Heritage_Head Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Looking for a new laptop (1k budget). Bigger the screen the better. I know very little on this so would love some input on best ones to look at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivanhurd Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 I always recommend starting at cnet.com and then expanding your research from their top picks. You could also go to newegg and check out the best sellers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Ditto Newegg. Also TIgerDirect. Between the two one can get a good deal on most things. I've gone tablet. I don't do any heavy duty stuff on a portable anymore and the small form factor, and all day battery life of a tablet is a great step up from laptops, IMHO. Very small bag carries it, power supply, docking station, mouse and bluetooth keyboard with the whole thing being maybe a couple of pounds. Certainly a relief from the massive M6400 Dell "portable workstation" I was using previously! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 massive Probably what the "M" prefix for the model designation was for. Their new xps ultrabooks are really nice (we have a 13 inch at the school). Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 I recently bought a HP with a 17.3 inch screen, i3 processor, Win7, 6 gigs ram, and 750 gig hard drive for a little less than half your budget that I like a lot. I looked at getting a smaller one for travel but they all had Win8 and that OS really sucks. I mean why would you want a computer with an OS designed to operate with a touch screen that didn't have a touch screen? More Microsoft "buy the new OS so we can make more money" BS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Lots of good advice. If you want to go budget and get something really nice, check this out: http://www.frys.com/ads I just picked up a nice HP on the cheap at our local Frys. They have new items two times a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heritage_Head Posted December 9, 2012 Author Share Posted December 9, 2012 Thanks for all the help. We got a macbook pro and its really nice but the wifi is really slow. When i run it with the ethernet cord its perfect so i knows its the wifi. After reading and talking to apple it sounds like its a problem with a lot of these so I'm going to take it back if we cant get it working right and get something else. i have read up and tried a few thing but its pretty frustrating. Apple did say they could sell me software to fix it i said thanks but no thanks lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 I've been happy with the HP Envy17. Had about made the decision and did a search for promo codes/coupons and found one for $400 off on some random site. HP was already offering $200 off and accepted the promo code to add another $200 off. The 17 inch screen is very nice to my eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Thanks for all the help. We got a macbook pro and its really nice but the wifi is really slow. When i run it with the ethernet cord its perfect so i knows its the wifi. After reading and talking to apple it sounds like its a problem with a lot of these so I'm going to take it back if we cant get it working right and get something else. i have read up and tried a few thing but its pretty frustrating. Apple did say they could sell me software to fix it i said thanks but no thanks lol. Perhaps the router itself is the culprit. Have you tried the wifi at a hotspot? I have had the worst luck with wifi routers... The ethernet works fine, and the wifi sometimes hardly moves and disconnects all the time... Plug in the ethernet, and all your troubles are gone. Sounds frighteningly familiar. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Thanks for all the help. We got a macbook pro and its really nice but the wifi is really slow. When i run it with the ethernet cord its perfect so i knows its the wifi. After reading and talking to apple it sounds like its a problem with a lot of these so I'm going to take it back if we cant get it working right and get something else. i have read up and tried a few thing but its pretty frustrating. Apple did say they could sell me software to fix it i said thanks but no thanks lol. Perhaps the router itself is the culprit. Have you tried the wifi at a hotspot? I have had the worst luck with wifi routers... The ethernet works fine, and the wifi sometimes hardly moves and disconnects all the time... Plug in the ethernet, and all your troubles are gone. Sounds frighteningly familiar. Well first he asked "Looking for a new laptop (1k budget). Bigger the screen the better. I know very little on this so would love some input on best ones to look at." First the cheapest apple is 999 but an Ipad would do more than the macbook air 11 inch version, the mac book pro starts at 1199 so its already outside his budget. Second he wants a bigger screen, at his price point he either got an 11 inch or 13 inch screen which is hardly big..... Then OP says that he read and talked to apple it sounded like a problem. Well first the aluminum body does not do well with wifi signals, that is true but I sense the culprit is the router, I doubt its an N generation. And then he said apple would sell me software to fix it.... That is a blatant lie. What kind of software? Did you mean applecare which is not a software? Since you just brought it it has apple care for the first 90 days anyways. This is why when people ask me what's the best computer or speaker, I shy away and never give a response..... Because any answer I give will be ignored and the person will buy whatever they want. BTW OP have fun being hit with the 15% restocking fee when you try and return the open box apple now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 First the cheapest apple is 999 but an Ipad would do more than the macbook air 11 inch version, the mac book pro starts at 1199 so its already outside his budget. Second he wants a bigger screen, at his price point he either got an 11 inch or 13 inch screen which is hardly big..... Then OP says that he read and talked to apple it sounded like a problem. Well first the aluminum body does not do well with wifi signals, that is true but I sense the culprit is the router, I doubt its an N generation. And then he said apple would sell me software to fix it.... That is a blatant lie. What kind of software? Did you mean applecare which is not a software? Since you just brought it it has apple care for the first 90 days anyways. This is why when people ask me what's the best computer or speaker, I shy away and never give a response..... Because any answer I give will be ignored and the person will buy whatever they want. BTW OP have fun being hit with the 15% restocking fee when you try and return the open box apple now. An iPad won't have near the funtionality of a MacBook Pro... or even a MacBook Air. Apple has some things on their forums talking about flaky wireless connections, I think related to some DNS settings that get changed. I have taken one of our older MBPs home to use, and have zero problems with my wireless in the house. BUT, unless you scream and kick a lot, they will charge you for fixing it. We have had a much higher failure rate on pple products compared to Dell and IBM/Lenovo products. And the new portables don't even have user replaceable batteries.When a product works properly, they are all pretty much good. When they don't, it can be a cr@p shoot, even for techs that are supposed to know the answers. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 First the cheapest apple is 999 but an Ipad would do more than the macbook air 11 inch version, the mac book pro starts at 1199 so its already outside his budget. Second he wants a bigger screen, at his price point he either got an 11 inch or 13 inch screen which is hardly big..... Then OP says that he read and talked to apple it sounded like a problem. Well first the aluminum body does not do well with wifi signals, that is true but I sense the culprit is the router, I doubt its an N generation. And then he said apple would sell me software to fix it.... That is a blatant lie. What kind of software? Did you mean applecare which is not a software? Since you just brought it it has apple care for the first 90 days anyways. This is why when people ask me what's the best computer or speaker, I shy away and never give a response..... Because any answer I give will be ignored and the person will buy whatever they want. BTW OP have fun being hit with the 15% restocking fee when you try and return the open box apple now. An iPad won't have near the funtionality of a MacBook Pro... or even a MacBook Air. Apple has some things on their forums talking about flaky wireless connections, I think related to some DNS settings that get changed. I have taken one of our older MBPs home to use, and have zero problems with my wireless in the house. BUT, unless you scream and kick a lot, they will charge you for fixing it. We have had a much higher failure rate on pple products compared to Dell and IBM/Lenovo products. And the new portables don't even have user replaceable batteries.When a product works properly, they are all pretty much good. When they don't, it can be a cr@p shoot, even for techs that are supposed to know the answers. Bruce On the contrary, the ipad with the apps have more userfriendliness then the macbookpro air. Epecially on the go If it is DNS then that would be the most simple fix and every forum would suggest using 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 And he said he just got it so they will fix it under the 90 day applecare unless he brought it at bestbuy the apple genus people are pretty nice and sympathetic about situations. As with higher failure rates, it can go either way since they use the same components. As for replaceable batteries, that is what happens when you have lithium ion polymers and you cram them into small confined spaces. They actually glue the battery to the aluminum shell as to make the shell a heatsink for the battery. Hence why you cannot replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Thanks for all the help. We got a macbook pro and its really nice but the wifi is really slow. When i run it with the ethernet cord its perfect so i knows its the wifi. After reading and talking to apple it sounds like its a problem with a lot of these so I'm going to take it back if we cant get it working right and get something else. i have read up and tried a few thing but its pretty frustrating. Apple did say they could sell me software to fix it i said thanks but no thanks lol. Perhaps the router itself is the culprit. Have you tried the wifi at a hotspot? I have had the worst luck with wifi routers... The ethernet works fine, and the wifi sometimes hardly moves and disconnects all the time... Plug in the ethernet, and all your troubles are gone. Sounds frighteningly familiar. I'm not sure how relevant the following is, but I got a MacBook Pro laptop for the dining room after many years using my Dell PC as my main system in the basement. The Dell stayed downstairs, where I put a new router to wi-fi to the Mac.It's not been wholly successful -- sometimes the Mac doesn't "Wi" for a long time, and I never know when it will finally do it. Some PC programs like AOL don't work very well, either, and some Windows programs aren't made for Macs. I have two other rather major issues: (1) I can't open a second window (or don't know how) on the Mac, so I can't go back and forth between windows; and (2) the MS keyboard works quite differently from the Mac's -- the Mac "delete" key has awkward uses; the Mac doesn't use the MS CTRL-key shortcuts; and the Home and End keys go to the beginning and end of the document, not the line. I finally gave up and got an MS keyboard, which takes up extra space and duplicates the Mac's keyboard. This is NOT an arrangement I'd do again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Thanks for all the help. We got a macbook pro and its really nice but the wifi is really slow. When i run it with the ethernet cord its perfect so i knows its the wifi. After reading and talking to apple it sounds like its a problem with a lot of these so I'm going to take it back if we cant get it working right and get something else. i have read up and tried a few thing but its pretty frustrating. Apple did say they could sell me software to fix it i said thanks but no thanks lol. Perhaps the router itself is the culprit. Have you tried the wifi at a hotspot? I have had the worst luck with wifi routers... The ethernet works fine, and the wifi sometimes hardly moves and disconnects all the time... Plug in the ethernet, and all your troubles are gone. Sounds frighteningly familiar. I'm not sure how relevant the following is, but I got a MacBook Pro laptop for the dining room after many years using my Dell PC as my main system in the basement. The Dell stayed downstairs, where I put a new router to wi-fi to the Mac.It's not been wholly successful -- sometimes the Mac doesn't "Wi" for a long time, and I never know when it will finally do it. Some PC programs like AOL don't work very well, either, and some Windows programs aren't made for Macs. I have two other rather major issues: (1) I can't open a second window (or don't know how) on the Mac, so I can't go back and forth between windows; and (2) the MS keyboard works quite differently from the Mac's -- the Mac "delete" key has awkward uses; the Mac doesn't use the MS CTRL-key shortcuts; and the Home and End keys go to the beginning and end of the document, not the line. I finally gave up and got an MS keyboard, which takes up extra space and duplicates the Mac's keyboard. This is NOT an arrangement I'd do again! I feel your pain. I have been a PC guy since IBM DOS 3.0. I am the computer geek of the household, and when I bought my wife an IMac a few years ago I thought I could take care of everything for her. I was mistaken. They are so very different than anything I have used, I am totally lost on them. I can't use a MAC to get an email. [] Fortunately, the iPhone doesn't trip me up in the same way. I would not mind having an iPad. I will never get a Mac for myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivanhurd Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Thanks for all the help. We got a macbook pro and its really nice but the wifi is really slow. When i run it with the ethernet cord its perfect so i knows its the wifi. After reading and talking to apple it sounds like its a problem with a lot of these so I'm going to take it back if we cant get it working right and get something else. i have read up and tried a few thing but its pretty frustrating. Apple did say they could sell me software to fix it i said thanks but no thanks lol. Perhaps the router itself is the culprit. Have you tried the wifi at a hotspot? I have had the worst luck with wifi routers... The ethernet works fine, and the wifi sometimes hardly moves and disconnects all the time... Plug in the ethernet, and all your troubles are gone. Sounds frighteningly familiar. I'm not sure how relevant the following is, but I got a MacBook Pro laptop for the dining room after many years using my Dell PC as my main system in the basement. The Dell stayed downstairs, where I put a new router to wi-fi to the Mac.It's not been wholly successful -- sometimes the Mac doesn't "Wi" for a long time, and I never know when it will finally do it. Some PC programs like AOL don't work very well, either, and some Windows programs aren't made for Macs. I have two other rather major issues: (1) I can't open a second window (or don't know how) on the Mac, so I can't go back and forth between windows; and (2) the MS keyboard works quite differently from the Mac's -- the Mac "delete" key has awkward uses; the Mac doesn't use the MS CTRL-key shortcuts; and the Home and End keys go to the beginning and end of the document, not the line. I finally gave up and got an MS keyboard, which takes up extra space and duplicates the Mac's keyboard. This is NOT an arrangement I'd do again! I have never had a problem with connecting to wifi with 4 macs between my wife and I. You can open a second window. Mac uses command instead of CTRL for shortcuts, such as command T, for a new browser tab or command N for a new browser window. Personally, I do like OSX, but not any more than I like Windows. I think that macs are *way* overpriced for the specs you get, and the only reason I continue to buy them is that they tend to be more stable for DJing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 I have never had a problem with connecting to wifi with 4 macs between my wife and I. You can open a second window. Mac uses command instead of CTRL for shortcuts, such as command T, for a new browser tab or command N for a new browser window. Personally, I do like OSX, but not any more than I like Windows. I think that macs are *way* overpriced for the specs you get, and the only reason I continue to buy them is that they tend to be more stable for DJingThanks, Ivan! I was wondering what I haven't been able to figure out. One of Mac's problems is they give very few instructions, and what you just told me is one thing that I've needed. Maybe I can Google Mac command shortcuts. Still, I suspect MS may have undergone more refinement over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Larry are you trying to open up multiple safari windows? You can open up multiple tabs if that is the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heritage_Head Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 I was able to get it fixed. I have a 2nd router I wasn't using that i put in place of the new one and that fixed it. Must be something it didn't like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Larry are you trying to open up multiple safari windows? You can open up multiple tabs if that is the case.Yes, Safari. How do you open a tab? Command-T, as suggested a few posts ago? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 There is a + sign near the top. Press that to open an another window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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