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 Post subject: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 9:27 
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Location: Shropshire, UK
My current laptop (Asus GL552JX or something, one of those "Republic of Gamers" laptops) has borked after 6 months - the Shift keys on the keyboard have stopped working, but with different keys, so for example the left Shift key can do a capital A but the right one can't, and neither can do a capital J nor a colon.

This state of affairs makes programming rather difficult.

Amazon are (apparently) going to send me a replacement laptop, but I figure this is an opportunity to get another one to fix a couple of the niggles I have with this one, and then sell the replacement when it arrives to recoup cost.

I've had a look and I'm struggling to find one that suits my (specific) requirements, which are:

- Intel Core i5 or i7 - my current one is i7, but I think I'd prefer i5 just for the improved battery life (which is abysmal on the current one)
- GeForce 950M or better (although the most taxing game I play on it is XCOM 2, so anything that might be able to deal with that would be enough)
- SSD for the OS, at least 128GB. Additional storage, as either SSD or HD very desirable.
- A dedicated Home and an End key - the current one has it on the numeric keypad so you either have to use Fn in conjunction with a number, or turn Num Lock off.
- A numeric keypad

Ideally it would have/be the following, but I can live without them:

- 15.6" inches - I don't want bigger, smaller would not be ideal but may be fine.
- Backlit keyboard
- Easy, non warranty-destroying access to replace HDs with SSDs etc.

I'm not mentioning budget as I'm open to anything, unless it's crazy money.

Oh, and it has to be something that can be delivered to me ASAP - so in an ideal world, something on Amazon Prime.


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 9:29 
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You were doing well for a Surface Pro until he "numeric keyboard" bit :)

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 9:30 
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GazChap wrote:
- A numeric keypad



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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 9:32 
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Any sub 15.6" laptop that had a numeric keypad would be impossibly fiddly surely. :S


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 9:33 
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Esoteric

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Alienware and MSI make the best high end laptops now IMO. I would take a look at both :)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_no ... s=msi+gs60

And obviously Dell for Alienware

Can you not just get one of those add on numpads?

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 9:34 
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Yeah, you could always get one of those USB ones I suppose, it would look nice with your mouse mat, screen filter and wrist rest.


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 9:38 
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markg wrote:
Yeah, you could always get one of those USB ones I suppose, it would look nice with your mouse mat, screen filter and wrist rest.

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:01 
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GazChap wrote:
I'm open to anything


:hat:

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:06 
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JohnCoffey wrote:
Alienware and MSI make the best high end laptops now IMO. I would take a look at both :)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_no ... s=msi+gs60

And obviously Dell for Alienware

Can you not just get one of those add on numpads?


This looks to be the only model that has the numeric keypad

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/alienware-17-r3/pd.aspx

Also some on Prime

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss ... Caps%2C198


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:06 
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JohnCoffey wrote:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=msi+gs60

Those are what I'd consider "silly money", I'm afraid.

Quote:
Can you not just get one of those add on numpads?

Nope, don't want to be carrying around accessories either.

On reflection, I suppose a number pad isn't particularly critical - I was always under the impression that I used mine a lot, but it's actually quite rare that I have to type in lots of numbers consecutively (whenever I do the accounts for the management company I'm involved with basically) so I suppose I can live without it.


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:12 
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I find a keyboard without a numeric keypad feels incomplete. And curse those who don't have NumLock on automatically.


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:20 
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GazChap wrote:
On reflection, I suppose a number pad isn't particularly critical - I was always under the impression that I used mine a lot, but it's actually quite rare that I have to type in lots of numbers consecutively (whenever I do the accounts for the management company I'm involved with basically) so I suppose I can live without it.

Joking aside, the market for what we used to call "desktop replacement" laptops (15.6" or larger screen, keyboards with numpads) isn't doing so well these days (blame Apple, I think), so I think you'll have slim pickings with those as hard requirements.


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:26 
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Doctor Glyndwr wrote:
GazChap wrote:
On reflection, I suppose a number pad isn't particularly critical - I was always under the impression that I used mine a lot, but it's actually quite rare that I have to type in lots of numbers consecutively (whenever I do the accounts for the management company I'm involved with basically) so I suppose I can live without it.

Joking aside, the market for what we used to call "desktop replacement" laptops (15.6" or larger screen, keyboards with numpads) isn't doing so well these days (blame Apple, I think), so I think you'll have slim pickings with those as hard requirements.


Very true we have some CADD guys at work who asked for those, after a while they got pissed off with the weight and found that they could get 95% of their stuff done on standard laptops plus their powerful workstations

So they sat in the store for 2 years until the lease return. I took one home for a while and even travelled with it, far too bloody heavy.

We still have a couple of similar ones for portable Rift stuff but nobody at work wants these now.


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:28 
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Oh sorry man when you said ROG I thought £1100 was cheap :D

http://www.johnlewis.com/hp-pavilion-15 ... n/p2269674

Then add 500gb SSD and put the drive in it into a external caddy and use that for storage?

Edit. Bugger me it actually has a number pad !

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:31 
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Location: Shropshire, UK
JohnCoffey wrote:
Oh sorry man when you said ROG I thought £1100 was cheap :D

I paid £700 for the laptop I have currently, for context.

Quote:
http://www.johnlewis.com/hp-pavilion-15-ak002na-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-ram-1tb-15-full-hd-hybrid-green/p2269674

Looked at this one, and also in Currys, and it seems to tick all boxes apart from not being readily available in many places.

Quote:
Then add 500gb SSD and put the drive in it into a external caddy and use that for storage?

Is the internal drive easily accessible? On my current laptop I just undo a screw and a panel comes off specifically for the purpose - I couldn't see similar when looking at this laptop in Currys last night, and I don't want the hassle of opening up cases and voiding warranties.


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:34 
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Usually HPs are quite easy to get apart. Mrs JC has one (some Beats thing with an AMD APU she paid £250 for) and it originally had a broken HDD. If you Google the model number you will find service manuals (just found them myself trying to beat the price).

I like ordering from John Lewis though. I would gladly pay the extra if they are more expensive too. Recently I bought a 32" HP Envy monitor and it arrived with a deep scratch in the screen. This was scary, as I could have gotten the blame but JL were fantastic. Their CS is legendary. They even sent out the new one on the day they were collecting the damaged one so I was only without a monitor for about two hours.

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:39 
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Oh yeah also this. If the DVD drive comes out and you can live without it then these are fantastic.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Icy-Box-IB-AC6 ... B007IXPQMY

That way you get to keep all of your storage as well as the SSD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6VNWN0 ... u.be&t=324

The DVD is easy. The HDD, not so easy. I would go the DVD route.

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:40 
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JohnCoffey wrote:
Usually HPs are quite easy to get apart. Mrs JC has one (some Beats thing with an AMD APU she paid £250 for) and it originally had a broken HDD. If you Google the model number you will find service manuals (just found them myself trying to beat the price).

Being easy to get apart is fine provided it doesn't break the warranty for me to do it. This is why ideally it would have an SSD to begin with, even if just for the OS.


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:43 
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Have a look at that Icybox thing. It's an internal converter for your DVD drive to 2.5" and comes with an external enclosure for the DVD :) so you can still use the DVD. Pretty sweet.

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:46 
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GazChap wrote:
I'm open to anything

Jem wrote:
:hat:

GazChap wrote:
£700

Vanilla as fuck

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 23:43 
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Went for that green HP model in the end. Seems good so far, once I'd wiped it and reinstalled from a clean install of Windows 10, any way.


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 13:58 
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Joined: 14th May, 2009
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I appear to have borked my laptop.

It's only an HP Stream jobber for writing, but it was constantly crashing, unable to receive security updates because there wasn't the space on the HDD to download them. And my complaints to HP fell on deaf ears, who said "The clue's in the name, you aren't meant to download software, it's for streaming." Because you can stream security OS updates, can't you, you smug, patronizing arse.

I digress. So I tried to reset the PC to see if I could roll back from Windows 10 to an earlier OS which might take up less HDD space. Now it's in an infinite boot cycle, HP screen - black - HP screen - black - HP screen etc.

So I probably need a new laptop. Anyone had any good experiences with http://www.cheaplaptopcompany.co.uk/?


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 20:07 
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Ticket to Ride World Champion

Joined: 18th Apr, 2008
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Need a new laptop. Mine is just crap now. Budget 300-400 ish.

Doesn't need to play games, well certainly not anything from the past few years.
Does need to be able to run the odd drawing program, ideally without the fan running up so much that I need to turn the volume up on the TV when it is in use.

Here is one option.


https://www.ebuyer.com/855754-lenovo-v3 ... 81b1001euk?

Two


https://ao.com/product/4xx96eaabu-hp-la ... =drytinder

Any thoughts/ alternative s appreciated.

Ps. Not getting a Chromebook.

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 21:05 
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I’ve got an original surface you can have for frees. Will probably do all that if you’re looking that basic.


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 23:15 
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'The odd drawing program' covers a whole range of things here. MSPaint or AutoCAD?

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2019 13:28 
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ApplePieOfDestiny wrote:
I’ve got an original surface you can have for frees. Will probably do all that if you’re looking that basic.



That would be awesome, but (and in no way wanting to sound like an ingrate) does it run proper Windows? It is primarily for Clare and she's got it into her head that she needs proper Windows as apps don't do what she wants! (I cba arguing)

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2019 13:30 
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Ticket to Ride World Champion

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Cras wrote:
'The odd drawing program' covers a whole range of things here. MSPaint or AutoCAD?

See above, Clare has a 20 year old version of Corel draw she refuses to exchange.

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2019 13:56 
Filthy Junkie Bitch

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Bobbyaro wrote:
ApplePieOfDestiny wrote:
I’ve got an original surface you can have for frees. Will probably do all that if you’re looking that basic.



That would be awesome, but (and in no way wanting to sound like an ingrate) does it run proper Windows? It is primarily for Clare and she's got it into her head that she needs proper Windows as apps don't do what she wants! (I cba arguing)


It will be Win 10 I think. Fairly sure I upgraded from 8 when it was free.


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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2019 19:04 
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Cool, well in that case I will happily take it off your hands!

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 Post subject: Re: Laptop RMD
PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2019 20:40 
SupaMod
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Bobbyaro wrote:
Mine is just crap now. Budget 300-400 ish.

That's bottom-of-the-pile money.

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