24 replies to this topic

[OnePunkArmy]

First off, I am currently eyeing this laptop for its decent specs and good price
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834215392

I have searched a few stores looking for a Windows 8 touchscreen laptop with dedicated graphics. So far, I have only been able to find them integrated, or if it is dedicated, it is not touchscreen, and to me, a Windows 8 laptop without touchscreen is pointless. I also cannot afford more than $1,000. If it cannot happen with Windows 8, then I am okay with Windows 7.

Is there anything that fits my criteria? I don't plan to do heavy gaming on a laptop - that's what I have my desktop for. I'll mainly use this on the go, so I want it no bigger than a 15.4" screen. However, I do want it to handle light gaming, as I may log on for a bit, to check the trading post or chat with guildies.

If you need more info from me, I'll gladly post more.

[Nexdeus]

If you are willing to go with a refurbished machine, http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834230580 would be an excellent choice.

Also this one: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834230455 , for 899

Edited by Nexdeus, 24 November 2012 - 09:55 PM.

[OnePunkArmy]

I've returned three refurbs to Newegg in my life for independent defects, so I'm staying far away from those.

[Nexdeus]

This would hit your limit, http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834152338 @ 999
This is a very nice lenovo as well: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834310660 @899

[OnePunkArmy]

Thanks. I'll add some more criteria to help find the right laptop for me.

Type: New only
OS: W7 Home or Pro, 64-bit OR W8 WITH touchscreen (refuse to get a W8 laptop without touchscreen)
Screen size: 15.4" or smaller
Graphics: Dedicated, most likely NVIDIA
CPU: i5 or i7 (can AMD match?)
Memory: At least 4GB, higher is better
Price: Under $1,000 (willing to spend a little more if it's truly worth it)

Nexdeus, on 24 November 2012 - 10:28 PM, said:

This would hit your limit, http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834152338 @ 999
This is a very nice lenovo as well: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834310660 @899

Is the Lenovo a touchscreen?

[Nexdeus]

I'm afraid not, it's not a touch screen enabled laptop. That Lenovo does have one tough chassis, I've used a few of the lower end models that have the i5 chip instead of the i7, and they had a very sturdy feel to them.

[EnRohbi]

I think you're underestimating Windows 8.

I've been running the RTM (Final build) for Windows 8 on a non-touchscreen laptop for months now and I love it (And prefer it quite a bit to Windows 7 and prior).
I'd used the Developer Preview and the Release Candidate too, and hated both of them because it just felt like it was an OS designed to be used by touch;  the RTM doesn't feel that way, at least to me.

Finding a good laptop to game on for cheap can be a challenge in itself, if you want a touchscreen ontop of that you might be in for a real search.

I would just buy a standard laptop with Windows 8 and enjoy it,
Touchscreens are nice for phones and tablets, but I really don't see the point in expanding it to a laptop or desktop except to act as a gimmick or for really niche uses.

[OnePunkArmy]

I've experimented with W8 laptops. I just feel that a W8 laptop without touchscreen is like an Android tablet without Google Play - it's such a huge part of the system that lacking it makes it feel incomplete.

Cyber Monday update: How does this look? It only has one review, but the guy says he hates W8, so I can't take his word seriously. Sadly, it's not a touchscreen though.
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834215615

Edited by OnePunkArmy, 26 November 2012 - 08:23 AM.

[Quaker]

It looks like a nice rig. Too bad about the Windows 8.

[tijo]

Quaker, on 26 November 2012 - 04:09 PM, said:

It looks like a nice rig. Too bad about the Windows 8.

On the bright side, an OS can be changed, laptop hardware on the other hand usually can't be changed.

[typographie]

OnePunkArmy, on 24 November 2012 - 09:46 PM, said:

it is not touchscreen, and to me, a Windows 8 laptop without touchscreen is pointless.

Like it or not, Microsoft considers Windows 8 to be the new Windows 7, whether the hardware supports touch or not. I don't really think Windows 8 is all that bad though; its not worth the upgrade if you've already got 7, but considered on its own its alright.

[OnePunkArmy]

tijo, on 26 November 2012 - 06:33 PM, said:

On the bright side, an OS can be changed, laptop hardware on the other hand usually can't be changed.

I am considering buying an SSD and swapping it into the laptop. Is it possible to install W7 on that SSD and use it in the laptop in place of the original HDD? I know nothing about building or swapping parts, so I'm not sure if I should buy the SSD.

[Nexdeus]

All laptops can swap out their primary HDD. Certain laptops can have dual bays, which means you can toss in the SSD, set that as your primary HDD for the OS and software, and then a secondary HDD for data(music, photos, movies etc.).

[OnePunkArmy]

Nexdeus, on 26 November 2012 - 09:54 PM, said:

All laptops can swap out their primary HDD. Certain laptops can have dual bays, which means you can toss in the SSD, set that as your primary HDD for the OS and software, and then a secondary HDD for data(music, photos, movies etc.).

I see. Would that mean I could install W7 on it? What happens when you have two OS's on it? I haven't checked the full specs on the laptop that I posted a link to a few above this, but if it is dual bay, could I install W7 on the SSD, then remove W8 from the preinstalled HDD and just use that HDD as data storage?

[Nexdeus]

Currently, all laptops should have support for Windows 7 drivers, since windows 8 just came out. Which means, yes, you can downgrade the OS to Windows 7. When you have two OS's on one drive, you can dual boot, if its on two separate HDD's usually the motherboard will determine which HDD to boot from.
If you do get a laptop with dual bays, then you can install Windows 7 on the SSD, wipe the HDD clean and use it as a data drive.

[tijo]

Nexdeus, on 26 November 2012 - 09:54 PM, said:

All laptops can swap out their primary HDD. Certain laptops can have dual bays, which means you can toss in the SSD, set that as your primary HDD for the OS and software, and then a secondary HDD for data(music, photos, movies etc.).

Almost all would be a better statement. Most ultrabooks don't have a user upgradeable drive and the macbook pro retina isn't easily upgradeable nor is it financially viable. Other than that, all you gotta check is whether your laptops takes 9.5mm thick drives or if it's limited to 7mm thick drive.

As for the dual bay question: yes. Also check whether the laptop has a mSATA slot if it's not dual bay. You could then use a mSATA SSD with a standard drive.

Quote

if its on two separate HDD's usually the motherboard will determine which HDD to boot from.

That is a bios setting and the computer will try to boot in the order set in the bios.

Edited by tijo, 26 November 2012 - 10:36 PM.

[OnePunkArmy]

tijo, on 26 November 2012 - 10:33 PM, said:

Almost all would be a better statement. Most ultrabooks don't have a user upgradeable drive and the macbook pro retina isn't easily upgradeable nor is it financially viable. Other than that, all you gotta check is whether your laptops takes 9.5mm thick drives or if it's limited to 7mm thick drive.

As for the dual bay question: yes. Also check whether the laptop has a mSATA slot if it's not dual bay. You could then use a mSATA SSD with a standard drive.

The laptop page doesn't mention if it's dual bay or has a mSATA slot. If it does, then I don't know what description to look for.
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16834215615

Edit: I just made the purchase. I also bought an SSD and W7 to install on it.

Edited by OnePunkArmy, 27 November 2012 - 07:09 AM.

[Quaker]

OnePunkArmy, on 27 November 2012 - 07:02 AM, said:

Edit: I just made the purchase. I also bought an SSD and W7 to install on it.

Just to clarify, you could install either the Win 8 that comes with the laptop, or Win 7, on the SSD. The same applies to the original hard drive - it's your choice.
Also, their are small apps available that basically bypass the Metro interface and make Win 8 look and act just like Win7. So, if you wanted to save the cost of buying Win 7, you could just install Win 8 on the SSD and use one of the apps if you want to kill Metro.

[OnePunkArmy]

Quaker, on 27 November 2012 - 04:49 PM, said:

Just to clarify, you could install either the Win 8 that comes with the laptop, or Win 7, on the SSD. The same applies to the original hard drive - it's your choice.
Also, their are small apps available that basically bypass the Metro interface and make Win 8 look and act just like Win7. So, if you wanted to save the cost of buying Win 7, you could just install Win 8 on the SSD and use one of the apps if you want to kill Metro.

Interesting - I'll keep this in mind, and I may be asking you some more questions soon. Once I receive my items and have time to inspect it all, I'll see what I can do. I still don't know whether the laptop is dual bay.

[tijo]

I'm pretty sure it's not, I haven't seen a 15" dual bay laptop in a while, but you can always remove the optical drive and use a HDD caddy in it's place to have a second drive in it.

[Lord Sojar]

Or just use "Metro" and do things faster than you could before by typing anything?  Windows 8 is hard to use, if you're an amoeba perhaps....

Sure, it has room for improvements, but overall, Windows 8 puts 7 to shame in the performance and efficiency category.  It's by far and wide the best Windows ever produced if you can adapt to the changes the new UI brings.   There's been so many negative blogs about it, it has poisoned the well so to speak.  Honestly, the final build is superb.  Also, with some customization, you can make your Start screen look really damn cool.  


^ This isn't mine, but it's very well done.

[Quaker]

Bah humbug! The main improvements in Win 8 over Win 7 are in things that the average user would never need and/or notice. The average user will notice the aggravation of trying to use Metro with a mouse however.
Like, whoop-de-do, I can now transfer files quicker - I do that sooo often. )

There is a "best of both worlds" solution however. There are a couple of small (either free or ~$5) apps you can get which will bypass Metro and add a standard type "Start" button.

Edited by Quaker, 01 December 2012 - 04:36 PM.

[The Comfy Chair]

Yeah, i will say that w8 really isn't that bad at all. Once you have metro set up how you like it, it's actually pretty good.

[tijo]

The Comfy Chair, on 06 December 2012 - 10:00 PM, said:

Yeah, i will say that w8 really isn't that bad at all. Once you have metro set up how you like it, it's actually pretty good.

While I haven't been using the release for long, i gotta say that yes it feels pretty snappy but does require a period of adaptation.

[The Comfy Chair]

Also, just to note that it isn't *insanely* difficult to make a nice looking metro screen either. Mine's a work in progress (i tend to sort out icons over time), but it doesn't look *bad* at the moment.