Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Gadgets, Computers & Software (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/)

-   -   The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/67390-laptop-thread-configs-deals-questions-446.html)

Just one thought here. Hope you have assessed if you really need another 8 gb. For example, I have added 8 gb ram to my dual boot laptop (making it 16 gb) for running a specific linux application that requires min 12 gb ram. When I use windows 11 on same laptop, the ram usage usually doesnt exceed 5 or 6 gb. So the additional ram is use case based.

My thought on adding the extra RAM is making it future proof and in one go. I have a 15 yr old ThinkPad which works except for being slow due to insufficient RAM. Hence I ordered the extra one too (need to look for YT videos to understand how I can install it once it arrives tomorrow :p)

Yes, if you have taken a calculated decision, then it is fine. Crucial website also have some software tests that tells you the specific RAMs compatible for your machine. If you have verified compatibility, then you should be good.

Installing a RAM is quite easy, Just insert and press to lock in most laptops that have extra free slots (and not soldered ram) for adding RAM.

There are some laptops that have soldered RAMs, without RAM expansion slots, where upgrade cannot be done as easily.

Hi.

I have a decade old dual Xeon system with 8gb RAM and 6 SATA HDD and 3 monitors. The system is showing its age, hence I was in a dilema of what to replace it with. The options were
a) Another high end Desktop workstation
b) A laptop with plenty of external storage and external monitors.

Each option has its plus and minus points. The desktop gives a tremendous horsepower and expandibility. While a laptop has portability.

After much thought I decided to go the laptop route, with added external storage and added external monitors. I bought the following :

Lenovo Thinkpad E14, Ryzen 5
- 8gb RAM
- 512GB SSD
- Added 16GB RAM to get 24GB Total. There is a slot for another M2 SSD on the motherboard.

As I am migrating from dual Xeon desktop, bought the following to help migrate the data

- 2 x 5TB WD External HDD for Backups. Cost Rs.19,000/ from Amazon.
- External HDD Hub for SATA 3.5" disks. This can accomodate both 3.5" and 2.5" SATA HDD. Cost Rs.1,300 from Amazon.
- USB C hub. Cost Rs.4,000 from Amazon.
- Miscl Cables

Reason for these are :
1. Thinkpad is way superior in its construction, keyboard and long battery life compared to the competetion
2. Ryzen 5 has 6 cores compared to Core i5 with 4 cores
3. 24GB RAM is more than enough for my work
Cost Rs.65,000/ from Nehru Place

Total Cost is around 90K, well below 1.5L for a comparable Desktop.

What I will keep from my old system
1. 10 SATA 3.5" hard disks of various capacities (160GB, 300GB, 750GB, 1TB, 2TB)
2. 5 external usb hard disks of various capacities (750GB, 1T, 2TB)
3. 27" 4K monitor, 24" HD (1200 x 1920), 23" HD 1080p monitor

My experience has been quite nice. The system is much faster in single core applications, and marginally faster in multicore one (8 cores for Xeon vs 6 cores for Ryzen 5). The multimonitor setup is cool. I have
. 1080P laptop screen in the middle
. 1080p, 24" monitor on the left
. 4K 27" monitor on the right

I will be posting images at a later date, as I am upto my neck im migrating and data archiving.

Why don't you not convert your old Xeon into a NAS instead? That way you don't need to migrate the data and can access it on any of your device?

Later you can add more HDDs with higher capacity into this NAS or replace the older smaller capacity HDDs with higher capacity HDDs instead of buying lot of lose external HDDs lying around here and there. You can also create RAID for safety or to speed up the date read/write.

NAS grade internal HDDs like WD Red plus and above are far more reliable and faster than the 2.5 inch external HDDs.

There are a few reasons for not retainin the Xeon workstation

. This has grown old, > 15 years and is slowly failing
. I actually do not need a lot of online storage, most of my data is archive data, so external disks is fine
. The present system is really large physically so letting it go will free up some desk space. Even though I still retain multiple monitors, a UPS and the hubs.
. I really do not want to invest in more internal HDD

Lastly I have now revised my workflow
. Core data on extern so that I do not have to bother about security while travelling
. Basic data including software (and compilers) on SSD

Here are some images

SATA dock with a SATA disk


USB C hub

I have attached the dock to usb hub. The hub has a passtrough power so I connect the laptop PS to the Hub and the connect the Hub to USB C slot

Go for the Lenovo Yoga, I am using the 16" Yoga and very happy with the Build, Performance etc. I am sure the 14" will provide a similar experience at a smaller form factor.

Can anyone suggest which is the latest or recommended Intel or Ryzen processor I should try & get in the i5, 16gb ram laptop.
Confused with the amount of options available.
Thanks

If you are going with Team Blue (Intel), then you should be looking at their latest 12th gen CPUs (i5 12xxx will be the processor naming convention).

If you prefer Team Red (Ryzen), then you can look at something like the 6600U series (the first digit in this processor signifies its from 2022). Fair warning that some stores would push you to go for the 5xxx series as well from 2021. Not that they are bad or anything - just saying since you asked for the latest. If you have the budget, go for the latest 12th gen or 6 series from either camp. If budget is tight, then by all means go only for the Ryzen series from older years as Intel's older CPUs are extremely power hungry and inefficient, compared to Ryzens. Do not buy Intel 11th gen or 10th gen CPU laptops.

As far as RAM goes, 16gb ought to do it to future proof your purchase, but 8GB is just fine with current trends. Beware of future upgradability as some (slim form factor) systems come with soldered on RAM on the mainboard which means you cannot do much. Other systems have a hybrid approach where some RAM is baked in to the motherboard (like 4G or 8G) and they also have an additional slot for user upgradability. This gives you weird RAM sizes and may not be very effective in leveraging dual channel advantages. Best option would be to get a system with both slots user which are upgradable.

All this is based on an assumption that the laptop will be used for standard tasks like browsing, media consumption, odd word/excel/ppt usage and nothing too heavy duty or demanding.

Also remember that cheaper the laptop, the worse the screen will be - so if the main intention is for media consumption, pay for a good screen that has at least 250-300 nits peak brightness and covers at least 75%+ sRGB colour space. Such laptops usally cost upwards of 60k nowadays.

I usually go with the current- 1 generation, as the performance gain might be just 1 or 2 percent, while the price markup for the latest generation is usually steep.

As for RAM, 16 GB is future proof, but again price of 16GB machine is usually on the higher side, and fewer models are available. So I prefer to look for a 8GB machine with free RAM upgrade slot. Keep an eye for the RAM speed. 3200 MHz or higher is preferred.

I go for rugged gaming oriented machines, as the processors are generally good, and heat management is better.

Keep an eye on the screen refresh rate. Some machines come with higher pixel resolutions like QHD, so keep an eye for that in case that's important.

Research well in case you are inclined for OLED screens, though they look good, but may suffer pixel losses in due course.

Storage only NVMe. Extra free NVMe slot preferred, but not a deal breaker. Strict no to HDD.

Finally, go for 3 year warranty.

Thanks so much guys (I'm sorry I didn't know how to tag 2 quotes together). This will really help & I shall definitely update what I end up with finally.

Btw my initial budget was upto 72k & I was looking for a 13-14 inch with touchscreen preferred though not necessarily 2 in 1.
I visited Samsung today & loved the new Pro 2 360 but they were all 1 plus. Still to see the Yoga but did get to test a friend's new surface which was again 1+. The hunt is on & I need this by Sunday.

I am also looking for recommendations for a not too expensive wifi / wireless printer for home. Preferably small (without scanner) & def not an inkjet.

As for printers, we have been using the Epson inktank printer for about a decade now, so as a brand it is really solid, almost industrial quality. After sales service and spares, ink are priced decently. Kind of used for all kinds of kids assignments, thousands of plain paper prints, hundreds of photo prints etc, may want to check out this brand.

For the laptop brands, I have done limited research on various brands in my network in the last couple of years, and we had shortlisted HP Pavilion and ASUS Tuf/Zephyrus series as the final two. So you may want to check out these series.

As for touch screen based machines, first clearly establish your use case. Usually touchscreen laptops have higher battery drain vs non touchscreen.

All the light weight premium 2 in 1 are priced around 1L or above. You can get something like Asus Vivobook with OLED panels at lower budget but they are mostly plastic built and have 60Hz FHD panels made by Chi Mei company and weigh above 1.5KG.

Build quality is the top most factor when buying slim and lightweight laptops.

Asus Zenbook Flip 2 in 1 laptops come with metal full chassis and have MIL-STD-810G/H military grade certification for the build quality.

Lowest priced Zenbook Flip (year 2022 models) comes with Ryzen 5600/16GB Ram/512GB SSD and 90Hz 2.8K Samsung OLED Panel and costs around 90-92K. Same variant with 12th gen Intel i5 will cost you around 110K. This one is 14 inch variant with dual fan and weighs 1.4Kg.

If you want more lighter laptop then wait for the upcoming Zenbook Flip 13 with the Ryzen 6000 series processors which will weigh just 1.1Kg.

If convertible flip hinges are not important for you then I think there is one variant of Zenbook S 13 is already available, probably with touch screen as well which weighs just 1Kg but costs around 120K.

If laptop form and Windows OS is not necessary for you then you can look at some other options like Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ which has got 12.4 inch 120 Hz OLED display and the WiFi variant costs around 75K. This thing weighs just around 570 grams, Far less than one of the lightest metal built premium laptop Zenbook S13.

Previous generation Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ is also worth considering at the current discounted price of around 50K (sometimes goes even less). Processors in both tabs are flagship grade, although the S7+ comes with 6GB RAM compared to the 8GB of S8+

Snap the OEM keyboard and back cover accessories and you can convert them into portable laptop using the Samsung's DEX app if you wish to use them on the desk. Both come with Samsung's state of the art Stylus, though other accessories are bought separately.

If you are okay with 11 inch screen then your best bet is to get the iPad Pro or iPad Air with M1 chip, the powerful MacBook chip inside a portable tablet which beats many laptops in performance and far more future proof with the long term hardware and software support provided by the Apple. Though you will have to pay through your nose for the additional OEM accessories. :D

Also, if you have young children, touchscreens can be outright dangerous. :D

Thanks so much for replying. I should have mentioned I already have a M1 base Mac Air as well as an older gen iPad.
Want to give the air to my daughter & was preferring a windows laptop for normal work/travel.

Have decided to go ahead with the Samsung Book 2 360. Just choosing between the 2 models (91k & 102k)

Would appreciate your thoughts on this

SAMSUNG Galaxy Book 2 360 Intel Core i5 12th Gen (13.3 inch, 16GB, 512GB, Windows 11, MS Office 2021, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, FHD AMOLED Display, Graphite, NP730QED-KA2IN) https://www.croma.com/samsung-galaxy...a2in-/p/250644

https://www.croma.com/samsung-galaxy...b3in-/p/250639