Laptops: WTF

[james]

Right now Im liking the HP Omen 15 and the Lenovo Legion 5. Ill read up on the Acer. I like my Asus, but apparently they have heat issues on the current lines.

I do have a Costco membership (via my mom) so thats an option for sure. One weird thing is that theyre selling the HP with 2020 components but in the 2019 body, which apparently has heat issues. So might look elsewhere.

I need to see if they let me expand the SSD. That would be cool. I work with lots of photos, so they fill up fast. Much better than dealing with an external HDD which I rather have as a backup instead of a daily driver

Good stuff guys. This has made the shopping experience easier.

Costco is great because they let you return anything, no questions asked, for like two years.  So good way to check out one of the laptops and not have to worry about not being eligible for a refund or having to pay a restocking fee.

For all your photos, have you looked into using cloud storage?

I use free google photos as a backup to my backup, but no, I dont trust the cloud.

[Pissy F Benny]

if you use the cloud some nsa or chi-com spy is probably wanking over your pics

[Himu]

Laptops have never been better, and more affordable...

This forums is weird lol

I'm sorry but I"m bitter because of my macbook. Comes with zero usb-a, no hdmi, no card slots. It's gimped as fuck to me when my 2008 asus rog laptop had all of these things.

That's Apple for you.  And then there's the various ultrabook type Windows laptops that are similar.  But it's like Cauli noted- you just get a USB-C dock and/or adapter with all the ports you need.  I decided to get one for use with my Chromebook Duet and didn't need a lot of ports.  This one works great and was $20 on Prime Day:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089M7WSHM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(Image removed from quote.)

There's various kinds out there.  Need more USB ports or card readers?  Those are available on other models too.  These adapters are small and easy throw in your laptop case or backpack so it's not really a big deal, plus if you don't need to bring them with you, then it's just one single cable to disconnect to take the laptop on the go.  I just wish laptop makers would include things like these with the laptops that only have one or two USB-C ports, but whatever.

Docks are awesome too but I dunno if I'd buy one for personal use.  I guess if I only used a laptop I might but I was glad that work gave me a dock to take home for use with that laptop.

And speaking of thunderbolt, I just tried this out for the first time today, lol.  I picked up a portable monitor and to test it, hooked it up to my GPD Win Max- pretty awesome seeing a single cable powering the monitor and displaying the image.

thanks

[bork]

Oh yeah, one more thing about USB-C adapters- if you get one, make sure it has pass-through charging!

[Beezy]

https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/5/21549504/razer-book-13-laptop-intel-tiger-lake-screen-price

Saw this earlier and thought of james.

[G The Resurrected]

Holding out for Tuesday. That Razer is nice though, even the new Dells are looking good.

[bork]

I just don't get why y'all need all the ports on the laptop itself.   It's occasionally a pain to misplace an external dongle/adapter, but it's a laptop.. you carry it in a bag, put dongles in the bag, done.   

USB-C makes it all so much better, and laptops are a lot thinner and lighter now.   

I'm typing this on my MacBook Pro which has a single cable going into/out of it.  That cable fully powers the laptop, send both video and audio to my monitor, and my monitor acts as a KVM, so I can use my keyboard and mouse and just change inputs and be on my windows PC.

Same.  Totally fine with a USB-C adapter as a trade off for a thinner, lighter design.  My work laptop is an old model and is docked- the dock takes up more space and has a bunch of cables in the back.  Sure, I don't need to move it around, but I'd be all for ditching the dock and just having a dongle with the same cables plugged in that could be hidden away or easily packed up and brought with me if needed.

Glad that the newer tech I have for personal use has USB-C.  It makes things easier and it's especially awesome that a monitor can even power a laptop and provide video via the same port if it's thunderbolt.

[nudemacusers]

The one thing apple unambiguously got right is the battle of weight vs ports

[Cauliflower Of Love]

https://slickdeals.net/share/android_app/t/14506652

[james]

So Im back to not being able to decide between 15 and 17. I was working a bit on my old laptop, and frankly, 15 sucks. Completely sucks.

Any thoughts on these two bad boys?

Lenovo Legion 5 Laptop, 15" FHD, Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Phantom Black, Windows 10, 81Y600DCUS
$1,099.00
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lenovo-Legion-5-Laptop-15-FHD-Intel-Core-i7-10750H-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-2060-16GB-RAM-512GB-SSD-Phantom-Black-Windows-10-81Y600DCUS/713520359?irgwc=1&sourceid=imp_UGa1puRAMxyORcxwUx0Mo38XUkEzGp3R1yp4T40&veh=aff&wmlspartner=imp_10451&clickid=UGa1puRAMxyORcxwUx0Mo38XUkEzGp3R1yp4T40&sharedid=


Lenovo Legion 5i (17”) gaming laptop
$1,249.99
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-5-series/Legion-5i-17/p/81Y80007US

[nudemacusers]

damn bruh almost 6lbs.

[james]

damn bruh almost 6lbs.

Do you even lift bro?

Aside from the occasional cross-country flight, and very rare on-site work meeting, these bad boys will stay on a desk

I do wish I could go to the store and see them in person though

[Tasty]

I am OK with ultrabooks.

Longer battery life is more important to me than ports I never use. An ideal reality to me would look similar to the current one, but have totally wireless charging/electricity and no batteries/cables. Fuck cables, fuck charging, and fuck electronics dying when you need them most.

I'm also a fan of modern laptops allowing USB-C charging on both/either sides, eliminating a major prior complaint I had with the laptop form factor. (USB-C being reversable is also a major improvement over USB-A and most other ports IMO.)

There's 1 or 2 vestigial electronics in the household still using USB-A or Micro, but that won't last forever, and I've been encouraged by the adoption of USB-C among my own family members. SD cards I gave up on and bought a USB adapter 10 years ago, so that format's not an issue for me either.

I'm a softbrained Nindrone tho, don't mind me

[nudemacusers]

damn bruh almost 6lbs.

Do you even lift bro?

Aside from the occasional cross-country flight, and very rare on-site work meeting, these bad boys will stay on a desk

I do wish I could go to the store and see them in person though

i lift my dick out ur dads mouth every day

[Tasty]

Fwiw, I had planned to use a projector to play scary movies at a recent Halloween party, but was unable to because my Pixelbook only has two USB-C ports and no HDMI ports. Things were thrown together at the last minute and some assumptions didn't hold up when the time came.

That also said, what actually screwed me was not remembering I *did* buy a USB-C hub with my Pixelbook. I didn't remember and find it in time, so no movies that night as I had planned, but the party was still ace.

[james]

Fwiw, I had planned to use a projector to play scary movies at a recent Halloween party, but was unable to because my Pixelbook only has two USB-C ports and no HDMI ports. Things were thrown together at the last minute and some assumptions didn't hold up when the time came.

That also said, what actually screwed me was not remembering I *did* buy a USB-C hub with my Pixelbook. I didn't remember and find it in time, so no movies that night as I had planned, but the party was still ace.

Last week, when I went to DC, my friend asked me to bring an HDMI cable so we could hook up the laptop to the TV in the Airbnb. Well, she has a mac, and forgot her dock, so plan ruined. So yeah, docks suck. Of course, I had my 7 year old slow-boi and we used that instead, once it decided to boot up.

[Tasty]

HDMI is bulky. This is the only time I've needed to use it. I like how thin and light my laptop is.

Life is full of trade-offs, this one is worth it to me.

james I fully believe you have enough BDE to haul around a 13-pounder (), unlike that fairy nudemac. You do you.

[bork]

Fwiw, I had planned to use a projector to play scary movies at a recent Halloween party, but was unable to because my Pixelbook only has two USB-C ports and no HDMI ports. Things were thrown together at the last minute and some assumptions didn't hold up when the time came.

That also said, what actually screwed me was not remembering I *did* buy a USB-C hub with my Pixelbook. I didn't remember and find it in time, so no movies that night as I had planned, but the party was still ace.

Last week, when I went to DC, my friend asked me to bring an HDMI cable so we could hook up the laptop to the TV in the Airbnb. Well, she has a mac, and forgot her dock, so plan ruined. So yeah, docks suck. Of course, I had my 7 year old slow-boi and we used that instead, once it decided to boot up.

It's no different than forgetting to bring your own laptop power cord with you and not being able to use it because you don't have enough battery.

[james]

Fwiw, I had planned to use a projector to play scary movies at a recent Halloween party, but was unable to because my Pixelbook only has two USB-C ports and no HDMI ports. Things were thrown together at the last minute and some assumptions didn't hold up when the time came.

That also said, what actually screwed me was not remembering I *did* buy a USB-C hub with my Pixelbook. I didn't remember and find it in time, so no movies that night as I had planned, but the party was still ace.

Last week, when I went to DC, my friend asked me to bring an HDMI cable so we could hook up the laptop to the TV in the Airbnb. Well, she has a mac, and forgot her dock, so plan ruined. So yeah, docks suck. Of course, I had my 7 year old slow-boi and we used that instead, once it decided to boot up.

It's no different than forgetting to bring your own laptop power cord with you and not being able to use it because you don't have enough battery.

The fact that laptop power cords aren't standard is pretty shitty, yes

[Mr Gilhaney]

many can now charge through usb-c, which is pretty cummy. some (all?) cant run on full power mode at the same time without losing battery though, but I can run my pc just fine on battery saving/normal performance.

[Transhuman]

I don't know how anyone can defend Apple's dongle ethics after it refuses to curb e-waste by dropping the inferior lightning cable for USB-C because it wants a captive market for peripheral sales.

[chronovore]

Apple's using USB-C in all their new designs, aren't they? I mean, my iPad Pro from last summer unpleasantly surprised me by being incompatible with my sadly vast collection of Lightning chargers.

[Mr Gilhaney]

I thought so too. But their phones still comes with lightning for... Whatever reason

[NekoFever]

Fwiw, I had planned to use a projector to play scary movies at a recent Halloween party, but was unable to because my Pixelbook only has two USB-C ports and no HDMI ports. Things were thrown together at the last minute and some assumptions didn't hold up when the time came.

That also said, what actually screwed me was not remembering I *did* buy a USB-C hub with my Pixelbook. I didn't remember and find it in time, so no movies that night as I had planned, but the party was still ace.

Last week, when I went to DC, my friend asked me to bring an HDMI cable so we could hook up the laptop to the TV in the Airbnb. Well, she has a mac, and forgot her dock, so plan ruined. So yeah, docks suck. Of course, I had my 7 year old slow-boi and we used that instead, once it decided to boot up.

It's no different than forgetting to bring your own laptop power cord with you and not being able to use it because you don't have enough battery.

The fact that laptop power cords aren't standard is pretty shitty, yes

They are if you get a USB-C one.

[Tasty]

USB-C Power Delivery is another reason I dig the standard and don't mind dongles.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

also my dude it's 2020 time to ditch ports for portability; just leave a dock somewhere if you need em that badly (which you prob don't)... pulling out a web of tangled cords from your jansport at work will just dry every puss in a 20 foot radius.

Can concur. I have a gold MacBook Air in a blue leather pouch and it’s a panty dropper by comparison.

At this point, 95%+ of my needs are handled with my phone anyway.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

Get the new macbook and then tell me if it's worth it for the new gen next year.

[james]

So Im back to not being able to decide between 15 and 17. I was working a bit on my old laptop, and frankly, 15 sucks. Completely sucks.

Any thoughts on these two bad boys?

Lenovo Legion 5 Laptop, 15" FHD, Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Phantom Black, Windows 10, 81Y600DCUS
$1,099.00
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lenovo-Legion-5-Laptop-15-FHD-Intel-Core-i7-10750H-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-2060-16GB-RAM-512GB-SSD-Phantom-Black-Windows-10-81Y600DCUS/713520359?irgwc=1&sourceid=imp_UGa1puRAMxyORcxwUx0Mo38XUkEzGp3R1yp4T40&veh=aff&wmlspartner=imp_10451&clickid=UGa1puRAMxyORcxwUx0Mo38XUkEzGp3R1yp4T40&sharedid=


Lenovo Legion 5i (17”) gaming laptop
$1,249.99
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-5-series/Legion-5i-17/p/81Y80007US

Anyone want to take a look at the specs and tell me if Im off track?

[Transhuman]

My advice is that you already have a laptop so you don't need another one.

[brawndolicious]

So Im back to not being able to decide between 15 and 17. I was working a bit on my old laptop, and frankly, 15 sucks. Completely sucks.

Any thoughts on these two bad boys?

Lenovo Legion 5 Laptop, 15" FHD, Intel Core i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Phantom Black, Windows 10, 81Y600DCUS
$1,099.00
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lenovo-Legion-5-Laptop-15-FHD-Intel-Core-i7-10750H-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-2060-16GB-RAM-512GB-SSD-Phantom-Black-Windows-10-81Y600DCUS/713520359?irgwc=1&sourceid=imp_UGa1puRAMxyORcxwUx0Mo38XUkEzGp3R1yp4T40&veh=aff&wmlspartner=imp_10451&clickid=UGa1puRAMxyORcxwUx0Mo38XUkEzGp3R1yp4T40&sharedid=


Lenovo Legion 5i (17”) gaming laptop
$1,249.99
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-5-series/Legion-5i-17/p/81Y80007US

Anyone want to take a look at the specs and tell me if Im off track?

The new Intel chips aren't bad but AMD still has the performance/price/battery life lead. Hopefully this helps narrow down your choices:

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/laptop/#S=381000000,391160000,396240000,406400000,431800000,439420000&A=1397,1378,1399

Basically all of them are in your price range and should be able to play well the type of games you mentioned. If you want my top suggestion that seems to tick all of your boxes:

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-IPS-Type-GeForce-Battery-TUF506IU-ES74/dp/B0863DW238?tag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=tomshardware-us-1317861685362174000-20

• Extra SSD slot for expansion
• Can upgrade the RAM if you want
• Basically the best CPU and GPU you can get on a laptop
• Ethernet
• Bunch of USB Type A ports
• One Type C port
• Audio jack
• Numpad

I guess it doesn't have an SD card slot but how often do you use that? Maybe you can save a couple hundred by waiting for Black Friday but I can't really find another model that has EVERYTHING so ymmv with deals.