Touchy laptops

[Qqmike]

Teunis, good ideas. My desktop does not have USB3, but it would be nice to have this ready to go. Maybe a USB 2 thumb drive full installation of Kubuntu, just for testing purposes, better than live USB, right?

dibl, how much time do you think I have left on this planet? :-) How about my scheduled '7 years in Tibet," and all my other to-do's? I can think of better You Tube vids to watch ... But I know what you mean, and have been scanning such stuff just to see what's involved in working on laptops.

[GreyGeek]

I bought this Acer V3-771G three years ago and couldn't be more pleased, except that the current model has Win8..1 installed. Mine had Win7 Home Premium on it, along with UEFI, which didn't give Kubuntu any problems during a normal install off of a LiveCD. It joined the long list of excellent performing Acers that I have purchased in the past. The Intel graphic chip is so fast that I haven't bothered to install Bumblebee in order to use the 2ndary NVidia GT 650M chip. When I hoover my mouse over the battery icon in the system tray it not only shows how much power the laptop batteries have, it shows how much power the battery in my LogiTech M215 optical mouse has!

[Qqmike]

Thanks for the input GreyGeek.

The latest one I've found is this (you have to try both tabs to get all spec details: "Overview" and the "Specifications"),

Asus - 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - 8GB Memory - 750GB Hard Drive - Black

• Model: Q501LA-BSI5T19

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/15-6-touch-screen-laptop-8gb-memory-750gb-hard-drive/2991012.p?id=1219085428591&skuId=2991012&st=catego ryid$abcat0502000&cp=1&lp=9#tab=overview

It's for the spousal unit, and then only for Skype (important), email, browsing, very light word processing.
I'm wondering if I have to pay that much for such, $750+tax)? But I see you are up their in the upper-mid range, also. I will probably never use the machine.

[SteveRiley]

Yes, a reviewer I just read refers to that res as "the standard Windows resolution."

What.

Windows sucks at that resolution, actually. The reviewer has no idea what he's saying.

[Qqmike]

I agree S-R. Most low and mid-range laptops advertised at retail sites have that resolution. And that makes them even more low and more mid-range as Windows runs like a dog on it. But then, you will need some RAM, and some CPU capability, too, to support useful higher resolutions, right? The Lenovo 500S ($450) ran like a dog on the res. Lot of people will tell you their Windows laptop seems slow and not quite right. The resolution is part of it. So is cost!

I did buy the Asus ($750:
4th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-4200U mobile processor
8GB system memory
1920 x 1080 resolution, IPS
Intel® HD Graphics 4400

It seems fine, so far, hardware-wise, plenty of pep and response. Except, of course, Windows is NOT Kubuntu when it comes to snappiness.

[Qqmike]

btw, for those who have tolerated my Dumb_Laptop_Questions (TM), I bought the ASUS

Asus - 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - 8GB Memory - 750GB Hard Drive - Black, Model: Q501LA-BSI5T19

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/15-6-tou...9#tab=overview

No Kubuntu test yet, and, actually, I'm not worried about it as I'm sure it will run fine. The spousal unit will run it with Windows 8.1 for now; later I might run Kubuntu as an external USB HDD/SSD.

Thanks.

[Feathers McGraw]

Dumb_Laptop_Questions (TM)

Hey! You're infringing my trademark!!

[marco07]

btw, for those who...

No Kubuntu test yet,... later I might run Kubuntu as an external USB HDD/SSD.

Thanks.

Please let us know how it will work out.
Thanks!

[GreyGeek]

My experience with Asus (mostly friends and clients who owned them) is that it is an excellent machine. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one (If I couldn't find a comparable Acer )

[Qqmike]

I've got a nephew, 25, been a geek all his life, building desktops in HS (telling me, "Uncle Mike, it's common sense..."), now finishing a M.S. in Computer Sci., he swears by Asus. He's a Linux guy who always puts Linux on his machines, for the WHOLE family if they don't stop him. Thus, I do feel confident that isn't an issue with this Asus--and your vote of confidence supports it, too. Thanks.

[Qqmike]

one reviewer, puts Asus at #3 of 9:

http://blog.laptopmag.com/best-worst...-brands-2014/3

[SteveRiley]

Hey! You're infringing my trademark!!

File a petition with the KFN Supreme Judicial Court. We'll get around to promptly ignoring it someday.