Can you recommend a laptop? Iniziatore argomento: SusieSmith
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I need a laptop for working while travelling and am not sure where to start.
Essentially it needs to have enough processing power to run Wordfast Pro and other CAT tools without costing the earth and should be user-friendly.
Any suggestions would be gratefully received!
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Asus. Its laptops are good quality and have 2-year international warranty, unlike some brands.
Mine broke once randomly and it was in another country where I bought it but no matter, I called that country's costumer service for Asus, produced the bill from where I bought it and the serial number of the laptop, and they sent an UPS guy to pick it up, had it fixed for free within a week or two, and had it sent back by UPS courier again to my doorstep.
This is just impossible for a bran... See more Asus. Its laptops are good quality and have 2-year international warranty, unlike some brands.
Mine broke once randomly and it was in another country where I bought it but no matter, I called that country's costumer service for Asus, produced the bill from where I bought it and the serial number of the laptop, and they sent an UPS guy to pick it up, had it fixed for free within a week or two, and had it sent back by UPS courier again to my doorstep.
This is just impossible for a brand from a non mega-corporation.
I would research what the current best laptops are for what you need and what your expecting to pay.
Don't skimp or researching for a month or two, this is at least a 5-year investment so think carefully.
For me Asus is great right now, but I hear that Dell also makes great laptops for the price. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lingua 5B 
Bosnia-Erzegovina
Local time: 03:17
Membro (2009)
Da Inglese a Croato
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| Previous threads. | Dec 15, 2017 |
You may read some of these threads with useful guidelines. The general consensus is that you won't receive high and smooth performance for small amount of money, but if the CAT tools is all that matters, I believe you don't need super expensive stuff as you don't work with graphic design etc.
... See more
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 21:17
Da Inglese a Spagnolo
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Susie,
Since you can't squeeze blood out of turnips, you'll have to find a happy compromise: performance, price and professional requirements (CAT tools).
You don't say anything about your experience with PCs or laptops, so it is very difficult to give you specific advice. I can only say that I've been using MacBook Pros (Windows on either Boot Camp or Parallels Desktop for Mac) for years with great performance gains.
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Thanks for the helpful replies, I will take a look at the suggested information!
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia-Erzegovina
Local time: 03:17
Membro (2009)
Da Inglese a Croato
+ ...
Perhaps you can mention the max. budget that you are planning to spend, then posters can give you suggestions based on that.
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Lingua 5B wrote:
Perhaps you can mention the max. budget that you are planning to spend, then posters can give you suggestions based on that.
I would not like to spend more than GBP 1500, and ideally much less! But if I have to spend the maximum for a fast and reliable laptop, I would do it.
| | | | Daniel Frisano
Italia
Local time: 03:17
Membro (2008)
Da Inglese a Italiano
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| With Windows, they are all the same | Dec 15, 2017 |
Over the years I have tried Acer, HP, Toshiba, Lenovo, Asus and perhaps I am forgetting some other, often top of the range, and none of them was fully satisfactory.
Currently using Asus with Intel i7-6700HQ @ 2.60GHz processor, with 16.0 GB RAM, solid-state hard drive, and it's decent but not anything to write home about.
Makes you want to take the plunge into the unknown. Going Mac, that is.
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Michael Beijer
Regno Unito
Local time: 02:17
Membro (2009)
Da Olandese a Inglese
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| what screen size? | Dec 15, 2017 |
SusieSmith wrote:
I need a laptop for working while travelling and am not sure where to start.
Essentially it needs to have enough processing power to run Wordfast Pro and other CAT tools without costing the earth and should be user-friendly.
Any suggestions would be gratefully received!
One very important consideration is screen size. I personally can't stand to work on anything smaller than 17", but many people would disagree, and are quite happy to work on 15" or even 12" laptops. Smaller laptops are obviously lighter, but it also depends on how much you are going to travel with it, and how much you mind carrying something larger. I don't mind lugging my huge laptop along, because when I sit down to work and open it up I am always happy with the extra screen real estate.
What are you currently working on? Are you happy with it, or would you like something larger/smaller?
I have been very happy with my Dell Precision M6800 business-grade laptop (‘workstation’) for many years now, and when and if it dies will definitely get another one. This is the current (business) range: http://www.dell.com/en-uk/work/shop/laptops/sc/laptops/precision-laptops
I think I paid between £1,500 and £2,000 for it, with all the extras such as extra RAM, SSDs, etc. It's currently got an i7, 32GB RAM, 3 internal SSDs, dual graphics cards, etc., and runs amazingly well. The keyboards on these Precisions are also a real pleasure to type on, unlike the new horrendous MacBook ones, btw, and many of the so-called ‘Ultra books’.
Some pix:
Michael
[Edited at 2017-12-15 18:21 GMT]
| | | | | Thinkpads/IdeaPads | Dec 15, 2017 |
Also consider Lenovo’s ThinkPads (or IdeaPads, if you are short on budget, I’ve used both).
They have great keyboards (one of the most important features on a laptop, at least when you are on the move), come in various screen sizes to fit your needs, and are very trustworthy and dependable.
At least, I only swear by them. OK, one additional reason being their good to excellent compatibility with GNU/Linux, which I use as an OS.
Jean
| | | | Samuel Murray
Paesi Bassi
Local time: 03:17
Membro (2006)
Da Inglese a Afrikaans
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SusieSmith wrote:
I need a laptop for working while travelling and am not sure where to start. ... Essentially it needs to have enough processing power to run Wordfast Pro and other CAT tools without costing the earth and should be user-friendly.
What I would do is go to a number of stores that sell computers, select one that's 2/3 your budget, and then soup it up with extras e.g. extra RAM, better hard drive, extra battery, etc. It sounds as though you should look at laptops of around GBP 1000. I would not buy a laptop without being able to touch it first. One can eventually get used to many things, but personally I would not be able to get used to a track pad that doesn't feel nice or a screen that's the wrong type or resolution.
| | | | Michael Beijer
Regno Unito
Local time: 02:17
Membro (2009)
Da Olandese a Inglese
+ ...
| but why did they put the Fn key where Ctrl should be??? | Dec 15, 2017 |
Jean Dimitriadis wrote:
Also consider Lenovo’s ThinkPads (or IdeaPads, if you are short on budget, I’ve used both).
They have great keyboards (one of the most important features on a laptop, at least when you are on the move), come in various screen sizes to fit your needs, and are very trustworthy and dependable.
At least, I only swear by them. OK, one additional reason being their good to excellent compatibility with GNU/Linux, which I use as an OS.
Jean
ThinkPads are my second choice (after Dell Precisions), just a shame the Ctrl key isn't in the far left corner, where you can reach it easiest without looking. At least they can be remapped.
Michael
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| Post-sales support | Dec 15, 2017 |
One main thing to consider is the issue of after-sales support.
I am using a Dell XPS 14Z. My previous laptop was also a Dell XPS (12 something). They make great notebooks. This is the reason that I have bought one after the screen of my previous Dell broke (only after many years and excessive gaming).
The keyboard is great. I am happy with it.
I wish that I could tell the same about their after-sales services. Only one time I needed support on an issue an... See more One main thing to consider is the issue of after-sales support.
I am using a Dell XPS 14Z. My previous laptop was also a Dell XPS (12 something). They make great notebooks. This is the reason that I have bought one after the screen of my previous Dell broke (only after many years and excessive gaming).
The keyboard is great. I am happy with it.
I wish that I could tell the same about their after-sales services. Only one time I needed support on an issue and I hated every second. I am resident in Turkey but my investigation showed me that this is a global problem with Dell (at least in USA and Europe).
So, yes to their computers but a certain no to Dell for me.
Elif ▲ Collapse
| | | | Michael Beijer
Regno Unito
Local time: 02:17
Membro (2009)
Da Olandese a Inglese
+ ...
| two very interesting new fanless (= silent) laptops | Dec 15, 2017 |
PS: in an alternative universe (where I had money to waste on buying interesting new laptops), I would try one of these (or both):
https://eve-tech.com (Eve V: ‘The First-Ever Crowd Developed Computer’ + Microsoft Surface clone)
https://www.shopvenom.com/globalstore/blackbook-zero-14/
(apparently they are both 100% silent. so zero moving parts, which does sound very interesting, especially if you like to work at night, and yr computer sounds louder because the world around you quietens down)
Michael
[Edited at 2017-12-15 23:19 GMT]
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