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I am going to have to replace my current one and this looks like a pretty good deal. What do you more knowledgeable folks think about it?

https://www.newegg.com/platinu...Item=N82E16834845030
 
Posts: 516 | Location: Ocala, FL | Registered: October 09, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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It looks like a good deal. I just bought a Lenovo Flex 5 about 4-5 months ago, after owning 4 HP laptops in a row. I loved my HP's, which I use for internet surfing and basic accounting software like QuickBooks and would replace them every 3 years, because I use them for business. But so far I am very happy with the Lenovo and only went that direction because HP didn't offer an 1080p screen at the time.
 
Posts: 21335 | Registered: June 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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That's a good deal! A great for games, audio, performance and video. Great reviews and likely a best buy for now.

What do you normally use your laptop for?
Browsing, email ... maybe need a touchscreen, 2-1/tablet?

Do you have to have Win10?

Would you consider a 2-1 Chromebook, like the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2, the Stealth Silver model not the Light Titan. And get the pen/stylus.

Samsung Stealth Silver

Well, think about 2-1 anyway ... something else to ponder.



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Posts: 1886 | Location: Altona Beach | Registered: February 20, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Doesn't look to be a bad deal, though I'd have preferred Windows 10 Pro.


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Guns are awesome because they shoot solid lead freedom. Every man should have several guns. And several dogs, because a man with a cat is a woman. Kurt Schlichter
 
Posts: 33845 | Location: Orlando, FL | Registered: April 30, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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cj, Win 10 will be new for me. I have Win 8.1 now but was a big fan of XP. My current Lenovo is a touch screen but I can live without one. Nothing like a new challenge for an old fogey :>Wink
This may be more computer than I need but more is better, and the price is right, right?
 
Posts: 516 | Location: Ocala, FL | Registered: October 09, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Looks like a pretty decent laptop. I have had a Lenovo desktop for a couple of years and I have liked it. The only problem with it was from me opening the case and adding a new ssd drive. In the process of adding the new drive, I managed to somehow loosen the video card. When I couldn't see anything on my monitor, I tried everything I could think of but could not get it to display anything.

I called up their warranty and got my first surprise, American call center. Second surprise, was the option of having a tech person come out to my house to fix it. I chose that option, no additional cost for it either.

Tech person was neat in appearance and professional when they arrived. It turned out that it was a guy, and he had everything needed for the job including new video card and new hard drive. He did some troubleshooting and had it fixed very quickly. It was something I should have caught, but I only looked at the connection for the video card. He pulled it out and reseated and of course that took care of it. I told him what I was doing for work at that time, as well as how stupid I felt at that particular moment. We both had a good laugh.


Anyways, I was impressed by their warranty and the actual service as well. The desktop is still running strong without a single issue since. So if Lenovo's warranty is still the same, I would not have a problem buying another.

One thing I noticed on the link is that at the bottom where they list the products that people end up buying, there is one other you might want to look at it.

I am referring to the Ideapad 330. It looks like it is basically the same Lenovo but with the AMD Ryzen chip, and a Radeon video card. Specs looks like the Ideapad 330 has a slightly faster gpu, same software, but a better video card and only 429$. I haven't used that particular Ryzen so no personal experience there. Hope that helps some.

https://www.newegg.com/platinu...am/p/N82E16834850877
 
Posts: 247 | Location: Utah | Registered: June 16, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by bigdeal:
Doesn't look to be a bad deal, though I'd have preferred Windows 10 Pro.


Why? Doesn't W10Pro just add more networking capabilities? It's a legit question, since I've been Mac only since 2000, where there's basically only one version of the OS. I'm now using Windows at work, and was wondering why I'd need the Pro version at home if I get a PC.



Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus
 
Posts: 8202 | Location: Utah | Registered: December 18, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of bigdeal
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quote:
Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
quote:
Originally posted by bigdeal:
Doesn't look to be a bad deal, though I'd have preferred Windows 10 Pro.


Why? Doesn't W10Pro just add more networking capabilities? It's a legit question, since I've been Mac only since 2000, where there's basically only one version of the OS. I'm now using Windows at work, and was wondering why I'd need the Pro version at home if I get a PC.
I thought he was utilizing the laptop for work. Looking back over his posts it appears he's not, so Windows 10 Home is likely fine for his purposes.


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Guns are awesome because they shoot solid lead freedom. Every man should have several guns. And several dogs, because a man with a cat is a woman. Kurt Schlichter
 
Posts: 33845 | Location: Orlando, FL | Registered: April 30, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I would pass on that one. Try to stick with a Lenovo ThinkPad instead. Thinkpad is a business class laptop and much better made. I have had a couple of ThinkPads and both were great. I Bought a cheaper Lenovo for my wife and it lasted a few months past the warranty. I took it in for a repair quote and the tech guy said the motherboard was fried. Said the cheaper laptops use very light duty construction and can't take the heat. He said stick with a ThinkPad or a Dell Latitude. I bought a refurb Latitude from him and it has been going strong for several years now.
 
Posts: 581 | Registered: September 30, 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Tried to look up the hardware maintenance manual on Lenovo’s site, but couldn’t find that exact SKU. I looked at some other IdeaPad L340’s though. From what I can tell, here are the major areas they are cutting costs:

- single channel memory. That CPU will perform best with two memory sticks, but they are using only one and there doesn’t appear to even be a slot to add a second one. 8GB of memory is ok, but not great, for puttering around on the internet and working on spreadsheets, but not for any serious tasks. making it single channel is a pure cost cutting measure.

- the screen. It isn’t bad, just very bare bones. Not a touch screen, not high resolution or fast, and they don’t mention what screen technology it uses, so it certainly isn’t a fancy one! All that means is it may not be terribly bright or it might have a more narrow viewing angle than a nice screen. Not guaranteed to have those problems, but don’t be surprised if it does.

= no dedicated graphics processor. They are just using the built in graphics on the CPU. That is totally fine for playing games in your internet browser, but will be painfully slow in real 3D games. If you aren’t a big gamer, you probably don’t care about this.

- The case appears to be mostly plastic. That is true of most, if not all, cheaper laptops. That doesn’t automatically make it bad, just cheaper to make. Won’t be as stiff or cool as something with an aluminum chassis, but you won’t get one of those without spending way more money.

- The battery. A 3-cell 35wh battery might very well give the rated run time they advertise, but it isn’t a very big battery. I guarantee there was space in that chassis for more battery than that, but they went with a smaller one to save some bones.

- like most of these cheaper laptops, the cooling solution is the bare minimum. Assuming it is the same as the other L340’s I found manuals for: one heat pipe from the CPU to the tiny finned radiator. One blower fan. That’s it. That is good enough for the 15w CPU, but everything else gets little or no airflow, and has to cool by radiating heat out through the case. If it mostly sees light use, that is fine. If you tend to frequently do more intensive stuff that makes the computer chug, like playing graphics intensive games, I’d give it two years before it starts to flake out on you.

- home edition of Windows 10 rather than pro. However, unless you want some specific features that Pro provides, like the Remote Desktop client, Home might very well be all you need or want.

So, that is where they saved money. Does any of it matter to you? Maybe, maybe not. If you are looking for something to browse the web, watch YouTube, and edit the occasional spreadsheet, this laptop will probably be fine. If you want to regularly edit videos or music, play intensive 3D games, host a live streamed video, or something like that, this laptop will make you tear your hair out.

- Bret
 
Posts: 2461 | Location: OH | Registered: March 03, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Thanks sadlerbw and all who have offered opinions. I am not in a huge hurry and you all gave me some food for thought. Thanks again from an appreciative old lady. Smile
 
Posts: 516 | Location: Ocala, FL | Registered: October 09, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I've used Lenovo Thinkpads for years now and besides a HD going bad on one they have stood up to the rigors of some rough handling. Have a 470 now and I really like it. Wanted to buy it from my company but its not one they offer for sale.
 
Posts: 2303 | Location: Florida | Registered: March 01, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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If you can give us an idea of what you are going to use it for, a price range, and any specific things you do or don't want it to come with, I know we can give you some better advice.

Do you care if you are using an Intel chip or a Ryzen chip from AMD?

How important are graphics, sound, and the screen qualities to you?

If you are not sure whether to choose the Home edition or the Pro, please consider the 3 questions below.

Do you need the ability to use Remote Desktop when you are away from your laptop? Also, do you have other users you are going to need to set up and manage going forward? Finally, do you need/want to have some expanded control over the Microsoft automatic updates and how they are scheduled and installed? If you answered yes to any or all these 3 questions, you will want to go with Windows 10 Pro from the start. If you do not need these, then go with the Home version. Those features are some of the more common things that people will use the Pro edition for instead of the Home edition. Pro does have additional capabilities, but they are not utilized as much as the ones I listed.


It is nice that you are not in a rush, so please let us know what we can do for you.
 
Posts: 247 | Location: Utah | Registered: June 16, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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As for Win updates, I only download ones Win deems 'important'. Will I be able to do this with win 10 home? I'm really satisfied with the 8.1 version but I guess there is no choice about getting W10.
Is it hard to eliminate all the bloatware on a new one or should I pay someone to do it? (I am not too literate about monkeying with computers, just mostly a user.
 
Posts: 516 | Location: Ocala, FL | Registered: October 09, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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A great deal depends on what all you intend to do with it and how much stuff you will be running in the foreground and background.

The 8 GB memory and 256 GB SSD are about the minimum necessary to reasonably operate a WIN 10 box (in a business environment). But, WIN 10 has a lot of overhead and eats up a lot of memory and disk storage right off the bat.

At the very least, I would consider increasing the SSD size. My Lenovo laptop came with the 256GB SSD and I ended up swapping it out later for a 1TB SSD. Music, videos and photographs take up lots of space in a hurry. It's a lot easier to add that bigger SSD when you order the box than it is to swap it out later. Trust me on that, I know.

And, memory is pretty cheap to take it up to 12-16GB.

My 2 cents.




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“If in winning a race, you lose the respect of your fellow competitors, then you have won nothing” - Paul Elvstrom "The Great Dane" 1928 - 2016
 
Posts: 3758 | Location: Wichita, Kansas | Registered: March 27, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Updating with Windows 10 is a bit less in your control than it was in 8.1. It's generally going to download and install what it thinks it needs. There are some ways to fight/control this, but in my opinion you are generally OK letting it install what it wants. It isn't a perfect system, but by now they have fixed the most annoying side effects of their forced installation policies.

Bloatware isn't usually all that hard to remove. If you open the start menu in Win10 and type 'remove', it will bring up a shortcut to the add/remove programs screen. From there, it is pretty much just clicking what you don't want and hitting the uninstall button. The tricky part is figuring out what you really want to get rid of, and what is important for keeping the laptop working. That will be different from manufacturer to manufacturer. Many times the software needed to control stuff like built in cameras, audio, and wifi are hard to identify. If in doubt, you can always ask here and folks will probably have opinions.

A couple other notes if you are moving to Windows 10 for the first time:
- You do not have to create a Microsoft Account to activate windows. It will almost certainly try to make it look like you have to when you start up the first time, but you don't. Typically there is a very not-obvious piece of text you can click to 'Activate later' or 'activate without an account', or something like that. I forget the exact wording, but it is in small print and doesn't look like a button. I hate that Microsoft tries to trick everyone into making a Microsoft account, but they don't care what I think.

- There are some applications that show up in Add/Remove Programs that you cannot remove, or at least can't remove easily. The X-Box app is one of them. If you really, really want to get rid of them you can, but it is a more advanced process and not usually worth it. So, if the uninstall button is greyed-out, just live with it if you can.

- The computer may look like Microsoft Office is installed, but it isn't. Not really. While the installation tool for Office is almost always included, the license to actually use Office typically isn't. Microsoft will push you towards Office 365, which is a monthly subscription service. However, if you don't want the 'cloud' features it offers, and you usually keep your computer for longer than two or three years, it is often less expensive to buy a traditional non-subscription license for Office. The break-even point isn't set in stone, but it usually falls somewhere between two or three years where the subscription starts to cost more money than just buying the software would have.

- There are a number of Windows Settings that I commonly change on a new PC related to showing me ads, tips, and other annoying stuff. Here is a short list of some I think are the most useful:

Settings>System>Notifications and Actions - turn off "Show me the Windows Welcome Experience..." and "Get tips, tricks and suggestions as you use Windows."

Settings>Personalization>Lock Screen - turn off "Get fun facts, tips, tricks..."

Settings>Personalization>Start - turn off "Show suggestions occasionally in Start"

Settings>Privacy>General - I turn off everything except the "Let Windows track app launches..." option. I leave that one on.

There are other settings I like to change, but I feel those options get rid of the most annoying ad-related junk in Windows 10.

- Bret
 
Posts: 2461 | Location: OH | Registered: March 03, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Aaaah, so much to learn..so little time! Life is an adventure, is it not?
Thank you all for sharing.
 
Posts: 516 | Location: Ocala, FL | Registered: October 09, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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