Computer Advice

[boykinlp]

Well, my hp laptop computer has craped out after 8 years. Anybody bought one lately? Not really a computer guy, so don't need something state of the art. I'll start looking to see what is on sale later today.

 

[Kiwi cop]

Try to avoid Windows 10.

My brother got a Win 10 machine and it died twice within the first 18 months.The first time he had Win 10 reinstalled. The second time he finally had it loaded with Win 8 OS and it's been working fine ever since.

I have a "spare" laptop with Win 10 installed. Can't remember the last time I turned it on.

Saying that, my 2011 Mac Book Pro 17 is starting to slow down with updates. I am thinking of either factory resetting it or getting a newer 15" version, seeing that they are not selling the 17 here any more.

 

[bigwheelzip]

I've been happy with my latest laptop, a 15" Dell XPS. Configured with the 256 GB PCIe Solid State Drive gives a sweet speed boost.
Getting the 1080 screen instead of the power-hungry 4k brings a smaller battery, which allows a 2nd SSD to be installed.
I use the super-fast PCIe drive for the operating system and the 2nd drive for files.

I don't recall the exact numbers, but my unit came with an inducement of credit for future purchases that covered all the peripherals I needed.


XPS 15 Inch 9570 High Performance 4K Laptop with InfinityEdge | Dell United States

 

[johngalt]

Try to avoid Windows 10.

My brother got a Win 10 machine and it died twice within the first 18 months.The first time he had Win 10 reinstalled. The second time he finally had it loaded with Win 8 OS and it's been working fine ever since.

I have a "spare" laptop with Win 10 installed. Can't remember the last time I turned it on.

Saying that, my 2011 Mac Book Pro 17 is starting to slow down with updates. I am thinking of either factory resetting it or getting a newer 15" version, seeing that they are not selling the 17 here any more.

Unfortunately, you have the very last 17" Mac Book Pro.

What OS are you running? If El Cap or later, go into System Preferences -> Accessibility -> Display and check "Reduce transparency". That shuts off the pointless eye candy that just slows it down. That will mostly restore pre El-Cap speed. If you have a mechanical hard drive, I strongly recommend replacing it with an SSD. That will make a dramatic difference. RAM is always good, I have 16 GB in mine.

I also have a last generation 17", with those upgrades I don't find myself wishing for a faster machine, and it has capabilities completely lacking in the new models.

 

[rwsmith]

There IS a lot of junk....

Unfortunately, you have the very last 17" Mac Book Pro.

What OS are you running? If El Cap or later, go into System Preferences -> Accessibility -> Display and check "Reduce transparency". That shuts off the pointless eye candy that just slows it down. That will mostly restore pre El-Cap speed. If you have a mechanical hard drive, I strongly recommend replacing it with an SSD. That will make a dramatic difference. RAM is always good, I have 16 GB in mine.

There is a lot of junk that is automatically running that can be turned off. Unfortunately these settings are sometimes deep withing the OS and you have to look up instructions to access them. That's my prob with Win 10. Too complicated, nothing intuitive. You can go to 'Settings' and won't find many of these switches.

I'm happy with my HP pavillions. Dells are good.

I had an ASUS and there was nothing 'wrong' with it, but I found the mousepad very hard to control and the computer as a whole. It's different somehow and every move you make flips to another window you don't want. It is probably ok if you take time to learn it, but I didn't feel like, well.......'messing' with it.

Acers are highly rated, but I haven't used one in 20 years.....

SSD drives are TOPS.

Plenty of memory and a fast graphics card helps

Win 10 logs down after a lot of browsing and restarting fixes it. About once a day.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Yes, stay away from Windows 10. You can order a Dell with Windows 7.

 

[chief38]

My advise is avoid getting a lap top if at all possible. Unless you REALLY need the portability, the desk top models are much better, more powerful and less problematic for less money. Most of the people I see with lap tops really don't require lap tops as they never really take them out of the house. My Daughter always gets lap tops and they never leave her room! I've advised her many times to get a desk to - to no avail.

Of course if portability is essential, I'd say get a Mac lap top. I've been done with PC's for many years now and never looked back. PC's are cheaper - but you get what you pay for IMO.

 

[ExRanger714]

$250 Chromebook unless you really, really need a hard drive or CD-CDR-etc. Use a thumb drive for cloud backup. Runs on Android OS so if you get a virus just reboot. Stable as all get out. Use the browser of your choice. It will come with Chrome but I like Opera. And no moving parts so battery lasts longer.

 

[kthom]

I've had pretty good luck with Dell products and I've really had few problems with Windows 10 which came on the laptop I bought shortly after that system came out. I was using XP Pro at the time which was no longer supported, and I dreaded the new OS. Once I got somewhat acquainted with it, it's been OK. I'll use it till it pukes. I am not anywhere close to a sophisticated computer user but what I have meets my needs.

 

[Gamecock]

I wouldn't buy anything computer without going to talk to my local computer shop. In fact, last time I bought a computer, they made one from components bought at Freys, Egg, etc.

Best computer I ever had.

Last time I was there, I asked about laptops. They had a few used ones available at giveaway prices, fully guaranteed by them. I assume they were units customers failed to pick up after service.

 

[walkin jack]

I've had excellent service from my Toshiba Satellite / Windows 10 and Firefox. Windows 10 only works well with computers that were built for it...like the Toshiba Satellite.

 

[joe44va]

Ask a kid.

 

[DWalt]

Whatever brand you buy, your very first task when you get it home should be making a rescue disc and burning system recovery discs (or putting it on an external hard drive or a USB thumb drive). Having those for mine saved me a great deal of heartbreak last weekend. Personally, I have experienced no problems with Windows 10 after over two years of using it. I just don't see it as being much of an improvement over Windows 7. Most who have Windows 8 as an OS hate it.

 

[Bakebfr480]

I saw a Commodore 64 the other week at Goodwill!

 

[StakeOut]

Buy hardware to run your software.

What do you use a PC for,what are it's main uses?

If an Internet connection is at or near the top of your list then a better wireless card,router and Internet service should be your priority.
Gamers invest in better graphics cards.

I like Asus,MSI and Sager/Clevo notebooks.

I don't buy HP,Lenovo and Dell.

Look for them online from resellers that will customize to your needs.Gentech PC is one customizer.

In computers you should not buy lower end.They have a habit of needing work soon after the warranty expires.

From 1995 to 2014 I built hundreds of desktops and customized notebooks for expats living in Korea.

Figure out what your budget is and look around for what fits in it keeping in mind it's intended use and how long you plan to keep it before buying again.

EDIT:I've had no issues running Windows 10 x64 Pro on my 3 PCs

Computers are one of those things where you usually get what you pay for.

 

[Peak53]

I've had really good luck buying almost new "reconditioned" laptops for much less than new. These are typically items that have been returned after opening the box. The company checks it out and reloads the operating system. Most of the major brands will serve well. My current version is Acer which I updated to Windows 10 a couple of years ago and haven't had a lick of trouble. The Solid State Drives have become more affordable and I would probably go that way. Much faster on startup.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

I have a cheapie little Lenovo 100S ThinkPad with a Atom processor. it's not super fast but the processor can squeeze 12 hours out of the battery. Goes anywhere. Can't imagine the tedium of being tied down by a desktop.

It came with Windows 10, which I hated. Installed a free utility called Classic Shell and it made it look and feel more like an older version of Windows. Not 100%, but enough to make it tolerable. Now I'm use to it.

 

[fdw]

I went to Apple a few years ago and never looked back. For laptop I use a MacBook Air. And I have a 5 year old iMac that runs great. I keep thinking I want something new, but why?

 

[rwsmith]

My son is going that way....

I went to Apple a few years ago and never looked back. For laptop I use a MacBook Air. And I have a 5 year old iMac that runs great. I keep thinking I want something new, but why?

My son is going into business and the standard tool is the MacBook and hopes to buy one when capital starts to flow (fingers crossed). So, I get to see one operate myself.

The software I used professional was required to run on IBM type equipment, but now I have no such restrictions. I may go Apple myself. Microsoft has been a planned PITA since it's inception. That's kinda like planned obsolescence except they let out stuff that is already obsolescent and in dire need of new upgrades, all the way to Win 10.

Looking back since DOS, the only product that didn't really need fixing right out of the box was Windows 7. The only thing has kept me away was the cost but if my son's impresses me enough.......

I still have a Win 7 machine that my wife uses and I bought another one a few years ago for a friend because neither of them are computer techs, which you have to be to run Windows.

 

[johngalt]

In my professional life I always used Windows machines. At home I use a Mac. Given the direction that both have taken, I'm strongly considering Linux next time. Probably one of the Ubuntu distributions, I haven't decided on which yet.

Mac used to have an edge with hardware, until the latest versions with the glued together non-repairable design and none of the ports I need.