Advice: buying computer

[Arimara]

I recently got a Lenova Yoga since I work from home off a gaming rig. My ancient Toshiba laptop died the morning after my lovely, gigantic PC was packed off onto a moving truck. I had a 10am remote presentation with my boss's boss's boss and had to get something right then. I picked the Yoga since it can double as a tablet so maybe it would do more than sit in a closet hoping I'd have more travel. Mainly though, the store had one.

The Lenova is a beautiful and very responsive machine, but I don't think I could recommend one. It's only a month old and has already given me blue screen of death and then absolutely refused to turn back on. Only by doing a weird maneuver involving plugging it back into the charger and holding down the power button for 20 seconds, then releasing, then unplugging it, then quickly pressing the power could I get it to turn on.

I'd send it in but I'm (A) Lazy (B) bought it from a place in Colorado and I'm in North Carolina now (C) lost all original packaging and proof of purchase because I was losing my mind at the time - I'd even paid cash for it because the store's credit card system was down.

That's 20 kinds of sucky and I understand the lamentation well.

Sounds nice. I may look into their gaming series laptops. I need that extra oomph for gaming. Yeah, I'm one a those old ladies who plays memory & graphics intensive games. Plus I do a lot of digital photography and watching videos, so I like lots of RAM and lots of storage space and yada yada yada.

I thought about it since I want to get back to using photoshop (NOT Elements). I just don't have it to feed that part of me.

 

[Rusti]

Ah. Yeah, I'm the Apple nerd on the forums I guess. I bought my first Macbook Pro for school (graphic design) 8-9 years ago. I had it for 4 years and never had a problem with it, save for an easily replaceable battery issue. My current MBP is over 5 years old and haven't had an issue with it 'til now, which is a logic board/video problem inherent in construction and Apple is fixing it at no cost even though I'm out of both warranty and Apple Care.

I intend to get another MBP this spring and Bootcamp (install Windows on) the one currently being repaired so I can run some Windows-only garment decoration programs.

Yes, they are definitely pricey, but the two that I have had have outlived every single PC I've ever owned. The Acer laptop I got for college in 1998, the harddrive died 2 years in. The Gateway after that, the optical drive never really worked properly, and the Dell Desktop after that one, possibly the longest lived of them all, quietly went 'piff', never to restart again, after 4 years.

 

[earlene]

Yeah, me, too on the gaming. I bought an ASUS ROG i7(Republic of Gamers) a couple of years back, and I LOVE it. It has twin turbo cooling fans that exhaust out the back of the laptop, and therefore never, ever gets hot. I can run 3 different games with no slow down, whatsoever. The only thing I would do differently is to get the SSD the next time.

I will look into that. Thank you for the recommendation.
*Already perusing Amazon for one with an SSD.

Ah. Yeah, I'm the Apple nerd on the forums I guess. I bought my first Macbook Pro for school (graphic design) 8-9 years ago. I had it for 4 years and never had a problem with it, save for an easily replaceable battery issue. My current MBP is over 5 years old and haven't had an issue with it 'til now, which is a logic board/video problem inherent in construction and Apple is fixing it at no cost even though I'm out of both warranty and Apple Care.

I intend to get another MBP this spring and Bootcamp (install Windows on) the one currently being repaired so I can run some Windows-only garment decoration programs.

Yes, they are definitely pricey, but the two that I have had have outlived every single PC I've ever owned. The Acer laptop I got for college in 1998, the harddrive died 2 years in. The Gateway after that, the optical drive never really worked properly, and the Dell Desktop after that one, possibly the longest lived of them all, quietly went 'piff', never to restart again, after 4 years.

If I had started out with Apple, I'd probably go that route too, but I've only used them a little when I lived with someone who was also an Apple devotee. I did like it, but that's as far as it went.

My younger son built a machine for my DIL, who was formerly exclusively an apple kinda gal, that uses both the apple OS as well as Windows, which is great for the versatility she needs in her profession. She is a video editor. And it handles the graphic arts that my granddaughter is into. And the photography and wedding videos that my son does. It's a powerful machine.

If he were inclined to build me a laptop, I'd jump at the chance. But alas although he will work on them, he has no desire to try and build one.

 

[Arimara]

Ah. Yeah, I'm the Apple nerd on the forums I guess. I bought my first Macbook Pro for school (graphic design) 8-9 years ago. I had it for 4 years and never had a problem with it, save for an easily replaceable battery issue. My current MBP is over 5 years old and haven't had an issue with it 'til now, which is a logic board/video problem inherent in construction and Apple is fixing it at no cost even though I'm out of both warranty and Apple Care.

I intend to get another MBP this spring and Bootcamp (install Windows on) the one currently being repaired so I can run some Windows-only garment decoration programs.

Yes, they are definitely pricey, but the two that I have had have outlived every single PC I've ever owned. The Acer laptop I got for college in 1998, the harddrive died 2 years in. The Gateway after that, the optical drive never really worked properly, and the Dell Desktop after that one, possibly the longest lived of them all, quietly went 'piff', never to restart again, after 4 years.

My sister still has the Dell desktop I picked out back in 2005. My Ex gave it a new lease on life support (It's running Windows 8 and is in DIRE need of being replaced.) I told her I might go broke looking for another desktop.

I will look into that. Thank you for the recommendation.
*Already perusing Amazon for one with an SSD.



If I had started out with Apple, I'd probably go that route too, but I've only used them a little when I lived with someone who was also an Apple devotee. I did like it, but that's as far as it went.

My younger son built a machine for my DIL, who was formerly exclusively an apple kinda gal, that uses both the apple OS as well as Windows, which is great for the versatility she needs in her profession. She is a video editor. And it handles the graphic arts that my granddaughter is into. And the photography and wedding videos that my son does. It's a powerful machine.

If he were inclined to build me a laptop, I'd jump at the chance. But alas although he will work on them, he has no desire to try and build one.

Last I poked around, building a laptop was more challenging than a desktop. I rather start with a desktop first personally when I have time, money and space. I'd want to make it so that even if I went to a full PvP raid on WoW, lag would be almost non existent (with out spiking the electricity bill too much). I haven't played WoW since my daughter was a baby...

 

[Rusti]

My sister still has the Dell desktop I picked out back in 2005. My Ex gave it a new lease on life support (It's running Windows 8 and is in DIRE need of being replaced.) I told her I might go broke looking for another desktop.

Reckon it just goes to show how different everyone's experiences end up being. I don't really detest Windows computers, I use them at work (although my new boss as made a little noise about getting me a Mac Mini the next fiscal year, I'd be pleased!) and find them generally reasonable, I just haven't had good luck with them at home and I wouldn't call myself rough on them, so who knows?

Definitely go with as much computer as you need within what you can afford and read some reviews on the brands.

 

[Arimara]

Reckon it just goes to show how different everyone's experiences end up being. I don't really detest Windows computers, I use them at work (although my new boss as made a little noise about getting me a Mac Mini the next fiscal year, I'd be pleased!) and find them generally reasonable, I just haven't had good luck with them at home and I wouldn't call myself rough on them, so who knows?

Definitely go with as much computer as you need within what you can afford and read some reviews on the brands.

That's why I've been looking into towers. I can lend a tv to her id she doesn't mind using a smart TV as a screen.