Computer ignoramus looking for advice

Eduard

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
traceyjj said:
Since my trusty sony vaio died, and is beyond repair, I now need to buy a new laptop (we dont have space for a desktop :( )
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Have you thought about a Mac mini? You could get the mid range version for £569. If you are really short on desk space, you could even mount it on the back of the monitor!
 
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PapaST

Senior Member
sonicbuffalo said:
The good thing about Win8 is that when the next edition of Windows comes out (soon), you'll get the latest edition free. That's right. Microsoft just announced a few days ago that they are going to give it free to previous owners of Win 8.1.
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Microsoft will release Windows 10 to 8.1 and 7 users for free. It's unclear if this offer is for one year only or not but in order to get more people from sitting on 7 they're making this offer.

I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to institute some type of subscription based model.
 
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PapaST

Senior Member
Bob Blaylock said:
In my opinion, Windows 8.0 and 8.1 are just awful, ergonomically. I don't know what drugs the folks at Microsoft were using when they did the user interface on it, but it seriously sucks. It seems that Windows 7 is the last version that makes any sense to someone who isn't also a heavy abuser of harmful, mind-destroying drugs.

My sense is that they were trying very hard to come up with a unified user interface that would work equally well on either a traditional desktop-type system, or on a mobile device such as a tablet or a cell phone, and they ended up with something that works very, very badly on either type of platform. I think the basic idea is valid, but in this case, the execution was very bad.
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Uniformity across multiple hardware formats was a big reason to change. Microsoft was also concerned about the START menu being static and non-touch friendly. With 8.1 the START page is more customizable, touch friendly and can display dynamic information within the tiles. It was an improvement in some respects but the masses' main complaint was "where did my desktop go". So Windows 10 looks to bring back both elements.
 
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traceyjj

Senior Member
Thanks for everyones input. I've wanted a good solid desktop model for a while now, but we simply dont have the space. The laptop allows me to work from wherever I want/need. When the kids start moving out, we will have space for a good spec computer with decent monitor, but until then I will need to work with a good laptop
 
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traceyjj

Senior Member
PapaST said:
Microsoft will release Windows 10 to 8.1 and 7 users for free. It's unclear if this offer is for one year only or not but in order to get more people from sitting on 7 they're making this offer.

I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to institute some type of subscription based model.
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I've been interested in looking at win10, but if it is subscription, I'll stick with what I have. It seems all big companies are going subscription, and I dont like that model... if I cant afford it one month, what happens... I lose my access to my programs (not essential for photo editing in my case, but if I were a pro and had a bad month or two moneywise then its taking away my business!)
 
Vixen

Vixen

Senior Member
Tracey...thanks for asking this question coz I am looking at buying a laptop in a few months time. The answers you got have helped me work out what I should look for :D
 
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gqtuazon

Gear Head
Aside from the easy upgrades with regards to Memory, an easy and well worth the upgrade is to get a 256 gb SSD (samsung or intel). That will speed up the boot and accessing of files.


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Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
traceyjj said:
I went ahead and bought this as a stopgap
HP Pavilion 15-p189sa 15.6” Laptop - White Deals | PC World build quality isnt as good as I had hoped, but it will get me by for a little while.... Hubby will be building a proper super-spec computer in a few months

Right, off I go to install all my editing software :)
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Okay... That's not a bad looking rig. I don't think you'll be blown away but you certainly could have done a lot worse!

....
 
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traceyjj

Senior Member
If it allows me to edit photos again, then I will be happy. It is fully intended to be a stop gap and then a travel computer when hubby and I travel.

Now I just have to save the money for the new motherboard and processor etc for this desktop computer hubby is going to be building later this year :)
 
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