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gelandangan Super Member
Joined: May 07, 2006 Posts: 6398 Location: Sydney Australia
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 2:42 pm Post subject: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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Gday
I need a new laptop, I have make do with a 9 years old notebook for long enough.
I want either an i5 or i7 processor with 8gb ram and SSD.
- LONG battery life (8+ hours) for those long flights
- Not too heavy
- hopefully have all of its hardware drivers available for Ubuntu.
- I sort of like the Lenovo keypads style.
Any suggestion?
_________________ A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
A smile is the shortest distance between two people.
Do - Not try!
gelandangan.weebly.com/ |
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1895ss Super Member
Joined: Jul 21, 2005 Posts: 2612 Location: Not Here...!!
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 4:43 pm Post subject: Re: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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DallanC Site Admin
Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 9:32 am Post subject: Re: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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I am very fond of machines made by ASUS. They make great machines.
-DallanC
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gelandangan Super Member
Joined: May 07, 2006 Posts: 6398 Location: Sydney Australia
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 1:43 pm Post subject: Re: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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Ok, I looked at the z930 and UX31A, they look good.
any other brand?
_________________ A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
A smile is the shortest distance between two people.
Do - Not try!
gelandangan.weebly.com/ |
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Pumpkinslinger Super Member
Joined: Sep 22, 2007 Posts: 5002 Location: NC foothills
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 4:35 pm Post subject: Re: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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I've used Dells and Toshibas for many years with good results. I'm not sure what the latest and greatest models are though.
_________________ Mike
"I ain't no better than anybody else, and there ain't nobody better than me!" Ma Kettle |
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PaulS Super Member
Joined: Feb 18, 2006 Posts: 4330 Location: South-Eastern Washington - the State
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:00 pm Post subject: Re: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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I have a Gateway running DOS and Linux that is more than twelve years old and still going strong. I built my last windows machine about two years ago from a catalog and have not had any problems with the machine but I have had to reload windows twice...... SOP.
_________________ Paul
__________________
Speer, Lyman, Hodgdon, Sierra, and Hornady = reliable loading data
So and So's pages on the internet = NOT reliable loading data
Always check data against manuals
NEVER exceed maximum listed loads |
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gelandangan Super Member
Joined: May 07, 2006 Posts: 6398 Location: Sydney Australia
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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 3:32 pm Post subject: Re: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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LOL, ok I just bought a Samsung Series 5 NP530U3C-A06AU running on i7 with 8GB ram.
So far so good, I like the battery life it seems to go forever.
I somewhat undecided with the new style of keypad but I guess it can be "learned".
Best thing is Samsung has a good complement of WIN XP drivers for it.
Worse thing is you cannot install UBUNTU on it, it will brick if the setting is wrong.. so my buntu must be run on VM.
Oh well..
_________________ A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
A smile is the shortest distance between two people.
Do - Not try!
gelandangan.weebly.com/ |
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Suzanne Super Member
Joined: Jun 27, 2009 Posts: 3323 Location: Eugene, Oregon
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Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 6:25 am Post subject: Re: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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I had a huge problem getting Ubuntu to run on this thing, but I did get it running, now it's hard to get Win8 to run. Takes a bit of trial and error, heavy on the error side. I had lots of instructions telling me to partition the hard drive (which I did) Win8 makes that part easy to do. Never got Ubuntu to recognize it, so now I have them running side by side and I have a partition that can't be used. Win8 made it pretty obvious the only real way to do it is to get rid of Win8.
_________________ May the moon keep you centered,
May the sun keep you dancing,
And the stars shed light on your dreams. |
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gelandangan Super Member
Joined: May 07, 2006 Posts: 6398 Location: Sydney Australia
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Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 1:37 pm Post subject: Re: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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Suz, did you get a samsung too?
On samsung computer,t here is a bios bug that would brick the laptop if it is set of UEFI-boot.
linux.slashdot.org/sto...-notebooks
WHich is shame since UEFI is much faster than the plain old BIOS.
_________________ A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
A smile is the shortest distance between two people.
Do - Not try!
gelandangan.weebly.com/ |
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Suzanne Super Member
Joined: Jun 27, 2009 Posts: 3323 Location: Eugene, Oregon
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Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 4:49 pm Post subject: Re: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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Nope I got a desk-top HPackard but the Win8 has a EUFI/secure boot that you have to get around. Don't ask me how I did it because it doesn't make sense. It has something to do with this junk If you can figure it out...if not try Ubuntu help forums, or magic spells, but don't use force. If you have EUFI or BIOS options available that's where you start making changes.
I never made any changes, other than asking it to politely and kindly give up. I really don't know what I did. It's trial and error to get back to Win8 the on screen boot options eventually work if you hit the right one. After being on Win8 and shutting off the computer, the Ubuntu start-up is automatic, no problems. While in Ubuntu the computer will not sleep, well actually it will but won't wake up. You have to turn off the computer. Pain in the rear that one is. The screen saver works fine, but it won't revive if you sleep it. I like that word you used "brick" cause that's what it turns into.
_________________ May the moon keep you centered,
May the sun keep you dancing,
And the stars shed light on your dreams. |
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gelandangan Super Member
Joined: May 07, 2006 Posts: 6398 Location: Sydney Australia
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Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 7:40 pm Post subject: Re: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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It is sad when manufacturer change things for the sake of change rather than improvements.
I figure that your issue starts from the SSD on the hard drive.
If the OS is booted from the SSD, then unless you can change the grub on it then it just refuse to boot from other source.
OTOH, on Samsung, the actual problem is on the BIOS bug..
The SSD also give problem, I have not yet figure it out, but I guess if anything fail, I will run a VM on win 7 base.
It will be not as good but should do since the i7 have plenty of grunt to run VM.
_________________ A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
A smile is the shortest distance between two people.
Do - Not try!
gelandangan.weebly.com/ |
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Vince Site Admin
Joined: May 25, 2005 Posts: 15715 Location: Brisbane AUSTRALIA
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dhc4ever Super Member
Joined: May 26, 2011 Posts: 2944 Location: Ipswich, Queensland Australia
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Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 8:02 pm Post subject: Re: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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Vince wrote: |
I found my pencil sharpener yesterday so I can resharpen my pencil now...and I also bought a new bottle of ink for my fountain pens, so I can write much more gooderer. |
Careful you don't stuff the computer screen..........
_________________ Pete
Dont do anything you wont like explaining to the paramedics.............. |
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gelandangan Super Member
Joined: May 07, 2006 Posts: 6398 Location: Sydney Australia
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Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 10:04 pm Post subject: Re: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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Don't forget the wipe out and the mouse..
_________________ A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.
A smile is the shortest distance between two people.
Do - Not try!
gelandangan.weebly.com/ |
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Ominivision1 Super Member
Joined: Sep 20, 2010 Posts: 2984 Location: Iowa
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Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 4:00 am Post subject: Re: In market for a new laptop - any suggestion? |
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Suzanne wrote: |
I had a huge problem getting Ubuntu to run on this thing
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You sense the proprietary wolves beginning to circle and the leader of the opportunistic pack is no other than our old friend Microsoft!!
_________________ Regards
Limitations are but boundaries created inside our minds. |
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