Post by Julius CMXCIX on May 9, 2016 22:15:54 GMT
I could post at AoKH, but I'm looking more for recommendations based on personal experience rather than on claimed expertise.
About two and a half years ago I bought a Lenovo Z580 laptop. I've not been terribly impressed by it generally, and I'm currently vexed because it is abruptly shutting down or having its graphics crash at random moments. I think that's because of over-heating, possibly because the fan is being feeble, but I don't really know. I doubt that my ham-fisted attempt to clean its insides will do much good, although at least I don't seem to have broken anything enormously important. I'm not even slightly interested in having another go at repairs myself, and I'm not going to throw good money after bad getting anyone else to look at it. I'm copying all the files I care about onto a USB stick, in case the next shutdown fries something permanently.
I'm now looking to buy a new laptop. I'm also contemplating getting a desktop for home and another desktop for work, but overall I'm disinclined to commit to two big purchases of potentially dodgy equipment at once so I'll probably stick to using a laptop and ferrying it back and forth. I would appreciate your advice and in particular advice based in your own experience rather than on marketing spiel.
My requirements are relatively simple:
1. Microsoft Office
2. Some kind of PDF reader
3. Internet Browser (and Dropbox, etc)
4. Ability to play music
5. Ability to stream video
Other applications don't matter.
My desires are also simple, but I desire them fiercely:
1. Speed. Don't tell me that anything will be fine because I use Microsoft Word more than anything else. I want to have an absurd number of tabs open at once and everything still respond instantly. I really hate it when software lags behind my fairly average speed of typing.
2. Reliability. I don't want to experiment with any novel technology that probably doesn't work.
3. Durability. No laptops built out of cobwebs and magic that need to be kept behind security glass in a special habitat.
4. As little nonsense as possible. Windows 8 is constantly flinging stuff up in my face whenever my mouse strays near the right edge of the screen or - God help me - the button that brings up the screen with panels.
I'm extremely reluctant to get a Mac, but I wouldn't completely rule it out. I have found the iPad to run very smoothly, even after I dropped it on a table leg and cracked the screen.
In terms of budget, I'm a serious cheapskate by nature, but on the other hand having a computer that doesn't frustrate me is important for work and will also be tax deductible (basically, a 40% discount). I'm open to persuasion that quality is worth the cost, and I could maybe bring myself to spend thousands of pounds if I could get something that will be excellent for five years. I think £3,000 would be the absolute maximum I'd spend on a single machine though.
Absolutely no suggestions that I build something myself, please.
About two and a half years ago I bought a Lenovo Z580 laptop. I've not been terribly impressed by it generally, and I'm currently vexed because it is abruptly shutting down or having its graphics crash at random moments. I think that's because of over-heating, possibly because the fan is being feeble, but I don't really know. I doubt that my ham-fisted attempt to clean its insides will do much good, although at least I don't seem to have broken anything enormously important. I'm not even slightly interested in having another go at repairs myself, and I'm not going to throw good money after bad getting anyone else to look at it. I'm copying all the files I care about onto a USB stick, in case the next shutdown fries something permanently.
I'm now looking to buy a new laptop. I'm also contemplating getting a desktop for home and another desktop for work, but overall I'm disinclined to commit to two big purchases of potentially dodgy equipment at once so I'll probably stick to using a laptop and ferrying it back and forth. I would appreciate your advice and in particular advice based in your own experience rather than on marketing spiel.
My requirements are relatively simple:
1. Microsoft Office
2. Some kind of PDF reader
3. Internet Browser (and Dropbox, etc)
4. Ability to play music
5. Ability to stream video
Other applications don't matter.
My desires are also simple, but I desire them fiercely:
1. Speed. Don't tell me that anything will be fine because I use Microsoft Word more than anything else. I want to have an absurd number of tabs open at once and everything still respond instantly. I really hate it when software lags behind my fairly average speed of typing.
2. Reliability. I don't want to experiment with any novel technology that probably doesn't work.
3. Durability. No laptops built out of cobwebs and magic that need to be kept behind security glass in a special habitat.
4. As little nonsense as possible. Windows 8 is constantly flinging stuff up in my face whenever my mouse strays near the right edge of the screen or - God help me - the button that brings up the screen with panels.
I'm extremely reluctant to get a Mac, but I wouldn't completely rule it out. I have found the iPad to run very smoothly, even after I dropped it on a table leg and cracked the screen.
In terms of budget, I'm a serious cheapskate by nature, but on the other hand having a computer that doesn't frustrate me is important for work and will also be tax deductible (basically, a 40% discount). I'm open to persuasion that quality is worth the cost, and I could maybe bring myself to spend thousands of pounds if I could get something that will be excellent for five years. I think £3,000 would be the absolute maximum I'd spend on a single machine though.
Absolutely no suggestions that I build something myself, please.