Need new laptop - just how difficult is Windows 8?

[brixtonbrood]

What I said above - existing laptop is on last legs and needs replacing asap. Is Windows 8 really dodgy, or will we get used to it?

What do we need to bear in mind when picking a new one? I have it in my mind that we want 8 GB RAM, is that right? Existing laptop is Acer and has been crap from day 1 so am thinking Samsung, Lenovo or possibly Toshiba - should I look anywhere else?

Comments

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

8gb is about right. If you're not a power user, 6gb would probably be ok too. You won't need any more.

I opted for Windows 7 for my new work PC rather than 8. Some people like 8, some prefer 7. If you are going for a touchscreen laptop, get 8. Otherwise, there are still some teething problems with 8, and little positive reason to go for it as far as I can see. Most firms allow you to specify 7 rather than 8.

Other reliable laptop brands to consider: Sony and Asus.

Some other things to consider:
Screen resolution
Glossy or matt screen
Screen size / machine size
Dedicated graphics chipset or onboard graphics (you'll only need the former if you're a gamer, but if you are, you'll need it)

[brixtonbrood.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Don't game seriously on the PC. Do work from home quite seriously on it, so I need a 15.6 screen or bigger, but I think that the fact that I do it all over Citrix means that I don't need the associated processing power at my end?

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Citrix is a little outside my field of expertise, but I assume that apart from the bare minimum needed to run the Citrix client software at your end, you won't need much processing power because the server is handling that. Someone else here is bound to know better than me though. Most modern PC processors are capable of most things most of the time. You won't go wrong with a Core i3 or better.

[zengineer.livejournal.com]

I bought a new laptop 1 month ago when my last one died;
1) For reliability which is my key requirement these people reckon Toshiba or Acer (though your experience seems to differ) http://www.squaretrade.com/laptop-reliability-1109/ Toshiba (which is what I got) also have a 17" option which seems increasingly rare.
2) Mine came with Windows 8 and I have found it the worst GUI I have ever used. I was fine with all Windows from 3.1 to 7 including Vista and even the Atari ST. The horrid tiled start menu is the real problem with stuff overflowing, moving around randomly and a real confusion over what a tile is (sometimes it is an app sometimes just a routine within an app sometimes a picture inside a directory). Even if you ignore it and just go to the conventional desktop a lot of stuff is much harder to find than previous versions. I have also had the blue screen of death half a dozen times and I thought we were past that. Of course you learn it eventually but if you have the option of Windows 7 take it. Our IT department at work are refusing to implement Windows 8 and have told me they are planning to skip to whatever Microsoft releases next

[gingerelanor.livejournal.com]

Yeah, avoid Windows 8 if you possibly can, it is hideously annoying if you've ever used a computer without windows 8. I imagine it's fine on touchscreen tablets but it's annoying as hell otherwise. I had to have it when my last laptop died and I bought a new one, and everything seems to have 8 now. Apparently there are fixes coming out, plus things that will let you have a more normal looking operating system, but I'd still say avoid if you can, unless you're very patient and tolerant. You do get used to it, but even after a few months mine still does random leapy things where one screen closes unexpectedly and another pops up, or a webpage I thought I'd closed two weeks ago suddenly pops up again...

[brixtonbrood.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. This is very much the answer I feared.

[gingerelanor.livejournal.com]

I mean... you do get used to it, and I still use my laptop and it's mostly fine. It's just different, for no good reason.

[t--m--i.livejournal.com]

It's fine apart from the metro interface, which you can put the kibosh on by installing Classic Shell. Then you get the extra speed + under the hood improvements but basically it's the same old Windows hurrah. I'm actually working up to bunging it on my netbook.

[t--m--i.livejournal.com]

short answer: get w8, add classic shell (free download).

[tortipede.livejournal.com]

things that will let you have a more normal looking operating system
<cough>Lubuntu</cough>

[andrewducker]

I have Windows 8 on my laptop and it's absolutely fine.

The Start Menu has been replaced by an annoying full-screen menu system - but everything else is pretty much exactly the same.