Analysis Paralysis

Ever get overwhelmed with options, types, models, etc while trying to shop for something?

Im looking to get a new general use laptop and my head is absolutely spinning. Anytime i decide on one i second guess myself and start all over again.

Sometimes its much easier when the option of one is all there is.....SMH....

Oh yea

The End/

 

General use laptop: i5 processor with 8gb RAM. The RAM is probably more important than the processor. If you want to splurge and make the system boot, and programs boot, super fast, get an SSD drive instead of a spinning drive. That's about it.

 

PM your CC number and I will get you one.

 

Yea thats what i was aiming at, but fuck Intel with their naming bullshit....a god damn i5 CPU can be from 10 years ago....so now you gotta watch which actual i5 PCU it is, then, does the laptop have the options i need. Oh wait, what about an i7. Google bench mark results between acual CPUs, huh, look at that, an i7 is slower than an i5

....backlit keys and a LAN port are pretty much a must....what graphics display resolution? UHD, HD, bla bla bla, bullshit bullshit bullshit.

I really like Lenovo laptops, but their entry level stuff doesnt have a LAN port...USB C and id have to get an adapter, but then some of the PLC stuff i may need to access may not like going through a USB adapter...

oh yea, and the reason for the upgrade. Work handed me a panasonic toughbook or whatever...fucking thing is 3" thick and weights a ton....best part is, it has 8gb of ran and an i5 CPU (gen 4 mind you), but its only running windows 32bit....so cant use more than 4gb of ram....FFS.

 

Nope. That’s one thing I’ve never had to deal with. I know within a matter of seconds if I want something or not. It took me less than 10min to buy this house.

The contractor couldn’t believe how quick I make decisions. In less than 3 hours I had the flooring, carpet, all the paint colors, shower tile, kitchen appliances, kitchen cabinets and countertops, ceiling fans, and all the light fixtures for the entire house picked out.

It only took that long because I had to visit different places.

The only exception is vehicles. I do like to research them and build them from scratch.

 

Remember the old days when you bought Computer Shopper to look for a computer?

You'd start with a $200 budget, find exactly what you need, turn the page and find one just a bit better for a bit more money, and finish the catalog having fully justified spending $2000 on a computer.

 

Yup. That’s exactly where I am at. God damn mission creep.

 

Here is my advice on laptops. Buy at a level you think will still do the job 5 years from now and not just do the job today. Unlike a desktop it is very difficult to just throw parts at a laptop to get you through another year.

 

Throw parts at it?

Like crankshaft and shit? From a tractor?

That's how I feel like fixing mine most often ..

 

Mission creep. What a perfect expression.

 

I'm in the same boat w/ a new laptop. Decided on the Dell 15", loaded up from Costco. The 15" is the only one with ports other than "C-Type" only.
Best deal out there, and w/ Costco they give you MS Office and double the warranty. More laptop than I wanted, but it was a great deal that should not be obsolete for 3-4 years.

 

For tech stuff I go to one of the geek forums like https://hardforum.com/ (Just because I've been there since the 90's) and I let them choose it for me. Just give them my budget and what I'm using it for. Maybe because I'm a long time user but last system I built they compiled all the parts with links to best price. Trust me there are people who live and breathe whatever thing you are looking for be it computer or A/V. They will literally fight over making the best choice for you lol.

Hardforum https://hardforum.com/forums/mobile-computing.73/
Anandtech
Bleepingcomputer
http://forum.notebookreview.com/forums/what-notebook-should-i-buy.16/

 

Here's what I have:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-env...240846.p?skuId=6240846#tabbed-customerreviews

I'm on my second one of these since 2013. i7 processor, 1tb spinning hard drive, DVD drive, plenty of RAM for a fast boot, ginormous 17" screen for movies and such and it's a touchscreen which is super handy looking at prints and giving presentations in the office. Not the latest tech, but under $1k and solid functionality. I do a fair amount of video and photo editing, and the 1tb on board is nice to be able to store multiple projects locally instead of fishing for external drives. I carried the first one in my backpack around the world regularly with no issues at all, and now I'm passing it down after 5 years.

 

If you are looking for something new and lightweight, it won't have a traditional serial port for the PLC connection. Serial ports have been gone for about 3 years now on new laptops, as have builtt-in CD/DVD drives from most consumer-level laptops.

You are pretty much stuck with USB to Serial adapters. I don't think USB 2, USB 3, or USB C matter much except that the newer ones support higher speeds. I have some USB3 ones that support in excess of 460K baud (and some devices that require that-FML).

I've had good luck with U2IO and B&B Smartworx USB adapters for serial connections to older stuff.

 

I suggest to people to set a hard budget, ie - $650 max period no matter what.

Then, get the best you can for that $ amount.

Otherwise, there’s always something just a little better... always lol

 

99.999% of the shit said in this thread makes no sense to me.

When I buy laptops, I go to BestBuy.com and filter all results to 17”, then I find the one that has the biggest numbers beside all the fucked up acronyms.

I don’t know what any of that shit means. But if one computer has 7 of something and the other one has 8, then the second one must be better.

That’s strategy hasn’t failed me yet. I’ve never gotten a laptop delivered and then been like “damn, I wish it had/could do this...”.

 

You must be from Pittsburgh in a past life...."bigger is better"....

 

I wish they would just set a single standard for connections that encompassed any/all signal transmission between devices.
Can't replace an electronic entertainment component without having to update the other components that were purchased during the original transaction or having to purchase a complex switching device to make the connection.
Same with dissimilar brand/operating system computers and even within the same brand!
And yet, I can still plug a home phone into a wall and have it work no matter how long ago that wiring was installed. W_T_F_!_?

Analysis paralysis? Impossible. Technology is here to make our lives easier.
?
Ain't nobody got time for that.



Happy Thanksgiving!

 

To overcome analysis paralysis and mission creep you create a list of things you must have and cant live without, then you prioritize this list. EX. a big screen because I will watch movies on this device.
Start using the filters on most websites to narrow down the search domain and then pick the cheapest.

Online reviews on the model you picked can shed some very valuable info on something you won't know from store visits or spec sheets. So always type in the name of your selected laptop followed by the word problem into Google........if it's ridden with bugs/glitches/faults, then pick the next one in line (usually more expensive) and repeat.