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Minecraft on Laptop


mom31257
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Our children run Minecraft on their HP laptops.  Three of them have 2nd- or 3rd generation Intel Core i3 processors in them and one of them has an Intel Pentium N3540 processor and Minecraft runs fine on all of them.  The laptops with the Core i3 processors cost us $300 about three years ago and the one with the Pentium N3540 cost us $210 (refurbished) last August.

 

All of those laptops came with 4 GB of RAM.  Recently I upgraded all of them to 8 GB of RAM.  The extra memory improved the 3D performance of the Core i3 processors, but it did not make a noticeable improvement on the Pentium N3540.

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My two cents:  it depends on your budget, but I'd have a really hard time buying a brand new computer with an i3 processor at this point in time, even at that price - too old.  The latest processors are i7.  I'd go with an i5 minimum; should work much better for Minecraft.  (Minecraft does not work as well on our i3, though that's about 7 years old and does not run Win10.)

 

FWIW, I recently bought a Dell Latitude on ebay for one of my kids.  Much more bang for the buck.  See, e.g. Lanny's advice in this thread:  

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/632649-what-laptop-does-your-high-schoolcollege-student-use/  If this computer will stay at home and weight isn't an issue, you should be able to get much more power for the same price or even less than the Walmart one.

 

Also, I find that the solid state drives (SSD) are quieter and faster than the spinning hard drives like the one in your link.

 

Alternatively, if you intend to get an i3 with a spinning hard drive, there's likely something out there that is cheaper than Walmart.

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My two cents: it depends on your budget, but I'd have a really hard time buying a brand new computer with an i3 processor at this point in time, even at that price - too old. The latest processors are i7. I'd go with an i5 minimum; should work much better for Minecraft. (Minecraft does not work as well on our i3, though that's about 7 years old and does not run Win10.)

 

FWIW, I recently bought a Dell Latitude on ebay for one of my kids. Much more bang for the buck. See, e.g. Lanny's advice in this thread:

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/632649-what-laptop-does-your-high-schoolcollege-student-use/ If this computer will stay at home and weight isn't an issue, you should be able to get much more power for the same price or even less than the Walmart one.

 

Also, I find that the solid state drives (SSD) are quieter and faster than the spinning hard drives like the one in your link.

 

Alternatively, if you intend to get an i3 with a spinning hard drive, there's likely something out there that is cheaper than Walmart.

We don't want to buy used because we are not tech savvy at all to be able to replace parts or upgrade it.

 

Any suggestions on good websites for new and great deals?

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My two cents: it depends on your budget, but I'd have a really hard time buying a brand new computer with an i3 processor at this point in time, even at that price - too old. The latest processors are i7. I'd go with an i5 minimum; should work much better for Minecraft. (Minecraft does not work as well on our i3, though that's about 7 years old and does not run Win10.)

 

FWIW, I recently bought a Dell Latitude on ebay for one of my kids. Much more bang for the buck. See, e.g. Lanny's advice in this thread:

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/632649-what-laptop-does-your-high-schoolcollege-student-use/ If this computer will stay at home and weight isn't an issue, you should be able to get much more power for the same price or even less than the Walmart one.

 

Also, I find that the solid state drives (SSD) are quieter and faster than the spinning hard drives like the one in your link.

 

Alternatively, if you intend to get an i3 with a spinning hard drive, there's likely something out there that is cheaper than Walmart.

We don't want to buy used because we are not tech savvy at all to be able to replace parts or upgrade it.

 

Any suggestions on good websites for new and great deals?

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We bought manufacturer refurbished on ebay.  Ebay also carries new.  (I will not buy without a manufacturer warranty.)  IIRC, Lanny likes Blair Technology group e.g. http://www.blairtg.com/dell-latitude-e6410-laptop-core-i5-2-4ghz-4gb-ram-160gb-hdd-dvd-windows-10-home-wifi.html; not sure if they carry new or just refurb.  ETA, note that for any dell on ebay that gives the service tag, the warrant status can be checked on the dell website.

 

If I had to buy from a B&M store, I'd probably buy from Costco (though I prefer to stay away from touch screens).

 

ETA, also note that Dell has an outlet store that carries new and refurbs.  E.g. http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dfb&cs=28&key=LcBsiApGVMw6KvCbaCtd9dhP%2fSfWj6hIDrfRbxJzq6I%3d&puid=1c6d03f8  (FWIW, I really do prefer the new Latitude to the Inspirons that we have, for better build quality)

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I have twin boys that play Minecraft -- one on my Dell desktop and one on an older HP laptop.  You would think I'm the worst mom in the world for making the one work on the older laptop -- LOL.  He wants a new computer for his b-day :-)!

 

Anyway, my old HP laptop is running Windows 7, is an i3, and has 4 GB of RAM.  My 2.5 year old desktop is also running Windows 7, is an i7, and has 16 GB of RAM.  My desktop runs Minecraft really well.  The older laptop runs quite a bit slower and there are noticeable lag times when he is moving around on the screen, etc.  The one using the laptop might not care if he didn't see how fast his brother's is working.  I believe all the Minecraft data is saved in a specific place on the computer so I don't think they can take turns working on the opposite computer.

 

We buy all our computers new.  The first time through Dell.  The HP was my dad's and my BIL got it working again.  My personal older laptop and my desktop are both Dell's and we buy at Costco now.  I prefer Dell over HP and I love Windows 7, but I'm guessing we will have to go with Windows 10 or whatever is current with out next purchase.  I love Costco's extended warranty and their return policy.  We usually find a good sale.

 

Anyway, I hope this helps a bit.

 

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I just looked on Costco's site and they have a Dell gaming laptop with an i7 and 16 GB of Ram for $850 ($100 off from $950).  They also have a Dell laptop with an i5 and 8 GB RAM, which is $650.  Like a PP, I don't prefer touch screen either.  They have touch screens, non touch-screens, and desktops available.

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My son (laptop boy) is sitting next to me at the moment.  He is saying that Minecraft for Windows 10 is like Minecraft Pocket Edition.  Pocket Edition's capabilities are less than Minecraft on Windows 7.  I'm not sure what this all means, but I will be checking into this because I'm not sure I can get a new Windows 7 computer anymore.

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Ok, ok...so one LAST comment -- LOL.  My boys are taking their first GamED Academy Minecraft class.  I was looking at their requirements and you cannot use the Pocket Edition or the Windows 10 edition for their classes.  You need the computer edition of Minecraft that is $26.99.  I just wanted to pass this along in case your boys want to take some modding classes, etc. and these requirements are the same at other places.  The Windows 10 version wouldn't work (at least at the moment).

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My two cents:  it depends on your budget, but I'd have a really hard time buying a brand new computer with an i3 processor at this point in time, even at that price - too old.  The latest processors are i7.  I'd go with an i5 minimum; should work much better for Minecraft.  (Minecraft does not work as well on our i3, though that's about 7 years old and does not run Win10.)

 

FWIW, I recently bought a Dell Latitude on ebay for one of my kids.  Much more bang for the buck.  See, e.g. Lanny's advice in this thread:  

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/632649-what-laptop-does-your-high-schoolcollege-student-use/  If this computer will stay at home and weight isn't an issue, you should be able to get much more power for the same price or even less than the Walmart one.

 

Also, I find that the solid state drives (SSD) are quieter and faster than the spinning hard drives like the one in your link.

 

Alternatively, if you intend to get an i3 with a spinning hard drive, there's likely something out there that is cheaper than Walmart.

 

We have 2 Dell Latitude E6410 laptops and this Dell Precision M4500 Mobile Workstation that have Intel i7 CPUs and an nVidia card in them. These are business machines, so the video is optimized for business applications (CAD, etc.), but one can play a lot of games on them.  They have 8 GB of RAM in them. Unexpectedly, I bought a 240 GB SSD for this M4500, because the HDD I had for it proved to be defective after I installed it. I read somewhere, or, saw in a YouTube video, that many gamers prefer the Intel i5 CPU, because it can be "overclocked" a lot.  I would consider an Intel i5 as the minimum CPU.  An SSD is great, if one is doing a lot of Reading from it, but not so good if one is doing a lot of Writing to it.  Hopefully, an SSD has a higher MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) than an HDD, eg: Better Reliability

 

ETA:  I would, if possible, also look at the QUALITY of the Screen.  This M4500 has an FHD (Full High Definition screen.   Also , the 2 models mentioned in this post have "Matte" screens,which are Non Glare and much easier on the eyes.

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My two cents:  it depends on your budget, but I'd have a really hard time buying a brand new computer with an i3 processor at this point in time, even at that price - too old.  The latest processors are i7.  I'd go with an i5 minimum; should work much better for Minecraft.  (Minecraft does not work as well on our i3, though that's about 7 years old and does not run Win10.)

 

Intel Core i3 processors are NOT older than Intel Core i7 or Core i5 processors.  They all came about at about the same time as part of the same family of processors and all have been maintained together over the years.  They are just in different performance categories.  The Core i3 processor that OP is considering is a sixth-generation of the Core i3, which is the same generation you would get if you bought a Core i5 or a Core i7.

 

While the Core i7 processors are faster than the Core i3 processors, they do have drawbacks.  First, they cost more.  Second, they consume more power.  That means two things: the shorten battery life and they run faster.  The result is that the fan(s) run more often, pulling dust into the machine.  Simply put, a laptop with a Core i3 processor will likely last longer than a laptop with a Core i7 processor.

 

As such, I prefer Core i3 over Core 7 in our laptops.

 

Also, I find that the solid state drives (SSD) are quieter and faster than the spinning hard drives like the one in your link.

 

Alternatively, if you intend to get an i3 with a spinning hard drive, there's likely something out there that is cheaper than Walmart.

 

Yes, SSDs are both quieter and faster.  However, there are two main drawbacks to SSDs:  1)  They cost more for the same amount of storage,  and 2)  When an SSD fails, there is almost ZERO chance of recovering your data from the drive.  Spinning drives often give plenty of warning before the data becomes nonrecoverable.

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We don't want to buy used because we are not tech savvy at all to be able to replace parts or upgrade it.

 

Any suggestions on good websites for new and great deals?

 

If you buy a "Refurbished" Laptop or Desktop, from Blair Technology Group in KY, I think for $5 extra you will get a one year warranty on everything but the laptop battery. We bought 3 "Refurbished" Dell Latitude E6400 laptops from them (2 in 2014 and 1 in 2015).  My exchanges with their Support were probably FAR FAR FAR better than you will get, if you purchase a "Brand New" or "Refurbished" machine in a brick and mortar store, or directly from Dell or another manufacturer. Look at BlairTG.com or look at their listings on eBay. They are a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher and you get a Fresh and Legal installation of Windows on it. When you start the machine the first time, the "OOBE" (Out of Box Experience) is the same as if you'd purchased a Brand New machine from Dell or HP or Lenovo.  

 

I looked at the configuration of the HP machine on WalMart that you linked to and other than the i3 CPU (I would prefer that it had an i5), it is well equipped. I especially like that it has 8 GB of RAM.  A 64 bit operating system will take advantage of that RAM.  

 

If you have never used a Display with a Matte screen (non glare) such as Dell puts in these Enterprise grade machines (the 5 Dell Latitude laptops that our family has, and this Dell Precision Mobile Workstation),  it is something that will help your eyes, prevent eyestrain, prevent headaches, etc.  I doubt that you will find a Matte screen on a Consumer grade machine. That's what you will see, if you walk into a brick and mortar store. Those are lower price machines, with lower cost components.  When my BIL comes to visit, with his HP laptop, with a Glossy Screen, I can only look at it for a minute or so, because of the glare from the lights, etc.

 

These machines are easy to service and you can download the manuals from the Dell Support web site. Components are readily available on eBay if one should need them.  That is something that you may not find with a Consumer Grade machine.  Enterprise Grade machines are built in huge numbers and with ease of service in mind. Consumer Grade machines are built as cheaply as is possible, to get a low price point. I would be much more concerned about the availability of replacement components for a Consumer Grade machine and serviceability is another factor with them. It might be much harder to service them. 

 

We have replaced the DVD drives in a couple of our Dell laptops. That was one of my contacts with Blair Technology Support.  I wrote them an email on a Sunday afternoon, describing the symptoms. On Monday, I received an email from them,  asking for our Shipping Address so they could send us another one. That was in the last of the 3 Dell Latitude E6400 laptops we bought from them.  The DVD drive died,   about 2 months after we received it.   I held the laptop in the proper position and DD replaced the DVD drive. I think she would tell you that took approximately 20 seconds.  Possibly, she would tell you less than 20 seconds. 

 

My wife had a problem with the keyboard in one of the 3 Used "INCOMPLETE LAPTOPS"  that I won from an eBay Seller in PA.   I bought another keyboard for it from an eBay Seller.  That keyboard was worse than the one we were replacing and it was "Brand New".   They refunded our money.  Then, I found an eBay Seller  just North of Dallas, that said they test what they sell. That was what we needed. I bought one from them and it is perfect.  My wife can replace one of the keyboards in our 5 laptops or this mobile workstation, in about 2 minutes.  My wife then discovered that there were many people complaining on the web about defective keyboards in those machines. There are multiple models of Dell keyboards that Dell installed in these machines (depending on what the Leasing company specified when they placed the order with Dell)   I'm not sure if that problem was limited to just one of those keyboard models.  

 

The hard drives can be replaced in a couple of minutes. There is a Hard Drive Caddy Cover (a little piece of plastic) that you attach to the HDD or SSD with one screw.

 

There is one screw on the bottom cover that you remove and you have access to a huge amount of things, if you should need to replace one of those, I've never had to do that.

 

The one issue we had, that I decided not to spend $ to buy a replacement for, is that the Screen in the 2nd Dell Latitude E6400 had a problem with a Bad Pixel or something that was very annoying. Vertical lines, from the top of the screen to the bottom of the screen. That was after we'd had the machine for about 2 years.  That was my machine.  I sent some photos to Blair Technology Support, asking them what they thought it was, and I told them I knew it was out of warranty, and was just asking for a diagnosis, not a replacement, because it was out of warranty. The response was that it looked like the Screen had been damaged. If I damaged it, I'm not sure how I did that.  I looked into getting another Screen for it, but because the technology is much older than the machines we have now, I decided that would not be Cost Effective. If it was in one of the E6410 laptops, or this   M4500 mobile workstation, I'd buy another screen. Those can probably be replaced in 10 or 20 minutes.   That E6400 is now our "Donor Laptop".  One thing about Enterprise Grade machines is there is a lot of "Commonality" of parts, and we have that, with the 3 models we have at this time. Many of the components are interchangeable, between models.  

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My son (laptop boy) is sitting next to me at the moment.  He is saying that Minecraft for Windows 10 is like Minecraft Pocket Edition.  Pocket Edition's capabilities are less than Minecraft on Windows 7.  I'm not sure what this all means, but I will be checking into this because I'm not sure I can get a new Windows 7 computer anymore.

 

Blair Technology Group (a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher) sent an email to their customers (our family bought 3 machines from them) I think in early or mid October 2016 about that.  I believe the last Windows 7 machines they were able to sell (or ship) was on  October 31, 2016.  The last Latitude E6400 we bought from them (May 2015, a day we were not planning to buy another machine) has Windows 8.1 on it.  Not something I wanted, but I set it up properly for DD and she does not have any issues with it. Windows 8.1 is a little different than her Windows 7 machine, but both are apparently very stable.  

 

I believe that Microsoft now requires Blair Technology Group  (and other Microsoft Authorized Refurbishers) to ship Windows 10 on the machines they sell.  

 

Our other machines are running Windows 7. Mostly Windows 7 Professional, but one of the E6400 laptops is running Windows 7 Home Premium. 

 

OH, if you buy a Used or Refurbished machine, it is CRITICAL that the machine have a Microsoft COA (Certificate of Authority) with a legible "Product Key" so you can register the machine with Microsoft and get the Windows updates and be legal.  

 

Interesting comments from your DS about Minecraft Pocket Edition... Important comments...

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Whatever laptops you have, all of them should have a dedicated "Laptop Cooler" or whatever those are called. All of our laptops have one. When we travel, the "Laptop Cooler" travels with the laptop. That will extend the life of the machine.

 

I agree with Reg about the i7 running hotter. That's true. The same thing for having 8 GB of RAM instead of 4 GB of RAM.  They will run a little hotter.  I am surprised, at how infrequently the fan in this Dell Precision M4500 Mobile Workstation comes on. When it does come on, it is usually only for a few seconds. There is a lot of stuff packed into a small space. The discrete nVidia card also generates heat. CPUs always generate a lot of heat, that's why they have a fan and heat sink to cool them down.  

 

 

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By way of comparison, we have bought 10 HP laptops from Walmart and only ONE had to be returned to HP due to a failure within the one-year warranty period.  IMO, the idea that "cheaper equals less reliable" is a fallacy.  In fact, in most areas, including laptops, cheaper typically means MORE reliable for the reasons I have outlined.  Also note that manufacturers of MOST inexpensive products cannot afford more than a bare minimum of failures within the warranty period.  Simply put, FAILURES are something which needs to be taken out of the manufacturer's cost in order to make a very-low-cost product.

 

MomsintheGarden and I are STILL using two of the three HP laptops which we purchased from Walmart in November 2009 for $300 each.  They are 64-bit machines and Microsoft upgraded the operating system to Windows 10 in 2015.  Both still work very well.

 

These machines are easy to service and you can download the manuals from the Dell Support web site. Components are readily available on eBay if one should need them.  That is something that you may not find with a Consumer Grade machine.  Enterprise Grade machines are built in huge numbers and with ease of service in mind. Consumer Grade machines are built as cheaply as is possible, to get a low price point. I would be much more concerned about the availability of replacement components for a Consumer Grade machine and serviceability is another factor with them. It might be much harder to service them.  

 

Lanny is exactly correct about the issue of repairability.  Nearly ALL laptop parts are easy to come by on eBay and some things like batteries, power cords, keyboards and DVD drives are easy to replace on EVERY laptop.  But consumer-grade laptops sometimes stop there.  And, unfortunately, the laptop that OP is looking at is one that has ALL other parts in difficult-to-get-to locations.  Specifically, if you ever need to access the memory, hard drive or wireless radio, you need to almost COMPLETELY disassemble the laptop.  (For reference, here is the link to the service and repair manual for that machine.  Page 29 shows you what the bottom cover looks like.)  With 8 GB of RAM, you likely will not need to ever access the memory, but the hard drive is nearly-always the first thing to fail in a laptop.  I typically replace my hard drive about every three years so that I reduce the risk of losing my data.

 

We currently have three HP laptops with the same level of servicing difficulty as that one and one which has only the hard drive inaccessible.  The benefit of those laptops, beyond the fact that they tend to be very reliable is that they are cheaper and lighter.  Like most things, it's a tradeoff.  I have the tools and experience to make all of those repairs, so it is not an issue for me.  But replacing ANY of those inaccessible items will be quite difficult (and scary!) for most who do not have experience dealing with plastic snap-together parts, bare circuitry and tiny connectors.  (Our DS14 is quite particular about his stuff and it is VERY painful for him to see me do service on his laptop, even if it is an upgrade!  I think the only reason he hangs around to watch such surgery is so that if I DO ever break something, he can say "See!  I told you it was fragile!"  ;) )

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By way of comparison, we have bought 10 HP laptops from Walmart and only ONE had to be returned to HP due to a failure within the one-year warranty period.  IMO, the idea that "cheaper equals less reliable" is a fallacy.  In fact, in most areas, including laptops, cheaper typically means MORE reliable for the reasons I have outlined.  Also note that manufacturers of MOST inexpensive products cannot afford more than a bare minimum of failures within the warranty period.  Simply put, FAILURES are something which needs to be taken out of the manufacturer's cost in order to make a very-low-cost product.

 

MomsintheGarden and I are STILL using two of the three HP laptops which we purchased from Walmart in November 2009 for $300 each.  They are 64-bit machines and Microsoft upgraded the operating system to Windows 10 in 2015.  Both still work very well.

 

 

Lanny is exactly correct about the issue of repairability.  Nearly ALL laptop parts are easy to come by on eBay and some things like batteries, power cords, keyboards and DVD drives are easy to replace on EVERY laptop.  But consumer-grade laptops sometimes stop there.  And, unfortunately, the laptop that OP is looking at is one that has ALL other parts in difficult-to-get-to locations.  Specifically, if you ever need to access the memory, hard drive or wireless radio, you need to almost COMPLETELY disassemble the laptop.  (For reference, here is the link to the service and repair manual for that machine.  Page 29 shows you what the bottom cover looks like.)  With 8 GB of RAM, you likely will not need to ever access the memory, but the hard drive is nearly-always the first thing to fail in a laptop.  I typically replace my hard drive about every three years so that I reduce the risk of losing my data.

 

We currently have three HP laptops with the same level of servicing difficulty as that one and one which has only the hard drive inaccessible.  The benefit of those laptops, beyond the fact that they tend to be very reliable is that they are cheaper and lighter.  Like most things, it's a tradeoff.  I have the tools and experience to make all of those repairs, so it is not an issue for me.  But replacing ANY of those inaccessible items will be quite difficult (and scary!) for most who do not have experience dealing with plastic snap-together parts, bare circuitry and tiny connectors.  (Our DS14 is quite particular about his stuff and it is VERY painful for him to see me do service on his laptop, even if it is an upgrade!  I think the only reason he hangs around to watch such surgery is so that if I DO ever break something, he can say "See!  I told you it was fragile!"  ;) )

 

Beautifully written Reg. Very eloquent and comprehensive.  I hope the OP and others will read and understand what you wrote, about the serviceability of Consumer grade machines. Some I suppose are easier to service than others. That is sort of astonishing to me. This link is for the Dell Service Manual for the Dell Latitude E6410 laptops. We have 2 of those and my Dell Precision M4500 Mobile Workstation is like an E6410 on Steroids.  By loosening one  Captive Screw, on the bottom, one has access to almost everything.   One of my fears about Consumer Grade machines is that if replacement components are eventually needed, whether or not they will be available and if so, at what price, compared to components for an Enterprise grade machine. .

 http://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_laptop/esuprt_latitude_laptop/latitude-e6410_service%20manual_en-us.pdf

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Thanks for all the replies! I did some searching on websites and couldn't find a better price for a new one with similar specs. I really wanted to stay under $400. I went to our local Wal-mart to see if they had it on display and try it out. They didn't, but they have a 15 day return policy. With the receipt, you can return it even if you just don't like it. I was pleased with that, so I bought it.

 

I had ds sign into his Minecraft account, and he was able to download it for free because he had purchased it before. It seems to play just fine. He definitely will want an external mouse, but he can already tell it is faster on servers than our older desktop.

 

Thanks again!

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for all the replies! I did some searching on websites and couldn't find a better price for a new one with similar specs. I really wanted to stay under $400. I went to our local Wal-mart to see if they had it on display and try it out. They didn't, but they have a 15 day return policy. With the receipt, you can return it even if you just don't like it. I was pleased with that, so I bought it.

 

Congratulations!  Yeah, it's hard to beat Walmart's laptop prices.  My coworkers in Asia were always FLOORED at what I could pay for a laptop half-way around the world from where they were made!  (BTW, early November is the time to get the best deals...)

 

If you want to see how amazing the Intel Core i3 is, do this:  Put the laptop on a hard surface and allow your son to play Minecraft for about one hour.  Then tilt the laptop up and feel with your hand how warm it is at its hottest.  Truly they have come a LONG way in terms of performance-per-Watt!

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OP: Good luck with the new laptop!  Better performance for your DS than he was getting before and running Minecraft OK is a good start.  Our laptops are used in the house the vast majority of the time. We have external USB keyboards connected to them, external (cabled) USB mice and they are ALWAYS sitting on a Laptop Cooler, whether they are in the house or on a trip.

 

Reg: "Specifically, if you ever need to access the memory, hard drive or wireless radio, you need to almost COMPLETELY disassemble the laptop."    I am just floored by that information. In the 5 Dell Latitude laptops that we have, and this Dell Precision Mobile Workstation, the HDD is replaceable in approximately 2 or 3  minutes. The RAM (and many other components) are accessible by Loosening the "Captive Screw" holding the Bottom Cover on.   I think the WiFi card is easily accessible after removing the Bottom Cover, but I have never had a problem with a WiFi card, so far.  I have added RAM, so we have 2 laptops, this Mobile Workstation, and our only Desktop, that have 8 GB of RAM in them, which is their maximum capacity.  

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Reporting back to say we are all loving the laptop. I can't believe how it's getting barely warm.

 

I wasn't sure I would like Windows 10, but it's okay. Our desktop still has Windows 7.

 

Glad to hear you are loving the laptop!  :hurray:  Hopefully it will last you a very long time.

 

Yes, I like Windows 10 quite a bit.  I did do the free upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 and Windows 8 on all of our computers when it was available and I find I like it as well as Windows 7.  My only caution is that it is a privacy disaster.  If you care about that, I encourage you to Google something like "Windows 10 privacy settings" and you will find tons of articles about how to secure your privacy when using Windows 10.

 

Finally, I forgot to mention in my earlier posts that the default settings for both "Power" and "3D" for the Intel Graphics HD 520 that is included on the Core i3-6100U processor in your computer is the "Balanced Mode" setting.  What that means is that the processor is partially limiting 3D performance to both improve graphics 3D quality and reduce power consumption (and thereby improve battery life).

 

If your son is like our children, he wants maximum 3D performance for Minecraft as well as other games.  If so, you can improve this by changing the settings in the "Intel HD Graphic Control Panel" application.  That "might" show up in your system tray (at the bottom right, click the up arrow and check for it) or you could find it by typing "intel" into the Cortana search box and picking it.

 

Once the "Intel 3D Graphics Control Panel" is open, if your son wants 3D graphics to simply be faster, click the "Power" button and then change the setting from "Balanced Mode" to "Maximum Performance".  (Note that there are separate settings for "Plugged In" and "On Battery".  You might want to keep "On Battery" settings as they were.)  Then click the "Apply" button at the bottom of the page and then click "Yes" for the dialog box that comes up.  (All of my children use "Maximum Performance" for this setting.)

 

The other setting that affects 3D performance in that application is found under the "3D" button.  But this option is NOT a tradeoff between graphics performance and battery life, but rather it trades off 3D graphics *quality* against 3D graphics performance.  That is an option your son might want to try with different settings to see which one suits him best in Minecraft.  If 3D performance is good enough with the other settings, then he may simply wish to keep the "Balanced Mode" or even improve quality settings by lowering 3D performance.  (I checked with DS12 and he uses "Balanced Mode" for this setting.)

 

Anyway, the existence of those options to improve 3D performance is not always obvious and I thought your son might want to try them out.

 

Enjoy!

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