Hi, again I am looking for some knowledgeable folks to voice their opinions. I have to replace my 17.3 HP Pavilion dv7t, that is now 6+ years old and showing problems and I believe dying, in fact my fingers are crossed that it won't die before Win 10 comes out. I know upgrading from 7/8/8.1, probably won't be too much of a hassle, but if it can be avoided, why not. I've driven myself crazy researching laptops trying to fit the criteria I've established in my own mind.
Number 1, Above all, I am looking for build quality and I have no problem about paying for it along with an extended warranty and a good service/support system. I hope this next PC lasts as long as this HP, which is as main stream and commercial as it gets. But has not caused major problems over it's life. (fan, optical drive, normal battery stuff and the case is falling apart)
Number 2, I do want to keep the bigger screen, I've grown used to it over the years and the extra weight and shorter battery life is not a problem for me. 95% of the time this PC will be plugged in and the 6+ lbs, I can still handle, even in my "3 score and 10+ years". Touch screen not needed.
Number 3, The display, resolution, refresh rate, back lit or not, LED or not, glare or matte finish etc, should be above average but it doesn't have to be gamer quality, as I don't do games.
Number 4, CPU, it would be great to have the newest and best, but not for gaming, or 3D, or video editing, only to handle what will be coming down the pike over the next few years. Somewhere there should be a happy medium between routine usage and the ability to be ready for the new stuff of the future. Number of "cores", speed etc enough to handle my routine (media, email, surfing, videos and streaming movies/shows) with a thought to what's next on the horizon.
Number 5, GPU/Audio, here I'm lost, a fancy, dedicated powerful with cache, chip, I don't really think I need at all. Again, handle my routine and hopefully handle new stuff in the coming 2/3 years. Audio, it would be nice to hear videos, etc, but LT speakers are limited and I don't use extra speakers, so whatever is best for this given unit.
Number 6, RAM/memory I guess today a minimum of 8GB is the way to go, anything bigger, probably would be a waste of money.
Number 7, Storage, the only criteria here is a choice between HHD,SSD, Hybrid. Size, the HHD in this PC is 300GB and I have never come close to using 50% of it. (No music, movies or photo collection, just OS and programs/apps (and they come and go). I guess SSD because it's faster and maybe less mechanical problems down the road.
Number 8, Networking, now here I want the "best", I do travel and end up sometimes in out of the way places, so here, state of the art in 802.11 would be great. What it is I don't know "ac, n, whatever" and Bluetooth is a necessity.
Number 9, Optical reader, again I don't know, I hardly ever use the DVD/CD drive, but when I buy or get the new OS, I will want the backup media (disc or flash drive). That means when I have to reinstall OS or someone sends mean disc, I'll need a drive but I guess a USB plugin drive would work as well????
Number 10, Card readers, fingerprint stuff, docking station. not important. Keyboard, touch pad, mouse, not important, I'll use a wireless mouse. Connections for USB 2 and 3, MDMI, Ethernet, yes they are important and needed.
Number 11 Battery, Whatever battery comes with this PC will be hard pressed to keep up with a 17" display, as stated above unit will be plugged in most of the time.
A big question: I got nothing against any PC company HP, Dell, Lenovo, Sony, etc. That said, it is very hard to get close to what I'm looking for, from these main suppliers. I discovered in my research, small PC builders, who mostly seem to cater to gamers, hi end business LTs, but some seem to want to work with someone like me. Some were located in the UK and seemed to be well thought of here in the states. Also, some seemed competitive in price, even factoring in shipping. Is it silly for me to consider looking at these small builders? It seems to me and I might be incorrect in thinking, that these smaller shops might take quality/service/support, more important then say, a multinational corp. Also am I being unrealistic in my desires here? I'm a big boy, tell me. I'm open to any suggestions, directions, opinions. Anybody who has weighed through this long winded request and wants to comment, hey, feel free, I'll be happy to hear anything you all have to say.....Thanks, Stan
