Technology & Social Media What do you look for when buying a new laptop?.

Discussion in 'Living Room' started by willair, 20th Mar, 2018.

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  1. willair

    willair Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    After several laptop pc,s that i use ,after installing windows ten all for some unknown reason crashed and the repair costs on quotes were above $$200.oo plus ,so tax wise it's just better to buy something new..
    So what do new Laptop buyers look for price wise..I have been to several companies looking and so far Office Works price wise seem to be the leader in value with the way they mark down current stock that make way for new models..
     
  2. Simon Hampel

    Simon Hampel Founder Staff Member

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    What is it for? Personal use? Work? Business?

    What is your budget?

    What will you use it for?
     
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  3. willair

    willair Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Just personal use,the budget is 1000$ or less..Mostly just watching various equities trading sites emails and current worldwide investment news and music and old sherlock holmes movies on utube..
    Not into facebook or any sites like that,as i would spend most of my time when on line between Commsec chat-room and your Site..
    Just there is so many models on the market,and not knowing one model from the next ,so any advice from a person like yourself who understand the complex system would help ..thanks for your time..
     
  4. Blacky

    Blacky Well-Known Member

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    I just got an acer switch 5 for mrs blacky.

    Just over $1,000 but has detachable screen which can be used as a tablet. Or plug in for laptop use.
    Recieved good online reviews.

    Haven’t opened the box yet so can’t confirm if it’s any good yet.

    Her usage is light.
    Emails, documents, web surfing and music.

    Blacky
     
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  5. qak

    qak Well-Known Member

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    Check out JB Hi-fi as well - I've found them very negotiable & will sell you demo stock.

    I looked at:
    -processor size
    -screen size & reflections
    -keyboard: I needed a separate number pad; and I hate some keyboard/touchpad layouts!
    -check how many connecting points/ports of any type you want/need (USB, HDMI etc)
    -wifi connection 802.11ac
    -do you need an optical drive (DVD) - many don't have them anymore
    -overall weight including charger
    -battery life
     
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  6. Jamie Moore

    Jamie Moore MORTGAGE BROKER - AUSTRALIA WIDE Business Member

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    It sounds crazy but the Aldi laptops have awesome specs and are less than $1k - not sure if/when they’ll be on sale again. They had computers for sale the other day but I’m not sure if they were desktops or laptops.
     
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  7. Redwing

    Redwing Well-Known Member

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  8. TMNT

    TMNT Well-Known Member

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    I recently purchased a refurbished laptop from grays online

    my second one,
    came with 12 months warranty, cost me $400, looks virtually new

    works a treat, and love it
     
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  9. willair

    willair Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Thanks for the list,that's what i found very few have dvd drive ,so it scales down the list..
    Also went into JB-FI-and the other players in the group,plus a second hand ex-government equipment shop most from the ATO,but the prices second hand are on par with the some brand new in the box..thanks..
     
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  10. Simon Hampel

    Simon Hampel Founder Staff Member

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    Do you actually need a DVD drive?

    You can get cheap USB DVD drives for those rare occasions where you actually do need one (I very rarely use one these days) - I wouldn't bother limiting myself to one that includes it built in.
     
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  11. Terry_w

    Terry_w Lawyer, Tax Adviser and Mortgage broker in Sydney Business Member

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    Sounds like a basic $300 laptop should do you.
     
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  12. geoffw

    geoffw Moderator Staff Member

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    I like to view my photos in good detail. At a screen resolution of 220ppi (2880 X 1800 for a 15 inch screen) I can't distinguish the screen pixels.

    You haven't mentioned your screen size. Also if you have a requirement for thin and light in return for extra $$.

    Simon is spot on about the DVD player. A built in one adds weight and thickness; in today's Netflix age I rarely use an external drive.
     
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  13. jyeung80

    jyeung80 Well-Known Member

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  14. willair

    willair Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Thanks for the tip,one sales person did explain that ..So i will look into that,i was just thinking how do i load the software for the norton ..thanks..
     
  15. geoffw

    geoffw Moderator Staff Member

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    Most software loads now are from the net

    Edit: to clarify- software loads are available from the net, though many are also available on a cd rom. For downloading, you are given a key when you purchase.
     
    Last edited: 21st Mar, 2018
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  16. TMNT

    TMNT Well-Known Member

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  17. Xenia

    Xenia Well-Known Member

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    I get an IT person to source one. It needs to be fast and have lots of storage and touch screen and lightweight

    Other than that???
     
  18. Oliver

    Oliver Well-Known Member

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    Most important point is to have a SSD! This would make a huge difference for your daily use.
    Like starting your computer within a few seconds, same for opening your apps...

    Afterwards it really depends how much you want to spend, size of the screen, weight, battery...

    If you want to think long term you should aim for:
    - Processor: i5
    - Memory: 4GB minimum
    - at least 1x USB3
    - 128Gb SSD minimum

    Afterwards given your usage, pretty much any laptops would do the job if you're just browsing a few pages on the internet, watching movies...

    I bought a Asus Zenbook UX360 a few months ago for less than $1000 and very happy with it.
     
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  19. geoffw

    geoffw Moderator Staff Member

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    Agree with the SSD, but more from data security. I've had a hard disk fail catastrophically. An SSD is less storage for much more money, but far more reliable; I use cloud storage for most things now. Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive etc.
     
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  20. Ed Barton

    Ed Barton Well-Known Member

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    Pretty much anything will do the job the OP wants. Perhaps even a c64 with an aftermarket turbo fitted.
     
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