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| Looking for Advice on New Purchase | |
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| Topic Started: Apr 20 2014, 05:32 AM (549 Views) | |
| Porcu | Apr 20 2014, 05:32 AM Post #1 |
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."
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Well, I'm looking for a new laptop and know a few people here would be able to point me in the right direction. After feeling like I've paid for glitz rather than reliability with my last two laptops, my primary concern now is reliability and endurance. I'm looking for a laptop that will serve as a work computer (no need for gaming capabilities) and can travel well. I've read cursorily that Asus, Toshiba, and Lenovo are good options, but I was hoping to get some feedback from you guys. Lastly, I'd also not like to break the bank with this purchase. I'm not exactly rolling in cash money here in Korea. Thanks very much for your assistance. ^^ EDIT: Thoughts on Chromebooks? Edited by Porcu, Apr 20 2014, 06:11 AM.
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| Abnar | Apr 20 2014, 02:45 PM Post #2 |
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the lurkiest of them all?
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I'm less of a fan of Asus these days - They've stopped manufacturing their own boards, and are only doing assembly, and it's impossible not to lose some degree of quality control when making that change. If you absolutely need a laptop, I recommend Lenovo. Chromebooks are fine, if the machine will do what you need and you get a good manufacturer. The Samsung-made ones have as good a rep as their tablets, while Acer continues to be absolute bottom of the barrel when it comes to PCs. |
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| Whal | Apr 20 2014, 03:26 PM Post #3 |
"Life is too short to be wasted on bad scotch"
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We'll normally i'd recommend you get a Macbook if you really wanted something reliable and perfect for work; however, because money is an issue you should be fine with a lenovo, ASUS, or an HP. Now, i've used ASUS for over 10 years now and i really like them for thier customer service, so that might be something you want to look into. DO NOT get a Dell or an Acer. In my experience they aren't made to a comparable level to the others ive mentioned. http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=34-313-724 Here is an example of a decent machine for around what i think your price range might be. I would browse around Newegg.com, the website i listed, for some similiar machines. They have honest reviews, clear info, and generally just know what they're doing. |
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| Porcu | Apr 21 2014, 06:58 AM Post #4 |
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."
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OK, so I'm not entirely in the financial bind I initially thought. As a side note, I could not imagine the level of pleasure at being surprised in having more money than I had thought. Having a birthday next month also helps. :lol: Right, so from what I've read Apple also makes some really solid laptops. Whal, do you own a Mac and, if so, what's your experience been like? Also, is going for a Macbook Air a drawback in terms of work performance vs a Macbook Pro? I'm not savvy, so I don't know if the Air's base 128GB flash storage is not enough or just perfect. Thanks, btw, on that Lenovo suggestion. |
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| Whal | Apr 21 2014, 08:47 AM Post #5 |
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"Life is too short to be wasted on bad scotch"
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I actually own three computers, one of which is indeed a mac (a 2012 15 inch macbook pro) :D . I would definitely recommend one too you purely based on the fact that its a true beast when it comes to true performance and reliability. Ive yet to have a serious problem with it slowing down too much, and it has never had a serious virus. It is heavier though and it is rather large to carry around,so i would consider that when deciding on a Pro versus an Air. As for your choice dilemma, its really a question of three things: convenience, screen size, and storage space. That Air's 128 gb storage might be a little low if you anticipate doing a whole lot of work; however it is way more easy to shlep around and pack, and it has a smaller screen. Its really a traveling man's laptop. The Pro's on the other hand are meant for more serious work, but they are heavier (although lighter than an HP or other PCs) and tend to have larger screens for higher resolutions. Both are gonna be upwards of $1900 and be very solid machines, but if you want to save some cash, you should be fine with a $800+ HP or Lenovo now that you have some more cash. Here's an article which might help you decide over an Air or a Pro. http://www.macworld.com/article/2142289/macbook-pro-vs-macbook-air-how-i-made-the-choice.html Hope this helps :) Edited by Whal, Apr 21 2014, 12:36 PM.
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| Rhadamanthus | Apr 21 2014, 06:56 PM Post #6 |
Legitimist
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Hi Porcu. It looks like you already have significant feedback from our fellow posters, but I thought I'd add a few thoughts in the hopes that I might be of assistance. First of all, it sounds like you are dissatisfied with previous laptop purchases. Perhaps you could tell us what those purchases were? I ask because others are recommending or warning you against various brands, and it would be good to know what brands or models you found to be unsatisfactory. Additionally, you refer to "work" multiple times - what sort of work are you talking about? What qualifies as work? This factors into a few things - if we are talking mostly work processing, then it doesn't add much at all to the system requirements, but if it involves some sort of graphical rendering work, that is a very different story. Similarly, you asked about how much storage space you need. That depends directly on what sort of files you are storing and what kinds of applications you use. Perhaps you could tell us how much storage space your last laptop had, and whether that was adequate? Or what kinds of files you tend to store? Others have mentioned Lenovo. I have mixed feelings about them. A few years back, Paradise and I both purchased Lenovo Ideapad Y560 models. I still think that was a good choice to get solid gaming power for a low price. That said, I don't think the build quality is too good - it is made of flimsy plastic. For that reason, I would be reluctant to recommend Lenovo's Ideapad line, though admittedly I don't know how they have evolved in the interim. That said, the Thinkpad line is famous for sturdy build. I don't think that changed when Lenovo took over the line from IBM. Personally, if I were buying a laptop right now, and I were a) operating system-agnostic, and b) not overly concerned with gaming, I would probably buy a 13" MacBook Pro. I've thought about it a few times, but I haven't done it yet because 1) I have a lot of Windows games on my current laptop I want to play, and 2) My current laptop is still useable for me and by the time it's really necessary to replace it there will be better models to consider. But I'm strongly thinking of getting a MacBook next round because I like Apple's product quality, and even though I've always used Windows, I like the direction of MacOS' development better than Windows' current development. Specifically, Microsoft is attempting to merge desktop and mobile operating systems into a standard experience across computers, tablets, Windows phone, etc. On the other hand, Apple has expressed an intention to keep desktop and mobile OS separate due to the separate use requirements, while increasing compatibility and complementarity. |
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| Porcu | Apr 24 2014, 03:02 AM Post #7 |
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."
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I've owned a total of three laptops: the first a Dell, the second a HP, and the latest a Macbook. The Dell simply got old and had to be replaced; it may have had some problems but I remember it being a fairly sold machine. My HP lasted only a few of months before it began to fall apart (and badly) and I switched over to Macs for the last couple of years while at university. My macbook pro (2012) was good for a while, but then would freeze unexpectedly and crash or, alternatively, give me a screen that made it seem like it was having a seizure before crashing and attempting to (but not always succeeding at) restarting. My frustration came about as a result of feeling that no one cared about fixing the laptop - just before I came to Korea I took it to a certified repair shop where they "ran exhaustive tests", i.e. 16 hours apparently, but did not find a single thing wrong. Curious, seeing as the computer gave me the exact same seizure-like episodes immediately after picking it up. *Just to clarify, my Macbook (and HP before) were never dropped, left in extreme temperatures, or abused* I'm just so fucking frustrated with my last two laptop experiences. A couple of my friends also have Macs and they haven't had a single problem - one has had his since the mid/late 2000s without major issues. Maybe I just happened to draw the poorly assembled one when I bought it. Dunno. At this point I'm ready to sell the one I have for parts and buy a new one, but I thought I'd shop/ask around first. [/rant] By work I mean 'normal' word processing and ability to do some light data input and analysis. Early on, the Pro was very nicely able to handle the large data files I worked with both in the lab and in some classes. However, now I really only need a base level of work processing capability. No graphic rendering necessary here. The files I most often deal with are word documents, powerpoint, pdf, excel, etc. Because of this, if I were to purchase another Mac I was leaning towards the 11' Air. Apologies on the less than coherent blabber. |
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| Rhadamanthus | Apr 24 2014, 06:09 AM Post #8 |
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Legitimist
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Perfectly reasonable. |
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| Porcu | Apr 24 2014, 06:33 AM Post #9 |
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."
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Seizure behavior I mentioned before. No two repair shops have agreed on what it is. Online suggestions have helped in the sense that this behavior goes away for a variable amount of time, but has never fixed the issue. Spoiler: click to toggle
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| Whal | Apr 24 2014, 12:45 PM Post #10 |
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"Life is too short to be wasted on bad scotch"
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I'm relatively surprised that no one has been able to give you a definitive answer on what that seizure behavior on your Pro is. That being said, Its not TOO hard to imagine that they just want to milk your for some extra cash for their services or perhaps even persuading you to buy a new computer from them. (We all know Apple loves doing that with Ipod/Iphone devices). Like RD said, I think the 11' Air should be sufficient for the level of performance you require. Aside form the story of your Pro, I genuinely have never heard someone having a serious technical issue with a Mac. Best of luck on that new purchase :P |
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| Rhadamanthus | Jul 19 2014, 02:04 PM Post #11 |
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Legitimist
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Hi Porcu, It has been a few months, and I was wondering if you had made a decision on this matter. Did you get a new laptop? I'm thinking I'll likely start looking around soon. My computer has been crashing more often lately, and last weekend I went a few days unable to start it up, before it finally booted again. So I don't think I can rely on my machine too much longer, and I'm going to be looking at new models soon. I'm thinking I'll try to wait until September however, since that is when new Macs are expected to be announced. Though I'm a Windows user and a PC gamer, I'm not happy with the general direction of Microsoft's Windows development, so I am not sure I about getting another Windows computer. |
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| Porcu | Aug 21 2014, 12:41 AM Post #12 |
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"Work is the curse of the drinking classes."
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Oh my...and it's been another month since I could get a response to you. I'm terribly sorry, RD. :( I ended up getting a new 11" Macbook Air and have really enjoyed it. I was extremely fortunate in being able to trade in my older laptop (it took some time, but I was finally able to rid myself of that machine) and get a discount on a new laptop. I bought the simplest model and have had no problems. It's pricey, but that decision was made a lot easier by my ability to trade in my old Macbook Pro and put that money towards a new Macbook Air. For my simple purposes, this computer is really nice and works very well. |
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| Rhadamanthus | Aug 21 2014, 06:02 AM Post #13 |
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Legitimist
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Excellent, I'm glad to hear it has worked out for you :) |
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