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Buying a new computer
Hi all, does anyone have advice for buying a new computer (primarily for work but it will also be my personal device as well)? Looking for a laptop, I do graphic design, video calls, word processing, emails etc quite a bit and have also used it in the past for low key cozy PC gaming. It's been a longggg time since I've bought one so just want to make sure I get good bones for it to last a few years. I love my Lenovo ThinkPad but it does struggle with the multitasking and graphic design a bit. But I think part of that is just how old it is (probably 10yrs+). I cannot get a refurb as this is getting purchased through vocational rehab services. Any advice? Things to look for or avoid? Thanks everyone!
I guess I'm not too much help -- I'm very happy with my Lenovo Yoga 7i (2022 model). It does seem to be struggling a little with multi-tasking browser + Notion + Zotero. MS programs crash everything. But overall I've been very happy with it! I've never yet used the flip-around tablet feature though...
Looks like this thread is a bit older, so no worries if you've already purchased something. But since there's been little advice posted in response, I'm happy to help if I can (and if it's still needed).
I'd start by checking what the most intensive thing you plan to run on it is. You mentioned graphic design. Is that going through Adobe Creative Cloud? Or anything more intensive on-device? Any 3D rendering stuff, or video editing? Or just 2D design? As for gaming, what's the most graphically intensive game you might want to play? Knowing all of this will give us a good baseline for the minimum specs you should be looking for.
Second, what are your purchasing priorities? Are you looking for the cheapest machine that will serve you well? Or do you have a fixed budget, and would like to spend it on the machine that will last you the longest into the future? What is your budget, if so?
Once I have the answers to these, I can give you some pretty specific advice based on your use case.
I'd start by checking what the most intensive thing you plan to run on it is. You mentioned graphic design. Is that going through Adobe Creative Cloud? Or anything more intensive on-device? Any 3D rendering stuff, or video editing? Or just 2D design? As for gaming, what's the most graphically intensive game you might want to play? Knowing all of this will give us a good baseline for the minimum specs you should be looking for.
Second, what are your purchasing priorities? Are you looking for the cheapest machine that will serve you well? Or do you have a fixed budget, and would like to spend it on the machine that will last you the longest into the future? What is your budget, if so?
Once I have the answers to these, I can give you some pretty specific advice based on your use case.