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Lost on computers, need guidance


mack_turtle
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My laptop is on borrowed time and I need something new for personal use. I went to Best Buy last night and told a salesman that I wanted something that has just enough juice for me to fool around with video editing, like splicing together vacation cell phone video clips and videos of people screwing around on bikes. He showed me a $2600 Macbook Pro and told me I needed to buy a full version of Final Cut Pro or it would be impossible. I felt like the guy who walks into a bike shop and explains he wants a bike to doodle around Town Lake on Sunday mornings and pedal around the block with his kids and is shown a $8000 carbon enduro race bike and a moto helmet. Awkward.

What should I look for in a more pedestrian computer? I have researched Windows/ Mac/ Chrome options and I feel like Chrome OS is going to underwhelm me, Macs are just more expensive than what I can justify spending on something purely for personal convenience. Any case to be made for anything other than Windows for me?

Looking at computers, I am lost in a sea of technical jargon that makes me think I am going to make the wrong choice no matter what.  I don’t want to play games (no time for that nonsense) or watch movies on it (I have a big ass TV on my wall at home for that). Portability, simplicity, and value would be most important to me. Web browsing, Google docs, MS Word and Excel, a little photo/ video / audio hobby-level experimenting, etc. I am not the kind of person who needs the best of everything. What’s the SLX level computers?

What features should be most important? Is $500 unrealistic for a no-frills laptop that won't be totally obsolete in a year?

Edited by mack_turtle
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You can get more bang for the buck buying off-lease.  I just bought a 2015 27" iMac 5k Retina from gainsaver.com for home and it's awesome.  I'd recommend a mid 2015 Macbook Pro but not the 2017 or 2018 (I hate my 2018 MBP, miss my mid 2015 MBP).  I wouldn't get anything less than 16GB memory.  For video and photo editing, I think you probably want dedicated graphics memory.    

For Windows brands, I can recommend Acer and do not recommend HP based on my experience.

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11 minutes ago, AntonioGG said:

I wouldn't get anything less than 16GB memory.  For video and photo editing, I think you probably want dedicated graphics memory.    

For Windows brands, I can recommend Acer and do not recommend HP based on my experience.

I am over Mac stuff at this point.

16GB of memory. Excuse my ignorance, but what memory is that? 99% of the computers I have seen only have 4 and getting 8 makes the price skyrocket. Nothing with 16GB RAM yet.

I'll look into dedicated graphics memory. That's Greek to me. Like I said, I am technically an idiot. Or something.

I've seen a lot of Acers in my price range. Amazon Prime Day deals have some at over 40% off.

Edited by mack_turtle
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From Amazon for $619.99 ASUS VivoBook Thin and Lightweight FHD WideView Laptop, 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 128GB SSD+1TB HDD, USB Type-C, NanoEdge, Fingerprint Reader, Windows 10 - F510UA-AH55

Let's break this down:

ASUS - Brand. Not Great. Not Terrible. The 3.6 Roentgen of computer brands.

VivoBook - The line of laptops this one falls in.

Thin and Lightweight FHD WideView Laptop - It's a laptop. It's thin and lightweight. If you don't give shits about thin and lightweight too damn bad because they all are.

8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U - It has a processor or the brain. It's 8th gen. 8 is better than 7. i5 means you aren't getting charged more for the i7. This used to mean something but not really anymore. Just stay away from i3.

8GB DDR4 RAM - This is the memory that is used when you run a program. Not having enough of this makes your computer slow. 90% of laptops can be upgraded by a nerd with a screwdriver and $40 to double the RAM to 16GB.

128GB SSD+1TB HDD - This is the memory that keeps your programs and files saved on your computer after you turn it off. Run out of this and no more cat meme GIFs. SSD is fast but expensive. HDD is slow but cheap. This computer has a little of each. Nerds can also upgrade this.

USB Type-C - It connects to things. As does every laptop.

NanoEdge - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ NFI.

Fingerprint Reader - It sends your fingerprints to the Chinese.

Windows 10 - It sends your fingerprints to Microsoft.

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Dedicated graphics memory means it is separate from the RAM (on cheaper laptops, video RAM is shared with the regular RAM).  For what you want it for, go a step or two down from the latest iCore to save a lot of money.  DDR3 or DDR4 is fine but I think DDR4 is the sweet spot for pricing now.

Yes, $500 is probably a good starting point for all you need.  I forgot to recommend Lenovo.  Seems to be fairly well liked at work.  This one checks all the boxes.

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-130-Computer-802-11ac-Bluetooth/dp/B07RGJXVNB/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=laptop&qid=1563341315&refinements=p_72%3A2661618011%2Cp_n_feature_five_browse-bin%3A13580790011|13580791011%2Cp_n_graphics_type_browse-bin%3A14292273011%2Cp_n_size_browse-bin%3A2423841011%2Cp_36%3A-60000&rnid=386442011&s=pc&sr=1-5

Edited by AntonioGG
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16 hours ago, taco_junkie said:

 

ASUS - Brand. Not Great. Not Terrible. The 3.6 Roentgen of computer brands.

 

But they only go to 3.6🤮

First good series on HBO in a long time. Sorry for hijack 

Edited by ATXZJ
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Great show.  I knew it was a bad event, had no idea it was end-of-the-world potentially bad.

Did you pull the trigger on a laptop?  Also, what software were you thinking about for editing?  I did a lot of video editing years ago on a desktop PC with Pinnacle Studio (fairly cheap).  The editing is fine on almost any computer, the rendering for web viewing is what took a lot of resources/time.

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Found a cheap solution for now- borrow my wife's MacBook when I need it. We'll see if sharing a computer is sufficient over the next few months. If not, I'll be able to make a determination around Black Friday if I "need" my own. At that time, I'll refer back to this.

Looks like iMovie should be sufficient for my needs.

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I'm on a 2010 Macbook Pro 17" and it does all that I need it to do... There's a unopened 2011 on eBay that sold for $911 today, with 14 people bidding on it, which should indicate it's still a player.

$400-$700 should get you something that will do all that you need.

And if you just want a workhorse Windows-based Dell for writing and other basic stuff let me know... I have one in perfect condition sitting next to me.

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I am barely used to Mac OS. I am bilingual in that regard, but Windows is more natural to me at this point.

In my last job as a newspaper proofer, we all used Mac desktops with a AWS Windows virtual desktop inside, with 4 to 6 different Windows virtual desktops within that one all running at the same time. Logging out at the end of the day was like being kicked out of a scene in Inception. Confusing, apparently inefficient, but that decision was ten levels above my pay grade.

tenor.gif

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8 minutes ago, taco_junkie said:

From someone who deals with a fair amount of virtualization: I know those feels bro.

Lol, it's my daily life. I run a huge Cisco UCS/Netapp/VMWare set of clusters across multiple datacenters and online. Flexpod is the term they like to use. 

 

UCS completely changed how I do things.

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I run VM Fusion only as a last resort for Cadence Allegro or MS Visio...or for when people embed documents into Office documents because MS refuses to make Mac and PC versions of office the same.  For a lot of stuff I do MS remote desktop to a VM or PC (works really well).  For everything else I use the Mac OS.  I love the Mac because it's like a native Linux machine with a nice easy to use OS.  I find it hard to go back to non-Retina screens and non-Mac touchpads (I don't use a mouse, I use the touchpad for everything).  

 

The worst part about the Mac is the MS Office 365 crap we're now forced to use.  That and Adobe Acrobat.  FU Adobe for making the single most crashing SW I've ever used.  /rant

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29 minutes ago, AntonioGG said:

I find it hard to go back to non-Retina screens and non-Mac touchpads (I don't use a mouse, I use the touchpad for everything).  

The Mac touchpad is the best. Using a mouse now is like trying to wipe with the opposite hand. Awkward and shitty.

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On 7/18/2019 at 8:21 AM, mack_turtle said:

I am barely used to Mac OS. I am bilingual in that regard, but Windows is more natural to me at this point.

In my last job as a newspaper proofer, we all used Mac desktops with a AWS Windows virtual desktop inside, with 4 to 6 different Windows virtual desktops within that one all running at the same time. Logging out at the end of the day was like being kicked out of a scene in Inception. Confusing, apparently inefficient, but that decision was ten levels above my pay grade.

tenor.gif

As a strongly biased Mac guy (after being a strong PC advocate for 30+ years) I have to say buy what you are comfortable with. Your OS should be a tool that is invisible to you.

FIRST pick the apps that you want to run, THEN choose the platform/OS. Starting with the apps is like deciding which trail you want to ride before you start shopping for bikes.

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