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Need Laptop Recommendation. Because I don't trust anyone else

IcovaIcova Member UncommonPosts: 34
in Hardware
I will be traveling a lot soon, some in cars, some buses, planes etc, even some sailing vessels. All I will use this for will be to browse and run some map programs, occasionally I may run a couple matches in World of Warships, like downtime in airports etc. I don't care about resolution on the game, and if it isn't possible to play that game, it won't break my heart.

While back home I will use it to plug my magicJack into (No Router space) and just leave on for a home phone. Looking for low weight, ruggedness wouldn't be a horrible thing, But mostly it has to be cheap. this line of work I end up in places where things get stolen, destroyed , and even left behind/lost in transit.

Thanks for your time.

I endeavor to understand the thinking of those who have shaped our world, yet I lack the ability to insert my head, that far, up my ass.

Comments

  • ElalandElaland Member UncommonPosts: 40
    Cheap generally means a lower level CPU, minimum RAM, and certainly no special video chips for gaming.  However everyone wants their computer to be reasonably reliable.  You might want to take a look at something like a Dell Latitude 3570.  It has a 15.6" screen, i3 processor, 4 GB RAM, and a 500 GB HDD.  On CDW website it is going for $519.91. 
  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,499
    How cheap is "cheap" to you?  I'd pick something very different if you regard $700 as cheap from if you can't pay a dime over $400.
  • IcovaIcova Member UncommonPosts: 34
    edited August 2016
    I wouldn't want to go over $500, and actually closer to $300 would be ideal, but I understand getting too small may not have enough battery to browse during a 6 hr layover. Weight is a huge concern as much of the traveling I do will be on 30' - 40' Sailing Vessels, and one backpack is all I'll be carrying. I can't carry a 60 lb pack any more and often I will be in places where I may be walking for 10 miles or more. 3lbs would be ideal 4 lbs would be the absolute max weight. 

    It would not be important to play my one game on, that would be a perk. It will primarily be for storing Video logs until I get to a place to upload, Writing Projects, and Map Programs/backing up my cell phone in the event it goes down.

    And cheap enough that when/if it gets stolen Im not out much money to replace it

    This
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=1TS-001A-002P7
    and this
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1CZ49T6383

    have been recomended

    I endeavor to understand the thinking of those who have shaped our world, yet I lack the ability to insert my head, that far, up my ass.

  • JeroKaneJeroKane Member EpicPosts: 7,098
    edited August 2016
    Well, if gaming is not a priority on this Laptop, then you got a lot of good Laptops to choose from in that price range.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834234003

    Try see if you find one with Core i5 and 8 GB of RAM.  Asus in general is a good Choice.

    Avoid Acer, HP and Dell at all cost (terrible at driver support).

  • syntax42syntax42 Member UncommonPosts: 1,385
    edited August 2016
    In the $300-$400 range, you can get a decent CPU paired with a bad GPU, or a mediocre CPU paired with a decent GPU.  Personally, I prefer the latter--AMD A-core laptops handle games fairly well.  

    If you don't mind refurbished, you can spend about $65 on a 240GB SSD and still spend less than $400 total.
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006740%20601107895%20601107893&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=36

    This looks like the best one of the bunch for the price:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834295653
    12GB of RAM and one of the best AMD A-cores you can buy.  Might be a pricing error.  The Intel HD graphics is definitely not correct.
  • VrikaVrika Member LegendaryPosts: 7,989
    edited August 2016
    Buy a Chromebook: http://www.pcmag.com/review/336536/asus-chromebook-flip-c100pa-db02

    You'll get whole day of battery life, weight is only 2 pounds, with newest Chrome OS update you can use Android apps on that, and it costs less than 300$.
     
  • IcovaIcova Member UncommonPosts: 34
    Lots of good stuff. On the ones that have been recommended and others, some have an HDD.

    Is it possible to replace the HDD with an ssd on any of them to decrease weight, or is the HDD integral and I'd only be adding weight?

    I ask because when walking miles, every single few ounces feel like tens of pounds.

    I endeavor to understand the thinking of those who have shaped our world, yet I lack the ability to insert my head, that far, up my ass.

  • gervaise1gervaise1 Member EpicPosts: 6,919
    I assume you have considered tablets?
  • CleffyCleffy Member RarePosts: 6,414
    edited August 2016
    At that price range, avoid Intel like the plague. Sure the processor is good but no way is it playing World of Warships. The ASUS with the A10 you listed prior is probably the best in my opinion. Comes with an A10 processor with an SSD. Hard to beat under $500.
    Rugged would be hard to find in this price range.
  • syntax42syntax42 Member UncommonPosts: 1,385
    Icova said:

    Is it possible to replace the HDD with an ssd on any of them to decrease weight, or is the HDD integral and I'd only be adding weight?
    Most laptops only have one internal drive bay.  Some are easier to access than others, but you can almost always replace the hard drive.  Watch teardown videos on YouTube to get an idea of how hard it will be to replace a drive on a model of laptop before you buy it.
  • IcovaIcova Member UncommonPosts: 34
    I have wondered about tablets but wasn't sure about how they would work for writing my reports, which wouldn't be much, but writing none the less. In truth I know little of their functionality or storage capacity.

    As to the rugged aspects of whichever I choose, from what I understand, unless I'm getting a Toughbook, the difference between  laptops is minimal. From what I've seen the Toughbook is outside of my price range, but reputably a very good machine, in harsh environments.

    I endeavor to understand the thinking of those who have shaped our world, yet I lack the ability to insert my head, that far, up my ass.

  • VrikaVrika Member LegendaryPosts: 7,989
    edited August 2016
    Icova said:
    I have wondered about tablets but wasn't sure about how they would work for writing my reports, which wouldn't be much, but writing none the less. In truth I know little of their functionality or storage capacity.
    Writing anything long with a tablet is slow, but if you want there are separate keyboards for tablets available. Cheapest cost less than 20$:
     https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Wireless-Bluetooth-Keyboard-Rechargeable/dp/B00PIMIUPW

    I wouldn't suggest something like that if you want to carry keyboard with you constantly, though. A laptop or a 2-in-1 laptop is much better for carrying in bag because the keyboard and the screen will protect each other once the case is closed. Also if the screen is completely separate then placing the screen somewhere so that you can easily view it while using separate keyboard is often troublesome.

    There are also tablet keyboards where you can place the tablet to sit on the keyboard while writing, like Logitech K480:
      https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Multi-Device-Computers-Smartphones-920-006342/dp/B00MUTWLW4

    But a laptop of 2-in-1 is still better because that kind of separate keyboard needs to be large and heavy enough that you can place the tablet on it, and it doesn't offer the extra protection for screen while in bag like an attached keyboard could.
     
  • PhoebesPhoebes Member UncommonPosts: 190
    Icova said:
    I have wondered about tablets but wasn't sure about how they would work for writing my reports, which wouldn't be much, but writing none the less. In truth I know little of their functionality or storage capacity.

    As to the rugged aspects of whichever I choose, from what I understand, unless I'm getting a Toughbook, the difference between  laptops is minimal. From what I've seen the Toughbook is outside of my price range, but reputably a very good machine, in harsh environments.

    If you ever consider a tablet and mainly want it to be rugged, the Kindles we have are insanely rugged. My kids have them and my son got one starting at 2 years old. Those things have been dropped on granite floors, sat on , stepped on, spun on the wall, spilled on etc. None of them had problems.

    They also have kindle keyboards you can get, but I haven't tried them. If you need to install special software for your reports it will most likely not work for you.

    I like the 8.9" HDX, but they can get close to $500 depending on how much space you need.

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,499
    Icova said:
    I have wondered about tablets but wasn't sure about how they would work for writing my reports, which wouldn't be much, but writing none the less. In truth I know little of their functionality or storage capacity.

    As to the rugged aspects of whichever I choose, from what I understand, unless I'm getting a Toughbook, the difference between  laptops is minimal. From what I've seen the Toughbook is outside of my price range, but reputably a very good machine, in harsh environments.
    The Toughbook is a different class of machine entirely from what you should probably be looking at.  Panasonic Toughbooks are designed for people who don't need much performance, but need it to be nearly indestructible in environments that would wreck most laptops.  If you're going to use it in very dusty environments or expect to routinely spill things on it or drop it or various other bad things, a Toughbook is more likely to survive that than most other laptops.  But it comes at the expense of a very high price tag and a lot of size and weight for not very much performance, and most people use laptops in cleaner situations where ruggedized doesn't gain you much.
  • IcovaIcova Member UncommonPosts: 34
    edited August 2016
    Yeap thats what I was thnking, and my 54 yr old legs can only handle 10 lbs water, 10lbs food, and maybe 10lbs more ... poncho, tarp, cordage, devices, so we are now taking 2 or 3 lbs. I'll sacrifice the game playing in a heartbeat to save a pound.

    I know this is a gaming site, but you guys got some knowledge, and I appreciate it.

     Actually that cloudbook might be the thing with an sd card or two, and an external dvd drive. It's got great battery life.

    Thanks for help on that other thing , its been so long since Ive had any malware or viruses, was scrathing my head thiking, "I use to know how to do this," lol. 

    Have a good one bud.

    I endeavor to understand the thinking of those who have shaped our world, yet I lack the ability to insert my head, that far, up my ass.

  • RidelynnRidelynn Member EpicPosts: 7,383
    I wouldn't discount the tablet idea right away.

    If theft/damage is that big of a concern, Android tablets are almost disposable in terms of price. They have built in cameras and apps for video logs, and coupled with a cheap Bluetooth keyboard and the proper app, can handle reports of a few hundred words without too much discomfort. Some  models come with removable storage in the form of SD/MicroSD - so that makes it easy to store and archive your video logs and reports.

    Even if you do decide to go with the laptop, a tablet may not be a bad thing to just augment it while you travel. You can pick up a cheap one for as low as $35 new, and if you look around, even cheaper than that. 
  • RidelynnRidelynn Member EpicPosts: 7,383
    Torval said:
    If you do go the tablet route or want a wireless keyboard for the laptop the Logitech K480 is a great Bluetooth keyboard. It has a position switch that allows you to connect up to 3 devices to it. So you can pair your laptop and phone with it for writing, texting, etc.

    https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Multi-Device-Computers-Smartphones-920-006342/dp/B00MUTWLW4/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1472408952&sr=1-1&keywords=logitech+k480

    That is a nice one, I have one and it gets used daily.
  • sacredfoolsacredfool Member UncommonPosts: 849
    The ASUS laptop with the AMD APU you linked earlier seems like it might be able to run Warships. It'll run the game badly and since it's a laptop the rig is not upgradeable BUT it will probably run it at minimum settings.

    If I were you I'd get that.

    Originally posted by nethaniah

    Seriously Farmville? Yeah I think it's great. In a World where half our population is dying of hunger the more fortunate half is spending their time harvesting food that doesn't exist.

  • kosackosac Member UncommonPosts: 206
    i prefer desktop.. its pc with case in vertical position.. laptop was PC with horizontal case.. and notebook is not so good for games.. oh you are form US.. so you call notebook laptop.. yea its rly interesting.. why that change :awesome: btw ignore me.. iam to old 
  • IcovaIcova Member UncommonPosts: 34
    well um I wont be carrying a desktop in a backpack through uruguay

    I endeavor to understand the thinking of those who have shaped our world, yet I lack the ability to insert my head, that far, up my ass.

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