Topic: Laptop advice...

[mishca09]

I know I've talked about getting a laptop but I still haven't decided .

What are some good base models ?

[goldshirt*9]

some here use the Microsoft surface pro ( tablet and keyboard and well loved)
Some would recommend Apple ( they cost more but do last and work )
I have a old samsung notebook which I mess around on (prefer desktop)

Depends on what you want to spend and what you use it for

[8ullfrog]

Gateways are just rebadged acers. If you don't game, it will live forever. If you game, it will die a quick death.

[Alfonz]

Gateways are just rebadged acers. If you don't game, it will live forever. If you game, it will die a quick death.

I've had constant issues with the power button rendering the laptop useless, Gateway claims the board needs to be replaced but then it will come to life and not give any problems for months.

As for choosing a laptop, you'll get a dozen different answers here, all depends on your needs and preferences.

[Alfonz]

All of the above, you will get different recommendations depending on your main use, will you primarily be gaming, browsing and internet use, creative activities like photo touch ups etc... or maybe you want to use it as a primary multimedia station?

I doubt I could offer any great recommendations except to avoid throwing the mouse (I HATE THOSE DAMNED SCRATCH PAD THINGS) when the computer seems slow as I did, threw the mouse down in disgust, the mouse bounced back up and hit the screen and BLAM an unusable laptop....

lol, I always hated the touch pads myself but I did get used to them with my MacBook Pro's, seems much easier now that I can switch between the  touch screen and touch pad gestures. My wife has a nice little BT mouse for when she settles down doing business.

[mishca09]

Thanks,  I want to use it for paying bills, converting ebooks, streaming Netflix etc ...

I thought about getting the surface laptop but I read a lot of bad reviews

[8ullfrog]

I have a feeling that quality control is a thing of the past when it comes to electronics.

Can confirm what alfonz said, I completely disassembled my gateway, every individual part checked out, but it was an out of warranty brick when assembled.

[Alfonz]

Thanks,  I want to use it for paying bills, converting ebooks, streaming Netflix etc ...

I thought about getting the surface laptop but I read a lot of bad reviews

I bought Surfaces for the wife and I because the reviews were good. Guess it depends where you look at reviews 

Anyhow, along the same lines as the Surface Pro's is the iPad Pro with the detachable keyboard, gives the best of both worlds in a single reliable device. Trying to find one of these at a decent price on eBay for my brother but not much breathing room.

[mishca09]

I looked on YouTube... I'm going to try wait until black Friday

[smokester]

I was looking around for a laptop with a screen bigger than 18". Other than the Alienware monster (mainly a monster price) they no longer seem to exist.

Bugger.

[Alfonz]

Yeah, those huge display laptops seem to have gone by the wayside. Most of the high end devices are around 12''-13". Good thing is that with touch display you can focus very quickly, but if you're reading blueprints or building plans it's a bit awkward on the small screens.

[8ullfrog]

The gateway had 1366x7 something. At first I despized it, but unfortunately I got used to it.

Going back to 1280x1024 was painful.

[Alfonz]

My Surface Pro 3 (12.3"display) is 2160 x 1440, the iPad Pro (12.9"display) is 2732 x 2048, the fonts and icons are tiny but the display is awesome. Kind of a trade off between usability and rich graphics.

I love the iPad Pro, but I think the major drawback is iOS, I'd much prefer to see Apple introduce a convertible with a full copy of OSx.

I know a lot of people frown at convertibles as not being as good as a laptop and yet too bulky to enjoy the portability of a tablet, they are the toaster oven of laptops but once you use one for a bit the advantages seem to far outweigh the shortcomings at either end. Again though, that will ultimately be decided upon budget and user preferences. 

[dweez]

Thanks,  I want to use it for paying bills, converting ebooks, streaming Netflix etc ...

I thought about getting the surface laptop but I read a lot of bad reviews

I love my Surface Pro 4 but work paid for it. I can't see spending $2000 USD on a laptop ever unless of course I need it for work and can get a tax write-off.

If what you listed above is all you really want/need to do, then any new $300-$400 laptop should do the trick.  Waiting until Black Friday or Cyber Monday will definitely provide great prices if they don't sell out early. Here's the current laptop sales aggregated by TechBargains.

https://www.techbargains.com/category/359/computers/laptops

[mishca09]

I brought this one from hsn

https://www.hsn.com/products/hp-156-touch-intel-quad-core-laptop-with-tech-support/8562219

[8ullfrog]

Ehh? I'd probably buy the sub 200 dollar HP poo box at Walmart that doesn't have a hard drive before I trusted HSN?

I mean I wish you the best of luck, but touchscreen laptops only ended in tears... back in 2006.

I am very much hoping your machine is not garbage, because HP does not do adaptive tech well, and I have my fingers crossed that your machine won't let you down.

[dweez]

Touchscreen has come a long way in the last 11 years since you reviewed them, 8ully. It probably comes with most laptops nowadays (although I didn't research this).

[mishca09]

Lol well I hope so too 8ully. In just got it in the mail today

[goldshirt*9]

Why?

so true, most of our work dell pc's are touchscreen only, the pain we have using them.
Doesn't help its an oily environment and 4 of them literally caught fire.
IT was a little miffed to say the least.
mishca09 at least you have a keypad so should be ok and as dweez stated they have come on a long way.

[Alfonz]

I also had a Dell touchscreen at one time but I found it very uncomfortable to use in a propped up fashion, it aggravates the wrists after a short time. That is why I like convertibles over regular laptops but I doubt you'd get a decent convertible for that price.

[mishca09]

It's a little slow and not as easy as my old MacBook but determined to make it work

[smokester]

Forget touchscreens, I'm dismayed that they've done away with big screen laptops and table tablets.

I may as well stick with what I have for a few more years.

[goldshirt*9]

It's a little slow and not as easy as my old MacBook but determined to make it work

slow compared to the mac, or just slow.
Assume running windows 10, so look for typical bloatware and not required running programs.
PLenty of advice online but dweez would know better than most

[Alfonz]

slow compared to the mac, or just slow.
Assume running windows 10, so look for typical bloatware and not required running programs.
PLenty of advice online but dweez would know better than most

You're correct that assumption, HP is notorious for adding their own software solutions to tasks that Windows was already handling just fine. When my mom's Gateway was almost new, I did a clean install with her OEM key, helped a lot.

[dweez]

I always do a wipe and fresh install, even better if I can get the system without Windows installed (it's cheaper and my work has a software agreement with Microsoft to allow employees to use the Win 10 Enterprise version on any of our systems). I haven't had time to do a "Tweak guide" though but I do go through the Settings>Apps and uninstall all apps I don't use. I have to do this after every major update as MS tends to try and sneak crap back in.

[mishca09]

I'll try it this weekend,  thanks everyone for the advice

[brickbatz]

I use Revo Uninstaller Free Version in Advanced Mode to get rid of crapware when I work on computers that the owner doesn't want to do a clean install. It gets rid of crap left behind by Windows built in uninstaller (registry items, folders...).

[Alfonz]

I use Revo also, it's one of the few remaining "freeware" utilities that I actual trust and have had very good results with.