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Kerrick
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:02 pm
Posts: 1413
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 4:05 pm 
 

For the techy folks out here... my old (six or so years) Asus laptop is getting a bit tired and it's going to be time to replace it soon. I have no idea what's good, what to stay away from, what's overpriced, and brands/models are the best value. There are plenty of blogs and lists that argue this one or that one, but I'm always a bit skeptical of those. I'd love to hear your thoughts. My general uses/requirements are:

-Windows, not Apple or Google. (I *could* be persuaded to go with another OS if it just really makes sense... But I don't like Apple's interface and I think Google is generally evil haha.)
-I'm not a gamer and mostly just use my laptop for maintaining/adding to my somewhat large (30-something gig) iTunes library, my many photos, browsing the internet, and the occasional Excel spreadsheets and whatnot. (I know... "iTunes" and I don't care for Apple's stuff, but I got locked in over a decade ago and now I'm stuck with it, though I really don't mind iTunes for the most part.)
-I don't want to spend a ton, though I'm typically of the buy-once/cry-once mentality so if there's something that'll last me for years, I rather that than upgrading to the fanciest/flashiest thing every year.

Thanks!

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aaronmb666
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Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 3:37 am
Posts: 2834
PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 7:26 am 
 

Considering that you're not a gamer and mainly browsing, Id say go for a Kindle Fire.
Code:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0189XYY0Q/ref=s9_acss_bw_cg_odstab_3c1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=2CW4B558148QKYPKDQMM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=a81a1a3d-96df-450a-814f-60db7fdd5e30&pf_rd_i=6669703011


Even better is that you can add a micro sd card, which gives you plenty of music.

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schizoid
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2004 8:35 am
Posts: 1602
Location: New Zealand
PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 1:42 pm 
 

There are so many variations of laptops it's impossible just to recommend a model. Narrow down your options and post links to them.
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Kerrick
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:02 pm
Posts: 1413
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 8:25 pm 
 

aaronmb666 wrote:
Considering that you're not a gamer and mainly browsing, Id say go for a Kindle Fire.
Code:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0189XYY0Q/ref=s9_acss_bw_cg_odstab_3c1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=2CW4B558148QKYPKDQMM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=a81a1a3d-96df-450a-814f-60db7fdd5e30&pf_rd_i=6669703011


Even better is that you can add a micro sd card, which gives you plenty of music.


I hadn't considered a tablet actually... Not necessarily a bad idea. Because I buy most of my music on CD, having a built-in disc reader would be nice - and a regular keyboard for emailing and such. Maybe all the modern laptops are touch-screens, but I really don't foresee myself needing that so it'd be silly to pay extra for that feature too. But maybe a tablet would be best. Thanks for the suggestion. As far as tablets like that go, do you think the Amazon is the best for what I'd mostly be using it for?

schizoid wrote:
There are so many variations of laptops it's impossible just to recommend a model. Narrow down your options and post links to them.


Ugh I know... but that's just the trouble: I don't even know where to start. Seems Dell are somewhat well regarded though I don't like their shiesty business practices and my wife has one which has been quite a lemon since she got it. Lenovo are supposed to be real nice and I think from the little I know, I'm leaning towards them... though I think you pay a lot for the name. Initially, I was thinking that a slightly lesser known brand like Asus may be ideal, though I just don't even know what else is out there.

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aaronmb666
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Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 3:37 am
Posts: 2834
PostPosted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 4:11 am 
 

Kerrick wrote:
aaronmb666 wrote:
Considering that you're not a gamer and mainly browsing, Id say go for a Kindle Fire.
Code:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0189XYY0Q/ref=s9_acss_bw_cg_odstab_3c1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=2CW4B558148QKYPKDQMM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=a81a1a3d-96df-450a-814f-60db7fdd5e30&pf_rd_i=6669703011


Even better is that you can add a micro sd card, which gives you plenty of music.


I hadn't considered a tablet actually... Not necessarily a bad idea. Because I buy most of my music on CD, having a built-in disc reader would be nice - and a regular keyboard for emailing and such. Maybe all the modern laptops are touch-screens, but I really don't foresee myself needing that so it'd be silly to pay extra for that feature too. But maybe a tablet would be best. Thanks for the suggestion. As far as tablets like that go, do you think the Amazon is the best for what I'd mostly be using it for?

schizoid wrote:
There are so many variations of laptops it's impossible just to recommend a model. Narrow down your options and post links to them.


Ugh I know... but that's just the trouble: I don't even know where to start. Seems Dell are somewhat well regarded though I don't like their shiesty business practices and my wife has one which has been quite a lemon since she got it. Lenovo are supposed to be real nice and I think from the little I know, I'm leaning towards them... though I think you pay a lot for the name. Initially, I was thinking that a slightly lesser known brand like Asus may be ideal, though I just don't even know what else is out there.

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-WK45B2-Fi ... B00KYFWDLU
You can get a keyboard for a Fire. As far as music, if you're still into cd's, if you buy them on amazon, you get the digital version free.
If you wouldn't want to carry a Fire around for music, Id also recommend a Fiio:
https://www.amazon.com/X1-Resolution-Di ... =fiio&th=1
All you'd need to do is put the micro sd card in that and you're set.

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Kerrick
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:02 pm
Posts: 1413
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 3:47 pm 
 

Thanks! I've looked into those non-iPod music players in the past and actually tried to turn my Samsung phone into one using an iTunes-to-MP3 app though it was quite a hassle and didn't work very well. I think I'm pretty stuck with my iPod.

I had in mind something akin to this:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/id ... 9:00019CAB:

The price is right, I think Lenovo is supposed to be pretty good so the likelihood of the finger pad going out or mechanical failure of some kind, etc.

The other question is SSD... If my laptop is on, iTunes is up. So I don't want to store all my music on an external drive, though I don't mind keeping my pictures on one. I understand that SSD's are totally awesome but don't have the memory capacity as the regular hard drives do. Are there any good laptop options with big enough SSD's to store up to maybe 60 gigs of music and simultaneously be running multiple tabs on an internet browser, iTunes, and whatnot?

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Smoking_Gnu
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Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:22 pm
Posts: 4797
PostPosted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 3:59 pm 
 

So, most OS installs of Windows 10 take up about 32 gigs, common practice is to have half your drive free so you don't run into storage issues. You'd want to look for 180GB SSDs then. To give yourself more options and save money, I'd recommend finding a laptop with a removable drive, then taking out the hard drive and replacing it with an SSD (make sure the laptop model doesn't have the drive soldered to the motherboard, though fewer and fewer do these days.) It's a bit tedious especially depending on laptop model, but doesn't require any major repair skills, just a lot of unscrewing and rescrewing small screws. I've found that asus laptops are normally pretty easy to take apart.

Plus, you can then take the original HD, get an external mount for it and use that for your pictures.
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schizoid
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2004 8:35 am
Posts: 1602
Location: New Zealand
PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:43 am 
 

Smoking_Gnu wrote:
I'd recommend finding a laptop with a removable drive, then taking out the hard drive and replacing it with an SSD (make sure the laptop model doesn't have the drive soldered to the motherboard, though fewer and fewer do these days.)


Ive never heard of this. Don't all laptops have removable drives? Although it wouldn't surprise me if Apple in their infinite wisdom had decided to buck that trend at some point :lol:
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aaronmb666
Veteran

Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 3:37 am
Posts: 2834
PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 9:08 am 
 

Kerrick wrote:
Thanks! I've looked into those non-iPod music players in the past and actually tried to turn my Samsung phone into one using an iTunes-to-MP3 app though it was quite a hassle and didn't work very well. I think I'm pretty stuck with my iPod.

I had in mind something akin to this:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/id ... 9:00019CAB:

The price is right, I think Lenovo is supposed to be pretty good so the likelihood of the finger pad going out or mechanical failure of some kind, etc.

The other question is SSD... If my laptop is on, iTunes is up. So I don't want to store all my music on an external drive, though I don't mind keeping my pictures on one. I understand that SSD's are totally awesome but don't have the memory capacity as the regular hard drives do. Are there any good laptop options with big enough SSD's to store up to maybe 60 gigs of music and simultaneously be running multiple tabs on an internet browser, iTunes, and whatnot?


FWIW, I tried an Ipod classic and thought it was horrible for metal. It was way too flat sounding. Not to mention you have to use a program for music. Last year, I was on a different forum and asked about an mp3 player for metal, and that's how I found out about a Fiio. I had a Zune HD before, which had really good sound quality, but it was only 64gb. The sound on a Fiio I think is slightly better.
As far as SSD's, the prices have really gone down, to where you could get a good size, say 500gb, for $200, or maybe cheaper.

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Smoking_Gnu
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Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:22 pm
Posts: 4797
PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 11:26 am 
 

schizoid wrote:
Smoking_Gnu wrote:
I'd recommend finding a laptop with a removable drive, then taking out the hard drive and replacing it with an SSD (make sure the laptop model doesn't have the drive soldered to the motherboard, though fewer and fewer do these days.)


Ive never heard of this. Don't all laptops have removable drives? Although it wouldn't surprise me if Apple in their infinite wisdom had decided to buck that trend at some point :lol:


Derp, I was thinking of ram being soldered to the mb in some laptops, all laptops do indeed have removable drives. :durr:
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Slayer are not as uneducated as people think, some of them did know how to read.

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Kerrick
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:02 pm
Posts: 1413
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 4:08 pm 
 

Smoking_Gnu wrote:
So, most OS installs of Windows 10 take up about 32 gigs, common practice is to have half your drive free so you don't run into storage issues. You'd want to look for 180GB SSDs then. To give yourself more options and save money, I'd recommend finding a laptop with a removable drive, then taking out the hard drive and replacing it with an SSD (make sure the laptop model doesn't have the drive soldered to the motherboard, though fewer and fewer do these days.) It's a bit tedious especially depending on laptop model, but doesn't require any major repair skills, just a lot of unscrewing and rescrewing small screws. I've found that asus laptops are normally pretty easy to take apart.

Plus, you can then take the original HD, get an external mount for it and use that for your pictures.


This is very valuable information; thank you. I didn't realize Windows 10 is so demanding on the computer... (Side note: my laptop is still running 7 which I like alright (XP is still my favorite...) but 10 just seems ridiculous... I wish I could just run XP still.)

aaronmb666 wrote:
FWIW, I tried an Ipod classic and thought it was horrible for metal. It was way too flat sounding. Not to mention you have to use a program for music. Last year, I was on a different forum and asked about an mp3 player for metal, and that's how I found out about a Fiio. I had a Zune HD before, which had really good sound quality, but it was only 64gb. The sound on a Fiio I think is slightly better.
As far as SSD's, the prices have really gone down, to where you could get a good size, say 500gb, for $200, or maybe cheaper.


This is also very good information. I'm no audiophile but if I could find a better and much cheaper alternative to my iPod with better sound... How time-consuming/frustrating was the process of moving over from iTunes? Did you have to convert the files or anything?

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Smoking_Gnu
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Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:22 pm
Posts: 4797
PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 4:40 pm 
 

Ah yeah, that brings me to one other point - if you're installing an SSD manually you'll need to either clone your OS from your old drive (with software+a cable sold together for about $30; this will obviously let you keep everything you had there) or install a new OS. You can find legal serial keys for Windows 7 for $30-50, and I think you can still update to W10 (if you ever want to do so) for free.

If you're looking for a reliable SSD, I've had great mileage with OCZ arc: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product
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Kerrick
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:02 pm
Posts: 1413
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 6:34 pm 
 

Ah I didn't even think about that... Some of the Lenovos I was looking at had a SSD option. If I bought a new one from them, it'd come already installed which would be handy. The wife and I just made a budget for this year and it's pretty tight so if I can save a few bucks by procuring/installing stuff myself, I'm definitely down!

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aaronmb666
Veteran

Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 3:37 am
Posts: 2834
PostPosted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 9:01 pm 
 

Kerrick wrote:
Smoking_Gnu wrote:
So, most OS installs of Windows 10 take up about 32 gigs, common practice is to have half your drive free so you don't run into storage issues. You'd want to look for 180GB SSDs then. To give yourself more options and save money, I'd recommend finding a laptop with a removable drive, then taking out the hard drive and replacing it with an SSD (make sure the laptop model doesn't have the drive soldered to the motherboard, though fewer and fewer do these days.) It's a bit tedious especially depending on laptop model, but doesn't require any major repair skills, just a lot of unscrewing and rescrewing small screws. I've found that asus laptops are normally pretty easy to take apart.

Plus, you can then take the original HD, get an external mount for it and use that for your pictures.


This is very valuable information; thank you. I didn't realize Windows 10 is so demanding on the computer... (Side note: my laptop is still running 7 which I like alright (XP is still my favorite...) but 10 just seems ridiculous... I wish I could just run XP still.)

aaronmb666 wrote:
FWIW, I tried an Ipod classic and thought it was horrible for metal. It was way too flat sounding. Not to mention you have to use a program for music. Last year, I was on a different forum and asked about an mp3 player for metal, and that's how I found out about a Fiio. I had a Zune HD before, which had really good sound quality, but it was only 64gb. The sound on a Fiio I think is slightly better.
As far as SSD's, the prices have really gone down, to where you could get a good size, say 500gb, for $200, or maybe cheaper.


This is also very good information. I'm no audiophile but if I could find a better and much cheaper alternative to my iPod with better sound... How time-consuming/frustrating was the process of moving over from iTunes? Did you have to convert the files or anything?


I didn't do itunes, but Im pretty sure you just plug both in and just transfer.

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hey
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 6:41 pm
Posts: 1636
Location: United States of America
PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 1:29 am 
 

Smoking_Gnu wrote:
Ah yeah, that brings me to one other point - if you're installing an SSD manually you'll need to either clone your OS from your old drive (with software+a cable sold together for about $30; this will obviously let you keep everything you had there).

Take some precautions if you're going to try this, you should make sure your previous laptop hadn't come with an oem incense tied to your laptop.

Smoking_Gnu wrote:
If you're looking for a reliable SSD, I've had great mileage with OCZ arc: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

Not familiar with OCZ, but you might want to compare it to Samsung's incredibly popular evo/pro lines (you can definitely still find cheaper ones, but idunno about reliability).

Kerrick wrote:
-Windows, not Apple or Google. (I *could* be persuaded to go with another OS if it just really makes sense... But I don't like Apple's interface and I think Google is generally evil haha.)

It might not be worth the effort if whatever you're buying already comes with a Windows key anyways, but you could always consider running Linux (could maybe run itunes with Wine, but I wouldn't).

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schizoid
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2004 8:35 am
Posts: 1602
Location: New Zealand
PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 1:14 am 
 

hey wrote:
Smoking_Gnu wrote:
If you're looking for a reliable SSD, I've had great mileage with OCZ arc: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

Not familiar with OCZ, but you might want to compare it to Samsung's incredibly popular evo/pro lines (you can definitely still find cheaper ones, but idunno about reliability).



OCZ were actually the only company I heard of having reliability issues in the early days, but those seem to be long ago resolved. Unless you're a power user, any SSD should be basically as useful as the next. Go with the cheapest if in doubt :wink:

For cloning of your old drive, you could just pick up a cheapie USB external enclosure to use. There are plenty of free software out there. I use Macrium Reflect.
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