Laptop recommendations

[turtleman]

Hi fellow cappers
I was going to purchase the software to run RDSS on my Mac, but have decided to get an inexpensive lap top with
Windows 10 already installed. I am not a computer guy,so was looking for advise on what requirements i should be looking for to best run RDSS, and also accommodate future
updates. Looking to spend under 500.00

Thanks!

[MikeB]

Are size and weight a consideration?

I recently bought a Lenovo, pretty plain vanilla, with Win 10. No problems, does everything I want (I am not a power user or a gamer or a geek), about $300 at Best Buy. As I remember, 2 gig memory, 160 gig HD.

I see a lot of guys at the track with tablets or whatever. This one would be too large and heavy for that kind of use. About a 15" screen and weighs about 5 pounds. The screen is large enough to view RDSS comfortably.

[Bill V.]

Hey MikeB

It sounds like we have the same machine. I got mine at wally world
It looks a little odd with such a big screen compared to the tablet and nextbook users, But I use the Lenovo for RDSS and it works great

Bill

[turtleman]

I had kind of ruled out the Lenovo because I did not realize you could get it with window's 10. Reviews say it is basic but secure and has good battery life. I like the idea of the larger screen, and all I care about is that it run's RDSS well.

thanks for the help
Tom

[Hoof 11]

RDSS does not require a lot of horsepower to run properly, it is not a taxing program. You can basically run it on anything that is Windows based as long as the device allows legacy programs, avoid anything with Windows RT. Like MikeB mentioned, i would go with a minimum of 2 gigs of ram and Windows 10.

In the end, it would come down to what screen size you are comfortable with, that and the battery life. I run RDSS on an 8” tablet with very little horsepower for the handful of times that i go to the track, and it works great.

[MikeB]

I had kind of ruled out the Lenovo because I did not realize you could get it with window's 10. Reviews say it is basic but secure and has good battery life. I like the idea of the larger screen, and all I care about is that it run's RDSS well.

thanks for the help
Tom


Make sure that you get one with Win 10. A lot of people still don't want Win 10. When I bought mine, they had the same model with either Win 10 or Win 8.1 in stock.

[Hoof 11]

Make sure that you get one with Win 10. A lot of people still don't want Win 10. When I bought mine, they had the same model with either Win 10 or Win 8.1 in stock.

Either way, it's a free upgrade to Windows 10 until July 29/16. My tablet is running 8.1 and it runs flawlessly, i'm afraid to upgrade for fear of botching things up, but i am curious.

[turtleman]

Thanks guys
I feel a lot more comfortable now knowing that RDSS doesn't take a lot of horse power. been checking on line and there appears to be lots of options to choose from.


Cheers
Tom:)

[MikeB]

Either way, it's a free upgrade to Windows 10 until July 29/16. My tablet is running 8.1 and it runs flawlessly, i'm afraid to upgrade for fear of botching things up, but i am curious.

I upgraded my desk top from 8.1 to 10 without a glitch. I like the interface better. Even better, if you left click the Win 10 icon at the bottom left corner, you get the Win 10 start menu. If you right click it, you get something very close to the Win 7 start menu.

[mick]

Regarding Windows 10, if you have privacy concerns, this article might be of some interest:

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2015/08/windows_10_privacy_problems_here_s_how_bad_they_are_and_how_to_plug_them.html

I use Linux on my everyday machine, but I have a Lenovo Edge laptop running Windows 7 and it has given me good service.

[Hoof 11]

Regarding Windows 10, if you have privacy concerns, this article might be of some interest:

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2015/08/windows_10_privacy_problems_here_s_how_bad_they_are_and_how_to_plug_them.html

I use Linux on my everyday machine, but I have a Lenovo Edge laptop running Windows 7 and it has given me good service.
This makes perfect sense to me now, i have been wondering all along, why is Microsoft so hell bent on getting everyone on Windows 10? I figured it was something along these lines, we kissed our privacy goodbye a long time ago, it's a good thing i stocked up on tinfoil hats! ;)

[Peteman]

Upgrade to win 10 free,whats the catch?
I will upgrade ,but not for a long time.I'm happy with win 7.
Mind you, google is also tracking where your going.The second link has
really made me wonder whats up with Microsoft.

http://siliconangle.com/blog/2016/05/18/microsoft-makes-one-last-extremely-deceptive-windows-10-upgrade-push/


http://thehackernews.com/2016/02/microsoft-windows10-privacy.html

[Peteman]

Used laptop alternative

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thinkpad-T420-i5-2520M-2-5GMHz-4G-320GB-Notebook-Laptop-WINDOWS-7-PRO-/181832815587?hash=item2a561493e3:g:mnIAAOSwpDdVZ1IY

[MikeB]

Upgrade to win 10 free,whats the catch?

It is free. The catch is that Bill Gates then owns your soul. ;)

[DanBoals]

If I get a new laptop that I want to run RDSS2 and carry to the races, I will probably get something like :

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Thinkpad-Quad-core-Professional-upgradable/dp/B01ESWIQY2/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1464806360&sr=1-3&keywords=lenovo&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin%3A13580785011

2016 Newest Lenovo Thinkpad 11 Business Laptop, 11.6 Inch HD Display, AMD Quad-core A4-6210 1.8GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Bluetooth, Webcam, HDMI, WiFi, Windows 7 Professional upgradable to Win 10 Pro

which is now selling for under $250.

What I like about it is that it is small, only 4 lbs with an 11" screen, and it should be able to run RDSS 2 fine. I would not buy it to run more intensive apps, but it has windows 7, which I like, and it has enough power to run RDSS 2 which is all I need to run on it.

Anyways, hope this helps,

Dan

[turtleman]

been checking out a lot of the refurb. unit, and you can get a pretty good one with 14-15" screen for around 350.00
HP Elitebooks were around 1000 - 1500 new i think. These are business class unit so you get a much better processor than on cheap entry level units.