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akk7
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 Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 11:03 pm Post subject: Laptop Suggestions/Deals? |
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Any computer experts here? Laptop ended up falling causing it to probably be a brick (no boot device found is what it says now) so I’m in the market for a quick replacement. I just need it for basic work (word, excel, browsing, email, etc). Looking to purchase one as soon as possible since I need it for school/work.
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jonnybravo
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| Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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Windows or iOS?
Budget?
Screen size?
Gaming...yes or no?
Specific use (anything intensive i.e. encoding etc)?
How portable do you need it?
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akk7
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| Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 12:20 am Post subject: |
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| jonnybravo wrote: | Windows or iOS?
Budget?
Screen size?
Gaming...yes or no?
Specific use (anything intensive i.e. encoding etc)?
How portable do you need it? |
This laptop is simply for school/studying which includes using things like chrome, word, excel, PowerPoint, adobe, etc.
Also will be using it for all the recent zoom calls, presentations, and meetings.
No gaming
Just need a laptop that functions for now. Not trying to spend money at all right now and my laptop dying wasn’t expected 
Don’t care about portability. Would prefer a decent battery life, but beggars can’t be choosers. |
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nickuku
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Location: Orange County
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| Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 6:28 am Post subject: |
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dell xps are good for that. Go for the 13 inch. Any laptop I'd get at least 16 gigs ram.
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ContagiousInspiration
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Joined: 07 May 2014
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Location: Boulder ;)
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| Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 8:33 am Post subject: |
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What model exactly are you using now. The reason I ask is because your laptop should have onboard diagnostics you can run that may find the hard drive since the test is a hardware level test. It will test the drive and tell you if it can still be used or not.
IF your hard drive is not damaged it may just be a simple fix or resetting the startup preferences in BIOS to find your drive or boot file OR just replacing the drive. You can buy a brand new 256gb ssd for like $30 at Fry's or Microcenter.
Buying a used laptop.. Hit Craigslist. There are IT admins on there selling beast laptops for $300ish or you can get a nice one for $150 and add a stick of RAM to it.
What city would you search in Craigslist? and what amount would you prefer to stay below?
Any knowledge of BIOS or ever change a hard drive in a laptop? 
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LakerLanny
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| Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 8:48 am Post subject: |
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I recently bought an inexpensive laptop to do the same functions you are mentioning, no gaming or things that would require a super fancy computer.
I bought a Lenovo IdeaPad S145 off Amazon for $200 as I recall, incredibly low price for what you get. (edit, I just looked and it was actually a Best Buy Black Friday deal, $239.99)
Here are the specs, I like it in that it also has the spill resistant keyboard which came in handy as I managed to dump coffee all over it and it didn't short out.
I would recommend it if you are on a budget:
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/ideapad-100-series/Lenovo-IdeaPad-S145-15IWL/p/88IPS101200
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Last edited by LakerLanny on Sat May 23, 2020 4:03 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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ContagiousInspiration
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Location: Boulder ;)
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| Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 9:11 am Post subject: |
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcoikZ6-998
He isn't the best but these are the basics without much tech knowledge you can do easily
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jonnybravo
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| Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 3:54 pm Post subject: |
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| nickuku wrote: | | dell xps are good for that. Go for the 13 inch. Any laptop I'd get at least 16 gigs ram. |
Too pricey for his needs imo. I have an XPS 13 and it's really an amazing they basically put a 13.3" screen into a 12" laptop chassis. I have 8gb of ram on it with the ultra low power CPU (it's the 2n1 xps). I also have a beast gaming dektop with 16gb of ram and recently just bought a Gigabyte Aero 15x gaming laptop with 32gb of ram. Despite the giant chasm in horsepower between them, in real world use with web browsing, office programs, and media consumption, there's literally not one iota of difference between all 3 machines
What's your budget akk47?
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akk7
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jonnybravo
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| Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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| akk7 wrote: | https://slickdeals.net/f/14075225-lenovo-ideapad-i7-16gb-ram-512-ssd-15-6-inch-699-99?src=catpagev2
Ended up purchasing that. A bit pricey, but I’m hoping it lasts me a while. |
Very good value!
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akk7
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| Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 9:37 pm Post subject: |
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| jonnybravo wrote: | | akk7 wrote: | https://slickdeals.net/f/14075225-lenovo-ideapad-i7-16gb-ram-512-ssd-15-6-inch-699-99?src=catpagev2
Ended up purchasing that. A bit pricey, but I’m hoping it lasts me a while. |
Very good value! |
Thanks for the help. I saw the deal this morning and had to jump on it before it sold out. Appreciate your help as well as everyone in here. |
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nickuku
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Location: Orange County
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| Posted: Sun May 24, 2020 3:33 am Post subject: |
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| jonnybravo wrote: | | nickuku wrote: | | dell xps are good for that. Go for the 13 inch. Any laptop I'd get at least 16 gigs ram. |
Too pricey for his needs imo. I have an XPS 13 and it's really an amazing they basically put a 13.3" screen into a 12" laptop chassis. I have 8gb of ram on it with the ultra low power CPU (it's the 2n1 xps). I also have a beast gaming dektop with 16gb of ram and recently just bought a Gigabyte Aero 15x gaming laptop with 32gb of ram. Despite the giant chasm in horsepower between them, in real world use with web browsing, office programs, and media consumption, there's literally not one iota of difference between all 3 machines
What's your budget akk47? |
Makes sense. I recently helped my friend pick out the xps 13 and she was really happy. I tend to be a power user myself so my advice is always kind of future proofing
Grats on the new laptop akk7.
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jodeke
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| Posted: Sun May 24, 2020 5:59 am Post subject: |
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Try a refurbished laptop. I bought a refurbished computer. I've had it 4 years with no problems. I downloaded Avast Cleanup Premium, it keeps it running quick as a wink. New it cost $600.00 I bought it for $175.00. Check prices new and refurbished.
EDIT: I'm a bit late to the party. Didn't notice you've purchased a laptop already.
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Last edited by jodeke on Sun May 24, 2020 8:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
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LakerLanny
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| Posted: Sun May 24, 2020 8:37 am Post subject: |
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| akk7 wrote: | https://slickdeals.net/f/14075225-lenovo-ideapad-i7-16gb-ram-512-ssd-15-6-inch-699-99?src=catpagev2
Ended up purchasing that. A bit pricey, but I’m hoping it lasts me a while. |
Nice, I like the 16GB and it has that 80211AC which means it will connect to 5G wireless which is great.
Congrats on your new laptop!
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LarryCoon
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| Posted: Sun May 24, 2020 8:54 am Post subject: |
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| akk7 wrote: | https://slickdeals.net/f/14075225-lenovo-ideapad-i7-16gb-ram-512-ssd-15-6-inch-699-99?src=catpagev2
Ended up purchasing that. A bit pricey, but I’m hoping it lasts me a while. |
That is a good deal for a reasonably-spec'd machine. And you're right, the better machine, the longer before you'll need a new one. I'm an advocate of buying more than you need right now for that reason. Hell, my last Dell lasted me 10 years (08-18) as my daily machine. Every 2-3 years I'd just buy a new SSD (original drive was mechanical) and reload the O/S onto it. |
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jonnybravo
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| Posted: Sun May 24, 2020 1:40 pm Post subject: |
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| LarryCoon wrote: | | akk7 wrote: | https://slickdeals.net/f/14075225-lenovo-ideapad-i7-16gb-ram-512-ssd-15-6-inch-699-99?src=catpagev2
Ended up purchasing that. A bit pricey, but I’m hoping it lasts me a while. |
That is a good deal for a reasonably-spec'd machine. And you're right, the better machine, the longer before you'll need a new one. I'm an advocate of buying more than you need right now for that reason. Hell, my last Dell lasted me 10 years (08-18) as my daily machine. Every 2-3 years I'd just buy a new SSD (original drive was mechanical) and reload the O/S onto it. |
I think for mundane usage like being discussed here, hardware is light years ahead of what those programs have used. It's been that way for close to a decade. My old Sandy Bridge system I put together around 8 years ago is now sitting in my garage as a media consumption device and for those tasks, it loses out nothing to my main rigs. It was an I5 to boot. Had I gone for the I7, by the time that I5 is irrelevant, that I7 will be equaly as irrelevant. Moore's law is long dead imo.
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ContagiousInspiration
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Location: Boulder ;)
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| Posted: Sun May 24, 2020 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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| akk7 wrote: | https://slickdeals.net/f/14075225-lenovo-ideapad-i7-16gb-ram-512-ssd-15-6-inch-699-99?src=catpagev2
Ended up purchasing that. A bit pricey, but I’m hoping it lasts me a while. |
Agree with the purchase.
10th Generation Processor
512GB NVME
16GB soldered iiuc
FHD Screen
with brand new warranty...
Nice work on quick decision making!
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