Windows Machine Recommendations

[Aguymac]

I've been looking into lenovo thinkpads actually. It's shocking how the majority of laptops (current, recent) are total garbage.

Been watching some of Louis Rossman's videos (this man understands/shares the mentality that form follows function, and actually talks about a computer/device from the stand point of actually using it - ie: user interface, performance, ergonomics like keyboard and trackpad, etc.), and also some other very informative channels and videos on them, like sebi's random tech.

As far as 'older model' (that you can get inside of and swap parts, and have something closer to the full keyboard experience) I *think* these are the three options (at least in the T series):
-T420
-T430
-T440p (this one I think was when the keyboard, and maybe the trackpad started to change, can't remember)

Now, there was one video where Louis compared a thinkpad to a macbook pro (the changes, the keyboard differences) and now that I think of it, the changes in the lenovo keyboard that he was comparing to the mac actually seemed to be similar with the mac - and that's a keyboard I like (late 2011 mbp keyboard) so if some of the slightly "newer" models of thinkpad have that keyboard, I'd be happy with that actually!
I think it's similar to the keyboard on the model thinkpad you just linked to, @pshufd

If anyone is in canada, and know what the reputable online computer retailers are, please share some links with me.
I might pick up on of those older models I listed off ebay (refurbished, I don't know that I have time to take a chance on an "as is" listing, and then trying to find parts. Though, I will need to make sure I get whatever other parts I can/need at the same time in order to bring it up to desire specs - at least 16gb ram, and probably a new ssd).

Thanks for any help with this.

Edit: what is the "p" at the end of the thinkpad models?
Oh, and I wonder why there's not much mention of the "P" series (unrelated to the above "p" in the model name...). Rossman mentioned that he like that P50, and P51/P52 I think. But no mention in other "recommendation videos.

 

[Aguymac]

Here's the info on the POS acer I have to deal with right now. I'd like to know what the most thorough way of clean reformatting/reinstalling windows 10 (home edition) is please. With the assumption that there is malware/spyware/and all kinds of garbage like that on the system - what is the most "nuclear" approach to reformatting.

I wouldn't think the "reset this pc" option, in the windows settings, would be effective at this at all...

Acer Aspire e1-510-2669
Processor Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU N2920 @ 1.86GHz, 1863 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
4GB ram

I *think* it can take up to 8gb ram, not positive yet. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Celeron-N2920-Notebook-Processor.109525.0.html
Duno if that'd mean two 4gb stick or what. Gonna take back off and have a look around.

Thank you guys.

 

[sracer]

I've been looking into lenovo thinkpads actually. It's shocking how the majority of laptops (current, recent) are total garbage.

Been watching some of Louis Rossman's videos (this man understands/shares the mentality that form follows function, and actually talks about a computer/device from the stand point of actually using it - ie: user interface, performance, ergonomics like keyboard and trackpad, etc.), and also some other very informative channels and videos on them, like sebi's random tech.

As far as 'older model' (that you can get inside of and swap parts, and have something closer to the full keyboard experience) I *think* these are the three options (at least in the T series):
-T420
-T430
-T440p (this one I think was when the keyboard, and maybe the trackpad started to change, can't remember)

Now, there was one video where Louis compared a thinkpad to a macbook pro (the changes, the keyboard differences) and now that I think of it, the changes in the lenovo keyboard that he was comparing to the mac actually seemed to be similar with the mac - and that's a keyboard I like (late 2011 mbp keyboard) so if some of the slightly "newer" models of thinkpad have that keyboard, I'd be happy with that actually!
I think it's similar to the keyboard on the model thinkpad you just linked to, @pshufd

If anyone is in canada, and know what the reputable online computer retailers are, please share some links with me.
I might pick up on of those older models I listed off ebay (refurbished, I don't know that I have time to take a chance on an "as is" listing, and then trying to find parts. Though, I will need to make sure I get whatever other parts I can/need at the same time in order to bring it up to desire specs - at least 16gb ram, and probably a new ssd).

Thanks for any help with this.

Edit: what is the "p" at the end of the thinkpad models?
Oh, and I wonder why there's not much mention of the "P" series (unrelated to the above "p" in the model name...). Rossman mentioned that he like that P50, and P51/P52 I think. But no mention in other "recommendation videos.

I bought a T420 off of ebay a while ago. It's a nice device but the lack of USB 3.0 (only USB 2) is a bit of a challenge. I purchased a USB 3 PC card for it that provided a few USB 3 slots. I swapped out the spinner hard drive for an SSD and upgraded the RAM. It made quite a capable machine... definitely a daily driver IMO.

I gave it away to someone who needed a laptop. If I were going to buy another one, I'd opt for the T440p instead.

 

[pshufd]

Asus makes decent gaming laptops that you could use for other CPU and GPU intensive workloads. They are big, thick and heavy so good cooling. The charging bricks may be on the heavy side too.

 

[MBAir2010]

Thanks each response.

Iv'e this morning ordered XP's 13" 11th gen i5 8gb ram 512 Ssd.
Hopefully arrive mid next week.
That's my latest WFH requirements almost solved.
Is there No usb 2/3 sockets, what Dongle do i need as I could use one or two devices using usb 2/3

I only purchased 1 extra thing for the dell XPS, i use a HDMI dongle to stream sports to my TV with no problem and as now a perfect uninterrupted stream of baylor v Ok st baseball. the dell XPS packs a punch! (no fan noise, im lotted humid and might turn on the fan) Im sure you will love the dell your getting, dude. (old joke)

 

[Donfor39]

@MtLoin2020
Enjoy your Baseball, I've been limited to VGA-HDMI past year wfh.
And only yesterday my what was advertised to be Couriered in One Package, my Dell Premium Sleeve arrived.
No XP's as yet aggghhh.

 

[Aguymac]

*HELP*
The Acer turd I've had to put up with for the past week or so is driving me nuts.
Decided to "reformat" it, and after doing that and starting to attempt un-spymachine it realized there was no audio.
Spent an entire day attempting to resolve that, and couldn't fix it.
I figured *maybe* it was something I did (it wasn't), so I did the reformat all over again to check - and nope it wasn't me, because as soon as it'd finished installing windows etc and I got to the desktop there was/is no audio.

I know this is or was a known issue with some models, updates and or some drivers. And I wasn't able to resolve it. Another entire day of frustration, and life wasted.

Does anyone have a link or something - anything!? Please?

 

[rambo47]

I'd say get the Dell XPS with an extended warranty. I have an aging Lenovo Yoga and while it's okay it doesn't compare to the Dell I recently bought for somebody. Dell's support used to be top notch, then it faded. Now it's coming back.

 

[Steve Adams]

I second, third and fourth the XPS. I am using a dell inspiron 13 2 in 1 and LOVE it. I also own an XPS desktop for my workstation. The xps 15 has removable ram and SSD as far as I know so you can buy a lower spec'ed model and upgrade if need be. The devices get great battery life, and are built from great quality materials.

 

[1BadManVan]

I second, third and fourth the XPS. I am using a dell inspiron 13 2 in 1 and LOVE it. I also own an XPS desktop for my workstation. The xps 15 has removable ram and SSD as far as I know so you can buy a lower spec'ed model and upgrade if need be. The devices get great battery life, and are built from great quality materials.

I’m holding out for the new 2021 xps 15 with the 11th gen intel or possibly the amd but I doubt they’ll get it. Hoping it’s worth the wait

 

[Steve Adams]

I’m holding out for the new 2021 xps 15 with the 11th gen intel or possibly the amd but I doubt they’ll get it. Hoping it’s worth the wait

AMD won't be happening but the 11th gen should be here very soon. XPS are great devices.

 

[maflynn]

AMD won't be happening but the 11th gen should be here very soon. XPS are great devices.

Why not?

 

[Steve Adams]

Why not?

I think for their premier rigs, Dell has an agreement with intel.

 

[09872738]

Thinking of getting the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15. Its got all the right components... Its intended as a mobile ML / AI machine.

Any thoughts?

 

[Steve Adams]

I am not a fan of asus personally. Their machines look great on the surface, but their customer service is terrible and they flake out on warranty. So I cannot recommend them at all. I had three asus vivotab RT with ghost touching issues, all within warranty period and they pretty well told me to get bent.

 

[maflynn]

I think for their premier rigs, Dell has an agreement with intel.

Oh I see what you're getting at. They have a tight relationship with intel and if they move to embrace AMD that could cause problems contractually and/or business relationship wise.

 

[Steve Adams]

Oh I see what you're getting at. They have a tight relationship with intel and if they move to embrace AMD that could cause problems contractually and/or business relationship wise.

Yes, I think that's whats going on with dell. Not a big deal, all my intel machines work great and fast. I tend to look at real world results not benchmarks.

 

[maflynn]

I tend to look at real world results not benchmarks.

No question, also throw in your needs vs. the capabilities of the machine. There are things that the M1 either cannot do (in macOS) or does well enough to justify the price. For me, its running windows applications that are not available on the Mac, also managing servers and interacting with my work network, which again is better on a PC

 

[Aguymac]

So,
Would this pc easily meet my requirements? https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Lenovo-Thin...1?pageci=b35c724c-0a95-4566-9cf5-3095da671115

For an older person to: web browse with 12-15 tabs open, hd video playback (local) and streaming, run up to two displays, word processing/spreadsheets other office type stuff, email, zoom meetings, and similar, And be able to do multiple of these activities at the same time (multitask)?

Key being, would it *easily*/effortlessly perform these tasks. Not "struggle, yet manage".

Prompt response from someome who knows and can confirm is very much appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Aguymac]

In addition, Lenovo.ca has a sale on; and I'm also curious about the ideacenter 5i, and ideacenter 5 AMD models.
Id think they'd easily surpass the needs I've stated above, and possibly be able to do some video editing stuff..? Not talking 4K and all the latest highest quality everything. Just 1080p (maybe 1440p,or uhd?) editing of video, splicing clips together, making/editing video together - beginner stuff?

Just wondering, not priority as I gotta get something along the lines of what I've posted just above here immediately. And that system I linked is only about $300.

Thanks again guys.

 

[iluvmacs99]

If you are planning to multi-task and having a lot of apps available and edit 1080p video effortlessly with only an integrated video GPU, then you need to step up to 16Gb of ram as 8Gb will struggle. That would be the sweet spot and it isn't expensive to add more memory either. You can upgrade just 1 to a 8Gb stick and if it came with 2 4Gb sticks to bring the machine to 8Gb, replacing 1 4Gb to 8Gb will bring it up to 12Gb of RAM. Roughly around $60 CAD to do that. For another $40 CAD extra, you get a pair of 8Gb sticks to up any machine to 16Gb which is perfect for many tasks. The downside with all in one small form factor machines is that, you can't upgrade the video card and those builds are limited to 16Gb ram max. If you want 4K and up, you need a better GPU with 4Gb of onboard video ram and even more memory like 32Gb of RAM and up. That will push your system build right around $1000 and up. However, I don't recommend buying a machine for future possible use. Buy it to address what you need to do now at a budget you can afford.

Right now, we are experiencing a momentary inflation on computer prices due to the shortage of certain chips and components which had pushed some computer prices higher than it would normally cost to sell.

 

[Aguymac]

If you are planning to multi-task and having a lot of apps available and edit 1080p video effortlessly with only an integrated video GPU, then you need to step up to 16Gb of ram as 8Gb will struggle. That would be the sweet spot and it isn't expensive to add more memory either. You can upgrade just 1 to a 8Gb stick and if it came with 2 4Gb sticks to bring the machine to 8Gb, replacing 1 4Gb to 8Gb will bring it up to 12Gb of RAM. Roughly around $60 CAD to do that. For another $40 CAD extra, you get a pair of 8Gb sticks to up any machine to 16Gb which is perfect for many tasks. The downside with all in one small form factor machines is that, you can't upgrade the video card and those builds are limited to 16Gb ram max. If you want 4K and up, you need a better GPU with 4Gb of onboard video ram and even more memory like 32Gb of RAM and up. That will push your system build right around $1000 and up. However, I don't recommend buying a machine for future possible use. Buy it to address what you need to do now at a budget you can afford.

Right now, we are experiencing a momentary inflation on computer prices due to the shortage of certain chips and components which had pushed some computer prices higher than it would normally cost to sell.

Thanks.

So, for the common "mundane" tasks I first listed, for a computer to do those pretty standard and basic tasks (not the video editing), would that ebal listing of the m93p usff do the job easily?

 

[iluvmacs99]

Thanks.

So, for the common "mundane" tasks I first listed, for a computer to do those pretty standard and basic tasks (not the video editing), would that ebal listing of the m93p usff do the job easily?

4th Gen CPU on the Lenovo will be fine for your needs. It's just that 8Gb of ram with the Lenovo will be shared between your internal Intel graphics processor and the CPU, so you don't really have 8Gb available if you want to push 2 video screens. You have roughly 6Gb of RAM, so there will be some lag if you do everything you asked of the computer all at the same time. 12Gb RAM would be a good start and 16Gb RAM would be ideal. Having so many tabs on 1 screen consume a lot of memory especially with Chrome, let alone 2 screens that you plan to run. MS Edge is based on Chrome and of course Google Chrome which is a memory hog.

On my PC system, I can get away with only 8Gb RAM now as the PC has a GPU that has its own 4Gb of video RAM. That allowed me to run what you basically wanted to achieve on your PC just about with ease and all my 8Gb of RAM is pretty much used up with 4Gb of video ram on my Nvidia GPU used up pretty much as well. And still if I push Zoom on 2 screens, I will need more memory which I'm planning to do as my system lags badly and struggles and sometimes I have to close some apps which is not ideal now during work periods. I could see that my PC, even with the latest fastest Intel CPU, swaps memory in and out of the NVMe blade drive. 16Gb is the sweet spot and I believe is what the Lenovo can be maxed out to.

 

[Aguymac]

4th Gen CPU on the Lenovo will be fine for your needs. It's just that 8Gb of ram with the Lenovo will be shared between your internal Intel graphics processor and the CPU, so you don't really have 8Gb available if you want to push 2 video screens. You have roughly 6Gb of RAM, so there will be some lag if you do everything you asked of the computer all at the same time. 12Gb RAM would be a good start and 16Gb RAM would be ideal. Having so many tabs on 1 screen consume a lot of memory especially with Chrome, let alone 2 screens that you plan to run. MS Edge is based on Chrome and of course Google Chrome which is a memory hog.

On my PC system, I can get away with only 8Gb RAM now as the PC has a GPU that has its own 4Gb of video RAM. That allowed me to run what you basically wanted to achieve on your PC just about with ease and all my 8Gb of RAM is pretty much used up with 4Gb of video ram on my Nvidia GPU used up pretty much as well. And still if I push Zoom on 2 screens, I will need more memory which I'm planning to do as my system lags badly and struggles and sometimes I have to close some apps which is not ideal now during work periods. I could see that my PC, even with the latest fastest Intel CPU, swaps memory in and out of the NVMe blade drive. 16Gb is the sweet spot and I believe is what the Lenovo can be maxed out to.

Ok. Yea, the first thing I planned to do was equip it with 16gb,as that's what my 2011 mbp had, and I kinda considered that a minimum for what I'd want.
It's come to my attention that these refurbs, at least eBay ones from certain if not most sellers, use used parts for the "upgrades" and I'm just not sure I want to risk(?) taking a chance on that...
But, damn, even on sale, the ideacenter models direct from lenovo I mentioned would be $650+ cad, double the price of a refurb from eBay. And still I'd need to get more ram for it.

Its difficult for a novice (at best) like myself, to look at specs/parts of a particular model and get any idea of actual performance and capability of what it can do just from knowing what CPU, integrated GPU, etc it has. It's practically meaningless to me at this knowledge level, haha.

So thanks for the help.

 

[iluvmacs99]

Ok. Yea, the first thing I planned to do was equip it with 16gb,as that's what my 2011 mbp had, and I kinda considered that a minimum for what I'd want.
It's come to my attention that these refurbs, at least eBay ones from certain if not most sellers, use used parts for the "upgrades" and I'm just not sure I want to risk(?) taking a chance on that...
But, damn, even on sale, the ideacenter models direct from lenovo I mentioned would be $650+ cad, double the price of a refurb from eBay. And still I'd need to get more ram for it.

Its difficult for a novice (at best) like myself, to look at specs/parts of a particular model and get any idea of actual performance and capability of what it can do just from knowing what CPU, integrated GPU, etc it has. It's practically meaningless to me at this knowledge level, haha.

So thanks for the help.

Well, there isn't any significant technical upgrades on the Intel CPU after 4th Gen except maybe with the Ryzen stuff from AMD. But they are mainly for gamers and video content creators. Anything 4th Gen and above are aplenty for a modest user like yourself. In fact, most people would be fine with 4th Gen. When I used to work for a non-profit tech organization helping out communities on tech related stuff, we often sell 2nd Gen and 4th Gen i5-i7 refurbs kind of like what you're planning to buy. Many of these machines come from corporate and government agencies and they sell them to vendors in crates. The vendors basically refresh these machines and then they go out the door that way. Lenovo ThinkCentre M93 series and HP EliteDesk series are common machines to be sold refurbed in Canada.

How long these machines last depend upon your usage. They all had an early hard life from their corporate and government lifespan, so that's why they are cheap. You're paying a prorated price of its value of lifespan that is left, which is slightly less than half of its new price. I have used 2nd hand hard drives and memory in both my PC and Mac Pro and my Mini and they so far had held up well as our motto in the non-profit tech centre is recycling. So re-using old computer parts is good for the environment and was really good to my wallet. But you're right; you always take a gamble on used parts and I just don't have any faith with eBay vendors. You never know what they might give you used, because if you get defective memory, your system will likely crash or hang if you push your machine hard. When I was working at the tech centre, I would put through used memory and hard drives through machine tests for 48-72 hrs as well as other parts like CPU and GPU after repasting under stress test. But that increases the cost of the machine with the benefit of lowering warranty claims on our part. That was usually something we had to keep explaining to customers comparing prices from eBay and complained our prices were slightly higher.

I hope this helps your decision.