Need a cheap laptop? Good luck!

[OnMyWay]

4 minutes ago, Shady said:

Probably expired, you can use your service tag to check: https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us?app=warranty

Yes, I checked.  It was only 1 year but they still offer extensions after remote diagnosis.  I could buy a year for ~$50 but that is in the U.S.

[graham59]

I am typing this on a beautiful rock-solid old (2011) Dell XPS 17"...which I brought over from the UK (along with an even older Dell, for the Mrs.)  Goodness knows the price of a replacement one here. 

I will be genuinely sad when it eventually dies.  

I will be going back to a desktop though, as the laptop is basically never moved. 

Edited September 1, 2020 by graham59

[Jake]

5 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

.....it looks like a wavy hair on the screen, but you can't feel it.

Hmm.....never seen that one before.  But it looks like liquid or condensation issue.  Is it a touch screen model?  Possibly the layer between the touch screen and the LC panel had some moisture or liquid and now showing dried up residue.  

It's a bitch taking anything apart in a laptop, especially the panel itself.  You just have to live with it for now.  Sorry.  

[OnMyWay]

25 minutes ago, Jake said:

Hmm.....never seen that one before.  But it looks like liquid or condensation issue.  Is it a touch screen model?  Possibly the layer between the touch screen and the LC panel had some moisture or liquid and now showing dried up residue.  

It's a bitch taking anything apart in a laptop, especially the panel itself.  You just have to live with it for now.  Sorry.  

Yes, touch screen.  It started in the left corner, gradually getting larger, then the right corner.  Touch screen is not impacted.  It is not bothering me now, up in the corners.  It might if it eventually gets in the middle.

[Jollygoodfellow]

8 hours ago, Shady said:

that's why I buy Dell besides not being made in China

It's one of those things where made and assembled can be tricky. Many of Del components are made or assembled in China so if they then send them to Mexico or Ireland plants of Del are they considered made somewhere else or assembled or product of Ireland.

Most of all known brands have parts made in China for their products. 

[Heeb]

4 hours ago, graham59 said:

I am typing this on a beautiful rock-solid old (2011) Dell XPS 17"...which I brought over from the UK (along with an even older Dell, for the Mrs.)  Goodness knows the price of a replacement one here. 

I will be genuinely sad when it eventually dies.  

I will be going back to a desktop though, as the laptop is basically never moved. 

I was thinking of buying a laptop while I’m here in the states but changed my mind for that very reason, I don’t like bringing them with me and they just end up on a desk. I bought another mini pc, I now have three, they are only about 5” x 5” x1” this one has a quad core 8th gen i7 32gb ram and 1 TB SSD, the nieces will get my older one and they can plug it into there small flat screen in the bedroom for school work or whatever. I’ve never had much luck with laptops holding up for me, my phone is good enough for traveling.

[Tommy T.]

4 hours ago, Jake said:

Hmm.....never seen that one before.  But it looks like liquid or condensation issue.  Is it a touch screen model?  Possibly the layer between the touch screen and the LC panel had some moisture or liquid and now showing dried up residue.  

It's a bitch taking anything apart in a laptop, especially the panel itself.  You just have to live with it for now.  Sorry.  

I know this is wandering off topic a bit, but you can often repair your own laptop and save having to buy another or taking it to a shop for expensive service.

There is a Dell parts supplier in Texas - https://www.parts-people.com/ . They carry parts for machines that are even 5 or more years old. I used them many times and enjoyed great service and saved a lot of money.

I have totally dismantled and repaired two laptops. I find it to be a fun thing to do.

I found that removing and replacing the display lids is really not that difficult. The machines, themselves are very modular inside. You must just not be heavy handed since wiring and plugs can break if you are not careful. A bit of patience is helpful too. I wouldn't recommend trying to repair the display, just replace it altogether. As Jake mentions, trying to dismantle and fix a display is very fiddly and I would never attempt it.

You can access repair and replacement instructions from Dell directly. They are very detailed, include good diagrams and photos. If you are handy with and have some small screwdrivers and are organized with a nice table top and good lighting, you can do it. For me, the toughest part was making sure there are no parts leftover after you put them back together again. Hint: Make sure to have some Loctite thread locker (the blue kind) on hand, otherwise display hinge screws work loose over time...

By the way, I have always bought "refurbished" Dell laptops and found them to be good, reliable machines and significantly cheaper than "new." Of course, I bought them when in USA and brought them back here. Last time I bought two - one for me and one for L. They still work great.

Edited September 1, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Rich in CDO]

Hi guys, I was in Electronics Retail for several years, and 4 years before my retirement, I was a Best Buy store manager in Longview, TX. When at Circuit City, I was the Regional over the Firedogs. Had 450 of those techs reporting to me.  I know just enought to be dangerous.  What I know is thru osmosis from all of those millenial "geniuses". They were all pretty smart, whether from the store or in-home techs.  Anyways, that floating spot issue is pretty common and it comes from the screen separating from the panel.  Yes, sometimes because moisture got into the panel, but it can happen dry also.  Repairing that is not that hard.  It's better than a cracked screen.  If you have total tech support at Best Buy, which is $199 a year, they'll fix that for free, or just charge the parts if they have to be replaced.  Otherwise, I wouldn't take it to Best Buy, kind of expensive.  Take it to a local and let them re-glue the screen.  I couldn't do the repair, even though I've seen it done 100's of times.  I don't have the patience or the hand dexterioty. I'll bet you can find a friendly Pinoy to do it at a computer shop.  I wouldn't spend more than $50, but I don't know the prices in PH yet. Just know the retail prices that I've checked out when in Manila and Cagayan de Oro malls and shops.

On the topic of new laptops or desktops.  Yes, I've had thousands of coversations with customers.  Laptop is all about the processor speed.  Memory is cheap, so don't overpay for excess memory, unless it's cheap.  SSD will be good for traveling.  Remember, the Hard Drive is magnetic and it spins.  Obviously, hard hits might scratch the drive when traveling.  Goes for laptop and desktop.  I always recommend external hard drives. They are cheap memory and easy to keep track of different stuff.  I have one for business, one for the kids, one for travels, etc.  Unless you are a gamer, don't overpay for the graphics card.  Yes, 20 somethings think that's the cats meow and you should spend hundreds more to have great graphics cards.  They aren't necessary. Unless you care about how fast you can shoot a soldiers head off against an opponent on your computer.  I don't care and I don't pay extra for fast graphics cards.  I'm on a Dell right now, got it refurbished from my store, works great, but never moves from my desk.  My wife uses a Dell desktop, and a Macbook pro.  She stole my Surface and it works great also.  She also uses both of our I-pads.  We still have an original that works pretty good.  Hey, that's 5 computers for her and only 1 for me. That's how it works with a Filipina wife.  Anyway, I've helped all of the relatives buy computers.  One even bought a Google notebook against my recommendations.  It didn't last a week. Waste of money.  I'm retired, I can say that now.  In the store, we told them tha the Google is good for internet surfing and emails, not reliable for the rest of stuff you might want to do.  I like HP and Dell. Apple is great but expensive.  OS system is good for keeping Viruses out.  I'll stop for now.  If any questions, just ask.

[Rich in CDO]

18 hours ago, hk blues said:

The 3 brands you mention all manufacture in China.  

Acer is out of Shanghai also.  Lenovo used to be IBM. Didn't know they were built in China, good to know.

[Jake]

29 minutes ago, Rich in CDO said:

Hi guys, I was in Electronics Retail for several years, and 4 years before my retirement, I was a Best Buy store manager in Longview, TX. When at Circuit City, I was the Regional over the Firedogs.

Hello Rich, I can easily spend hours just browsing through Best Buy.  But I learned to leave my credit cards in the car....he, he.  You guys have some nice toys.  

Excellent point about selecting processing speed, SSD for physical durability and memory cards that can be upgraded cheaply as compared to replacing the CPU.  We will certainly pick you brain for more advice.  Thank you sir!