goldberry Posted July 28, 2016 Posted July 28, 2016 DD17 needs a new computer. She wants one smaller that she can take to school without it taking up her whole backpack and weighing her down. Anyone have a reliable, affordable one like that? She does watch movies, but can use an external dvd drive, since I know most of the smaller ones don't have that. 1 Quote
goldberry Posted July 28, 2016 Author Posted July 28, 2016 We were looking at this one, any feedback from knowledgeable folk?? Dell Latitude 11 Education model http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/latitude-3150-laptop/pd?ref=PD_Family Quote
Josh Blade Posted July 28, 2016 Posted July 28, 2016 Depending on what they need to do with it for school, you might be able to get away with a ChromeBook. They are super light, cheap, and you can go from turned off to working on something in under 30 seconds. Those are the best advantages. The biggest downside is that since it is using the ChromeOS and NOT Windows, you can't install programs on it. Basically, ChromeOS is a fancy version of the Chrome Browser and you can only run Chrome plugins. There are Chrome plugins for all of your main office type products (word/excel/power point), but you wouldn't be able to install a program that requires windows. My wife is getting her master's in English Education right now and this works out perfectly for her. She can browse the internet and write papers. It wouldn't work if you were wanting iTunes or special programs for course work like an IDE for programming. We got the Toshiba Chromebook 2, which is one of the higher end Chromebooks, but those are still priced at the low end for normal windows laptops. 2 Quote
goldberry Posted July 28, 2016 Author Posted July 28, 2016 Re: Chromebooks, we are a bit intimidated by those. All of us are used to Windows. Quote
Crimson Wife Posted July 28, 2016 Posted July 28, 2016 Following, since I will need a light laptop if I decide to commute via train to my on-campus class this fall. I will need a full computer rather than a Chromebook or other netbook. I like the looks of the Microsoft Surface and other 2-in-1's like the Lenovo ThinkPad. 1 Quote
TechWife Posted July 28, 2016 Posted July 28, 2016 Is this for college? If so, she needs to check with her major department to see if they have any special software and what the system requirements are. The university bookstore might have good prices available as well. 1 Quote
goldberry Posted July 28, 2016 Author Posted July 28, 2016 Following, since I will need a light laptop if I decide to commute via train to my on-campus class this fall. I will need a full computer rather than a Chromebook or other netbook. I like the looks of the Microsoft Surface and other 2-in-1's like the Lenovo ThinkPad. Yeah, it seems the smaller and lighter you get, you either give up features or get more and more expensive. Trying to find a balance. She will need word processing on it, to work on homework, etc. but hopefully won't be storing a bunch of things on it. I think I will try to get her to keep her Itunes somewhere else. TechWife, this is her senior year, dual enrollment, so some college, but I don't think she will need special software with her major, 1 Quote
City Mouse Posted July 28, 2016 Posted July 28, 2016 We have had good luck with an HP Stream. Walmart usually has the smaller screen one (10 in I think) in stock. There is a 13 in that an be ordered online. My DD had a chrome book that only lasted one year at college before it started to fall apart. The Stream is 2yr old and doing well so far. 1 Quote
mommytobees Posted July 28, 2016 Posted July 28, 2016 The other thing to consider, since she is dual enrolled, is will their "boards" work on a Chrome book. ASU (where I'm going right now) will work on a Chromebook, but the local community college's won't. Question: how long do you want this to last? I'm currently trying to baby my Macbook Pro until Dec, when I graduate. After Dec, I can wait a few months and save up for a new Mac (my preference). If, heaven forbid, I have to purchase something before Dec...sigh...I'm going to have to go with a cheap something-or-another. I'm looking at this: 1) http://www.costco.com/Lenovo-Ideapad-310-Touchscreen-Laptop---Intel-Core-i5.product.100291597.html or this: 2) http://www.costco.com/Lenovo-Ideapad-310-Touchscreen-Laptop---Intel-Core-i3.product.100291601.html or this: 3) http://www.costco.com/ASUS-T100CHI-Transformer-Book-2-in-1-Touchscreen-Laptop---Intel-Atom---1920-x-1200.product.100289109.html My order is actually backwards. I am more likely to purchase the cheapest of the three, though I do like Lenovo better than ASUS. The ASUS is also the smallest. IMHO, the ASUS will last the longest period of time (of the three) and Do. Not. Drop. It. The Lenovo's won't last as long as the ASUS. BUT.....from everything I've read...you'll be lucky if they work in 3 years. BTW: I hate Dell. I have lots of reasons, but not enough time in the day to expand on that. HTH, Kris, who has resolved to buy cheap until she can afford a new Macbook. 1 Quote
Guest Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 I have had 2 Lenovos. My dh is using my 6yo cast=off. I am on my third year with this one. I really like them a lot. I got the static memory so it is really quiet. My BFF has her Lenovo that she got 8 years ago, and she is a writer. My son has a penchant for ASUS, and my dh is using (for his other machine) his 6 yo ASUS. My son's regular laptop is 3 yo. He is more concerned about speed than I am... Games. Annnnd, I pulled our Dell out of the closet where it had sat for at least 5 years and plugged it in, and it worked fine. But the software was seriously out of date. Anyway, the Lenovo is really transportable. Can use it as a tablet, or with a regular keyboard by flipping the laptop keyboard to the back. I am not that crazy about the Lenovo keyboard, but it is about as good as any laptop. When I plug in at home, I use the big keyboard. But on the road, i don't even bring a mouse. As for storage, get a big thumb drive to back up data. Quote
goldberry Posted July 29, 2016 Author Posted July 29, 2016 I have had 2 Lenovos. My dh is using my 6yo cast=off. I am on my third year with this one. I really like them a lot. I got the static memory so it is really quiet. My BFF has her Lenovo that she got 8 years ago, and she is a writer. My son has a penchant for ASUS, and my dh is using (for his other machine) his 6 yo ASUS. My son's regular laptop is 3 yo. He is more concerned about speed than I am... Games. Annnnd, I pulled our Dell out of the closet where it had sat for at least 5 years and plugged it in, and it worked fine. But the software was seriously out of date. Anyway, the Lenovo is really transportable. Can use it as a tablet, or with a regular keyboard by flipping the laptop keyboard to the back. I am not that crazy about the Lenovo keyboard, but it is about as good as any laptop. When I plug in at home, I use the big keyboard. But on the road, i don't even bring a mouse. As for storage, get a big thumb drive to back up data. Which Lenovo do you have? Quote
goldberry Posted July 29, 2016 Author Posted July 29, 2016 This Lenovo looks nice http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-flex-3-2-in-1-11-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-celeron-4gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive-black/4456600.p?skuId=4456600 Sometimes I feel like I don't really know what I'm looking for though. Quote
Crimson Wife Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 DH had an IBM ThinkPad in grad school that was made by Lenovo and it was a real workhorse. It ran great for years and years until the battery finally died and we were not able to find a replacement battery (tried ordering from several different sources but couldn't find one that actually fit the machine). 1 Quote
elegantlion Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 (edited) One thing to look for is upgradable RAM. Most of these lower end smaller computers come with 4 GB of RAM. The Acer I bought a few years ago does not have upgradable RAM (can't remember if it has 2 or 4 right now). The Lenovo's I've looked at mostly do, while some of the others do not. RAM is easier to install even for a non-techy, and extra RAM is fairly cheap too. One of the reasons I want a full laptop and not a Chromebook type computer is that I want the ability to work offline. I would also check how the networks at your DD's school. Our wi-fi at school can be spotty in some place, ironically in the new science and math building. The system has also been known to go out in storm, so you may not have coverage at certain times. This is one of the ones I'm considering, although I haven't had ds (my tech dept.) look at the specs thoroughly yet. Edited July 29, 2016 by elegantlion 1 Quote
Lanny Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 I have no idea about what is the "best", but during August 2015, my wife bought an inexpensive mini laptop, an ACER, for her DIL. DIL carries it around all day in her backpack, when she is working in the field, and then has it for her classes at night. It had Windows 8.1 on it in the store, but the salesman asked them if they would like it upgraded to Windows 10, and they said yes. As far as I know, there have been no problems with the ACER or Windows 10. GL with whatever you buy! P.S. The Dell Laptops we use in the house are older models. They were designed for and built for "Enterprise" (Corporate and Government) customers and are too big and heavy for DIL to carry around in her backpack all day. However, they are much more powerful, have larger displays (Matte screens), more RAM, etc. We have six (6) of those for my wife, DD and me. 1 Quote
JanetC Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 If budget is tight, you should be checking for refurb models. Preferably manufacturer refurb (a Dell refurbished by Dell, an HP refurbished by HP, etc.) You need to put them through their paces over the 30 day return window, but you can get more memory and other features for the same price. Web search for old product reviews to get an idea of durability and quality. Try newegg or woot. Do not pay asking price on dellrefurbished.com, there are almost always coupons on Fat Wallet or Retailmenot. You may have to be patient. 2 Quote
goldberry Posted July 29, 2016 Author Posted July 29, 2016 This is one of the ones I'm considering, although I haven't had ds (my tech dept.) look at the specs thoroughly yet. Ooh, I like that one,,, 1 Quote
Lanny Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 If budget is tight, you should be checking for refurb models. Preferably manufacturer refurb (a Dell refurbished by Dell, an HP refurbished by HP, etc.) You need to put them through their paces over the 30 day return window, but you can get more memory and other features for the same price. Web search for old product reviews to get an idea of durability and quality. Try newegg or woot. Do not pay asking price on dellrefurbished.com, there are almost always coupons on Fat Wallet or Retailmenot. You may have to be patient. Yes to the idea of buying a "Refurbished" or "Used" laptop. However, if the DD of the OP is looking for something very small and lightweight, I doubt those qualities will be available in an older laptop. The first three (3) laptops our family bought were "Refurbished" Dell Latitude E6400 models, from Blair Technology Group (Blairtg.com). We bought the first 2 on Amazon and the 3rd on eBay. Blair is a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher and the units came with a new installation of Windows and a one year warranty on everything but the battery. When I looked at the BlairTG.com web site last week, I noticed they also have some Apple units, but I am not sure about the warranty on those. Laptops #4, 5 and 6 were "INCOMPLETE LAPTOPS" I won from an eBay Seller in PA. Two of them are Dell Latitude E6410 models and this one is a Dell Precision M4500 "Mobile Workstation". The two E6410 and the M4500 that we have are more powerful, Intel i7 CPU, nVidia cards, etc. The "INCOMPLETE LAPTOPS" took some time to get up and running, install Windows, maybe a hard disk drive, maybe buy an AC Adapter, but those things were obvious in the eBay listings and I knew exactly what unit I was bidding on and what I was going to get, when I set my maximum bid price for the auctions. Quote
goldberry Posted July 29, 2016 Author Posted July 29, 2016 Lenovo - Yoga 710 11 2-in-1 11.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Pentium - 4GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Silver http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-yoga-710-11-2-in-1-11-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-pentium-4gb-memory-128gb-solid-state-drive-silver/5206500.p?id=bb5206500 This one looks nice and is only 2.36 lbs. 1 Quote
Lanny Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 Lenovo - Yoga 710 11 2-in-1 11.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Pentium - 4GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Silver http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-yoga-710-11-2-in-1-11-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-pentium-4gb-memory-128gb-solid-state-drive-silver/5206500.p?id=bb5206500 This one looks nice and is only 2.36 lbs. Anything you contemplate buying, I suggest that you read ALL of the Reviews on Amazon. Especially the ones from Verified Purchasers. I find those very helpful and informative. If there are a lot of very positive reviews, then I would consider the purchase. Everything is a compromise, between size, power, price, etc. I would find the 11.6" screen very tiny (this Precision M4500 has a 15.6" display, which is easy on my eyes, but we only travel once or twice a year and I am not carrying it around in a backpack all day. The model you linked to has a 128 GB SSD. The HDD I had for this Precision M4500 turned out to be defective. It was 160 GB. Unexpectedly, I bought my first SSD, a 240 GB Corsair. Generally I am using approximately 50 or 60 GB, so unless my computing habits change, the 240 GB drive is going to be fine for me. On an SSD, the more empty space, the better. I would prefer to see that model have an SSD with larger capacity, or, an HDD with larger capacity. I had been installing 500 GB HDDs in our laptops, but with an SSD, each GB of capacity costs a lot more. 4 GB of RAM is IMO the absolute minimum for a modern OS. This Precision M4500 has 4 GB and I knew before I bid on it that I would buy 8 GB of RAM for it and replace the 4 GB with 8 GB. I hope to do that soon. The only Application I have open at this moment is Google Chrome and I am using 39% of the 4 GB of RAM. It is running Windows 7 Professional. Lenovo is an enormous company. My wife just bought a Lenovo cell phone for my stepson. He said it is exactly like her Motorola phone, when he compared the 2 in the superstore. Lenovo owns Motorola Mobility. USB Ports: I would REALLY LIKE to see more than one USB port on a laptop. The ones we have are older "Enterprise" laptops and they only have four (4) USB ports. One of them is always occupied by a Laptop Cooler (we never run laptops without them being on a Cooler). In the house, we always have an external USB Mouse connected and we always have an external USB Keyboard connected. So, only having one USB Port would be a huge issue for us. "Battery life up to 9 hours". Read the reviews on Amazon and other web sites. I doubt that, but it might be possible. That would be incredible, if end users can get that much time on battery power. Every machine you will consider has tradeoffs. Pluses and minuses. Make a list of what your DD wants/needs, for the machine she will use, day in and day out and get the most "pluses" that you can for her. 1 Quote
goldberry Posted July 29, 2016 Author Posted July 29, 2016 Lanny, I talked to DD last night, and let her know that the smaller and lighter we go, she will be losing performance (in our price range anyway), and that she can't load it down with stuff like her other laptop. She says she would still prefer to go with more portability, so small size and lite weight are priorities. She plans on using just for school stuff - no special programs, just internet, Microsoft Office (for homework assignments,etc.), watching movies. She is going to keep her Itunes and photos elsewhere. I probably would upgrade whatever we get to 8gb right at the beginning like you are suggesting. 1 Quote
J-rap Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 My daughter has this Chromebook and it's been great: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H7WF22K/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It has been her college computer, and she'll need nothing else throughout her college years. But, with her major she doesn't need any special programs, and she always has access to internet, which is mostly required for the Chromebook. She IS able to write without internet access, but I'm not sure how that all works. 1 Quote
KarenNC Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 I'd be sure to check the version of MS Office you get on the new machine, especially with the smaller machines. The 2 GB ones have had the Office 365 for a while, but now I'm seeing it on bigger capacity machines as well. It's a yearly subscription service for Office rather than owning it, so there's an ongoing expense. It may work for you, but be sure you know what you are getting. Quote
Lanny Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 (edited) Lanny, I talked to DD last night, and let her know that the smaller and lighter we go, she will be losing performance (in our price range anyway), and that she can't load it down with stuff like her other laptop. She says she would still prefer to go with more portability, so small size and lite weight are priorities. She plans on using just for school stuff - no special programs, just internet, Microsoft Office (for homework assignments,etc.), watching movies. She is going to keep her Itunes and photos elsewhere. I probably would upgrade whatever we get to 8gb right at the beginning like you are suggesting. OH, she has another laptop? That IMO changes some of what I have been thinking. But then, it really doesn't change anything I have been thinking and suggesting to you... IMO, you should buy an extremely inexpensive Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 laptop. No touch screen. Something very much like what my wife bought for her DIL last August. A very low end ACER that is very small and very light, so she can carry it around in her backpack all day and then take to night classes. We live in Colombia. I think it cost less than USD $300 here, last August, and that includes taxes. I think it only has 2 GB of RAM, but I am not sure about that. DIL has not had any issues with it. OK, I just asked my wife and she said that ACER laptop has proved to be an excellent purchase (IMO, anything you purchase that does not have issues is an excellent purchase). My stepson doesn't know how much RAM it has, and DIL is working, and we think it has 2 GB of RAM, but are not sure. If I were in the states and wanted to buy something like that, I would SEARCH on Amazon and find the most popular laptops of that type and very low end price range, and then I would read all of the reviews, decide on one, and then "Click to Buy". Your DD and DIL would have much more power, etc., in one of these older "Enterprise" laptops, but as I wrote before, I wouldn't want to be carrying one around in a backpack all day. You may or may not have expansion capability in a laptop of that type. For example, I am not sure if the ACER has the capacity for more RAM. RE: Microsoft Office 365 When my wife bought the ACER laptop for DIL last August, she also bought a box with Office 365 with a license for 3 seats. A few months ago, DD and my wife swapped computers. My wife now has the Dell Inspiron 660s Desktop we bought for DD, which has Microsoft Office on it. DD now has one of the Dell Latitude E6410 laptops (i7 CPU, nVidia card, etc., better for Gaming...) which does not have Microsoft Office. DD got the box for Office 365 and tried to install it and it wouldn't let her, because it was purchased in 2015... I can assure you, that is the first and last time we will pay for Office 365. DD has LibreOffice installed (I installed it on this Dell Precision M4500 this morning). She also uses Microsoft Office Online, for free...I am not sure what the link is, but if you have a Microsoft account (Hotmail, etc.) after clicking around awhile, you can (hopefully) find a way to use it for free. LibreOffice is a complete Office Suite, it is free, and it is compatible with Microsoft Office. Edited July 29, 2016 by Lanny Quote
marbel Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 My daughter has this Chromebook and it's been great: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H7WF22K/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It has been her college computer, and she'll need nothing else throughout her college years. But, with her major she doesn't need any special programs, and she always has access to internet, which is mostly required for the Chromebook. She IS able to write without internet access, but I'm not sure how that all works. Thanks for posting. We just ordered our son a similar Chromebook (larger monitor, 4mb memory) for his first year at CC. I was feeling a little unsettled about it after reading all the other posts. I figure if he needs something else after his first year, he can hand it down to me. :-) 'Cause even though I have no need of one, I want one just because. :-) 1 Quote
Lanny Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 OP I am curious now, so I searched on Amazon and got to this URL of SERPs: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_p_n_operating_system_2?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A172282%2Cn%3A541966%2Cn%3A13896617011%2Cn%3A565108%2Cn%3A13896615011%2Ck%3Alaptop+windows+10%2Cp_n_operating_system_browse-bin%3A12035945011&sort=price-asc-rank&keywords=laptop+windows+10&ie=UTF8&qid=1469817344&rnid=562215011 And then I noticed they start with Refurbished laptops and I clicked on this one: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Latitude-2120-Mini-Webcam/dp/B01HY4CP84/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1469817365&sr=1-4&keywords=laptop+windows+10&refinements=p_n_operating_system_browse-bin%3A12035945011 And then, I wondered if Blair Technology Group (Blairtg.com) had something like that, since our family has three (3) Refurbished Dell Latitude E6400 laptops we bought from them. I searched and ended up on this URL: http://www.blairtg.com/shop-computers/laptops.html?dir=asc&order=price SUGGESTION: Call Blair Technology Group and ask them what the Net Weight of one of those is, with the battery installed. With a very small display, the weight might be the same, or not much more, than a new ACER or some other brand of low end mini laptop. Their toll free phone number in the USA is 855-252-4784 and if you get one, get one with their one year warranty on everything except the battery. Quote
Lanny Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 (edited) OP Here are some SERPs on eBay. Between what I posted earlier, and this, you and your DD should be able to get an idea about what's available and the prices. GL http://www.ebay.com/sch/Computers-Tablets-Networking/58058/i.html?_from=R40&LH_BIN=1&Operating%2520System=Windows%252010&Type=Notebook%252FLaptop&_dcat=177&LH_ItemCondition=3&_nkw=laptop+Windows+10+new&_sop=15 ETA: I clicked on the first listing in the above SERPs and it was from China. I'm not ordering from China. I only buy from sellers in the USA. I selected U.S. Sellers and this is the URL of the SERPs: http://www.ebay.com/sch/Computers-Tablets-Networking/58058/i.html?_from=R40&LH_BIN=1&Operating%2520System=Windows%252010&Type=Notebook%252FLaptop&_dcat=177&LH_ItemCondition=3&_sop=15&_nkw=laptop%20Windows%2010%20new&rt=nc&LH_PrefLoc=1&_trksid=p2045573.m1684 Edited July 29, 2016 by Lanny Quote
Lanny Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 I should have read this article before. I am going to read it now. I suggest that you and your DD read it, before proceeding. Many different types of machines are on the market now. Try to find the type of machine that will do the best job for your DD, at the lowest cost. This article is VERY recent: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2371334,00.asp Quote
Lanny Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 This article isn't as recent, but it is directed at laptops for College students, so has some important tips to be taken into consideration... http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2389390,00.asp Quote
JanetC Posted July 29, 2016 Posted July 29, 2016 (edited) Yes to the idea of buying a "Refurbished" or "Used" laptop. However, if the DD of the OP is looking for something very small and lightweight, I doubt those qualities will be available in an older laptop. Sure they are! Just select on that in your search. Usually check off the smaller screen sizes and no DVD drive and you'll be left with smaller, lighter models. Here's a Dell with a ton of memory http://dellrefurbished.com/product/systems/laptops/cat61199/dell-latitude-e6230-16gb-ram-320gb-hdd/si6861127 Current 50% off Fat Wallet coupon puts this nicely in OPs range. https://www.fatwallet.com/deals/exclusive-50-off-any-laptop-3108409 Edited July 29, 2016 by JanetC 1 Quote
goldberry Posted July 30, 2016 Author Posted July 30, 2016 Sure they are! Just select on that in your search. Usually check off the smaller screen sizes and no DVD drive and you'll be left with smaller, lighter models. Here's a Dell with a ton of memory http://dellrefurbished.com/product/systems/laptops/cat61199/dell-latitude-e6230-16gb-ram-320gb-hdd/si6861127 Current 50% off Fat Wallet coupon puts this nicely in OPs range. https://www.fatwallet.com/deals/exclusive-50-off-any-laptop-3108409 That looks awesome, but 12.5 is still bigger than she would like. But dang, 50% off? I'm going to have to check that more. Lanny, she has an older laptop that is pretty bogged down and slow. It is also huge and heavy. She would only keep it to sync her itunes and probably store her photos, etc on. It's not great for browsing because it is painfully slow. I think we don't want to go below 4MB, because she does need Office. I DESPISE having to have a running office subscription and will purchase a version, so it has to have room to run along with Windows. 1 Quote
goldberry Posted July 30, 2016 Author Posted July 30, 2016 Re: Chromebooks, we don't want to deal with the wi-fi issue. Quote
Lanny Posted July 30, 2016 Posted July 30, 2016 That looks awesome, but 12.5 is still bigger than she would like. But dang, 50% off? I'm going to have to check that more. Lanny, she has an older laptop that is pretty bogged down and slow. It is also huge and heavy. She would only keep it to sync her itunes and probably store her photos, etc on. It's not great for browsing because it is painfully slow. I think we don't want to go below 4MB, because she does need Office. I DESPISE having to have a running office subscription and will purchase a version, so it has to have room to run along with Windows. I suggest that you consider purchasing an External USB HDD and store her itunes and photos on that. We bought 2 of them, last year. Both were made by Western Digital and have been problem free. The 2 GB one that I use for "System Image" backups was USD$70, including shipping in the USA, during July 2015. Probably you can get one with larger capacity for that money now? I believe 4 GB of RAM is a minimum. This Dell Precision M4500 "Mobile Workstation", which is new to me (it was a "Used INCOMPLETE LAPTOP" in an eBay auction) has 4 GB of RAM and is running Windows 7 Professional. I think the memory use I was seeing, a couple of days ago, which was very excessive, was because it was doing a lot of Windows Updates, after I did a "Fresh" (Clean) installation of Windows 7 Professional, 5 days ago, after the carton containing the SSD was delivered to our house. . As I write this, the obvious things running are Google Chrome and Mozilla Thunderbird and the Advanced SystemCare Ultimate Suite. In the Background, I"m sure there are some other things running. I am showing 38% of the RAM is being used at this moment. However, I do want to get 8 GB of RAM for it, ASAP, and take out the current 4 GB of RAM that is installed. My wife began using our only Desktop, a Dell Inspiron 660s, which had 4 GB of RAM, a few months ago. She complained that it was so slow. I got another 4 GB DIMM for it and now that it has 8 GB of RAM, she's a happy camper. That said, I think I read, possibly in one of the articles I linked to in this thread, that Windows 10 has a low footprint and doesn't require the latest and greatest in Hardware? It was designed for Mobile purposes, so if that is true, I think that is interesting. My wife upgraded her Latitude E6400 (which is now mine) last year, to Windows 10, and there were things she liked about Windows 10, but in the end, she had me nuke Windows 10 and do a "Fresh" install of Windows 7 Professional on it. I don't remember what issue she had with Windows 10 on that laptop. I think your DD should check out LibreOffice, which is legally free to download and install and use, on as many machines as you want. And, check out the Microsoft Office Online, which DD uses, free. Quote
JanetC Posted July 30, 2016 Posted July 30, 2016 That said, I think I read, possibly in one of the articles I linked to in this thread, that Windows 10 has a low footprint and doesn't require the latest and greatest in Hardware? It was designed for Mobile purposes, so if that is true, I think that is interesting. Windows 10 is no longer free. The upgrade program just ended. Quote
goldberry Posted August 8, 2016 Author Posted August 8, 2016 I'm down to two: This one, which has 8gb but is more expensive: Lenovo - Yoga 700 11 2-in-1 11.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core m3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Light Silver - $519http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-yoga-700-11-2-in-1-11-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-m3-8gb-memory-128gb-solid-state-drive-light-silver/4844500.p?id=bb4844500&skuId=4844500 Or this one, which is 4gb and not upgradable: Thinkpad Yoga 11e 11.6-inch Touchscreen Convertible Laptop (Intel Quad Core Processor,4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Windows 10 Pro) $318 https://www.amazon.com/Thinkpad-Yoga-11e-Touchscreen-Convertible/dp/B01B6QL2KI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470665783&sr=8-1&keywords=Thinkpad+Yoga+11e+11.6-inch+Touchscreen+Convertible+Laptop Is the extra memory worth the extra cash so it doesn't run slow and bogged down? She will be running the operating system plus MS Office, the program version not the online version. Plus lots of internet surfing. Place your votes! :001_smile: 1 Quote
elegantlion Posted August 8, 2016 Posted August 8, 2016 I'm down to two: This one, which has 8gb but is more expensive: Lenovo - Yoga 700 11 2-in-1 11.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core m3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Light Silver - $519http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-yoga-700-11-2-in-1-11-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-m3-8gb-memory-128gb-solid-state-drive-light-silver/4844500.p?id=bb4844500&skuId=4844500 Or this one, which is 4gb and not upgradable: Thinkpad Yoga 11e 11.6-inch Touchscreen Convertible Laptop (Intel Quad Core Processor,4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Windows 10 Pro) $318 https://www.amazon.com/Thinkpad-Yoga-11e-Touchscreen-Convertible/dp/B01B6QL2KI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470665783&sr=8-1&keywords=Thinkpad+Yoga+11e+11.6-inch+Touchscreen+Convertible+Laptop Is the extra memory worth the extra cash so it doesn't run slow and bogged down? She will be running the operating system plus MS Office, the program version not the online version. Plus lots of internet surfing. Place your votes! :001_smile: According to the questions and reviews, the RAM can be upgraded in the second one. Quote
goldberry Posted August 8, 2016 Author Posted August 8, 2016 According to the questions and reviews, the RAM can be upgraded in the second one. That seems really odd. Every single other one of this line I checked on could not be upgraded. Quote
Lanny Posted August 8, 2016 Posted August 8, 2016 I'm down to two: This one, which has 8gb but is more expensive: Lenovo - Yoga 700 11 2-in-1 11.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core m3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Light Silver - $519http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-yoga-700-11-2-in-1-11-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-m3-8gb-memory-128gb-solid-state-drive-light-silver/4844500.p?id=bb4844500&skuId=4844500 Or this one, which is 4gb and not upgradable: Thinkpad Yoga 11e 11.6-inch Touchscreen Convertible Laptop (Intel Quad Core Processor,4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Windows 10 Pro) $318 https://www.amazon.com/Thinkpad-Yoga-11e-Touchscreen-Convertible/dp/B01B6QL2KI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470665783&sr=8-1&keywords=Thinkpad+Yoga+11e+11.6-inch+Touchscreen+Convertible+Laptop Is the extra memory worth the extra cash so it doesn't run slow and bogged down? She will be running the operating system plus MS Office, the program version not the online version. Plus lots of internet surfing. Place your votes! :001_smile: The 2 machines are slightly different animals. My main concern applies to both of them. They have 128 GB SSDs. We now have our first SSD and it is installed in this Dell Precision M4500 Mobile Workstation. It is a Corsair 240 GB SSD. Actually, the capacity is 256 GB, but SSDs are "overprovisioned" and not all of the capacity is used. That extends the life of the drive, etc. SO, my first hope would be, if possible, to get a 240 GB Drive. That said, at the moment, I have most of my Application and Utility programs installed, and I am using approximately 45 GB on the SSD. When I install the other 2 Applications, it will probably go up to about 50 GB and I will have lots of empty space on the SSD, which is good for SSD performance and longevity. NOTE: The Intel Processors are different in those 2 machines and I have no idea which one of those is more powerful. I am going to order, today, 8 GB of RAM, which is the maximum this M4500 can handle. I will remove the 4 GB of RAM currently installed. More RAM is better and IMO there is a big performance boost, going from 4 GB to 8 GB. of RAM. However, if one had a machine capable of 16 GB of RAM (which our family does not have), going from 8 GB to 16 GB would probably not increase the performance much, for the way we use our machines. The lower cost machine shows that it has Windows 10. The very low cost ACER mini laptop my wife bought for DIL last August has Windows 10 and hasn't had any issues. The higher cost machine doesn't show which OS it has. I am only looking at the descriptions in the quoted post, and haven't looked at the web sites for those machines. Assuming the lower cost machine can be upgraded to more RAM, and that may or may not be possible, RAM is very inexpensive these days. The 8 GB of DDR3 RAM I am going to order for this laptop is $32.50 including shipping in the USA. If that machine uses DDR4 RAM I'm guessing the RAM isn't incredibly expensive. The 3 laptops we have that use DDR2 RAM will never be upgraded from 4 GB to 8 GB, because it would be about USD$240 for each machine, for the 8 GB of RAM. 1 Quote
Guest Posted August 8, 2016 Posted August 8, 2016 I use my Yoga as my main machine. It is more than a couple years old. The screen is 13" and I would not have it one inch smaller. But then again, I have old eyes. I like SSD a lot because it is quiet, but it is also expensive. So I run my apps and keep documents only on my SSD. For my big data (tunes and photos), and for document backup, I got an external hard drive that I plug into my fast USB port, and for a lot less money per GB than I would have paid for on SSD. That has been a fantastic solution for me. I also got one of those USB multipliers so that my slow USB port can support 4 devices (keyboard, wireless mouse, Jawbone stereo and scanner. That detaches easily and I am off and running with just my laptop. That might be a solution to keep things light and inexpensive but still provide a lot of storage. Quote
goldberry Posted August 8, 2016 Author Posted August 8, 2016 You guys are awesome, thanks for helping to educate me! 1 Quote
gardenmom5 Posted August 9, 2016 Posted August 9, 2016 this may not be what you want price wise, - but 1ds (engineering student) adores his surface. figure out what she needs for processing speed/ram/etc. and then look for something in the 13"range. 2dd used a tablet in grad-school. she could shove it in her purse. you can get a usb keyboard to have a real keyboard. she got a 2-in-1 last winter. (I also have one) my kids laughed at me when I said i'd get an external dvd player. everyone just downloads stuff now - and I can load them onto one of our networked desktops and then load it to my computer. (which doesn't have a dvd drive.) 1 Quote
Lady Florida. Posted August 9, 2016 Posted August 9, 2016 Dh has a HP Pavillion 360. It's not powerful but it does what he needs and can hold Office. It's small and light. Ds uses a Surface 3 (not Pro) for school. He was dual enrolled and will now be a freshman at the same school starting next week. The school has an app and most instructors use Canvass. The Surface supports both. They require students to use Office and give everyone access to the student version. Obviously Office works well on a Microsoft product. Quote
kiwik Posted August 11, 2016 Posted August 11, 2016 DH had an IBM ThinkPad in grad school that was made by Lenovo and it was a real workhorse. It ran great for years and years until the battery finally died and we were not able to find a replacement battery (tried ordering from several different sources but couldn't find one that actually fit the machine). Haven't lenovo changed hands recently though? Quote
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