Laptop Computers

Tmac

Tmac

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Daidraco said:
I guess I dont follow what you're asking, or wanting me to defend? Just click on the pirate site > type what you're looking for > play the video maximized?.... I value the versatility of having a computer at my fingertips instead of an app controlling the addons and all the BS that comes along with Kodi and similar apps. A computer with a good browser that actually has an adblock that works, is infinitely more valuable to me.
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Not asking to defend. I use a NAS w Plex and wondered if there was any particular benefit to plugging a PC up. Seems mostly like preference. Six one way, half a dozen the other and all that.

My friends mostly use free streaming apps and make fun of me for hosting my own media.
 
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Control

Control

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Tmac said:
Not asking to defend. I use a NAS w Plex and wondered if there was any particular benefit to plugging a PC up. Seems mostly like preference. Six one way, half a dozen the other and all that.

My friends mostly use free streaming apps and make fun of me for hosting my own media.
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You should check the apps they use, find things that aren't on them, and start asking them "hey, did you see this awesome thing!?"
 
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Kobayashi

Kobayashi

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Wife is looking for a Windows tablet with a detachable keyboard. Was going to get her a Surface Pro, but apparently they're only making the Snapdragon version of that now, so, that's out. Any recommendations? I guess non-detatchable keyboard is ok too so long as the hinges are actually durable.
 
slippery

slippery

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Kobayashi said:
Wife is looking for a Windows tablet with a detachable keyboard. Was going to get her a Surface Pro, but apparently they're only making the Snapdragon version of that now, so, that's out. Any recommendations? I guess non-detatchable keyboard is ok too so long as the hinges are actually durable.
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Any reason you don't want a snapdragon? I've heard nothing but good things about them.
 
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Kobayashi

Kobayashi

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slippery said:
Any reason you don't want a snapdragon? I've heard nothing but good things about them.
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Only compatability. I figure if it's running Windows, I'd like to stick with an x86 processor. If they're alright now, maybe I'll take a look, I wrote them off back when they released the Surface Pro X and it was hot garbage.
 
Denamian

Denamian

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Kobayashi said:
Only compatability. I figure if it's running Windows, I'd like to stick with an x86 processor. If they're alright now, maybe I'll take a look, I wrote them off back when they released the Surface Pro X and it was hot garbage.
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I was issued a snapdragon based dell for work and it's been perfectly fine. No issues in the 6 months or so that I've had it that I can trace back to it being ARM CPU.
 
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Haus

Haus

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So...... after almost 10 years my Surface 4 Pro had it's battery go south (wouldn't charge, swelled up, popped one edge of the screen away from the frame).

And I'm pretty sure I killed it attempting to ever so delicately do the brain surgery needed to replace the battery.

I really did like my surface, it was light, had a full touchscreen, could be a tablet or a laptop. But now my hatred of Windows 11 and MS in general has me realizing the only way I'll get another would be a refurbished 7 year old Surface Pro 6 since that was the last one with Windows 10 on it.
 
ToeMissile

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Haus said:
So...... after almost 10 years my Surface 4 Pro had it's battery go south (wouldn't charge, swelled up, popped one edge of the screen away from the frame).

And I'm pretty sure I killed it attempting to ever so delicately do the brain surgery needed to replace the battery.

I really did like my surface, it was light, had a full touchscreen, could be a tablet or a laptop. But now my hatred of Windows 11 and MS in general has me realizing the only way I'll get another would be a refurbished 7 year old Surface Pro 6 since that was the last one with Windows 10 on it.
Click to expand...
Time to go iPad Pro
 
Haus

Haus

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ToeMissile said:
Time to go iPad Pro
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Yeah, problem being one of the only companies I hate more than MS is Apple. heh

I wonder what's out there possible in the range of :
  • 16G+ ram
  • minimum i7
  • ~1tb SSD
  • Touchscreen
  • Linux
  • Compact and lightweight. (I like my personal devices to be on the small and svelt end of the scale...)
Initial searches are pointing me at a certain number of Lenovos, and Dell as the entry level option (i9/32GB/1TB on a Dell coming in under $1200). But looks like I'll be reimaging any of them with Linux if that's what I really wanna roll with.

Might be time to summon the person who I've seen talking the most about Serious Linux lately around here... Kharzette Kharzette
 
ToeMissile

ToeMissile

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Haus said:
Yeah, problem being one of the only companies I hate more than MS is Apple. heh

I wonder what's out there possible in the range of :
  • 16G+ ram
  • minimum i7
  • ~1tb SSD
  • Touchscreen
  • Linux
  • Compact and lightweight. (I like my personal devices to be on the small and svelt end of the scale...)
Initial searches are pointing me at a certain number of Lenovos, and Dell as the entry level option (i9/32GB/1TB on a Dell coming in under $1200). But looks like I'll be reimaging any of them with Linux if that's what I really wanna roll with.

Might be time to summon the person who I've seen talking the most about Serious Linux lately around here... Kharzette Kharzette
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The suggestion was definitely in jest.

I went back and forth with iphone/samsung for a bit on the phone side of things though have stuck with iphone for 5 or so years as most of my family and close friends are iphone as well. Also decided to pick up a macbook air in june 2024 and have really enjoyed it as my daily driver for home stuff.
 
Kharzette

Kharzette

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Linux seems really made for thinkpads. They seem to be super popular. I can't really do craptops. I've got a side project to build my own portable, but the need/use isn't really there, so I put it off.
 
Jovec

Jovec

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Any manufacturers that has the option to ship with a native Linux install will probably work the best. I run Solus on my Framework 16 w/AMD dGPU and while it is not an officially supported distro, it works just fine. I run Ubuntu on my Lenovo Legion w/Nvidia dGPU without issue. Thinkpads and Dell "business" laptops should be fine. There are even some boutique Linux laptop vendors. The key is to stay off the bleeding edge on the hardware side unless you know your distro has support.
 
Izo

Izo

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Anyone got some thoughts on the new Macbook Neo thingies? Student discount brings it around as a competitor for my ipad + keyboard for light powerpoint stuff / surfing while mrs izo watches crap shows. Also it looks somewhat okay for school kids? I donno - what do you guys think?
 
sleevedraw

sleevedraw

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Izo said:

Anyone got some thoughts on the new Macbook Neo thingies? Student discount brings it around as a competitor for my ipad + keyboard for light powerpoint stuff / surfing while mrs izo watches crap shows. Also it looks somewhat okay for school kids? I donno - what do you guys think?
Click to expand...


I think some of the potential sticking points might be as follows:
  • No backlit keyboard if you are planning on doing a lot of typing in low light/late at night.
  • 8 GB of RAM is low and you can't really upgrade memory on a Mac, so that's what you're going to be stuck with. For basic web browsing and productivity, it's probably fine, but for things like video editing or running LLMs locally instead of in the cloud, you'll be on the struggle bus.
  • Does not have full Thunderbolt on the USB-C ports, although it still apparently has enough bandwidth to push a single 4K monitor at 60 hz, so again fine for basic productivity.
  • If you put it into the hands of a schoolkid, I might worry about it being dropped, although this isn't an insurmountable problem with a good impact-resistant case

That being said, the price is very compelling, and the A18 is a competent chip, even if it's not an M. I do think spending the extra hundred for more storage and touch ID makes sense.
 
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Izo

Izo

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Thanks, sleevedraw sleevedraw - some good points I had not considered. Backligtht, argh :S
What I really need it for is to run citrix client - remote work stuff. Mostly administrative stuff with patient journal system, microsoft suite,, scheduling, BI draws and such. Nothing too heavy, nothing graphic heavy. So far the citrix client runs flawlessly on the basic ipad with a16. I'm guessing this a18 can too then from what you write? My primary concern is how heavy macos is vs ipados. Else I got work lappy, lenovo something 16gb windoze 11, which I usually leave at the dockingstation at work (hah).
 
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sleevedraw

sleevedraw

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Should be fine. We use Shitrix in health care on this side of the pond too, and it runs like crap regardless of how good your hardware is. A18 Pro is clocked about 15% higher than the A16, and it also has about 10-15% higher IPC, so figure a 25-30% uplift just in single-core apps over your iPad, at least as far as the CPU.

I'm not really sure about how heavy full-fat macOS is vs iPadOS, but Apple usually puts a lot of effort into optimization, so I doubt that a slightly heavier operating system would have significant performance impact if your iPad is handling everything like a champ now.
 
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