Laptop thoughts

[LonesomeWanderer]

Laptos have come a long way since my first one.

The thing to bear in mind is that web browsing, MS word or even power point aren't very demanding so any reasonably specified laptop would do a good job. When you are dealing with photo editing and video editing then you require substantial more power and then graphics cards need to be top priority. ... a mac comes handy then.

Windows is so resource demanding that you need more power than on any other platform.

I bootcamp my Mac into Windows 10 because it's *massively* faster than OS X Yosemite....

 

[LonesomeWanderer]

Agreed but not many laptop users will know this or have the knowledge to strip the laptop down to clean out the collection of dust and debris, it would probably help if the manufacturers and the computer shops advised the buyer to take the laptop in for a service and clean every twelve to eighteen months but they won't as this would potentially extend the working life of the laptops and therefore reduce the sales of new laptops.
I always advise people to use their laptops on a hard surface ie; an upturned tray or worktop to allow free circulation of air through the cooling system of the laptop, using a laptop on soft furnishings or on the floor will shorten the life of the unit quite dramatically.

I have the knowledge to do it but not the inclination - on my cheapie Acer Windows laptop you have to remove/disconnect absolutely everything (motherboard, keyboard, RAM, ktichen sink) to get to the fan. Cheap laptops aren't really designed for easy servicing....

 

[Spoked Wheels]

I bootcamp my Mac into Windows 10 because it's *massively* faster than OS X Yosemite....

I'm no familiar with Windows 10, having said that, the windows architecture is the problem.

Can you quantify the speed difference and how you measure it?

 

[Crackle]

I would strongly consider one that converts to a tablet such as the Microsoft Surface range. I would reconsider the need for a 15inch screen too, rather go for a smaller screen and at home setup a docking station and screen. You can hang any backup and USB devices off the docking station, leaving you free to pull the laptop off for other duties.

The second reason for a smaller screen is battery life. Screen, processor and hard disk will consume the most. So as Colin says, a device with an SSD and one of the more modern low power laptop processors such as a 6th gen I5 or i7 as Intel are still better than AMD at this point. Lower spec intels are also good, so long as they are latest generation. Display wise, a slightly matt or anti-glare rather than shiny finish will do best for office work with a good resolution (surface pro has 2100 x1440, for good clarity and fitting all of your document on without needing to scroll) and an LED backlight, which consumes less power, though it's not always easy to find those details in the laptop specs but reviews will help there.

You may or may not find all that in one package but some of the surface pro's will do it and some of the Lenovo Yogas are ones I know about. There's probably others too.

Couple of examples

http://shop.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/lenovo/yoga/yoga-3-pro/#tab-tech_specs
http://www.johnlewis.com/microsoft-surface-pro-3-intel-core-i5-8gb-ram-windows-10-pro-12-256gb-wi-fi-silver/p2155075?sku=234707281&kpid=234707281&s_kenid=e79f134c-f397-47a0-bef3-2b60f22a1f86&s_kwcid=402x348723&tmad=c&tmcampid=73

Both with long battery life (up to 9 hrs)

 

[vickster]

I don't need a tablet as well already have an iPad. So no point paying the extra, if they are extra

I won't want anything smaller than 13" for working

 

[Crackle]

I don't need a tablet as well already have an iPad. So no point paying the extra, if they are extra

I won't want anything smaller than 13" for working

Fair enough but why the 13" specification? I'm not asking to trip you up but to point out, which you may already know, that screen size and resolution are two different things and if you want a 13" screen because it's bigger and the type is bigger then fair enough but if you want to see more of your document then the resolution is more important not the size. You didn't specify which so it's worth checking as one of the ones you listed only has a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, which on a 15" screen isn't much. It also weighs 2.4Kg and could probably stop a bullet.

 

[vickster]

Because there will be times when I have to take notes while sat in a darkened room and think it'll be hard with anything smaller. Or I have to do very fiddly chart updates in PPT with trackpad, not always with luxury of mouse and hard surface. No way I could do on an iPad say. Needs a proper keyboard for the same reason

Thanks

A retina screen would be great but don't want to spend upwards of a grand right now

 

[Crackle]

Ah, keyboard, yeah, probably need a 14" then for a full size keyboard, backlit preferably or one of these

 

[steve50]

Ah, keyboard, yeah, probably need a 14" then for a full size keyboard, backlit preferably or one of these

i have one of these, http://microdream.co.uk/lenovo-thin...gclid=CIP2kJvhsMkCFSLkwgod83ADDw#.VlhhX78ddfA
Can be used in a dark room as it has a built in light at the top of the screen bezel which when switched on illuminates the keyboard, it is also as tough as old boots and can take a lot of abuse. Mine is dual boot on win 7 and linux.

 

[marknotgeorge]

I saw this one: http://www.johnlewis.com/lenovo-u41-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-14-/p2115927?colour=Red

TechRadar gave the i3 with built-in graphics and a normal hard drive version 4.5 stars. It's only a 14" screen, but it has NVidia graphics and a 1920x1080 screen (the Acer you looked at has a standard 1366x768 screen). Most importantly, it has a 256GB SSD. This is going to improve the performance most of all.

 

[LonesomeWanderer]

I've got my eye on the Asus Zenbook UX305 for my next laptop....
http://arstechnica.co.uk/gadgets/20...idrange-laptop-gets-much-better-with-skylake/

 

[vickster]

i have one of these, http://microdream.co.uk/lenovo-thin...gclid=CIP2kJvhsMkCFSLkwgod83ADDw#.VlhhX78ddfA
Can be used in a dark room as it has a built in light at the top of the screen bezel which when switched on illuminates the keyboard, it is also as tough as old boots and can take a lot of abuse. Mine is dual boot on win 7 and linux.

I do market research, watching from behind a one way mirror. Additional lighting would be visible from the otherwise and thus inappropriate!

As said, prefer to buy from john Lewis for the 3 year warranty

 

[vickster]

I saw this one: http://www.johnlewis.com/lenovo-u41-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-14-/p2115927?colour=Red

TechRadar gave the i3 with built-in graphics and a normal hard drive version 4.5 stars. It's only a 14" screen, but it has NVidia graphics and a 1920x1080 screen (the Acer you looked at has a standard 1366x768 screen). Most importantly, it has a 256GB SSD. This is going to improve the performance most of all.

What is SSD?

Needs to be black or silver for business unfortunately

 

[marknotgeorge]

What is SSD?

Needs to be black or silver for business unfortunately

Solid State Disc. Storage based on memory chips rather than spinning discs. More expensive per Gb, but much much faster.

 

[vickster]

How does the amount of storage differ?