HP Laptop on Amazon With Free Shipping

[Mike J]

7 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

No.  Here is the error on boot up.  When I get this, everything slows down to a crawl, then later it will seem to recover.

Bad power brick?

[OnMyWay]

2 hours ago, Mike J said:

Bad power brick?

Maybe.  I thought the battery was at the end of it's life but I downloaded a utility to test that, and it is not bad.  I realized that I already replaced the battery once.  It probably is not used properly as it is plugged in all the time and not cycled.  I unplugged it and it lasted a few hours.

If it is the brick, it maybe on and off, because it charged fine.  Anyhow, time for a new laptop as this one has too many issues to fix.

[BrettGC]

On 9/26/2024 at 8:47 AM, OnMyWay said:

Do you have any recommendations in the 300-400 usd range on Amazon? 

This:

https://www.amazon.com/HP-Pavilion-Touchscreen-Anti-Glare-i3-1215U/dp/B0CV2JTFNM/ref=sr_1_19?crid=2BPM1V5HACHXA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.iWybIWN2ai8_yjEsblZBgyM6GjVn-BJTyPP5011PUeVNieri_RYAti5Ly6oI--fEuph7KOY2rRghxlGOAo491v1JmezdtWTrSAH_YWdfZjv5u8SxF_jP94uPNsQqQo4urN0WR6k3UqylMH3IunL_VY-i32A1xrEE3lYMzLdnM0I.F7_IuukR4iBWCm_7_WhQwXizl5A4M6ORorPNxCsgiKI&dib_tag=se&keywords=laptops+on+sale+clearance+2024&qid=1727400700&refinements=p_36%3A30000-40000&sprefix=laptop%2Caps%2C386&sr=8-19

i3 Gen 12, 12gig of RAM and a HDMI port so you can plug in a bigger monitor if you want and run dual screen.  There's a heap of really good and cheap 1080p monitors out there and even good second hand from your local IT shop.  Given the 12gig of RAM I suspect it has 3 x 4gig sticks in there so possibly a 4th slot free... But I could be wrong.  Either way, unless the RAM is hard soldered in (yes, some manufacturers do just that) it'll be upgradeable at a later date.   HP used to play a dirty little trick where only HP RAM would fit into HP devices but it's not the case anymore and you just have to make sure all the RAM sticks are the same and compatible with the motherboard/processor. 

I run a setup where I have the external monitor in front of me with external keyboard and mouse (USB - I dislike battery powered peripherals) and the laptop running off to one side.  

I avoided all the new "N" series processors that replaced the Celerons for the same reasons I have always avoided the Celerons- Lifespan.  Yes the N series is better than the Celerons but still limited lifespan and even the 10th gen i3's are outperforming them in benchmark tests. It's a core and thread thing hence the extra expense. 

[graham59]

For one of my PCs (I have two Lenovos) the monitor is a 43" TV at the end of my bed.  I almost exclusively use it for YouTube....in comfort. 

[OnMyWay]

3 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

Maybe.  I thought the battery was at the end of it's life but I downloaded a utility to test that, and it is not bad.  I realized that I already replaced the battery once.  It probably is not used properly as it is plugged in all the time and not cycled.  I unplugged it and it lasted a few hours.

If it is the brick, it maybe on and off, because it charged fine.  Anyhow, time for a new laptop as this one has too many issues to fix.

When I made this post, the battery was 100% and I unplugged, now about 3 hours later, 55%.  However, that is not real laptop usage as it was mostly not being used and using external monitor.  Internal monitor would use a lot more power,  Anyhow, battery seems ok.

[graham59]

My two laptops have been devoid of batteries for at least the past 10 years.  

Poor things ARE housebound though. 

Edited September 27 by graham59

[OnMyWay]

1 hour ago, graham59 said:

My two laptops have been devoid of batteries for at least the past 10 years.  

Poor things ARE housebound though. 

I've been missing the lack of portability recently.  Phones are good for a lot of things, but I miss taking my laptop to other rooms and on trips sometimes.  See next post.

Edited September 27 by OnMyWay

[OnMyWay]

8 hours ago, BrettGC said:

Given the 12gig of RAM I suspect it has 3 x 4gig sticks in there so possibly a 4th slot free..

Is there any way to tell for sure how many slots there are, without opening it up?  This is now about another laptop.  I will explain in more detail later.

It is this one as noted on these specs, the I38145U.  It currently has 4 gb of ram and I am wondering if there are open slots.  In the Chipset Memory section, it mentions optional 4 gb soldered to board, 1 DDR4 socket.  If this is one of those with 4 gb soldered, does the socket mean that is an open slot where I can add?  If it is not soldered, I guess it is the other with 16 GB max, and I guess 1 slot used, 3 free.  That would be nice.

[BrettGC]

4 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

Is there any way to tell for sure how many slots there are, without opening it up?  This is now about another laptop.  I will explain in more detail later.

It is this one as noted on these specs, the I38145U.  It currently has 4 gb of ram and I am wondering if there are open slots.  In the Chipset Memory section, it mentions optional 4 gb soldered to board, 1 DDR4 socket.  If this is one of those with 4 gb soldered, does the socket mean that is an open slot where I can add?  If it is not soldered, I guess it is the other with 16 GB max, and I guess 1 slot used, 3 free.  That would be nice.

Check the manufacturers website would be the best bet or put the model into Google and ask for the RAM slot number eg: "Ideapad.... ram slot amount"

[OnMyWay]

3 hours ago, BrettGC said:

Check the manufacturers website would be the best bet or put the model into Google and ask for the RAM slot number eg: "Ideapad.... ram slot amount"

Thanks, I think I found the answer on a Lenova forum.   I think there is 4 gb soldered and one open slot.  I can add a 4/8/16 module there.  I also found the Lenova service manual.