Team-BHP - The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rohit_Quad (Post 4630954)

Hi there,

"4. SSD (optional)" - shouldn't be optional if you are planning to keep the laptop for more than 5 years.

1. Better GPU than Option 1 & 3
2. Has the smooth 120Hz screen and a GPU that can do justice to it.
3. NVME SSD.

The only thing i feel, u might miss would be the display port. If you do not any intentions of running the laptop screen and 2 other screens simultaneously, go for option 4 :)

Hi Rohit_Quad,

Firstly thanks for the reply. Yes I did a bit of reading int he past few days and have come to terms with the necessity of an SSD.

I have started with building my own gaming rig instead of a laptop with the below configurations:
1. Core I5 9th gen 9400F
2. 16 GB corsair vengence 3000
3. 1TBD HDD
4. 240GB SSD
5. Gigabyte Motherboard
6. Corsair spec 01 cabinet
7. Corsair 550W SMPS
8. NVIDIA 1650 4GB GTX GPU
9. 3 extra fans for cooling.

Do let me know if i am missing something.

TIA
Ne0N

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ne0N (Post 4631018)

A very wise decision indeed. The build looks good. Beware that the ram would be running at 2666mhz by default, cause of the processor ram speed limiting factor. I guess you can tweak the settings in the Mobo bios using the XMP profile. i would suggest, if you have the budget, to go for a larger ssd (480gb Crucial maybe). You don't want to fill up the SSD more than 80%.
Btw, what monitor will you be using?

Otherwise, the build look solid.

SSD is a single most significant upgrade you can do to your laptop/ desktop if it is running on HDD. Every operation becomes faster and snappier. In fact, after a HDD upgrade to SSD, you will not feel the need to replace your laptop with a new one, unless you hit a bottleneck with respect to graphics or processor. If not, then with light to moderate usage , you can literally hold on to your laptop till it dies .

I have a Dell Inspiron 7548 which i purchased in 2015. It came with a HDD. After auto upgrade to Windows 10, the laptop became ridiculously slow. Disk usage after boot up for 100% for nearly 10 minutes which basically meant the performance was mediocre. Opening photos was a nightmare on the native Win 10 photos app. After reading about a lot, came across a nice blog where it was mentioned that Win 10 has certain optimizations which work best with SSD and are counter-productive on HDD. I purchased a 1TB Crucial SSD and the difference in performance is HUGE. Everything is fast, snappy and eager to run. Battery life increased by 20% and the laptop is Silent except for the fan. With the kind of light work that i do on this laptop i do not think i would ever want to upgrade it unless something really bad happens to it.

If running Win 10, ensure you have a SSD/M.2/NVME/OPTANE . HDD is THE bottleneck if running Win 10.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki (Post 4631531)

Very well said. I too did exactly that on my 2 year old laptop, and god does it feel snappy now. This is what i have been trying to preach in this thread. SSD's also have become ridiculously cheap compared to 5 years ago. Hance anyone, looking to upgrade to new laptops/ desktops, can try to upgrade their storage and put in an extra stick of ram. This will breathe in new life into, not very old hardware.

Hello,

I have a Thinkpad T430 whose battery is on its last legs. I wanted to have inputs /suggestions from the good folks here.

This laptop is used mostly as a desktop with very occasional portability requirements ( once in 6 months or so). It is mainly used for office work - so software like Word and Excel and some web browsing. Also, the reason for this battery dying is because this laptop is left on charging sometimes more than 2-3 days at a go.

Considering the above usage, please suggest me a replacement battery. Backup time is not the priority here, but a long life (3-4 years) and durability are.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5hadow (Post 4636339)

There are a few options available on Amazon with fairly positive reviews. All are said to be original Lenovo batteries, posting the links below:

The 9 cell battery:
https://www.amazon.in/Lenovo-ThinkPa...ustomerReviews

The 6 cell battery:
https://www.amazon.in/Lenovo-0A36302...ustomerReviews.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5hadow (Post 4636339)

Considering the above usage, please suggest me a replacement battery. Backup time is not the priority here, but a long life (3-4 years) and durability are.

I have the same T430 as a home based laptop and use an X1 Carbon for portability. If durability and reliability is your concern, get it directly from the Lenovo store (authorized dealer only) and not online, ask for a 2019 manufactured model and the rest is simple plug & play.

We put in the 9 cell Thinkpad battery about 3 years ago, bought at the store for about Rs.6k, but it has lasted long enough and even today I get about 5-6 hours of life on it. If you want no more than 3 hours of backup get the 6 cell.
The Laptop will last you a lifetime like all Thinkpads do so I'd say its better to get the 9 cell one.

Wow, teambhp has everything :')
I cannot believe there's a dedicated gaming thread. Can someone please help me with choosing a laptop? This laptop will be used for work. I need good battery life and a good screen. Budget is around 1L. I briefly contemplated getting a gaming laptop, but the battery on these is usually not great, and they heat up a lot as well. Since I already have a ps4 for my gaming needs, I'll just get one that is good for working, which is just basically a lot of typing and keeping several documents open. I liked the Dell XPS, but the 15 inch one is expensive. Apple seems poorly specced for the price, and the well specced ones are too expensive. Suggestions please?

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrk997 (Post 4638940)

Suggestions please?

Do you really need a gaming laptop? Since you already have a PS4, I wouldn't recommend getting another gaming laptop. For one it will be heavy and bulky to carry around with you. Most of the games are available in PS, if you really need to play those Microsoft games, try getting a Xbox One S for less than 20K. But then, the next generation consoles are just a year away. Would advise you to get an ultrabook or something like the thinkpad series of lenovo, for the work. My friend who bought a MSI gaming laptop to serve both the purpose eventually ended up not playing much and had to carry the bulky laptop whenever he travels.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrk997 (Post 4638940)

Can someone please help me with choosing a laptop? I liked the Dell XPS, but the 15 inch one is expensive. Apple seems poorly specced for the price, and the well specced ones are too expensive. Suggestions please?

Apple always charges premium for their products. My wife has Mac Air and it hangs whenever 6-7 excels files are opened along with 8-10 safari tabs. And she uses it strictly for document work.
I'm not an expert on laptops but my requirements are almost same as yours, 'Comparatively a lightweight laptop capable of occasional gaming without compromise'. These are few I have shortlisted for myself, planning to buy in a month or so:

HP Envy X360
HP Omen 15
HP Pavilion Gaming 15
MSI GAMING GL63

Apparently, there are different configurations available at different price range for these and similar laptops. Check them out and do share which one you bought :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrk997 (Post 4638940)

I liked the Dell XPS, but the 15 inch one is expensive. Apple seems poorly specced for the price, and the well specced ones are too expensive. Suggestions please?

Get the Thinkpad. It may not look fancy. But the performance out of it is really great. If you have any friends or family in US, get a Thinkpad X1. It is slim and also cheaper here and will be able to fit around that 1L budget. My Thinkpad T450 is still going strong after 4 years. Get a model equipped with only SSD. Don't go for SSD + HDD combo laptops.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hema4saran (Post 4639695)

If the OP has an ability to source from the US, a Dell XPS 13 or 15 with SSD from the Dell outlet with 3 years warranty (which is transferable to India) would also be a superb option below the 1L price point. Don't let its sleek looks deceive you - the machine has serious grunt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5hadow (Post 4639606)

Go for a Thinkpad. I am a huge fan and I sincerely doubt if there is any machine better for any professional.

A recommendation - LEnovo Thinkpad

Thinkpad E-Series is not really from the original line of IBM's Thinkpad Business Laptops. It was introduced by Lenovo as a cheaper option using the Thinkpad Brand. It doesn't have sturdiness of the T-Series or X-Series. That said, I have used T-Series Thinkpads for close to 15 years & I am not sure if it's worth the price. I currently use a Dell Inspiron 5370 - I got it for around 60,000 with i5, 8MB RAM, Windows 10, 256 GB SSD & 3 years extended warranty. It's real VFM for the price. I would easily prefer it over a comparable Thinkpad E-Series.