I am in the market for a new netbook/ultrabook but have no idea where to start. I mainly need it for daily work and school stuff. No major gaming and just some minor photo and movie viewing. I want something more on the smaller/portable side with decent battery life. Something I can throw into my bag and pullout if u need it. Does anyone have a place to look or any suggestions?
Or you can get functionally the same computer for half the cost. My suggestion would be 15" screen, with an i5 processor. Don't buy anything with an AMD. If you want something more, check around newegg or NCIX. There's usually some good specials going around. Don't buy Sony, they run their own drivers and 1) they suck, 2) they seldom get updates, and 3) they drop support for models within a year of release. Great business model.
I've used Windows my whole life and its fine as long aren't going into the deep web, going on high risk sites (porn, odd game sites), and you know how to work it, Windows is fine. I really like my HP with Windows 8 and it only cost me $300 at Walmart.
MacBook Air is the way to go. You could buy an attachable CD drive if needed, very fast, never bugs, light, easy to use, most games work (that I've seen), does more stuff, faster, etc. I've found a refurbished one at my Mac store for 1200$, and it was well worth the money. Definitely the way to go.
PC's are bad, but I only don't like them because:
They glitch no matter what I do (Open safari? CRASH play minecraft? CRASH)
They're heavy :(
They overheat. I literally set my pants on fire once because I was playing Kerbal Space Program for 3 hours in a row once. It was a beans new computer! And new pants! :( :( :( lol
First off. DO NOT buy electronics from Walmart.
1. No one knows what they're talking about.
2. They have been known to throw stuff around. Quite literally.
3. Just because something is cheap. Does not mean it's good. You get what you pay for.
If you have one nearby, head to Best Buy. The majority of the time they know what they're talking about. So they can give you advice on making an educated purchase. One you will be happy with.
Personally, I bought an HP with an AMD quad core A10 processor. Equivalent to an INtell I7.
1T HDD
8GB ram
Radeon Graphics card.
I payed 600$. For a superb computer, that's a steal.
It really depends on what you want to do with it. AMD makes wonderful processors and graphics cards, though they tend to get warm, so a cooling mat is recommended.
Intels make good processors, but are much more expensive, and tend to not come with great graphics cards unless you spend a lot of money for a Nvidea Gforce.
I happen to be a techy kind of guy. So keep open minded and check everything out. Another good reason to go to Best Buy. They have a bit of everything. So that's nice.
Quote from: Mishra, Artificer Extraordinaire on January 05, 2014, 08:28:57 PM
MacBook Air is the way to go. You could buy an attachable CD drive if needed, very fast, never bugs, light, easy to use, most games work (that I've seen), does more stuff, faster, etc. I've found a refurbished one at my Mac store for 1200$, and it was well worth the money. Definitely the way to go.
PC's are bad, but I only don't like them because:
They glitch no matter what I do (Open safari? CRASH play minecraft? CRASH)
They're heavy :(
They overheat. I literally set my pants on fire once because I was playing Kerbal Space Program for 3 hours in a row once. It was a beans new computer! And new pants! :( :( :( lol
And this is the response that you can generally expect from someone that has no idea what they're talking about. You stated absolutely no facts and only spewed your bullshit buzzwords. In years of using Windows I have seldom experienced crashes that weren't one off occurrences (usually because of drivers or overloads). First of all, it is absolutely untrue that Apple computers do more than Windows. In fact, they usually are capable of less because of software restrictions. Also, what's this overheating bullshit? That's called a fan. It displaces the heat given off by the CPU. Every computer does this, yes, even Apples. And of course it got hot, you were probably using the integrated graphics and CPU at higher than normal loads. This isn't a Windows thing, this is a computer thing.
They're too heavy? Hit the .loving. gym. If it's in a book bag a lot, fair enough but the same problems arise with Macs as well.
And who the hell uses Safari still? Upgrade to Chrome.
Quote from: #noided on January 05, 2014, 09:00:48 PM
Quote from: Mishra, Artificer Extraordinaire on January 05, 2014, 08:28:57 PM
MacBook Air is the way to go. You could buy an attachable CD drive if needed, very fast, never bugs, light, easy to use, most games work (that I've seen), does more stuff, faster, etc. I've found a refurbished one at my Mac store for 1200$, and it was well worth the money. Definitely the way to go.
PC's are bad, but I only don't like them because:
They glitch no matter what I do (Open safari? CRASH play minecraft? CRASH)
They're heavy :(
They overheat. I literally set my pants on fire once because I was playing Kerbal Space Program for 3 hours in a row once. It was a beans new computer! And new pants! :( :( :( lol
And this is the response that you can generally expect from someone that has no idea what they're talking about. You stated absolutely no facts and only spewed your bullshit buzzwords. In years of using Windows I have seldom experienced crashes that weren't one off occurrences (usually because of drivers or overloads). First of all, it is absolutely untrue that Apple computers do more than Windows. In fact, they usually are capable of less because of software restrictions. Also, what's this overheating bullshit? That's called a fan. It displaces the heat given off by the CPU. Every computer does this, yes, even Apples. And of course it got hot, you were probably using the integrated graphics and CPU at higher than normal loads. This isn't a Windows thing, this is a computer thing.
They're too heavy? Hit the .loving. gym. If it's in a book bag a lot, fair enough but the same problems arise with Macs as well.
And who the hell uses Safari still? Upgrade to Chrome.
-this is all opinion based. Yes. But so was yours.
-they play less games but do more in the way of design, and professional stuff. I know what I'm talking about with that one, at least.
-why would I lie about my pants catching on fire?
-I was playing low-level minecraft with all the worst settings.. That's all the computer could handle.
-it's not too heavy. Just heavier than MacBook Airs.
Quote from: Taysby on January 05, 2014, 08:52:24 PM
Quote from: Agrus Kos, Enforcer of Truth on January 05, 2014, 08:18:27 PM
I've used Windows my whole life and its fine as long aren't going into the deep web, going on high risk sites (porn, odd game sites), and you know how to work it, Windows is fine. I really like my HP with Windows 8 and it only cost me $300 at Walmart.
So if you don't browse the internet, have anti virus, spend years figuring out the intracacys, then windows is just fine.
Or you could get a Mac and have it work perfectly right out of the box. The only reason why you should get windows, is your game that you want to play isn't available for macs.
Have you even used macs a reasonable amount? I doubt you you would be saying this heresy if you had.
Have you used Windows a reasonable amount? Because if you have, you would know you can raw dog it anywhere on the internet as long as you aren't an idiot. And for censored if it takes you years to figure out the intricacies on Windows buy someone to use a computer for you. (Side note, I'd love to hear what these "intracacies" are)
Watch your language please, #noided, public forum of ALL ages, regardless of how hard we're trying to prove a point. Win an argument with intelligence and superior vocabulary, not swearing and aggression. It's a text based school yard, not UFC.
-Spikepit
Quote from: #noided on January 05, 2014, 09:06:52 PM
Quote from: Taysby on January 05, 2014, 08:52:24 PM
Quote from: Agrus Kos, Enforcer of Truth on January 05, 2014, 08:18:27 PM
I've used Windows my whole life and its fine as long aren't going into the deep web, going on high risk sites (porn, odd game sites), and you know how to work it, Windows is fine. I really like my HP with Windows 8 and it only cost me $300 at Walmart.
So if you don't browse the internet, have anti virus, spend years figuring out the intracacys, then windows is just fine.
Or you could get a Mac and have it work perfectly right out of the box. The only reason why you should get windows, is your game that you want to play isn't available for macs.
Have you even used macs a reasonable amount? I doubt you you would be saying this heresy if you had.
Have you used Windows a reasonable amount? Because if you have, you would know you can raw dog it anywhere on the internet as long as you aren't an idiot. And for censored if it takes you years to figure out the intricacies on Windows buy someone to use a computer for you. (Side note, I'd love to hear what these "intracacies" are)
I have ✋ multiple years of them, and I hate their guts. If I get a windows you had better pay me to take it off your hands,
Quote from: Mishra, Artificer Extraordinaire on January 05, 2014, 09:03:44 PM
Quote from: #noided on January 05, 2014, 09:00:48 PM
Quote from: Mishra, Artificer Extraordinaire on January 05, 2014, 08:28:57 PM
MacBook Air is the way to go. You could buy an attachable CD drive if needed, very fast, never bugs, light, easy to use, most games work (that I've seen), does more stuff, faster, etc. I've found a refurbished one at my Mac store for 1200$, and it was well worth the money. Definitely the way to go.
PC's are bad, but I only don't like them because:
They glitch no matter what I do (Open safari? CRASH play minecraft? CRASH)
They're heavy :(
They overheat. I literally set my pants on fire once because I was playing Kerbal Space Program for 3 hours in a row once. It was a beans new computer! And new pants! :( :( :( lol
And this is the response that you can generally expect from someone that has no idea what they're talking about. You stated absolutely no facts and only spewed your bullshit buzzwords. In years of using Windows I have seldom experienced crashes that weren't one off occurrences (usually because of drivers or overloads). First of all, it is absolutely untrue that Apple computers do more than Windows. In fact, they usually are capable of less because of software restrictions. Also, what's this overheating bullshit? That's called a fan. It displaces the heat given off by the CPU. Every computer does this, yes, even Apples. And of course it got hot, you were probably using the integrated graphics and CPU at higher than normal loads. This isn't a Windows thing, this is a computer thing.
They're too heavy? Hit the .loving. gym. If it's in a book bag a lot, fair enough but the same problems arise with Macs as well.
And who the hell uses Safari still? Upgrade to Chrome.
-this is all opinion based. Yes. But so was yours.
-they play less games but do more in the way of design, and professional stuff. I know what I'm talking about with that one, at least.
-why would I lie about my pants catching on fire?
-I was playing low-level minecraft with all the worst settings.. That's all the computer could handle.
-it's not too heavy. Just heavier than MacBook Airs.
>it can do more professional stuff
>thinking that the OS has anything to do with how well it runs minecraft
.love. this im done
Watch the language please. PG9
Also, noised has a point. The operating system has nothing to do with how your game runs. Your computer probably had some terrible specs. If you bought it for 200$ it's probably a terrible computer.
Also, if it's a Chromebook, of course it will be terrible with games. They're not made for games.
Quote from: Ertai on January 05, 2014, 09:25:13 PM
Also, noised has a point. The operating system has nothing to do with how your game runs. Your computer probably had some terrible specs. If you bought it for 200$ it's probably a terrible computer.
Also, if it's a Chromebook, of course it will be terrible with games. They're not made for games.
It was a Mac... For 1200 not 200... And the computer was full :P
Quote from: Mishra, Artificer Extraordinaire on January 05, 2014, 09:33:34 PM
Quote from: Ertai on January 05, 2014, 09:25:13 PM
Also, noised has a point. The operating system has nothing to do with how your game runs. Your computer probably had some terrible specs. If you bought it for 200$ it's probably a terrible computer.
Also, if it's a Chromebook, of course it will be terrible with games. They're not made for games.
It was a Mac... For 1200 not 200... And the computer was full :P
He's talking about the Windows you tried playing Minecraft on.
Quote from: #noided on January 05, 2014, 09:38:36 PM
Quote from: Mishra, Artificer Extraordinaire on January 05, 2014, 09:33:34 PM
Quote from: Ertai on January 05, 2014, 09:25:13 PM
Also, noised has a point. The operating system has nothing to do with how your game runs. Your computer probably had some terrible specs. If you bought it for 200$ it's probably a terrible computer.
Also, if it's a Chromebook, of course it will be terrible with games. They're not made for games.
It was a Mac... For 1200 not 200... And the computer was full :P
He's talking about the Windows you tried playing Minecraft on.
It was some 5-600$
Quote from: Mishra, Artificer Extraordinaire on January 05, 2014, 09:39:10 PM
Quote from: #noided on January 05, 2014, 09:38:36 PM
Quote from: Mishra, Artificer Extraordinaire on January 05, 2014, 09:33:34 PM
Quote from: Ertai on January 05, 2014, 09:25:13 PM
Also, noised has a point. The operating system has nothing to do with how your game runs. Your computer probably had some terrible specs. If you bought it for 200$ it's probably a terrible computer.
Also, if it's a Chromebook, of course it will be terrible with games. They're not made for games.
It was a Mac... For 1200 not 200... And the computer was full :P
He's talking about the Windows you tried playing Minecraft on.
It was some 5-600$
Exactly.
Quote from: Taysby on January 05, 2014, 08:52:24 PM
Quote from: Agrus Kos, Enforcer of Truth on January 05, 2014, 08:18:27 PM
I've used Windows my whole life and its fine as long aren't going into the deep web, going on high risk sites (porn, odd game sites), and you know how to work it, Windows is fine. I really like my HP with Windows 8 and it only cost me $300 at Walmart.
So if you don't browse the internet, have anti virus, spend years figuring out the intracacys, then windows is just fine.
Or you could get a Mac and have it work perfectly right out of the box. The only reason why you should get windows, is your game that you want to play isn't available for macs.
Have you even used macs a reasonable amount? I doubt you you would be saying this heresy if you had.
No, the deep web is were you can buy slaves, drugs, and hire hitmen. If you call that and watching porn just 'browsing the internet', you have serious problems. I have used Macs, we have them at school and I dislike them quite a bit. They are slow and I hate the user interface. I don't have anti-virus (never had) and my last computer lasted six years. They might be more susceptible to viruses, but they usually last at least 3-5 years, which is about the time many people get new and better laptops anyways. You go ahead and spend $1200 on a computer that will last you 8-10 years (either because of hardware issues or because you want to upgrade), I'll stick to spending $300 on a computer that will last me 3-5 years. Do the math, I win.
To Ertai-I usually don't buy from Walmart, but I had a paper due that day and my computer had given out the night before.
To Mishra-PC's sometimes do crash, but Macs have the Spinning Wheel of Death. They really aren't that heavy, and weight is because of the Manufacturer (HP, Toshiba, ect.) and has nothing to do with the operating system. Overheating, is again, a problem of the manufacturer and the hardware, the operating system has absolutely nothing to do with it.
To EVERYONE-Calm down!
Quote from: Agrus Kos, Enforcer of Truth on January 05, 2014, 09:55:06 PM
Quote from: Taysby on January 05, 2014, 08:52:24 PM
Quote from: Agrus Kos, Enforcer of Truth on January 05, 2014, 08:18:27 PM
I've used Windows my whole life and its fine as long aren't going into the deep web, going on high risk sites (porn, odd game sites), and you know how to work it, Windows is fine. I really like my HP with Windows 8 and it only cost me $300 at Walmart.
So if you don't browse the internet, have anti virus, spend years figuring out the intracacys, then windows is just fine.
Or you could get a Mac and have it work perfectly right out of the box. The only reason why you should get windows, is your game that you want to play isn't available for macs.
Have you even used macs a reasonable amount? I doubt you you would be saying this heresy if you had.
No, the deep web is were you can buy slaves, drugs, and hire hitmen. If you call that and watching porn just 'browsing the internet', you have serious problems. I have used Macs, we have them at school and I dislike them quite a bit. They are slow and I hate the user interface. I don't have anti-virus (never had) and my last computer lasted six years. They might be more susceptible to viruses, but they usually last at least 3-5 years, which is about the time many people get new and better laptops anyways. You go ahead and spend $1200 on a computer that will last you 8-10 years (either because of hardware issues or because you want to upgrade), I'll stick to spending $300 on a computer that will last me 3-5 years. Do the math, I win.
To Ertai-I usually don't buy from Walmart, but I had a paper due that day and my computer had given out the night before.
To Mishra-PC's sometimes do crash, but Macs have the Spinning Wheel of Death. They really aren't that heavy, and weight is because of the Manufacturer (HP, Toshiba, ect.) and has nothing to do with the operating system. Overheating, is again, a problem of the manufacturer and the hardware, the operating system has absolutely nothing to do with it.
To EVERYONE-Calm down!
My Mac has lasted 16 years just fine, and I'm not upgrading for a long time, I don't need to.
But yes. I'll calm down if everyone else will too.
In this thread we discuss computers with computer people
Quote from: Taysby on January 05, 2014, 10:37:02 PM
Quote from: Agrus Kos, Enforcer of Truth on January 05, 2014, 09:55:06 PM
Quote from: Taysby on January 05, 2014, 08:52:24 PM
Quote from: Agrus Kos, Enforcer of Truth on January 05, 2014, 08:18:27 PM
I've used Windows my whole life and its fine as long aren't going into the deep web, going on high risk sites (porn, odd game sites), and you know how to work it, Windows is fine. I really like my HP with Windows 8 and it only cost me $300 at Walmart.
So if you don't browse the internet, have anti virus, spend years figuring out the intracacys, then windows is just fine.
Or you could get a Mac and have it work perfectly right out of the box. The only reason why you should get windows, is your game that you want to play isn't available for macs.
Have you even used macs a reasonable amount? I doubt you you would be saying this heresy if you had.
No, the deep web is were you can buy slaves, drugs, and hire hitmen. If you call that and watching porn just 'browsing the internet', you have serious problems. I have used Macs, we have them at school and I dislike them quite a bit. They are slow and I hate the user interface. I don't have anti-virus (never had) and my last computer lasted six years. They might be more susceptible to viruses, but they usually last at least 3-5 years, which is about the time many people get new and better laptops anyways. You go ahead and spend $1200 on a computer that will last you 8-10 years (either because of hardware issues or because you want to upgrade), I'll stick to spending $300 on a computer that will last me 3-5 years. Do the math, I win.
To Ertai-I usually don't buy from Walmart, but I had a paper due that day and my computer had given out the night before.
To Mishra-PC's sometimes do crash, but Macs have the Spinning Wheel of Death. They really aren't that heavy, and weight is because of the Manufacturer (HP, Toshiba, ect.) and has nothing to do with the operating system. Overheating, is again, a problem of the manufacturer and the hardware, the operating system has absolutely nothing to do with it.
To EVERYONE-Calm down!
Macs last a lot longer than 10 years. Why would you upgrade "just for the heck of it"? And I would gladly pay more money to not have to worry about viruses and put up with a slow computer. I use computers a lot and a slow computer is hell to me.
Macs rarely get the spinning wheel of death, but when they do, 95% of the time it'll fix itself if you wait for a moment. That only happens when you are running multiple, high CPU using programs.
Most laptops weigh the same. MacBook airs were designed to be as light as possible, so they should be in a whole different class.
Yes,everyone should calm down
And yes, why are you using safari? I have a Mac and only use chrome. And I love almost all Mac products and programs.
I don't use Safari, I use Firefox. Its a lot safer and I really like the layout. Also, I'm not "upgrading just for the heck of it". Laptops get old, hardware gets outdated and computers get slow, so every 5 years or so, you get a new one with the newest cool stuff.
Quote from: Taysby on January 06, 2014, 09:28:07 AM
I was talking to misratah with the safari comment.
And if you get a good Mac, the hardware is good until apple decides to not support OS upgrades with it anymore, and then you can use it for another 3-4 years before you have to upgrade. So they last a LOnG time.
I didn't mention safari. I use chrome.
Quote from: Mishra, Artificer Extraordinaire on January 05, 2014, 08:28:57 PM
They glitch no matter what I do (Open safari? CRASH play minecraft? CRASH)
Actually. You did mention Safari.
Quote from: Ertai on January 06, 2014, 11:26:08 AM
Quote from: Mishra, Artificer Extraordinaire on January 05, 2014, 08:28:57 PM
They glitch no matter what I do (Open safari? CRASH play minecraft? CRASH)
Actually. You did mention Safari.
That was an example. My school uses windows and safari is the only browser. It crashes constantly.
I have a Lenovo tablet/laptop with windows 8 (wish I had 7) but it works fine for school, and can handle my steam games from RIFT to DotA2 just fine. Most problems I've had with it have just been with Windows 8, and most are easily fixable as well. I find PC to be more my style over Macintosh, but there it really strays into personal opinions and how you use your device. For your needs, I would recommend PC unless you are enrolled at an art college or something. Buy what you will, just keep in mind that a cheap computer, works like a cheap computer.
As computer science major when it comes to purchasing a computer it all depends on what you are doing and how much you are willing to spend. Laptops first off are not designed to run games by nature. Laptops are small and compact for travel. They don't run powerful hardware and if they do they have no battery life. If it's to play games just buy a desktop cause that "gaming" laptop will be plugged into a wall 95% of the time anyways. And with Mac a PC generally if it's for gaming or work productivity I go PC if it's for musi or video editing go mac
Quote from: Mintkid219 on January 08, 2014, 07:33:29 PM
As computer science major when it comes to purchasing a computer it all depends on what you are doing and how much you are willing to spend. Laptops first off are not designed to run games by nature. Laptops are small and compact for travel. They don't run powerful hardware and if they do they have no battery life. If it's to play games just buy a desktop cause that "gaming" laptop will be plugged into a wall 95% of the time anyways. And with Mac a PC generally if it's for gaming or work productivity I go PC if it's for musi or video editing go mac
yeah I use my laptop for schoolwork on the go and gaming when at home, which it runs well, but it is always plugged into the wall when im playing anything other than VBA or Zsnes
You talk like keeping the laptop plugged in all the time is bad?
Do you not have enough power outlets?
Quote from: Ertai on January 09, 2014, 01:25:33 AM
You talk like keeping the laptop plugged in all the time is bad?
Do you not have enough power outlets?
me or him? I've always got my charger and an outlet handy.
Oh not you. Mintkid.
I'm just saying if you are big in gaming instead of having a laptop that dies after an hour of playing why not just get a desk top that can accommodate better hardware if you are gonna be tethered to a wall. Just my personal opinion
I don't know tons about computers but from my experience macs hover in the middle and higher end of the computer spectrum but pcs can run much lower and much higher than macs it just comes to how much your willing to spend. When it comes to macs though I find them very over priced to me is that just me or it that true.
Quote from: ConanEdo on January 09, 2014, 10:00:19 AM
Although if you want a REAL computer, you build it yourself and get Linux
lol that will do it.