New laptop needed - practical advice?

[leccyflyer]

I'm at the point of needing a new laptop. My existing Microsoft Surface Pro has a six inch long crack across the corner of the screen, which mysteriously appeared out of the blue. It's still working, but the image is gradually degrading along the crack. I really dislike buying new computer gear as there are so many variations and the manufacturers seem to delight in making the new gear not work well with existing peripherals.

 

It has to be a Windows machine - I'm wedded to Microsoft programs, using the Office 365 Suite every day and don't really want to move away from that. The main uses of the laptop are

Surfing the Internet

Photography - Lightroom most often but occasionally Photoshop

Video Editing - hoping to do more of that in the future

Facetime, Messenger, Zoom, Teams video messaging and meetings

Running Office applications - Excel, Word, Powerpoint

Occasional flight simulator use through UISB dongle.

 

I don't watch films, or listen to music, or play games on the laptop, so that functionality is not that important.

 

One thing that I'm going to be using it much more for is CAD, 3D print design and feeding the laser cutter - so it needs to be capable of running software like Fusion 360, Lightburn, Cura, Meshmixer etc - I'm just dabbling right now, but that's going to be a major part of the job for the laptop to do.

 

The most important thing, for me, is a great screen, good keyboard and capability to connect to other things - so spare ports are important. That seems to be the main weakness with the newer Surface laptops, just two ports. I don't need portability, the laptop isn't going to be used off site, nor does it need massive battery life as it will be connected most of the time. In use, for big stuff I put the current Surface through a dock, which then has a three screen display, via a pair of Dell 27" monitors donated by work during lockdown and Not Required Back. I'm most comfortable working with two monitors in a workstation format, so that's a real benefit, steering me towards another MS Surface laptop, but I suppose another dock could be worked in0 I just don't like discarding perfectly workable kit.

 

Looking at what is on offer, I'm a bit dismayed to see that there is little provision for card slots to take the SD memory cards and micro SD cards that my camera and video cameras use. I know that you can get card readers which plug into a spare USB port, but all of my most recent laptops have had a neat slot to stick the card right into the laptop.

 

So I'm looking for practical experience from laptop users - what pitfalls have you come across and what would you recommend?

[Zflyer]

Look at the Acer range,i have had two both brilliant. Only reason lost first one was being dropped.

[Engine Doctor]

I cant comment on the Acer lap tops but our Acer PC is brilliant . Compared to the old style tower the difference is night and day.

[Jon H]

This is a bit left field but look into framework laptops. Framework are a relatively new company trying to make laptops more sustainable, repairable, and upgradable. They offer modules you can switch out to upgrade your i/o, offer full spares support and repair guides, and in a few years you can buy a new motherboard with more powerful processor etc and just plop it in your existing machine. The old processor and motherboard can then be repurposed using a case they supply and you can use it as a media centre or other small pc somewhere in the house. 

 

 

[Geoff Copping]

Another vote for Acer, I have an Aspire 3 Pentium Silver and it's very fast.

I use MS 365, Lightroom and Photoshop.

[Shaun Walsh]

6 minutes ago, Jon - Laser Engines said:

This is a bit left field but look into framework laptops. Framework are a relatively new company trying to make laptops more sustainable, repairable, and upgradable. They offer modules you can switch out to upgrade your i/o, offer full spares support and repair guides, and in a few years you can buy a new motherboard with more powerful processor etc and just plop it in your existing machine. The old processor and motherboard can then be repurposed using a case they supply and you can use it as a media centre or other small pc somewhere in the house. 

 

 

An interesting concept, like the idea of build it yourself and the plug in modules. Pretty good spec but a bit expensive.

[Shaun Walsh]

If portability isn't required, would you not be better off with a floor standing PC? The choice of keyboard/screen/mouse is then up to you. More inputs available (USB etc) and, if you buy one without operating system you can choose whatever suits your peripherals. Also, much easier to upgrade components.

[paul devereux]

You can speak to an advisor here to get something custom built to suit your exact specifications  and at a decent price: PCSPECIALIST - Top Spec Custom PCs & Laptops Built to Order

[leccyflyer]

Thanks gents, much food for thought.

 

Shaun to clarify what I meant about portability, I was pointing towards that the laptop doesn't need to be small and light enough to use on the road, on a train, aeroplane or hot desk, However it does need to be able to be moved about here, I do most of my surfing in the lounge, the dock and twin monitors for more serious work are in my home office, then the laptop would need to be able to go out to the workshop, where there's another dual monitor set up-which did have a stand alone PC before that died - to drive my vinyl cutter and laser cutter.

[PDB]

If not too worried about portability, want decent connectivity options and good build quality I can recommend the ThinkPad P series.

 

https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/c/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpadp

 

Been using them for years at work and for personal use, excellent kit.👍

[Peter Christy]

Another vote for PC Specialist. I've been using one of their laptops for a few years now, my grand-daughter has one too. Lots of choice for size, specification, etc. You can spec up your own choices, and they will build it for you.

 

You can probably get cheaper at PC World / Curries (as long as you ignore their sales people! Know what you want, and go in and get it!) but PC Specialist's prices are pretty good for a custom build.

 

--

Pete

 

[Christopher Wolfe]

Another vote for Acer.

 

For video editing I upgraded from an HP to an Acer Nito 5 laptop (i7) because of the speed, dedicated Nvidia Geforce graphics controller and the flexibility to upgrade with a few spare SSD  + 1 HDD sockets.

 

My kids want to steal it for playing online games but it is excellent for rendering complex CAD files 🙃

 

Chris

[Flying Squirrel]

What sort of budget are you aiming for? Median Erazer machines pack a decent punch at their price point but still around 1K? Only one usb C and three USB 3.0 but thats about as many as any laptop will have

 

https://www.ebuyer.com/1411262-medion-erazer-defender-p15-amd-ryzen-7-5800h-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-30033285

 

[leccyflyer]

Well, from all the good advice in this thread I plumped for an Acer 16" laptop with i7 processor, 1TB SDD a rather nice 16" screen and Windows 11. I'd have preferred Windows 10, but it was pretty scarce. As a laptop I was concerned to at least try the keyboard and screen out in person so rocked along to Currys. I was able to look at a few options, but they didn;t have any MS Surfaces, which was my alternative. I wasn't struck with the touchpad on the Acer- it seemed a bit big, but I use a mouse anyway and the screen was very nice, the spec was good and I think it will fit the bill. Of course it turns out that it's near impossible to actually buy anything and take it away these days. So, they reckoned that they didn't have one in stock, but they did have one at a nearby branch and it would be there next day to be collected, or two days max. They would give me a call when it came in and was ready for collection. Honest.

 

Having heard nothing on those two days I tried to call them. It's impossible. They must be Ex-Directory. The best I could do was speak to a call centre in India - I know it's Currys but that's ridiculous. They tried calling the branch, but failed, then I was cut off. Had to ring them again and go through the whole routine again with a different person. Eventually the best that they could do was to request a call back from the branch, either today or perhaps tomorrow.

 

I should have just bought it direct from Acer having tried it out in Currys because that's nothing but broken promises. I'll be super vigilant in case they try to palm me off with an ex-demo from the shelf. I specifically asked for confirmation that what I was buying was a brand new laptop, not one liberated from the shop floor. I'm not at all impressed.

[PDB]

12 minutes ago, leccyflyer said:

Well, from all the good advice in this thread I plumped for an Acer 16" laptop with i7 processor, 1TB SDD a rather nice 16" screen and Windows 11. I'd have preferred Windows 10, but it was pretty scarce. As a laptop I was concerned to at least try the keyboard and screen out in person so rocked along to Currys. I was able to look at a few options, but they didn;t have any MS Surfaces, which was my alternative. I wasn't struck with the touchpad on the Acer- it seemed a bit big, but I use a mouse anyway and the screen was very nice, the spec was good and I think it will fit the bill. Of course it turns out that it's near impossible to actually buy anything and take it away these days. So, they reckoned that they didn't have one in stock, but they did have one at a nearby branch and it would be there next day to be collected, or two days max. They would give me a call when it came in and was ready for collection. Honest.

 

Having heard nothing on those two days I tried to call them. It's impossible. They must be Ex-Directory. The best I could do was speak to a call centre in India - I know it's Currys but that's ridiculous. They tried calling the branch, but failed, then I was cut off. Had to ring them again and go through the whole routine again with a different person. Eventually the best that they could do was to request a call back from the branch, either today or perhaps tomorrow.

 

I should have just bought it direct from Acer having tried it out in Currys because that's nothing but broken promises. I'll be super vigilant in case they try to palm me off with an ex-demo from the shelf. I specifically asked for confirmation that what I was buying was a brand new laptop, not one liberated from the shop floor. I'm not at all impressed.

John Lewis not got the model you want https://www.johnlewis.com/browse/electricals/laptops-macbooks/view-all-laptops-macbooks/acer/_/N-a8fZ1z13rbe?sortBy=priceHigh ?

 

If buying on the high street I've had good service from them 👍

[leccyflyer]

In my experience John Lewis are the absolute worst when it comes to not being able to actually buy anything in their shops. Every single item I've ever bought there I have had to come back the next day, or a couple of days later for.  Closest one to here is in Edinburgh.

 

Currys already have my money anyway, whether or not I get a call in the morning I'll be in their shop.

[Keith Billinge]

Don't forget to check prices at CCL and Ebuyer as well as the more popular Amazon. Once you have chosen the model and spec you want you may find a deal on one of those websites.

 

[PatMc]

Brian, I wanted to buy my current PC from Currys about 3 or 4 years ago after some research & checking  out a demo one in their N. Tyneside branch. Problem was they didn't have one in stock nor were there any stocked within reasonable distance for me to collect. I located one at their Hull branch & asked my local shop if they could have it transferred to their stock or have have Hull branch arrange delivery to my home address via an internet order. They flatly refused to do either. I never got a reason for the transfer refusal other than that it wasn't company policy. I later realised that they wouldn't deliver it via an internet order because it would make them liable to the conditions of the remote purchase legislation. As it happens one of my brothers lives near Hull & was planning on visiting us within a couple of weeks so he agreed to pick it up & bring it with him on his visit but he had to pay for it himself at the shop. (Must try to remember to reimburse him on day 😁)  

IMO, if you are able to make a direct purchase from Acer it might be a better option.

 

[Philip Lewis 3]

There are plenty of specialist Tech online retailers, CCL , E buyer, Scan UK, Box, Overclockers (don't be put off by the name and obviously Amazon, as you would expect all have live stock details and delivery next day is guaranteed, it's a very competitive sector where most purchases are made online so price competition is fierce.

 

I've always taken the view that if I really want to try it out (hardly ever do and impossible with component parts anyway) then I would buy it from whoever could let me do so rather than use their services expensive shops then go to an online source who can undercut them by not having that facility but if they make it that difficult then I would  go online anyway having given them every chance to sell me that item.

 

I also think the ability to send it back for a refund no questionns asked gives me a better cahance to try it out properly anyway.  

[leccyflyer]

If they would have called and said that there's a delay, or some problem, I would have been fine with it. Having promised that the laptop would be there to pick up within two days and therefore securing the sale, but then not calling is not acceptable. Not being able to contact the branch and the failure to call me back is not acceptable.

[Philip Lewis 3]

56 minutes ago, leccyflyer said:

If they would have called and said that there's a delay, or some problem, I would have been fine with it. Having promised that the laptop would be there to pick up within two days and therefore securing the sale, but then not calling is not acceptable. Not being able to contact the branch and the failure to call me back is not acceptable.

I totally agree with you, my comment was not aimed at you but an attempt to help others in the same situation.

 

Absolutely no excuse at all for what they have done, end off, in the IT industry which is fiercly competitive you simply have to be able to deliver or your not even in the game.

 

If they didn't come up with the goods tomorrow then I would be asking for a refund as they have fundamentaly breached the contract i.e. you bought it on the express understanding there would be a two day delivery schedule at worst and they have broken that and you wouldn't have bought it on a they will provide it when they feel like it promise.

 

I really hope you get it sorted out, I feel your frustration, but on the positive side, Acer simply don't disapoint, I've bought and recommended them to dozens of people over the years and never had anyone regret the purchase of one.  

[leccyflyer]

Hi Philip - we posted at the same time, my post was replying to Pat. 🙂

 

I hope that the laptop is waiting for me at the shop in the morning and there is no further hassle, but I'm not going to hang around for a phone call.

[Philip Lewis 3]

Good for you.

[leccyflyer]

I didn't get any call from Currys before I drove to the shop this morning, to be met with nothing but a stream of excuses and in-depth description of every intricacy of their staff holidays, staff rotas, travel arrangements, none of which are any concern of mine and none of which was any legit excuse for not having provided the simple courtesy of a phone call, text message or email saying that the laptop wasn't available to pick up yesterday or the day before, as promised. However I was informed that the laptop would be hand delivered to the store later this morning if I could return later.

 

Given that previous experience I was concerned that they really might try to fob me off with the shop display model, so I walked round to where I viewed it on Tuesday. Hmmm, there was the display model, with a cleaning cloth next to it and a young lad in a purple T-shirt scampering away from where he had been, leaving his cloth behind. There was a new sticker on the display, next to the laptop, exclaiming that this was the last one - a clearance bargain. That wasn't there on Tuesday. Most remarkable though was that the price which was shown on the laptop was actually £300 more than I paid for it on Tuesday. The rather nice Samsung that was sitting next to it, which I had looked at but judged to be a bit over the top, was £500 less than it was on Tuesday.  The laptop I bought is now showing online as that higher price, but out of stock.

 

Anyway, long story short, I called back an hour later - a little earlier than they had planned just in case and checked that the display model was still there before approaching the counter. A different young lad took my receipt and set off into the back to see if the laptop was there. No sign of the manager who was supposed to be bringing the laptop. The youngster brought it out and asked me to sign for it - naturally I wanted to examine the goods to see that they were not ex-demo, all trust in the retailer having long since evaporated. I broke the seal on the box and examined it, which appeared to be a brand new laptop with the spec that I had paid for. No apology, no further explanation, so I just picked up a mouse, paid for that and left. If there had been somewhere else I could have got the mouse on the site I would have done so. That poor customer service spoiled what should have been a pleasant buying experience.  I hope that the laptop doesn't disappoint.

[leccyflyer]

The joys of transferring programs over to a new computer - only they call them Apps now - not to mention files. I've been sporadically doing the job in between things over the weekend. File transfer by taking a backup to an external 2TB SSD, which I'm just about to copy to the new laptop.

 

Some early observations from just a few hours use of the Acer. The keyboard is lovely. One of the best that I've experienced over a long string of laptops. One slight peeve is that the Power/Fingerprint sensor button is positioned exactly where the Delete key was on the MS Surface Book, so I've switched it off a few times in deleting text. 🙂

The screen is similarly lovely, very vibrant, nice reflection-free with sharp imaging.

The lack of ports would be a pain, but I bought a 12-in-1 USB/C expansion "hub", which gives me enough ports for what I need to do, including SD and MicroSD card slots - I find it difficult to believe that those have been removed from most laptops.. Though the lead to connect the hub to the laptop is extremely short, making it impossible to hide all the wires behind the laptop on the desk.

 

Also it doesn't have two display port outlets, just one - the monitors need to be fed from the HDMI ports, of which there are two, but my Dell monitors don't have HDMI, they have Display Ports. There, just done it again, switched off instead of deleting the semicolon. I tried to find HDMI to Display Port cables, but, as the cables are unidirectional, by far the most common and most available are Display Port to HDMI. The reverse are less common, more expensive and take days to deliver. Long story short I've ended up bringing my old Ilyama monitors from my dead desktop in and using those. Just got them up and working and they are simply gorgeous, I'd forgotten how nice they were - much nicer to look at than the Dell monitors.

 

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for those recommendations for the Acer laptops. So far I'm very pleased with this one.