Finally looking to replace my ancient doorstop. It has Windows 7 Pro. 7. I don’t even know where to start. I’ve been using my iPad pretty exclusively for several years but want to do more. Any direction would be much appreciated.
LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE
- Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US:
About $2000 CAD
- Are you open to refurbs/used?
No, I would prefer new.
- How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?
I would like for it to be upgradable so I don’t need to replace it anytime soon. Battery life isn’t a big deal as I will usually be near an outlet. I would like good build quality and performance. I hate lag. I was very happy with my old custom laptop.
- How important is weight and thinness to you?
Less important if the laptop is good for me in all of the other areas. Lightweight and thin are nice but not priority.
- Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A.
N/A
- Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run.
Paint Shop Pro. Maybe some beginner-type video editing. Not sure of a program. Just something I’ve been interested in trying. Nothing hugely intensive.
- If you’re gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?
The Sims, Hogwarts Legacy. Maybe a couple of the “Tales of” games or other JRPG. Not sure what else. No Call of Duty or anything like that. I don’t think anything I’d play would be particularly demanding.
- Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?
I would really like the keyboard to be the standard US keyboard, not the International or Bilingual that tend to come with Canadian laptops. This is probably a dealbreaker for me and why I imported my first laptop. Touch-screen would be nice but not totally necessary. I would like an optical drive but can always get a plug and play if it’s not available in the build.
- Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion.
I have a custom Sager 5125 Built on Cleve 1500M. Honestly, I don’t even know what that means. I have a screenshot of the receipt with the specs if needed.
I used to be a lot more tech-savvy but it has been about 20 years since I knew what I was doing. I live in Canada but had the laptop imported from PCtorque which apparently isn’t even a computer store anymore. (It was definitely .com, not .net)
I am open to importing from the US again, but would prefer to buy in Canada.
You must log in or register to comment.
Not too sure if it’s been mentioned, and too lazy to scroll and check, but what about a Dell XPS 15? Ram is upgradeable to 64gb ddr5, and there is room to add an additional gen 4 NVMe. Given I bought a “satisfactory good” from BB a couple of months ago, it was practically brand new, and was only $1100 USD, which I imagine is less than $2000 CAD. A brand new one goes for about $1500, which I think is just about $2100 CAD, you may be able to catch a deal for one.
ETA: wow, I didn’t realize how much of a price difference is between the two countries
“Dude, you’re getting a Dell!”
Jokes apart, you should look into a Dell Precision, HP Envy/Spectre, and the Lenovo ThinkPad laptops.
Those are the three best PC brands in the Windows market as of NOW.
Consider the Legion Slim 7 as well. I have the 4070 Intel variant and would highly recommend.
This is the AMD/4060 variant which I would argue is the best bang for the buck and will have better battery life than the Intel. If ordering from Lenovo’s site, look for coupon codes and see if you’re eligible for any of the ID.me discounts like first responder, student, etc. You can probably get another couple hundred off.
It is similar to the Legion 5 people have been recommending, but is slimmer and more premium looking while still performing well. It’s all metal instead of plastic and has nicely machined vents and stuff.
If you seek out reviews you’ll see that it is very well regarded.
I would not recommend anything slim if durability and upgrading are more important than weight and form factor
Framework, Lenovo Slim Pro, Asus Zephyrus G14 are all good choices here
I would go for the Asus zephyrus G14. It’s all small, super powerful, upgradable, good battery, superb display and what not. It’s for $1249 USD at least here in the US. If you’re looking for something more small and premium, choose the Thinkpad x1 carbon or XPS 13 or 13 Plus (my personal favourite). You could prolly get the 32GB RAM variant of the XPS and Thinkpad for that budget which will last you a long way down the road.
I think you probably have the age of the computer off by 10 years. 2000-era laptops would have been Pentium III machines maxing out at 800Mhz with 128MB of RAM, and would not have been able to run Windows 7.
Y can get some laptops with rtx 4080 if u are lucky but moslty u would get rtx 4070 or rtx 3080 and u can wait until black friday
I would recommend a framework laptop with this kind of budget. Linus tech tips is an investor in the company.
Asus proart studio book 16
The most important part in this thread is how he managed to make it through 23 years. That’s probably back in Windows 2000 to Win XP days. And he managed to make it run Windows 7 too
Lenovo are having a sale on the lead up to Black Friday
Hogwarts legacy is like 4x more demanding then COD
Is it really? Maybe I won’t get it…
>$2000
Does it mean that you’re willing to spend no less than 2000? Or are you aiming for a price of around 2000 (~ 2000)?
You sound like you would be a Framework fan. Practical, sustainable and pro consumer.
All of these other laptops have glued in batteries, soldered RAM and plastic cases - They will not last you 23 years. My brothers 2 year old laptop had its casing cracked because the plastic was weaker than the stiffness of the hinge. I spent a week sending emails, phoning shops and searching websites looking for a replacement casing, but no one sold them. Now the laptop has to be replaced for ~$900 as it cannot be closed or even moved due to the massive hole in the case. If he had bought a framework it would be $100 and fixed by Tuesday.
Everyone wants them to succeed, but they are tiny compared to the giants in the sector. If they cant survive and continue supplying replacement parts and upgrades into the future, the concept kind of falls apart.
