Author Topic: Laptop Suggestions  (Read 7598 times)

ober

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Laptop Suggestions
« on: August 07, 2018, 11:13:17 AM »
I've been looking at a lot of laptops.  My wife has a desktop which is where she will do most of her designing but for the other 50-60% of her job which is research and social media and uploading graphics to sites, she wants a portable option that she can sit outside or elsewhere in the house.  She originally looked at tablets but really needs a keyboard.


I would say the budget is 500-1200?  256 or 512 GB SSD is what I'm looking at.  Ideally lightweight but with reasonable power.  She'll likely have it on her lap a lot so she doesn't want something bulky which is why she was originally looking at either a Mac or tablet. 


Most of the ones I'm looking at have i5 processors.  Windows 10 as the OS.  Something above a low grade graphics processor.  In a perfect world, my kids would also use it for like Minecraft and stuff like that.


Anyone have anything like this or know of anything specifically that fits that?




hans

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2018, 12:57:11 PM »
I'm a huge fan of my Pixelbook but I'm not sure that'll do what she wants.

What about a Surface Pro or the new Surface Go?
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Perspective

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2018, 02:23:58 PM »
I've been looking at the new Surface Pro 2 but I'm afraid to have a windows machine which is my biggest concern. If you actually want a windows machine that could be a good fit.

I haven't looked much at the competitors though because the Surface Pro 2 is what's going to be available via my company, so it's between that, a macbook, and a lenovo for me.

charlie

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2018, 04:13:57 PM »
I recently helped my mom get a laptop, and then I got one, too, and now I'm helping my sister get a laptop, and they all had the same type of requirements as you state. I suggested SSD for my mom and required it for myself, although my sister cares more about having more space than faster speed so I might just do a regular 1 TB drive.

I didn't want to take long to research so I just did Dell for my mom and myself. Not sure it was the best choice. I don't love mine, although I don't hate it either.

Surface Pro looks like it would be too small of a hard drive for the price point (the cheapest 256GB SSD is over $1K). Not sure that will work for my sister.

ober

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2018, 05:13:55 PM »
Problem with the Surface is the lack of a rigid keyboard.  She does a lot of typing and plans to use it on her lap so the screen needs to hold itself up and she needs a non-flimsy keyboard.  If it wasn't for that requirement, she's already reviewed and considered the Surface.

And yes, she wants Windows 10 because that's what she is used to.  Although she had considered a Mac but I think I effectively talked her out of that because of some of her software.

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2018, 07:06:13 PM »
My bad, I meant surface book 2, not surface pro 2. It's like a regular laptop, but the screen detaches for tablet mode. It's not the cover keyboard thing.

KnuckleBuckett

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2018, 06:13:36 AM »
Lots of Bluetooth keyboard options out there.

Thoughts on ultrabook form factor?  Say Thinkpad, Dell XPS 13, HP Spectre, Lenovo Yoga, etc.?

ober

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2018, 07:47:15 AM »
Not sure how the bluetooth keyboard would help.  You'd still have 2 separate things to hold.

Ultrabook might be nice.  I do like the ones that can swivel and turn into more of a tablet.  Not that she needs that necessarily.  Those are good suggestions and I'll look into them.

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #8 on: August 08, 2018, 08:41:58 AM »
This is the one I was trying to mention, a little pricey but they seem quite nice. (Link is to the canadian site, USD is a little cheaper ;) )

ober

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #9 on: August 08, 2018, 09:33:46 AM »
Thanks.  The price is ok.  The detachable option is attractive but maybe not what is important to her.

I appreciate all the suggestions!

KnuckleBuckett

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #10 on: August 09, 2018, 06:12:28 AM »
You can also get most popular tablets with a case that holds the Bluetooth keyboard.  Best of both worlds.

KnuckleBuckett

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #11 on: August 09, 2018, 06:21:33 AM »
Here are a couple front runners.  If nothing else it gives you a clear picture of the state of the ultrabook form factor.

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3280962/laptop-computers/dell-new-xps-13-vs-hp-spectre-x360-13t-which-laptop-is-better.html





charlie: fixed link
« Last Edit: August 09, 2018, 03:21:46 PM by charlie »

ober

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #12 on: August 09, 2018, 07:49:42 AM »
Interesting, thanks Knuck!

KnuckleBuckett

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #13 on: August 10, 2018, 06:05:01 AM »
Found this too.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/7/17657174/microsoft-surface-go-review-tablet-windows-10

I have three or four year old a low to mid end Samsung tablet.  It has entirely replaced my ultrabook (Asus Zen).  I have a BT keyboard for it that I almost never use.  Taking notes with it is a dream and blows away anything else including paper.  In that I already use a modern cell phone there was essentially no learning curve.  It travels like a magazine, has a great battery and every accessory under the sun is made for it.  I love the thing and plan to replace it someday with one that has a built in cell phone radio for when we travel.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/8/17661402/samsung-galaxy-tab-s4-review-valiant-effort



ober

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Re: Laptop Suggestions
« Reply #14 on: August 10, 2018, 07:59:20 AM »
Those would be good but go back to the main problem she has.  Her requirement is to basically have the device on her lap.  With most of these tablets there is no rigid way to keep the screen vertical or the keyboard doesn't have enough room to rest your palms to type normally (like the samsung pic you linked to). 

Ultimately I think the ultrabook form factor seems ideal for what she's going for.