Updating aging IT

[Geoff]

My current laptop is getting long in the tooth and is low in memory, so I am looking for an upgrade to something that will be more suitable for writing. Two things I do need are along battery life and lightness for carrying as I travel a lot. I therefore turn to you, my august colleagues, for any suggestions you may have in this area?

 

[Paul Whybrow]

My Acer Aspire 5735Z is in a similar state of decrepitude as yours, Geoff. They used to say that 4-5 years was a reasonable lifespan for a laptop, and mine is 8 years old. It soldiers on, though appears to have arthritis, doing things at its own speed.

Did you see this article in the Guardian, about future-proofing your replacement laptop?

Can I future-proof my purchase of a new laptop?

 

[Geoff]

Thanks Paul, I shall have a look at the Guardian article, if my geriatic Dell allows me.

 

[Carol Rose]

I'm a Mac snob. I love my MacBook Pro.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Thanks Paul, I shall have a look at the Guardian article, if my geriatic Dell allows me.

My previous laptop, bought when lived in America, was the notorious Dell Inspiron 5150. This had a design flaw, which allowed the casing to flex and make contact with the battery. Several caught fire and Dell eventually recalled four-and-a-half million of them. A couple of people had their vehicle destroyed by them igniting.

Dell recalls 4 million 'exploding' laptops | Daily Mail Online

Mine suffered from overheating, shutting down unpredictably meaning I lost work. When I tried to make a claim after returning to the UK, they wouldn't pay up—even though I'd forked out $50 for a worldwide warranty. This soured me against Dell forever, and I will never buy another one of their products.

My replacement was an Acer Aspire 5735Z, which I love and it's been ultra-reliable. I bought it at a Tesco superstore, for a very competitive price complete with free extras.

 

[Geoff]

My Dell is an Inspiron N7010. I haven't had an overheating batteries problems, but it is heavy and used virtually as a desktop. Support was good, when under warranty, until I had software problem. They virtually shrugged their shoulders at first. Finally got it sorted out, but it took some time.
The MacBook Pro is an option I am looking at. As a Project Manager I use MS Project, which does not sit well with a Mac. I assume all the main features of word will work, they seem fine on my iPhone, so maybe time for a change.

 

[David Newrick]

It mostly depends on what you can afford really. Do you have a set budget figure Geoff?

 

[Paul Whybrow]

It mostly depends on what you can afford really. Do you have a set budget figure Geoff?

An affordable source of laptops are pawn shops. They don't lend money on anything old or dodgy, so they stock recent models.

 

[Geoff]

No set figure, but probably around £900 maximum, preferable lower than though.
The pawn shop option, could be a good idea. Thanks for the suggestion Paul.

 

[David Newrick]

No set figure, but probably around £900 maximum, preferable lower than though.
The pawn shop option, could be a good idea. Thanks for the suggestion Paul.

The general rule I have used when advising on this over the years is purchase the fastest processor, most RAM and largest hard disk within the set budget. Essentially, you have to buy a new laptop/PC. If you want to you could keep adding options like a touch sensitive screen, dedicated graphics by NVidia, aluminium casing, super thin/lightweight etc. and so spend many thousands of pounds for one.

For your budget look for an i7 Intel processor or equivalent, 8 gigabytes of RAM and at least 0.5 TB hard disk. And even though you get the operating system with it don't forget that you will need software to run on it - so factor in the cost of Microsoft Office, Scrivener etc. as well. Your budget Geoff will definitely buy you a laptop with those specifications so next we have consider your own preferences.

Some people have a long standing preference for a particular maker - mine always leans towards Toshiba because I have bought a lot of their machines in the past and their product support/drivers are excellent. Others prefer Dell, Sony, Acer, Lenovo, etc. etc. That is apart from the look of the thing. So the best thing to do is have a look around on the PC World website and others and then post the link to the product you like the look of in this thread and I can give you feedback on it.

One tip - laptop cases are often eye wateringly expensive. I bought mine in Wilkinson's for a tenner and I can't tell the difference between that one and cases that others have bought for five times the price. Unless you want a brand or designer name consider doing the same.

 

[Geoff]

Thank you David, that's really helpful. I will have a look around, based on your info, and let you know!

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I'm a Mac snob. I love my MacBook Pro.

I agree with Carol! I just got myself a new one last week to replace my old one.

 

[Geoff]

Hi David, I have been looking at a Lenovo Yoga 710. I would welcome your opinion please?

 

[David Newrick]

Hi David, I have been looking at a Lenovo Yoga 710. I would welcome your opinion please?

Interesting Geoff.

Which processor were you thinking getting?

Also, a word of caution about your eyes - this is a 14" screen. I have struggled with laptop screens for some years now as I have been getting eye strain. Will your eyes be okay with this size?

Sorry more questions than answers - but it is a 'considered purchase'.

 

[Geoff]

Hi David,
I am looking at the i7. Good point about the screen, perhaps 15 it 17 inch might be better?

Thanks.

 

[David Newrick]

Hi David,
I am looking at the i7. Good point about the screen, perhaps 15 it 17 inch might be better?

Thanks.

If it were for myself then I would definitely opt for a larger screen. At work I sourced machines with 23" screens and it is without doubt easier on your eyes.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

There was a story on the box this morning about blue light from computers and smartphones straining the eyes. Boots and Vision Express have been promoting special lenses to reduce blue light glare but the 'independent scientist' said the blue light emitted was less than 1% of what it takes to cause eye fatigue.

Any long reading or writing is likely to cause fatigue with insufficient breaks, I'd have thought, blue lenses or not.

 

[Geoff]

Quite ironic really, a story on TV about the dangers of looking at screens.

 

[David Newrick]

There was a story on the box this morning about blue light from computers and smartphones straining the eyes. Boots and Vision Express have been promoting special lenses to reduce blue light glare but the 'independent scientist' said the blue light emitted was less than 1% of what it takes to cause eye fatigue.

Any long reading or writing is likely to cause fatigue with insufficient breaks, I'd have thought, blue lenses or not.

When I read a printed book my eyes are fine, even though I will almost certainly read for far longer than I intended. However, when I am staring at screens my eyes invariably feel tired and dry after about half an hour. This is one reason why I like to get out walking in the countryside at weekends because I am well away from screens, apart from my smart phone of course.

You have to remember Katie-Ellen that when you are looking at a screen you are in fact staring straight into a light source. So you are right, taking breaks is vital for your eye health.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

In today's Guardian: Which Windows laptop could replace a MacBook Pro?

 

[Carol Rose]

In today's Guardian: Which Windows laptop could replace a MacBook Pro?

Never. Not for me, anyway. I will NEVER go back to the constant hassles of owning a Windows machine. My MacBooks have been drama free.

 

[Chase Gamwell]

Hey all! Figured I'd drop in my 2 cents:

• I'm a PC guy, but I agree with @Carol Rose and @Robinne Weiss on this point - get a Mac. They're a bit more expensive, but if you want a no hassle writing machine, you can't beat a Mac.
• And @Katie-Ellen Hazeldine, I just got new glasses with the "blue blocker" lenses. It could always be the placebo effect, but before I had the lenses, I always got stress headaches when I worked on my computer for long stretches of time. Now, I barely get headaches. *knocks on wood* Besides that, blue blocker lenses have been a thing in the gaming community for years. I've always wanted to get a pair, but I wear glasses, so I couldn't. Now, I'm glad I have the opportunity to have the lenses because I really like them. Though the world now has a kind of yellowish tinge to it (because of no blue light), I tend to have less eye strain.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Interesting Chase. They were snotty with Boots and with Vision Express about it, and a spokesperson said actually it was pretty well understood within their industry but there were no 'independent' reports as yet, said the talking-head doctor. Yadda yadda.

I do notice my eyes get tireder these days.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Well I'm late to this one, but for what its worth, I bought last year, a Lenova G70 HD 1600x900 18" screen, which isn't too heavy for the size, and good battery life. $370 US at the time, from Cosco, and for an extra $20, had it delivered (in USA of course).

 

[Geoff]

Thanks everyone. The most annoying things about my current device is the time taken booting up, mcafee reducing the speed of loading internet pages and windows 10 freezing. How does this compare with a Mac and does MS word function okay?

 

[Robinne Weiss]

My new MacBook Pro boots up very quickly. MS word functions as fine as MS word ever functions--gets unstable if you have a large document with lots of tables or graphics (my understanding is that this is a Word problem, not a Mac problem, though it's been 25 years since I used Word on anything but a Mac, so others may know more). Can't say anything about the internet, as I'm on rural broadband in NZ--it's not my computer slowing down the internet for me.

 

[Carol Rose]

My MacBook Pro takes about 45 seconds to restart. I've used Macs for almost ten years now and have never had an issue with pages loading slowly or with them freezing, unless it's an Internet issue. As @Robinne Weiss said, Word for Mac gets a bit wonky, but only after I've been writing for a few weeks and haven't restarted the machine in all that time. This is a Word issue, not a Mac issue, as Word does the same thing to me on a Windows machine at my day job.

 

[Geoff]

Thanks everybody for the feedback, I think Carol's last post has swung it for the Mac.

 

[Patricia D]

I'm late to the party but want to add my voice to those praising Macs. I've been using them since the late eighties. My current laptop is 8 years old and my desktop is 7. I gave the latter new life by adding new memory, which was surprisingly cheap and easy to DIY, and I'm no techie. The laptop is another story. The case is cracked (my fault) and I'm afraid to open it to add memory for fear I won't get it back together again. If I buy another laptop, it will be a mac.