Laptop upgrade questions

[Dave7]

HP 17-cn0534sa 17.3" Laptop - Intel® Pentium®, 128 GB SSD, Black​

Showing my ignorance here.
Curry's show this HP17 @ £280ish.
Seems cheap..... Am I missing something ?

 

[numbnuts]

HP 17-cn0534sa 17.3" Laptop - Intel® Pentium®, 128 GB SSD, Black​

Showing my ignorance here.
Curry's show this HP17 @ £280ish.
Seems cheap..... Am I m

issing something ?

HP 17-cn0534sa 17.3" Laptop - Intel® Pentium®, 128 GB SSD, Black​

Showing my ignorance here.
Curry's show this HP17 @ £280ish.
Seems cheap..... Am I missing something ?

Only 4GB ram 8 would have been better, OK you could upgrade to 8 I'm not too sure how much that would cost
Quick look £20 to £35 for 8ram and very easy to fit, I'v done a couple of laptops

 

[Dave7]

Only 4GB ram 8 would have been better, OK you could upgrade to 8 I'm not too sure how much that would cost

I know ram is memory but that is it.
Do I need more than 4 GB ? ...... I have no idea.

 

[markemark]

Depends what you need it for. If you're doing high memory activities (numerous programs running at the same time, image/video processing) then probably not. If you like to do a few things and get frustrated when it takes a while to do, then get more. Else stick with that.

 

[vickster]

Pentium chips are now very old school I think!

 

[numbnuts]

This one
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/h...p-intel-core-i3-128-gb-ssd-grey-10257070.html

 

[Dave7]

This one
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/h...p-intel-core-i3-128-gb-ssd-grey-10257070.html

Thank you.
Where does it tell me what ram that has?

 

[Mike_P]

Thank you.
Where does it tell me what ram that has?

Scroll down

RAM: 8 GB / Storage: 128 GB SSD

What size is the hard drive on your existing and how much do you use. Is 128GB big enough? Could we worth looking at HPs own website as they often have offers and IME the likes of Amazon add their own mark up on and then claim its a bargain.

 

[Rusty Nails]

Do you actually need Windows, or could you get an alternative such as Ubuntu if it will work on an old laptop?

 

[dicko]

Get a Tablet does everything and more than a computer. Better still get an Apple iPad far superior to an Android tablet (in my opinion).

 

[Mike_P]

Tablets do have their limitations IME

 

[albion]

Indeed. But if not work orientated, there is low need for a laptop.
And a bluetooth keyboard stand gives some versatility to a tablet.

 

[Psamathe]

Tablets do have their limitations IME

I would agree. For some people they can meet their needs but for others tablets fall far short - not just the need for a mouse and keyboard.

When I cycle tour (couple of months with camping gear) I do take a tablet (plus other electronics but no laptop) because of weight and electricity constraints. But when I travel I now take a laptop as hostels have plenty of electrivity and things are not quite so weight sensitive and they do what I want to do where a tablet doesn't.

I these threads where people ask what they should do, what anybody else does is generally irrelevant because different people make different uses and it can be one occasional but crucial specific detail that can constrain what device they can consider.

"Horses for courses".

Ian

 

[Alex321]

Get a Tablet does everything and more than a computer. Better still get an Apple iPad far superior to an Android tablet (in my opinion).

This is just false. A tablet may well do all you need, but it certainly doesn't do "everything a computer does and more".

I have a tablet, and I have a computer. Different devices, for different purposes.

And while iPads may be (slightly) better than Android devices, they are priced well above any difference. You are paying for style more than substance.

 

[PaulSB]

@Dave7 you haven't said what you use a PC/laptop so I'm going to take guess that your similar to me. My laptop is used for:

1. Email
2. Web surfing especially when it's something important to me
3. Shopping when it's something important or I need to research before buying
4. Ticket purchase for theatre, concerts, gigs etc.
5. "Work" - I'm treasurer to a local charity and need access to Excel and Word
6. Football - 3-4 times a season I might need it to watch the Rovers live
7. Films - from time to time to watch Netflix or similar

The above means I use it every day, perhaps just for a few minutes to update a finance spreadsheet or send an important email. All of this is very simple stuff and doesn't require a great deal of computing power. My machine, a Microsoft Surface Pro, is eight years old running Windows 10, handles all this very well. I use a laptop for these things because I want speed and accuracy which I can't achieve with a tablet or phone. As an example if I want to work on a spreadsheet, yes I can use my phone or tablet, but compared to using a laptop and key board these are slow and cumbersome.....for me. Important online shopping? If I'm researching cycle kit for example. Concert tickets? Well I'll be chasing Springsteen tickets on Thursday and Friday - there's no way I'd risk doing this on the small screen of my phone.

Plenty will disagree with me and offer reasons why a tablet or phone can do these things. I think it all boils down to ease of use, confidence in the outcome and what suits the individual.

I have a tablet, rarely used, and a Samsung phone which I use a great deal for messaging, browsing and reading etc. Stuff I want to do quickly and easily, in a comfy chair without firing up a laptop.

In your shoes, presuming my guess above is accurate, I would buy a good value laptop from Currys or similar. They will be able to offer you a data transfer service to move everything on your existing machine to the new one. You will then be "up and running" for everything you currently do and may need to in the future.

I knew this would be a longish post, my one fingered typing on the phone would have taken ages.........so I fired up the laptop........