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Post by 乃ㄥ卂乙 on Feb 10, 2020 12:59:49 GMT -5
Hello guys, my wife's old Toshiba satellite PC, which is around 7 yo finally died today...
We need a replacement, but I'm not sure what to look for anymore, time has left its marks on me also...
So maybe someone from this parts here is into this stuff and can recommend something that can be considered best buy.
Price range, 500,600 $.
Thanks in advance!
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Post by Koalabear on Feb 10, 2020 13:32:25 GMT -5
Ok, gonna ask you the same questions I used to ask my clients back when I did this for a living:
1. What do you intend to do with this laptop?
2. Will you watch many videos or do much streaming?
3. What is your comfort level with technology?
4. Do you have easy(ish) access to applications and programs you like to use?
5. Will you be mostly using this for producing content or consuming content?
6. How firm is your budget?
7. How important is the size vs weight vs performance to you?
8. Have you considered operation systems other than Windows? IE, Mac OS, Chrome, Linux.
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Post by 乃ㄥ卂乙 on Feb 10, 2020 14:04:38 GMT -5
Thanks for doing this Koalabear , really appreciate it. Here are my answers to the best of my abilities  1. What do you intend to do with this laptop? Playing music, videos, surfing the internets, ms office, maybe sim city 2. Will you watch many videos or do much streaming? Videos yes, streaming some 3. What is your comfort level with technology? Techno what? 4. Do you have easy(ish) access to applications and programs you like to use? Not sure, I used to torrent a lot while I was younger-ish, guess I'll have to buy what I need this days 5. Will you be mostly using this for producing content or consuming content? Consuming 6. How firm is your budget? 500 - 600, maybe a 100 more if it makes a lot of difference 7. How important is the size vs weight vs performance to you? On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being most important, 2-2-4 8. Have you considered operation systems other than Windows? IE, Mac OS, Chrome, Linux Been working on wins my whole life, but os independent pc would definitely be a preference |
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Post by Koalabear on Feb 10, 2020 14:22:57 GMT -5
Ok, based on what you've answered, I'd go with something like this. You don't have to get this particular one, but use it's stats as a starting point in getting what you want. www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/dell-laptops/new-inspiron-15-5000-amd-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-5585-laptop/ni155585_sb_s103eSince you've used Windows OS you're whole life and you're not a techie geek, I'm hesitant to recommend anything other than Windows. I had quite the adjustment to switching to Mac myself a few years ago and I still don't consider myself as comfortable with Mac as I am with Windows. Chrome and Linux are out of the question due to your desire to watch videos and have access to software even though you want to be OS independent. Windows still has the largest pool of software - paid, Open Source and pirated. Since it's a Windows machine, I highly recommend a decent anti-virus and get a VPN for downloading torrents. Here's a link to some antivirus: www.antivirussoftwareguide.com/free-antivirus-softwareFor VPN, I use CyberGhost. It's over 100 a year, but I feel comfortable with it and have used it for a few years now. For playing videos, get VLC as it's free (Open Source) and probably the best video player out there anyway for all platforms. For software, check out: portableapps.com/. They have some good stuff, are easy to install, and easy to get rid of if you decide you don't want them anymore. For other Open Source apps, check out this article: fossbytes.com/windows-10-free-open-source-software-alternative/. I myself highly recommend LibreOffice for productivity software. Let me know if you have any other questions! |
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Post by 乃ㄥ卂乙 on Feb 10, 2020 14:55:12 GMT -5
Thanks man!
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Post by 乃ㄥ卂乙 on Feb 14, 2020 8:31:15 GMT -5
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Post by 乃ㄥ卂乙 on Feb 14, 2020 8:34:34 GMT -5
We couldn't even find the one you recommended anywhere in our market, but thanks for your guidelines
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Post by Koalabear on Feb 14, 2020 8:37:00 GMT -5
Nice, I was just about to ask about the SSD! 256GB may seem like a lot, but it's not. Storage these days are damn cheap. I just saw a 128GB USB drive at Costco for $30 and was amazed. I remember spending $200 for 64GB not that long ago. You might want to think about an external drive for back ups and long term storage. HDs are very cheap and you can probably get a 1 or 2 TB drive for a decent price and depending on your storage needs, that's probably all you need. The big format ones that require external power will be cheaper and larger capacity, but the portable ones that draw power from your computer are more convenient and a bit pricier. Check them out and decide which one fits your needs. If you do a lot of video downloading, you will need one sooner than later. |
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Post by 乃ㄥ卂乙 on Feb 14, 2020 8:39:56 GMT -5
Nice, I was just about to ask about the SSD! 256GB may seem like a lot, but it's not. Storage these days are damn cheap. I just saw a 128GB USB drive at Costco for $30 and was amazed. I remember spending $200 for 64GB not that long ago. You might want to think about an external drive for back ups and long term storage. HDs are very cheap and you can probably get a 1 or 2 TB drive for a decent price and depending on your storage needs, that's probably all you need. The big format ones that require external power will be cheaper and larger capacity, but the portable ones that draw power from your computer are more convenient and a bit pricier. Check them out and decide which one fits your needs. If you do a lot of video downloading, you will need one sooner than later. We have an old 1tb portable, we're all set  Though about backup shbackup, lol, you know how it is |
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Post by mechtout on Feb 14, 2020 9:07:49 GMT -5
I prefer a smaller ssd vs a larger hd, faster boot up |
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Post by 乃ㄥ卂乙 on Feb 14, 2020 9:14:04 GMT -5
I also think 250gb ssd is better than 1tb hard.
250 Is much more than 1, right?
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Post by mechtout on Feb 14, 2020 9:20:40 GMT -5
I also think 250gb ssd is better than 1tb hard. 250 Is much more than 1, right? 1tb is 1000gb, so its bigger |
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Post by 乃ㄥ卂乙 on Feb 14, 2020 9:30:10 GMT -5
I also think 250gb ssd is better than 1tb hard. 250 Is much more than 1, right? 1tb is 1000gb, so its bigger  |
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Post by Koalabear on Feb 14, 2020 9:30:26 GMT -5
When I built my son's gaming PC, we got a 500GB SSD for $80 and I was freaking out at how cheap that was. LOL, man, PC technology has changed so much from when I used to build and repair these things for a living! I keep telling him that he's gonna need a large HDD for long term storage but he's focused on a new keyboard instead cause the one he got is too loud. Sheesh, teens and their priorities!
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