New Laptop

[HuskyHawk]

I'm about to replace an aging, four year old 2 in 1 PC. I won't make the 2 in 1 mistake again. Daughter wants a Macbook, but it isn't happening. I hate using Apple PCs.

The use case is a home PC, pictures, music, word processing, etc. that my teen daughter will also use to play games like Sims 4. I have a home office area with two desks, and this needs to be a laptop, not desktop, so that when I'm working at home it can be moved to another room. It probably won't leave the house though. I get a discount on Dells (prices are pre-discount), and I'm torn between:

Alienware 15": $1400 i-7 8750H, 16GB, NVIDIA 1060OC (net price $871)
G7 Gaming 15": $1000 i-7 8750H, 8GB, NVIDIA 1050Ti (net price $1250)

Would configure both with a 128GB SSD and 1TB HD. I looked at the XPS, which is nice, but I can't get the combo SSD and 1TB HD, and I need the storage space.

Thoughts? Won't be doing heavy gaming, but the Alienware is built more solidly.

 

[B1GEast]

I'm about to replace an aging, four year old 2 in 1 PC. I won't make the 2 in 1 mistake again. Daughter wants a Macbook, but it isn't happening. I hate using Apple PCs.

The use case is a home PC, pictures, music, word processing, etc. that my teen daughter will also use to play games like Sims 4. I have a home office area with two desks, and this needs to be a laptop, not desktop, so that when I'm working at home it can be moved to another room. It probably won't leave the house though. I get a discount on Dells (prices are pre-discount), and I'm torn between:

Alienware 15": $1400 i-7 8750H, 16GB, NVIDIA 1060OC
G7 Gaming 15": $1000 i-7 8750H, 8GB, NVIDIA 1050Ti

Would configure both with a 128GB SSD and 1TB HD. I looked at the XPS, which is nice, but I can't get the combo SSD and 1TB HD, and I need the storage space.

Thoughts? Won't be doing heavy gaming, but the Alienware is built more solidly.

If you're not a gamer, I would pass on both. If money is no issue, then buy what you want, but if you want to save a few hundred dollars, I'm certain that there are cheaper options for you.

I purchased a $400 HP laptop a few years back and I'm still using it with no issues.

 

[HuskyHawk]

If you're not a gamer, I would pass on both. If money is no issue, then buy what you want, but if you want to save a few hundred dollars, I'm certain that there are cheaper options for you.

I purchased a $400 HP laptop a few years back and I'm still using it with no issues.

My current PC is an HP, performance has been terrible. I won't get an HP for a variety of reasons. Hoping that with a gaming PC performance will be acceptable for a longer period.

 

[polycom]

Gaming laptops are better I have an MSI, both of those laptops are fine if that is the price range you're willing to pay. Thinkpads are great too... (Understand you get a discount on Dell)

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

If you're not a gamer, I would pass on both. If money is no issue, then buy what you want, but if you want to save a few hundred dollars, I'm certain that there are cheaper options for you.

I purchased a $400 HP laptop a few years back and I'm still using it with no issues.

Yeah i dont think you need a gaming PC to play Sims 4, and I dont think it would be worth the cost if you are just doing simple stuff with the occasional game thrown in.

 

[NYC_HUSKY22]

Stay away from Alienware, in the gaming PC industry they are notorious for over charging for pre-built computers that can be built for half the price.

If your daughter is only playing games like the sims that aren't very graphic intensive you're note going to need a big video card like a 1060 or 1050ti.

 

[uconnphil2016]

I know you said no Macs, but my Macbook Air was like $1,000 and has been awesome

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I'm not a tech guy, but the idea that anyone not involved in the arts needs a $1,500 iMac to browse the internet blows my mind.

Just buy a chromebook for $200 and call it a day.

 

[Drumguy]

I'm not a tech guy, but the idea that anyone not involved in the arts needs a $1,500 iMac to browse the internet blows my mind.

Just buy a chromebook for $200 and call it a day.

I was about to add my $.02 for a Chromebook as well. Most kids today use Google Suite so it handles all the office type functions, for free. I sold my Macbook Air and have been using a Chromebook for about 7 months now. No regrets. feel you need to spend a lot- the Pixelbook is beautiful and is $1000 with Apple build quality, but most CHromebooks are peanuts in comparison.

 

[uconnphil2016]

I'm not a tech guy, but the idea that anyone not involved in the arts needs a $1,500 iMac to browse the internet blows my mind.

Just buy a chromebook for $200 and call it a day.

I pirated a ton of music and it would always cause my windows PCs to crash. Did like 4k songs on my mac anf never had an issue. I mostly got it for that

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I pirated a ton of music and it would always cause my windows PCs to crash. Did like 4k songs on my mac anf never had an issue. I mostly got it for that

Good point, that's the counter argument most of friends that have one mentioned as well.

 

[Travelman6]

My current PC is an HP, performance has been terrible. I won't get an HP for a variety of reasons. Hoping that with a gaming PC performance will be acceptable for a longer period.

My current laptop is an HP and I will NEVER go back. The biggest issue is the charging port, I have to plug it in just right for the laptop to charge and often it will go from charging to not even when I do not touch the cord. Plus the fact that the fan basically seems to be useless after the first year and the thing overheats like crazy and slows down as soon as I try to do more than 1 thing that is even remotely taxing like a skype call, soulseek, etc. I have had this lap top for about 4 years, since May 1, 2014. I think I will be in the market for a new laptop in 2019 but I will try to make it until May 2019 as five years seems decent even when taking into consideration planned obsolescence. If you can imagine, my Toshiba was EVEN WORSE and lasted from December 2011 to April 2014 before dying. It was bad, especially the fan and slowdown! I am not a huge fan of Acer and Asus as they seem more shoddy and cheaply made, so not sure what brand I would go with next (not apple, you pay far too much for the logo). Maybe a samsung as the tablet I got from them has been amazing. I got it December 2014 and it has been close to flawless since, more than 40 months!


In August 2014 I posted this shortly after (3 months later) buying the HP:

I feel like it was a big mistake purchasing an HP lap top. Things went well at first. But when I moved out of the country, upon unpacking, I realized I had forgotten my power cord. No problema, right? WRONG! Finding a power cord proved to be incredibly, obnoxiously difficult. Apparently HP believes in having dozens and dozens of different power cords, instead of one unified HP power cord for their HP laptops...In hindsight it was wrong to just buy an HP powercord and asume it would fit, after all, it would make just too much sense and when has a major corp ever made sense?...But upon going back to the THREE STORY technology center in a major international city, numerous shop keepers struggled to find a power cord that fit! An hour later someone finally found something in the backroom of one of the stores..total cost 180,000 in local currency or about 65 dollars!!!! Yikes, and this is not an ancient HP model, but a pretty new HP Envy model and it was such a struggle to find something that should have been so easy had the company shown some common sense and...I dunno, made more of an effort to make things more universal for their own product line!

I regret going HP and worry what will happen if anything else goes missing or dies (battery for instance)

I also must state, a co worker had nearly half a dozen hp power cords from old laptops, NONE of which fit.....What is going on HP?

MORE UNIVERSAL POWER CORDS PLEASE, what a headache it has proven to be, having an hp laptop!

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

There has to be a Rashad Anderson joke here somewhere.

 

[B1GEast]

There has to be a Rashad Anderson joke here somewhere.

I think you mean a Marcus Williams joke

 

[MattMang23]

There has to be a Rashad Anderson joke here somewhere.

Marcus Williams, and I was about to make it till I got to your post. I'll make it anyway:

Marcus Williams could point you in the right direction.

 

[CL82]

So specs, what should you look for.

1T , 8 Gigs (or is 4 enough?)

How about processors. (i5 or is i3 enough?)

Chromebook enough? What about 2 in 1's

As you can see I know nothing about this stuff. I'm just looking for a laptrop to replace a home PC.

Are any of these worthwhile?
Memorial Day for Business Sale 2018: Business Computers & Servers | Dell US

 

[minidarren]

I know you said no Macs, but my Macbook Air was like $1,000 and has been awesome

I know you said no Macs, but here is a recommendation of exactly what you said you do not want.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I think you mean a Marcus Williams joke

I hadn't had my coffee yet when I posted that.

Shame on me.

 

[minidarren]

My work laptop is a Dell Latitude 5280 and so far so good. Light weight, processor is the 7th Gen i5. The only issue I have with it might be the screen as the resolution is not that great.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I was about to add my $.02 for a Chromebook as well. Most kids today use Google Suite so it handles all the office type functions, for free. I sold my Macbook Air and have been using a Chromebook for about 7 months now. No regrets. feel you need to spend a lot- the Pixelbook is beautiful and is $1000 with Apple build quality, but most CHromebooks are peanuts in comparison.

Daughter has a nice Chromebook. Pretty much useless. It can't replace my family PC and she never uses it anymore, since she has an iPad Pro.

 

[HuskyHawk]

So specs, what should you look for.

1T , 8 Gigs (or is 4 enough?)

How about processors. (i5 or is i3 enough?)

Chromebook enough? What about 2 in 1's

As you can see I know nothing about this stuff. I'm just looking for a laptrop to replace a home PC.

Are any of these worthwhile?
Memorial Day for Business Sale 2018: Business Computers & Servers | Dell US

Same sale I'm looking at, but I get an extra x% discount. I would get an i-5 at least and at least 8GB RAM

 

[fatlucy]

I know you said no Macs, but my Macbook Air was like $1,000 and has been awesome

My Mackbook is awesome. 4 years in, and its a slim, trim, beautiful trooper. I want a new one but this works so well, I cant justify it.

 

[Drumguy]

I'd also look at the Surface. Its a real computer with plenty of power - I switched my company to SurfaceBooks but the Surface Pro is cheaper and the same innards, plus is a true tablet when you want it to be, totally portable, light weight and reasonably priced.

btw, any negative comments about chromebooks just mean that the person hasn't used one, imho. 99% of us don't need a high powered machine anymore, everything we do is through a browser. Also, Apple users are generally pretty stuck up about their products (great builds but software is meh) so nothing compares to their Macs. I don't miss my airbook at all and have no issues running everything on chrome.

 

[uconnfan68]

So specs, what should you look for.

1T , 8 Gigs (or is 4 enough?)
Stay with 8... more memory is always better.

How about processors. (i5 or is i3 enough?)
Minimum i5. Leaves you only 4 years behind.

Chromebook enough? What about 2 in 1's
What are you doing with it?

As you can see I know nothing about this stuff. I'm just looking for a laptrop to replace a home PC.

Are any of these worthwhile?
Memorial Day for Business Sale 2018: Business Computers & Servers | Dell US

Also, prefer HP, but not Pavillion line.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I'd also look at the Surface. Its a real computer with plenty of power - I switched my company to SurfaceBooks but the Surface Pro is cheaper and the same innards, plus is a true tablet when you want it to be, totally portable, light weight and reasonably priced.

btw, any negative comments about chromebooks just mean that the person hasn't used one, imho. 99% of us don't need a high powered machine anymore, everything we do is through a browser. Also, Apple users are generally pretty stuck up about their products (great builds but software is meh) so nothing compares to their Macs. I don't miss my airbook at all and have no issues running everything on chrome.

We have a Surface Pro, my wife uses it. It's nice. Doesn't replace our household pc, in part because of storage.

As for Chromebook, it has a browser, but won't run our MS office apps, games, photoshop etc. and doesn't have enough storage for our pictures, music, videos etc. So it has a place, but not for our family, where everyone has an iPad that they use for a lot of their browsing. One we got my daughter the iPad Pro she required for school, the Chromebook stopped being useful for her. I'm not saying they aren't useful, they just aren't useful for us.