Help me choose a computer so I can start pwning :)

[JackFlash]

craigslist

[Whiteberry]

http://www.logicalincrements.com/

For a desktop, but as others have said, No traditional or Hybrid drives. If you can afford it go SSD. You wont regret it

[Gypsy]

So, I am one click from buying an Acer Aspire i5 5200u.

It's $570 on Amazon, is this worth it?

[Daywolf]

Originally Posted by Gypsy [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

So, I am one click from buying an Acer Aspire i5 5200u.

It's $570 on Amazon, is this worth it?

Is that a plastic case? It's what I recommend if using wi-fi as metal cases stunt the range.

Only serious prob: 1TB 5400 RPM HDD
Personally I'd pull that and put it into something else, or even into an external drive case and tether it back in when needed. Then drop in a ~250GB SSD or larger, whatever you can afford but ~250 is fine (and cheap) short of using the laptop as some mass storage porn library [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Gypsy]

Haha well, I was looking for mass storage for my photography >_>

But yes, pretty sure it said plastic case. It is the best I could find with a decent gfx card.

It's more than I wanted to spend but oh well.

So, I should be able to easily pull out the slow hdd and replace with a more optimal choice then?

[Whiteberry]

That laptop from the looks of it will be a bitch to replace the hdd in it.. slim plastic laptops are a pain to work with.. are you looking for a pc or laptop? And what's your range? I'm sure I can find you a better computer for the price

[Gypsy]

Laptop. Under $600. The only game I'm interested in playing at the moment is p99. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] But I know I'll probably look at others as soon as I crack it open. Need it for editing photos also.

By the way, I took my ancient laptop in to see if I could get it repaired and the guy pretty much laughed me out of the shop. lol
Now I'm frustrated after hours of researching for something new. It's been a long day.

[Daywolf]

Originally Posted by Gypsy [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

So, I should be able to easily pull out the slow hdd and replace with a more optimal choice then?

Yeah, from a 1-5 difficulty range, it's barely a 1. There will be a cover under the case (a hard drive compartment), remove the cover then unplug the drive. Plug the new drive in and replace the cover. Put in the windows install disk and enter the product code which is likely on a sticker attached to the case. If you don't get an install disk, just download it from the M$ site, same version etc, then burn it to a DVD.

In fact, it's best to reinstall from a DVD downloaded from the M$ site for a new system, as you're laptop will likely contain Acer bloatware shipped, lots of needless junk and maybe even spyware. Then obtain any missing drivers, though likely it will have most if not all on the windows disk. Like mine, I had to get the network and video drivers, but was simple to do and still booted with the alternate drivers off the DVD.

Yeah storage, I use a flash drive mainly. I don't need it on my hard drive. Yeah I do photography, also I'm a musician and use studio software, with all my big bloaty muzik files going to a secure flashdrive for storage.

ps at least I'm guessing there is a bay on the bottom, it's what most laptops have. Should be another for memory, too. Funny, I'm looking at the amazon page, thy have no pic for the bottom :/
Yeah, on the Aspire E5-573G-59C3 model (only pics I could find with out huge time sink), has no bay underneath, so might need to crack the case. Not too hard, just be careful not to force anything. I have no idea why they put those stupid drives in, it's like sticking a used 78 pinto engine into a 2016 Humvee. Especially SSD's were made for laptops, like fish in water due to heat issues and noise, let alone the crazy speed buff. It's like casting SOW on your system, then dropping it into the Hole and surviving.

[Boolean]

I recommend building your own computer. It's much more satisfying. Newegg.com even has "builder kits" so you don't have to worry about making sure the parts are compatible either. I recommend investing in a good case so you don't have to keep getting new ones. The main thing to keep in mind is that your CPU and motherboard must match. You could probably skip getting a discrete GPU as well if EQ is the only game you're playing (and you're not doing any bitcoin mining or something).

[Gypsy]

Wow thanks for the help Daywolf. Is this pretty typical of laptops nowadays? What a pain. I'm thisclose to going to Best Buy and sending the other back as soon as it arrives.

Boolean: I've built desktops in the past but it's been over 10 years since I've looked inside a cpu. I'm intimidated, especially with laptops. But I think you are right, gonna have to do it myself to get what I want. Gonna check out NewEgg.