Replacement laptop.

[Danolo]

Ok here's a first candidate.   I posted this before, and on careful examination it seems to have everything we need, except for a lower price tag!

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07QQB7552/?coliid=I8VVRG60S0O0N&colid=32BAEV1G53AJU&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it_im&th=1

@Garzan , I seem to recall you had a suggestion to "spend $100 more" on an upgrade, but I cannot find that post. Do you recall? Can you find it again?

And to all you guys with good vision, please take a look at this listing and in looking at the picture of its right side, there are several ports.  Front back to front, I think they are power, USB and HDMI. What are the other ports for?

Ahhhh research...

Edited October 21, 2021 by Danolo

[Danolo]

Updated NEEDS/WANTS list.

Needs:

 Laptop.  

Ports for external devices : headset, mouse, hard drive.

Processor - AMD R5-3500U

Boot drive a SSD - 256GB

Ram - 8GB

Windows 10 (upgradeable to WIN11)

Enough power to run Second Life and YouTube, and to multitask.

 

Wants:

15" monitor

Enough power to launch the Space Shuttle.

===========

As always, I would appreciate your suggestions. 

I'm off to find another choice.

[Danolo]

Ok, this is a second candidate that definitely breaks the budget.

https://www.amazon.ca/VivoBook-Display-i7-1165G7-Processor-S533EA-AB71-CA/dp/B0967N6V6Z/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=asus+laptop&qid=1634831940&s=electronics&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFQTzVTSklJWThCQkgmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAxNTk3MjgyQkpSSVlDRzFVMk42JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAwMjg4ODVLTzBPVk5ET0hPSlYmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

Intel processor, 

Boot drive - 512 GB  SSD

Lotsa juicy stuff, but way beyond my budget.

 

[Danolo]

Ok, being sensible, I found this refurbished one, looks good.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/324690439181?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=706-162034-195411-8&mkcid=2&itemid=324690439181&targetid=1390212558702&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1002451&poi=&campaignid=13939713973&mkgroupid=130254459572&rlsatarget=pla-1390212558702&abcId=9300619&merchantid=116374385&gclid=CjwKCAjwn8SLBhAyEiwAHNTJbctzhb2NdMJIjiSAt8fP0l3NDg3_ErpKeGsSZnvEaN_5MQg6mlkruBoC98UQAvD_BwE

The only problem I see is it has only a 14" monitor.

What do you guys think?

 

[Danolo]

In looking at refurbished laptops, most are 14" monitors - no 15 ".

I realize this is subjective, but will that make a big difference?

 

[Danolo]

Ok one more

https://ca.refurb.io/collections/laptops/products/acer-travelmate-p446-14-laptop-intel-i5-5200u-2-2ghz-8gb-memory-256gb-solid-state-drive-windows-10-pro

My brain is fried, time for coffee and a sandwich.

Thanks guys

 

[wadman]

21 minutes ago, Danolo said:

Ok, being sensible, I found this refurbished one, looks good.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/324690439181?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=706-162034-195411-8&mkcid=2&itemid=324690439181&targetid=1390212558702&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1002451&poi=&campaignid=13939713973&mkgroupid=130254459572&rlsatarget=pla-1390212558702&abcId=9300619&merchantid=116374385&gclid=CjwKCAjwn8SLBhAyEiwAHNTJbctzhb2NdMJIjiSAt8fP0l3NDg3_ErpKeGsSZnvEaN_5MQg6mlkruBoC98UQAvD_BwE

The only problem I see is it has only a 14" monitor.

What do you guys think?

 

The CPU is an Intel i7-5600U.  That's a 6 year old CPU.  I realize your wife's computer needs are modest, but if you keep it for 6 years, you will end up using a 12 year old CPU!

The whole system is likely to be 6 years old as well, in terms of obsolescence. E.G. the wifi card, the bluetooth chip, USB ports, etc are all of the standards from 6 years ago.

[wadman]

1 hour ago, Danolo said:

Ok here's a first candidate.   I posted this before, and on careful examination it seems to have everything we need, except for a lower price tag!

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07QQB7552/?coliid=I8VVRG60S0O0N&colid=32BAEV1G53AJU&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it_im&th=1

@Garzan , I seem to recall you had a suggestion to "spend $100 more" on an upgrade, but I cannot find that post. Do you recall? Can you find it again?

And to all you guys with good vision, please take a look at this listing and in looking at the picture of its right side, there are several ports.  Front back to front, I think they are power, USB and HDMI. What are the other ports for?

Ahhhh research...

Yes , this one (the original one) probably has all you need.

In terms of ports:

2 USB Type A 

1 micro sd card reader

1 3.5 mm audio port (the regular rounded type, that you can plug earphones into)

1 USB type C 

1 HDMI 

1 USB Type A

 

That's a lot of ports.  I doubt you will need more.  It has an audio port, so you can plug in a pair of wired earphones or speakers.

It is listed at 3.5 pounds which is pretty light for a 15 inch laptop.  Dunno how much you carry the laptop around, and how much weight matters.

Inside, it has a full 2.5 inch bay, which is sold empty.  But later, you have the option to install a second hard disk (the old type of hard drive), or a second SSD.

The wifi card is wifi 5, not the newest wifi 6.  But wifi 5 should still get you plenty of connection speed.

 

[Danolo]

1 hour ago, wadman said:

Yes , this one (the original one) probably has all you need.

In terms of ports:

2 USB Type A 

1 micro sd card reader

1 3.5 mm audio port (the regular rounded type, that you can plug earphones into)

1 USB type C 

1 HDMI 

1 USB Type A

 

That's a lot of ports.  I doubt you will need more.  It has an audio port, so you can plug in a pair of wired earphones or speakers.

Yeah, she likes ear buds, so I'm sure I connect them.

It is listed at 3.5 pounds which is pretty light for a 15 inch laptop.  Dunno how much you carry the laptop around, and how much weight matters.

It does not get moved at all.

Inside, it has a full 2.5 inch bay, which is sold empty.  But later, you have the option to install a second hard disk (the old type of hard drive), or a second SSD.

I suspect that might be fairly easy, eh? I have a couple of spare SSD drives.

The wifi card is wifi 5, not the newest wifi 6.  But wifi 5 should still get you plenty of connection speed.

 

Thank you for your detailed replies. Its looking like I may have to bite bullet and hurt my credit card.

 

[forcebwithu]

9 hours ago, Danolo said:

That would be great, for ME!  My wife needs a laptop due to restricted desktop space. She does not have room for a 24". 

And yes, brother, "its too bad you're not in Thailand already" is very true.

You can still go with an external monitor using a monitor stand that clamps to the back of the desk. Here's a link to several on Lazada.

You can also provide more room for an external keyboard and mouse using a keyboard platform that attaches under the desk (link).

And as was mentioned earlier, use a powered hub for your USB connections (link to the one I have). Using the hub eliminates the worry about wearing out the hard to replace connectors on the laptop. If it should happen you wear out the connectors, just buy a new hub.

[Garzan]

I'm still fond of this one https://www.amazon.ca/VivoBook-i3-1005G1-Processor-Fingerprint-F515JA-AH31-dp-B08H4YTTLP/dp/B08H4YTTLP/ref=dp_ob_title_ce?th=1 from Amazon Canada. The F515 is supposedly newer than the F512, and I do admit to having a personal preference for Intel CPUs over AMD CPUs. 

At 4 gigs of RAM, it means the second memory slot is empty. I'd stick an 8 gig stick in the empty RAM slot for a total of 12 gigs of RAM and that will stand your wife in good stead to handle darn near any memory related task. 

It comes configured in (S)hit Mode, but that's easy enough to change to full Windows 10 at zero cost. 

 

[Garzan]

Here's a link to the memory on Amazon Canada. https://www.amazon.ca/Crucial-PC4-25600-SODIMM-260-Pin-Memory/dp/B08C4Z69LN/?th=1

 

[Danolo]

Thanks FBWY and Gar.

 

[wadman]

8 hours ago, Garzan said:

I'm still fond of this one https://www.amazon.ca/VivoBook-i3-1005G1-Processor-Fingerprint-F515JA-AH31-dp-B08H4YTTLP/dp/B08H4YTTLP/ref=dp_ob_title_ce?th=1 from Amazon Canada. The F515 is supposedly newer than the F512, and I do admit to having a personal preference for Intel CPUs over AMD CPUs. 

At 4 gigs of RAM, it means the second memory slot is empty. I'd stick an 8 gig stick in the empty RAM slot for a total of 12 gigs of RAM and that will stand your wife in good stead to handle darn near any memory related task. 

It comes configured in (S)hit Mode, but that's easy enough to change to full Windows 10 at zero cost. 

 

 

Note that the Intel version comes with only 128 GB of SSD storage, whereas the Ryzen version has a 256 GB SSD.  Not sure how important storage is to Danolo.

It doesn't look like it has 2 RAM slots.  So you would be replacing the 4GB RAM with 8 GB RAM.  In the pic below (taken from the Amazon.ca listing), the RAM stick is underneath the big black piece of tape. I doubt the space directly to the right of it is a second RAM slot as it has a screw running right through it.  8 GB RAM should be ok, I really wouldn't want to run windows on 4 GB RAM.

And it seems that the discrete Vega GPU on the Ryzen model is both a blessing and a curse.  It seems that GPU card uses 2 GB of the main RAM, leaving you with 6 GB RAM to run windows.

 

I agree that Intel i3 10th gen CPU is significantly better than the Ryzen 5 3500 CPU.  Although it's not always the case that Intel is better AMD, certainly not in the last 2 years. 

Ryzen 4000 series CPUs are easily better than Intel 10th gen CPU (if you compare like for like)

Intel 11th gen have closed the gap with Ryzen 5000 series, especially with their Intel Iris XE graphics.  i would still rate Ryzen 5000 above Intel 11th gen though.

 

[wadman]

Take a look at these.  Both are Acer Aspires, Acer's value line of laptops.

Amazon.ca Laptops: Acer Aspire 5 Slim, 15.6 '' FHD IPS Screen, Ci5-1135G7, Intel IRIS, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Backlit KB, Windows 10, Silver, A515-56-5385

770 CAD, Acer Aspire 5 Slim, 15.6 '' FHD IPS Screen, Ci5-1135G7, Intel IRIS, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Backlit KB, Windows 10, Silver, A515-56-5385, 2.7 kg

 

Amazon.ca Laptops: Acer Aspire 5 Slim and Light Laptop, 15.6 inch FHD, CI5-1035G1, 12GB, 512GB SSD, Win 10, A515-55-55W8 (Renewed)

689 CAD, Acer Aspire 5 Slim and Light Laptop, 15.6 inch FHD, CI5-1035G1, 12GB, 512GB SSD, Win 10, A515-55-55W8 (Renewed), 2.86 kg

 

The second one has better specs and a bit cheaper, but it is used/renewed.  A significant downside to both laptops is that they are both rather heavy at 2.7 kg (6 pounds) and 2.86 kg (6.3 pounds).  By comparison, the Asus Vivobook is only 3.5 pounds.  It depends on whether you plan to travel with it, or whether it's bolted down to your workdesk 99% of the time.  Even using these on your lap will be quite annoying due to the weight.

[Danolo]

I ordered a machine late last night.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08H4YTTLP/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

I also ordered the extra RAM.

The Ram comes today and the machine is coming Saturday.

[Danolo]

Well, in lookingh through various YT videos about upgrading this machine, I found that it does not have a network port. Therefore I must use Wifi. Our old machine is hard wired to the router.

What kind of performance? 

Here's what the listing shows:

Lightning-fast dual band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) keeps you connected through any congestion or interference

[Garzan]

14 minutes ago, Danolo said:

Well, in lookingh through various YT videos about upgrading this machine, I found that it does not have a network port. Therefore I must use Wifi. Our old machine is hard wired to the router.

My main desktop at home is a wifi only machine. I refuse to snake a cable across the living room floor. Mine works fine for the games I play, and the movies I stream. I'm sure yours will meet your wife's needs. 🙂

If you find you really need an ethernet cable, this is one possible solution. 

https://www.amazon.ca/Ethernet-Adapter-ABLEWE-Gigabit-Chromebook/dp/B085DJLDBC/?th=1

Edited October 22, 2021 by Garzan

[Garzan]

2 hours ago, wadman said:

It doesn't look like it has 2 RAM slots.  So you would be replacing the 4GB RAM with 8 GB RAM.  In the pic below (taken from the Amazon.ca listing),

Below is a better view. One bank is soldered (4 gig) and one bank has a card slot. Also the M.2 is in an easily replaceable location. 

 

[Danolo]

41 minutes ago, Garzan said:

I refuse to snake a cable across the living room floor.

I have mine strung across the ceiling, through a wall, into a closet, through another wall into her room, and across the ceiling and down to her machine.

I'm hopeful what Wi-Fi will be good enough.

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by Danolo

[Danolo]

So, as I understand it, I can install the ram pretty easily.

But if I want to upgrade the ssd, I will have to re-install windows, right?   Sounds like a PITA.

What do you think Gar?

If I leave the existing SSD in there as the boot drive and then install another SSD in the empty bay will I then be able to install software from the 2nd SSD?

Edited October 22, 2021 by Danolo

[Danolo]

 Now I think I have to buy a spudger..

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0762BVXDY/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_image_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Ordered, delivery tomorrow.

[Danolo]

8 minutes ago, Danolo said:

But if I want to upgrade the ssd, I will have to re-install windows, right?   Sounds like a PITA.

One of the YT videos talked about a "clean" install of Win10.  He did it from a flash drive.

Can I do that?  Does it cost?

 

[Garzan]

2 minutes ago, Danolo said:

One of the YT videos talked about a "clean" install of Win10.  He did it from a flash drive.

Can I do that?  Does it cost?

 

I keep getting sent to the Thai site. Google "Microsoft media creation tool". The only cost involved is the connect time to the internet and whatever the USB drive costs you. I use a 16G USB drive for mine. 

[Garzan]

16 minutes ago, Danolo said:

If I leave the existing SSD in there as the boot drive and then install another SSD in the empty bay will I then be able to install software from the 2nd SSD?

You can do like I do on my Microsoft Surface Pro tablet -- it has a microSD slot so just plug a microSD card in there.

https://www.amazon.ca/Samsung-Plus-microSD-Adapter-256GB/dp/B08HDQVKR2/

I'd recommend you use a good quality microSD and not some cheap knockoff card. 

And advantage to using a plug in card is that you can change to a new card whenever you like, have multiple cards for different things, and when larger sizes become more cost effective, upgrade to a bigger one.

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by Garzan