Lenovo, Acer and Asus?

[The Game]

Originally Posted by David Watts

Might be forced to purchase a new computer soon. Woke up this morning, fire up the computer for some pre go to work OOTP and get some goofy unable to access user profile nonsense. I found some instructions on how to fix this, but if it doesn't work, I will be forced to purchase a new one. Going to be a long day at work.

My question is in regards to the three brands listed above. Are they trustworthy? I'm a desktop guy. The computer I might be replacing is a HP. Or should I take the big jump and move to MAC. All I do is use it for is the internet and of course, OOTP. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks.

i bought my Lenovo last May after i tried to upgrade my 8 yr old Dell and it flaked out. i spent $189 or so on my PC and I love it. It plays the games I want fine and it streams Netflix fine, although not always perfectly. Sometimes Chicago Fire/PD will be choppy on NBC playback.
500 GB drive that I wont fill up anytime soon but I do want to upgrade that soon. Only downfall is I can't play GTA V on it but it does play GTA : SA

[Biggio509]

Originally Posted by David Watts

I have another question. Are there any processors to avoid? Intel Celeron? AMD? Or should I just strictly look at Intel machines?

Just make sure you don't get the gimp cheap version like IBM's celeron. AMD used to have one as well. Searching for PC builds under $500 may help. They will tell you good components.

You don't need even average stuff to run OOTP well. I just recently upgraded from a 2006 dual core with 4 GB of memory. I get a solid but dated mainboard for free from microcenter after the rebate. I have 8 GB of newer memory now and a AMD FX 6300 six core processor. Strangely I have noticed very little difference on OOTP meaning it wasn't taxing my 2006 system at all! I saw a huge improvement in sim speed for FM though.

If OOTP is your main concern you don't need top of the line stuff. I think mine care from an under $300 PC build. I will note the graphics card as at least average now. I had updated that before I found out my old PC's fan was running slow and my FPS crashed because the MB was clocking down the PC to reduce heat. I have a NVida GT640 which is pretty average now I think if not slightly below.

I wouldn't worry too much about graphics but onboard MB graphic chips worry me. They are not usually very good.

Personally I prefer to build a desktop. It does help me keep my habit in check. I wouldn't mind an alien ware for the road but you don't need one for OOTP. Since Dell bought out alienware I am also not so sure they are still using top quality components.

One last thing. All PC manufacturers use the same parts and software they just add to it. The PC manufacturer is really an assembler. They all get chip sets, processors, memory, and graphics cards from the same suppliers. So just be careful to check the components.

What concerns me with the Asian companies like Levono is they may source cheap Chinese power supplies. The power supply is absolutely the most important thing and you want high quality. If the PS goes it can kill a mainboard. My 06 build was a necessity from a 05 build where a cheap chinese power supply killed 2 MBs before I realized that was the problem. The voltage was off and boom there goes the MB. While still selling low end stuff assembled in Singapore and Malaysia HP and Dell do use quality components. They have too much reputation to risk. There was an incident in '08 or '09 where Dell laptops had some problems with capacitors on MBs but they fixed it.

If you build you can skimp on some things but never a power supply. Make sure the companies use a brand like ANTEC if you can.

[TGH-Adfabre]

'05 or '06.

[Biggio509]

Originally Posted by gpellis

As for the complaints about Windows 8, some of them are warranted, but they're going to go away with Windows 10.
.

Until the new complaints come for 10. This is almost driving me to go MAC at some point. Although I am not sure if I can build a machine and buy MAC OS. Vista had tons of problems and Microsoft's answer was buy 7 and you will get what we should have fixed in Vista with little more. Now 8 is horrible and the answer we will fix if that if you buy our new OS. This is a crappy business model. They need to learn the lesson of Henry Ford before a new entrant comes in and takes market share.

[ra7c7er]

I get that unable to access user profile thing every now and then. I've never been able to figure out what is causing it becuase it's so intermittent. Just shutting the computer off and restarting it works for me.

One thing I have noticed is if I start typing my password right after the screen pops up it sometimes will say unable to find user profile. I have been wondering if typing so quickly isn't just interrupting a process.

[millhousebc]

Looking at a new computer, basic computer needs, and OOTP/BTS/FM type gaming. Thoughts on the HP Pavilion 500-509c

Features:
Processor and Memory:
•Intel® Core i5-4590, 3.3 GHz
•6 MB cache
•8 GB DDR3 SDRAM

Drives:
•1 TB, 7200 rpm
•SuperMulti DVD burner

Graphics:
•1GB NVIDIA GeForce Graphics 705

In my price range, but any concerns I should have?

[NoOne]

Originally Posted by millhousebc

Looking at a new computer, basic computer needs, and OOTP/BTS/FM type gaming. Thoughts on the HP Pavilion 500-509c

Features:
Processor and Memory:
•Intel® Core i5-4590, 3.3 GHz
•6 MB cache
•8 GB DDR3 SDRAM

Drives:
•1 TB, 7200 rpm
•SuperMulti DVD burner

Graphics:
•1GB NVIDIA GeForce Graphics 705

In my price range, but any concerns I should have?

as per intel's website (i just googled i5-4590) it's a q2 2014 chip. make sure this hp is lower priced then similarly spec'd hp systems - it gets tougher to compare between brands and computers that are just 6month difference in age, but still worthwhile.

i think the newer (q1 2015?) chips are better when it comes to heat dissipation, but i think most of the other improvements are epeens - don't quote me on the latter part. either way, with a laptop you will surely appreciate and improvement in dealing with heat.

if ootp is the most advance game you play, an integrated vid card is plenty good enough. so, you don't need a dedicated graphics card, which can save you money. in fact, the integrated intel graphics do a better job with 2d stuff like hd/bluray movies.

i dislike hp laptops/computers, but it's a simple fix with a fresh install of the OS right when you get it out of the box. get rid of all their bloatware.

hp is no worse than dell or any other out-of-the-box computer. they all cut corners somewhere, and you probably won't know unless that computer has been on the market long enough, and at that point it's better to get a more recent product, lol.

if you got 2 pc's and not sure, read what intel says about the CPU's. read up on any other difference too.

differences in ram mhz is not as sexy as it looks. don't get too focused on that. going from 1333mhz ram to 1600mhz ram is almost negligible (i'm sure the speeds are faster now). if the bus speed isn't up to snuff it's totally worthless. find where the bottlenecks are in the current options. avoid paying for something that will never reach what it advertises.

[The Wolf]

Scroll down to the bottom for some laptop deals:

Laptops, Desktop, All-In-One PCs for Home & School | Dell

[The Wolf]

I would never own an HP. Toshiba, Dell, Acer, Asus, Alienware, sure. No HP.

[MizzouRah]

I would never own a Toshiba or an Acer.. Asus's are overrated in my book and Alienware just costs way too much.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I would never own a Toshiba or an Acer.. Asus's are overrated in my book and Alienware just costs way too much.

I have never once seen a problem with a Toshiba. HP's I have found to be junk. My business uses a LOT of laptops.

[RchW]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

I have never once seen a problem with a Toshiba. HP's I have found to be junk. My business uses a LOT of laptops.

Same here. Toshiba is gold IMO. HP's are repetitively junk.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

I have never once seen a problem with a Toshiba. HP's I have found to be junk. My business uses a LOT of laptops.

So does mine I've replaced so many Toshiba system boards my hands are numb. Some HP's suck.. but there are some great models.

[ashantewarrier]

I have a Lenovo Yoga Thinkpad Ultrabook that my company gave me for work. it's functional but I hate the trackpad!

After a very bad experience with Dell laptops crashing, poor customer service and dealing with the horrible Windows 8 OS I converted over to Mac. Just purchased a 15 inch MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt display and must say it's awesome!

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by RchW

Same here. Toshiba is gold IMO. HP's are repetitively junk.

Yep. Every one of our Toshibas is still running. None of our HP's are.

[millhousebc]

What are your thoughts on this?

Lenovo H50 PC

Base Features


Processor Speed
3.5 GHz

Processor Cores
4

RAM
12GB DDR3 1600

Hard Drive Capacity
2 TB HDD

Hard Drive Speed (Revolutions Per Minute)
7200 rpm

Optical Drive
DVD+/-RW

Pre-loaded Operating System
Windows 8.1 64-Bit

Graphics Card
AMD Radeon R7 Integrated Graphics

Dedicated Graphic Card
No

The 2tb hard drive is overkill, but the 12gb of ram is nice. The only concern I have is the pwer supply is 180W, which seems small. Would be tough to upgrade with the type of computer and how the motherboard is (14 pin)

[NoOne]

Originally Posted by ra7c7er

I get that unable to access user profile thing every now and then. I've never been able to figure out what is causing it becuase it's so intermittent. Just shutting the computer off and restarting it works for me.

One thing I have noticed is if I start typing my password right after the screen pops up it sometimes will say unable to find user profile. I have been wondering if typing so quickly isn't just interrupting a process.

you may have a corrupted profile. back up your important documents and other files in user directories to a different 'normal' directory. make a new user account. you can more your documents back to the newly made directories.

[NoOne]

Originally Posted by millhousebc

What are your thoughts on this?

Lenovo H50 PC

Base Features


Processor Speed
3.5 GHz

Processor Cores
4

RAM
12GB DDR3 1600

Hard Drive Capacity
2 TB HDD

Hard Drive Speed (Revolutions Per Minute)
7200 rpm

Optical Drive
DVD+/-RW

Pre-loaded Operating System
Windows 8.1 64-Bit

Graphics Card
AMD Radeon R7 Integrated Graphics

Dedicated Graphic Card
No

The 2tb hard drive is overkill, but the 12gb of ram is nice. The only concern I have is the pwer supply is 180W, which seems small. Would be tough to upgrade with the type of computer and how the motherboard is (14 pin)

***some info might be outdated***

i found alot of 'review' pages when i researched buying an SSD. this page gave the best info i could find on SSDs (july 14). Legit Reviews - Technology News and Reviews

i'm not a fan of AMD. benchmark software is easily manipulated, so it's hard to use those to compare chips. the best way to compare chips is with real-world work. e.g. you see them comparing FPS of games to compare vid cards. if you know anythign about TV's it's like those 'infinite' contrast ratios some claimed to have. in reality it was the result of purposeful engineering to take advantage of the testing method.


this is a desktop?

hdd: rpm is only half the story, you need to know aerial density. plenty of 5400rpm drives are way better than a 7200rpm drive. without that spec you cannot compare HDD by RPM. so, don't make a decision between two computers based on RPM of hdd. so, why get a drive that creates more noise and heat? get a good quality 5400rpm if you go for a mechanical hard drive.

think about adding an SSD or finding a desktop with both mechanical and an ssd hard drive. use the mechanical for storage (or skip that and get an NAS if storage is necessary - or take your old HD and keep using it in new desktop). the ssd is for applications, games, OS, and the OS page file. movies and music do not require the speed of an SSD, but games, applications and the OS will load faster - noticeably. programs work in RAM, so an SSD will only enable the data to be loaded into ram faster - much much faster. my pc turns on in 12-14 seconds, and, except for the SSD, it's 4 years old.

ram: mhz is fine but if it's faster than the bus speed it's a nearly worthless E-peen. don't get off brand ram.

4-cores is more than what you need from how you describe your use. in this case, it's not too bad of a thing unless it's a significant cost. if you do any video processing and such (encoding and other heavy lifting) get the chip with hyperthreading technology, you will process those jobs somewhere between 10-20% faster. most games and applications outside of this do not make use of hyper-threading, yet.

PSU: they are easy to swap out. 180 may or may not be low. depends on the chip and other things connected. an integrated vid card is the biggest part of that. they are way better on watts compared to a dedicated 3d gpu vid card. if you plan on upgrading the gpu, you will have to get a new psu for sure. otherwise, the one out of the box should be fine for what comes in the box. even if you add another hdd or cd rom.


well i wrote this assuming this was a laptop, but i think i am wrong:

do you use the cd/dvd writer? the last two computers i bought i regretted buying dvd/bluray writers. i never use them. i don't think i'd even bother with a cd-rom on a laptop.

12gb of ram is useless for fhm/ootp/bts type programs. 80% of it will sit unused at all times. 4gb is enough, i'd suggest getting 8. that way if you got ootp open, mozilla, a hd movie playing and whatver else... you won't run out of RAM.

the 2tb hd isn't overkill, if you download a lot of movies and tv shows.

the original chip in the hp you posted was probably the right tier of chip for what you do.

$500-$600 laptop will be more than what you need for ootp. more is okay as long as it isn't "ludicrious speed" more. (think Spaceballs).

don't worry too much about how fast your chip is. if you want to see the greatest system perfomance increase, get an SSD hard drive. the problem is they are a bit small and is there a laptop that comes with ssd and a mechanical hard drive?? (not hybrid, only get that if it's virtually the same price as a normal mechanical drive)

i got an SSD in july, which has 1TB of writes, so far. it is rated for 72tb. so if i use 2tb/year it should last a while for me. if i started using ootp on it instead of my mechanical drive, i'd probably have multipl TB of writes by now, and it would still last a long time. i'm just scared i guess. i use it for applications and programs (not ootp), OS, and the page file.