I have some grant money that I need to spend by September, and as my current laptop is having severe performance issues I was hoping to replace it with a newer model. I headed over to NBR and was shocked to see that it closed. Followed the trail and here I am :).
General Questions
1) What is your budget? Up to $2600, but if I can spend less that would be great
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
a. Ultraportable; 10" - 12" screen
c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
e. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
3) In which country will you buying this notebook? US
4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: None
b. Dislike: None
5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed? Only if they offer a strong benefit over new
6) What are the primary tasks you will be performing with this notebook? Excel processing, power point, Python, Visual Studio
7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both? Both
😎 Will you be playing games on your notebook? (If so, please state which games or types of games?) No
9) How many hours of battery life do you need? Preferably 5 or more
10) Would you prefer to see the notebook you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK? Buying online is ok
11) What OS do you prefer? Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Chrome OS, etc. I've always been a Windows user but willing to consider Mac
12) What ports do you require on your laptop? (ex. MiniDisplayPort or HDMI? Displayport or USB-C w/ DP?) USB-C.
Screen Specifics
13) What screen resolution(s) would you prefer? See further below for explanations. 4K would be ideal, but willing to compromise here
14) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? See further below for explanations. No preference
Build Quality and Design
15) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you? I don't want something that screams "gamer" (despite very much being a gamer).
Notebook Components
16) How much storage space do you need? 512 GB min, 1 TB preferable
Timing, Warranty and Longevity
17) When do you consider purchasing this laptop? Before September
18) How long do you expect to use this laptop? 2-4 years
19) How long could you afford to do without your laptop if it were to fail? 1-2 months
20) Would you be willing to pay significantly extra for on-site warranty, or would it be acceptable to you to have to ship the laptop to the vendor for repair with perhaps a week or more outage? Shipping is acceptable
I currently have a Yoga C940. For the first year it was great, but over the past year it's been having severe performance and battery life issues. Windows Explorer is extremely laggy, and Excel takes over a minute to open. I'd suspect a misconfigured OneDrive, but my gaming desktop connected to the same account seems to work fine. I also suspect my employer's security software suite (Dell Encryption, IBM BigFix) but I'm unwilling to let it anywhere near my gaming desktop to test :D. Since I have the money to burn for work-related expenses, I figured I'd try to upgrade the laptop and see if it fixes the issue. Does anyone have recommendations? Also, are there any highly anticipated releases between now and September that might be worth waiting for? Thanks!
