Board 8 > Please help me with technology (laptop and phone)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Been using this same Dell laptop for about 5 years now and it's about time for an upgrade. Not necessarily looking for a gaming computer although it would be nice to be able to play some of my Steam games. Was thinking maybe one of those tablet+laptop combo but the good ones are quite pricey. I'm not completely opposed to spending $800 dollars but I would prefer somewhere around the $500 range. Otherwise I'm not sure what to look for, I don't know as much about computers as I should at this point in my life.

As for phone I just upgraded from a Samsung s6 to an s20. Significant improvement. And I don't actually need much help with it, figured out all the problems I had already, but since it's very new to me I was just wondering if there are any quality of life apps or functions that I should be aware of. Also any mobile game recommendations are welcome since now seems like a good time to give in to the reality that mobile gaming isn't going away.

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The tablet + laptop combos are pretty nice. I have an older Microsoft Surface Pro for work and it's pretty cool to use, but they are a bit expensive.

What do you normally use your computer for? What kind of games do you play? Graphics cards are an expensive component of your computer and if you don't really game that much on it then you could probably opt to get a lower end one.

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I typically just use it for browsing the internet, but I'm interested in the tablet aspect for the possibility to practice drawing. I don't think the graphics card is too important, the highest quality game I would maybe play is mass effect 2.

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CassandraCain posted...

the highest quality game I would maybe play is mass effect 2.

that's a uhh, not low quality game. Do you have a desktop as well for games and this is just for on the go or is this your only computer?

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Colegreen_c12 posted...

that's a uhh, not low quality game. Do you have a desktop as well for games and this is just for on the go or is this your only computer?

it's ten years old

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CassandraCain posted...

I typically just use it for browsing the internet, but I'm interested in the tablet aspect for the possibility to practice drawing. I don't think the graphics card is too important, the highest quality game I would maybe play is mass effect 2.

You can also look into proper drawing tablets. The Wacom ones come to mind. It might be cheaper to get a laptop + drawing tablet rather than getting a tablet/laptop combo. The only downside is that there's a disconnect between where you're drawing and looking but you'll get used to it.

If you're playing old games then you don't really need a dedicated graphics card.

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Right it may not be low quality but it ain't super high quality either. Regardless I'm primarily a console gamer. One day I hope to get a desktop when I have space and money for it but for now it isn't a priority.

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Drawing isn't even super important either honestly, just something I might be interested in if it was convenient.

All I really need is something thats comfortable in my lap since my main use will be typing.

Should I just pick anything that looks good on amazon

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Yea, go for it. You don't need a dedicated graphics card so any relatively new CPU and integrated GPU will be sufficient. You probably want 8 GB RAM at minimum. Hard drive size is up to you.

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BlackDra90n posted...

The tablet + laptop combos are pretty nice. I have an older Microsoft Surface Pro for work and it's pretty cool to use, but they are a bit expensive.

What do you normally use your computer for? What kind of games do you play? Graphics cards are an expensive component of your computer and if you don't really game that much on it then you could probably opt to get a lower end one.

I picked up one of the higher speced Surface Pro 5 models (i5 7300, 256GB HD, 8GB RAM) preowned for $430 a year ago. I have to imagine you could get a newer version of it for the same price now.

Not sure you could game on them though given they don't have a graphics card. It can run old stuff on it (like I've run Final Fantasy XI on it) but I'd imagine anything that is like 2010 onwards will run like shit with the internal GPU they have and what I have to imagine is minimal cooling capacity

That being said for non gaming I'd recommend it. My gaming laptop hasn't left the house since I bought it and I usually take the Surface Pro with me every day when I'm working