Hi,

Could you please help me pick a laptop?

I've got a desktop PC for my everyday poker and I want a laptop to use when I'm travelling. I've been using a Sony Vaio Z (without SSD) for the last 3 years which I was happy with for a while but it can't run PT4 properly and its battery life is shot.

-Must easily handle PT4 with 10 million hand database while running stars/FT/iPoker/888/24h, skype & excel (i.e. needs SSD).
-Must have HDMI port & 3+ USB ports.
-High resolution is preferable.
-Probably looking for something around 13-14" and weighing not much more than 1.4kg (3 lb).
-No desire for touch screen.

I've probably just described what is a huge chunk of the market. Also:

-I hate bloatware, can you avoid this somehow?
-Can you still get new laptops with Windows 7? I'd rather not learn a new OS and I've heard Windows 8 sucks.
-Can you run PT4 and aforementioned poker sites on a Mac?

Thanks!

EDIT: Looking for the best value laptop which fits my requirements.

FT and PS will run on a Mac but the other poker sites won't run under the Mac's native OS. You can get them to run but you will have to jumpt through a few hoops to do so.

A couple of makers still offer laptops with Windows 7 but I don't know if they are ones that meet your size and weight wants.

I leave it to others to answer the rest of your questions.

pt4 system requirements. https://www.pokertracker.com/faq/PT4...m_Requirements

"Optimal: Windows: Intel Core i5 or i7 multi-core 64-bit processor with 8GB of RAM or greater. Mac: Any Mac released in 2012+ with an SSD hard disk such as the Macbook Pro Retina line of laptops with 8GB of RAM or greater."

it looks like youre a heavy multitasker so its probably best if you look for an i7 quad core. i5 on laptops are all dual cores. you want to avoid any "U" cpus because they are low voltage underclocked cpus. you want an i7-4xxx "hq" "mq" or i7-3xxx "qm" if its the last generation.

couple that with a minimum of 8 gb of ram and a SSD big enough to store the data, and it really doesnt matter which laptop you choose. But getting 3 usb and a i7 quad core on a 13' laptop under 3 lbs might be hard if not non-existent. a laptop running a powerful cpu is usually bigger and heavier due to the bigger heat sink for cooling. you'll probably need atleast a 15' laptop to fit your requirement.

here are some 14' laptops that have an i7 quadcore, 8 gb of ram, ssd , 3 usb ports , hdmi, and minimum of 1080p resolution. however these also have GPUs which you dont need and subsequently have higher prices.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834233034
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834326011

heres a 15' laptop with the same specs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834317540

bloatware is pretty much unavoidable but you can use decrap to remove all of the bloatware. http://www.decrap.org/

you can choose win 7 on sites that let you customize your laptop. these are mostly gaming laptops though. xoticpc and sager are some sites that let you customize your laptop and choose your OS.

People tend to get false info about window 8 (8.1). The only bad thing about it is the metro ui but with a simple fix you can change it to look just like windows 7. Coding and optimization is miles better in win 8 than in windows 7.

yep.

i said the same thing in his other thread:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...02&postcount=2

Coding and optimization probably aren't things the average user cares about.

I have a Win 7 laptop, a Win 7 desktop, a Win 8.1 convertible, and a Nook tablet that uses Android with a shell. Of those, I like the Nook best because it is easiest to get started and to stop using it.

Didn't want to start another whole new thread on laptops.

I'm thinking about this: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops...-laptop-2-pro/ with the Core i7 for almost $400 more (is it worth it?).

I basically just need it for work stuff, but I'd like to dock it to my two monitors, keyboard, and mouse for office desk work. I'm not a gamer, but do stream a lot of youtube, netflix, etc., over the web. I also play some poker online as well and if it ever comes back to the US I'll run some type of HEM software on it.

I'm thinking this might be a little overkil for me, but can anyone tell me how much? Can I get by with considerable less (expense-wise)?

I was also looking at Toshiba (I have one now that is 4 years old and it still runs great, but I want to upgrade). What I like about the Lenova Yoga 2 pro is that it is extremely lightweight and easy to travel with. But I need it to be powerful enough to run as a desktop too.

Lastly, I'd probably want to purchase internet through my cell provider so I can do business on the road if that matters. I'd really appreciate any advice. Thanks!

No. that i7 is NOT worth it. the i7-4500u is a dual core CPU. it is only clocked 200 mhz higher than the i5-4200u. you are paying $400 for 200 mhz..

http://ark.intel.com/products/75460/...up-to-3_00-GHz
http://ark.intel.com/products/75459/...up-to-2_60-GHz

Thank you for not starting a new thread.

The wife and I have a usb modem and a wifi hotspot through a cellphone provider and I like the hotspot better. It is easier to use it to connect to the internet, it is easier for multiple people to use it, and it seems to provide a better signal.

Do NOT let them bundle your cell phone with your new device without checking to see if it would be cheaper to have them separate. The two devices are under my name, each with their own data, and it is about $20 a month cheaper than if they were bundled and shared data. I don't have a cellphone under my name, but when I do I am going to have it separate with it's own data as the savings will increase to $50 a month.

Thanks, but I just now saw that I was wrong. The difference between the i5 and i7 is only $100. But it's another $300is for Windows 8.1 pro, instead of just Windows 8.1 AND a 512GB SSD hard drive instead of 256GB SSD. So do you think getting Windows 8.1 pro and the larder SSD hard drive is worth $300?

From everything I've heard I don't even want Windows 8.1 at all. But this Lenovo is touch screen so maybe it won't be so bad. I'm still running Vista on both my desktop and laptop so this will be a real change for me.

Do you think it's worth $100 to get the i7 vs. the i5?

Thanks.

Thanks. This is good to know.

You dont need Windows 8.1 PRO for the simple fact that you wont be using the extra advantages that it comes with.
And about the SSD i think that 256gb is just the right size. You can always get external USB3 HDD for all your movies, pictures , music.

Thanks. I'm still a little confused between what is a laptop, notebook, and tablet.

After reading the thread where the OP wants a powerful laptop, I'm starting to doubt if this Lenovo is what I want. I'm basically looking to replace my desktop, but think the convenience and mobilty of a hybrid would be cool. Do you think this is the right choice for me?

If you want to replace your desktop, just get another desktop. You'll get WAY more performance for lower prices.
If you still want to go the laptop route, then you'll need an i7 quad core ( i7-XXXXU are DUAL CORE and are meant to SAVE ENERGY, not to be powerful),at least 8GB DDR3 of RAM, and then ofc the SSD, GPU may or may not be needed, depending on your screen needs.

It's not that I want desktop, but that I like working at my desk when I need to concentrate or have a lot of work to do. I also like having a separate keyboard, num pad, and mouse. Then someone told me about a docking station and I thought hey, if that could emulate a desktop while having the portability of a laptop, the lightweight of a notebook, while being able to travel like a tablet... Why not get all 3 things in one? Besides, that's what all the cool kids seem to be doing. I know so many people now who don't even own a desktop and get by with just a singe laptop in their lives.

So I'm still torn...

Oh yeah man you should totally do like THOSE COOL kids!

On a more serious note...I had an ultrabook with touch screen, and I hated it. I refunded it in the first few days. Sure, you'll use it at first and giggle a little bit like a silly college girl that's having her first sexy time in her life, but after that it'll be pretty meh (just like after-marriage sex). So why not save you the cash and dissapointment and go the desktop way? More power,less money. Ya you can't take it with you, but let's be serious, when are you gonna do ANY serious grind on the go?

That's a good point. I don't do any serious grinding on the road, but more and more I find myself not in my office and wishing I had a computer to price something for a client or get in my company's database to look something up, or just need to do some quick computer stuff. It would be great to carry around a lightweight Lenova if it really has close to the same computing power of a desktop.

But I know what you mean... I bought an iPad tablet (again, all the cool kids have one), used it for a few days, and returned it. I didn't see what the big deal was. It's basically just an oversize smart phone. Didn't need it. But a computer? That I think I could use. My current laptop is a bit too bulky/heavy to lug around. But that Lenovo looks really sweet if it has anywhere near the same capabilities.

You'll never get close without shelling out big bucks and carrying a small baby.

But you can get ENOUGH to do everything you're describing. Your sweet spot is probably an ultraportable along the lines of Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon (assuming you're not very price conscious).

Unless you do very very computationally intensive stuff, you don't need a desktop anymore. You don't even need a docking station. An USB hub with your peripherals plugged in and an HDMI compatible monitor will suffice.

with 2.5K budget you can get :
macbook air for your work related stuff - it's pretty light, 12h battery on the 13" (it really does last 12h with work related stuff)
+
1.5K Desktop which will blow any 1.5~2K laptop out of the water.

Your call really

I know this thread is a little old, I bought a Lenovo Y50, 2 for that matter. I returned the 4k one right away as nothing was compatible and you couldn't change the resolution to fix the problem.

It also had one other major flaw, the modem would kick you off line and not reconnect normally. All internet has momentary losses, but good modern modems reconnect without you ever noticing.

I then bought a Y50 with 512 ssd, pretty much top of the line without the 4k monitor. Same issues with the modem. After spending quite a bit of time on the phone with their excellent support the guy finally owned up to the fact that the modem is 2.4 frequency where all other companies use 5.0 frequency. He said they are working on a patch to fix the problem, but I think it is unfixable. Then I asked if there was another Lenovo product I could switch to that was similar, he said right now all their better laptops have this issue. I am now contemplating purchasing a Mac for the first time ever. I also do a lot of work with Photoshop and Lightroom so need a high end computer.

Win 8 tablets with the BayTrail SoC are quad core. They have an HDMI port (micro), a USB port (micro) and wifi. Don't know if Intel released the 64 bit version yet but probably. Nice graphics too. They are missing fast SSD storage last time I looked. I do think they will eventually show up on Win 8 tablets though. When they do I will get one as I will be able to "dock" it to large monitors, keyboards, mice, etc. there are also USB dongles for utilizing hard wired Ethernet. Intel's CherryTrail SoC is coming soon as well.

The Surface 3 seems very expensive but my take is that it is kind of a hybrid notebook/tablet machine. Might be worth looking into. Personally I would keep my powder dry so to speak. Desktop systems are fine if you really need one I guess but in reality not many really do in my view. Do as I say not as I do though since I have Linux, iOS, Win7, and Android devices. I worked a lot on Windows 8 stuff too so am pretty familiar with it.

Surface is no no for any kind of heavy duty work. The keyword is more or less garbage. It soaks up sweat and dirt and is prone to peeling off at the edges, exposing the electronics underneath.

The Surface, as of now, is a heavy overpowered tablet that's really only good for occasional "work". That or a flimsy convertible laptop. You're better off with a Yoga.