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wildvision) wrote2017-01-16 11:26 pm
wildvision) wrote2017-01-16 11:26 pm
Entry tags:
Crap!
I am an idiot. And I fail at time management, or something.
I said before that Dad upgraded my desktop for me as a gift, and that I was going to upgrade my laptop myself. Well, I initially figured that I'd wait a bit. Give myself time to get used to Windows 10, acclimate and all. Then I'd upgrade my laptop. But I screwed up. See, I need Access 365 on my laptop in order to do the homework for one of my classes this semester. This semester...which has already started. And guess what won't run on WinXP? Yeah, Office 365. So, I have to have a new laptop, and I need it yesterday.
So now I'm running around like a headless chicken, trying to pick out a laptop. I know what specs I want...to a point, anyway. But there are so many options, and minor variants, and all that jazz. It's hard to pick one! Plus, I really wish I could have one to tinker with in person before I buy it. Test drive it, so to speak. But that's not going to be an option, probably. We were at Best Buy last weekend, and about all they had out were the 2-in-1 types, which is not what I want. Guess maybe we could check Staples, but honestly, I doubt they'd have anything better, and I'm running out of time. I need to pick something and get it ordered, ASAP.
I want a regular clamshell model, not a 2-in-1. No touchscreen. I want Windows 10, obviously. I need at least 1TB in hard drive space, and at least 8GB of RAM. I prefer Intel processors; anything at or above an i3 would be good. I need a DVD burner. I need at least 3 USB ports, either 2.0 or 3.0. (More would be better!) The screen should be roughly 15.6". I might be willing to go bigger, but not smaller. I'd prefer a full HD 1920x1080p display, but I'm not sure how important that is. I might have to settle for a 1366x768, which are way more common, and often cheaper. I want a decent display color-wise; so the brightness, saturation, and just general colors, look right. But there evidently isn't any clear way to measure this, or if there is, no one includes it in laptop specs. A webcam would be great, but it's not required, since I can buy a standalone one. But it'd be one less thing to buy, which would be nice. I'd prefer not to spend more than $600, although I can if I absolutely have to. I'm thinking either an Acer or an Asus. My old laptop is an Acer, and it's been good. And Dad's current favorite brand is Asus. So, thus far I'm confining myself to searching those brands.
But even within only two brands, there are so many options! Even more, if you count the more expensive ones. Obviously, I don't want to spend more than I have to. But I guess the question becomes 'Do I have to?'. What things are worth paying more for? And how much? Am I willing to pay extra for the full HD display? I'm not sure. I am willing to pay extra for better color accuracy, but that's not part of the listed specs, so I have no idea if I'll be getting it or not. Dad says Acer's considered a lower end brand, and that Asus might be better. Okay, fine. I just wish I could know for sure. Plus, I'm cheap. So it bugs me that the Acers are often cheaper. It's the classic problem...you often get what you pay for, so you don't want something cheap, but at the same time, you don't want to spend more money than you have to. So, where do you draw the line? No clue!
I've found a few that I'm looking at. I'll have to look them all over, and see what the differences are, and start deciding what's important and what's not. And how much I want to spend. Because I have got to get this thing ordered, pronto. Until I get it, I'm stuck doing my CIT170 homework after hours, on my desktop. And by that time of night, I'm usually about ready to fall asleep. Not so good when concentration is needed. Hell, I have to do that tonight! Go home and do this homework. No idea how long it'll take, but I'm already exhausted, and in no mood for this crap. But I gotta do it, so. Guess that's incentive to get off my indecisive ass and pick a laptop already. I don't want to have to keep doing this!
I said before that Dad upgraded my desktop for me as a gift, and that I was going to upgrade my laptop myself. Well, I initially figured that I'd wait a bit. Give myself time to get used to Windows 10, acclimate and all. Then I'd upgrade my laptop. But I screwed up. See, I need Access 365 on my laptop in order to do the homework for one of my classes this semester. This semester...which has already started. And guess what won't run on WinXP? Yeah, Office 365. So, I have to have a new laptop, and I need it yesterday.
So now I'm running around like a headless chicken, trying to pick out a laptop. I know what specs I want...to a point, anyway. But there are so many options, and minor variants, and all that jazz. It's hard to pick one! Plus, I really wish I could have one to tinker with in person before I buy it. Test drive it, so to speak. But that's not going to be an option, probably. We were at Best Buy last weekend, and about all they had out were the 2-in-1 types, which is not what I want. Guess maybe we could check Staples, but honestly, I doubt they'd have anything better, and I'm running out of time. I need to pick something and get it ordered, ASAP.
I want a regular clamshell model, not a 2-in-1. No touchscreen. I want Windows 10, obviously. I need at least 1TB in hard drive space, and at least 8GB of RAM. I prefer Intel processors; anything at or above an i3 would be good. I need a DVD burner. I need at least 3 USB ports, either 2.0 or 3.0. (More would be better!) The screen should be roughly 15.6". I might be willing to go bigger, but not smaller. I'd prefer a full HD 1920x1080p display, but I'm not sure how important that is. I might have to settle for a 1366x768, which are way more common, and often cheaper. I want a decent display color-wise; so the brightness, saturation, and just general colors, look right. But there evidently isn't any clear way to measure this, or if there is, no one includes it in laptop specs. A webcam would be great, but it's not required, since I can buy a standalone one. But it'd be one less thing to buy, which would be nice. I'd prefer not to spend more than $600, although I can if I absolutely have to. I'm thinking either an Acer or an Asus. My old laptop is an Acer, and it's been good. And Dad's current favorite brand is Asus. So, thus far I'm confining myself to searching those brands.
But even within only two brands, there are so many options! Even more, if you count the more expensive ones. Obviously, I don't want to spend more than I have to. But I guess the question becomes 'Do I have to?'. What things are worth paying more for? And how much? Am I willing to pay extra for the full HD display? I'm not sure. I am willing to pay extra for better color accuracy, but that's not part of the listed specs, so I have no idea if I'll be getting it or not. Dad says Acer's considered a lower end brand, and that Asus might be better. Okay, fine. I just wish I could know for sure. Plus, I'm cheap. So it bugs me that the Acers are often cheaper. It's the classic problem...you often get what you pay for, so you don't want something cheap, but at the same time, you don't want to spend more money than you have to. So, where do you draw the line? No clue!
I've found a few that I'm looking at. I'll have to look them all over, and see what the differences are, and start deciding what's important and what's not. And how much I want to spend. Because I have got to get this thing ordered, pronto. Until I get it, I'm stuck doing my CIT170 homework after hours, on my desktop. And by that time of night, I'm usually about ready to fall asleep. Not so good when concentration is needed. Hell, I have to do that tonight! Go home and do this homework. No idea how long it'll take, but I'm already exhausted, and in no mood for this crap. But I gotta do it, so. Guess that's incentive to get off my indecisive ass and pick a laptop already. I don't want to have to keep doing this!