I think I'm going to buy Idea Pad C340 - thoughts?

[GDRRiley]

1 minute ago, lewball said:

It's my bro, he's adamant that once you get a touch screen, you do end up actually using it. He said at the start he didn't think he would but it can be a lot more convenient at times. So I thought I could try it out... And not a fan of the massive bezzels on the HP. I know it's a bit of a silly thing to have a annoyance about. But I find it so annoying when they don't make use of the space on their hardware. The same applies to having a nice full keyboard and big trackpad. None of this empty space crap 

I agree Hp should put a 16:10 but they aren't bad.

linus has stated he rarely uses them.

[5x5]

12 hours ago, lewball said:

I think that Zenbook has lit my eyes up more than anything else posted here...USB-C charge and the screen is full with no big chunky bezels  The only thing I would say, is the Lenovo Ideapad is a touch screen and this isn't...I'm not massive on touch screens, but it is quite a nice feature that I think I might end up using if given the option. But you have definitely given me something to think about

Buying a crippled laptop just because of a touchscreen is a very poor decision. Keep in mind the difference in performance is rather big

[Rahmahn]

50 minutes ago, 5x5 said:

Buying a crippled laptop just because of a touchscreen is a very poor decision. Keep in mind the difference in performance is rather big

I did think that...Paying for the touch screen comes at a cost...I think I was already leaning towards the Zen you posted tbh. I might do it! I'm so indecisive though haha. I feel like I need another few options to see if i get swayed again. I think a lot of people focus on the specs and don't really pay much attention to design and the feel. I think that's a lot more important to me than a slightly faster processor etc, even though it's nice to have, it doesn't effect my experience anywhere near as much 

[5x5]

31 minutes ago, lewball said:

I did think that...Paying for the touch screen comes at a cost...I think I was already leaning towards the Zen you posted tbh. I might do it! I'm so indecisive though haha. I feel like I need another few options to see if i get swayed again. I think a lot of people focus on the specs and don't really pay much attention to design and the feel. I think that's a lot more important to me than a slightly faster processor etc, even though it's nice to have, it doesn't effect my experience anywhere near as much 

Personally, reliability and durability comes first for me. That's why I would always opt for the ThinkPad or ProBook. The ProBook is metal while the ThinkPad has a plastic-covered magnesium shell and drive cage. They have water resistance, dirt resistance, sand and shock resistance and are able to survive in a more humid environment (something that really degrades "premium" laptops like the Dell XPS, Apple MacBooks or Asus ZenBooks). In addition, the ProBook and ThinkPad are VERY well-documented so on the off-chance you run into an issue, there is a massive community of experienced users that have provided a LOT of information online. Replacement parts are also readily available for low prices (replacing a MacBook fan is about 20-50 USD, replacing a ThinkPad fan is 5 dollars at most - it's the same for all other components).

An example of the design improvement on business laptops would be the ThinkPad charging port. It's not a barrel connector or USB-C (both of which are fragile and wear out easily) but a custom reversible connector with added reinforcement AND it's on a separate daughterboard so if you destroy it by being aggressive with it - the repair is very cheap and simple whereas on the C340 or ZenBook you have to replace the whole board when the USB-C connector breaks (they do - it's not a very durable connector)

 

Lastly, the input devices on business laptops are worlds better. It's hard to explain but once you've tried a ThinkPad Precision keyboard or an HP Elite keyboard - you just can't shake the feeling that all other devices feel like shit. The design that has gone into these machines is insane over the past 20 years.

[Rahmahn]

13 minutes ago, 5x5 said:

Personally, reliability and durability comes first for me. That's why I would always opt for the ThinkPad or ProBook. The ProBook is metal while the ThinkPad has a plastic-covered magnesium shell and drive cage. They have water resistance, dirt resistance, sand and shock resistance and are able to survive in a more humid environment (something that really degrades "premium" laptops like the Dell XPS, Apple MacBooks or Asus ZenBooks). In addition, the ProBook and ThinkPad are VERY well-documented so on the off-chance you run into an issue, there is a massive community of experienced users that have provided a LOT of information online. Replacement parts are also readily available for low prices (replacing a MacBook fan is about 20-50 USD, replacing a ThinkPad fan is 5 dollars at most - it's the same for all other components).

An example of the design improvement on business laptops would be the ThinkPad charging port. It's not a barrel connector or USB-C (both of which are fragile and wear out easily) but a custom reversible connector with added reinforcement AND it's on a separate daughterboard so if you destroy it by being aggressive with it - the repair is very cheap and simple whereas on the C340 or ZenBook you have to replace the whole board when the USB-C connector breaks (they do - it's not a very durable connector)

 

Lastly, the input devices on business laptops are worlds better. It's hard to explain but once you've tried a ThinkPad Precision keyboard or an HP Elite keyboard - you just can't shake the feeling that all other devices feel like shit. The design that has gone into these machines is insane over the past 20 years.

Ah you've scared me with the usb connector not being reliable. And yeah I have a Think pad for work and an Elite book is the one i'm looking to replace. Think pad is so ugly though! Lol and same with Elitebook. And I haven't particularly had great experiences with either. But they're much older models so could be different, not sure I wanna go there though. But my head has been spun again over this usb connector FML

[5x5]

31 minutes ago, lewball said:

Ah you've scared me with the usb connector not being reliable. And yeah I have a Think pad for work and an Elite book is the one i'm looking to replace. Think pad is so ugly though! Lol and same with Elitebook. And I haven't particularly had great experiences with either. But they're much older models so could be different, not sure I wanna go there though. But my head has been spun again over this usb connector FML

Depends on what models you're looking at. Older EliteBooks and ThinkPads are very different from modern ones. And the fact that they've survived for this long is testament to the reliability (you'd be lucky if the C340 doesn't die after 2 years - most consumer laptops only last 2-3 years before something fails on the board making the device a paperweight).

And yes, USB-C is fragile - much more than USB-A.

[Rahmahn]

26 minutes ago, 5x5 said:

Depends on what models you're looking at. Older EliteBooks and ThinkPads are very different from modern ones. And the fact that they've survived for this long is testament to the reliability (you'd be lucky if the C340 doesn't die after 2 years - most consumer laptops only last 2-3 years before something fails on the board making the device a paperweight).

And yes, USB-C is fragile - much more than USB-A.

Be good to have multiple ports then if they're fragile...Zen only has 1 

[5x5]

1 minute ago, lewball said:

Be good to have multiple ports then if they're fragile...Zen only has 1 

You don't get what I mean, both ends of the connector are fragile. You can have ten porta but when the adapter connector breaks it work help you

[Rahmahn]

4 minutes ago, 5x5 said:

You don't get what I mean, both ends of the connector are fragile. You can have ten porta but when the adapter connector breaks it work help you

You're right, no idea what you mean then lol. What do you mean "both ends"? As in the charger itself? Cos i don't care about that. I'll get a new one. And can't I just use any USB-C charger with the Zen? Cos I have shit loads of those anyway. Or do you mean it completely fucks up the circuitry for being able to charge your laptop at all? 

[5x5]

2 hours ago, lewball said:

You're right, no idea what you mean then lol. What do you mean "both ends"? As in the charger itself? Cos i don't care about that. I'll get a new one. And can't I just use any USB-C charger with the Zen? Cos I have shit loads of those anyway. Or do you mean it completely fucks up the circuitry for being able to charge your laptop at all? 

The connector - but you can't use just any old charger. The voltage and amperage have to be an exact match. Else you will damage the laptop (regardless of Intel or AMD)