I need to choose a Laptop computer. I have a lot to learn.

First, the conditions of use:
Mostly plugged in, rarely taken on the road, but sometimes, "portable" is the whole reason to have a Lappy.
It's so inconvenient to take my tower computer to the back porch and plug my car in with a long USB cable.
I'm sure a new Lappy will have speed and capabilities far in excess of this Vista computer.
No fears about performance disappointment.
No, I don't do Gaming.
But I'm down to one, very old computer, and it might die.
I want to connect to larger displays which I already own. What is a 15 pin monitor plug called?
Can I just use a cable with the 15 pin on one end and an HDMI connector on the other end?
I have a huge flat screen display that has (3) HDMI connectors and one USB port.
Can one connect video and audio with only a USB port?

One of the choices that is yanking my chain is the displays. Multi-touch, touch screen enabled, LED, LCD, back-lit, and 3D are options, but I don't know about them. I think touching the screen is a bad thing because the Dell 32" I'm looking at right now has a soft surface. Even wiping too hard with a damp sponge leaves permanent damage. I have seen several Threads about backlight failures. How to avoid that kind of problem by choosing the right display type?

Then there is the overall size. Is 17.3 inches awkwardly large?
Is 13.3 inches too small for eyes over 65 years old? How many pounds before I need to attach a luggage handle? Do Lappies bounce well?

Then there is 3G and 4G. What's up with that? Public access to the Internet at restaurants?
I surely want wi-fi bc that's what my Cisco router transmits...I think.
My router only has Ethernet holes. Do Lappies come with Ethernet holes?

Yes I know. Too many questions. Partial answers and opinions are requested.

 

15 pin monitor connector commonly called VGA, but it also has some kind of standard name, I just call it VGA.

VGA to HDMI does not work. Why? VGA is the analog signals. HDMI is digital signals. You need an adapter with ic that will basically translate analog to digital.

Since your tv has HDMI, shop for laptop with HDMI. Here is my example. I own Acer Aspire One (netbook). It has VGA connector and HDMI connector. I can use either to connect to my big computer monitor because the monitor has both.

USB on TV can be tricky. Some of those USB ports are for firmware updates and have nothing to do with connecting external consumer devices. Check the tv manual. Again, example from my life. My big pc monitor has USB port and it is labeled: USB Service. If I recall manual correctly, it is not for consumer use.
USB on TV might also be for viewing pictures. Some TV can be "smart" enough to work as huge digital picture frames. You insert the usb stick with a bunch of pics and set tv to cycle through them. Again. Check out the manual for your tv.

I don't want touchscreen in my laptops. I have a tablet and it works fine for casual use. I have kindle paperwhite and internet experience on it kinda sucks. Like you, I have laptops because I want better richer experience and I can not bring desktop with me.

LED, LCD kinda don't matter now. I think most stuff is LED now. I think you are running into LED vs OLED (organic led). I have led.

The backlight can be a problem. I got Acer Aspire 3000 and 3100. The 3000 is older model and everything works fine. 3100 was a newer model (a year or two newer than 3000) and backlight stopped working after 5 or so years. You would think that older model (3000) would go out first, but no, that thing is soldering on. So. To me. It is just matter of luck.

I think 3D thing is a gimmick and is nearly dead. Last year or early this year they even made a point of pointing out that there were very few TV with 3d at CES or some other consumer electronic show. Compared with two or three years ago where there were dozens of 3d TVs at the same show. So. This thing is dead and good riddance.

Since you will use laptop at home, go for big screen. If I understand your intent correctly, you are looking for desktop replacement. Meaning laptop that has a big screen, a full size keyboard. If you can afford 17", go for it. It does not need to be gaming laptop either. Remember, once you get laptop, you can not change the screen. This is very important because with desktop I can hook up my old Gateway 2000 15" or my Sony 17", or my Acer 22", or my current AMH 40". You can not do that with laptop so it makes sense to get the largest screen you can afford.

3G and 4G (they are coming with 5G any year now) are cellular telephony stuff. I would not worry about it. You will have to buy adapter from your cell phone company if you want to do internet using cell phone technology.

Laptops include rj45 jack. You can use LAN cable to connect laptop to your router.

If your router does not have wifi, you can buy device that plugs into the router using lan cable and acts as wifi station. We had one of our engineers at the customer location who got tired of running cable from electrical panel enclosure to his laptop (he was working on the plc program), he bought this device, plugged it into the hub that was on the panel, setup wifi connection between this device and his laptop, and setup his laptop across the room and worked in peace. He was really happy with the setup and one less cable to stumble on. If you want I can ask him name and model of the device, let me know.

 

I am not an expert in this area but reading the last two posts, here is what I see.

1) Get a wifi 802.11b/g/n router (minimum). 802.11ac is new and I don't know anything about it.
Right now I am using D-Link DIR-615 which is already over 8-year old technology.
You will need to spend some time setting up the router. At the very least, change the admin password and secure your router.

2) As for a laptop, you may want to look at some options, spending not more that $500 (my estimate).

(A) Full feature 15" screen with at least 1TB hard drive, VGA, HDMI, USB (under $500). ( I have an Acer).
(B) 11" screen with 32GB or greater solid-state drive (SSD). (under $200). (I have an Asus EeeBook). Great portability. Only comes with micro-HDMI jack.

I also have a couple of Acer Aspire One netbooks with 8" screens. Very portable. Has VGA. (under $200).
One has Windows on a hard drive. The other has Linux on SSD. Both batteries are on the way out and need replacing.

None have touchscreens. You don't need it.

For portability, reading the news/email/AAC on the frontporch, I still like my iPad but will cost you a bit more.

You may also want to look at Chromebooks.

My 2 bits worth.

 

Then there is the overall size. Is 17.3 inches awkwardly large?
Is 13.3 inches too small for eyes over 65 years old?

I'm 68, with vision that's only so-so, and I use a 13" MacBook Air. For most uses I'd call the display "adequate"-- but no more. When I'm working on an Excel spreadsheet or doing a schematic or layout in Eagle, that's when I'd really appreciate something larger, like 15". I dunno about 17.3"; that would be huge-- kinda like an IMAX theater with an attached keyboard-- but I suppose I could get used to it.

 

I dunno about 17.3"; that would be huge-- kinda like an IMAX theater with an attached keyboard-- but I suppose I could get used to it.

Facing an imminent change of PC, I started to consider among other things, precisely that. Provided there is enough space to bring it close or far from you, I am going to try the biggest possible one.

70 here with (surprise) amblyopia and tired eyes. How I hate physical decline! Nature is cruel.

 

Facing an imminent change of PC, I started to consider among other things, precisely that. Provided there is enough space to bring it close or far from you, I am going to try the biggest possible one.

For sure, if you're doing frequent CAD work a 13" screen isn't adequate. As for having room to bring the screen closer or move it farther away that's a big factor, especially as we get older. My vision varies greatly from day to day and from morning to afternoon to evening, and I'm constantly shoving my laptop back and forth to compensate.

70 here with (surprise) amblyopia and tired eyes. How I hate physical decline! Nature is cruel.

Yes, it's cruel: bit by bit, stuff stops working right. Aging sucks.

 

I want to connect to larger displays which I already own. What is a 15 pin monitor plug called?

Obsolete. It's unlikely you'll use any connector other than HDMI with modern equipment, although a laptop will often have a smaller video port requiring a rat-tail adapter to HDMI. Are you saying your monitor has a 15-pin VGA connector you need to adapt to, or is it a DVI plug? (I've forgotten how many pins on each).

Can I just use a cable with the 15 pin on one end and an HDMI connector on the other end?

It's very likely you can get the adapter you need. The only wrinkle is that HDMI carries audio as well as video. So breaking out the audio or using another port for audio will complicate things. But it will be doable.

I have a huge flat screen display that has (3) HDMI connectors and one USB port. Can one connect video and audio with only a USB port?

Well I'd use the HDMI, since that will handle both with one easy cable. Modern laptops have moved to USB3 and I believe you can connect to monitors over that, for instance using a USB3 to HDMI adapter. A display with a USB port is likely not able to use that port as a video-in port. It's meant for other things, like sticking in a thumb-drive with photos on it.

One of the choices that is yanking my chain is the displays. Multi-touch, touch screen enabled, LED, LCD, back-lit, and 3D are options, but I don't know about them.

Yeah, that's the hard part. I don't think there's any solution except to head to Best Buy and look at displays. To see what high-end displays look like, look at the Macs. I think they all have "Retina" (high resolution) displays these days with good color and brightness. It's one reason they cost more, and if you want similar performance and features on the other brands you'll usually end up paying more than the Apple products. When you move to cheaper laptops you'll see what you lose in display quality. In my experience, I would much rather have a 13" high quality screen than even a 17" cheap screen. Note that screens are going to resolutions these days that you cannot see. I opted not to get the latest and greatest when I calculated that I couldn't see the difference at normal viewing distance. Color gamut and contrast ratio tend to get better along with resolution, though, so it's getting hard to avoid the ultra-high resolutions if you also want great image quality.

Then there is the overall size. Is 17.3 inches awkwardly large?

In my opinion, yes. Given that you have larger monitors you can use if/when you need the real estate, I'd be reluctant to go large on the laptop. It's not a sure thing, though. I looked very hard at a 17" model before I went with a 15". I think I would have been happy with either but I have not regretted for one second getting the 15". My previous laptop was a 13" MacBook and I used that in a corporate environment. All the Dell boys with their giant 17" laptops were envious of my 13" screen because it had so much greater sharpness and brightness. It's much less fatiguing despite the smaller size.

Is 13.3 inches too small for eyes over 65 years old?

I'm going to say no, it's not. The size and readability of items on the screen is not necessarily tied to screen size. Readability is about sharpness and contrast. A big screen with high resolution might display a text box at a smaller size than a smaller display set to a lower resolution. The bigger factor in choosing screen size is your need for real estate. If you want to do design work (drawing), or work across multiple apps with lots of windows on the screen, you need more real estate than reading e-mail or browsing. If it helps, I believe the 15" laptop is the market sweet spot, outselling other sizes by a pretty wide margin.

How many pounds before I need to attach a luggage handle? Do Lappies bounce well?

Nope! Weight is the number one reason to NOT choose a 17". Smaller is better if you spend a lot of time in airports and on planes. I may have chosen 13" if I was still doing that duty.

Then there is 3G and 4G. What's up with that? Public access to the Internet at restaurants?

Everywhere, actually. You don't want it though, because you have to pay for the cellular service for it. Some packages allow adding a device for a fairly small charge, so I guess you might want to think about it. But the smartphone you don't own can act as a hotspot. Road warriors like having cellular data a lot because you don't have to find a wifi spot in order to go online. My wife, for example, can use her iPad in a customer's plant without relying on their wifi and getting the credentials to use it. But she could also tether to her cellphone if she had to.

I surely want wi-fi bc that's what my Cisco router transmits...I think.
My router only has Ethernet holes. Do Lappies come with Ethernet holes?

My 6-yr old MacBook does, but it's going the way of the dinosaur I think. You may want to upgrade your router once you get a computer that can use a better connection. T-Mobile gave me an Asus TM-AC1900 (presumably to entice me to use wifi calling at home and thereby stay off there cellular network) and it's simply awesome. Great range and speed, tons of features I have no idea about, the works. It made a very noticeable improvement in my home network, and that was versus a relatively recent Cisco router that it replaced.

I know you don't want this advice, but do yourself a favor and look hard at a MacBook. The initial price will turn you off (me too) but once you understand what you're getting, it will not look so bad. Getting similar quality and features in another laptop will cost you just as much or more. Macs are top-notch quality and customers have the highest satisfaction levels. My MacBook is now 6 years old and I still consider it "new". Point is, Mac laptops tend to last a lot longer and stay current longer. I guess you could say you are spending more upfront for future-proofing. You can do the same on the Windows side, but again you'll pay for it. If you just want to squeeze 2-3 years out of it (like those corporate Dell boys that would get a new one the second the 2-yr warranty ran out), by all means save the money and get a cheaper laptop.

One thing you didn't mention was an SSD drive. I highly recommend one. I added one to my MacBook by removing the optical drive and putting the SSD in there instead. I kept my original hard drive but moved my system and apps to the SSD. I don't miss the optical drive and every day am grateful for the SSD. It makes booting and many operations sooo much faster, almost instantaneous. I added more RAM (from 4 to 16Gb) while I was in there and that also made an enormous improvement. The 16Gb is overkill most of the time but 4Gb was not enough for even daily work.

 

Do you really want/need a laptop? If it's a gift/reward.....does it have to be a laptop?

You can get a nice desktop motherboard......powerful chip, memory, power supply, disk drive, video card for less than $1000. I found a new dell 23" monitor for $100. An old tower case is easy to find. I have two laptops and a tablet that I hardly use........course I never go anywhere. Just a suggestion.

 

Are you saying your monitor has a 15-pin VGA connector

Yes. The Dell display I'm looking at right now has the 15 pin connector that plugs into my Vista computer which is easily more than 10 years old.

You guys are doing great. I'm getting my questions answered. The bell is tolling on my 32" monitor bc it only has a VGA cable. That's sad. This excellent monitor is going to obsolete before it dies of natural causes.

I can change the window size and see what a 16" screen would look like on a Lappy. It's a bit cramped in comparison to a 32" monitor, but at least I know what to expect.

 

The bell is tolling on my 32" monitor bc it only has a VGA cable. That's sad. This excellent monitor is going to obsolete before it dies of natural causes.

Nah, backwards compatibility is pretty easy. It's going the other direction (like VGA to HDMI) that's nearly impossible. For instance I can stick an adapter in my video port to adapt it to VGA, or DVI, or HDMI, and probably some others.

 

Man it sounds like a trip to best buy would do you some good. Go look at the laptops. You will answer most of your own questions before the pimpled best buy kid even has a chance to bum rush you.

 

Here's what works well for me, which I use for most of my computer time (on it right now).
I mostly use it laying on the couch since my back bothers me when I sit very long

It's an HP Pavillion 17-f053us Laptop which I bought 12/14 for $400 on sale at Office Max (seems similar to this with added Bluetooth which mine doesn't have).
It's a 17", which makes it a little large and heavy, but anything smaller feels like a cramped screen to me since my old eyes aren't the greatest anymore. 17'' is large enough so that you can open two windows at a time and still have both be reasonably large.
It's still manageable to carry with you and use it on a plane when you travel.
It came with a numerical keypad, an AMD A8 2GHz processor, 6GB of memory, a 1TB HD (which is about 10% full) and a CD R/W drive.
It has a sharp (1600 x 900) non-touch LCD display (hate touchscreens, love my mouse) with an LED backlight, which I think most have now. (The only alternate is OLED which is still pretty expensive.)
The battery allows over 4 hours of operation (the new one says over 7) so you can readily watch a movie on a plane.
It has an HDMI output (only) for connection to an external display and 3 USB connections.

It's served me well these past few years, with good performance (runs my Spice simulations fine), and I've never felt the need for anything additional.
You can pay more for extra memory and processor speed, but I don't think that's needed for typical computer use.
I think anything more than 8GB of memory is probably overkill for you.
I've never had any memory problems with 6GB and I often have close to a dozen windows open in Chrome, plus LTspice, a webcam window, and a weather app, all running at the same time.

 

I think anything more than 8GB of memory is probably overkill for you.
I've never had any memory problems with 6GB and I often have close to a dozen windows open in Chrome, plus LTspice, a webcam window, and a weather app, all running at the same time.

I agree with that, on a Mac. I only had problems with 4Gb in two scenarios: When I had a dozen Safari windows open at the same time, or when I was trying to run my app on a simulated iPhone. I do both of these things fairly often and thus had a huge boost going up to 16Gb. But if I wasn't developing an app, and could have some discipline to close windows, I could still be getting by with 4Gb. My understanding is that Windows machines need a bit more than Macs, all else equal.

Having an SSD could also allow living with a bit less RAM, since virtual memory on an SSD is so much faster than virtual memory on a hard drive. Nothing beats real RAM, but for that 1 in 20 event when you need a bunch of virtual memory, the hard drive will make your machine feel like it's nearly frozen, while the SSD will get you through it long enough to close windows or quit apps.

 

Karnac predicts a trip to Best Buy where I will fondle some Lappies.
Ima bout up to speed. Will post if new questions.

 

Happy fondling.
You might also check Office Max if you have one nearby.

 

Karnac predicts a trip to Best Buy where I will fondle some Lappies.
Ima bout up to speed. Will post if new questions.

Whatever you do, don't buy one on the spot unless they have some incredible deal. Shopping online will save you a lot. And there are deals out there such as educational discounts (if you have any student or faculty friends), or factory 'refurbished' models. Many of those are likely aging stock bought back from dealers in anticipation of new models hitting the market, as opposed to actually refurbished units. They have full warranties and are often 15-25% off regular prices. For Macs at least, this is widely known as a pretty good way to save money.

 

Yes, it's cruel: bit by bit, stuff stops working right. Aging sucks.

My late dear Mum bless her soul, who lasted until she was 98 said, "Getting old ain't for sissies".

 

don't buy one on the spot unless they have some incredible deal.

Not a problem. I have a $1000 coupon. Requirements to redeem are: Find product, email info to $$$ person, wait for brown truck.

If this works, I will keep my virginity about never having bought a computer.
At least that explains why I don't know much about features. I have never had a choice about features.
I have always fixed computers that The Geek Squad said were, "unrepairable". I get the corpse for free and repair the unrepairable. Problem is, all of the people in my crew died, so I'm not, "troubled" by all the dead computers being dumped on me, and I'm down to one computer...a very old Vista computer.

When cash hits the fan, I have to do some learning.

 

Not a problem. I have a $1000 coupon.

Does that mean you need to spend the full $1000 on a computer?

 

Does that mean you need to spend the full $1000 on a computer?

No.
I'm seeing good suspects in the $500 range.
And a lot of them come with SSHD.