New Laptop Advice
#1130404
11/01/17 06:13 PM
11/01/17 06:13 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,243 Delaware, USA
SharonB
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Hello So, the doctor tells me I need to spend a lot more time with my legs propped up over my heart. This is due to all the swelling and now skin issues I'm having. They don't want me to spend long hours with my feet hanging down as I have been doing. This is definitely going to impact the time I spend on my desktop. I have no way to prop up my feet at my desk and especially not higher than my heart. To make a long story short (shorter) I've been thinking I need a new laptop computer capable of at least playing any game big fish throws at it. I do also play some RPG's when the mood strikes, but I can probably use my current desktop for that if I limit my time and take lots of breaks. What kind of cost am I looking at? I want a reasonably big screen - 17 inch? As powerful a video card as I can manage while keeping the cost down. Any ideas on some systems out there and/or the minimum I'm going to need to spend for a decent system? All advice will be gratefully appreciated.
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Re: New Laptop Advice
[Re: SharonB]
#1130415
11/01/17 08:56 PM
11/01/17 08:56 PM
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,141 Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr
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Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
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Geo's idea is actually a pretty good one. Combine that with a wireless keyboard and mouse and you could be good to go for way less that the $700+ you'd probably have to spend on a laptop. A 17" one would probably cost even more than that.
Once again, weeds are my life!
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Re: New Laptop Advice
[Re: SharonB]
#1130417
11/01/17 09:01 PM
11/01/17 09:01 PM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 314
Creeping_Doom
Settled Boomer
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Hello So, the doctor tells me I need to spend a lot more time with my legs propped up over my heart. This is due to all the swelling and now skin issues I'm having. They don't want me to spend long hours with my feet hanging down as I have been doing. This is definitely going to impact the time I spend on my desktop. I have no way to prop up my feet at my desk and especially not higher than my heart. To make a long story short (shorter) I've been thinking I need a new laptop computer capable of at least playing any game big fish throws at it. I do also play some RPG's when the mood strikes, but I can probably use my current desktop for that if I limit my time and take lots of breaks. What kind of cost am I looking at? I want a reasonably big screen - 17 inch? As powerful a video card as I can manage while keeping the cost down. Any ideas on some systems out there and/or the minimum I'm going to need to spend for a decent system? All advice will be gratefully appreciated. Sorry to hear of your troubles ! As for a gaming laptop , plan on spending at least $1,000 for anything decent . By decent , I mean a 17 inch 1080p screen , with dedicated graphics , & Win 10 Pro . Newegg had 17 gaming laptops for about 900 , but these were mostly with integrated graphics (Nvidia m , meaning "mobile" graphics) . Not knowing what your budget is , does put a bit of a damper on things . Perhaps a cheaper route , would be to hook up your desktop to your tv , & use a wireless keyboard & mouse , with some sort of table , (a tv tray or the like), across your chair .
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Re: New Laptop Advice
[Re: SharonB]
#1130418
11/01/17 09:03 PM
11/01/17 09:03 PM
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,141 Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr
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Some Smart TVs even allow you to access your desktop content wirelessly.
Once again, weeds are my life!
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Re: New Laptop Advice
[Re: SharonB]
#1130474
11/02/17 05:03 PM
11/02/17 05:03 PM
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,141 Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr
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Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
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That's kind of what I thought. I know I can stream photos and videos and movies etc., but had a feeling it wouldn't allow you to access things like games.
Once again, weeds are my life!
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Re: New Laptop Advice
[Re: SharonB]
#1130481
11/02/17 06:29 PM
11/02/17 06:29 PM
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,141 Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr
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Now THAT'S the perfect solution! Let us know how it goes.
Once again, weeds are my life!
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Re: New Laptop Advice
[Re: Draclvr]
#1131204
11/09/17 03:50 AM
11/09/17 03:50 AM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,243 Delaware, USA
SharonB
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Had to reorder a 25 ft HDMI cable as the 10 ft one wasn't quite long enough. That came and I've now hooked it up. IT WORKS! But there are a couple issues. 1. The Windows screen fills my 65 inch screen. But the icons and text are too small to read from across the room. How do I fix that? 2. I tried one of my IHOG's, Mystery Trackers: The Black Isle. The picture comes in full screen, but half the page is missing. The right side of the picture is just a black area. You can see where it cuts the detective's badge neatly in half in the title page. Assuming I can get the other half of the game to appear, I'm wondering how I'm going to be able to read the text on all my programs, and in my games. If I use the TV screen strictly for playing IHOGs. I'm still going to be spending a good bit of time at the computer desk and I won't be able to read any text in the game. Any advice on how to fix the size issues? Edit: I spoke too soon. I've tried a couple other games (newer) and they are playing fine with big full screens and large text. And I've gone into the control panel and pulled up appearance. I've enlarged the font and icon size to 150% and that has made some improvement..Some programs I can enlarge the font size to a readable view, others I can't. So I will go back and forth to the appropriate monitor to do what I need. It is good to know that now I can play most of my IHOGs on the big screen with my feet propped up. My graphics card has 2 hdmi ports, so I can switch displays as needed. I want to thank everyone here again for this great advice. Now, how can I get Black Isle to display fully? 2nd Edit: Correction - I only have one HDMI port on my graphics card. But I'm going to use an HDMI Splitter to change the display on my computer/tv. I think I may have one or I can buy one. As for Black Isle, I changed the resolution on my TV display from 3180 x 2160 down to 1920 x 1060 and it's made a world of difference. I never dreamed I could have that kind of resolution from my computer. Now Black Isle shows completely and the text is very easy to read. Also my other programs are very readable. I keep learning new things about my computer.
Last edited by SharonB; 11/09/17 09:40 AM.
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Re: New Laptop Advice
[Re: SharonB]
#1131231
11/09/17 11:52 AM
11/09/17 11:52 AM
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,141 Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr
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This is the greatest news ever!! I've been wondering how it was going. You now have the best of both worlds and can play with your feet elevated! Many thanks to Creeping Doom for the suggestion. This would also be a good suggestion for anyone who is vision-impaired.
Once again, weeds are my life!
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Re: New Laptop Advice
[Re: SharonB]
#1131233
11/09/17 12:22 PM
11/09/17 12:22 PM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644 southeast USA
Jenny100
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2nd Edit: Correction - I only have one HDMI port on my graphics card. But I'm going to use an HDMI Splitter to change the display on my computer/tv. I think I may have one or I can buy one. You sure you don't have a Display port you can use with your computer monitor? Most modern video cards have both HDMI and Display ports, and a modern computer monitor may also have both, though a TV may only have HDMI.
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Re: New Laptop Advice
[Re: SharonB]
#1131347
11/10/17 12:45 PM
11/10/17 12:45 PM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644 southeast USA
Jenny100
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
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GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
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Display ports look very similar to HDMI ports, but of course the cables don't fit. Here's a picture of the most common Display Port and HDMI port https://images.techhive.com/images/article/2013/03/displayvshdmi_primary-100028825-large.jpgIf you look closely, you can see the HDMI port is symmetric while the Display port is not symmetric. My video card has one display port, one HDMI port, and one DVI port. My monitor also has connections for these three ports. Some expensive video cards have multiple HDMI or Display ports and some may lack DVI ports. Anyway, when you said your cable didn't fit, I was wondering if you were trying to fit an HDMI cable in a Display port. I've done that, not realizing they were different ports until I looked closely.
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Re: New Laptop Advice
[Re: Jenny100]
#1131439
11/11/17 02:40 AM
11/11/17 02:40 AM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,243 Delaware, USA
SharonB
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Delaware, USA
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Jenny, I looked at the back of the computer again and you're right. There are 3 ports. One is DVI, one HDMI and I'm assuming the other is the display port. It does look like an HDMI port. I have now sent off for a displayport to HDMI cable, so we'll see how this goes. It should come Monday. Thanks for your help. Draclvr, yes this is good news for anyone with vision problems. I'm really happy with the setup. Edit: Got a text message that my cable was delivered to my door. It came by USPS, but they didn't knock or ring. Checked and the package wasn't there. Bummer! Can't contact them because it's Sunday. Left a message with the seller and will call the PO tomorrow to let them know. They probably delivered it to the wrong address. They told me originally that delivery would be Monday, then I got psyched when I heard it was coming today. Well, I hope I get it tomorrow! Edit: Still don't have the cable. (It's Tuesday). Tried to contact the Post Office and they say that branch does not handle deliveries anymore. That's handled out of Rehobeth. They gave me a number to call and I tried that and got a message to input some code number. So I tried to contact Amazon and looked for a contact number. Whoa! All I was getting was books I could buy to tell me how to contact Amazon. Finally found a contact number for customer service and told them the problem They were very nice and responsive. They offered a refund to a gift card and to waive the oneday delivery charge. Now that is proper service. So they are supposed to call me within the hour when the refund goes thru and I will reorder the cable then. I wonder if the person who actually got the cable is finding a good use for it? Creeping Doom, many, many thanks for your suggestion. This is way cheaper and much more doable than buying a new computer. I have a friend who likes my setup so much she is going to do it in her own home with her new TV!
Last edited by SharonB; 11/14/17 12:39 PM.
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Re: New Laptop Advice
[Re: SharonB]
#1132134
11/16/17 03:58 PM
11/16/17 03:58 PM
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,141 Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr
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Yippee! Keep those feet up!
Once again, weeds are my life!
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