New Laptop

[ScottAD]

So, school will be coming sooner than I'd like (2 more years and I'm done though!) and while my Chromebook Acer C-720P has performed admirably I am wanting something more.

I miss the flexibility that is in Windows but at the same time, I like the allure of a Mac (even though you pay through the nose). So I am at a cross roads. I could throw $1500 at the Mac or get something more svelte.

I'll be doing lots of word processing (business admin and business law degrees...papers galore!) but would like to if I desire do some photo/image editing or play some games, Diablo 3 is my grinding stone.

I have a desktop, 2500k, 6870 XFX Radeon etc (She's getting long in the tooth I know) but I miss portable power.

I'm open to whatever and am in the USA. Won't be purchasing until August though so if something is on the horizon I can wait.

 

[Commodus]

13-inch MacBook Pro. Great display, fast enough for Diablo 3 (here's a good video showing how well it runs) and long battery life. Also, you don't realize just how crummy most PC keyboards and trackpads are (there are definitely some good ones out there, mind you) until you use a MacBook Pro... the feel and trackpad gesture support is great. Office 2016 will definitely be up to the job for writing, and this is the platform you want for image editing.

There's rumors of a new MacBook Pro coming, possibly as soon as September, but I wouldn't worry about it. Buy the system you need when you need it. If you're determined to get better value than the educational discount, check out Apple's refurb store and get one of the March 2015 models.

 

[giantpandaman2]

I'd go here and take a look. http://www.mobiletechreview.com/Laptop-Comparisons.htm

Personally, I'd pick a Notebook 9 or Surface Book. The Notebook 9 is super light, while the Surface Book has excellent battery life and a touch/stylus enabled screen.

 

[nerp]

Get a ThinkPad. X or T series.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Get a ThinkPad. X or T series.

Ditto.

 

[giantpandaman2]

Ditto.

The Thinkpads are nice, but I think of them as a little behind-the-times. A little chubby, a little too plastic. Still built like tanks, though, and still high quality. For the money, though, people can get better elsewhere.

The thinner chiclet keyboards are also no longer head and shoulders above other keyboards like the old keyboards used to be. (I had an X220T with the old keyboard.) The only thing I really miss is the trackpoint. Still better than a trackpad any day of the week.

 

[ScottAD]

The Thinkpads are nice, but I think of them as a little behind-the-times. A little chubby, a little too plastic. Still built like tanks, though, and still high quality. For the money, though, people can get better elsewhere.

The thinner chiclet keyboards are also no longer head and shoulders above other keyboards like the old keyboards used to be. (I had an X220T with the old keyboard.) The only thing I really miss is the trackpoint. Still better than a trackpad any day of the week.

I agree with this, I did look at the Lenovo X1 before asking, still wasn't sold on it.

 

[blankslate]

If you want the Macbook Pro design aesthetic (as far as all aluminum chassis) but with a Windows OS you might take a look at the Razer laptops

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtUCtOu0-Bs

It like the Macbooks has a machined aluminum chassis. Of course it uses fans while Macbooks afaik don't.

The price is comparable to Macbooks from what I have seen


*e2a*
the 17 inch version of the Razerblade
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade-pro

Personally if I was going to drop enough money to get a macbook pro I'd get one of these laptops.


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[Blue_Max]

If you want the gaming power, be sure to wait until around August for the brand new line of notebooks featuring the new GeForce 10xx series graphics.

Significant speed increases on the new, significant discounts on the old!


...and for the love of gawd, do NOT get a consumer-class HP machine. A full dumpster of pure garbage.

You'll want something with an excellent keyboard and a non-reflective matte screen (preferably IPS.)

 

[ScottAD]

If you want the gaming power, be sure to wait until around August for the brand new line of notebooks featuring the new GeForce 10xx series graphics.

Significant speed increases on the new, significant discounts on the old!


...and for the love of gawd, do NOT get a consumer-class HP machine. A full dumpster of pure garbage.

You'll want something with an excellent keyboard and a non-reflective matte screen (preferably IPS.)

No plans on getting that! I don't get to dabble in mobile computing tech...or computing tech at all anymore unless it is cellular because of my job. I am hoping that something sweet comes out of the pipes!

 

[CA19100]

It like the Macbooks has a machined aluminum chassis. Of course it uses fans while Macbooks afaik don't.

They do, they're just very quiet fans unless they're blowing at full speed.

 

[ScottAD]

Thoughts on the OMEN? I know it is HP just not consumer class

My biggest issue so far with it is the port locations were stuffed on it's rear to make it thinner.

 

[giantpandaman2]

Thoughts on the OMEN? I know it is HP just not consumer class

My biggest issue so far with it is the port locations were stuffed on it's rear to make it thinner.

I don't trust HP's consumer line (anything non-business is consumer to me.) I also hate their trackpads.

 

[blankslate]

Thoughts on the OMEN? I know it is HP just not consumer class

Here are some HP Omen gaming reviews they seem to get decent mostly 4 star reviews.

If you're thinking about a gaming system then I'd suggest comparing the HP Omen with the MSI gaming laptop options as well as the Asus gaming options.


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[fire400]

I don't trust HP's consumer line (anything non-business is consumer to me.) I also hate their trackpads.

Had elitebook on i5 ivy bridge.
came with 3yr coverage. and thank hell for the HP next day onsite support, the unit failed twice. HP came out next day to fix it both times, each time it took about 20m to swap out parts. business class offers far better customer service on the phone and online, it was increasingly faster than any other HP consumer product customer service support i've had in the past.

compared to this scenario?
friend had HP spectre, and she needed it serviced after it died within six months. her laptop was gone for weeks, we're talking WEEKS.
when she got it back? after a few days, her laptop OS crashes after an hour, and the unit randomly overheats. i'm like WTF...???

anyway, I would recommend:
Thinkpad Yoga on 16gb RAM (broadwell chipset confirmed to support 16gb via outside forums)
Discreet graphics, advanced cooling system, magnesium alloy, wedgelock-contour recessing keyboard and active stylus.
pretty much same size as macbook pro, but offers touch screen, improved keyboard and 360 hinge design, and just as easy to service.

 

[ringtail]

Get a ThinkPad. X or T series.

To the contrary, we should all boycott Lenovo, which has been caught several times now hiding spyware to harvest your data for China.

Examples

They're caught, then "apologize," and then continue doing it. This is not like Microsoft aggregating user information to improve the Windows OS. Lenovo is about stealing intellectual property off your computer to exploit for economic advantage.

"...Sep 24, 2015 - Lenovo has once again (for the 3rd time back a year ago, who knows how many more times by August 2016?) been caught installing spyware on its laptops and workstations without the user's permission or knowledge. ... Earlier this year, Lenovo was caught red-handed for selling laptops pre-installed with Superfish malware that opened up doors for hackers...." etc. etc.

DON'T BUY LENOVO PRODUCTS PERIOD!

 

[nerp]

To the contrary, we should all boycott Lenovo, which has been caught several times now hiding spyware to harvest your data for China.

Examples

They're caught, then "apologize," and then continue doing it. This is not like Microsoft aggregating user information to improve the Windows OS. Lenovo is about stealing intellectual property off your computer to exploit for economic advantage.

"...Sep 24, 2015 - Lenovo has once again (for the 3rd time back a year ago, who knows how many more times by August 2016?) been caught installing spyware on its laptops and workstations without the user's permission or knowledge. ... Earlier this year, Lenovo was caught red-handed for selling laptops pre-installed with Superfish malware that opened up doors for hackers...." etc. etc.

DON'T BUY LENOVO PRODUCTS PERIOD!

Too bad ThinkPads were never affected. And this has all been resolved. Very old news.

Crapware is nothing new in the PC industry. And again, ThinkPads were never affected.

 

[ScottAD]

Too bad ThinkPads were never affected. And this has all been resolved. Very old news.

Crapware is nothing new in the PC industry. And again, ThinkPads were never affected.

This.

And I usually format the laptop before using it anyway. My own Windows license and only the drivers for functionality. License from school is $15, not going to break the bank for a more unadulterated experience when possible.

 

[Infrnl]

This.

And I usually format the laptop before using it anyway. My own Windows license and only the drivers for functionality. License from school is $15, not going to break the bank for a more unadulterated experience when possible.

Weren't some of these issues embedded into the bios somehow? If this were true, then a fresh install of Windows would not work.

If the op or anyone wants a lenovo, sd will show you how you can get 33-38%off right now.

I'm contemplating getting a thinkpad of some sort, just wish they were with the times of everyone else. Sata3, ddr3, no usb-c, subpar screens, etc. These do not apply to all thinkpads but some and I'm sure real world use would really only have marginal differences in performance, etc.

As for people wanting classy looking laptops, im not so sure why. It's kind of like phones, they try to make them classier, etc but they become more fragile and need to be protected which typically means covering/hiding the classyness, which in turn defeats that particular purpose. I don't get it.

I'd rather own something more durable that still looks good and provides what i need; rather than something really nice that i always have to be careful with and worry about scratching it, etc.

 

[ScottAD]

Don't be mad

Going back and forth on this, waiting for new laptops to drop.

Since I'm waiting on an RX480 preorder to ship via Amazon. If I dropped the need for gaming and kept it for light image work and browsing, typing etc. I could probably do without a discreet GPU.

 

[nerp]

Another nudge for the ThinkPads. The X and T series aren't "plasticy." Imagine pressing really hard on the keyboard and having zero flex. Imagine dropping it on the floor and no marks or damage. Imagine spilling water on it and being able to shake it out, wipe it off and keep working. Imagine the screen never cracking from being dropped from a table. Imagine being able to work in 150 degree heat or -20 below, no problem. 17 hour battery life on the x260. Best keyboard in the business. Most durable laptop you can buy.

If you want three-year-old cpu for 2016 prices and something that can't be serviced with a simple screwdriver for twice as much money and half as much durability, get a MacBook.