Turned Out Nice Again Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 I can't speak highly enough of my 2 Dell d830 (3GB/ 2.4Ghz dual-core) 15" notebooks, bought refurb in 2008/9 with XP, and both still in daily use for (software dev) work and general computing after upgrades to win7 and Vista SP2 respectively with SSDs, and no pressing need to upgrade yet apparent after ~8 years! - 1680px res laptop display + 1920px res dual external monitors - docking station (with PCI slot expansion, if required) - accessory bay can be used for dvd, additional battery or 2nd hard drive. - pc-express slot (enables USB 3.0) - firewire (for legacy scanner) - cheap replacement batteries etc. universally available. boot-up time and processing speed are perfectly OK; only downsides are lack of 64-bit, hdmi-out and smooth HD video (720p is fine) and 3d gaming, which aren't important to me, and only 3GB RAM which rules out running virtual machines, which would be nice. otherwise, best money I ever spent on computers, hands down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted September 10, 2014 Author Share Posted September 10, 2014 I wanna be an Apple funboy, just so I can get a snazzy scarf like this crazy guy...Looks wey cool... http://mashable.com/2014/09/09/apple-scarf-guy/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ologhai Jones Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 ... an Apple owner is much more likely to look after their equipment because they develop an emotional/religious link to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted September 10, 2014 Author Share Posted September 10, 2014 A lot of manufacturers use the same, or a very similar chassis for an entire range - say going from a £380 i3, to a 7 or 8 hundred quid i7. They just change the components.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eight Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 My last two Windows laptops (both Toshiba) lasted 15 years (still going) and 8 years (still going). I think those numbers are somewhat skewed by cheap/crappy windows laptops (if you pay under £300 for a laptop WHAT exactly do you think you are buying?) and by the fact that an Apple owner is much more likely to look after their equipment because they develop an emotional/religious link to it. Is two and a half years not OK though, for a cheap laptop? It's two quid a week. I spend more than that on gnocchi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Whenever I've got a new computer, laptop or otherwise, it's not been because the old one has packed in but the appeal of a flashier one. Actually I tell a lie, my first laptop (can't remember the make) packed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueRat Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Current PC is 6 years old, works fine. I haven't got a smart phone or tablet and sometimes I wonder if this is keeping me stuck indoors more, glued to my PC. Swapping computers every 2 years just for the sake of it is very wasteful. Some of these E-waste photos are hair-raising: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2014/feb/27/agbogbloshie-worlds-largest-e-waste-dump-in-pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eight Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Current PC is 6 years old, works fine. I haven't got a smart phone or tablet and sometimes I wonder if this is keeping me stuck indoors more, glued to my PC. Swapping computers every 2 years just for the sake of it is very wasteful. Some of these E-waste photos are hair-raising: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2014/feb/27/agbogbloshie-worlds-largest-e-waste-dump-in-pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Current PC is 6 years old, works fine. I haven't got a smart phone or tablet and sometimes I wonder if this is keeping me stuck indoors more, glued to my PC.I don't see much difference between being glued to the PC indoors or glued to a table or phone somewhere else, except the computer at home is probably capable of doing more. If you're going out then go out, don't drag the indoors along with you. Even for something like a journey (when you're not driving of course) I'd rather take the chance to sit back and watch the world go by, there's joy in that. Unless it's dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueRat Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Working from home, forums, Ebay and so on, it all keeps me stuck to my computer. I go for a good walk every day but I'm still on my computer too much. I listen to podcasts on my walk so I'm sort of getting half and half of the real world and the digital ball and chain. Anyway, this is derailing the thread. I don't think Macs are worth it and I bet a lot of people buy them solely for status reasons. They want to be seen to be better than the herd. The right badge on show, like their fancy German car. I would say even the cheapest PCs are good enough for most people these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Not really then Mr Rat! I've never had anything Apple! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ologhai Jones Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Current PC is 6 years old, works fine. I haven't got a smart phone or tablet and sometimes I wonder if this is keeping me stuck indoors more, glued to my PC. Swapping computers every 2 years just for the sake of it is very wasteful. Some of these E-waste photos are hair-raising: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2014/feb/27/agbogbloshie-worlds-largest-e-waste-dump-in-pictures Hell on Earth. Why are the people in the pictures standing on things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueRat Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Hell on Earth. Why are the people in the pictures standing on things? I think the photographer has got them to do it for some arty reason. Another photographer's coverage here: http://andrewmcconnell.photoshelter.com/gallery/G0000oLuiBLHIsmM The suburb of Agbogbloshie in Ghana's capital, Accra, has in recent years become a dumping ground for computers and electronic waste from Europe and the US. Hundreds of tons of e-waste end up here every month as countries in the West attempt to unload their ever increasing stockpiles of toxic junk. Of the 20 to 50 million tons of electronics discarded each year 70% will end up in poor nations, and in the EU alone 6.6 million tons of e-waste are unaccounted for every year...Increasingly this e-waste is finding it's way to West Africa and countries like Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast. Traders bypass international laws by labeling the equipment as second-hand goods or charity donations, but, in reality as much as 80% of the computers sent to Ghana are broken or obsolete. Their final resting place is Agbogbloshie dump where they are broken apart, mostly by children, to salvage the copper, hard drives and other components that can be sold on. ..The disposal of electronic goods in the West is a costly affair and must be done in an environmentally responsible manner, however in places like Ghana there are no such regulations and as such toxic metals like lead, beryllium, cadmium and mercury are continuously being released causing untold damage to human health and the environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted September 10, 2014 Author Share Posted September 10, 2014 Current PC is 6 years old, works fine. I haven't got a smart phone or tablet and sometimes I wonder if this is keeping me stuck indoors more, glued to my PC. Swapping computers every 2 years just for the sake of it is very wasteful. Some of these E-waste photos are hair-raising: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2014/feb/27/agbogbloshie-worlds-largest-e-waste-dump-in-pictures Yes, of course there is the throwaway consumer society out there, but the manufacturers are guilty of making, shoddy sub-standard equipment...all for profit of course...If you don't upgrade or replace, they aren't making money. Take a washing machine for instance...if you buy a bog standard Hotpoint or Beko, and use it everyday, you'll be lucky to get a couple of years out of it...compared to a twin tub, that will probably last a couple of decades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scunnered Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 What is it exactly that macs do better than most computer users actually need? Well there's the helpful way that when you plug in a random USB stick, a Mac will spend 15 minutes indexing it for you ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libspero Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Yes, of course there is the throwaway consumer society out there, but the manufacturers are guilty of making, shoddy sub-standard equipment...all for profit of course...If you don't upgrade or replace, they aren't making money. That's a bit too cynical even for me. Manufacturers are only guilty of selling consumers exactly what they want (for as much profit as they can manage). If consumers wanted to spend three times more on quality products everyone would have Miele. The fact that nearly everyone goes for the cheapest option they can find (preferably on half price special offer) shows pretty clearly where the fault/demand really lies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted September 10, 2014 Author Share Posted September 10, 2014 That's a bit too cynical even for me. Manufacturers are only guilty of selling consumers exactly what they want (for as much profit as they can manage). If consumers wanted to spend three times more on quality products everyone would have Miele. The fact that nearly everyone goes for the cheapest option they can find (preferably on half price special offer) shows pretty clearly where the fault/demand really lies. ...but manufacturers now build in obsolescence..even Apple have been "allegedly" guilty of this with the ipod batteries lasting only 18 months...then when you go back to them, they'd say "oh, sorry, you've got to buy a new one"...a lot of manufacturers make their units sealed, so its incredibly difficult to repair them, or they purposely create a shortage of parts by discontinuing models often, and quickly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowflux Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 ...but manufacturers now build in obsolescence..even Apple have been "allegedly" guilty of this with the ipod batteries lasting only 18 months...then when you go back to them, they'd say "oh, sorry, you've got to buy a new one"...a lot of manufacturers make their units sealed, so its incredibly difficult to repair them, or they purposely create a shortage of parts by discontinuing models often, and quickly... Well I suppose it makes sense to have some sort of planned lifetime for a device. After all, there's no point in one component being made to last 20 years when another will only last 5 years. In that sense, planned obsolescent is simply good engineering practice. On the other hand, though, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my lad's Nexus 7, which was no longer charging properly after a year and a half of intensive use, was actually reparable. Not only is the necessary spare part available at a reasonable price, there are also clear YouTube instructions on how to fit it. All that's needed is a set of little screwdrivers, a good eye, and a steady hand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted September 10, 2014 Author Share Posted September 10, 2014 Well I suppose it makes sense to have some sort of planned lifetime for a device. After all, there's no point in one component being made to last 20 years when another will only last 5 years. In that sense, planned obsolescent is simply good engineering practice. On the other hand, though, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my lad's Nexus 7, which was no longer charging properly after a year and a half of intensive use, was actually reparable. Not only is the necessary spare part available at a reasonable price, there are also clear YouTube instructions on how to fit it. All that's needed is a set of little screwdrivers, a good eye, and a steady hand! A number of manufacturers are known to make their own type of screw, which makes it difficult to undo, unless you do some reverse engineering, and invent a tool to do it... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26197229 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gardener Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 Well I suppose it makes sense to have some sort of planned lifetime for a device. After all, there's no point in one component being made to last 20 years when another will only last 5 years. In that sense, planned obsolescent is simply good engineering practice. On the other hand, though, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my lad's Nexus 7, which was no longer charging properly after a year and a half of intensive use, was actually reparable. Not only is the necessary spare part available at a reasonable price, there are also clear YouTube instructions on how to fit it. All that's needed is a set of little screwdrivers, a good eye, and a steady hand! That happened to my daughter's tablet aftet 18 months too. Luckily we'd bought it from John Lewis and they repaired it under warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eight Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 Take a washing machine for instance...if you buy a bog standard Hotpoint or Beko, and use it everyday, you'll be lucky to get a couple of years out of it...compared to a twin tub, that will probably last a couple of decades. I actually plan on replacing domestic appliances every couple of years anyway. Like I said upthread, I probably spend more on bananas in a two year period than I do on the washing machine. Apart from the inconvenience at the precise moment the thing fails, I don't find having to replace things particularly irksome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowflux Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 For the person who PMed me and anyone who's interested, here's the video showing how to fix a Nexus 7 that no longer charges properly: This seems to be a very common problem with this device, which is otherwise a great piece of kit! The good news is that the repair isn't too difficult as long as you're patient, and it returns the device to charging as good as new again. Successfully performing the repair may also win you major kudos points. The part you need is available from Amazon, and the only tools you need are a set of jewellers screwdrivers (philips) and a thin blade to prise open the case. Take care not to scratch the case, and also take care not to lose the tiny screws! Edit: Sorry for hijacking the thread. I'll shut up now, unless anyone mentions Macs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 Current PC is 6 years old, works fine. I haven't got a smart phone or tablet and sometimes I wonder if this is keeping me stuck indoors more, glued to my PC. For what I do a 6 year old bottom of the range PC works ok. I've got a Packard Bell with some dual core Athlon processor and it handles all the builds and compiles ok; it stutters a bit on real time editing with some of the exoctic HD video codecs but unless I got for some of the more uprange Intel processors not much will help that (i3 and above). PB have an awful reputation but the box I've got has been fine. I bought it just before closing on the 24th December from the local supermarket when the mother******inboard on my old PC died and I had to get a project finished. I run Linux btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted September 11, 2014 Author Share Posted September 11, 2014 Been reading about Hackintosh...the only worry is that you can't find the drivers (ie wifi) that will work... http://www.hackintosh.com/ You could get a really, really decent Intel laptop, a decent Asus or Lenovo for example...you install Mavericks or Yosemite, and save tens of hundreds of pounds...sounds interesting.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuG III Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Cant really say much about Macs but have used my sister's iPad and iPhone a bit recently and have to say that I could not find any particular reason to prefer them to my Samsung Tab or Moto G phone. In fact, I would rate the current generation mid-range androids as superior in an absolute sense to their apple equivalents, which makes the apple products insanely bad value for money. Other observations about apple - I uninstalled all apple software on my last PC as its kept trying to take over everything and I refuse to install any apple products on my new PC for the same reasons. Other thing is that my sister needed three different chargers, one each for her Macbook, iPad and iPhone. Me and the wife can make do with a single charger for her Blackberry, my MotoG and the tablet. Small issue? Not really, specially when you're travelling and space and wall sockets/foreign adapters are at a premium. Also that if you want to dock an iPad/Pod/Phone to the HiFi, you need a bewildering array of different adapters depending on which age/species of apple product you are trying to plug in. With anything else its just an aux jack..... I can only really conclude that apple is pants. The Mac OS lost its outstanding qualitative edge when Win95 came out (before that, the apple OS was about 10 orders of magnitude better) and closed the gap to most people's intents and purposes. Since then the company seems to be surviving and indeed thriving on fashion status alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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