Thread: A couple of questions - buying a notebook
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MartinK is offline MartinK
2015-07-23 , 07:42
Posts: 1,548 | Thanked: 7,510 times | Joined on Apr 2010 @ Czech Republic
#33
Originally Posted by Kangal View Post
Get 8GB of DDR3 RAM.
4GB is only enough for 720p computers with regular HDD's. They're slow and aging badly.
I repeat, get 8GB's, you will thank me later.
I would consider 8 GB to be the absolute minimum nowadays, at lest for laptop meant for any serious work. Especially if you want to run VMs 8 GB is the bare minimum. And I would strongly recommend a laptop that can be later upgraded to 16 GB.

Originally Posted by Kangal View Post
You cannot change graphics cards on laptops, in fact you can't even change RAM on most, or remove the battery (need extra special torx screws). You can only change SSD or the HDD.
You can change RAM on most ThinkPads without any special tools (using standard small Philips screw driver) and the battery is also usually easily replaceable and extended batteries can be used. And quite a few models can even accept multiple batteries, up to 3 (normal battery, ultradock battery + battery attached to the underside of the laptop via the docking station connector), even though these "special" batteries are kinda pricey.

Unfortunately there are a few ThinkPads, mostly from the 2014, that indeed use some weird battery format that is not easily replaceable and even some with soldered on RAM for no apparent reason. Thankfully most <2013 ThinkPads are safe from this, as are many 2015+ ones (most probably due to customer backslash from their 2014 model "experiments").


Originally Posted by reinob View Post
As long as you're talking Thinkpad. I made a conscious decision to buy a cheap Ideapad N581. It's cheap by any measure (i3, HDD, 4GB, ar8161, bcm4313, glossy crappy screen).
Yeah, I really don't like how they are milking the ThinkPad brand for crap like the IdeaPads. As already said, unless it has the T,W or X designation (and maybe the Carbon range), it is not a real ThinkPad.


Originally Posted by reinob View Post
Plus apparently they thought they could save perhaps a fraction of a cent by using a crappy breaky screw for holding the hinge mechanism, meaning that 4 months after buying it (and having never used it outside home) one side of the hinge just broke and now I cannot tilt the screen without making the whole situation worse.
Also unless you can regularly use the edge of the display as carrying handle, it is not a real ThinkPad.
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