Advise on buying new laptop

[roamer_1]

I have never owned anything Apple and never will. Their way of doing business soured me on Apple products early on. @Gefn

I heard that @Bigun 
I own exactly nothing made by apple.

[catfish1957]

Viruses are pretty much non-existent since win10. Even spyware and such. I can't even tell you the last time I had an infection of any kind. Years and years.

That makes sense.  I made the full Apple conversion in about 2014.

[roamer_1]

It will serve you well @sneakypete personally I would have gone with something that had an SSD and 16Gigs of RAM but that's just me.  Windows runs in 8 gigs but WAY more better in 16.  At least that has been my observation.

@Bigun
But an SSD and added RAM are doable. Get recovered a little bit and add more RAM... down the line another couple months, add an SSD...

@sneakypete

[Bigun]

I heard that @Bigun 
I own exactly nothing made by apple.

I'm the same way about GM products now after the crap they pulled, and got away with, when Obama was dictator.  I'll walk before I drive anything GM.

[roamer_1]

I'm the same way about GM products now after the crap they pulled, and got away with, when Obama was dictator.  I'll walk before I drive anything GM.

Well... I am a Chevy freak. Probably always will be. But I ain't ever bought new, and all my parts tend to be after-market... Chevy ain't making much off a 40 year old truck anyhow.

[Bigun]

@Bigun
But an SSD and added RAM are doable. Get recovered a little bit and add more RAM... down the line another couple months, add an SSD...

@sneakypete

OH yeah!  Of course.  But the upgrades will likely cost a bit more than buying a used machine already equipped. @roamer_1

[Bigun]

Well... I am a Chevy freak. Probably always will be. But I ain't ever bought new, and all my parts tend to be after-market... Chevy ain't making much off a 40 year old truck anyhow.

I hear ya!  I wasn't talking about preexisting stuff anyway.

[roamer_1]

OH yeah!  Of course.  But the upgrades will likely cost a bit more than buying a used machine already equipped. @roamer_1

@Bigun
Right. But that expense is over time... and the box is still going to be way affordable. Only thing I don't like is that it has a DVD bay. That's getting kinda old. Might be that it ain't USB3 all the way either... hardware with a DVD often has only one or two USB3 ports, with the rest being USB2...

But it's a right enough box. It will work pretty good the way it is, and will be a hummer with added RAM and SSD.

[Bigun]

@Bigun
Right. But that expense is over time... and the box is still going to be way affordable. Only thing I don't like is that it has a DVD bay. That's getting kinda old. Might be that it ain't USB3 all the way either... hardware with a DVD often has only one or two USB3 ports, with the rest being USB2...

But it's a right enough box. It will work pretty good the way it is, and will be a hummer with added RAM and SSD.

I was just thinking about Pete in particular since he can't do the upgrades himself but you are right. That box will likely serve him just fine as is.

[catfish1957]

I heard that @Bigun 
I own exactly nothing made by apple.

If WIN has made that level of improvements around security, I might convert back.  Can't tell you how pissed off I was when I got my wife's last MacBook, and it was devoid of headphone jacks, SD ports, and standard USB connections. 

[sneakypete]

@Bigun
But an SSD and added RAM are doable. Get recovered a little bit and add more RAM... down the line another couple months, add an SSD...

@sneakypete

@roamer_1

Part of my plan was to add the RAM from this PC once I strip it. Never done this,but it can't be all that hard to do.

[roamer_1]

If WIN has made that level of improvements around security, I might convert back.  Can't tell you how pissed off I was when I got my wife's last MacBook, and it was devoid of headphone jacks, SD ports, and standard USB connections.

That's why I don't like Apple... Their phones are a perfect example... No auxiliary drive bay. Spend STUPID money, and wind up stuck without enough storage. I paid 150 bucks for my Samsung A-50 and stuffed a big flash card in it the next day. Heck I don't even know how big it is anymore... But I will never worry about it.

For all the money paid for that dang Apple phone, you'd think they could add a mini flash port. Makes me mad.

Their pooters... same thing. They run great, no doubt, but crazy expensive bang-for-buck, and no where near as easy to upgrade. And hardware externals and software too... Just all the way around.

I like the vast and distributed Windows marketplace. Especially when you are talking used. A three year old WinPC can be found for a song. A five year old Apple is still big bread. There is an argument there about retaining value, but the freewheeling market on the Windows side makes that really negligible.

[Bigun]

@roamer_1

Part of my plan was to add the RAM from this PC once I strip it. Never done this,but it can't be all that hard to do.

That may or may not be doable @sneakypete depends on if the RAM is compatible and how it's configured but even if you have to buy more it's not that big a deal.

[roamer_1]

@roamer_1

Part of my plan was to add the RAM from this PC once I strip it. Never done this,but it can't be all that hard to do.

@sneakypete

Might be out of luck on that... All RAM is not the same. and if your current box is new, I will bet it won't work in the refurb. You may be able to sell the ram to buy more ram for the refurb... If it is in 8g sticks or more... But DDR3 ram is around, and cheap, if you can find somebody that is plugged into that local market.

You might just run it by the EEK Squad at the Best Buy and get a quote for upgrading to 16g... That will get you a guaranteed hard number to work with. Then find out if you can beat it on your own. I sure could. But in your position, the deal may be satisfactory and not worth bothering further.

[sneakypete]

That may or may not be doable @sneakypete depends on if the RAM is compatible and how it's configured but even if you have to buy more it's not that big a deal.

@Bigun

Thanks,I will check into the price of new RAM before I go to the trouble of trying to install the RAM from this one.

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete

Might be out of luck on that... All RAM is not the same. and if your current box is new, I will bet it won't work in the refurb. You may be able to sell the ram to buy more ram for the refurb... If it is in 8g sticks or more... But DDR3 ram is around, and cheap, if you can find somebody that is plugged into that local market.

You might just run it by the EEK Squad at the Best Buy and get a quote for upgrading to 16g... That will get you a guaranteed hard number to work with. Then find out if you can beat it on your own. I sure could. But in your position, the deal may be satisfactory and not worth bothering further.

@roamer_1

Thanks!

I will email them today to see if that's possible.

[roamer_1]

@sneakypete


It would be interesting to find out if your current box has a SATA style SSD drive in it though. If you are parting it out, that might save you a buck. and you could find someone to do that right away.

[Bigun]

@Bigun

Thanks,I will check into the price of new RAM before I go to the trouble of trying to install the RAM from this one.

I've probably got some DDR3 Ram laying around here that I could send you but I need the exact spec and the link you posted now goes to some Acer POS. F'n Amazon!

Check that! I was clicking on one of the ones you were looking at not the one you bought. Anyway, when I looked it up It says RAM is maxed out at 8 gigs.  I highly doubt that is true so I'll check further @sneakypete

[corbe]

   @sneakypete There are plenty of UTube videos on how to disassemle a Laptop to upgrade the Ram or install a SSD.  Usually just requires a Jewlers phillips screwdriver.  Just put the Model # in UTube, ie...Dell Latitude 4345.

[sneakypete]

   @sneakypete There are plenty of UTube videos on how to disassemle a Laptop to upgrade the Ram or install a SSD.  Usually just requires a Jewlers phillips screwdriver.  Just put the Model # in UTube, ie...Dell Latitude 4345.

@corbe

Thanks,I have a selection of jewelers screwdrivers I used to use when I was working on something forgotten. Maybe watches.

Damn chemo brain!

[Kamaji]

   @sneakypete There are plenty of UTube videos on how to disassemle a Laptop to upgrade the Ram or install a SSD.  Usually just requires a Jewlers phillips screwdriver.  Just put the Model # in UTube, ie...Dell Latitude 4345.

An anti-static wrist band or pad is also an advisable accessory, depending on how far into the guts and innards one has to go.  I actually did manage to fry a motherboard one time just with static.  After that, I always have the anti-static wristband going.

[Bigun]

@sneakypete

Check your PMs

[sneakypete]

An anti-static wrist band or pad is also an advisable accessory, depending on how far into the guts and innards one has to go.  I actually did manage to fry a motherboard one time just with static.  After that, I always have the anti-static wristband going.

@Kamaji

Never heard of such a thing. Do you have a brand name and/or a source you can give me?

[roamer_1]

@Kamaji

Never heard of such a thing. Do you have a brand name and/or a source you can give me?

@sneakypete

All you need is a hunk of wire going to ground and wrap it around your wrist or ankle... or touch something to ground yourself... same as letting loose a static spark when you touch a doorknob. I never bother because my benches are metal and grounded. it is nearly impossible for me to carry a charge to a machine.

[Kamaji]

@Kamaji

Never heard of such a thing. Do you have a brand name and/or a source you can give me?

@sneakypete

Sort of like these:  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=anti-static+wrist&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0bi7nvKR-QIVJv7jBx0t1g1KEAAYASAAEgKANfD_BwE&hvadid=174231267041&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9067609&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8636382381488605389&hvtargid=kwd-2670500452&hydadcr=24658_9648989&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_92n8b8y6x9_e