Suggestions for new laptop please.

Joan Archer · 20 Dec 2017

OK want to get myself a new laptop that has a bigger HD and more memory than I have at present.
One that is made for 10, this Asus I have came with 8 and only has a 320GB HD and came with 4GB RAM, I put an extra 4GB stick in when I got it but would prefer to have one with more to start with, the more the better.

When I first got this one after a couple of months the HD died but the support from Asus was brilliant and in one week it had been picked up by courier had the HD replaced and returned by the same courier as good as new.

Been looking at Asus again but not sure and so far the ones I've seen don't have a DVD drive and I have quite a few things stored on them, especially photos so would really need one.

I know you'll all have your own favourites but I'd be very grateful to hear for opinions regarding reliability and customer service with other makes.
Thank you Joan xx

indianacarnie · 20 Dec 2017

Well, without knowing a price range etc. it's kinda hard to make any concrete recommendations. I've always had good luck with Asus machines but you are absolutely the first person I've ever heard praise their customer service. Most of the mainstream lappy's these days are doing away with the DVD drive. Most of the GAMING lappy's on the other hand still have them. Have you considered that? With the bonus of much more power and memory to boot. Asus makes some very nice entry level gaming machines as does Toshiba.

As far as customer service is concerned, Toshiba can't be beat in my opinion. I've also had very good feedback from MSi. Reliability .... both my Asus and Toshiba lappy's were tanks, couldn't hurt em period. Asus especially. My MSi and Gigabyte's saw a much smoother life but no problems. Most of the major brands should do you ok I think, but there's lemons from every OEM.

https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Lenov...with+dvd+drive

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron...with+dvd+drive

https://www.amazon.com/GE62VR-APACHE...+optical+drive

Of course you could always just get one of these and not have to worry about it :

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075QF47QW...detail_0?psc=1

Joan Archer · 21 Dec 2017

Yes I realised after I could get an external drive, hadn't really put an exact price but probably in around the £500 mark here or there. It will depend what I find, I wouldn't mind being able to draw on the screen as well.

The only experience I have with laptops is with my Asus K55A, think it is 4 years old, it came with Windows 8 but I want one that is made for 10, hubby has a Toshiba Satellite that is a bit older and came with 7. We've had no problems with them and they both run 10 now without problems.

A lot of people like the Asus brand and regard them as well made and reliable, which is what I want. It's nice having one that if things go wrong it doesn't take weeks for it to be fixed because it has to go out of the country. :)

nt62 · 21 Dec 2017

I want one that is made for 10

Just shopping chatting here. :)

If you need an integrated DVD player, then Asus, Lenovo, etc
Depends if your laptop will be mobile or a desktop replacement.
External USB powered DVD and bluray players are available.

Need for service? Depends on where you buy the device and / or if they offer a service plan.
If you want something specifically designed for Windows 10, > suggest a Surface Pro.
(too pricey ?) ... get what you pay for.

Alienware makes an awesome laptop. Most every component is replaceable unlike a Surface.
Surface tablets with a Dock (desktop replacement) are reliable devices.
ALSO - touch or no touch. Do you want a TOUCHSCREEN ?

Suggest browsing CyberpowerPC.
Caution about getting a lappy with extremely high resolution (gaming) and dual GPUs,
I have one that is excellent (Alienware) but at times with certain software makes the text microscopic.

As suggested, it depends on your budget.
Some laptops have 2 drives. An SSD for the OS and a data drive.
Nowadays, modern laptops use MSata SSD cards about the size of a thumbnail as the primary OS drive.
Sometimes the data drive is a laptop spinner which could be replaced with a large SSD.

Again, it depends on how much geeky tech work you would be interested in or can afford.
Never been to UK so I have no idea what stores are available. I am from New England.
The local tech big box store is Best Buy.
Walmart sells a few products but Best Buy allows its customers to use the demo models on the floor.

Best idea would be if possible,
to visit as many tech stores and test drive every feature of every device you can.

Laptop motherboard designers don't typically have software developers
that design drivers for older systems.

That is why one is not usually able to install Windows 7 or 8 on a new laptop - NO DRIVERS available.
If you built a desktop PC, motherboard vendors usually do provide drivers for all operating systems.

Your preference / affordability for how much of a CPU - GPU powerhouse -
- storage holding in terabytes (SSD vs spinner) - how many media features do you need.

A Surface, though pricey, is maintenance free and cannot be altered in any way.
Other Laptop vendors might offer better features - Dell, Acer, HP, ...

:)

Joan Archer · 22 Dec 2017

@nt62

My laptop will not be mobile, it will sit on a trolley that can be tilted one side for the laptop and the smaller section at the side is where my mouse sits.

After knowing I can get an external DVD drive it's not so important to get a machine that already has one. Depending on price a Touchscreen would be nice so I could write on the screen for certain things.

You can forget the Surface, although nice and I'd love one there is no way I could afford to buy one. As for testing different makes that is out of the question I'm disabled and house bound.

I have an account with a large mail order catalogue and that is where I've bought most of my PCs, I can get payment terms that suit me that way, but this time I will pay cash for what I want. I can get extended warranty plans, which is what I tend to do for purchases of more expensive electrical items, like TVs, Washing Machines, Tumble dryers etc.

I take it you have a Surface the way you keep mentioning them. :)

dmholt57 · 22 Dec 2017

Look for one with 17 inch screen, you can set scaling to 125%, much easier on the old eyes... I just got one I ordered from HP, A12 2.7Ghz 8GB and saved $255.00 off retail.

nt62 · 22 Dec 2017

Joan Archer said:

@nt62
I take it you have a Surface the way you keep mentioning them. :)

Yes. About 3 years ago I bought a Surface 3.
Don't know if they still sell this type of Surface model,
but am a fan of silent computers.

The model I bought was not a Pro model nor was it high end.
It uses a fanless "atom" cpu.
Basically, the entire device is solid state.

As for price, it was on par with other laptops.

Best Wishes

indianacarnie · 23 Dec 2017

Reliability : Toshiba, Asus , MSi

Service support : Toshiba by far (in MY experience)

I totally agree with dmholt57 about the screen size. Bigger is better for older eyes, like mine.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron...+screen+laptop

https://www.staples.com/asus-rog-17-...oduct_24285901

Joan Archer · 23 Dec 2017

indianacarnie said:

Reliability : Toshiba, Asus , MSi

Service support : Toshiba by far (in MY experience)

I totally agree with dmholt57 about the screen size. Bigger is better for older eyes, like mine.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron...+screen+laptop

https://www.staples.com/asus-rog-17-...oduct_24285901

I'd looked at a couple that size but they're a bit out of my price range really. I was looking at an HP touchscreen yesterday which I could afford and without going to back to look if my memory serves me right. It was a 15.6 and it had 8GB RAM with a 128 SSD and a 1TB HD but I think it was AMD processor, not sure what the opinion of HP is I know our first ever computer was a Hewlett Packard back in 1998 running Windows 98 and we never had any problems with that.

I'll be looking more seriously in the Boxing Day sales but want to have a better idea what to look for rather than looking at one after the other and getting totally lost.