Laptop Recommendations

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Dascc

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Not sure if this is the best place post this....

Looking for recommendations on a laptop for VCDS. I currently have a Lenovo G570 I think i got in (2012/13) which is just too slow now. I'm primarily a Mac user but have usually had one Windows PC/laptop for VCDS and one other application that is Windows only. I don't need a super powered machine but needed something with a bit more umph.

I'm not that knowledgeable with Windows machines anymore so I'd be happy for some input on what a decent brand is. My only preference would be a 13in model or smaller. My current one is 15in, larger than i would prefer for using in the car.
 
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Uwe

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Looking for recommendations on a laptop for VCDS. I currently have a Lenovo G570 I think i got in (2012/13) which is just too slow now.
Color me confused. That machine has a Core i5 CPU, right? VCDS should run more than happily on it.

-Uwe-
 
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Keithuk

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My laptop is Samsung NP350E7C-A04UK 17.3" which I brought from Argos in the UK for £348 in 2012, which I use all the time. I know you say you would like a 13" or smaller to use in a car. I find it ok in a car because when you have additional popups in VCDS VC-Scope you can drag these to the side. On a small screen you don't have the room.

All new laptops come with Windows 10 which is compatible with VCDS. I hate all operating systems after Windows 7. My Samsung came with Windows 8 which I hated. I bought a bigger hard drive and put Windows 7 on it, it been great ever since. The main thing I hated was no Start button. I installed ClassicShell which it free to download put the Start button back.

I did try the free install of Windows 10 that Microsoft were pushing all the time. I tried it for a test to see if all my software would still work. There are 2 pieces of additional software to my own I use all the time. ETKA and ElsaWin. ETKA wouldn't even run even setting the compatibility back to Windows 7. ElsaWin worked but for some strange reason it changed the language back to German, which I changed back to English. Because ETKA wouldn't work I uninstalled Windows 10 which put back Windows 7.

One of the common quotes from Bill Gates many years ago is that software will work on ALL versions of Windows produces. :mad:

For car use I wouldn't say you need a super fast laptop so just Google the best deals in your area.
 
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Uwe

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My laptop is Samsung NP350E7C-A04UK 17.3" which I brought from Argos in the UK for £348 in 2012, which I use all the time. I know you say you would like a 13" or smaller to use in a car. I find it ok in a car because when you have additional popups in VCDS VC-Scope you can drag these to the side. On a small screen you don't have the room.
What will fit on a screen depends on the screen's resolution, not its size. Your 17" Samsung looks to have 1600x900. I have a 13" Dell here with 1920x1080. Guess which one fits more info? ;)

-Uwe-
 
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Dascc

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Color me confused. That machine has a Core i5 CPU, right? VCDS should run more than happily on it.

-Uwe-

Not sure of the CPU, I'd have to go take a look.

VCDS runs fine for the most part, it was bugging out at the time I posted this. It was telling me that my application was out of date however the "update" button was greyed out. I ended up going to the RossTech site to download the current version.

But anyways, simple things like running Internet Explorer, will take a couple minutes to load when opening up. Chrome is a bit faster but not by much. I'll click the start menu and it will take a 10+ seconds to pop-up. Same thing when trying to access the control panel.

The laptop is used solely for VCDS & car repair related youtube vids and for one work based site that only loads properly on IE. The only programs I've installed on it is VCDS, Chrome, and Microsoft Office.

I would like something that could handle those tasks a bit more snappier- I don't need tons of computing power. preferably $500 or less.
 
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Sounds like something's not right there. The wifes laptop displays similar symptoms to yours, and I don't know how she manages to crock a laptop like she does. All my laptops work fine, she gets her hands on a brand new one and within 3 months she's got it running like a bag of snails having a slow race.

Time to wipe it completely and reload a fresh Windows install I think.
 
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4x4rob

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Uwe

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Time to wipe it completely and reload a fresh Windows install I think.
Or just replace the original spinny drive in that Lenovo with a modern SSD and load a fresh Windows 7 on that.

-Uwe-
 
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Gary

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Or just replace the original spinny drive in that Lenovo with a modern SSD and load a fresh Windows 7 on that.

-Uwe-

Totally agree with this, I use Samsung EVO SSD in all my Laptops and Desktops, you won't believe how much more quicker they are in all aspects. Can be expensive, just choose the right size for your application. :)
 
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Uwe

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Totally agree with this, I use Samsung EVO SSD in all my Laptops and Desktops, you won't believe how much more quicker they are in all aspects. Can be expensive, just choose the right size for your application. :)
Yeah, the only problem with that approach is you're never sure how much of the improvement is due to the SSD vs. how much is simply due to the fresh/clean Windows.

-Uwe-
 
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Dascc

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Sounds like something's not right there. The wifes laptop displays similar symptoms to yours, and I don't know how she manages to crock a laptop like she does. All my laptops work fine, she gets her hands on a brand new one and within 3 months she's got it running like a bag of snails having a slow race.

Time to wipe it completely and reload a fresh Windows install I think.

Maybe I'll give that a try first.


Or just replace the original spinny drive in that Lenovo with a modern SSD and load a fresh Windows 7 on that.

-Uwe-


that's what I've been debating. The cheapest Crucial drive is $100 plus I figured I'd upgrade the ram which is another $65. wasn't sure if it was worth throwing money into a nearly 5 year old machine that I paid appx $3xx.00 for.....
 
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Keithuk

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What will fit on a screen depends on the screen's resolution, not its size. Your 17" Samsung looks to have 1600x900. I have a 13" Dell here with 1920x1080. Guess which one fits more info? ;)

-Uwe-

Yes the screen's resolution is 1600x900, I can't set it any bigger.
 
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Dascc

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Well that was embarrassing.... I guess I just assumed the machine was toast being 5 years old. The clean install seemed to have helped quite a bit.

Started the process of a clean install yesterday. still haven't finished everything, a think a bunch of windows updates are being downloaded but so far its a very good improvement over how it behaved before. Menus load without issue and internet browsers launch quicker.

I had no idea how much bloatware Lenovo preinstalled now that I see the OS from scratch.

Hopefully this will hold me over for a few more years.

thanks for the tips guys!
 
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ArtemusPrime

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run windows on mac. boot camp. runs great
 
   #16  
J

JacobHawkins

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My laptop is Samsung NP350E7C-A04UK 17.3" which I brought from Argos in the UK for £348 in 2012, which I use all the time. I know you say you would like a 13" or smaller to use in a car. I find it ok in a car because when you have additional popups in VCDS VC-Scope you can drag these to the side. On a small screen you don't have the room.

All new laptops come with Windows 10 which is compatible with VCDS. I hate all operating systems after Windows 7. My Samsung came with Windows 8 which I hated. I bought a bigger hard drive and put Windows 7 on it, it been great ever since. The main thing I hated was no Start button. I installed ClassicShell which it free to download put the Start button back.

I did try the free install of Windows 10 that Microsoft were pushing all the time. I tried it for a test to see if all my software would still work. There are 2 pieces of additional software to my own I use all the time. ETKA and ElsaWin. ETKA wouldn't even run even setting the compatibility back to Windows 7. ElsaWin worked but for some strange reason it changed the language back to German, which I changed back to English. Because ETKA wouldn't work I uninstalled Windows 10 which put back Windows 7.

One of the common quotes from Bill Gates many years ago is that software will work on ALL versions of Windows produces. :mad:

For car use I wouldn't say you need a super fast laptop so just Google the best deals in your area.
HI,

Im starting out on video editing with the free version of Davinci resolve and have been looking to pickup a new (budget) laptop for some beginner to intermediate level of video editing. It was suggested to me to look into AMD processors as they come cheap and powerful. Was looking into AMD Ryzen 7 4800U and specifically Lenovo Yoga slim 7 laptop. It is my understanding that Davinci runs on GPU as well and this has the standard Ryzen GPU (I think?). Would be great to hear your views on the above laptop and also suggestions around the same price range.

Thanks in advance.
 
   #17  

Uwe

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Seriously? You're resurrecting a five year old thread, and asking about a laptop to run video editing software?

I think you should find a better place to ask about this kind of stuff. It's no more on-topic here than Mazda keys.

-Uwe-
 
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