Charming
Help me! Computer hunting! - Printable Version

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Help me! Computer hunting! - Fortuna Bixby - March 19, 2018

I need input on a new laptop.. I don't have one (obviously) and the desktop has been packed away due to the move. And at this point...who knows when we'll be in our own house. So..i need some help.

I don't want to spend a ton of money. I don't need anything super fancy. I would like something that could be used for basic gaming if i should decide to (like Sims, maybe guild wars nothing super crazy). It will mostly be for writing. If i can hack a cheap PS version I will. So...with that in mind nnn thoughts? Suggestions?


RE: Help me! - Bella Scrimgeour - March 19, 2018

Try to get something with a lot of storage, even if you don't need a super high speed processor for gaming! Windows updates (if you do Windows!) have messed up my school laptop because they take up more storage space than the computer has to offer, rendering it practically useless. I would also strongly advise against Dell simply from my own experiences, with the exception of my Dell Inspiron that I love (but have put through hell, so obvs it's dYING ON ME)!.


RE: Help me! - Fortuna Bixby - March 19, 2018

Also, anyone have any experience with laptops from Costco?


RE: Help me! - Tiberius Lestrange - March 19, 2018

When I bought my laptop they really talked up this whole "tablet + laptop" function, and it. is. shit.

First of all, I never, ever, ever use the function where you can turn your screen all the way around and use it as a tablet, because you know who needs a 16" tablet? Fucking no one.

Second, it doesn't have a disc drive - so forget any games you might want to play on it. I went out and bought a standalone disc drive that plugs in to the USB so that I could watch DVDs, only to discover that there is no software on this computer that will run movies.

I use this piece of shit laptop for Charming but I still use my Macbook — circa year two thousand fucking four — for watching movies and doing shit that this "more advanced" laptop can't.

So my advice as someone who recently bought a laptop after not having kept up with the advances for several years would be to verify everything. You would think that the ability to play DVDs would be standard, but it's apparently not, because this shitty screen-rotating crap is standard now instead.

My second piece of advice would be just get a Macbook instead of a Windows computer. They're orders of magnitude more expensive (like 3x as much) but I swear, I have regretted the purchase of this shitty windows laptop every day since I've bought it and I used my Macbook for literally over a decade before I bought another one. And even then, it was still fully functional except that the battery kept falling out. And that was the Navy's fault, not my Macbook's fault (long story :P)


RE: Help me! Computer hunting! - Fortuna Bixby - March 19, 2018

Oh yeah, i don't want tablet function. I need it to be sturdy af cause three hellion monsters live with me plus a baby. I don't want any sort of touchscreen either. I'm wary on Mac because of price and i honestly know nothing about them or their software. I don't even use an iPhone because of it all.


RE: Help me! Computer hunting! - Tiberius Lestrange - March 19, 2018

There is a bit of a learning curve switching between Mac and PC where the shortcuts are concerned and different programs and such, but in my opinion it's totally worth it for one simple fact: my Mac never shut my stuff down for surprise!updates that took several hours. Windows does that all the effing time. "Oh, you had seven tabs up and two unsaved word documents? Sucks to be you! Also you can't have your laptop back until midnight so have fun with that. You wanted some sort of warning before we stole your computer? Too bad!"

Macs also (basically) don't get computer viruses.

The only really inconvenient thing is that some programs either aren't made for Macs or are more expensive for Macs (esp. gaming programs) but I think in recent years the gap there has been closing. If there is some obscure game you want to play that isn't made for Mac, you can just use the desktop for it, so worth it in my opinion.


RE: Help me! Computer hunting! - Declan Wood - March 19, 2018

I am less helpful here, but Sims isn't recommended to run on a laptop. The engineers have programmed it in a way that overtaxes your graphics card and it will basically melt and destroy your graphics card and entire computer. I've lost two laptops and a desktop to Sims 3 before I just quit playing. >.>; It fries the motherboard. So uh yeah, maybe they fixed it in Sims 4 but I find it doubtful.

I second a mac. I don't have one personally but if I could, that's what I'd get! They're super user-friendly and built to last and seem to have fewer glitches.


RE: Help me! Computer hunting! - Fortuna Bixby - March 19, 2018

Mmm yeah. Don't think i can swing Mac. Looks like the cheapest is $1300and no way will i get the hubs on board with that.


RE: Help me! Computer hunting! - Cassius Lestrange - March 19, 2018

my dell inspiron is a piece of trash garbage and I haaaaate iiiiiiit

My roommate once dropped her MacBook Air off of her bed onto the floor and it dented the floor. The laptop was fine. My next laptop is going to be a Mac accordingly. >.>


RE: Help me! Computer hunting! - Aldous Crouch - March 19, 2018

I bought my HP envy at Costco before I moved to Taiwan. It still works fine and can handle any basic gaming and some more demanding ones as well!


RE: Help me! Computer hunting! - Theseus Greengrass - March 19, 2018

I personally have a Toshiba and it's been wonderful ever since I got it. I used to have a MSI that was an actual gaming laptop but spilled water on the keyboard, panicked because the keys weren't working, and bought that Toshiba the same day only to find out the MSI wasn't actually broken at all #oops. BUT, it was around $750 and was labelled as a gaming laptop (but really it's not as intense as a typical gaming laptop). I believe Toshiba's also typically come with a decent amount of HD space, this one is sturdy but it's also like the aforementioned demon that Lynn brought up and has a touch screen / tablet function that I am not particularly fond of. There's some way to disable the touch screen but it doesn't bother me too much. Plus, in some cases the touch screen has saved me when my mouse/touch pad has stopped working, so it comes in clutch.

I'd def search for something around $500 - $600 and, if need be, you can always modify it (or have someone at a tech shop do it for you) to include more RAM or a better graphics card. That option will probably be cheaper too in the long run, especially if you'll have the desktop back to play more demanding games.