looking for more computer help.

"Scary__goongala!" (corymagee)
09/19/2016 at 15:32 • Filed to: None

I can’t help but be picky with my more expensive purchases. Plus I’m generally curious what different computer specs mean. I’ve narrowed my list down to some of the 11.6 inch Lenovos available on Amazon. How concerned do I need to be with GHZ, SSD v HDD, Ram, etc? I’ll just be using it for normal school work and internet stuff.

DISCUSSION (24)

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Scary__goongala!
09/19/2016 at 15:33

I’d say get something with an SSD and at least 4 GB of RAM. The differences in CPU speed won’t really be noticeable for that kind of stuff. Also, battery life is what you want to look at too.

Scary__goongala! > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
09/19/2016 at 15:38

Roger. Your first sentence is something I’ve sorta picked up on with my searching.

Tripper > Scary__goongala!
09/19/2016 at 15:38

Spring for the full ssd, get at least 8gb of RAM as those are the most noticeable as far as speed/multitasking. If you can find something affordable with a quad core processor, awesome. If not, no big deal unless you’re wanting to play games etc...

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Scary__goongala!
09/19/2016 at 15:40

If you want really cheap, I’d suggest a refurbished Thinkpad from eBay.

Scary__goongala! > Tripper
09/19/2016 at 15:40

What you mentioned is exactly what the computer I’m most favoring has.

MUSASHI66 > Scary__goongala!
09/19/2016 at 15:42

Minimum specs I’d recommend for anyone these days are Intel Core i5, 256GB SSD, and 4+ GB of RAM.

Do yourself a favor and don’t buy a computer without an SSD, and really try to get 256GB or larger.

I am not too concerned about the GHz if you pick at least i5.

The real cheap Lenovos on Amazon with Atom or Celeron processors, 500GB SATA drives or 32GB of Flash memory....let’s just say you probably will not be too impressed with them. If you have to go cheap, buy Intel Core M at a minimum.

This is one of the cheapest I’ consider

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-2—-1-To…

This, I’d buy for myself

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Tablet-…

Tripper > Scary__goongala!
09/19/2016 at 15:44

I would also steer clear of AMD processors, and go with something from Intel. Some will say that they are just as good, but IMHO they’re trash.

lone_liberal > Scary__goongala!
09/19/2016 at 15:47

Quite frankly an SSD only really comes in to its own during boot and when handling large files a 7200RPM HDD would probably be fine. First priority is RAM, maximize that then worry about the other stuff.

Textured Soy Protein > Scary__goongala!
09/19/2016 at 15:53

Main things to get are minimum display resolution of 1600x900, 8 GB of RAM, and an SSD of ideally 256 GB (you can squeak by with a smaller one if you’re not saving a bunch of video files).

But, 11.6” is really small, especially with how badly Windows handles display scaling on small, higher-resolution screens. You will be squinting like crazy and furious at all the mismatched font sizes. There are plenty of 13” thin/light laptops out there.

At home I have a Macbook Pro 13 and my fiancee has the “high end” Toshiba Chromebook 13. I’m thrilled to not have to manage any of my own Windows computers. I say this even though I used nothing but Windows from 1994 to 2014.

(My work laptop is Windows 10 but it and the bigger monitor I have it hooked up to on my desk have low-res screens that don’t use scaling. I’d rather see pixelated screens than a bunch of crappy wrong-size fonts and icons.)

Get a Mac or a Chromebook, unless you need more functionality than a Chromebook provides, at a lower price than a Mac.

Nibbles > Scary__goongala!
09/19/2016 at 15:58

What models are you looking at? Lower end Lenovos are packed with old Lenovo tech, including a hinge that is, well, less-than-sturdy.

Scary__goongala! > Textured Soy Protein
09/19/2016 at 16:02

I really won’t be doing anything crazy. Just Office, internet, and music. I’d like something slightly bigger than 11.6, but the only ones I’ve really seen are Dells or HPs, and I’m not crazy about them.

Scary__goongala! > Nibbles
09/19/2016 at 16:03

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Thinkpa… This one I like the most thus far.

Montalvo > Tripper
09/19/2016 at 16:16

AMD has their moments but that is normally reserved for desktop CPUs. They are cheap run hot and are power hungry but if you know what you are doing you can do well with them. If you want good support and reliability, Intel is really the only option.

Textured Soy Protein > Scary__goongala!
09/19/2016 at 16:29

Not sure your budget but check out this Acer Aspire S13 . For $669 it’s got a perfectly decent Intel Core i5-6200U processor, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 13.3” 1920x1080 matte screen, 802.11ac wifi, backlit keyboard, and weighs under 3 lbs.

I know they don’t have a fancy reputation but I’ve had good luck with Acer computers over the years. Although the only Acer product I have at the moment is my fiancee’s cheap 8” Android tablet.

If I personally were in the market for a Windows machine (which I’m not), I’d take a good long look at this one.

Here’s a pretty detailed professional review of it.

Chinny Raccoon > lone_liberal
09/19/2016 at 17:00

I have to disagree on that one, it’s really quite noticeable if you swap between the two.

lone_liberal > Chinny Raccoon
09/19/2016 at 17:19

That’s the thing, though, a 7200RPM HDD will provide sufficient performance. It will not be as fast as an SSD but most of the time a person doing normal stuff will not notice as nobody swaps between the two on a routine basis.

Nibbles > Scary__goongala!
09/19/2016 at 21:57

Please no. Don’t subject yourself to that. The 11e is notoriously shoddy - it’s built for quantity, not quality, and abused/thrown away by K12 schools. Save yourself the grief, put a couple hundred more up and get a Surface 3.

Scary__goongala! > Nibbles
09/19/2016 at 22:53

Well that’s why I’ve asked these questions. Only thing that annoyed about the surface 3 is that I still need to buy a keyboard and cover for t

Nibbles > Scary__goongala!
09/21/2016 at 10:05

I hear ya. There’s always a bit of a tradeoff. We got my wife’s Surface 3 64/2/LTE on CL, gently used (less than 10 hours on it), with a Type Cover and a bunch of other accessories for $350. You may be able to find a similar deal...

Scary__goongala! > Nibbles
09/21/2016 at 10:37

Do you think its worth getting the pro? I’m considering it since the pro gives you a 12in screen which I’d really prefer over the 10.8in.

Nibbles > Scary__goongala!
09/21/2016 at 10:42

The Pro is one hell of a machine, and worth its asking price. That price is a bit on the high side.

Scary__goongala! > Nibbles
09/21/2016 at 10:48

Gotcha. I think the Pro is what I’m going to go with, and the one with just 64 GB. I don’t save anything besides music and pictures. I most likely won’t need the extra features it has but I’d really like to have the bigger screen.

Nibbles > Scary__goongala!
09/21/2016 at 10:51

You'll have about 27GB of that 64 available. Thankfully there's a MicroSD slot

Scary__goongala! > Nibbles
09/21/2016 at 10:54

Yeah I figured I’d be fine since it has the SD slot. Thanks for your help.