‘Good looking’ (Windows) laptop

[Deep Thought]

giblet said:

Deep Thought said:

Theres currently a deal on for a 10% off code on Dell Outlet

http://www.dell.com/learn/uk/en/ukdfh1/campaigns/f...

And theres some XPS 13 9370 i7 16GB 512GB SSD, FHD laptops on Outlet for £1180 - the 10% = £1,062 delivered.

Thats where my money would be

This is very tempting!

I’m after a new laptop, mainly for work. Daft thing is the majority of the time I’ll be using Google Docs in Chrome so the specs are overkill.

I’ve had my current laptop since late 2011. Specs are somewhat dated now (i7 2630QM, 6GB ram and 500GB hard drive) but it still does the job. My only issue is it’s a chunky 17” desktop replacement so a pain in the arse to lug about.

The XPS seems to be a bargain when compared to it’s main rivals. The voucher code brings the price in line with the third party refurbs on eBay which have a shorter warranty.

Funnily the company i'm contracting with are a G Suite site and the system i'm implementing is internet based so likewise i've no particular heavy duty needs. I think my machine tops out at around 5GB RAM usage out of 8 so i really dont need 16GB but i guess future proofing is a good idea.

Using my Lenovo X240 i5 at the min in to which i've dropped 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. If i was being honest i dont need more than this so my main Envy 13 is overkill, let alone an XPS, but at around £1,000 that XPS is very tempting.

[Thats What She Said]

I've used a Macbook Pro for the past few years, but recently was given an MS Surface Book Pro at my new job. It's a very nice bit of kit, easily as well made and designed as the MBP.

I think MS got it right when they made these. I cant see myself rushing back to a Mac any time soon.

[giblet]

Deep Thought said:

Funnily the company i'm contracting with are a G Suite site and the system i'm implementing is internet based so likewise i've no particular heavy duty needs. I think my machine tops out at around 5GB RAM usage out of 8 so i really dont need 16GB but i guess future proofing is a good idea.

Using my Lenovo X240 i5 at the min in to which i've dropped 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. If i was being honest i dont need more than this so my main Envy 13 is overkill, let alone an XPS, but at around £1,000 that XPS is very tempting.

Many years ago I used to build my own pcs and always feel into the latest shiny bits trap. I fear I’m doing the same as I can get a lightly used XPS 13 9370 but with the i5, 8gb of ram and a 250gb ssd with warranty for £700ish but my head keeps saying go the whole hog with the i7, 16gb ram and the 500gb ssd.

[bitchstewie]

Anyone got an Alienware or similar recently?

Good looking is subjective

[gizlaroc]

[redacted]

[gizlaroc]

XPS 13 would be my choice too, I used one, although was with Ubuntu, for a week and it is a really nice bit of kit.

[vsonix]

Efbe said:

my massive gripe with dell is the customer service.

Should you have an issue they can't fix first time you get assigned an arsey indian case handler who will treat you like st, refuse to answer calls/emails and point blank refuse to fix your laptop.

Unless this has improved in the last 3 years there is no way I would ever touch a dell again. Decent customer service for laptops is imperative given the failure rates of even the best built machines.

I've had mixed results with Dell but have found if you buy as a small business rather than a private individual the service is a LOT better. It also helps if you've got a support background as you can usually wheedle better service out by 'Talking the Talk'. I managed to get Dell to give me onsite service to replace a laptop screen a full year after my basic warranty ended after I was able to show they knew there was a known issue with them.

I recently went with Lenovo instead of Dell and the service was even worse. Not only that but the machine itself was way less robust than the equivalent Dell and merely replacing/updating hard drive and RAM was a herculean task on the Lenovo, the machine had to be broken down to practically bare bones just to get at the HD and RAM. Then when I got in there I found the warranty seal was already broken so they'd either sold me a used machine as a new one or some other shenanigans. By this point it was out of warranty so a non-issue but it boils my pee to think that if I'd had a problem within warranty they'd have knocked me back as the machine had been 'tampered with'.

So although based on the OP's desire for something slim and good looking I might have suggested a Lenovo as the top flight machines do look very tasty indeed but now, based on experience I'd rather go back to the familiarity of Dell. Personally I am less fussed about how the system looks and would rather invest in the most robust case, best possible display, keyboard that has the best action, and ease of access to RAM and HD for when I inevitably want an upgrade. My Dell Latitude laptop has outlasted many machines, over seven years old now, it's a little slow for audio production and the latest programs but it's still going strong - I use it for my car ECU mapping projects and general internet duty. So though Dell mightn't be the glamorous option I've found that they're more than adequate for long term use.

The general caveat I have found with laptops is don't overpower them. The latest fastest CPU combined with gamer-spec graphics and you will have a machine that's overheating and unreliable. Machines with on-board graphics tend to outlast their siblings with the flashiest gear on board. To the point I'm not even interested in buying 'top spec' laptops any more as they almost always start to go wrong after a year to 18 months whereas the 'middle of the road' ones tend to trundle along happily for ages.

Edited by vsonix on Monday 23 July 15:25

[Deep Thought]

bhstewie said:

Anyone got an Alienware or similar recently?

Good looking is subjective

Is your requirement primarily gaming?

If so you might be better starting a separate thread for responses and if not, then you might be better with something like an XPS which has some graphics capability but not to the detriment and design, style and weight like (i found) the equivalent Alienware is

[giblet]

Decided to stop getting caught up with the specs and agreed a deal on a very lightly used XPS 13 9370. Seems the seller used it a handful of times before buying a 2 in 1.

A few hundred quid cheaper than retail and still under warranty. Given that the i5 in the 9370 outperforms the same gen i7 in the 9360 due to improved cooling it should be fine for what I need. I’ll post up my thoughts and a few pics once it has arrived.

[Deep Thought]

giblet said:

Decided to stop getting caught up with the specs and agreed a deal on a very lightly used XPS 13 9370. Seems the seller used it a handful of times before buying a 2 in 1.

A few hundred quid cheaper than retail and still under warranty. Given that the i5 in the 9370 outperforms the same gen i7 in the 9360 due to improved cooling it should be fine for what I need. I’ll post up my thoughts and a few pics once it has arrived.

Sounds like a good deal. Let us know your thoughts when you get it up and running.

[LunarOne]

chadders74 said:

HRL said:

Boot camp your existing Mac and put Windows 10 on it too?

Or Parallels to have both at the same time.

Another vote for dual booting with bootcamp or use Parallels or VMware Workstation or Oracle Virtualbox to run both OSs simultaneously. With Virtualbox you needn't pay a penny apart from whatever MS are asking for Windows.

I had a 2013 15" Macbook Pro for work and it was fabulous with both MacOS and Windows. But the powers that be decided not to support Macs for my role and I got a Lenovo P50 instead. Despite the huge spec, the display is awful, it's huge and heavy and not at all good looking unless you like black plastic. And worst of all, it won't run MacOS (I can't use a hackintosh image in a corporate environment). The only benefit I have with the Lenovo is the docking station, which I must say is very handy. But then I run it with two external monitors plus the laptop display...

[DoubleByte]

giblet said:

Decided to stop getting caught up with the specs and agreed a deal on a very lightly used XPS 13 9370. Seems the seller used it a handful of times before buying a 2 in 1.

A few hundred quid cheaper than retail and still under warranty. Given that the i5 in the 9370 outperforms the same gen i7 in the 9360 due to improved cooling it should be fine for what I need. I’ll post up my thoughts and a few pics once it has arrived.

Keep an eye on https://www.killernetworking.com/driver-downloads

They post driver updates there way before they make it onto the Dell support system. As mentioned I had problems with dropouts on my 9370 but the latest drivers 'appear' to have helped.

Mike

[giblet]

Well it arrived today and it’s a ruddy 9360 (technically a 9360R as it has the 8th gen i5). Not sure what to do now, I’ve sent a message to the seller and might ask the opinion of a moderator.

The advert title mentioned “latest version” which led me to think it was the 9370. I’d be interested to know other peoples thoughts, the thread is here - https://www.avforums.com/threads/latest-dell-xps-1...

[HRL]

My spidey senses were tingling the moment he said he’d just sold a MacBook Air too.

He clearly made a point of not commiting to the specific model. In fact he gave you everything but. Buyer beware and all that unfortunately.

[DoubleByte]

Ouch.
So really it's last years upgrade of the 9360, not exactly the 'latest'.
I would go back to him and say it's not as expected, don't use it and maybe you could agree to send it back.
If that fails then 'out him'.
Mike

[anonymous-user]

I presume if paid by PayPal gift as per the advert there is no PayPal protection as well?

[superstreek]

I have been using a Surface Pro for the last few years and it is very well engineered bit of kit and looks good in my opinion. The hinged keyboard is obviously a personal thing but I ended up ditching my office keyboard and just using the surface and docking hub.

The wife has a Lenovo Yoga 920 I picked up for her last year and if the aesthetic is important that is very hard to beat, the watch band style hinge alone is seriously impressive and seems to turn a lot of Mac users green. Although the pics on lenovos site somehow manage to make it look thick it is actually about the same as the surface (thinner than a macbook).

[giblet]

Dropped a mod a PM to get their opinion. Seller seems like he is willing to take it back and refund the money. Let’s see what the mods say