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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618 |
Hello all,
I need to get a laptop. I currently use a Core 2 duo, Desktop. 2gb ram, large hardrives and audio and graphics card.
My wife got a new job so our next new PC, Windows, needs to be a laptop. We've always just used Windows desktops.
I'm looking at reviews and I don't know what C.P.U. to get. I see Core 2 duo to i7.
What's the lowest I should go with CPU on a $500 to $1000 budget.
Good Graphics also. Must have at least 15" screen with Webcam. No bigger and no smaller. We're older and too small is a problem.
Most of the reviews and user comments I see at the moment are for back to school Laptops. They really don't apply much to us.
I see Lenova and HP are up there. I'm not a Dell fan. I've had and have a lot of great Gateways.
I know this is a big area to advise on but, I need to know what to stay away from mostly. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Any links to articles or reviews would be helpful. Thank you in advance.
Wayne, (in the dark about new laptops)
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,504
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I've had ThinkPads (IBM now Lenovo) for years and they are built like tanks.
I just retired the ThinkPad I use on stage. It bounces on the keyboard stand, goes back and forth in the mini van (hot to cold back to hot and back to cold), and runs for hours at a time. It worked on a Cruise ship for a summer with notoriously poor AC power (brown outs, spikes - I do use a line conditioner). I also had a weekly gig outdoors in a marina at a salt water lagoon for 2 years. I put the ThinkPad into service in 2002 and it is still working.
I've had these problems (1) hard drive started to make noise so I replaced it a few years ago - don't know if it was ready to quit or not, but better safe than sorry (2) CMOS battery died about a year ago (less than $5 to replace). (3) Now the screen is starting to get a few lines in it when I move it on the hinge. By rocking the screen a bit, the lines go away. The computer repair man say it's probably the contacts and it's not worth it to fix - I guess I've just worn out the plating. It still works just fine, but I have another old ThinkPad doing nothing so I'll bring it instead.
8 years for a laptop that gets abusive treatment is a darn good record.
I can't say enough good things about them.
I think they are built much better than the HPs, which get poor reviews for reliability in PC World magazine.
Insights and incites by Notes ♫
Last edited by Notes Norton; 08/16/10 11:09 AM.
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618 |
Hi Notes,
Yes that is good. I had an IBM Thinkpad years ago. It was Super!
I've read user comments that are angry because Lenovo was not being included and reviewed at CNET.
I'm pretty much sold on Lenovo but, I just wish I knew how far down the INTEL Line to go. I don't want to get Core 2 Duo if it's time is over. Everything was QuadCore, now all I see is i3, i5 and i7. I have to find out what these chips are.
The comments from most students are useless. "The speakers suck" "What a slow P.O.S." or "It's so pretty in purple".
I'm going to check out PC World.
Thanks, Wayne
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618 |
Thank you John,
This is what I was looking for. The INTEL links are very useful, thanks,
Strange reviews, Mac's Great Upgrade to a Core 2 Duo and at the same time a PC Laptop with the same CPU considered old Tech and Backwards?
It's pretty confusing, but I'll figure it out.
Most reviews are pretty straight forward. I also see that many are not happy with their Graphics.
Got to keep my eye on the resolution and graphics chips.
So far I'm still coming up on the $1299, side of things.
I've read a great review on a Lenovo and a New Gateway. The Lenovo had great user reviews as well but, way over my budget. The Gateway was half the price with Stellar reviews and Editor's Pick at half the price. Each review starts in my price range then when I go to find one the price skyrockets.
Wayne, (the hunt continues)
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,055
Productor Musical
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Productor Musical
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,055 |
Hi, although nowadays CPU processors power reach amazing highs, I'm still a fan of AMD, my missing laptop (was stolen) was a DELL with an AMD dual core, impressive performance. My desktop PC is a AMD PhenomII Black Edition 3.2 Ghz. Can anyone tell own experiences with AMD?
Gabriel Arellano,
Nucleox Music
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 901
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 901 |
Have you looked at the Asus EeePC 1201N. I know you said you wanted a 15 inch laptop but this one seems to be on sale now with good reviews.
It's a 12.1 inch netbook.
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,926
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Quote:
Can anyone tell own experiences with AMD?
My DAW is based on a seven-year-old AMD Athlon XP, a 1.8 GHz Pentium 4 equivalent. Oddly, it overloads with Internet browsers and certain graphic tasks (even though I have a 128 Mb video card), but it handles my music software just fine. I have 2 Gb of RAM and two Western Digital 7200-RPM hard drives.
R.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 177
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 177 |
Let me make a quick pitch for a Toshiba Satellite A505-S6965, with high reliability ratings (See a recent Consumer Reports) , a dual core intel processor, good battery, 4gigs ram and 500 gigs hard drive, with 16" screen and a 512 MB ATI graphics driver - bright display and plenty of space to size things to your preferences, and lots of I/O. The challenge I've had with laptop upgrade considerations has been "Which OS"?... Vista is a bit of a hog, and Windows 7 is quicker and lighter. Then which OS data pathway - 32 / 64 bits? So few audio device drivers are supported in the 64 bit architecture, and those that are out there seem pricey to me. I went with Windows 7 - 32 bits and have been pleased. This laptop also has a built-in webcam and mic, though I am still trying to figure out how to change the default setting at start up that results in the mic being open.... I think I can thank Scype for that, and will explore its settings to try and alter having the mic open at startup. Anyway, here's another option for you, and also one that's fairly economical - I think I got this for around $700 towards the end of last year. Happy hunting.
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Joined: Dec 2002
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Expert
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Expert
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,826 |
Hi
Try and get a computer with nothing added,some well known firms tend to fill their computers with dross and makes them useless for music
regards Dave
I always play the right notes but not always in the right order
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Last edited by Robh; 08/19/10 12:25 PM.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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Posts: 827
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 827 |
Anybody with experience with the Dell Studio 15 http://www1.euro.dell.com/de/de/heimburo...dhs1&~ck=mnIt's got a corei7 cpu and 6GB RAM with a 500 GB 7200 hard disk. At 900 Euros it seems too good to miss. The only thing missing is a PCMCIA. I'd like to hear if anyone's using one for audio work.
Chris
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618
Journeyman
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 618 |
Thank you all for your advice and time. It seems this purchase will be on hold for a few months, at least.
But, I did get a lot of good info on CPUs and what these Laptops can do and can't do.
I'll be watching sales and new products till then.
Thanks again all, Wayne
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
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