I want a new desk top replacement laptop

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by JamesP, Dec 17, 2010.

  1. JamesP

    JamesP Private First Class

    Hello All,

    Up until about 5 years ago I was pretty much up to date with the latest technology- read magazines and checked out reviews on the net. Then I treat myself to a computer which I subsequently found to be a CLEVO 900T. This has been a great machine which has given little trouble in spite of the fact that it’s running for 15 hours a day – most days. I use it for business and pleasure.

    But it’s over 5 years old and I suspect getting to the end of its useful life. There have been a few blue screens lately and the occasional complete switch off with no error message.

    Since getting the Clevo I have frankly not kept up to date with laptop progress so I haven’t a clue what computer I should choose to replace it.

    My main use at the moment is general business – database – Word – Excel – email – etc. In addition I run AutoCAD, SketchUp and Photoshop – often at the same time.

    I don’t use the computer for gaming but I do like the idea of a good graphics card for things like Google Earth, playing video and the fast response of AutoCAD and Photoshop.

    I have looked at the range of ROCK computers but these appear to be aimed at power gaming users – and I believe that these are all based on Clevo bare bones laptops which as far as I am concerned is in their favour

    So there it is. Budget = Say not more than £2000.00. but preferably a lot less if I can get the performance I want

    Any observations will be welcome.
     
  2. gman863

    gman863 MajorGeek

    Although I'm not familiar with these brands (they're not sold here in the States); here are a few general tips:

    • If you are into tech specs, check legitimate review sites such as zdnet.com (if any Brits reading this have UK specific review sites, please help by posting them).
    • Check user reviews on major UK shopping sites. Some models are sold in both the US and UK; you may also find relevent reviews for certain brands or models on American sites such as Amazon.com and Newegg.com. User reviews often catch and highlight long-term issues that didn't show up in the prototype version a professional reviewer tested.

    Based on the apps you're running, an Intel I5 or mid-line AMD multi-core running 4GB DDR3 will run circles around a 5 year old PC. If you plan to get into video editing (especially Hi-Def), I would move up to an I7 or high-end AMD CPU that can later be upgraded to 8GB memory if required.

    Looking at brands available in the US, here are some general thoughts as a PC tech:

    Dell - Their mid to higher end business grade notebooks are good. In the States these models often come with on-site warranty service - no shipping it off for service if it breaks.

    Toshiba - Models vary, but overall a generally good brand.

    HP/Compaq - Pass. Tons of crapware and marginal warranty support.

    Acer, Gateway, Lenovo - See HP/Compaq comments above.

    Sony - Although I own one and a former top pick, Sony is having serious issues in the States on providing replacement parts, in or out of warranty. Remember most notebooks (no matter what brand) use a lot of model-specific parts for common failure items such as fans. If you have to wait months for a part it isn't worth the risk.

    I'm not an expert on currency exchange rates; however you should be able to find a midline I5 for under $1000 USD, a higher end I7 for under $1300 USD.

    Hope these tips help. :)
     
  3. larr

    larr Private E-2

    i would look at the ASUS line of laptops
     
  4. baklogic

    baklogic The Tinkerer

    I like Dell for most things, if not building your own. I have always had good service from them, and found them very reliable.
    I have one at present, with the i7,, and find it adequate for me, but get the best graphics card on offer, and as suggested, go for 8gb ram, Windows 7 Ultimate/business, and Office 2010-'
    If you find that documents you created in older version of Office will be compatable with it,you can download the file convertor from Microsoft if compatability is needed.
    I find that Office 2010 will offfer compatabilty mode, but as others I know use earlier versions, the file convertor saves any problems with them.
    Again , as suggested, the money you have allowed yourself should buy you the bees knees.:heart
    I also like Toshiba, Asus, and Acer and have found them all very reliable.
    As intimated by gman863, Look for reviews, and read as many as you can, before taking the plunge- Things like a problem with laptop graphics (some HP models) don't show up for a while, so,my advice is don't buy the latest- unless it uses the components that have already proved their worth - if going for an i7, read up about them to see which one will suit you- don't go for the i7- 920 , as its a bit of a dud squib.
    :hammer
     
  5. gman863

    gman863 MajorGeek

    I do like Office 2010 better. If you are forwarding or sharing documents with users of older versions of Office, 2010 gives you an option to save any file in "Compatibility Mode" which allows it to be opened and edited with Office 2003 or 2007.

    On the copy of Office 2010, check the price of a stand-alone key from reputable on-line vendors against what Dell is charging. I have seen cases where - if you buy a Genuine License key from a third-party vendor - it may cost $60 - $100 USD less than buying it from Dell.

    If the PC ships with a 60-day trial of Office 2010, the Genuine Microsoft License Key will allow you to activate it without a separate install. If it doesn't, Microsoft allows you to download the trial version and activate it with the license key.

    Genuine Microsoft License Keys purchased from anyone other than the PC mfr. or Microsoft.com always ship in the form of a "gift card" with the license code on it. Beware of anyone else offering a downloadable license key; they are usually bootlegs.
     
  6. JamesP

    JamesP Private First Class

    Thanks gman863, baklogic and larr.

    Your comments are noted. Perhaps I don’t need to spend a fortune to run these graphics heavy programmes!

    It is unlikely that I would upgrade Office as we have some extensive Access based applications that we need to use for business that really should have been re-written by now but we never had the time – so I will certainly continue to use Office 2002 with an ancient Access 97 still running the applications – it’s fast enough for that.

    I understand from earlier discussions that Access 97 will run under Window 7 – but has anyone tried it?

    I think the ASUS and Acer ranges (some if not all) are based on CLEVO bare bones products so that would be a point in favour of Asus and Acer

    The model I fancy has…
    Intel® Core™ i7-740M (1.73GHz), + NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 460M.

    How does this sound?
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2010
  7. mcsmc

    mcsmc MajorGeek

    That processor and graphics card sounds like a good setup. I would recommend a minimum of 4GB RAM.
     
  8. baklogic

    baklogic The Tinkerer

    Looks like you are looking at this one

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Notebook-1-73GHz-Blu-ray-Windows/dp/B004AP9VUG
    Being a quodcore that can be bumped up using turbomode- I have not tried that,as it's a bit outside my pocket depth,:cry but very interesting, perhaps someone else has had some experience with it. Might well be worth you looking in the gaming section at majorgeeks. :wine

    The video card also seems very good for your gaming:grouphug


    http://www.nvidia.com/object/product-geforce-gtx-460-us.html

    http://www.nvidia.com/object/product-geforce-gtx-460-us.html

    If you don't want to have Office 2010, You can install your version, and The compatabilty pack for Office , if you have not got it is still useful as it will allow all your present installations of Office programs to interact with 2003/2007/ and even 2010
    http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...70-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en

    All looks good to me :)
     
  9. baklogic

    baklogic The Tinkerer

    The only thing I noticed is that there is no VGA port- I like to see one, personally, as it helps if you ever want, or, need to connect a monitor, for better experience, or, if ever the screen plays up, as it is easy to see if it ever has a screen problem, or,if the graphics card takes a plunge-
     
  10. JamesP

    JamesP Private First Class

    Hi backlogic,

    No it does not have VGA but it does have HDMI.

    My current laptop had HDMI which I use extensively with a large monitor for CAD and Photoshop.

    I don't think VGA is essential these days. But if the graphics card "takes a plunge" I will have to waif for a repair!!!!!!
     
  11. JamesP

    JamesP Private First Class

    The computer I was looking at was the Asus G73JW-TZ152V

    It has a 17.3” screen but a bit pricy at £1,405.00 before VAT (Sales Tax which I can reclaim through my business). ($2,200)

    http://www.asuslaptop.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=G73JW-TZ152V

    It’s also out of stock and no idea when it will be available. It might also be either a discontinued line or brand new – don’t know which.

    It’s a gaming computer and perhaps I don’t need that much power as I don’t game. But I do like to think that I have something in reserve and I tend to have a lot of programmes open at the same time.
     
  12. LauraR

    LauraR MajorGeeks Super-Duper Administrator Staff Member

    To run imaging software such as Photoshop, you should make sure you have plenty of RAM and a really good processor. The i7 will do it for you and frankly, the amount of money you are willing to spend, I would definitely do it. You should have a good video card for streaming videos. You don't need that as much for Photoshop, but you should have a dedicated card with it's on memory.

    I have an HP Envy with an i7 processor, 6GB of RAM, probably a mediocre ATI graphics card, Win 7 64bit laptop.

    I run everything you are talking about running and my laptop is perfect for it. I play a few PC games, but they are not the graphics intensive games such as WOW, etc.

    For what you want, mainly look at your processor, harddrive, RAM. 'Gaming' machines are going to have very high quality graphics cards which it doesn't sound like you need so if you are trying to cut cost somewhere, that might be the place to do it.

    Just a warning on 17" laptops....they are heavy as hell. I had one and went to 15".
     
  13. JamesP

    JamesP Private First Class

    Thanks LauraR

    I know!

    My present computer is from a maker who is now defunct but it is a Clevo derivative (that’s why I keep mentioning Clevo ‘cos the build quality is excellent.) It has a 17.3” screen and a BRICK of an external power adaptor that also weighs a tonne.

    But I don’t have to lug it far. Home to office is only 25 yards and 8 steps, and my computer bag in actually the boot (trunk) of the car so I don’t mind the weight. It’s only a problem on the very rare occasions when I take it on a flight.

    I will look at the graphics card again.
     
  14. LauraR

    LauraR MajorGeeks Super-Duper Administrator Staff Member

    haha...so you've experience the weight of one of those monsters. LOL

    Sounds like you are on the right track. Honestly, you are willing to spend the money to get a great machine. You'll find that most here, me included, will always push getting the best, most current components you can afford. That will keep your computer up to date for a while. Particularly with a laptop since they aren't all that easy to 'upgrade' like a desktop would be.

    Have fun with your buying.:)
     
  15. baklogic

    baklogic The Tinkerer

    Sorry about that-
    I could not see any mention of that on the one I linked to, but on your choice it does say so- In the Nvidia link, after I flicked through its picture gallery it shows two hdmi ports, -- but on a laptop, that would be a bit overboard, would'nt it .
    Still, as Laura says- if its available, its a nice peice of equiptment.:drool
     
  16. gman863

    gman863 MajorGeek

    baklogic is likely correct about the compatibility pack; however I have seen rare cases where older SQL/database apps don't play nice with Win 7. In a worst possible case, you could try adding Virtual XP (Win 7 Prof. or Ultimate only) or set the machine up with a dual-boot option for XP with the older versions of Office/Access on the XP partition.
     
  17. JamesP

    JamesP Private First Class

    Thanks gman863 for the info about running Access applications on Windows 7.

    I am concerned because I can’t manage my business without the Access applications.

    I would hope that I can run the old Access 97 on Windows 7 without a problem. If there is major doubt I will probably get XP as the OS. I am not inclined to start experimenting with virtual Operating systems – BUT dual boot may be easier.
     
  18. JamesP

    JamesP Private First Class

    I agree Laura,

    As mentioned before my present computer was hugely expensive when I got it 5 years and 4 months ago, but it has proved to be a pleasure to use.

    After 3 years it did have to have a new motherboard which I had replaced professionally.

    Because the machine is robust and fairly large it’s not too difficult to do repairs yourself. I have upgraded the hard disks once or twice and increased the memory – both very easy jobs – and recently I replaced a fan that I thought was faulty – much trickier but I am an engineer and own a screwdriver and a crow bar!!!! (I think in he US you call them wrecking bars!) When my wife saw all the bits spread out over the table she despaired that I would get them all back into the case.

    So it’s over 5 years old and I think I should invest in a new one before it fails. Recently I have had a few unexplained blue screens and several complete instant shutdowns with no error messages – that may be software. Additionally the screen is a bit dim.

    I will keep you all posted.
     
  19. JamesP

    JamesP Private First Class

    Hello all,

    Things have moved on.

    Over the Christmas Holiday my Clevo D900T finally gave up the ghost and passed quietly into computer heaven. I suppose I could get it fixed but after 5.5 years of almost trouble free service I think it is kinder to let it go.

    I have on offer a Clevo bare bones machine.

    http://www.clevo.com.tw/en/products/prodinfo_2.asp?productid=177

    I would need to install two hard disks on a mirrored RAID, 8 GB of DDR3 memory and Windows 7 Professional operating system. This looks easy and after the various bits of maintenance I have done on the old Clevo I think I could manage that quite easily.

    Has anybody any thoughts on this plan. Can you see any difficulties that I might not have thought of?

    I have replaced discs and memory before and re-established computer operating systems from scratch.

    This way I save a bit of cash but how much exactly is not yet clear, but it might not be enough to take the risk of not buying a fully equipped computer from a well known supplier.

    Yet another possibility is an ACER AS8943G-728G1Twn.

    http://www.acer.co.uk/ac/en/GB/content/model/LX.PUG02.013

    Has anyone tried this or read any reviews?
     

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