I Got A New Computer!

JHDK

Release Robin's Bra
Oct 11, 2008
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My last laptop is long dead. Now that I have the pixel pro I do everything on that. It's way more powerful than my last computer.

Yet I want something with a keyboard. Basically just for posting here and like Google docs. So I'm looking for something really cheap. I was thinking a fire tablet with a hard keyboard case attachment or a Chromebook.

You all have any suggestions for something super cheap just for web browsing and talking shit/rambling here?
 

sadchild

Dude
Mar 28, 2016
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www.asimplecomplex.com
My son loves his Chromebooks. He got one from his high school. And he got an older one from a former student that he messes around with. I don't have much experience with them but if all you want to do is browse the web, they're a cheap and reliable way to do it as far as I've seen.
 
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HecticArt

Administrator
Oct 19, 2008
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Basic stuff should be fine on a Chromebook.
I wouldn't want to run something heavy like Photoshop or music editing software.
 

JHDK

Release Robin's Bra
Oct 11, 2008
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Any ideas on what Chromebook? There's a ton of them. 4 gigs ram seems so little. My phone has 12. There's a trade off for the super cheap ones 6 gigs ram but 720 screen or 4 gigs with a 1080 screen.
 

HecticArt

Administrator
Oct 19, 2008
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I have a cheap Lenovo that I use for MP3s, PDFs, & web.
Id have to fire it up to see what it has under the hood, but it wasn’t very powerful and did fine.
 
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JHDK

Release Robin's Bra
Oct 11, 2008
31,241
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Hyrule
Any ideas on what Chromebook? There's a ton of them. 4 gigs ram seems so little. My phone has 12. There's a trade off for the super cheap ones 6 gigs ram but 720 screen or 4 gigs with a 1080 screen.

It took the better part of the year (and me getting sober) to finally pull the trigger on a Chromebook. Got this one about an hour ago:


So far so good. The UI is pretty different but should be easy enough to learn. It was $300 including tax so I'm happy. It has a 1080 screen and 8 gigs of ram and a Ryzen 3, 7000 series processor. For the price it can't be beat. I was wandering around Walmart yesterday and they had one for the same price with 4 gigs and some Intel I've never heard of before I saw it. This one also has a back lit keyboard which is nice. And it's a tow in one that flips around to be a tablet. I'll likely never use it as a tablet cause it's huge and heavy that way but I may flip it around to watch stuff from time to time. It's also neat since this thing is more or less a giant phone it doesn't have any fans so it's totally quiet. Never had a laptop without a fan before.

I haven't had a computer since I moved into this place 16 months ago. I really just wanted a full keyboard to type easier here and something to have on my table to watch while I'm also using the TV so that's what I got. If this thing lasts 2 years it will be a wild success.


 

Aaron

Moderator
Oct 10, 2008
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d6a8f9b7fa8404eb92ca8f34884b5f8b.jpg



I bought one of these, a vertical mouse. Supposed to reduce forearm strain. Didn’t take long to get used to it, overall a good purchase. $70
 

Wolf

AI is here, time to obey our robot overlords!
Oct 11, 2008
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www.lodowolf.com
That would be helpful to reduce reduce forearm strain. I tried one of those vertical mouse and it's feels a bit awkward.
 

scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
Feb 13, 2009
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Vacationland
My home office setup is great. I have the work laptop docked to a full office desk setup, with a full-sized keyboard, mouse with wrist-rest pad, and dual monitors. That's why I do all my posting with it; especially cutting/pasting the countdowns. But as much as I like it, I realize that it IS a work computer. And getting ready to retire means that I shouldn't rely on it. Plus, now that I'm a board member of the wind ensemble, I have to be able to work on shared spreadsheets and stuff like that. The work computer is prohibited from accessing Google Docs or any sharing links. And any time I open a spreadsheet, I have to have labeling applied to it.

We have a home laptop, but Mrs. Scotch uses that pretty much everyday. It's signed-in with her accounts and all. So I spent some time looking at mid-range laptops from HP, Dell, Lenovo, and Asus, primarily. I narrowed it down to 4 or 5 discounted choices from the BestBuy website, so that I could go there and see them in person. And what I learned was more about the state of the marketplace, rather than the products themselves.

Of the laptops I was looking to see, only the Lenovo was shown as being available in the configuration I wanted, and at the advertised sale price. None of the others were physically there. They had all the basic models, but none had the same config or price from the website. For example, here's an ad for the one I actually bought, a day later:

1776173660113.png

I got it for $799, directly from the store. It was $300 off the regular price. So what happens is these 3rd parties buy them on sale, and then resell them for a slight profit. That's why it now says "sold and shipped by Velztorm". Every laptop I wanted to look at was not in the store, but sold by a 3rd party. But I got this Lenovo at BestBuy before they ran out. The whole point of getting a laptop from the store is to physically get it from the store. I don't want a laptop shipped, and then have problems with it. But that's the way they're rolling these days.
 
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