Electronics

[glb613]

Laptop A. 

[juperier]

@Abrowneyegirl Unfortunately a site where you could compare every computer out there would be impossible. There are just too many possible combinations. Plus which combination of teatures is best truly depends on the needs (and finances) of the purchaser. How tech savvy one is plays a role also...having built my own desktop, I'd be very comfortable sacrificing certain spec as long as I could upgrand laterlater and the other specs important to me were better than I could otherwise afford.

You actually have some very substantial info to make your determination. Which is better...depends on your needs and preferences.

Computer A has a higher level CPU (link to comparison), more RAM, a larger screen, larger hard drive and a memory card reader. Operating System is Windows 10 Home. The sound system and number/types of inputs are probably as good or better. Plus, it's "convertible" whatever that means?

I'd lean towards computer A, BUT computer B has a better power supply, a dvd drive and Windows 7 Professional. For the needs of some people, the difference in CPU and RAM might not make much difference, a smaller screen might be more convenient and the additional battery life essential Tthey would have no use for the memory card reader, don't need much storage space, but would be lost without a DVD drive. They might prefer the higher level of Windows 7 and/or not want Windows 10.

On top of this you have to factor in any difference in cost...  

[GCR18]

It is overwhelming.  I am no where near computer savvy.  I try to figure out what I like or don't like with the current model and look for those features in a new one.  I buy it and don't second guess.

[skuggles]

Laptop B is older. I always buy the latest as a rule of thumb figuring I'm going to try and run in for as many years as possible. And .... Apple has a dedicated following for a reason. 

[gardenman]

As a general rule, the job of a retailer is to sell their stock as quickly as possible for as good a price as possible. If they made it easy for a consumer to pick the best possible computer for their needs, they'd likely only sell a very limited stock and be stuck with the rest. That's bad for the retailer. You can go into the same retailer five times with the same list of requirements and depending on what they have in stock and how much they have in stock you'd be likely to come out with five different recommendations. If a certain item isn't selling and the inventory of it is stagnant, the sales staff will be advised to push that product and they do.

Electronics retailers have a vast arsenal of tricks they can use to sell one product over another. When it comes to computers they can alter the display to make one computer look dimmer, less sharp than another. They can have programs running in the background to slow down a computer they don't necesarily want to sell and make a slower computer they want to move look faster. 

Even online retailers have tricks they play. If they don't want to sell a product they'll make the picture slightly smaller than the picture of a product they want to move. Where they.place products on the site helps to move certain products. A product featured on the first page of products will move faster than one on page three or four.

There's a Philly area radio personality who used to work in electronics retail and she jokes that her old workplace had a saying: "An informed consumer is a real pain in the a$$." Informed consumers will do the research and find the product that's best for them regardless of the stock the store has on hand or wants to move. They'll know to ignore the salespeople and buy what they want.

As a general rule if you're shopping for anything electronic in a retail store, you can't trust your eyes, ears, or the salespeople. Pretty much everything in a retail setting is set up, adjusted, tweaked and modifed to get you to buy what they want you to buy instead of what may be the best product for you.

It's not at all unusual to hear people say, "I did my research and went in to buy the Samsung, but then the salesman showed me this new Sony that had just come in and the side by side made it clear that the Sony was the best, so I bought that instead." If that same consumer went in a week or two later and the store had more Samsungs than Sony's in stock the Samsung would have been clearly the best.

Use stores for things you can't check otherwise, like the feel of a keyboard/trackpad, etc., but never trust what you see/hear in a retail electronics store. What you're seeing/hearing is precisely what they want you to see/hear to move the products they want to move. Whether it's a small mom and pop single store, or a national chain, they all know the tricks to get you to buy the item they want you to buy rather than what may be the best item for you.

[jackthebear]

For me I set a budget and find something within that amount.

Would love a macbook, but spending that amount makes absolutley no sense for what I do, which is just emailing and this type of thing.

So the 5-600$ range makes sense for me.

Using your laptop for work would bring up a different set up needs

[juperier]

@skuggles My initial reaction would be the same as yours. However, if you look at the "launch date" of the CPUs, the I3 was launched in the the 4th quarter of this year. The I5 was launched in the the 3rd quarter of last year and there have been several variations launched since then.  

[juperier]

@gardenman I totally agree. Which is probably why I much prefer to browse without "assistance." Reminds me of over 30 years ago when a friend gave me a pair of massive studio monitors that did not have the standard 8 ohm impedence. I probably drove the staff at the local electronics chain store crazy as I made them dig out the manuals for various pieces of equipment so I could check the specs and make sure I was getting a receiver that had an amp that could power the speakers, then selecting other parts for the system that were the best I could afford at the time. So, yeah, I was a bit of a pain in the a$$!!!

[gardenman]

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@juperier wrote:

@skuggles My initial reaction would be the same as yours. However, if you look at the "launch date" of the CPUs, the I3 was launched in the the 4th quarter of this year. The I5 was launched in the the 3rd quarter of last year and there have been several variations launched since then.  

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When it comes to computer components, newer isn't always better. When I built my computer, I chose components that were between six months and a year old. Why? They would have had their issues already discovered by the early adopters and fixes would be available. If you buy a component that's only been on the market for a few days/weeks, you're part of the beta test community whether you want to be or not.

If there's a problem with the component or the driver/software, you'll be among the first to discover it. (And there's always a problem or two or twenty that pops up.) It's impossible to fully test most computer components in every possible configuration. Manufacturers get them "close enough" and unleash them on the unsuspecting public who then has to deal with the chaos.

On top of that, the early adopters pay a premium price.  A CPU or video card you can buy today for $100-$200 was probably around $600 or more a year or two ago. Component prices fall as new technology emerges and by staying six months to a year behind the cutting edge, you can save fifty percent or more building a computer.

Buying the latest and greatest in computers will leave you pulling your hair out. You'll often be the one discovering unforeseen problems and having to figure out a solution or waiting while the manufacturer figures out a solution. Stay six months to a year behind the cutting edge and you'll be a much happier consumer.

[gardenman]

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@juperier wrote:

@gardenman I totally agree. Which is probably why I much prefer to browse without "assistance." Reminds me of over 30 years ago when a friend gave me a pair of massive studio monitors that did not have the standard 8 ohm impedence. I probably drove the staff at the local electronics chain store crazy as I made them dig out the manuals for various pieces of equipment so I could check the specs and make sure I was getting a receiver that had an amp that could power the speakers, then selecting other parts for the system that were the best I could afford at the time. So, yeah, I was a bit of a pain in the a$$!!!

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Probably thirty years ago my grandmother wanted  a new little 13" TV for her kitchen. There was a chain of electronics stores called Silo that always ran ads and in one of their ads they had an RCA 13" TV at a very good price. My mom and I took my grandmother over to pick one up and they had that TV on the very bottom shelf and adjusted horribly. The salesman then led my grandmother to the sets that were at eye level and adjusted better to try and convince her to spend the money on a more expensive set. I popped down on the floor in front of the RCA and tweaked the settings to adjust the pitcure to how it should be, then rejoined them as he tried to convince my grandmother to get a Sony that cost three times as much as the RCA. I said I saw a set over the other way that looked pretty nice and led them back to the RCA that was now properly adjusted. The salesman glared at me like I was Satan, but I didn't care. My grandmother loved that set and used it to the day she died and it had a fine picture. 

Electronics retailers are in business to sell their inventory and they'll do whatever it takes to do so.  There are all kinds of tricks and games they can play, and they do. You just have to be smarter than them.