New Laptop

[Akantor]

I probably should have asked you guys before purchasing, but can anyone rate the new laptop that I just bought. It's an Asus ROG, model: GL551JWDS71. I'd really like to get some of your guys' opinions on it.

[KeepBotting]

Gaming laptops are pointless. You'd get more for your money from a desktop in the same price range.

[Akantor]

I needed a portable computer for college next year. A desktop would do me no good.

[adc]

You could get a small desktop (http://cdn5.thinkcomputers.org/wp-co...3/06/prod2.jpg Something this size or even smaller) that's miles (think 2-3x or more performance GPU-wise) than that laptop and still have enough to get a low end workhorse laptop for doing word processing and stuff in class.

[KeepBotting]

I needed a portable computer for college next year.

You'll never even utilize its full potential if you're just going to use it for school. Have fun writing essays on your $1,000 gaming laptop.

[adc]

You'll never even utilize its full potential if you're just going to use it for school. Have fun writing essays on your $1,000 gaming laptop.

I don't see where he said he was never going to game on it. No need to be snarky, mate.

[KeepBotting]

I don't see where he said he was never going to game on it. No need to be snarky, mate.

If he's going to game, a desktop would offer far more power for the money, especially if he were to build it himself.

Also, you can't upgrade most of the components in a laptop. What happens when OP gets out of school in five to seven years and his hardware is obsolete?

[adc]

If he's going to game, a desktop would offer far more power for the money, especially if he were to build it himself.

Also, you can't upgrade most of the components in a laptop. What happens when OP gets out of school in five to seven years and his hardware is obsolete?

I don't see where I disagreed with that statement (in fact, I literally said that in my previous post). What I'm disagreeing with is the need to be snarky because "he's just going to use it for school" (and I don't see where he said that, anyway). I needed a laptop powerful enough that I could do programming on (which is, while not super processor heavy, more intensive than just web browsing) and a desktop wasn't an option for that. If I didn't already have a desktop, I probably would've gotten a gaming laptop so I could game and use it in class for programming.

[grats]

I needed a portable computer for college next year. A desktop would do me no good.

$100 laptop with some gnu/linux on it + 900 desktop for gaming >

[DeniedHacker]

Really, If you think you need a really good laptop for doing the programming stuff in school. This is completely wrong... I have done CS with a 300$ laptop.


Edit :
I didn't know what to do with this laptop once I finished school until I found I could convert it into my Simba botting machine.

[grats]

Really, If you think you need a really good laptop for doing the programming stuff in school. This is completely wrong... I have done CS with a 300$ laptop.


Edit :
I didn't know what to do with this laptop once I finished school until I found I could convert it into my Simba botting machine.

My laptop I used for school lags like shit with just 1 bot going, lol. never had problems with anything, I put nginx + php-fpm + gcc + g++ + kate etc all on it for school, never had issues.

[DeniedHacker]

My laptop I used for school lags like shit with just 1 bot going, lol. never had problems with anything, I put nginx + php-fpm + gcc + g++ + kate etc all on it for school, never had issues.

It was lagging too when I was using it with Reflection Scripts, but once I started to make and use my own color script, it went back to no lagging

[P1nky]

$100 laptop with some gnu/linux on it + 900 desktop for gaming >

^

Biggest mistake of mine was actually buying a MacBook Pro like a fool for about $1400-1500. Got caught in the hype
Anyone majoring in CS/CIS/MIS/CE/etc. should honestly know better than getting caught with these mainstream laptops, like Grats had said buy a cheap laptop throw Linux in there and buy some hardware, that is the way to go. However, for gaming just build yourself a sick Desktop.

[DeniedHacker]

Maybe, his whole plan is to play video game during Class Courses!

[3Garrett3]

Jesus, someone pooped in a lot of Cheerios this morning.

$100 laptop with some gnu/linux on it + 900 desktop for gaming >

Wouldn't have worked for what I needed in school. I would have needed at least $300-400 to have a mediocre laptop, it wouldn't last the whole 4 years of school though for sure. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be able to put together a gaming computer to be proud of for the remaining $600-700 either, including monitor, OS, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc.

Gaming laptops are pointless. You'd get more for your money from a desktop in the same price range.

You'll never even utilize its full potential if you're just going to use it for school. Have fun writing essays on your $1,000 gaming laptop.

Gaming laptops aren't pointless. There's a lot of benefits to a laptop:

1) You can carry it around. Some of my favourite times in uni involved getting a group of buddies out and playing random video games together, having some beers, and just hanging out while we nuked each other in Civ.
2)It's infinitely smaller than a desktop + monitor + mouse + keyboard. My residence room was built in the 1960s, it was not made for computers. There was no room for any of those things to be on my desk. I had to put my laptop in a drawer when I wasn't using it because I didn't have enough room for a binder + textbook + laptop, that's how small of a desk area we're talking.
3) You can bring it to class/library/labs. I had to do simulations in labs and for homework and we were encouraged to use our own computers (limited supply of computer labs). I got to run a program that solved 500 equations simultaneously, run chemical simulations, and model in CAD on my laptop. Transferring these things from desktops at school to my desktop at home would have given Murphy's Law one more opportunity to screw with my assignment.

Also, you can't upgrade most of the components in a laptop. What happens when OP gets out of school in five to seven years and his hardware is obsolete?

If he's anything like me, after using a laptop so often for school, he'll hopefully get a good job and be able to afford a sweet gaming rig. He'll then want to upgrade to something much more powerful because he'll be able to sacrifice the benefits of a laptop just to get the best performance. The whole point is that he's in university and can't afford to be spending more money on a desktop which may inconvenience him.

Honestly, after all the good things you normally contribute around here I'm pretty disappointed to hear you rag on a new member like this. It's out of character and reflects extremely poorly on someone who can normally be counted on for quality, helpful input.

@ OP:

Hopefully you like the new computer. It seems like it should handle everything you can throw at it for the next few years until you get some money saved up for a sick upgrade after school.

[grats]

Jesus, someone pooped in a lot of Cheerios this morning.


Wouldn't have worked for what I needed in school. I would have needed at least $300-400 to have a mediocre laptop, it wouldn't last the whole 4 years of school though for sure. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be able to put together a gaming computer to be proud of for the remaining $600-700 either, including monitor, OS, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc.

monitor, os, mouse, keyboard, speakers etc aren't a computer. and every OS worth using is free
besides that I have a $100 laptop I've had for 8 years still works fine.

[3Garrett3]

monitor, os, mouse, keyboard, speakers etc aren't a computer. and every OS worth using is free
besides that I have a $100 laptop I've had for 8 years still works fine.

Those items are all required for gaming with a computer. If you can buy a laptop with all of them included for 1000, it's a completely unfair comparison to say "you can buy a tower for 1000 that's way better, but to get the same performance you'll actually be paying 2000". Besides that, I doubt your 8 year old $100 computer can do all the things I needed mine to do in university, and there's a possibility that Akantor will need it for those tasks as well.

[adc]

Really, If you think you need a really good laptop for doing the programming stuff in school. This is completely wrong... I have done CS with a 300$ laptop.


Edit :
I didn't know what to do with this laptop once I finished school until I found I could convert it into my Simba botting machine.

I don't know if you've ever used a modern IDE, but every popular one I've come across is fairly heavyweight compared to a web browser. I didn't get an i7-5960x in a laptop, but you're not going to comfortably get by on some super low end i3 piece of crap. It'll work, but it'll be slow as hell and frustrating to use for anyone used to their computer being snappy.

Also, @grats, the ability to not have to completely relearn an OS and work through compatibility for games (DotA 2 doesn't have a Beta client for Reborn on Linux or Mac yet, for example) is totally worth spending $100 on Windows. Just because you can comfortably do what you want on a Linux rig doesn't mean everyone can.

[Ian]

Those items are all required for gaming with a computer. If you can buy a laptop with all of them included for 1000, it's a completely unfair comparison to say "you can buy a tower for 1000 that's way better, but to get the same performance you'll actually be paying 2000". Besides that, I doubt your 8 year old $100 computer can do all the things I needed mine to do in university, and there's a possibility that Akantor will need it for those tasks as well.

I wouldn't say those extra components would be an extra $1000.
Monitor: $50
Windows 8.1: $50
Mouse and Keyboard: $20
Speakers: $10

Total cost of extras is $130, and can be lower or higher depending on what you want.

[grats]

I don't know if you've ever used a modern IDE, but every popular one I've come across is fairly heavyweight compared to a web browser. I didn't get an i7-5960x in a laptop, but you're not going to comfortably get by on some super low end i3 piece of crap. It'll work, but it'll be slow as hell and frustrating to use for anyone used to their computer being snappy.

Also, @grats, the ability to not have to completely relearn an OS and work through compatibility for games (DotA 2 doesn't have a Beta client for Reborn on Linux or Mac yet, for example) is totally worth spending $100 on Windows. Just because you can comfortably do what you want on a Linux rig doesn't mean everyone can.

"relearn an OS"
>implying people know anything about windows
I've never seen that as a case, in the tens of thousands of people I've dealt with

[adc]

"relearn an OS"
>implying people know anything about windows
I've never seen that as a case, in the tens of thousands of people I've dealt with

I would love to see a scientific study that shows that. Linux is perfectly fine for enthusiasts, but the average person knows how to do what they need to do (install/uninstall programs, open programs, navigate the file system and so on) in Windows and they would have to relearn how to do that, at least in part, in Linux.

I personally use Windows because it's what I'm used to and know how to use and changing doesn't carry enough benefits (ie. saving $100, for most people) to outweigh the cons.

[grats]

I would love to see a scientific study that shows that. Linux is perfectly fine for enthusiasts, but the average person knows how to do what they need to do (install/uninstall programs, open programs, navigate the file system and so on) in Windows and they would have to relearn how to do that, at least in part, in Linux.

I personally use Windows because it's what I'm used to and know how to use and changing doesn't carry enough benefits (ie. saving $100, for most people) to outweigh the cons.

yes, and smartphones are so hard for people to learn
lets remember those are linux/bsd based, as well as consoles, DVR's, some cars today, GPS, etc
nobody seems to have any real issues with basic stuff, because it's all the same and your hand is held on every system
opening up package managers and clicking install is so hard vs browsing through possibly hundreds of viruses to get a piece of software
must be why microsoft windows 10 is copying the gnu strategy.

[adc]

yes, and smartphones are so hard for people to learn
lets remember those are linux/bsd based, as well as consoles, DVR's, some cars today, GPS, etc
nobody seems to have any real issues with basic stuff, because it's all the same and your hand is held on every system
opening up package managers and clicking install is so hard vs browsing through possibly hundreds of viruses to get a piece of software
must be why microsoft windows 10 is copying the gnu strategy.

Smartphones are an entirely different story, and using them as a basis for how similar operating systems are on desktops is silly. Everything else you listed has a custom UI tacked onto it that only gives access to the needed functions and nothing else.

I never made a comparison in terms of whether Linux is "better" than Windows or vice versa or anything like that. I said that people are used to Windows and they know how it works. For the vast majority of people, that familiarity and the comfort of knowing that everything will just "work" (since, let's face it, most things are programmed for Windows first), is totally worth the $100 whether or not Linux is the "objectively better" operating system.

[grats]

Smartphones are an entirely different story

No they are not.

[adc]

No they are not.

Yes, they are. Apple and Android have slightly different UIs, but for the most part they function the same way. You install applications largely the same way, the settings pages are mostly the same, and just the general UI works the same. I don't own an iPhone and I haven't had an Apple device in 5+ years, but I have no question that if I picked up an Apple device today I'd be able to do 99.9% of the things I needed to do on it simply because it's very similar to Android.

Linux, on the other hand, is way different than Windows (and Mac different from both) in the way it handles things in general. The last time I had to use the command line for anything in Windows that wasn't school related was probably over six months ago to use the ipconfig command. I took a course on Linux (which is obviously going to be more technical than average use, but still; none of my Windows courses have featured anything more than a few command line sections ever) and we used the command line for just about everything. Linux is far more technical than Windows, and while the average user probably could learn it, there's no real advantage over it compared to Windows. Linux is very enthusiast targeted OS, and there's definitely nothing wrong with it, but the average user should not be getting it in my opinion.