bell reavue Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 Hi all, I know very little about computers but need to buy a new one for work. I do a lot of data analysis so I need something fast and with lots of space to run programs like Matlab. A lot of people I work with have Macs, but I've never had one before and am worried about compatibility issues, though I like that they seem to be durable. They're also quite expensive so I'm wondering if I could get a cheaper PC and be just as satisfied. So if you know anything about computers, is there one you could recommend? And is my fear of Macs irrational? I am open to any suggestions but am hoping for something with a 13-15 inch screen, $900-1200, and that will last me 6+ years. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Kiba* Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 i'm am not a fan of laptops but would like a little more info for others who could recommend a good one for you okay so first off how much space are you looking for are you just planing on using this laptop for just working no gaming or what 13 to -15 inchs is fine price is good to i'm sure someone can fine you a good one for that price other ? are you fine with shipping or do you want to buy from a store around you need that info for stores around you if your fine with shipping there are sites like ibuypower and newegg you can even build your own for cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xernicus Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 ThinkPad, ThinkPad, ThinkPad. They have the best keyboards, great cooling and build quality, drains for water/spills, anti-shock HDD carriers (if you want an HDD), etc. (Seriously, ThinkPad T-series) And they will last for over 10 years. I would stay away from MacBooks. Since about 2010, the passive components are purposely undersized and underrated for their use. (Spiteful planned obsolesce) They'll work fine for 2-3 years, until some caps go and take out the GPU, VRAM, etc along with them.... and an entire board replacement is required. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TulsaGeoff Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 ThinkPad, ThinkPad, ThinkPad. They have the best keyboards, great cooling and build quality, drains for water/spills, anti-shock HDD carriers (if you want an HDD), etc. (Seriously, ThinkPad T-series) And they will last for over 10 years. I would stay away from MacBooks. Since about 2010, the passive components are purposely undersized and underrated for their use. (Spiteful planned obsolesce) They'll work fine for 2-3 years, until some caps go and take out the GPU, VRAM, etc along with them.... and an entire board replacement is required. ThinkPad's are solid. I had a T60 for awhile. I'm using a 7 year old one for streaming to a TV. Still runs just fine. Probably the best chassis and keyboard on the market. How much power do you need? I see Matlab can be ran on GPU's and in some pretty CPU intensive processes. Rather you need a discrete GPU or not will be a big factor and cost too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Symfony Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Dell XPS laptops are amazing tbh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanaraud Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 This site compares much more expensive i7 with r5: https://www.techspot.com/review/1545-amd-ryzen-5-2500u/page4.html and Intel is ahead by 2 times with Matlab but gets beaten in Games. Ryzen Zen core itself should go neck to neck with Intel counterparts, only thing is Ryzen can push clocks even higher, not that like in desktop where Intel pushes clocks higher and gains huge advantage with only OC. Raven Ridge is so new there aren´t many options out by now, that´s the downside if you are in a hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bell reavue Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 i'm am not a fan of laptops but would like a little more info for others who could recommend a good one for you okay so first off how much space are you looking for are you just planing on using this laptop for just working no gaming or what 13 to -15 inchs is fine price is good to i'm sure someone can fine you a good one for that price other ? are you fine with shipping or do you want to buy from a store around you need that info for stores around you if your fine with shipping there are sites like ibuypower and newegg you can even build your own for cheaper Thanks everyone - I'll look into these suggestions. I have some time to get one (need to finish saving up $$) so there's no hurry. I'm planning on using this just for work, no gaming. Fine with shipping. I don't really know how much space I need...I was just gonna go for as much as I could get without it getting crazy expensive. My current laptop has 128 GB storage and is full. I would not trust myself to build my own for cheaper - I can't even put together an Ikea bookshelf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Kiba* Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 ThinkPad, ThinkPad, ThinkPad. They have the best keyboards, great cooling and build quality, drains for water/spills, anti-shock HDD carriers (if you want an HDD), etc. (Seriously, ThinkPad T-series) And they will last for over 10 years. I would stay away from MacBooks. Since about 2010, the passive components are purposely undersized and underrated for their use. (Spiteful planned obsolesce) They'll work fine for 2-3 years, until some caps go and take out the GPU, VRAM, etc along with them.... and an entire board replacement is required. this sounds like more your style then laptops are nice and all but this sounds more like what you need then a laptop Thanks everyone - I'll look into these suggestions. I have some time to get one (need to finish saving up $$) so there's no hurry. I'm planning on using this just for work, no gaming. Fine with shipping. I don't really know how much space I need...I was just gonna go for as much as I could get without it getting crazy expensive. My current laptop has 128 GB storage and is full. I would not trust myself to build my own for cheaper - I can't even put together an Ikea bookshelf and i don't think anyone can put a ikea bookshelf together right the first time always have a screw or 2 left over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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