Discussion I need a new laptop

Hans Gruber

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Dec 23, 2006
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I bought a chromebook to hold me over for a few months. That was a few months ago. The celeron N4020 with 4GB of ram, 32GB of storage, usb-c charging and a 1080p screen for $150 + tax.

I do not believe in spending a great amount of money on a laptop in this day and age. I would like to get an Ipad one of these days but the price they charge for them is not justifiable.

So I have been searching the web for something that has a good CPU, large NVMe storage 500GB, 8GB of ram or more, 1080p screen, USB-C charging ports, backlit keyboard and wifi 6/AX. Plus lies about battery life in excess of 10 hours.

Below is what I have found so far that meets that criteria. 11th generation Intel i5. I would like the Zen3 laptop CPU but those do not come out for another month or more.



Thoughts and opinions appreciated. Also anything in the same ballpark price wise. This one has the Xe integrated graphics which is supposed to be as good as the Vega graphics in the AMD options.
 

fralexandr

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Apr 26, 2007
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If you're not set on the 500gb and 10 hour battery life there are deals on ryzen 4700u igp laptops or i5 laptops with gtx 1650 around $500.



Expired deal from around black friday/cyber monday, but for reference 4600h +1650 for $450.

Some deals might pop up after the new mobile parts are announced possibly at CES which is coming up.

Should be able to add storage on most gtx1650 laptops as they usually have an extra 2.5" bay.
 
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Hans Gruber

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Dec 23, 2006
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The problem with the current generation Ryzen laptop CPU's. They are old and 11th gen Intel has caught up to them. Plus I want Zen3 or I will go with Intel. I know the Zen 3 laptop CPU's will wipe the floor with Intel. But power is not a big deal with laptops for me. I do like the idea of a discrete graphics card. I want something under 4lbs and a 15" display. I could get by with 256GB SSD. Is it right to assume that PCI-e SSD's are all NVMe or do they sneak in the slow M.2 drives?
 

fralexandr

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Apr 26, 2007
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The problem with the current generation Ryzen laptop CPU's. They are old and 11th gen Intel has caught up to them. Plus I want Zen3 or I will go with Intel. I know the Zen 3 laptop CPU's will wipe the floor with Intel. But power is not a big deal with laptops for me. I do like the idea of a discrete graphics card. I want something under 4lbs and a 15" display. I could get by with 256GB SSD. Is it right to assume that PCI-e SSD's are all NVMe or do they sneak in the slow M.2 drives?

From what I've seen they've all been nvme lately. There isn't really any price savings going m2 sata and the majority of drives produced seem to be nvme, with only a few m2 sata around for m2 sata port compatibility.
 
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Rayman30

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Mar 7, 2019
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There are laptops in your budget range, but they do not match your requirements. I recommend giving a good look at the market and either changing your expectations or budget to match.
 

Hans Gruber

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Dec 23, 2006
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I have evaluated my finances. I am renegotiating an interest rate with Capital One. I think I can go as high as $800 now. I am thinking about a 2in1 touch screen laptop with either Zen 3 or the 11th generation Intel i5. My event horizon is 3-6 months from now. Ram slots that are not soldered and upgradable.
 

Shmee

Memory & Storage, Graphics Cards Mod Elite Member
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A zen 2 or 3 based laptop would be my recommendation, with a possible upgrade to SSD or RAM. As mentioned, I would avoid soldered models.
 
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Shmee

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Yes, got my mom a 4700U one of those for about $900 or so from Best Buy? RAM and SSD are upgradeable. Came with a 500GB NVMe drive, and 2x4GB of RAM. Still need to upgrade the RAM to 32GB.
 

fire400

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Nov 21, 2005
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Mediocre color/contrast ratio on the display.
HP/Acer will probably have better screen quality than Lenovo for this price range.

Of the three main vendors to consider - HP, Lenovo or Acer will give you 1080p on 11th gen Intel i5 CPU.
Most of them won't have USB-C charging, but that won't really matter, considering the Intel 11th-gen laptop motherboards have their own similar fast charge technology, anyway.

$500-$700
You'll always find something on sale, on any given week.

Micro Center, Best Buy, eBay, or Amazon.
Costco has competitive extended warranties for low price, but don't expect any tech support from their claims team, that's why it's so inexpensive.
Also, Best Buy hardware warranty alone, does not include Geek Squad tech support.

Based on what I've seen, the business products have better in-manufacturer tech support, but laptop-wise, may have as many hardware faults as consumer products.
 

jonwilliam

Junior Member
Feb 14, 2021
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I do not believe in spending a great amount of money on a laptop in this day and age.
But you have to at least double your budget if you want to have a good enough laptop. The technology is getting better all the time and so does the prices of these advanced technology products.
 

Puffnstuff

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Mar 9, 2005
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The problem with the current generation Ryzen laptop CPU's. They are old and 11th gen Intel has caught up to them. Plus I want Zen3 or I will go with Intel. I know the Zen 3 laptop CPU's will wipe the floor with Intel. But power is not a big deal with laptops for me. I do like the idea of a discrete graphics card. I want something under 4lbs and a 15" display. I could get by with 256GB SSD. Is it right to assume that PCI-e SSD's are all NVMe or do they sneak in the slow M.2 drives?
I just ordered a HP Omen from BB with the 5800h rtx 3060 so they are in stock but you have to act quickly before they sell out.