablet.

For now, such convertibles are Windows devices that can be used as Windows laptops or Windows tablets.

If WSA comes to fruition (in W11) then such convertibles can ALSO be used as Android laptops (!) or Android tablets.

Nice prospects

hdmi · Dec 25, 2021

MisterEd said:
Would a convertible laptop like the HP Envy X360 work with some people? You can use it as a laptop or tablet.

I always prefer hardtop.

windoc · Dec 25, 2021

I have an Asus Zenbook, and an ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Both meet all of the requirements for Windows 11 however, I find myself using the Thinkpad more often for day to day tasks. It's just more comfortable. To me the most important factor is Wifi 6 and now they even came out with WiFi 6e. I would at least have Wifi 6 as there is a huge difference between 5-6.

orlbuckeye · Jan 12, 2022

Hazel123 said:
I'm not sure there's much building as from what I've seen a "barebones" laptop already comes with processor and most componenents already and not any cheaper (much) than buying a new laptop.

Clevo is one of the big ODM's that sells barebones but I don't believe they do at the retail end. I believe the sell mostly to companies like Sager in the USA and they rebrand with the Sager name. But also Xoticpc.com sells both Sager and Clevo's that can be configured in their factory with the components of choice. These PC's are mostly gaming PC's. The thing about laptop is there is no standard motherboard like desktops. The motherboard has to be designed to match the case (all the ports have to match) and there is no standard case. So it's hard to find a laptop motherboard in the retail market.

orlbuckeye · Jan 12, 2022

I recently had my Alienware 18 die after about 10 years. I replaced a M.3 SSD with a bigger one and added 2 drives ( it was huge and had lots of slots for drives) . Memory was easy to replace but I've seen some PC that have slots where you have to remove the keyboard to add or replace memory. I wasn't comfortable with doing that but the Alienware all slots were visible and easy to change.

Hazel123 · Feb 2, 2022

So it continues :) Finding a 14" laptop that doesn't aggravate RSI (ie reasonable keyboard travel and mousepad not too big). As I found the HP Spectre manageable (household laptop), I continued using that - but it's now dead - as in it won't charge. Needs charger socket replacing and I can't get the back off because the torx screws are stripped. A project for another day. But as I don't have a problem with that keyboard, despite the laptop being thin, decided to get a used hp pavilion 14 - basically a more up to date version of my old HP Pavilion. And hope the keyboard was similar.

Seems a good buy - just over £300 and not that old - 10th Generation processor. Core i5 and 8gb and 500gb ssd. So far seems ok! There are various models of this but found one with a smaller mousepad and that works for me. Keyboard isn't quite as good as the one on the Spectre X360 but I'll see how I go - if the lack of travel becomes a problem I'll sell it on again.

I think basically I'll stick to HP! Although they do have annoyances - I make umpteen typing errors hitting the wrong keys - return key is small and letters seem a bit offset and accidentally hit the odd key that sends me back to the beginning of the sentence - but that's livable with.

It is less thin than most thin ones - but still too xxxxing thin! Wobbles about on your lap. No heft to it - but I guess it's the best I can do in this era. And like most it has the annoying uncomfortable screen riser that digs into your legs. I can get round that too but it's annoying. And it has ridiculous invisible lettering. Pale white letters on silver keys and no backlighting.

Only thing is it smells weird

Hazel123 · Feb 3, 2022

Anyway - it's a nice laptop. Happy with it. Getting used to the fact it has an extra set of keys down the right for home, end, page up and page down (which I kept hitting when going for enter or delete). Only smells weird when turned on - like someone else's febreze! Hopefully that will wear off.

Hazel123 · Feb 3, 2022

So if anyone's looking for a new laptop I can recommend the HP Pavilion 14 for being comfortable for typing and not quite as thin as some. 14" is the sweet spot for me. Big enough screen but not too big to use on your lap. Fan can be a bit noisy sometimes but what the heck.

unifex · Feb 3, 2022

I can only reiterate that at the moment I prefer my little LG Gram - it fits into any bag, weighs 1.3 kg, and has 17" screen. Compared to my previous 17" laptops (I never cared for smaller screens, I'd need a magnifying glass to use them) this one is about 20% smaller in size and the weight is incomparable. Oh, and did I mention 19 hours battery time? That's how it's advertized anyway, but in reality it's not much less. I'm charging it a couple of times a week.

Hazel123 · Feb 3, 2022

It sounds great. I prefer 14" as the sweet spot for me - large enough screen but easy to use on your lap. I like the ergonomics and keyboard on the HP :) More comfortable to use than the Spectre X360 13 (and do find that a bit small for general use). The keyboard on the Spectre X360 is marginally better but has sharp metal edges.

FDretired · Feb 3, 2022

Hazel123 said:
Ideally something that will run windows 11 as well!

My main computer is a desktop but I need laptop for use when I am away on my vacation.

Since I want the laptop to last me for over decade I wanted one with a replaceable battery that was compatible with win 11.

I purchased Lenovo Thinkpad T480 from Kijijii for C600 dollars. It is in very good condition with a 256 gig nvme ssd It replaced and older version of 14 inch Thinkpad.

Lenovo ThinkPad T480: Full Review and Benchmarks

The Lenovo ThinkPad T480 makes you more productive with its industry-leading endurance and strong performance.

www.laptopmag.com

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