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Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 2:14:05 PM   
dcnovice


Posts: 37282
Joined: 8/2/2006
Status: offline 		It's the first afternoon of exile (aka working from home) here in Shutdown City, and it's already clear that my head will explode if I attempt hardcore work on my elderly Mac.

So I think I may hit Best Buy or Office Depot tomorrow for a laptop. Probably a PC, since they're what we use at work and also half the price.

Any advice re what to buy or to avoid? I'm a bit of a babe in the woods on this one.

As ever, many thanks!

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it's never enough to keep up.

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INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 2:45:01 PM   
mnottertail


Posts: 60698
Joined: 11/3/2004
Status: offline 		What do you do with it?

Do not get windows 8. That is heavy avoid.

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 2:47:00 PM   
dcnovice


Posts: 37282
Joined: 8/2/2006
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quote:

What do you do with it?

Work: writing/editing, selecting pictures, online research

Play: surfing, email, writing

_____________________________

No matter how cynical you become,
it's never enough to keep up.

JANE WAGNER, THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF
INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 2:48:25 PM   
mnottertail


Posts: 60698
Joined: 11/3/2004
Status: offline 		get 600G disk, and readwrite dvd drive. 4meg memory, wifi, ethernet, big screen..... Windows 7

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Have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two? Judges 5:30


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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 3:30:17 PM   
LookieNoNookie


Posts: 12216
Joined: 8/9/2008
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quote:

ORIGINAL: mnottertail

What do you do with it?

Do not get windows 8. That is heavy avoid.


Windows 8 is fantastic.

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 3:37:55 PM   
dcnovice


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Joined: 8/2/2006
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quote:

Windows 8 is fantastic.

Seriously? Everyone else I've heard from hates it.


_____________________________

No matter how cynical you become,
it's never enough to keep up.

JANE WAGNER, THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF
INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 5:40:34 PM   
DarkSteven


Posts: 28072
Joined: 5/2/2008
Status: offline 		I agree about avoiding Win 8.

Before you go to a store, I'd surf the Net. Sites like FatWallet and price comparison sites. Then you can get an idea of how much you should be paying.

You don't need to buy MS Office either. You can download Open Office/Star Office for free, and it does 95% of what MS Office can do.

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The small-breasted ones want larger breasts. The large-breasted ones want smaller ones. The straight-haired ones curl their hair, and the curly-haired ones straighten theirs...

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 5:43:37 PM   
dcnovice


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quote:

You don't need to buy MS Office either. You can download Open Office/Star Office for free, and it does 95% of what MS Office can do.

Great idea, thanks!

Do you know if it can open/edit MS Office files? That's what I have at work.

_____________________________

No matter how cynical you become,
it's never enough to keep up.

JANE WAGNER, THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF
INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 7:01:58 PM   
DarkSteven


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Joined: 5/2/2008
Status: offline 		Oh, absolutely. Sun Microsystems bought it to try to knock off Microsoft, and Sun made it able to read Office files, and save in Office format. That said, there are a few incompatibilities, but go ahead and use it and see how well it works.

_____________________________

"You women....

The small-breasted ones want larger breasts. The large-breasted ones want smaller ones. The straight-haired ones curl their hair, and the curly-haired ones straighten theirs...

Quit fretting. We men love you."

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 7:25:58 PM   
DomKen


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Joined: 7/4/2004
From: Chicago, IL
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: dcnovice

quote:

You don't need to buy MS Office either. You can download Open Office/Star Office for free, and it does 95% of what MS Office can do.

Great idea, thanks!

Do you know if it can open/edit MS Office files? That's what I have at work.

You can also get a 30 day free trial of MS Office from MS and the new subscription version is very affordable.

As to machine specs. Win 7 definitely unless you get a touchscreen model. Win 8 is designed for touch. Get as much RAM as you can afford. 4 gigs is the absolute minimum. Any hard drive will be fine unless you start downloading movies or something like that.

< Message edited by DomKen -- 10/1/2013 7:27:58 PM >

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 7:32:39 PM   
tommonymous


Posts: 404
Joined: 1/21/2013
Status: offline 		You won't need anything super fancy pants, given your demands. Like a lot of things, computers have a bit of a relationship between cost and performance. You might want to spend more on hard drive space, and spring for more RAM. Those might be the two upgrades I'd consider making to a stock, mid-range, computer.

The best advice I'll give you is to skip Best Buy or Office Depot, and go to Microcenter if you can. (They have a website, so check out their store locations. If you're in DC, you should be able to make it work.) Staff there will be very knowledgeable, and the truly good ones are really helpful and not condescending. Just explain that you're a babe in the computer store, er wilderness, and you're looking for something PC, and mid-range, and let them present you with options. Ask them what the strengths and weaknesses of each are. Also, please keep in mind that they work on commission, so get a business card if you don't buy on your first trip.

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And just because it worked for you, doesn't mean it will (or ought to) work for everyone.

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 8:51:04 PM   
TNDommeK


Posts: 7153
Joined: 3/13/2010
Status: offline 		Windows 8 sucks so bad!

Get a lap top and play world of Warcraft, join the Horde.

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 9:13:14 PM   
DomKen


Posts: 19457
Joined: 7/4/2004
From: Chicago, IL
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: tommonymous

You won't need anything super fancy pants, given your demands. Like a lot of things, computers have a bit of a relationship between cost and performance. You might want to spend more on hard drive space, and spring for more RAM. Those might be the two upgrades I'd consider making to a stock, mid-range, computer.

The best advice I'll give you is to skip Best Buy or Office Depot, and go to Microcenter if you can. (They have a website, so check out their store locations. If you're in DC, you should be able to make it work.) Staff there will be very knowledgeable, and the truly good ones are really helpful and not condescending. Just explain that you're a babe in the computer store, er wilderness, and you're looking for something PC, and mid-range, and let them present you with options. Ask them what the strengths and weaknesses of each are. Also, please keep in mind that they work on commission, so get a business card if you don't buy on your first trip.

I do all my computer associated shopping/buying through Microcenter. The prices are great and the selection cannot beat.

Checking their site this laptop looks like it would work very well for dc's needs.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/416063/Satellite_C55-A5245_156_Laptop_Computer_-_Satin_Black_in_Trax_Horizon#

I'm sure they have several different brands in that price range with very similar feature sets.

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/1/2013 10:35:28 PM   
Missokyst


Posts: 6041
Joined: 9/9/2006
Status: offline 		You can easily make an 8 to work more like a 7 with a small adjustment.
My only advice is to avoid buying an HP

_____________________________

pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding ~Gibran, Kahlil

“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.”
― Bob Marley


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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/2/2013 1:37:06 PM   
DesFIP


Posts: 25191
Joined: 11/25/2007
From: Apple County NY
Status: offline 		We were in Best Buy and they had the Google Chrome. $300 and seems simple enough even for a technophobe like me.
This desktop is ten years old and has major problems. I really don't want something that looks like a tablet with all those weird icons that don't mean anything to me. I like having it say what it is in words.

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/2/2013 1:51:39 PM   
mnottertail


Posts: 60698
Joined: 11/3/2004
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Missokyst

You can easily make an 8 to work more like a 7 with a small adjustment.
My only advice is to avoid buying an HP


Yeah, for fucks sake, don't tell us how.
And why not HP?


_____________________________

Have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two? Judges 5:30


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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/2/2013 3:39:51 PM   
RottenJohnny


Posts: 1677
Joined: 5/5/2006
Status: offline 		FR

Personally, I'd also consider a genuine Intel processor vs. an AMD. Intel is less prone to thermal breakdown. AMD's tend to crap out after awhile (depends on how long you plan on using the same computer). More hard drive space and RAM is always better. I'd take Windows 7 over 8, for sure. I've been using HP laptops for 15 years exclusively and have no complaints...and I'm a hardcore user.

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/2/2013 3:54:47 PM   
Missokyst


Posts: 6041
Joined: 9/9/2006
Status: offline 		You can add a windows regular start menu if you install this http://download.cnet.com/Start-Menu-8/3000-2072_4-75852660.html?tag=mncol;4
As for HP... as a tech I can tell you it can take up to 3 days to reinstall their software using their own disks. And there is a 30% failure rate in my experience. It is also more likely to have MB issues.

YUCK

quote:

ORIGINAL: mnottertail

quote:

ORIGINAL: Missokyst

You can easily make an 8 to work more like a 7 with a small adjustment.
My only advice is to avoid buying an HP


Yeah, for fucks sake, don't tell us how.
And why not HP?



_____________________________

pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding ~Gibran, Kahlil

“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.”
― Bob Marley


(in reply to mnottertail)
Profile   Post #: 18
RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/2/2013 5:08:15 PM   
LookieNoNookie


Posts: 12216
Joined: 8/9/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: dcnovice

It's the first afternoon of exile (aka working from home) here in Shutdown City, and it's already clear that my head will explode if I attempt hardcore work on my elderly Mac.

So I think I may hit Best Buy or Office Depot tomorrow for a laptop. Probably a PC, since they're what we use at work and also half the price.

Any advice re what to buy or to avoid? I'm a bit of a babe in the woods on this one.

As ever, many thanks!


PC's are awesome...networks (transferring data) talk to each other. Software: PC's....betting against Microsoft is like betting against FORD.

Fools game.

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RE: Need Advice re Laptop Purchase - 10/2/2013 5:54:12 PM   
blacksword404


Posts: 2068
Joined: 1/4/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: dcnovice

It's the first afternoon of exile (aka working from home) here in Shutdown City, and it's already clear that my head will explode if I attempt hardcore work on my elderly Mac.

So I think I may hit Best Buy or Office Depot tomorrow for a laptop. Probably a PC, since they're what we use at work and also half the price.

Any advice re what to buy or to avoid? I'm a bit of a babe in the woods on this one.

As ever, many thanks!


Find a cheap model of laptop that works for you. Then try and get the business class version of it. With business class they use better components than the regular ones.


_____________________________

Don't fight him. Embrace your inner asshole.

Tu fellas magnus penum meum...iterum

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Ego sum erus.

The capacity to learn is a gift, the ability to learn a skill, the willingness to learn a choice. Dune HH

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