I actually bought/built my own desktop specifically for work, because I didn't want to have to fuck with a shitastic 5+ year old ThinkPad that the company just adds a new user to and recycles it to employees. The one I had initially had 9 (NINE!) past user accounts on it. Clogging all the shit up, etc.
So I built an i5 8600 with 32gb RAM and a pair of Samsung 32" 4ks (I hate scrolling). It's all I need. it was also my first ITX build. The motherboard is so tiny, it's comical.
I presume you mean gaming laptops, to which I can't argue much. But in most cases I'd rather have a laptop than a tablet of the same cost. Apps are nice, a keyboard and a full browser experience are usually better.Originally Posted by Rare White Ape
Get that weak shit off my track
Actually I can see how a laptop at the same cost of a tablet can be advantageous. But it would have to be a small and light laptop with plenty of future life in its hardware to keep up with the convenience that a tablet can provide.
Well, when I need to do actual work or type out something SERIOUS BUSINESS, I use my desktop or a real computer, rather than a tablet or a phone. I think that is what Keith is referring to. If you are talking about pure media consumption/light gaming then, yes, a tablet probably satisfies those needs without the faff of having to also deal with a full-fat OS of one's choice.
Also and inevitably, when you have a small laptop at the same price point as a tablet, something will get sacrificed in order to facilitate the inclusion of a keyboard, pointing device, lid. Or, put another way, not needing to incorporate or spend money on a keyboard/pointing device/lid means that the tablet's screen could well be superior. And that's without going into the fact that most tablets on the market are <12" screen size while laptops are generally 12"+.
Last edited by Yw-slayer; December 6th, 2020 at 10:56 PM.
I just bought a Lenovo Yoga C640 2-1 13" laptop to replace my old Surface Pro 2 that would no longer recognize keyboards. It had been shutting off occasionally when put down on a hard surface, so having to use it exclusively as a tablet was annoying when I wanted to type out something longer.
Core i5-10210U, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD. The i7 model would've doubled the RAM and SSD for an extra $120, but that particular i7 is only a minor performance bump, and I figured I'd been getting on fine with my Surface until it started having shutoff and keyboard problems. Don't plan to play games (I've got a huge PS4 backlog), mostly watch videos, web browse and do the occasional productive work. I wouldn't have minded another Surface, but i5/8GB RAM/128GB SSD models were starting at $800 vs the $650 I paid. If I didn't have other things to buy, I might have splurged for a new Surface.
So far, I'm pretty satisfied with the Yoga. It runs nice and smoothly so far and the keyboard seems pretty nice for this price point. Lack of USB-C charging and soldered in RAM are my main complaints so far, but eh, at this price point, some corners get cut.
It's interesting how technology fits into your life. Before my crash and subsequent heaps of time off I used my iPad all the time. My life would be planned out thusly:
- iPhone while in bed or out away from home
- iPad in front of me binging YouTube while eating meals, plus I'd take it to work for use on lunch breaks
- PC while home on the couch and needing SERIOUS BIDNIZ entertainment
Of course in hospital the iPad was never out of my reach.
Then I got home from hospital and I hardly use my iPad at all! I can carry my phone obviously, but can't carry my iPad too far while using crutches. When I'm eating I sit in the kitchen and lean on a bench, and scoff my food because I get rather uncomfortable quite quickly, then it's back to the couch or bed to let my leg recover. So that little niche that the iPad occupied has suddenly disappeared due to my circumstances.
My iPad took up a surprisingly significant role over the four years that I've had it, and it has been so cost-effective because I've never, not once, found the urge to want to upgrade it to the shiny new hotness like I do with my phones. When I got it I basically stopped using my laptop, which was pretty slow by that time anyway.
This is probably why I'm strongly of the argument that laptops are a rip-off. I bought that wheezy hunka junk for $1800 AUD way back when and admittedly it did have some fairly decent gaming chops, whereas an iPad can be had for $500, and my newer faster proper gaming PC cost $2000. If I'd spent that $1800 on building a gaming PC in 2013 then I would've had much better bang-for-buck, and would still be using parts of it today.
But as I conceded earlier, a basic $500 laptop would be a bit more capable than an iPad as long as it's maintained well and doesn't get clogged with shit to slow it down.
Years ago I had a 7" Android tablet that I used a lot for the year or so that it worked, and I was never that interested in 10" and larger tablets because at that point it's as much as carrying a laptop. It was good at consuming media and playing simple touch games, but was more annoying than both my phone and laptop at text entry (I've been using swipe keyboards for a long while). Ever since I've had 5+ inch smartphones, I haven't missed it much.
For me, a well built Chromebook is a nice halfway between a traditional laptop and a big tablet. I overspent on my Pixelbook Go, but a physically identical one can be had for iPad prices with great speakers, screen, keyboard, and build quality. It's not a gaming machine, but that's what the Switch is for (which can slip into some jacket pockets like the 7" tablet did). For media playback, the software is more flexible and capable, and there's no need for a kickstand case or screen cover.
Attn Drew.
Looks like good bang-for-buck but ultimate performance isn’t there.
Are ya gunna get one or not?
Probably not, for 2 reasons:
1: No DLSS
2: YOU CAN'T FUCKING BUY ONE
I discussed it with my colleague and we agreed that I should just wait until Jan or so to switch my work computer over (if at all) even though Ryzen 5xxx chips are readily available here are normal prices. By then the Rocket Lake Intel processors will be out and this stupid scalping of graphics cards to play OMG-SUPER-HYPE-CYBERPUNK will hopefully have died down.
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