So i'm buying a laptop.

Sel

Banned
Feb 18, 2009
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Thats also not always true. They ship a special dvd for some laptops, right with it. Thats something like a special edition, and the code on the bottom is only working with that version.

It's been true for every laptop I've ever owned.

I think i can survive windows eight. I've been on vista for four years, remember.

Except Vista was actually a totally fine OS. The only reason it got so much hate was because all the XP fanboys got mad that a newer os had higher requirements.

Windows 8 drastically changed the UI, and after seeing friends and family try to use it, it's just a catastrophe of an OS, and you should avoid it at all costs to save yourself some massive headaches.
 

Sel

Banned
Feb 18, 2009
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It looked cool until I saw "Win 8"
And how could anyone use 16 gb of ram ?

Three years ago everyone thought 4gb was excessive. It's only a matter of time until 16gb becomes the norm. Not to mention that 16gb already has plenty of applications for people who do high end development work.
 

Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
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Nov 14, 2009
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Except Vista was actually a totally fine OS. The only reason it got so much hate was because all the XP fanboys got mad that a newer os had higher requirements.
And the computer manufacturers got mad that they couldn't sell $200 computers with half a gigabyte of RAM anymore. And then went ahead and did anyway, making their customers hate Vista even more. (I had to "troubleshoot" such a computer once. My prognosis was that they should return it immediately and demand not only their money back but a sincere apology for trying to pawn off a $600 paperweight.)
 

grazr

Old Man Mutant Ninja Turtle
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Mar 4, 2008
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I would never recommend a laptop for gaming, i don't know a single person who uses a laptop for gaming whose laptop survived more than a year; and generally speaking wireless internet is also atrocious for online gaming.

Don't get a Mac because you can't replace parts and pretty much any modification, even to the software will void the warranty and Apple's customer service is generally as unhelpful as you can get. They'll usually just tell you to buy a new one.

I also agree that you should avoid Dell, their customer service is equally as bad as Apple.

laptops are for browsing the net or writing word documents during a commute to work and anything else just reduces their life span. If you really want to make a laptop work, just make sure EVERYTIME you use it you don't block the fan/heat exhuast, heat damage is permanent. My girlfriend bought a £600 laptop, used it on the bed for 3 hours on the second day and now it's fucked.

If you want to move a computer around the flat then you can just get a rig for the case that lets you attatch wheels and allow you to get something that'll typically last 3x as long, do twice as much and for a fraction of the price. What do you mean by "take it home". Do you mean from dorms? If you can drive you can just throw it in the boot or strap it in a back seat which is what i do for moving my PC to LAN parties, but i guess if you travel by train (because it's easier and i do between mine and the ladies) then maybe a laptop would be more convinient. But then i'd just say sync your computer with one you may have at home, like your old one.

Anyway, i've seen some laptops work for some games, but you're talking golden oldies like WoW. You wouldn't play any triple A/next gen titles on one unless you had a death wish for it.
 
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Bermuda Cake

L9: Fashionable Member
Feb 20, 2009
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In my experience the Apple customer service is pretty good, you get a personal appointment at an Apple Store and the employees are helpful - when my battery conked out, the employee gave me a free battery (about £100) even though my laptop was out of warranty.

A laptop's pretty handy for gaming if you attend LAN parties at all, or if like me you're a member of a society at university or just with friends that gathers to play games regularly - although most things can run TF2.

EDIT: but yeah, don't get a Mac if it's gaming you're interested in - you can get much better value in terms of processing power. I'm happy with my MacBook for documents, note taking, internet browsing around the house, low end games, and coding - the screen's good, the battery lasts for about 8 hours of note taking and coding, and the whole laptop is very sturdy and lightweight. I'm sure there's plenty of other laptops that this is also true for, and they're likely better value, but for something I use for the vast majority of my waking life I'm OK with being ripped off a bit - plus, it has lasted about 3 years now which is better than I'd say for any other laptop I've owned.
 
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LeSwordfish

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Aug 8, 2010
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I have no idea what you're talking about Grazr. My current laptop runs Skyrim and Dishonored fine, and handles Mirrors Edge on max settings. I've had it for years. And it's not wireless internet most of the time anyway, my room has a port.

And "Laptop" is pretty non-negotiable. I take my laptop up to the library to write, I browse the internet in the kitchen and in bed, i travel pretty much everywhere by bus and train.

And i'll admit the only reason i have for not wanting a case with wheels is "jesus christ that would look so dumb."
 

Phenol

L1: Registered
Jan 13, 2013
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I would never recommend a laptop for gaming, i don't know a single person who uses a laptop for gaming whose laptop survived more than a year; and generally speaking wireless internet is also atrocious for online gaming.
...
Anyway, i've seen some laptops work for some games, but you're talking golden oldies like WoW. You wouldn't play any triple A/next gen titles on one unless you had a death wish for it.

I'm going to have to disagree with you there. I survived for three years using a shitty bargain-basement laptop that barely eked out the processing power to play TF2, and with my new laptop it's like I've been underwater my whole life and now I can finally breathe again. I can take Skyrim, New Vegas, or Saints Row the Third on highest graphics, or Crysis 2 on very high (I haven't tried extreme). Gaming laptops are not for the frugal gamer -- they're bulkier than other laptops, more expensive than equivalent desktop systems, and their graphics cards generally can't be replaced to eke out a couple more years of state-of-the-art-ness, but saying that you can't do it at all if you're determined is flat-out wrong.

That said, though, it is also a matter of how carefully you manage your laptop. I kept my old laptop to store all my junk and old school assignments and such, and the first thing I did when I got my new laptop was uninstall all my junk; I intend to keep my laptop completely clean of everything but the few games and programs I need its performance for (using Ninite here is very helpful).

However, you're totally right about gaming on wireless. Stick to Ethernet.
 
Oct 6, 2008
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Dang when I read your thread title, "So i'm buying a laptop."

I thought you were going to a strip club.

I have a mac laptop - it's really good for what I need - do you need PC specific?
 

LeSwordfish

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Oct 6, 2008
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that looks nice :) but try to get a large HD
 

Numerous

L4: Comfortable Member
Oct 14, 2009
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Using a Dell laptop here, and it practically never overheats. All I need to do is remember to turn on the fan I have permanently pointed to the underside of said laptop, before I run any games that came out later than Half Life 2.

Honestly though, I wouldn't recommend getting a powerful laptop; get a cheap but portable laptop, and then get a separate desktop. That way your laptop is laptoppier, and your desktop is desktoppier.

...and by "laptoppier" I mean has longer battery life/is smaller and more portable, and by "desktoppier" I mean can actually run stuff, because it's not the size of an f'n laptop.

I mean seriously, get your average laptop and hold it up to a desktop and take a look at just how much more space is there (the whole "Jack of all trades, master of none" thing). Making the same system take up a quarter of the space or less is not cheap, and most of the time you're just going to be doing basic stuff like taking notes, writing documents, browsing the web, watching... movies.

And that sort of thing. Point is, you should get a laptop that has relatively long battery life, light enough that you can pick it up with one hand (you'll be using the other hand to hold open the bag or to hold your pen, obviously, it's a pain to try to manoeuvre the laptop while you're busy paying attention to the lecturer), and preferably fairly easy to wipe down with a cloth.

Also, remember to wash your hands.
 
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Numerous

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Oct 14, 2009
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The dates take up so much less space on the screen than peoples' profile avatars, they're clearly not too important. Speaking of which, check out that sweet santa hat <<