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Old 26th July 2020, 18:06   #5686
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

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Originally Posted by itwasntme View Post
It's back in stock now! Go for it? Was waiting for Prime Day sales actually
https://www.flipkart.com/asus-vivobo...m1ac5ceb0c899b
For sure. The only one I've seen briefly come back in stock was the i7 variant @75k though.
Wouldn't expect many discounts on AMD parts re:Prime day. Intel Variants might come down closer to their true market price however

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Originally Posted by racer_ash View Post
Thanks. I had ordered a simmtronics 2x2gbRAM and it arrived today. Just finished upgrading the laptop and as expected the Windows vista OS is only recognising 3.5odd GB.

However I also have lubuntu 18.04 installed in the same laptop and this seems to recognise the full 4gb installed RAM. Also I think this OS is much lighter for the specs as compared to Windows. Performance seems to have improved. However the real test will be tomorrow when my daughter joins online classes via Google meet.

My next upgrade will be a SSD installed using a caddy in place of the DVD drive. If that solves my purpose (using google meet for online classes without much stutter), then I may drop the processor upgrade altogether.
Good decision. Compared to the SSD, gains in performance with that CPU upgrade will be marginal at best.

Re: RAM, any 64-bit OS will let you use the full 4GB. Hope everything works out!

Last edited by Amien : 26th July 2020 at 18:24. Reason: prime sales
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Old 26th July 2020, 18:48   #5687
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

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Originally Posted by Amien View Post
For sure. The only one I've seen briefly come back in stock was the i7 variant @75k though.
Wouldn't expect many discounts on AMD parts re:Prime day. Intel Variants might come down closer to their true market price however
Went out of stock almost immediately. May as well wait for Prime Day now.

See this teaser link: https://www.amazon.in/l/21837929031/..._i=16754129031

Anything catches the eye?
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Old 26th July 2020, 19:38   #5688
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

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Originally Posted by itwasntme View Post
Went out of stock almost immediately. May as well wait for Prime Day now.

See this teaser link: https://www.amazon.in/l/21837929031/..._i=16754129031

Anything catches the eye?
All depends on the price, for which one has to wait.
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Old 26th July 2020, 21:37   #5689
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

Is it good to buy a laptop with Pentium Silver N5000 processor? I don’t have much knowledge about this ! I need this laptop as for basic home use only !
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Old 28th July 2020, 07:28   #5690
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

How's this one?

https://www.flipkart.com/dell-vostro...=1595901144321
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Old 28th July 2020, 08:13   #5691
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

I've got this question burbling - Has the Chromebook evolved enough to replace a Laptop?
My office laptop is increasing getting tighter with all sorts of restrictions and I can't even access photos from my own Google Photos online site. This is just one grouse from a minute ago.
my usage - Personal browsing, Light photo editing work, basic office (excel, Word). That's it.

Any guidance will help me decide. Thanks in advance.
@Mods - is there a different thread for this question that I missed? do move if needed.
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Old 28th July 2020, 11:28   #5692
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

How do i access TP Link Security Camera footage on my laptop?

Background: I have a TP Link Tapo C200 security camera with a 128 GB memory card. The footage gets stored in the memory card. However, when i try to review the footage to see what happened at say 0356pm, i cannot seek the time exactly. I have to hold and drag it to somewhere around 0350pm or 0352 pm and then play which wastes a lot of time. I can playback in 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x speed but more often than not the event i want to witness gets skipped and then i have to drag back to 0352 pm and play again.

It becomes all the more difficult when i don't know the exact time but i know an event happened sometime between 3 to 4pm and i have to review that hour footage.

1. Is there an option (like in youtube on mobile on double tapping in the right half of the video the video gets forwarded 10 seconds etc. and double tapping in the left half takes it 10 seconds back.
2. Is there a way i can network access the SD card footage on my laptop without removing the memory card every time, so i can play the footage on a video player of my choice on my laptop where i can easily forward and backward the video any number of times and any number of seconds easily.

Look forward to your inputs.

Last edited by bharatbits : 28th July 2020 at 11:43.
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Old 28th July 2020, 13:56   #5693
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

Quote:
Originally Posted by 14000rpm View Post
I've got this question burbling - Has the Chromebook evolved enough to replace a Laptop?
My office laptop is increasing getting tighter with all sorts of restrictions and I can't even access photos from my own Google Photos online site. This is just one grouse from a minute ago.
my usage - Personal browsing, Light photo editing work, basic office (excel, Word). That's it.

Any guidance will help me decide. Thanks in advance.
@Mods - is there a different thread for this question that I missed? do move if needed.
Chromebooks have evolved decent enough to do your day to day jobs. Mostly with google ecosystem for the tasks you have specified with lot of cloud support. But they are not exactly cheap as one would expect.

Due to ongoing crisis, prices of laptops have been jacked up by up to 30% and still many models are out of stock. The manufacturing constraints of Intel is not helping and supply is lagging demand by huge margin.
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Old 28th July 2020, 14:44   #5694
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

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Originally Posted by 14000rpm View Post
I've got this question burbling - Has the Chromebook evolved enough to replace a Laptop?
My office laptop is increasing getting tighter with all sorts of restrictions and I can't even access...
If you have a Samsung phone, you could try Samsung Dex. Seems better than running Android on Windows. While you can run Dex on a MacOS, Windows 7 or 10 laptop, I think Dex will work well with a (touch screen preferred) monitor, a USB to HDMI adapter, a keyboard and mouse - minimal investment. Worth checking out. Disclaimer - I have used it only with a Windows 10 laptop and have just used it a couple of times.
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Old 29th July 2020, 15:52   #5695
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

Hi guys, looking for a future proof laptop (Should be usable for at least next 5-7 years, 2 years down the line will be used by a college goer as well) and have shortlisted following models:

1. Acer
2. Lenovo

I know its not apples to apples comparison but one has superior CPU and one has added advantage of dedicated GPU. Please advise.
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Old 29th July 2020, 17:23   #5696
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

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Hi guys, looking for a future proof laptop (Should be usable for at least next 5-7 years, 2 years down the line will be used by a college goer as well) and have shortlisted following models:
Lenovo are worst in terms of hardware design, cooling and software implementation. Avoid at any cost.

Add Asus in your list. They run cool even during long sessions. Acer are okay. You can consider Dell as well.

Don't go simply by spec vs value factor, a relatively lower spec laptop will perform better in long term if its got designed and engineered in better way.
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Old 29th July 2020, 18:01   #5697
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

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Originally Posted by roamer012 View Post
Hi guys, looking for a future proof laptop (Should be usable for at least next 5-7 years, 2 years down the line will be used by a college goer as well) and have shortlisted following models:

1. Acer
2. Lenovo

I know its not apples to apples comparison but one has superior CPU and one has added advantage of dedicated GPU. Please advise.
There's no way to answer this. I used to think enterprise grade laptops were futureproof. But even that is not necessarily true. In my experience Lenovo, Dell and HP have better support - drivers, updates and such. Acer is cheaper and gives you more bang for your buck, but you may not find it well supported. Acer is mostly consumer grade and plasticy. Overall, I suggest you go for the best you can afford. Higher spec and GPU card is a definite plus. Make sure you can upgrade the RAM later - some laptops don't allow you to do that (surprise!). If you are careful with the Acer, you can get it to last without breaking the hinges or getting scratches. You will find one low end model of a brand is totally reliable and has everything for upgrading and expandability and yet another model of thessame brand that is just the opposite - happened to me with Samsung laptops. This is just my experience, so your mileage may vary.
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Old 29th July 2020, 18:55   #5698
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

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Originally Posted by tbppjpr View Post
Lenovo are worst in terms of hardware design, cooling and software implementation. Avoid at any cost.

Add Asus in your list. They run cool even during long sessions. Acer are okay. You can consider Dell as well.
I just want to add that all of these things are unique to the specific laptop model rather than the brand.

E.g. The last few generations of the XPS 15 did not have an adequate thermal design which meant that it could not work at full load for longer periods while the latest Lenovo Legion 5 and 5I (550) is being revered for its excellent heat management by all reviewers.
I agree it is a gaming laptop while the XPS is a desktop replacement in an ultra-book form factor but even in these usage categories there are laptops on both ends of the spectrum in terms of hardware design and features.

Then when we look for long term usage, expandability and support becomes important. E.g. The Legion 5 i cited earlier has a single M2 slot in its default configuration while its competitor from HP, the Omen 15 has two.

In terms of support from the manufacturer, its again a mixed bag in my view. Dell which is considered to be the best in this regard did not have a replacement keyboard for my 5 year old system which was a top tier product when i bought it. I got one from the aftermarket but if that wasn't available, the laptop was essentially useless w.r.t. portability.

So i'd suggest if you are spending more than 50K on a device, better to evaluate each device on its merits/demerits rather than rely on the implied attributes of the brand.

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Old 29th July 2020, 19:19   #5699
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

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Is it good to buy a laptop with Pentium Silver N5000 processor? I don’t have much knowledge about this ! I need this laptop as for basic home use only !
Its generally a good idea to avoid netbook parts like Pentium/Celeron/AMD's A series unless you know exactly what you're getting. If your requirements are very modest, you might be okay. There are usually better options available if you're willing to spend some time looking.

Quote:
Originally Posted by itwasntme View Post
How's this one?
Not bad, although still doesn't have a GPU. Have your budget/requirements changed since the last few posts?

Quote:
Originally Posted by roamer012 View Post
Hi guys, looking for a future proof laptop (Should be usable for at least next 5-7 years, 2 years down the line will be used by a college goer as well) and have shortlisted following models:

1. Acer
2. Lenovo

I know its not apples to apples comparison but one has superior CPU and one has added advantage of dedicated GPU. Please advise.
Both are fit for very difference use-cases as you've pointed out. The Acer's the better pick for gaming whereas the Lenovo is better at productivity, speaking from a purely performance perspective.

As the others have mentioned, things such as build, size etc that might be relevant to you should be considered before choosing.
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Old 29th July 2020, 19:58   #5700
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Re: The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

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Originally Posted by tbppjpr View Post
Lenovo are worst in terms of hardware design, cooling and software implementation. Avoid at any cost.

Add Asus in your list. They run cool even during long sessions. Acer are okay. You can consider Dell as well.

Don't go simply by spec vs value factor, a relatively lower spec laptop will perform better in long term if its got designed and engineered in better way.
With Asus, availability is an issue and had considered i5 config from Dell Inspiron as well. So your pick would be Acer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mvadg View Post
There's no way to answer this. I used to think enterprise grade laptops were futureproof. But even that is not necessarily true. In my experience Lenovo, Dell and HP have better support - drivers, updates and such. Acer is cheaper and gives you more bang for your buck, but you may not find it well supported. Acer is mostly consumer grade and plasticy. Overall, I suggest you go for the best you can afford. Higher spec and GPU card is a definite plus. Make sure you can upgrade the RAM later - some laptops don't allow you to do that (surprise!).
100% agree with you on this. From my experience, I have come to conclusion that enterprise grade hardware are built to cost and barely survives after the extended enterprise support is over. And on the matter of future upgrades, Lenovo loses out on RAM upgrades, there is only soldered option limited to 8gb.

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Originally Posted by theMandarin View Post
So i'd suggest if you are spending more than 50K on a device, better to evaluate each device on its merits/demerits rather than rely on the implied attributes of the brand.
My aim was to bring out these points only of the devices proposed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Amien View Post
Both are fit for very difference use-cases as you've pointed out. The Acer's the better pick for gaming whereas the Lenovo is better at productivity, speaking from a purely performance perspective.

As the others have mentioned, things such as build, size etc that might be relevant to you should be considered before choosing.
Thank you. As I had pointed out in my first post in the matter that both laptops cater to a different segment, however I wanted to ask what do the members here prefer or if they had any prior experience with these particular models. Perhaps I should have better framed my query, I apologies for the same.

Grateful if someone can comment on the longevity / after-sales supports of the machines from the two brands or any particular experience with the two particular models in question
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