I’ve been looking at Wikipedia’s page on the Core series from Intel, and I think I’d like a laptop that has an i5 from the Haswell era. I’ve seen some with the i5 4200U on ebay. Does anyone have some models to recommend from American makers, maybe with separate GPUs? Oh, and a number pad. I don’t really know where to go that will let me get that specific.
Thanks.
You need to post what you’re going to do with the laptop. Computers have advanced to the point that any processor will handle web surfing, email and spreadsheet type work. If you’re not going to load the hard drive up with a lot of software, movies, and pictures then consider a solid state drive. It will make the computer noticeably faster than an upgrade in processors would. But you shouldn’t use more than half of the drive because it needs to shift information around.
If you’re gaming with it or plan on using it to watch movies online then your needs are much different.
Lots of video, yes. No heavy games. I partly want the fan not to be on hard all the time, and I want a number pad again.
You mentioned wanting ones from “American makers.” Brands like Dell and HP may be American, but their systems are mostly or entirely manufactured overseas. As for the numeric keypad, I think that will mean a system with at least a 15.6" screen.
I know about the manufacturing. But it’s what’s available to me in keeping the money in the US.
About the gaming, maybe the separate GPU is pointless.
Intel integrated graphics have come a long way. While no match for a recent mid-range dedicated GPU, they have reached the capability of a decent dedicated GPU from somewhere about 3-5 years ago. If you’re just going to watch Netflix, a Haswell i5 and its HD graphics- (probably 4400 or 4600) is more than enough.
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