Buying A New Netbook - What to Look For

[securitybreach]

h

 

 

Oh and excellent song!!

[sunrat]

Please keep politics out of these forums. Several of these posts should be deleted.

By "politics" I am referring to the one-eyed view of certain posters. If you open the other eye you will see the world is not all black and white .

[Corrine]

I agree with sunrat. Political references have no point in raymac46's request for information on purchasing a new device. A number of posts have been hidden. Let's stick to his question on what to look for:

 

My daughter's friend wants to buy a new Windows 10 notebook for her family and with Black Friday coming up I was asked what recommendations I would make. Not knowing their budget I hesitated - but I did make some comments on what I'd look for:

• Processor - Intel i5 or new Ryzen mobile.
  
• Memory - 8 GB is about the minimum these days.
  
• SSD - 256 GB or more.
  
• Screen - I like 15-inch 1920X1080 resolution.
  

I am rather brand agnostic although I have had good luck with HP and Lenovo.

 

Anything else you'd want in a new laptop? I'm not really playing in this market as I generally get an old one and install Linux.

[goretsky]

Hello,

 

As an addendum to the side discussion about computers coming with custom power supplies units, I've found that in some instances there are adapters available to convert a regular ATX or SFX PSU into one that works with the non-standard power connectors on the motherboard.

 

I found this out by searching for "[brand name] [model name] power supply adapter OR cable" in a search engine, which lead me to several results, including how to make your own, as well being offered for sale on eBay, etc.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

[securitybreach]

Hello,

 

As an addendum to the side discussion about computers coming with custom power supplies units, I've found that in some instances there are adapters available to convert a regular ATX or SFX PSU into one that works with the non-standard power connectors on the motherboard.

 

I found this out by searching for "[brand name] [model name] power supply adapter OR cable" in a search engine, which lead me to several results, including how to make your own, as well being offered for sale on eBay, etc.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

 

Nice

[raymac46]

I like Acer prebuilds very much and the Veriton M has the regular ATX power supply connectors. It's a good choice if you are not a gamer and can be upgraded if you want to become one.

[Digerati]

I like Acer prebuilds very much and the Veriton M has the regular ATX power supply connectors.

Where are you finding the specs for that? I found an image of a PSU that "appears" to be an ATX compliant FSP 80 PLUS Gold, but I can't find any listed specs for any of those models, and that's disappointing.

 

I suspect you are right and it is ATX compliant, but when a company does not publish specs, it gives me concern they are hiding something.

 

For example, when I look on this page, I see nothing telling me how many case fans are supported, and what size. It looks like just one fan in back and that does not suggest "Form plus functionality" to me. Nor does it suggest to me that case could provide adequate cooling for gaming.

 

Are there air filters? We can't tell.

 

If you compare 3 models, can you tell what size PSU is in each? If the RAM is configured in dual channel with 2 sticks or just one? None of that information is in the manual either.

 

I used to really like Acer years ago. I also used to really like Gateway. In fact, my first and only factory built PC was a Gateway way back in 1993 when I custom ordered the PC, then drove up to North Sioux City and picked it up directly from the factory. But then Acer bought Gateway and turned Gateway into their entry level tier. Then Acer bought the very budget eMachines line and we started to see in the shop versions of Gateway, Acer and eMachines with the exact same parts and configurations - just different logos. Instead of bringing the eMachines and Gateways up to the top-tier Acer levels, it seemed most of their systems migrated down in quality and design to the entry level, budget minded eMachines level.

 

So I stopped liking Acer PCs (their notebooks are still pretty good).

 

I always recommend assembling your own PC. If you feel that is beyond your skillset, most local computer shops will help you select compatible components and assemble them for you for a reasonable fee. This is nice because they assume a one-number tech support responsibility plus you get a computer designed for you and not 10 million people just like you . Plus, and this is a biggie, IMO, your disk will not be cluttered with all sorts of bloated extras factory computers typically have foisted on the system.

 

Yes, this service will end up costing you a little more than if you went to Best Buy or on line and bought a factory built PC. But IMO, it is well worth it because you get what you want, and more importantly, only what you need.

[raymac46]

I have one of these business grade units myself. The PSU was indeed ATX compatible as I replaced it to get enough power for gaming. The one I have came only with a CPU fan, but I added a 92mm exhaust fan on the back. That has been enough cooling with the fans on the PSU and GPU to keep things reasonable. Mind you I have only a GTX950X GPU in the box. The motherboard has a case fan connection that is controllable. RAM on my machine has 4 slots and I have 16 GB in it now. It's been easy to work on.

I have built a machine for Linux and it's easy enough. I also had a local clone maker build a desktop for me back in 2008 to run Linux. Both have been good machines. The Acer has been good as well.

 

Operating System
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
CPU
Intel Core i5 2320 @ 3.00GHz 33 °C
Sandy Bridge 32nm Technology
RAM
16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
Motherboard
Acer Veriton M6610G (CPU 1) 30 °C
Graphics
24MP56 (1920x1080@60Hz)
2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 (MSI) 27 °C
Storage
447GB SanDisk SDSSDA480G (SATA (SSD)) 37 °C
931GB Seagate ST1000DM003-9YN162 (SATA ) 37 °C
931GB SAMSUNG HD103SI USB Device (USB (SATA) ) 23 °C
Optical Drives
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH70N
Audio
Realtek High Definition Audio

Edited November 29, 2018 by raymac46

[Digerati]

The one I have came only with a CPU fan

I don't like that. IMO, no computer should rely on the PSU fan only for case ventilation. That fan is designed to extract the PSU's heat.

 

Unless your GPU is a double slot model, it is just pumping heat back into the case.

 

I am glad you were able to add a fan, even if only a 92mm.

[raymac46]

Well as I said cooling seems to be OK. The CPU has a Cooler Master fan assembly with an air duct that draws in cool air through the side of the case. The PSU exhausts its air from the case, The GPU is a dual-slot with a warm air exhaust. And I added the 92mm fan. Cool air can also enter at the front of the case.

Hindsight is 20/20 I guess, and had I known I was going to get into gaming I would have done something different. As it is I got the Veriton M to replace an old Dell Optiplex which ran XP and was just a web surfing/office machine. My primary goal at the time was to get rid of XP and get Windows 7 (this was in 2012.) I got a good deal from a small local computer shop.

A year or so later I got interested in train sims. This is the only gaming I do. To do that I needed a few upgrades but it worked out. I suppose I could have built something more appropriate for the same money, given the amount I have spent on the box over the years.

[Digerati]

Well as I said cooling seems to be OK

That's good.