Still goin' a little crazy about which way to go with a laptop

[Frog]

Need to replace an almost ten year old laptop! (whodathunk it? LOL!)
Although it will rarely be used for my graphics work, I have become a little spoiled, or at least the bar has been risen.
I have decided that I want at least 12 GB memory and a 256SSD, and an i7 or AMD equivalent processor..

So, even that establishes a range from $700-$2000.

Fortunately, I'm not in a big hurry. I do like the deal that Costco adds another year to service (though I suppose that so do most credit cards)
But also, easy returns (90 days) and carry in for service has a certain appeal as well.

At any rate, initially I was looking at spending less than $1000, and a conventional non touch screen 15". Really happy with the desktop they put together for me, I did kinda look at this (slightly over budget) and in need of a $125 memory upgrade
https://www.microexpress.net/?mod=82&id=471

Then, a Lenovo Touch 2 in 1 at Costco caught my eye, but not until its last day of sale. (I do like to think though that I do have the patience to look and make a more informed decision)

Now, they presently have online this Dell https://www.costco.com/Dell-XPS-13-2-in-1-Touchscreen-Laptop---Intel-Core-i7---1080p---Silver.product.100423635.html

I guess my question is wondering if I will eventually fall into line with the touchie-feelie tablet trend and dig the touch screen and foldaway keyboard?
Will the 13" screen be sufficient for when I do have to work on art while on the road? Will the lack of lotsa' ports be a bummer? (first thing I noticed is the dropping of HDMI in favor of Thunderbolt 3.

What are you folks using?

[KevinD]

I switched to a Mac Pro six years ago.  Never looked back.  So much better but cost is higher.  Less expensive is the Mac Air which is around $1000.   If you order it online at apple and tab that you are a student you can get these for $850.  Walk on any college campus today all you see are Macs. 

[Frog]

I switched to a Mac Pro six years ago.  Never looked back.  So much better but cost is higher.  Less expensive is the Mac Air which is around $1000.   If you order it online at apple and tab that you are a student you can get these for $850.  Walk on any college campus today all you see are Macs.

Thanks. Our iphones and my wife's ipad are as "Mac-ish" as I am planning on becoming.

[KevinD]

sp

[mimosatexas]

Will this be your daily computer when not traveling as well?  Will you be docking it with a larger monitor, keyboard, etc and having it plugged in most of the time?

[ebscreen]

Thanks. Our iphones and my wife's ipad are as "Mac-ish" as I am planning on becoming.

Haha I never took you for the cult type Andy, glad to know I was right in my estimation.

Graphic work on anything less than a full size desktop is tedious at best, I couldn't imagine it on something like a tablet.
I think touchscreens and tablets are more for the newer generation just wanting to take and post photos, not
anyone serious about getting anything done. I read recently that despite the massive increase in use and progress of
technology, people's understanding of even computer basics is rapidly dwindling, largely as a result of making technology more
user friendly, and at the grand cost of actual functionality and troubleshooting. Give me a dos prompt over a window any day.

My biggest concern in our next builds will be the OS. I'm still using 7 and installing it on all new comps. 10 is just that much of a mistake.
Microsoft has indicated that future home use OS'es may even be free with advertising. Fate worse than death.

[Frog]

Will this be your daily computer when not traveling as well?  Will you be docking it with a larger monitor, keyboard, etc and having it plugged in most of the time?

Presently, most days, Redboy, my laptop lives, plugged in, on the coffee table in front of my place on the couch in the TV room, relegated to half-heated surfing,  email checks, look-in on the forum.
On the road, a few times a year, it does it all! (albeit often with much labor).
I can only assume that Redboy's replacement will assume similar duties, though the added portability of a 2 in 1 may well break new ground.

[Frog]

Thanks. Our iphones and my wife's ipad are as "Mac-ish" as I am planning on becoming.

Haha I never took you for the cult type Andy, glad to know I was right in my estimation.

Graphic work on anything less than a full size desktop is tedious at best, I couldn't imagine it on something like a tablet.
I think touchscreens and tablets are more for the newer generation just wanting to take and post photos, not
anyone serious about getting anything done. I read recently that despite the massive increase in use and progress of
technology, people's understanding of even computer basics is rapidly dwindling, largely as a result of making technology more
user friendly, and at the grand cost of actual functionality and troubleshooting. Give me a dos prompt over a window any day.

My biggest concern in our next builds will be the OS. I'm still using 7 and installing it on all new comps. 10 is just that much of a mistake.
Microsoft has indicated that future home use OS'es may even be free with advertising. Fate worse than death.

Sean, all three of my machines run Win7. Whatever I get, his will be the first 10. It will force me to see what the young 'uns use.

[ebscreen]

Sean, all three of my machines run Win7. Whatever I get, his will be the first 10. It will force me to see what the young 'uns use.

I hope you're excited to see a desktop treated as a smartphone.

[Frog]

Sean, all three of my machines run Win7. Whatever I get, his will be the first 10. It will force me to see what the young 'uns use.

I hope you're excited to see a desktop treated as a smartphone.

That is still, in my mind, infinitely better than the way I see so many try to treat their smartphones as a desktop (computer)

[Nation03]

Gotta say that win10 is way better then win8 lol, but that isn't saying much. I do like Mac OS. More stable in my opinion, but over priced nonetheless. When it comes to phones I'm Android all the way but I keep coming back to Apple for computers. Might sounds weird but I feel like I'm more productive on their OS. I do appreciate the improvement in Windows laptop hardware over the years. I would say the MacBook pro compatible would be the Dell XPS line or Surface line. I wouldn't worry so much on the i7. Just make sure you get 8th gen intel since they're running quad core and 6-core CPUs. 

[Biverson]

I just switched from Mac to PC earlier this week and wished I?d have done it sooner. Granted, my Mac (desktop) was a Hackintosh I built 5 years ago. Spec wise it?s still upper tier, but the OS was unstable and I hated having to run Windows from VMware for Wilcom and Corel. I had an appreciation for Windows 7 and only switched to 10 last year on my laptop. It's been really great. Just ensure you do a clean install and get rid of stupid bloatware and you're fine.

As to your question I'd hate doing art on a smaller touchscreen or even my 13" Dell. Dual screen desktops all day long. My Dell laptop is a touch screen and I use it from time to time, but it doesn't have any necessary functionality. I'm also a tech savvy 30 year old ?. Stay away from any new i9 Macbooks if you go that route as they overheat. Also, only get a 2018 MacBook as they've had a problems with their redesigned keyboard, since 2016 I believe. I do have a soft spot for Macs as Ive still got my Macbook from 2007 running out in the shop for Printavo, music and emails. Mac has done a lot of good to the PC market and made manufacturers focus on build quality. I used to HATE Dells, but now love their designs and have been reliable for me.

If I were getting another laptop now I'd start with looking at Dell, ASUS, Lenovo, Toshiba, and HP, in that order. You can easily get into a good i7, 512GB SSD, and 16gb ram for $1k - $1.5k. I always check CPU scores at CPUbemchmark.net too. There are some i7's out there that can underperform.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk