Computer question that's not as exciting as what your old lady does when alone

[TUSooner]

Thinking of buying a new laptop. (Will probably will get a Dell since I have had good experience with them, and my very-IT-smart neighbor also recommends them.)

My question: should I choose a 17-inch that has a slightly better sound card and 8GB of Ram over a more handy 15-inch machine with 6GB. I am not gamer, btw, so I dont need a ton of sounds and graphics.

I also have a nice flat monitor that I will be using at home, so the 17-inch monitor won't make a ton of diff except it seems l kinda big for a laptop that I'll want to travel with. The bigger machine costs about $60 more (for the extra 2 GB of RAM).


So basically, should I get the 17-incher just so I can have the extra 2 GB (and a slightly better sound card)?

And yes I will talk to my neighbor about it later.

[Fraggle145]

More memory is always better.

[SoonerAtKU]

17 inch laptops are (in my experience) much more difficult to transport. 15 inch would be the largest I'd buy for anything that I wanted to actually be portable.

A guy at work just bought this monster 17 inch laptop with a huge battery. Gaming system and everything. It weighs something like 15 pounds. It'll be dead or need an upgrade within 2 years.

[SoonerAtKU]

More memory is always better.

I'd buy the 15 inch and aftermarket two extra gigs of ram if needed.

[C&CDean]

I've purchased 3 Toshibas over the past year and I like the **** out of them. That's pretty much alls I know about it.

[Whet]

Bought the disposal Toshibas, hey?

The 17" is a little heavier, but you will appreciate the additional memory. Also, that a look at processor(s) are either dual or quad core, or is it an i3,i5, or i7? Look for the better processor, too.

[SCOUT]

I just switched from my traditional 15 inch (my last 3 have been that size) to the 17 inch laptop. It is definitely more cumbersome in the laptop bag, but I don't find it to be a problem. I have found that the keyboard size is actually big enough that I no longer use any kind of docked keyboard. Also, the 17inch I have has a number pad so I no longer need a calculator either.

In my opinion the extra convenience outweighs the weight. Heh, a pun.

[8timechamps]

I've purchased 3 Toshibas over the past year and I like the **** out of them. That's pretty much alls I know about it.

Yep. I got a new Toshiba Satellite last September, and love it. Never had an issue. I don't play games on it, so I wouldn't know if it's good for that. I have a 17" monitor, and have no problems transporting it.

[TUSooner]

I am surprised to get so many sensible answers. Thanks. I figured this thread was a lock for Most Boring and Useless Thread of the Year.

Daughter #1 bought a small Toshiba before going to France and she loves it. Thanks for the reminder, Dean.

[49r]

http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/

[3rdgensooner]

I can't remember the last time I heard someone say "old lady".

[thecynic]

I can't remember the last time I heard someone say "old lady".

I can and it was in the 70s

[TUSooner]

http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/

Daughter #2 loves her Mac (even though the hard drive died). But I need an all purpose machine that will work easily with all the Windows stuff I need to use for work.

Plus, Macs are fleepin expensive!

[yermom]

Mac + VirtualBox =win

I'm really on the small notebook kick lately. I'd rather have a good video card than a bigger screen

[TUSooner]

I can and it was in the 70s

You weren't even born then!

Anyway, my style is.... timeless. Yeah, that's the word. :nonchalance:

[StoopTroup]

The Industry seems to be getting ready to change IMO.

It really seems that the Windows Laptop driven market was going to die as long as they could keep Steve Jobs alive. Now that he's passed I have no clue as to which direction things will go. It seems that the Windows Intel driven systems seem to have had their lifespan curve extended but it seems like all that is going on is a search for the next Steve Jobs or a Bill Gates is God Prophet that will lead us in the direction of the IT Promise Land.

[BillyBall]

I'm on my 2nd Lenovo and I think it kicks ***, however I basically just run Office and get online...

[StoopTroup]

I'm on my 2nd Lenovo and I think it kicks ***, however I basically just run Office and get online...Those are just the IBM Thinkpads that IBM sold off right?

I like them too but that whole sell off would seem to have had Lenovo go after the market you would think and instead I guess they are more in tune with a different client than your usual internet message board user.

[TheUnnamedSooner]

I really dislike Dell. At one point they were good, but now they are just living off the name and putting out a cheap product.

Before you make your final decision, check out www.cyberpowerpc.com I just bought a desktop this month and awaiting its arrival. I have some friends that recommended and they spoke very highly of them. Looks like they have some good deals on laptops. Reminds me of the old Alienwares before they got bought out. You can get your computer without all that promotional BS that Dell, Gateway, etc. puts on that really slows the computer.

[oudavid1]

Computer Science Major is my ethos here, 4gb+ of RAM is enough for almost anyone. 17 inches is big and the bags/transportation is bulky. I have a 15 inch and love it. It is just small enough to be convenient.

[OU_Sooners75]

What price range are you looking at...also what do you plan on using it for?

8 GB RAM is a lot, and 17 inch is bulky.

But if you are into videos and crap like that, then 17 is a better deal, if they are both in your price range.

Also, you can find stuff out there that is cheaper than Dell and just as good or better!

[OU_Sooners75]

Oh, and if you get a dell, or other major supplier....

Before you use it, reformat and clean that damn hard drive. Make sure you have a copy of your OS handy....

The promotional ****, especially Norton, really eats your system down.

After reinstalling, go with some free or third party anti-virus. AVG has a good free one. BitDefender is good for total security. Kasparsky (sp?) is good for a third party anti-virus. There are others out there too. But these do not slow your system down like McAfee or Norton seems to do.

I got a new Toshiba a few months back and did this, and it worked wonderful, until ex decided it was better in a few other pieces....LOL...stupid bitch!

[yermom]

unless you are virtualizing something, 4GB is plenty

i saw Microshaft selling some HP laptop the other day with "Microsoft Signature" which was supposedly Windows without all the bloatware. it looked like a pretty decent deal as well... http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/productID.234205000?siteID=Es5Ekr9eEBk-yiiZMoHOUTp_HngzXpJyFA

if i didn't have two netbooks already, i would have really thought about it...

[yermom]

The Industry seems to be getting ready to change IMO.

It really seems that the Windows Laptop driven market was going to die as long as they could keep Steve Jobs alive. Now that he's passed I have no clue as to which direction things will go. It seems that the Windows Intel driven systems seem to have had their lifespan curve extended but it seems like all that is going on is a search for the next Steve Jobs or a Bill Gates is God Prophet that will lead us in the direction of the IT Promise Land.

i think netbooks, smartphones and tablets are cutting into that market. most laptops are way overpowered for what you really need to do, and most of the performance it tied up in stupid Windows

look at what an iPad is working with and how well it plays HD video

Apple could drop off, but Android and other open source options are getting more mature every year

[8timechamps]

Unless you are the kind of person that needs assistance lifting your cup of coffee to your mouth so that you can take a drink, transporting a laptop with a 17" screen is no problem. Never had a problem fitting it under my seat or in the overhead on a plane, never had a problem going through security at the airport, never had a problem using it in the car. If you want a smaller computer so that your hands look bigger, then by all means, go with a 15" laptop.
.

[StoopTroup]

Apple could drop off, but Android and other open source options are getting more mature every year

That's what I figure was happening and why I mentioned that if Jobs was still alive...we probably wouldn't be even having this conversation. I love the Apple Stuff but I'm not sure I was completely into seeing Windows become a boat anchor and end having hardware that we all grew up using. Kind of sad but also....maybe it's an opening for someone who can develop an Operating system that takes it's place and doesn't bog down the processor.

[Sooner5030]

We just bought a MAC Air and are trying to get used to it. Other laptops were both toshiba - one with windows and the other with Ubuntu (Linux). For travel the MAC Air is really nice but I prefer Ubuntu OS to MAC. It took us forever to figure out the commands and the way applications are managed on the Air.

MAC - Nice Hardware
Toshiba With Linux - easier to use, more storage, faster but bulkier and a pain to lug around airports.
Toshiba With WIndows - POS.

[C&CDean]

****ing geeks.

[Tulsa_Fireman]

http://oldcomputers.net/pics/trs80-iii.jpg

GET THIS. NAO.

[BillyBall]

It is just small enough to be convenient.

Yeah, I bet you get that a lot.

[SoonerTerry]

the only time I regret having mah big 17 inch is when I have to go through airport security..

[Tulsa_Fireman]

the only time I regret having mah big 17 inch is when I have to go through airport security..

I'm proud to swing my 17 incher through the scanner at the airport. Gives those fat TSA women something to look forward to.

*rimshot!*

[yermom]

We just bought a MAC Air and are trying to get used to it. Other laptops were both toshiba - one with windows and the other with Ubuntu (Linux). For travel the MAC Air is really nice but I prefer Ubuntu OS to MAC. It took us forever to figure out the commands and the way applications are managed on the Air.

MAC - Nice Hardware
Toshiba With Linux - easier to use, more storage, faster but bulkier and a pain to lug around airports.
Toshiba With WIndows - POS.

protip: Ubuntu runs on Macs ;)

i like the Mac OS interface loads better than Ubuntu though

Linux Mint is my current laptop flavor, but i'd still rather be running OS X

[yermom]

the only time I regret having mah big 17 inch is when I have to go through airport security..

3ish pounds of netbook is nice. i carry mine in a backpack and hardly know it's there.

i still think the 15" MBP is about the perfect balance of size and weight most of the time though. after a week or so out of town and only having my 1024x600 netbook screen i really want a bigger screen, i never really ran into that with the 15" MBP

[oudavid1]

****ing geeks.

http://pull.imgfave.netdna-cdn.com/image_cache/1303887398910934.jpeg

[Eielson]

My question: should I choose a 17-inch that has a slightly better sound card and 8GB of Ram over a more handy 15-inch machine with 6GB. I am not gamer, btw, so I dont need a ton of sounds and graphics.

First, I want to clarify that I'm not an expert on computers. I did buy a computer about half a year ago, though, and I got the impression that for most of the population, going from 6 GB to 8 GB was kinda like an offensive lineman running a 4.7 instead of a 4.8 40. Technically better, but not that important. I went with a 4 GB and I've had absolutely no regrets.

But once again, I'm not an expert.

[yermom]

video performance is more important than you might think with video codecs that offload to the GPU, being stuck with some Intel GMA crap kinda sucks

that jump in performance can be seen more than the jump from 4GB to 8GB of RAM for most users

[CrimsonKel]

Solid state hard drives are really nice if you can afford them. Hard drive performance can be a major bottleneck for laptops with 5400 rpm drives but a solid start hard drive makes that a long forgotten memory. BAM!

[oudavid1]

First, I want to clarify that I'm not an expert on computers. I did buy a computer about half a year ago, though, and I got the impression that for most of the population, going from 6 GB to 8 GB was kinda like an offensive lineman running a 4.7 instead of a 4.8 40. Technically better, but not that important. I went with a 4 GB and I've had absolutely no regrets.

But once again, I'm not an expert.

I can promise almost any basic computer user (not playing games) that 4GB is more than enough.