Help deciding on a laptop

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Feignz

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#223814 18-Oct-2017 13:59

Hi guys,

I recently sold my gaming Pc because I was wanting something portable.
I don’t play anything fancy, mainly WoW and Runescape.
Basically looking for something with at least 2ghz, 4gb ram and preferably an ssd but that’s not a necessity.
My budget is $500.

timbosan

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#1885751 18-Oct-2017 15:00

Now sure if you want something older, but I just bought a i5 Lenovo T430 from Just Laptops for $399. Upgraded it to 16GB and swapped in a quad core i7. Now its fast!

It has a 1600x900 display, its not light or thin, but then it if was I couldn't upgraded it!

Excellent keyboard, built like a tank, and has a TrackPoint (personally important to me).

Edit - sorry forgot to say my one has a HD4000 but there are ones around with a Nvidia 5400m option.

Feignz

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#1885752 18-Oct-2017 15:04

Thanks Timbosan.

I was looking at that earlier on justlaptops, how much did it cost for the upgrades, and did you install them yourself?

xpd

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#1885757 18-Oct-2017 15:11

http://www.justlaptops.co.nz/index.php?route=product/product&path=60_61&product_id=10667&sort=p.price&order=ASC

Not new, but at least has dedicated video RAM and 8GB

XPD / Gavin

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timbosan

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#1885765 18-Oct-2017 15:46

Feignz: Thanks Timbosan.

I was looking at that earlier on justlaptops, how much did it cost for the upgrades, and did you install them yourself?

I had RAM in my previous laptop (2 x 8GB) and the T430 came with 8GB already, so it was simply to upgrade. The CPU I bought off Trademe for $70. I got the 3630 (45watt), the I5 it replaced was a 35W. There are some threads about upgrading to a 55w CPU like the 3940XM https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/6an2jo/t430_i73920xm_upgrade/ as these have faster GPU's in them.

And yup, did the work myself. It is VERY easy to take these apart, and there are disassembly instructions that I followed on the Internet. I think its approx:

* Remove 9 screws on the bottom
* Remove the keyboard
* Remove 2 more screws
* Remove the palmrest
* Remove 2 more screws

Then you are able to remove the cooler and the CPU. Took me about 30 minutes from start to finish.

If you really want to game, you can add an external GPU to these machines via the Expresscard slot. Like a poor mans Thunderbolt as its limited to 1x PCIe. People have run 1070's this way:

https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/5lafre/step_by_step_adding_external_graphics_card_to_a/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNTGOVt34nw

That's the great thing about these machines, they are incredibly flexible for their age and price. My only issue at the moment is the I7 can run hot under gaming, like 100 degrees! Might have to take it apart again and check the cooler isn't blocked.

Happy to answer any other questions.

xpd

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#1885791 18-Oct-2017 16:32

timbosan:

That's the great thing about these machines, they are incredibly flexible for their age and price. My only issue at the moment is the I7 can run hot under gaming, like 100 degrees! Might have to take it apart again and check the cooler isn't blocked.

Happy to answer any other questions.

Rebuild it into a small briefcase, add own fans ;)

XPD / Gavin

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Feignz

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#1885858 18-Oct-2017 17:58

Any good laptops on this site?
https://pctraders.co.nz/collections/laptops/Laptop?page=1

Was looking at this
https://pctraders.co.nz/products/toshiba-tecra-r940-i5-3340m-2-7ghz-8gb-ram-320gb-hdd-14-dvd-rw-windows-8-pro

Or

https://pctraders.co.nz/products/hp-probook-4520s-i5-m480-2-67ghz-4gb-ram-500gb-hdd-radeon-hd-6370m-7370m-15-webcame-windows-7-pro

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timbosan

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#1885859 18-Oct-2017 18:03

xpd:

timbosan:

That's the great thing about these machines, they are incredibly flexible for their age and price. My only issue at the moment is the I7 can run hot under gaming, like 100 degrees! Might have to take it apart again and check the cooler isn't blocked.

Happy to answer any other questions.

Rebuild it into a small briefcase, add own fans ;)

Damn you for giving me good ideas just before a long weekend!! :-)

Seriously though, I will take it apart and make sure the heatsink is clean, redo the paste again, get some compressed air in there. Failing that there is another fan from the Nvidia model I could use https://www.ebay.com/p/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T430-Cooling-Heatsink-and-Fan-0B41087/1604122605?iid=282674416440

Far more fun than a glued together modern laptop!