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hughesie27

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My 7 year old laptop is starting to play up a bit. Most recently the trackpad keeps getting stuck on the click position which is great for highlighting and less great for anything else.

 

I have a Lenovo ideapad Z580 which was a bit of a beast when I got it but thinking now I may need to downgrade. Been looking at this

 

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-x360-14-dh0500sa-14-intel-pentium-gold-2-in-1-laptop-128-gb-ssd-silver-10195207-pdt.html

 

Anyone had a 2 in 1 laptop before, are you better off spending the same money for a more powerful laptop?

 

 

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16 minutes ago, hughesie27 said:

My 7 year old laptop is starting to play up a bit. Most recently the trackpad keeps getting stuck on the click position which is great for highlighting and less great for anything else.

 

I have a Lenovo ideapad Z580 which was a bit of a beast when I got it but thinking now I may need to downgrade. Been looking at this

 

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-x360-14-dh0500sa-14-intel-pentium-gold-2-in-1-laptop-128-gb-ssd-silver-10195207-pdt.html

 

Anyone had a 2 in 1 laptop before, are you better off spending the same money for a more powerful laptop?

 

 

 

We've got an HP 2-in-1, the hinge of which has slowly worked its way free and started cracking the screen. Apparently it's a known fault with these models, but HP aren't in the slightest bit interested. Only ever used the flip setup for watching fitba or following recipes, tge thing was far too cumbersome to use as a tablet.

 

Going to replace it with a Surface Pro. Not cheap, but they come very highly rated. 

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what do you actually use it for? if it is just things like email, internet, microsoft office stuff, not need to get a powerful one. if it is gaming or such then yes get a more powerful one. there is no need to spend more than you need

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1 hour ago, Tazio said:

I’m not a Windows user but from experience at work the one thing I would say is avoid HP. 

That's the thing with tech. Everyone has dodgy stories about everything. Good to know to know though.

2 hours ago, Craig_ said:

 

We've got an HP 2-in-1, the hinge of which has slowly worked its way free and started cracking the screen. Apparently it's a known fault with these models, but HP aren't in the slightest bit interested. Only ever used the flip setup for watching fitba or following recipes, tge thing was far too cumbersome to use as a tablet.

 

Going to replace it with a Surface Pro. Not cheap, but they come very highly rated. 

Which model to you have mate?

23 minutes ago, milky_26 said:

what do you actually use it for? if it is just things like email, internet, microsoft office stuff, not need to get a powerful one. if it is gaming or such then yes get a more powerful one. there is no need to spend more than you need

It certainly won't be anything too taxing. Mainly just need a decent screen, the touchscreen ones seem to have a glass or at thest harder plastic which to me makes it seem clearer.

31 minutes ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

Macbook.

Too expensive and powerful for my needs.

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5 hours ago, milky_26 said:

what do you actually use it for? if it is just things like email, internet, microsoft office stuff, not need to get a powerful one. if it is gaming or such then yes get a more powerful one. there is no need to spend more than you need

What’s a good inexpensive laptop for doing that sort of basic stuff you mention?

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29 minutes ago, davemclaren said:

What’s a good inexpensive laptop for doing that sort of basic stuff you mention?

not sure, would need to have a look what is on the market, i am still using a 10 year old macbook

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19 minutes ago, milky_26 said:

not sure, would need to have a look what is on the market, i am still using a 10 year old macbook

 

And that is why Macbook's are the obvious choice.

 

Expensive? Yes. But they'll outlast £400 laptops by years.

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19 hours ago, hughesie27 said:

My 7 year old laptop is starting to play up a bit. Most recently the trackpad keeps getting stuck on the click position which is great for highlighting and less great for anything else.

 

I have a Lenovo ideapad Z580 which was a bit of a beast when I got it but thinking now I may need to downgrade. Been looking at this

 

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-x360-14-dh0500sa-14-intel-pentium-gold-2-in-1-laptop-128-gb-ssd-silver-10195207-pdt.html

 

Anyone had a 2 in 1 laptop before, are you better off spending the same money for a more powerful laptop?

 

 

I'm not that clued up these days but HP along with many others were always on my avoid list.

I've currently got a 5 year old Lenovo that's going strong and my buy list only really comprises of Dell, Lenovo, Sony and Asus or a Microsoft surface.

 

A mate that's a bit of a hacker/cyber security expert (bore) has a Lenovo Yoga that works similar to the one in your link. He loves it as you can flip the screen around on your lap with the keyboard upside down for a better and closer viewing angle. 

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11 hours ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

And that is why Macbook's are the obvious choice.

 

Expensive? Yes. But they'll outlast £400 laptops by years.

I'd rather have two £400 laptops in 12 years than one £1500 stinking old underpowered Macbook for the same duration. There isn't exactly a shortage of Mac repair centres which suggests that they're not nearly as reliable as people pretend.

Then there's the fact that the majority of my usage is with Windows based programs. This the case for most people. Buy a Mac and then run emulators so it can think it's a Windows laptop. Sensible.

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28 minutes ago, IronJambo said:

I'd rather have two £400 laptops in 12 years than one £1500 stinking old underpowered Macbook for the same duration. There isn't exactly a shortage of Mac repair centres which suggests that they're not nearly as reliable as people pretend.

Then there's the fact that the majority of my usage is with Windows based programs. This the case for most people. Buy a Mac and then run emulators so it can think it's a Windows laptop. Sensible.

 

Which Windows based programs are "most people" using that you can't use on Mac?

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11 hours ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

And that is why Macbook's are the obvious choice.

 

Expensive? Yes. But they'll outlast £400 laptops by years.

 

No, no they will not. Their engineering has absolutely nothing to do with durability, and if you ever have a problem outside of warranty, which you are likely to, you're looking at a minimum £1,000 for a repair from an authorised service centre for something that's probably a £50 fix.  If you ever have a problem inside warranty, they'll probably falsely claim water damage and refuse to fix it, even if it's never been touched by a drop of water. And you'll probably lose all your data, even though they could recover it for you if they gave a **** about their customers.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XneTBhRPYk&t=3s

 

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3 minutes ago, Justin Z said:

 

No, no they will not. Their engineering has absolutely nothing to do with durability, and if you ever have a problem outside of warranty, which you are likely to, you're looking at a minimum £1,000 for a repair from an authorised service centre for something that's probably a £50 fix.  If you ever have a problem inside warranty, they'll probably falsely claim water damage and refuse to fix it, even if it's never been touched by a drop of water. And you'll probably lose all your data, even though they could recover it for you if they gave a **** about their customers.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XneTBhRPYk&t=3s

 

 

I'm pretty sure you posted the same video the last time there was a laptop discussion.

 

And I posted the same response. I've had 2 Macbooks since 2007/2008ish with zero problems. I've no doubt folk run into problems, happens with any tech. A £300/400 windows laptop will turn into a bag of shit within 2 or 3 years and take an absolute age to boot up.

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2 minutes ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

I'm pretty sure you posted the same video the last time there was a laptop discussion.

 

And I posted the same response. I've had 2 Macbooks since 2007/2008ish with zero problems. I've no doubt folk run into problems, happens with any tech. A £300/400 windows laptop will turn into a bag of shit within 2 or 3 years and take an absolute age to boot up.


correct! Had a MacBook for 6 years now, no issues whatsoever while the mrs has just started looking out for laptop no 3! 

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28 minutes ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

Which Windows based programs are "most people" using that you can't use on Mac?

Hahaha you're going to tell me there aren't compatibility issues with a Mac? Choose your arguments better.

Unless you want to run something like Final Cut Pro then a Mac's a waste of time for most.

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9 minutes ago, IronJambo said:

Hahaha you're going to tell me there aren't compatibility issues with a Mac? Choose your arguments better.

Unless you want to run something like Final Cut Pro then a Mac's a waste of time for most.

 

Well tell me what software most people use and I'll tell you if you can run it on a mac. Sounds to me like you're basing your argument 10+ years ago.

 

There are some software that isn't available but on the whole, the most popular software has mac versions.

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13 minutes ago, Ribble said:


correct! Had a MacBook for 6 years now, no issues whatsoever while the mrs has just started looking out for laptop no 3! 

 

You'll be able to boot up your Mac, open your browser, knock one out on pornhub and shut down again in the time it takes for her to see the "Windows is starting" message.

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1 hour ago, IronJambo said:

I'm not that clued up these days but HP along with many others were always on my avoid list.

I've currently got a 5 year old Lenovo that's going strong and my buy list only really comprises of Dell, Lenovo, Sony and Asus or a Microsoft surface.

 

A mate that's a bit of a hacker/cyber security expert (bore) has a Lenovo Yoga that works similar to the one in your link. He loves it as you can flip the screen around on your lap with the keyboard upside down for a better and closer viewing angle. 

Aye my Lenovo has done brilliant for the last 7 years. Which I think is a perfectly suitable amount of time for a lifespan. To be honest it still works very well outside of the trackpad now being buggered. 

 

I've seen the YOGA models and they are a bit out my price range however Currys also sell this version. 

 

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-c340-14-intel-pentium-2-in-1-laptop-128-gb-ssd-blue-10193437-pdt.html

 

It's actually cheaper than the HP. 

Only problem which I have noticed is that it comes with Windows 10 S installed. This version locks you I to the Windkws app store which means you cannot put Chrome or anything else not Windows authorised onto it.

 

I've seen online that Microsoft have allowed people to "upgrade" to Home or Pro editions however im not sure if this is just a blanket option of if they lock certain models to the S version?

 

Anyone any the wiser on this as it's a deal breaker for me!

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32 minutes ago, hughesie27 said:

Aye my Lenovo has done brilliant for the last 7 years. Which I think is a perfectly suitable amount of time for a lifespan. To be honest it still works very well outside of the trackpad now being buggered. 

 

I've seen the YOGA models and they are a bit out my price range however Currys also sell this version. 

 

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-c340-14-intel-pentium-2-in-1-laptop-128-gb-ssd-blue-10193437-pdt.html

 

It's actually cheaper than the HP. 

Only problem which I have noticed is that it comes with Windows 10 S installed. This version locks you I to the Windkws app store which means you cannot put Chrome or anything else not Windows authorised onto it.

 

I've seen online that Microsoft have allowed people to "upgrade" to Home or Pro editions however im not sure if this is just a blanket option of if they lock certain models to the S version?

 

Anyone any the wiser on this as it's a deal breaker for me!

 You should be able to install new Win 10 key to upgrade the version of Windows.

 

At worst, you just re-install Windows.

 

You can buy a Win key on Ebay for about £5

 

 

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39 minutes ago, hughesie27 said:

Aye my Lenovo has done brilliant for the last 7 years. Which I think is a perfectly suitable amount of time for a lifespan. To be honest it still works very well outside of the trackpad now being buggered. 

 

I've seen the YOGA models and they are a bit out my price range however Currys also sell this version. 

 

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-c340-14-intel-pentium-2-in-1-laptop-128-gb-ssd-blue-10193437-pdt.html

 

It's actually cheaper than the HP. 

Only problem which I have noticed is that it comes with Windows 10 S installed. This version locks you I to the Windkws app store which means you cannot put Chrome or anything else not Windows authorised onto it.

 

I've seen online that Microsoft have allowed people to "upgrade" to Home or Pro editions however im not sure if this is just a blanket option of if they lock certain models to the S version?

 

Anyone any the wiser on this as it's a deal breaker for me!

Dell Outlet is your friend

 

https://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?brandId=7&c=uk&cs=ukdfh1&l=en&s=dfh&dgc=IR&cid=296386&lid=5667687

 

They are refurbed, but come with full warranty.

 

Just make sure you get a certified refurb.

 

I have bought 50+ laptops from them for work over the years, and they have always been perfect.

 

You will get a lot of laptop for your cash here.

 

 

 

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49 minutes ago, Lovecraft said:

Dell Outlet is your friend

 

https://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?brandId=7&c=uk&cs=ukdfh1&l=en&s=dfh&dgc=IR&cid=296386&lid=5667687

 

They are refurbed, but come with full warranty.

 

Just make sure you get a certified refurb.

 

I have bought 50+ laptops from them for work over the years, and they have always been perfect.

 

You will get a lot of laptop for your cash here.

 

 

 

Some good deals on that site cheers.

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52 minutes ago, Lovecraft said:

 You should be able to install new Win 10 key to upgrade the version of Windows.

 

At worst, you just re-install Windows.

 

You can buy a Win key on Ebay for about £5

 

 

Aye I assumed thought would be the case cheers.

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6 hours ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

Well tell me what software most people use and I'll tell you if you can run it on a mac. Sounds to me like you're basing your argument 10+ years ago.

 

There are some software that isn't available but on the whole, the most popular software has mac versions.

The fact remains that most things are set up for Windows and Macs have to bend to make them work. 

I don't even ask much of my laptop but I've a few bits of betting software that just doesn't run on a mac. 

 

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Just now, IronJambo said:

The fact remains that most things are set up for Windows and Macs have to bend to make them work. 

I don't even ask much of my laptop but I've a few bits of betting software that just doesn't run on a mac. 

 

 

That's not a fact at all, simply not true.

 

Still waiting on these programs that most folk use that aren't available on Mac.

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7 hours ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

I'm pretty sure you posted the same video the last time there was a laptop discussion.

 

And I posted the same response. I've had 2 Macbooks since 2007/2008ish with zero problems. I've no doubt folk run into problems, happens with any tech. A £300/400 windows laptop will turn into a bag of shit within 2 or 3 years and take an absolute age to boot up.

 

I've had 2 windows laptops since 2010  one runs windows 7, the other I put ubuntu on then Chrome to check it out, both still working great, never had any problems.

 

The thing is, there are loads of pc manufacturers, its ridiculous to say there's something wrong with windows laptops, there are so many variations between makers, some good and some bad.

Apple has to justify their massive prices somehow though.

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1 hour ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

That's not a fact at all, simply not true.

 

Still waiting on these programs that most folk use that aren't available on Mac.

Not heard a good reason why a mac is an obvious choice either. They make no sense for your everyday person.

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dobmisterdobster

Alienware for gaming.

Lenovo Thinkpads are good for work.

Chromebook if you only want to browse the web and run Android apps.

 

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Captain Sausage

And with that, we have an apple fanboy vs anti apple fan boy debate. 
 

FWIW, I’m just selling my 10 year old MacBook as I no longer use it - but it’s done well for surfing chrome and playing fm over the years. I have no idea how to open apps or use it properly though!

 

In that period, I’ve had about 7 work laptops, a combination of Microsoft, Dell and HP and they’ve all broken within 18 months (albeit usage is considerably higher). 

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Had my laptop for 8 years and it's still running perfectly well. It's an Acer i5 budget thing and it's been amazing. Work laptop is also a HP and I think they're garbage. And yes, I've had 3 in 4 years because they keep breaking. 

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InNothingWeTrust

What's the budget?

 

If you want the laptop to stand the test of time you should be aiming for an i5 processor with 8GB RAM minimum.  You should also go for an SSD instead of an HDD to get the best bootup speed, or at least a hybrid drive with the operating system on the SSD.

 

From experience Dell have been the best for me.

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44 minutes ago, InNothingWeTrust said:

What's the budget?

 

If you want the laptop to stand the test of time you should be aiming for an i5 processor with 8GB RAM minimum.  You should also go for an SSD instead of an HDD to get the best bootup speed, or at least a hybrid drive with the operating system on the SSD.

 

From experience Dell have been the best for me.

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-c340-14-intel-pentium-2-in-1-laptop-128-gb-ssd-blue-10193437-pdt.html

 

Thisnis what im think of getting. Just 4GB Ram and not sure about the processor. I do think the 2 in 1 capability will be handy for me but not wanting to spend more than £400 really.

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12 hours ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

You'll be able to boot up your Mac, open your browser, knock one out on pornhub and shut down again in the time it takes for her to see the "Windows is starting" message.

 

A reasonably powerful laptop running Windows 10 off an SSD drive should boot in about 10 seconds. 

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1 hour ago, hughesie27 said:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-c340-14-intel-pentium-2-in-1-laptop-128-gb-ssd-blue-10193437-pdt.html

 

Thisnis what im think of getting. Just 4GB Ram and not sure about the processor. I do think the 2 in 1 capability will be handy for me but not wanting to spend more than £400 really.

 That CPU is guff.  Essentially the new Celeron.

 

You would even be better with an i3

 

 

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1 hour ago, Ray Gin said:

 

 

 

A reasonably powerful laptop running Windows 10 off an SSD drive should boot in about 10 seconds. 

I just rebuilt my mum's 5 year old Acer with an SSD and it runs like a dream now.

 

Basically any laptop in the last 4/5 years that is an i3 or i5 will work perfectly by installing an SSD you can buy for about £25.

 

 

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1 hour ago, hughesie27 said:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-c340-14-intel-pentium-2-in-1-laptop-128-gb-ssd-blue-10193437-pdt.html

 

Thisnis what im think of getting. Just 4GB Ram and not sure about the processor. I do think the 2 in 1 capability will be handy for me but not wanting to spend more than £400 really.

 It mainly comes down to usage.  If it's for ****ing around and maybe playing thte odd old game every now and again, it should be fine.

 

I bought a pile of Dell 2 in 1 laptops for work, and at no point has anyone used them in tablet mode.

 

 

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7 hours ago, Lovecraft said:

 It mainly comes down to usage.  If it's for ****ing around and maybe playing thte odd old game every now and again, it should be fine.

 

I bought a pile of Dell 2 in 1 laptops for work, and at no point has anyone used them in tablet mode.

 

 

It won't be doing anything more taxing that playing youtube videos downloading torrents and the very rare occasion where I need to use office. 

I won't even need any larger storage than the 128GB SSD.

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22 hours ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

I'm pretty sure you posted the same video the last time there was a laptop discussion.

 

And I posted the same response. I've had 2 Macbooks since 2007/2008ish with zero problems. I've no doubt folk run into problems, happens with any tech.

 

Maybe I did, because I do get rankled at people claiming magical things about Apple that simply aren't true, and are quite the opposite when taken as a whole, especially considering how anti-consumer Apple are as a company.

 

22 hours ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

A £300/400 windows laptop will turn into a bag of shit within 2 or 3 years and take an absolute age to boot up.

 

And posting things like this :lol: Complete fantasy.

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47 minutes ago, hughesie27 said:

It won't be doing anything more taxing that playing youtube videos downloading torrents and the very rare occasion where I need to use office. 

I won't even need any larger storage than the 128GB SSD.

 

For the light use it'll get it does sound like this'll meet with your purposes, although it's a shame it doesn't come with 8GB of RAM as 4 is really a bit thin these days. Still, looks like a decent deal.

 

If you can wait, Black Friday may be worth a look as well--you might get lucky and find a retailer who's trying to get rid of last year's models for half price or something.

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45 minutes ago, Justin Z said:

 

For the light use it'll get it does sound like this'll meet with your purposes, although it's a shame it doesn't come with 8GB of RAM as 4 is really a bit thin these days. Still, looks like a decent deal.

 

If you can wait, Black Friday may be worth a look as well--you might get lucky and find a retailer who's trying to get rid of last year's models for half price or something.

I did think that 8GB of RAM which my current laptop has would be a noticeable downgrade.

 

They sell this version for £50 more but it also has a different processor which I ha e no idea if it's better than the Intel or not.

 

Comes with a beefier graphics card as well it seems. 

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-c340-14-amd-ryzen-3-2-in-1-laptop-128-gb-ssd-grey-10193703-pdt.html

 

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3 minutes ago, hughesie27 said:

I did think that 8GB of RAM which my current laptop has would be a noticeable downgrade.

 

They sell this version for £50 more but it also has a different processor which I ha e no idea if it's better than the Intel or not.

 

Comes with a beefier graphics card as well it seems. 

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-c340-14-amd-ryzen-3-2-in-1-laptop-128-gb-ssd-grey-10193703-pdt.html

 

 

Yep, I think for the 50 quid that RAM upgrade plus the AMD processor is worth it. Here's a comparison of the two processors

 

image.thumb.png.bfb8a49515bf5a3e3efbf2154ae00875.png

 

from here. Also, I just noticed another huge difference between the two . . . the cheaper one comes with Windows 10 S, which is a locked down, terrible version of Windows in which you can only download apps from the Microsoft Store and use Microsoft Edge for browsing. The £50 more one, you get a standard Windows 10 install with freedom to do what you want.

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8 minutes ago, Justin Z said:

 

Yep, I think for the 50 quid that RAM upgrade plus the AMD processor is worth it. Here's a comparison of the two processors

 

image.thumb.png.bfb8a49515bf5a3e3efbf2154ae00875.png

 

from here. Also, I just noticed another huge difference between the two . . . the cheaper one comes with Windows 10 S, which is a locked down, terrible version of Windows in which you can only download apps from the Microsoft Store and use Microsoft Edge for browsing. The £50 more one, you get a standard Windows 10 install with freedom to do what you want.

Aye I was planning on upgrading to regular Win 10 straight away. Looks like that one will  be worth the upgrade.

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24 minutes ago, hughesie27 said:

I did think that 8GB of RAM which my current laptop has would be a noticeable downgrade.

 

They sell this version for £50 more but it also has a different processor which I ha e no idea if it's better than the Intel or not.

 

Comes with a beefier graphics card as well it seems. 

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-c340-14-amd-ryzen-3-2-in-1-laptop-128-gb-ssd-grey-10193703-pdt.html

 

 Yep.  That one is much better.

 

Dedicated video too.

 

 

 

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Just now, Lovecraft said:

 Yep.  That one is much better.

 

Dedicated video too.

 

Vega 3 is definitely better although it still uses the system RAM, not its own memory.

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