cazzesman Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 https://www.umart.com.au/HP-Probook-445-G6-14in-FHD-AMD-Ryzen-7-2700U-16GB-512GB-SSD-Laptop_52672G.html Gents I am tossing up on maybe buying a new laptop and looking for suggestion re value for money. Does the above fit into the category. Anyone suggest any good 2nd hand Laptop websites worth viewing. Is Grays Online worth a look? My plan of sorts is to maybe get a laptop and make a dual boot with W10 and Linux Mint. If and when I have got a handle on Linux Mint and like it, I will slowly make the full move on my home PC with a complete fresh install of Linux Mint. Probably sounds abit convoluted but forget that and let me know what is value for money please Regards Cazzesman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Muon N' Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 That Ryzen CPU/GPU looks a decent performer, I used to like HP but have been out of touch in the computer scene and more so the laptop scene so not a lot of help, looks well spec'ed on the basics though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavtron Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 the one you picked seems good - but you would want to check the keyboard / trackpad / screen in person before buying.. this is where cheaper laptops usually suck I have been burnt buying 2nd hand ex lease ones in the past..! You never know how badly they may have been treated.. Stick to new 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LogicprObe Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 32 minutes ago, gavtron said: the one you picked seems good - but you would want to check the keyboard / trackpad / screen in person before buying.. this is where cheaper laptops usually suck I have been burnt buying 2nd hand ex lease ones in the past..! You never know how badly they may have been treated.. Stick to new Yes, replacement keyboards are usually hard to come by for superceded models and the Chinese knock offs are absolute garbage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThirdDrawerDown Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Laptops aren't designed for laps, they can overheat. Also the fashion is to make 'em thin, which apparently is cool or makes a businessman or woman look desirable on an aircraft or something. But glued plastic cases can and do bend, and the thinner the laptop the more likely that short-circuits happen. Laptops are designed as disposable tech and planned obsolescence. OK, so I'm grumpy and probably unhelpful, as I've just dumped a Lenovo touchscreen laptop that couldn't run for more than 5 minutes without fritzing a short circuit. You know they have to run the wires from the screen to the hard drive through the hinge? A friend who used to run a PC business said Lenovo laptops usually died about 3 months after the guarantee ran out. Meh. So these days I travel with my work laptop and an old one with an actual CD player in it and built like a tank. Although I'm now onto my second, I had to chuck an old HP Pavilion it kept overheating and cutting out. This pay cycle I'm reviving a Thinkpad tablet by buying a new battery because you can't let these things go with empty batteries for more than 2 days without recharging, or else the flat battery dies and needs replacing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy8 Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 3 hours ago, cazzesman said: My plan of sorts is to maybe get a laptop and make a dual boot with W10 and Linux Mint. Taking this OT. Warning with dual boot - it can easily be messed up and you can spend lots of time fixing things. Make sure you have up to date backup of your data. When you are starting out, suggest booting Mint from USB until you are comfortable. Use the USB to try out the various flavours of Mint, Linux etc. Do dual boot only when you settle on something. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted to music Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 2 hours ago, ThirdDrawerDown said: Laptops aren't designed for laps, they can overheat. Also the fashion is to make 'em thin, which apparently is cool or makes a businessman or woman look desirable on an aircraft or something. But glued plastic cases can and do bend, and the thinner the laptop the more likely that short-circuits happen. Laptops are designed as disposable tech and planned obsolescence. OK, so I'm grumpy and probably unhelpful, as I've just dumped a Lenovo touchscreen laptop that couldn't run for more than 5 minutes without fritzing a short circuit. You know they have to run the wires from the screen to the hard drive through the hinge? A friend who used to run a PC business said Lenovo laptops usually died about 3 months after the guarantee ran out. Meh. So these days I travel with my work laptop and an old one with an actual CD player in it and built like a tank. Although I'm now onto my second, I had to chuck an old HP Pavilion it kept overheating and cutting out. This pay cycle I'm reviving a Thinkpad tablet by buying a new battery because you can't let these things go with empty batteries for more than 2 days without recharging, or else the flat battery dies and needs replacing. I’ve had a Lenovo X240 as a company issued laptop and it goes through hell and back, never had an issue, built like Shcitt but never let me down. You are right about the heat, and how the thinner it gets, Apple is no exception, there top of the line 15” MacBook Pros run that hot that the fans scream and you can’t sit it on top of your lap. My current company issued Dell is the same...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCD Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 https://www.metabox.com.au/store/ Never used or bought one but they get some good reviews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 9 hours ago, Snoopy8 said: Taking this OT. Warning with dual boot - it can easily be messed up and you can spend lots of time fixing things. Make sure you have up to date backup of your data. When you are starting out, suggest booting Mint from USB until you are comfortable. Use the USB to try out the various flavours of Mint, Linux etc. Do dual boot only when you settle on something. Even better, make that "USB" a small credit card sized SSD plugged into a USB 3 port. Install Mint on that. The speed will surprise you and they only cost less than $50 at officeworks. Linux Mint will still install a dual boot menu, so you can leave the SSD plugged in and still fire up Windows occasionally without removing it. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blybo Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 9 hours ago, Addicted to music said: Apple is no exception, there top of the line 15” MacBook Pros run that hot that the fans scream and you can’t sit it on top of your lap. I do not find that on my 2017 15". Over the years I've become incresingly frustrated by Windows OS and business software which forces me to use Windows. We now run virtual machines when we can but have found Windows 10 very bloated compared to 8 and 8 runs better for us as a virtual machine. Most of our Mac machines last close to 10 years with minimal issues, so FAR better long term value for us despite the higher purchase price. I am a quality first purchaser, I find in all industries buying budget products costs you more in the long run. Expensive does not necessarily mean good value though, so some research is required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 11 hours ago, ThirdDrawerDown said: You know they have to run the wires from the screen to the hard drive through the hinge? Well. not to the hard drive. The screen connects to the motherboard, and btw, laptops have always been made that way - of course the wires go through the hinge. 9 hours ago, Addicted to music said: A friend who used to run a PC business said Lenovo laptops usually died about 3 months after the guarantee ran out. None of mine ever have. 9 hours ago, Addicted to music said: This pay cycle I'm reviving a Thinkpad tablet by buying a new battery because you can't let these things go with empty batteries for more than 2 days without recharging, or else the flat battery dies and needs replacing. Not too old I hope. Old electronics, especially stuff that gets hot, also degrades. Lenovo have been making Thinkpads for a while, so I presume you mean an old Thinkpad with the IBM logo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Muon N' Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 10 hours ago, Snoopy8 said: Taking this OT. Warning with dual boot - it can easily be messed up and you can spend lots of time fixing things. Make sure you have up to date backup of your data. When you are starting out, suggest booting Mint from USB until you are comfortable. Use the USB to try out the various flavours of Mint, Linux etc. Do dual boot only when you settle on something. Ah! been there and have the mental scaring to prove it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazzesman Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share Posted January 24, 2020 Any thoughts on Dell products folks https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/dell-inspiron-3000-156-inches-laptop---silver-hni359304au No USB 3. It doesn't say but it does have 8 gig ram. Regards Cazzesman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy8 Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 (edited) I have a Dell XP15 and do like Dell. See whether you can get a model with Usb3 because @aussievintage idea of dual booting off Usb3 is excellent. Dell often has sales on eBay, so you should wait for one... Edited January 24, 2020 by Snoopy8 Typo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazzesman Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/dell-inspiron-15-3000-15-6-laptop-i5512gb Thanks for the advice and thoughts folks. Went with the Dell today. Happy with the price and the specs. Not much else I need. I will download a few Office Software package from somewhere. My plan is to go down the route suggested and set up a Virtual Machine to install Linus Mint OS to explore its worthiness. All going well, if I like Linux, I will update my current PC with some new hardware and install a fresh Mint (?) OS. Regards Cazzesman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gator2310 Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 (edited) I would be interested on current recommendations too. I've been an Apple guy since about 1990 but have owned PC desktops too. When Apple started making unrepairable, unupgradeable ( and largely unrecycleable) machines about 7 years ago I reverted to the older machines - keeping the late 2011 -mid 2012 pre retina models going as its easy to replace batteries, drives and RAM and even the logic board. They run fine as long as you dont actually use them on your lap (where they'll burn your vitals!) not to mention the overheating affects the GPU badly , but unfortunately their compatibility with new software upgrades and each newer OS seems to slow them down - and with the new OS is about to lapse - which is a concern. Hopeless for gamers of course.. After all of these years I hate to say it but they will be the last Mac laptops I buy. Looking at a Windows machine next up (a laptop not a 2 in 1) - and pretty confused by the offerings so far. Edited February 24, 2020 by gator2310 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted to music Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 9 hours ago, gator2310 said: I would be interested on current recommendations too. I've been an Apple guy since about 1990 but have owned PC desktops too. When Apple started making unrepairable, unupgradeable ( and largely unrecycleable) machines about 7 years ago I reverted to the older machines - keeping the late 2011 -mid 2012 pre retina models going as its easy to replace batteries, drives and RAM and even the logic board. They run fine as long as you dont actually use them on your lap (where they'll burn your vitals!) not to mention the overheating affects the GPU badly , but unfortunately their compatibility with new software upgrades and each newer OS seems to slow them down - and with the new OS is about to lapse - which is a concern. Hopeless for gamers of course.. After all of these years I hate to say it but they will be the last Mac laptops I buy. Looking at a Windows machine next up (a laptop not a 2 in 1) - and pretty confused by the offerings so far. Those Latest MacBook Pros with the 4 micro USB 3.0 ports...... those ports are a PITA.... if you have to go MacBook Pro, consider wireless access to external HDD and other interface, use only one USB3.0 for charging and even then, I’m using a 3rd party MagSafe micro USB 3.0 for power so I never take it off.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gator2310 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Yeah not a problem for me because I definitely wont be getting one- unless someone close gets me an early birthday present! . I may investigate one of the 2015 models with some expert guidance but Im seriously considering changing to PC. At the moment Im writing this on a high spec 2011 MBP 15 which has handled all of my audio software with ease for 6 years without missing a beat - but it is starting to have a few issues which I cant fix myself - namely the thermals are probably going and the fans are working too hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steffen Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 On 25/02/2020 at 8:13 PM, Addicted to music said: Those Latest MacBook Pros with the 4 micro USB 3.0 ports...... those ports are a PITA.... Just a small niggle there... These are not micro-USB ports, they are USB-C ports and can act as charge/power connectors, Thunderbolt3 ports, DisplayPort connectors or USB 3.1 ports. Essentially, you've got four ports that can do it all (almost), at up to 40Gbps each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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