New laptop buying questions

[TheCanadianGamer16]

So my old Lenovo G560 is finally dieing (wasn't even the proper specs) and im looking at getting a new laptop, and before anyone comments about me choosing Dell, for the money is the best specs i can find.  so the 3 laptops im looking at right now are below, im just wondering which would be best for school use and small gaming like terraria or minecraft.

 

Inspiron 17R:

i3 4010U

6GB 1600Mhz RAM

500GB HDD

http://www.dell.com/ca/p/inspiron-17r-5737/pd?oc=ni17romsh_bt_h216e&model_id=inspiron-17r-5737

 

Inspiron 15R:

i5 4200U

6GB 1600Mhz RAM

500GB HDD

http://www.dell.com/ca/p/inspiron-15r-5537/pd?oc=ni15romsh_ft_h173e&model_id=inspiron-15r-5537

 

Inspiron 15

i5 4200U

6GB 1600Mhz

750GB HDD

http://www.dell.com/ca/p/inspiron-15-3537/pd?oc=ni15ovh_ft_h204e&model_id=inspiron-15-3537

[Ryan Leech]

Look for a laptop that isn't 1366x768, then we'll talk

[LogicDeifying]

Budget?

[TheCanadianGamer16]

Look for a laptop that isn't 1366x768, then we'll talk

why does that matter, I don't need 1080p...

[TheCanadianGamer16]

Budget?

Um, trying to keep it at about 500 canadian

[ThorBuildingLegos]

So what I read was that the primary use would be school work and the secondary use would be some low-end gaming. Yeah, this basically means you can buy a practical laptop. So many people insist that their machines have to be contenders against desktops and workstations. But to really consider buying a laptop means you need to consider the build quality of the laptop frame, the components they've chosen to use, as well as weight, how much glare the screen produces, etc. You want a mobile computer, something that merits more investigation in to the practical sides of the computer rather than its performance or how large the resolution of the screen is.

 

Sitting on my MacBook7,1 with Core 2 duo. Upgraded it with 8GB ram, then 16GB ram, new battery, Samsung EVO 840 SSD and bracket for old harddrive. Cleaned it inside out and bam: it's like a brand new laptop. I might be making a post about it...

 

I would personally do a little bit more research on it, perhaps find another computer from a different computer manufacturer (I have a... sorted history with Dell and Acer). But if I had to choose I'd go with the 17R, strictly because it is a newer product. The 15 and 15R are recaps of 2 year old models, where as the 17R is a little over a year old. So I'm thinking some reference design points might have been improved upon -- and you get a dedicated graphic card instead of a HD 4xxx or 3xxx chipset.

[TheCanadianGamer16]

So what I read was that the primary use would be school work and the secondary use would be some low-end gaming. Yeah, this basically means you can buy a practical laptop. So many people insist that their machines have to be contenders against desktops and workstations. But to really consider buying a laptop means you need to consider the build quality of the laptop frame, the components they've chosen to use, as well as weight, how much glare the screen produces, etc. You want a mobile computer, something that merits more investigation in to the practical sides of the computer rather than its performance or how large the resolution of the screen is.

Sitting on my MacBook7,1 with Core 2 duo. Upgraded it with 8GB ram, then 16GB ram, new battery, Samsung EVO 840 SSD and bracket for old harddrive. Cleaned it inside out and bam: it's like a brand new laptop. I might be making a post about it...

I would personally do a little bit more research on it, perhaps find another computer from a different computer manufacturer (I have a... sorted history with Dell and Acer). But if I had to choose I'd go with the 17R, strictly because it is a newer product. The 15 and 15R are recaps of 2 year old models, where as the 17R is a little over a year old. So I'm thinking some reference design points might have been improved upon -- and you get a dedicated graphic card instead of a HD 4xxx or 3xxx chipset.

the 17R uses the HD 4400 if you look at the page I linked.....

[TheProfosist]

Get a thinkpad!

[ThorBuildingLegos]

Get a thinkpad!

 

Solid machines, those are. They're the nokias of laptops.

[TheCanadianGamer16]

Get a thinkpad!

the G560 is a lenovo, and it tbh was crap, so i don't really wanna go levovo, also they start at 650....my budget is 500

[ThorBuildingLegos]

the G560 is a lenovo, and it tbh was crap, so i don't really wanna go levovo, also they start at 650....my budget is 500

 

The G560 is a G-Series laptop and not a ThinkPad. Though both are produced by Lenovo the ThinkPad is a line recognised for its use in enterprise environments and was first introduced by IBM (before Lenovo bought their PC production line). Thats why so many goddamn public instances buy them. Oh sure they look clunky, and aren't exactly perfomance beasts, but they get the job done and are known for long lifespans and solid designs.

 

I will say however that keeping the mid- to low-range ThinkPad laptops a long time is stupid due what I'd like to call Microsofts law: with each milestone OS release either more resources are needed or new standards are introduced which makes the use of old hardware inadvicible with the latest release of the OS. Even LinuX dropped the i386 kernel... the bastards.

 

And I'd like to retract my previous statement: The Inspiron 17R you showed me does not have an AMD GPU. It has the same Intel 4400 like the others (I googled for it and must've found another version). So if performance is paramount you should go for the 15 or 15R, as the i5 has slightly better performance.

[TheCanadianGamer16]

The G560 is a G-Series laptop and not a ThinkPad. Though both are produced by Lenovo the ThinkPad is a line recognised for its use in enterprise environments and was first introduced by IBM (before Lenovo bought their PC production line). Thats why so many goddamn public instances buy them. Oh sure they look clunky, and aren't exactly perfomance beasts, but they get the job done and are known for long lifespans and solid designs.

 

I will say however that keeping the mid- to low-range ThinkPad laptops a long time is stupid due what I'd like to call Microsofts law: with each milestone OS release either more resources are needed or new standards are introduced which makes the use of old hardware inadvicible with the latest release of the OS. Even LinuX dropped the i386 kernel... the bastards.

 

And I'd like to retract my previous statement: The Inspiron 17R you showed me does not have an AMD GPU. It has the same Intel 4400 like the others (I googled for it and must've found another version). So if performance is paramount you should go for the 15 or 15R, as the i5 has slightly better performance.

yeah, just wondering, would the 17R have better battery life? as being an i3, or would the bigger screen level it back out?

[ThorBuildingLegos]

yeah, just wondering, would the 17R have better battery life? as being an i3, or would the bigger screen level it back out?

 

Ok... so now the 15R and 15 are CLEARLY the superior choices, since they both have 6-cell batteries and the 17R only has a 4-cell battery. But other than that all the CPUs are based on the Haswell architecture meaning that they are all adept at being energy effecient.

 

Never do any technical thinking when tired and hung over

[TheCanadianGamer16]

Ok... so now the 15R and 15 are CLEARLY the superior choices, since they both have 6-cell batteries and the 17R only has a 4-cell battery. But other than that all the CPUs are based on the Haswell architecture meaning that they are all adept at being energy effecient.

 

Never do any technical thinking when tired and hung over

ok, going with the 15, since it has a bigger HDD even tho the 15R is supposed to be better lol

[TheProfosist]

the G560 is a lenovo, and it tbh was crap, so i don't really wanna go levovo, also they start at 650....my budget is 500

lenovo != thinkpad

but thinkpad = lenovo

i could bash you in the head with the think pad youd be on the ground in pain and the thinkpad would be like what made be activate my HDD protection and what kind of red liquid is dripping through my keyboard drainage holes.

The G560 is a G-Series laptop and not a ThinkPad. Though both are produced by Lenovo the ThinkPad is a line recognised for its use in enterprise environments and was first introduced by IBM (before Lenovo bought their PC production line). Thats why so many goddamn public instances buy them. Oh sure they look clunky, and aren't exactly perfomance beasts, but they get the job done and are known for long lifespans and solid designs.

 

I will say however that keeping the mid- to low-range ThinkPad laptops a long time is stupid due what I'd like to call Microsofts law: with each milestone OS release either more resources are needed or new standards are introduced which makes the use of old hardware inadvicible with the latest release of the OS. Even LinuX dropped the i386 kernel... the bastards.

 

And I'd like to retract my previous statement: The Inspiron 17R you showed me does not have an AMD GPU. It has the same Intel 4400 like the others (I googled for it and must've found another version). So if performance is paramount you should go for the 15 or 15R, as the i5 has slightly better performance.

You can get a think pad thats a performance best but itll cost ya.

[ThorBuildingLegos]

You can get a think pad thats a performance best but itll cost ya.

 

Sure, but we're talking within a budget of 500$ here. And the ThinkPad is a leathal weapon. Like I said; it's the Nokia of laptops.

[TheCanadianGamer16]

Guys, I found an acer laptop with a touch screen, 6gb of ram, and it's actually quite snappy, so I'm going with that

[ThorBuildingLegos]

NO! NOT ACER! AAAAAAAAAH sure Whatever floats your boat.

[TheCanadianGamer16]

NO! NOT ACER! AAAAAAAAAH sure Whatever floats your boat.

ask Linus, acer is getting better, this is the laptop. http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/acer-aspire-e1-532p-2691-touch-156-notebook-intel-2955u-dual-core-processor-2mb-l3-cache-14ghz/6000140685436

 

Edit: found a better one from staples this is the actual one im getting, regular 700 on for 500 http://www.staples.ca/en/Acer-Aspire-V5-571P-6631-Touchscreen-Super-Slim-Laptop-156-19GHz-Intel/product_83988_2-CA_1_20001#revs_content

Edited December 8, 2013 by TheCanadianGamer16

[TheProfosist]

Sure, but we're talking within a budget of 500$ here. And the ThinkPad is a leathal weapon. Like I said; it's the Nokia of laptops.

yea... your to going to find anything with much power though for $500

Guys, I found an acer laptop with a touch screen, 6gb of ram, and it's actually quite snappy, so I'm going with that

touch screen?

ask Linus, acer is getting better, this is the laptop. http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/acer-aspire-e1-532p-2691-touch-156-notebook-intel-2955u-dual-core-processor-2mb-l3-cache-14ghz/6000140685436

 

Edit: found a better one from staples this is the actual one im getting, regular 700 on for 500 http://www.staples.ca/en/Acer-Aspire-V5-571P-6631-Touchscreen-Super-Slim-Laptop-156-19GHz-Intel/product_83988_2-CA_1_20001#revs_content

yea their top line...

and I cant really see the laptop...

[TheCanadianGamer16]

yea... your to going to find anything with much power though for $500

touch screen?

yea their top line...

and I cant really see the laptop...

the aspire V5

[TheProfosist]

the aspire V5

specs? price?

[TheCanadianGamer16]

specs? price?

$500 CAD, regular $700

• Intel® Core™ i3-3227U (3MB L3 cache, 1.9GHz)
• Microsoft® Genuine Windows 8 64 Bit
• 15.6" HD 1366 x 768 resolution LED-backlit TFT LCD Touch
• 6 GB of DDR3 system memory on board
• 500 GB, 2.5-inch form factor HDD
• 2 in 1-Build in card reader -SD™, MMC
• Optical Drive: 8x DVD Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
• Intel® HD Graphics 4000
• Built-in 802.11 b/g/n wifi
• Bluetooth 4.0

[TheProfosist]

$500 CAD, regular $700

• Intel® Core™ i3-3227U (3MB L3 cache, 1.9GHz)
• Microsoft® Genuine Windows 8 64 Bit
• 15.6" HD 1366 x 768 resolution LED-backlit TFT LCD Touch
• 6 GB of DDR3 system memory on board
• 500 GB, 2.5-inch form factor HDD
• 2 in 1-Build in card reader -SD™, MMC
• Optical Drive: 8x DVD Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
• Intel® HD Graphics 4000
• Built-in 802.11 b/g/n wifi
• Bluetooth 4.0

Seems like a decent enough deal. you might be able to find a APU based system with a bit better graphics if that matters.

Also anyone know if the i3's for haswell have come out yet because I wouldnt find any systems with them in yet during my quick look around.

[TheCanadianGamer16]

Seems like a decent enough deal. you might be able to find a APU based system with a bit better graphics if that matters.

Also anyone know if the i3's for haswell have come out yet because I wouldnt find any systems with them in yet during my quick look around.

I ready bought it, its pretty good