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I need a new laptop and I believe if it will run DP it will do everything that I need. The decision is what to get.
The current computer is a DELL N5010 with 8GB RAM P6100 processor running at 2GHz
It's OK but it takes a month of Sundays to get going and I notice that the HD is running at 100% for ages.
Does anyone have thoughts about a good machine to get?
Nick
You might try first updating your hard drive to a SSD. They are faster and the capacity is larger and the cost on these has really come down. See if that makes a difference. Other than that probably another DELL. They usually offer a lot of computer for the best price.
I'd always gone for Sony Vaio then Samsung, but my Daughter's DELL Inspiron is solid in comparison. As Gary's says go for SSD and, essential, 16+GB RAM.
Acorn
Thanks, both.
Would it be a good idea to upgrade this old computer with an SSD and another 8GB RAM, then? It needs a new battery, too. At the moment with only five mins from full charge to shutdown it has to be replaced.
For environmental reasons I would like to hang on to this one but is the processor up to performance?
N
Not sure but consider the cost of a new battery, new SSD drive (I got a 1TB SSD recently for my DELL desktop and the price was about $150), and more RAM. Probably not all that much. And if it is still not up to snuff then wipe the drive and donate it to a school or charity.
I've been building/repairing for a living for 19 years. Customers are driven by 2 things - price and what they need the machine to do. Using the latest DP and MS office as the most power hungry software, I would recommend as a minimum:
CPU - 2.4GHz (Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 3)
RAM - 8 GB
SSD - 256 GB (see below)
The rest (video card, Bluetooth and all the sparkly bits) are irrelevant unless you have a specific need, and virtually all manufacturers supply them. I threw the video card into the irrelevant basket because all modern onboard graphics will handle HD.
The SSD is THE most important part. Don't be swayed by large capacity HDDs. Laptop HDDs are the slowest of all, running at 5400. I would be nearly tempted to say keep what you have and swap out the HDD for an SSD, but at 2GHz dual core you may be disappointed. If price is restrictive you would be better off swapping your existing HDD for and SSD rather than dropping too far below the above specs.
If you buy new, try and go for a 256 SSD which will house your OS and programs. A second 1TB HDD can be fitted into the DVD drive (make sure the laptop has one) with the use of a dirt cheap converter available on ebay. If you're even slightly tech minded you can then move your libraries (default location for documents, pictures, music etc.) to the HDD and have the benefit of both large storage and high speed. If you don't feel confident, find a local repair shop, NOT a franchise or big store. The price should be very reasonable to fit the HDD tray and move your libraries. I'm in Australia so pricing wold be useless, but I do this type of fit-out in 45 minutes.
Cheers Chris, it is kind that you are already giving back to the TG community. My minimum RAM is still 16GB as I run some VMs occasionally.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris M
I might have a go at fitting a HDD to an external enclosure rather than swap out a DVD bay. I have an old 20GB Firewire enclosure as well as a USB one and three spare SSDs to all mix around.
Acorn
The reasoning behind swapping out the DVD is to move the Libraries (default location Windows uses) which would keep the speed of the SSD and no noticeable drop in transfer rate when accessing the Libraries because the DVD is connected via SATA. Going to USB/Firewire is the more cumbersome/slower route.
Do the DVD swap and buy an external DVD if you need to retain an optical drive. Good old YouTube shows how simple it is - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LmQJI1Vl4g.
My personal method is:
Copy the Libraries onto a backup drive
Delete the Libraries content from C:
Clone HDD to SSD via USB
Swap HDD for SSD and ensure it boots
Install HDD to DVD converter
Format HDD
Move Libraries from SSD to HDD (C:\Users\*name* RIGHT click each Library > Properties > Location > Move)
Thanks for the help everyone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris M
Some questions on the above.
1. Where do I find all the libraries/
2. Will a drag and drop of all the folders on the HDD be OK to produce the clone?
Not at all sure that I am up to this...
N
Theo, your best method would be - Gatwick > Brisbane > Gold Coast > Surfers Paradise. Spend the day on the beach while I do the job, night out at Platinum nightclub and return trip the next day. Easy!
With all due respect, and based on your above questions, I would call a couple of local repair shops for quotes. The job isn't particularly hard but does require a basic knowledge of how Windows operates. The difference between copying and cloning is exactly the same as twins and Dolly the Sheep. Twins may look the same, but they are not the same.
For the sake of completion, bearing in mind I have access to better tools and software than the average user, I would:
Clone the existing drive to a spare HDD so I have a fail safe way in case things go pear shaped (I use either MiniTool or EaseUS software, but there is perfectly good free software available)
IF the existing drive and all the data will fit on the SSD I clone to the SSD, physically swap the drives and job done!
IF the existing drive and all the data is larger than the SSD, I delete all Documents, Pictures, Music etc from within the Libraries (NOT the Libraries themselves)
Clone the existing drive to the SSD
Swap the existing drive for the SSD
Moving the Libraries:
Boot into Windows from your new SSD, open File Explorer and format the old HDD by RIGHT clicking the old HDD and choosing format (quick)
From within File Explorer navigate to the HDD and create your new Library folders (Docs, Pics, Desk, Downloads, Music, Video are the usual)
From within File Explorer navigate to - C:\Users\user name
RIGHT click each of the Libraries you want to move and choose 'Properties'
Click the 'Location' tab
Click 'Move'
Navigate to the corresponding folder on the HDD and click 'Select Folder'
You will be asked if you want to move the contents, say yes even though the existing folder is empty
Copy the original Library data from the first cloned drive to it's new home on the HDD
Cloning the original drive to a spare HDD is a perfect backup and relieves all the worry of something going wrong because you can simply clone it back again. It's like stepping back in time.
foloowing on from what chris has said:
in windows OS 'libraries' are the places that windows has set up for you to keep your userfiles such as the 'my documents' folder - like a lot of people I save userfiles in other places and it's important to make sure these don't get overlooked
there are lots of programs to deal with disk imaging/cloning such as those mentioned and acronis true image which i use [not free] and macrium - I use acronis to make regular offline images of the whole syatem as backup - files can be extracted, or the image restored, if the OS gets infected beyond repair
as I understand it, cloning to a new computer is a seperated process whereby the the system on one computer is adapted to the system on the new computer to take account of the differences in the hardware etc as it is installed - in my experience it is never 100%
whether you attempt it yourself, or get someone else to do it, I would also strongly recommend an offline backup image is made first, and kept aside, just in case [which is what chris is refering to as 'cloning the original drive to a spare HDD' - you could use a flash drive if it is large enough and not a 'cheap throwaway', but it does need to be stored longterm somewhere where it is unlikely to get overwritten accidentaly]
Of course!
I was reverting to the old BBC days when the library was where you would put commonly used procedures.
N
Acronis is an excellent software program, trusted and used at corporate level. Acronis is capable of imaging a drive and cloning which, as Handrawn states, is a completely different process.
Taking an image can be likened to creating a .web or .xar file. You need Xara to open the file again. Likewise if you create a drive image in Acronis you need Acronis to reimage. If your drive is brand new this means using a bootable USB or DVD with Acronis preloaded to install the image, or loading Windows and Acronis and then overwriting.
Cloning is an exact copy of the drive byte for byte (pixel for pixel keeping to the graphics theme), it alters nothing. Cloning a drive to go back in the same machine is by far the safest and quickest way Using a backup solution for everyday running is only slightly less important than your heartbeat, but it isn't the best way to swap one drive to another on the same machine. Think of a RAID setup, the most common being 'mirror' or RAID 1. This setting clones the data simultaneously to 2 identical drives. Cloning isn't a backup tool, sure it can be used as one, but it's sole purpose in life is to take ALL the data from one place and unceremoniously plonk it into another place. Everything will be in the same place, icons, programs, personal data, Google and Facebook spying cookies, even the settings you changed that now annoy you but you forgot how to change back.
point taken re-clone
I have been using acronis for nigh on 15 years it is on that very short list of cannot do without programs...
Theo you're getting a lot of advice. I understand the process of upgrading to SSD and have done the DVD-drive SSD swap.
If you buy a new machine and play these games, please remember you may screw up your warranty too, so for that reason alone I would suggest buying the machine you want rather than a new machine to mess about with.
My wife has a Dell laptop that she always complained was slow. It was. I cloned the HD to an SSD and swapped it. She has had this machine now for several years and has not complained about the speed since the SSD was installed.
SSDs are now pretty cheap. My wife has a machine with a 240GB SSD and is nowhere near full.
Your machine is getting old, but you will be amazed at how much faster it is with an SSD. The requirements for Xara software are quite modest, so probably the SSD swap will make you happy. It's the easiest thing to try.
A 480GB drive is very cheap to buy. A 1 TB drive can be bought for circa £150. Check how much space you are actually using and will need.
I wouldn't do the DVD-drive swap-out.
Have a think. I currently use a laptop with a 500GB SSD only. I have a network drive attached via WiFi and I also supplement my storage a bit using a 128GB low-profile USB drive that is permanently plugged in.
Over the years our family has bought loads of Dell machines - they tend to be cheaper and easier to upgrade/repair than some other makes. My wife once purchased a Sony Vaio. It was super stylish and she loved it but had big issues with the power supply plug and replacement parts were problematic to source. We will never buy another.
Good luck and keep it simple. Go for an SSD clone and swap-in or buy another machine.
I would agree with Paul re the invalidation of manufactures warranty; I have a laptop I swapped the HDD for SDD; that involved dismantling the laptop because the HDD was not in it's own caddy, but integral and that makes a lot of difference
one 500GB SSD is fine for that machine, I didn't swap out the DVD [which also would have meant some dismantling] - paying someone to do this has to be offset against the cost of a new compiter; new computers give you a good chance to reasses your actual need
On my main computer I have total 1TB SSD; it is fast, but not enough because I deal with a lot of uncompressed music and a lot of high res images, so I still need external [HDD] storage of several TB
it all depends what you want/need/do...
keep it simple, yes
We've left poor Theo behind on this thread. He casually asked if anyone had a preference in laptop brands...my fault, sorry.
My youngest daughter has a talent for drawing, she can scribble 3 lines on a piece of paper and it looks like the Mona Lisa. I do the same and it looks like 3 lines on a piece of paper. I did the same thing here. I do this stuff on a regular basis and I need to step back and realise not everyone sees a computer as a pile of plastic, circuit boards and screws that can be taken apart as fast as a Lego tower.
The whole cloning/DVD swap out came from showing available options if buying a new machine capable of doing what Theo required was too price restrictive. In order of preference:
Option 1 - Buy new
Option 2 - Buy an SSD larger or same size as your original HDD
Option 3 - DVD caddy for HDD
There's also the difference in location which affects supply and prices. Here in Aus. Asus and HP are popular choices. Acer and Dell float near the bottom of the wish list. Cost of parts are slightly higher in the UK than here, but a quick Google informs me I should move and set up shop in the UK. The labour rate for common repairs over there is a fair bit higher than here.
The rates may be higher, but the costs of everything are too!Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris M
..and a distinct temperature difference too!
Attachment 123051
But on the down side.
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Not my hand. I'm up a tree 2 streets away screaming like a schoolgirl.
Nobody likes a show-off ... ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris M
Attachment 123053
true enough... I don't think there is much to choose between the major brands - HP, dell, acer, asus.. I would always choose between models... there are lots of things to think about; my experience of laptops is limited to HP and Acer - battery life is way different in the two models in question, as are USB ports [not everyone want to use a powered hub] - just two examples over and above the baseline spec; as said it always depends what you want it for...Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris M
I build my own PC desktop[s] - have since the last millenium - currently I like ASUS as a 'best bang for buck' m/board and graphics
drawing is something I do; cintiq/painter/sai2 mostly, with xara for vectors... but three lines is always just three lines, its all in the way you draw 'em :D
I imagine poor Theo rocking back and forth in a corner muttering something like I only asked for a simple opinion. :D
SAI2? My daughter used SAI for a year or two then suddenly stopped. She wobbles around the lower edge of the Autistic spectrum (depending which specialist she sees) so there's likely no particular reason to her stopping. She uses MediBang, but Krita had a spell in the spotlight for a while as well.
SAI2 is version 2 of the original SAI - it is beta ['technical preview'], but that is not a problem for me - it is way more advanced than the original and you can run it for free on the ver 1 licence:
https://www.systemax.jp/en/sai/devdept.html
never really got on with krita but it's a general purpose program... SAI isn't, it's a dedicated line-art/colouring tool and that's all it effectively does better than anything else I know, but if you want filters plugins printing scanning effects fancy brushes or anything else, you need another program that you can interface with via PSD format
@Theo - sorry about the digressions - how much is your budget, always the question before you even start....
MacBook Pro? I've used one of these for 6-7 years, and it's still going strong.
Not usually the first choice for someone who wants to run Windows-only software..Quote:
Originally Posted by rascaljoliette
I resurrect the old thread that I started.
Success!
I have my old and trusted Dell Inspiron N3010. I have fitted the Crucial SSD having cloned it using the Acronis software that they supplied. I found instructions for changing the HDD on You Tube and followed them precisely and there was no problem apart from being left with 4 screws at the end of the procedure. This entailed reversing until I got to where they were missing.
With that problem sorted the laptop started and was running within 90s of pressing the button from shutdown. It even applies Windows updates in a shorter time than overnight! It all cost about £70 which is something of a saving over the £800 or so that I was planning for a new one...
... and I am not disposing of an old machine with all the consequences for the environment.
I do have to put up with the silver paint having worn off the corner of the laptop where I rest my left wrist, tho.
Thanks for everyone's help and advice.
T
good to know :)
Excellent! you have now upgraded to the same laptop and configuration that my wife had about several years ago! Where have you been? ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Theo
Seriously, my wife complained about the speed of this laptop until the SSD went in. Now she never complains about it. These are good machines once you have an SSD aboard.
Good job!
The thing that I really don't like about the dell is that there is no led to indicate that the caps lock is set. Before typing in a password I have to open a Notepad page to test caps lock/no caps lock.Quote:
Originally Posted by pauland
T
Do check out any offered software but there are solutions out there: http://www.ilovefreesoftware.com/17/...-software.html. Dell may even have one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Theo
Windows 10 does have an On-screen Keyboard that shows Caps & ScrLk ON/OFF.
Acorn
I have to apologise. I think you may have the machine my wife had before her current one. She now has a Dell Lattitude E5440 and that has a caps lock light. She tells me that some machines have the caps lock light separately above the keyboard.Quote:
Originally Posted by Theo
Paul
Brilliant! It never occurred to me that there would be a software solution. My life will now be that little bit better.Quote:
Originally Posted by Acorn
Nick
The joy of having an Internet; someone, somewhere has had the same problem sometime.Quote:
Originally Posted by Theo
Acorn
Life without the internet meant that unless we took great pains we often had to remain ignorant. Now our idlest questions can be answered immediately.Quote:
Originally Posted by Acorn
But Acorn Computers no longer exists. I sigh for the days of Usenet. I was using Argonet as my ISP on a 56k modem.
56k! 56k!, youse don't know you're lucky. I used to live in pit in the road with pigeon for messages: we either ate or found out about stuff.Quote:
Originally Posted by Theo
Acorn :D
sauce!
Do they sell Keith Richard's favorite sauce in Mumbai? Just curious.
It might even be in the USA since the revolutionary army captured the airports..Quote:
Originally Posted by gwpriester
I did buy some here. From Amazon, of course.Quote:
It might even be in the USA since the revolutionary army captured the airports.
Will post this as a new thread.