GLCQuantum wrote:My friend had a top of the range HP laptop - about 70,000 baht. Kept breaking down - I won't use HP.
My laptop is also a HP, purchased in the UK. Although it does a job, it has been very troublesome because of the additional crap HP put on it. The hard drive died after just 2 year, which is probably the best thing that could have happened. The Thai guy on Soi 56 re-built it, and it's worked fine since, so the machine is probably OK, but I assume it was the bloatware that gave me most of my problems.
How about what they call a "Chromebook"? I spotted many of those made by Samsung, Toshiba, Lenovo while reading CNET trying to find something helpful for this thread. Prices seem much lower than other laptops, perhaps because they don't need to buy/install Windows.
Anyone have positive experience with Chrome ops? Pete
EDIT: Am I correct to assume Chromebooks can run Open Office avoiding the need for Microsoft Office expense?
EDIT#2: Seeing prices of $250-$350 it's almost reasonable just to buy one and see how it works with what you want to do. If not up to your expectations, you still have a spare machine that can surf the web.
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GLCQuantum wrote:My friend had a top of the range HP laptop - about 70,000 baht. Kept breaking down - I won't use HP.
I had a Toshiba - 'Twas pretty crap from the very beginning. Died after 3 years of schoolwork. Toshiba TV also crap, also dead after less than 2 years - I will no longer use Toshiba.
So at the end of the month, I'm gonna give Dell a whirl.
I have used Toshiba laptops for many years and I have never had any major problems with them.
prcscct wrote:How about what they call a "Chromebook"? I spotted many of those made by Samsung, Toshiba, Lenovo while reading CNET trying to find something helpful for this thread. Prices seem much lower than other laptops, perhaps because they don't need to buy/install Windows.
Anyone have positive experience with Chrome ops? Pete
EDIT: Am I correct to assume Chromebooks can run Open Office avoiding the need for Microsoft Office expense?
EDIT#2: Seeing prices of $250-$350 it's almost reasonable just to buy one and see how it works with what you want to do. If not up to your expectations, you still have a spare machine that can surf the web.
I don't have any experience with the Chrome OS, but I don't think any PC games will work on a Chromebook. I think Chromebooks are just for web browsing.
Toshiba and Acer have been the best value for money laptops I have encountered, Dell and HP the worst.
Get one with higher specs at the outset rather than upgrading.
The bigger the HDD and the higher the RAM, the better it will run whether you think you'll use it all or not.
Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Chromebooks were intended to use apps and storage in the cloud. Fine, if you've got fast internet and don't mind being restricted to Google apps. Acer put a hard drive in their high end chromebook, but I don't see that offered on their site now.
Laptops break and die. They're expensive to fix. Consider looking at the results of durability surveys. The best ones come from aftermarket insurers because they have data on many brands.
This chromebook thing looks interesting, I wasn't aware of them before. They seem to do everything that I need a computer for, internet, Skype and even official Microsoft Office apps are now available for Chrome. I don't need large memory, as I can presently keep all my documents on a 4G usb drive. Considering the price, they seem an absolute bargain.
barrys wrote:Are these the same machines that were recently marketed as netbooks?
Similar but not the same, they seem to be basically a tablet type operating system using apps on a netbook type computer with a traditional folding screen and keyboard. They don't cost much as you're not paying for a licenced operating system like you do with Windows. I've had an Android tablet for about a year now and to be honest, there isn't much I can't do on it, so the same sort of thing with a keyboard would be pretty useful.
Looks like these days one needs to look for a specific laptop model, not for a brand like HP, Dell or Lenovo. They all have very diverse lines of products. CNET or notebookcheck can help. Chromebooks are interesting, but there are also some basic Windows laptops on the market within roughly the same price range. One of them could do for the office and surfing and even some gaming. Actually, the all times' best games (majority of them) are not nearly new. They run OK on almost any laptop of 2014.
