What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year?
Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you think?
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year?
Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you think?
On Mon, 2 Oct 2023 23:39:58 -0400, Oscar Mayer wrote:
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year?
Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you think?
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year?
Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you think?
There's no takeapart for the 14-FQ1003CL , so no way to verify the innards.
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? >https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year?
Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you think?
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year?
Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you think?
The discount seems imaginary to me, the retail price is high. You can
take Win11 out of S mode, but it's still light on storage, light on
specs. I would tend not to recommend it.
Oscar Mayer <nobody@oscarmayer.com> wrote:
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? >>https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year? >>Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you think?
The discount seems imaginary to me, the retail price is high. You can
take Win11 out of S mode, but it's still light on storage, light on
specs. I would tend not to recommend it.
You can
take Win11 out of S mode
Speaking of Win 11 S mode, I was asked to work on a friend's laptop a few weeks
ago. Using a Youtube video, I took it out of S mode, made the necessary repairs,
then I re-enabled S mode before returning it to its owner.
I've heard people say that leaving S mode is a one-way street, but apparently >not.
The discount seems imaginary to me, the retail price is high. You can
take Win11 out of S mode, but it's still light on storage, light on
specs. I would tend not to recommend it.
The specs don't mention Windows S mode.
The specs reported so far all say it's Windows 11 Home.
Where's you get the idea it's Windows S mode on this laptop?
On 10/3/2023 5:50 PM, Joel wrote:
Char Jackson <none@none.invalid> wrote:
I've heard people say that leaving S mode is a one-way street, but apparently
not.
At the least, one could use the system restore function, on any
typical device. I've always installed from media, since the first
reinstallation of Windows 2000, but I don't keep much on the system
partition. But that computer with the equivalent of retail Win2000
preinstalled, was the last pre-assembled computer I had.
I don't think modern machines come with a restoration partition.
The best thing to do, is make a backup any time you get a brand
new machine, and later... you won't be sorry. You might even put
it on some DVD blanks, if you want the "experience" to seem "traditional" :-) >That way, if there was something loveable about the cruft in the OS,
you won't lose any of it.
Oscar Mayer wrote:
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)?
https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year?
Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you think?
It would be a great machine for sending small emails without attachments. He/she/it will likely soon give it away or trash it.
This would be much better: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/alienware-x14-r1-14-0-144hz-fhd-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3060-512gb-ssd-lunar-light/6502624.p?skuId=6502624
Char Jackson <none@none.invalid> wrote:
You can
take Win11 out of S mode
Speaking of Win 11 S mode, I was asked to work on a friend's laptop a few weeks
ago. Using a Youtube video, I took it out of S mode, made the necessary repairs,
then I re-enabled S mode before returning it to its owner.
I've heard people say that leaving S mode is a one-way street, but apparently
not.
At the least, one could use the system restore function, on any
typical device. I've always installed from media, since the first reinstallation of Windows 2000, but I don't keep much on the system partition. But that computer with the equivalent of retail Win2000 preinstalled, was the last pre-assembled computer I had.
On Mon, 2 Oct 2023 23:39:58 -0400, Oscar Mayer wrote:
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)?
https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year?
Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you think?
You left out a number of important things, but since the picture
shows the model number I can fill them in:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
RAM: 8 GB DDR4-3200 RAM
14" Micro-Edge HD (1366x768) Touchscreen
OS: Windows 11 Home
Screen: 1366 x 768, 14"
256 GB is (not "250") is not a lot these days, and neither is 8 GB of
RAM. Also, I'm not a fan of HP computers in general because they tend
to come loaded with crapware and customizations that make Windows not
work the way it does on other computers. (However: my last exposure
to trying to make HPs work with standard software was 4 years ago, so
maybe they've cleaned up their act since then.)
Touchscreen is good, but IMHO this machine is pretty barebones
otherwise. I would worry about the screen: it's small, and the pixel dimensions are substandard these days. (My laptop and desktop are
both 1920 × 1080, for example.) Nothing is said about the keyboard
being backlit, so presumably it's not. If the "kid" is going to use
it for email, Web surfing, and writing MS-Word docs, it will probably
be okay, if not the fastest. For more advanced applications,
especially gaming, I would expect poor performance.
But that's just me, based just on the specs and without having tried
this laptop myself. By all means look at other answers. And read the
reviews, if you haven't already. Frankly, they would warn me off of
it.
That said, it's Costco. Your nephew could try it out, and then if he
doesn't like it he can return it -- assuming there's a Costco where
he's going to school.
On 2023-10-03 06:42, Stan Brown wrote:
On Mon, 2 Oct 2023 23:39:58 -0400, Oscar Mayer wrote:
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? >>> https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year? >>> Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you
think?
You left out a number of important things, but since the picture
shows the model number I can fill them in:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
RAM: 8 GB DDR4-3200 RAM
14" Micro-Edge HD (1366x768) Touchscreen
OS: Windows 11 Home
Screen: 1366 x 768, 14"
256 GB is (not "250") is not a lot these days, and neither is 8 GB of
RAM. Also, I'm not a fan of HP computers in general because they tend
to come loaded with crapware and customizations that make Windows not
work the way it does on other computers. (However: my last exposure
to trying to make HPs work with standard software was 4 years ago, so
maybe they've cleaned up their act since then.)
Touchscreen is good, but IMHO this machine is pretty barebones
otherwise. I would worry about the screen: it's small, and the pixel
dimensions are substandard these days. (My laptop and desktop are
both 1920 × 1080, for example.) Nothing is said about the keyboard
being backlit, so presumably it's not. If the "kid" is going to use
it for email, Web surfing, and writing MS-Word docs, it will probably
be okay, if not the fastest. For more advanced applications,
especially gaming, I would expect poor performance.
Writing any lightly complex document with graphics, or spreadsheets, is
a pain on 14". Doubly so when extracting data from pdfs as source.
Oscar Mayer wrote:
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)?
https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year?
Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you think?
It would be a great machine for sending small emails without
attachments. He/she/it will likely soon give it away or trash it.
This would be much better: >https://www.bestbuy.com/site/alienware-x14-r1-14-0-144hz-fhd-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3060-512gb-ssd-lunar-light/6502624.p?skuId=6502624
On 2023-10-03 06:42, Stan Brown wrote:
On Mon, 2 Oct 2023 23:39:58 -0400, Oscar Mayer wrote:
You left out a number of important things, but since the picture
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? >>> https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year? >>> Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you think? >>
shows the model number I can fill them in:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
RAM: 8 GB DDR4-3200 RAM
14" Micro-Edge HD (1366x768) Touchscreen
OS: Windows 11 Home
Screen: 1366 x 768, 14"
256 GB is (not "250") is not a lot these days,
and neither is 8 GB of
RAM.
Also, I'm not a fan of HP computers in general because they tend
to come loaded with crapware and customizations that make Windows not
work the way it does on other computers. (However: my last exposure
to trying to make HPs work with standard software was 4 years ago, so
maybe they've cleaned up their act since then.)
Touchscreen is good,
but IMHO this machine is pretty barebones
otherwise. I would worry about the screen: it's small, and the pixel
dimensions are substandard these days. (My laptop and desktop are
both 1920 × 1080, for example.)
Nothing is said about the keyboard
being backlit, so presumably it's not. If the "kid" is going to use
it for email, Web surfing, and writing MS-Word docs, it will probably
be okay, if not the fastest. For more advanced applications,
especially gaming, I would expect poor performance.
Writing any lightly complex document with graphics, or spreadsheets, is
a pain on 14". Doubly so when extracting data from pdfs as source.
But that's just me, based just on the specs and without having tried
this laptop myself. By all means look at other answers. And read the
reviews, if you haven't already. Frankly, they would warn me off of
it.
That said, it's Costco. Your nephew could try it out, and then if he
doesn't like it he can return it -- assuming there's a Costco where
he's going to school.
On 04/10/2023 12:36, Carlos E. R. wrote:
On 2023-10-03 06:42, Stan Brown wrote:Presumably the OP asked about a laptop because they want a laptop.
On Mon, 2 Oct 2023 23:39:58 -0400, Oscar Mayer wrote:
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? >>>> https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year? >>>> Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you
think?
You left out a number of important things, but since the picture
shows the model number I can fill them in:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
RAM: 8 GB DDR4-3200 RAM
14" Micro-Edge HD (1366x768) Touchscreen
OS: Windows 11 Home
Screen: 1366 x 768, 14"
256 GB is (not "250") is not a lot these days, and neither is 8 GB of
RAM. Also, I'm not a fan of HP computers in general because they tend
to come loaded with crapware and customizations that make Windows not
work the way it does on other computers. (However: my last exposure
to trying to make HPs work with standard software was 4 years ago, so
maybe they've cleaned up their act since then.)
Touchscreen is good, but IMHO this machine is pretty barebones
otherwise. I would worry about the screen: it's small, and the pixel
dimensions are substandard these days. (My laptop and desktop are
both 1920 × 1080, for example.) Nothing is said about the keyboard
being backlit, so presumably it's not. If the "kid" is going to use
it for email, Web surfing, and writing MS-Word docs, it will probably
be okay, if not the fastest. For more advanced applications,
especially gaming, I would expect poor performance.
Writing any lightly complex document with graphics, or spreadsheets, is
a pain on 14". Doubly so when extracting data from pdfs as source.
Going
much larger than 14 or 15 inch defeats the main purpose of a laptop - >portability.
On 04/10/2023 12:36, Carlos E. R. wrote:
[quoted text muted]
Writing any lightly complex document with graphics, or spreadsheets, is
a pain on 14". Doubly so when extracting data from pdfs as source.
Presumably the OP asked about a laptop because they want a laptop.
Going much larger than 14 or 15 inch defeats the main purpose of a
laptop - portability.
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year?
Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you think?
find out whether the
nephew's college has standardized on iOS world or Windows world.
256 GB is (not "250") is not a lot these days,
No, it's tiny. But depending on how the computer is used, it may be
adequate for some people. For example, I don't have a laptop these
days, but if I were to buy one, it would be for use when traveling,
and since that use would be for almost nothing other than e-mail and
the web, 256MB of storage would be enough for me.
On Wed, 4 Oct 2023 15:14:32 +0100, MikeS <MikeS@fred.com> wrote:
On 04/10/2023 12:36, Carlos E. R. wrote:
On 2023-10-03 06:42, Stan Brown wrote:
On Mon, 2 Oct 2023 23:39:58 -0400, Oscar Mayer wrote:
Writing any lightly complex document with graphics, or spreadsheets, isPresumably the OP asked about a laptop because they want a laptop.
a pain on 14". Doubly so when extracting data from pdfs as source.
No, the OP was asking about a laptop as a gift for a college student. Apparently he thinks a laptop would be more appropriate for a college
student because he thing the student might have little desk space and
might want to carry it to classes. He's probably right.
Going
much larger than 14 or 15 inch defeats the main purpose of a laptop -
portability.
I agree with you that the main purpose of using a laptop rather an
desktop is portability, but we're apparently in the minority. These
days many (perhaps most) people choose a laptop rather than a desktop
even though they don't expect to travel with it.
Why do they do that? Beats the shit out of me. As far as I'm
concerned, a laptop is the wrong choice for almost everyone. It's
harder and more expensive to upgrade or repair, and it's more
vulnerable to being dropped and broken or being stolen.
And that's not to mention that there are many more choices of hardware configuration for desktops.
About the only thing I wish it had was a lit keyboard.
Does the OP's laptop have a lit keyboard?
On Wed, 4 Oct 2023 13:36:32 +0200, "Carlos E. R."
<robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
On 2023-10-03 06:42, Stan Brown wrote:
On Mon, 2 Oct 2023 23:39:58 -0400, Oscar Mayer wrote:
You left out a number of important things, but since the picture
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? >>>> https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year? >>>> Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you think? >>>
shows the model number I can fill them in:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
RAM: 8 GB DDR4-3200 RAM
14" Micro-Edge HD (1366x768) Touchscreen
OS: Windows 11 Home
Screen: 1366 x 768, 14"
256 GB is (not "250") is not a lot these days,
No, it's tiny. But depending on how the computer is used, it may be
adequate for some people. For example, I don't have a laptop these
days, but if I were to buy one, it would be for use when traveling,
and since that use would be for almost nothing other than e-mail and
the web, 256MB of storage would be enough for me.
On Thu, 5 Oct 2023 04:14:43 +0900, Larry Wolff wrote:
About the only thing I wish it had was a lit keyboard.
Does the OP's laptop have a lit keyboard?
It's not mentioned in the specs on Costco's product page, which I
provided upthread. I would expect the feature would be mentioned if
the laptop had it.
I agree with you that the main purpose of using a laptop rather an
desktop is portability, but we're apparently in the minority. These
days many (perhaps most) people choose a laptop rather than a desktop
even though they don't expect to travel with it.
Why do they do that? Beats the shit out of me.
On Thu, 5 Oct 2023 04:14:43 +0900, Larry Wolff wrote:
About the only thing I wish it had was a lit keyboard.
Does the OP's laptop have a lit keyboard?
It's not mentioned in the specs on Costco's product page, which I
provided upthread. I would expect the feature would be mentioned if
the laptop had it.
On 2023-10-04 17:40, Ken Blake wrote:[...]
I agree with you that the main purpose of using a laptop rather an
desktop is portability, but we're apparently in the minority. These
days many (perhaps most) people choose a laptop rather than a desktop
even though they don't expect to travel with it.
Why do they do that? Beats the shit out of me. As far as I'm
concerned, a laptop is the wrong choice for almost everyone. It's
harder and more expensive to upgrade or repair, and it's more
vulnerable to being dropped and broken or being stolen.
Because it sits comfortably on a small table besides the sofa on the
sitting room.
It also sits very nicely on the table of a student room.
On Wed, 4 Oct 2023 15:14:32 +0100, MikeS <MikeS@fred.com> wrote:
On 04/10/2023 12:36, Carlos E. R. wrote:
On 2023-10-03 06:42, Stan Brown wrote:Presumably the OP asked about a laptop because they want a laptop.
On Mon, 2 Oct 2023 23:39:58 -0400, Oscar Mayer wrote:
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? >>>>> https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year? >>>>> Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you
think?
You left out a number of important things, but since the picture
shows the model number I can fill them in:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
RAM: 8 GB DDR4-3200 RAM
14" Micro-Edge HD (1366x768) Touchscreen
OS: Windows 11 Home
Screen: 1366 x 768, 14"
256 GB is (not "250") is not a lot these days, and neither is 8 GB of
RAM. Also, I'm not a fan of HP computers in general because they tend
to come loaded with crapware and customizations that make Windows not
work the way it does on other computers. (However: my last exposure
to trying to make HPs work with standard software was 4 years ago, so
maybe they've cleaned up their act since then.)
Touchscreen is good, but IMHO this machine is pretty barebones
otherwise. I would worry about the screen: it's small, and the pixel
dimensions are substandard these days. (My laptop and desktop are
both 1920 × 1080, for example.) Nothing is said about the keyboard
being backlit, so presumably it's not. If the "kid" is going to use
it for email, Web surfing, and writing MS-Word docs, it will probably
be okay, if not the fastest. For more advanced applications,
especially gaming, I would expect poor performance.
Writing any lightly complex document with graphics, or spreadsheets, is
a pain on 14". Doubly so when extracting data from pdfs as source.
No, the OP was asking about a laptop as a gift for a college student. Apparently he thinks a laptop would be more appropriate for a college
student because he thing the student might have little desk space and
might want to carry it to classes. He's probably right.
Going
much larger than 14 or 15 inch defeats the main purpose of a laptop -
portability.
I agree with you that the main purpose of using a laptop rather an
desktop is portability, but we're apparently in the minority. These
days many (perhaps most) people choose a laptop rather than a desktop
even though they don't expect to travel with it.
Why do they do that? Beats the shit out of me. As far as I'm
concerned, a laptop is the wrong choice for almost everyone. It's
harder and more expensive to upgrade or repair, and it's more
vulnerable to being dropped and broken or being stolen.
And that's not to mention that there are many more choices of hardware configuration for desktops.
On 04/10/2023 16:40, Ken Blake wrote:
On Wed, 4 Oct 2023 15:14:32 +0100, MikeS <MikeS@fred.com> wrote:FWIW I prefer a laptop but will not waste my time justifying it.
On 04/10/2023 12:36, Carlos E. R. wrote:
On 2023-10-03 06:42, Stan Brown wrote:Presumably the OP asked about a laptop because they want a laptop.
On Mon, 2 Oct 2023 23:39:58 -0400, Oscar Mayer wrote:
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)? >>>>>> https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year? >>>>>> Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you >>>>>> think?
You left out a number of important things, but since the picture
shows the model number I can fill them in:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
RAM: 8 GB DDR4-3200 RAM
14" Micro-Edge HD (1366x768) Touchscreen
OS: Windows 11 Home
Screen: 1366 x 768, 14"
256 GB is (not "250") is not a lot these days, and neither is 8 GB of >>>>> RAM. Also, I'm not a fan of HP computers in general because they tend >>>>> to come loaded with crapware and customizations that make Windows not >>>>> work the way it does on other computers. (However: my last exposure
to trying to make HPs work with standard software was 4 years ago, so >>>>> maybe they've cleaned up their act since then.)
Touchscreen is good, but IMHO this machine is pretty barebones
otherwise. I would worry about the screen: it's small, and the pixel >>>>> dimensions are substandard these days. (My laptop and desktop are
both 1920 × 1080, for example.) Nothing is said about the keyboard
being backlit, so presumably it's not. If the "kid" is going to use
it for email, Web surfing, and writing MS-Word docs, it will probably >>>>> be okay, if not the fastest. For more advanced applications,
especially gaming, I would expect poor performance.
Writing any lightly complex document with graphics, or spreadsheets, is >>>> a pain on 14". Doubly so when extracting data from pdfs as source.
No, the OP was asking about a laptop as a gift for a college student.
Apparently he thinks a laptop would be more appropriate for a college
student because he thing the student might have little desk space and
might want to carry it to classes. He's probably right.
Going
much larger than 14 or 15 inch defeats the main purpose of a laptop -
portability.
I agree with you that the main purpose of using a laptop rather an
desktop is portability, but we're apparently in the minority. These
days many (perhaps most) people choose a laptop rather than a desktop
even though they don't expect to travel with it.
Why do they do that? Beats the shit out of me. As far as I'm
concerned, a laptop is the wrong choice for almost everyone. It's
harder and more expensive to upgrade or repair, and it's more
vulnerable to being dropped and broken or being stolen.
And that's not to mention that there are many more choices of hardware
configuration for desktops.
Suffice it to say it does not "beat the shit out of me" if you or anyone
else prefers a desktop.
Why do they do that? Beats the shit out of me. As far as I'm
concerned, a laptop is the wrong choice for almost everyone. It's
harder and more expensive to upgrade or repair, and it's more
vulnerable to being dropped and broken or being stolen.
On Fri, 6 Oct 2023 21:51:57 +0100, MikeS <mikes@is.invalid> wrote:
On 04/10/2023 16:40, Ken Blake wrote:
On Wed, 4 Oct 2023 15:14:32 +0100, MikeS <MikeS@fred.com> wrote:FWIW I prefer a laptop but will not waste my time justifying it.
On 04/10/2023 12:36, Carlos E. R. wrote:
On 2023-10-03 06:42, Stan Brown wrote:Presumably the OP asked about a laptop because they want a laptop.
On Mon, 2 Oct 2023 23:39:58 -0400, Oscar Mayer wrote:
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)?
https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year?
Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you >>>>>>> think?
You left out a number of important things, but since the picture
shows the model number I can fill them in:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
RAM: 8 GB DDR4-3200 RAM
14" Micro-Edge HD (1366x768) Touchscreen
OS: Windows 11 Home
Screen: 1366 x 768, 14"
256 GB is (not "250") is not a lot these days, and neither is 8 GB of >>>>>> RAM. Also, I'm not a fan of HP computers in general because they tend >>>>>> to come loaded with crapware and customizations that make Windows not >>>>>> work the way it does on other computers. (However: my last exposure >>>>>> to trying to make HPs work with standard software was 4 years ago, so >>>>>> maybe they've cleaned up their act since then.)
Touchscreen is good, but IMHO this machine is pretty barebones
otherwise. I would worry about the screen: it's small, and the pixel >>>>>> dimensions are substandard these days. (My laptop and desktop are
both 1920 × 1080, for example.) Nothing is said about the keyboard >>>>>> being backlit, so presumably it's not. If the "kid" is going to use >>>>>> it for email, Web surfing, and writing MS-Word docs, it will probably >>>>>> be okay, if not the fastest. For more advanced applications,
especially gaming, I would expect poor performance.
Writing any lightly complex document with graphics, or spreadsheets, is >>>>> a pain on 14". Doubly so when extracting data from pdfs as source.
No, the OP was asking about a laptop as a gift for a college student.
Apparently he thinks a laptop would be more appropriate for a college
student because he thing the student might have little desk space and
might want to carry it to classes. He's probably right.
Going
much larger than 14 or 15 inch defeats the main purpose of a laptop -
portability.
I agree with you that the main purpose of using a laptop rather an
desktop is portability, but we're apparently in the minority. These
days many (perhaps most) people choose a laptop rather than a desktop
even though they don't expect to travel with it.
Why do they do that? Beats the shit out of me. As far as I'm
concerned, a laptop is the wrong choice for almost everyone. It's
harder and more expensive to upgrade or repair, and it's more
vulnerable to being dropped and broken or being stolen.
And that's not to mention that there are many more choices of hardware
configuration for desktops.
Suffice it to say it does not "beat the shit out of me" if you or anyone
else prefers a desktop.
Don't worry about it. I've been hearing for a decade or more that laptop sales
have far outpaced desktop sales, so apparently you (and I) are in the majority.
On Fri, 6 Oct 2023 21:51:57 +0100, MikeS <mikes@is.invalid> wrote:
On 04/10/2023 16:40, Ken Blake wrote:
On Wed, 4 Oct 2023 15:14:32 +0100, MikeS <MikeS@fred.com> wrote:FWIW I prefer a laptop but will not waste my time justifying it.
On 04/10/2023 12:36, Carlos E. R. wrote:
On 2023-10-03 06:42, Stan Brown wrote:Presumably the OP asked about a laptop because they want a laptop.
On Mon, 2 Oct 2023 23:39:58 -0400, Oscar Mayer wrote:
What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)?
https://i.postimg.cc/BQ3hwbqh/costcolaptop.jpg
Is it a decent birthday gift for a kid who will be in college next year?
Can it be upgraded to a bigger than 250GB drive & Windows 11 do you >>>>>>> think?
You left out a number of important things, but since the picture
shows the model number I can fill them in:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
RAM: 8 GB DDR4-3200 RAM
14" Micro-Edge HD (1366x768) Touchscreen
OS: Windows 11 Home
Screen: 1366 x 768, 14"
256 GB is (not "250") is not a lot these days, and neither is 8 GB of >>>>>> RAM. Also, I'm not a fan of HP computers in general because they tend >>>>>> to come loaded with crapware and customizations that make Windows not >>>>>> work the way it does on other computers. (However: my last exposure >>>>>> to trying to make HPs work with standard software was 4 years ago, so >>>>>> maybe they've cleaned up their act since then.)
Touchscreen is good, but IMHO this machine is pretty barebones
otherwise. I would worry about the screen: it's small, and the pixel >>>>>> dimensions are substandard these days. (My laptop and desktop are
both 1920 × 1080, for example.) Nothing is said about the keyboard >>>>>> being backlit, so presumably it's not. If the "kid" is going to use >>>>>> it for email, Web surfing, and writing MS-Word docs, it will probably >>>>>> be okay, if not the fastest. For more advanced applications,
especially gaming, I would expect poor performance.
Writing any lightly complex document with graphics, or spreadsheets, is >>>>> a pain on 14". Doubly so when extracting data from pdfs as source.
No, the OP was asking about a laptop as a gift for a college student.
Apparently he thinks a laptop would be more appropriate for a college
student because he thing the student might have little desk space and
might want to carry it to classes. He's probably right.
Going
much larger than 14 or 15 inch defeats the main purpose of a laptop -
portability.
I agree with you that the main purpose of using a laptop rather an
desktop is portability, but we're apparently in the minority. These
days many (perhaps most) people choose a laptop rather than a desktop
even though they don't expect to travel with it.
Why do they do that? Beats the shit out of me. As far as I'm
concerned, a laptop is the wrong choice for almost everyone. It's
harder and more expensive to upgrade or repair, and it's more
vulnerable to being dropped and broken or being stolen.
And that's not to mention that there are many more choices of hardware
configuration for desktops.
Suffice it to say it does not "beat the shit out of me" if you or anyone >>else prefers a desktop.
Don't worry about it. I've been hearing for a decade or more that laptop sales >have far outpaced desktop sales, so apparently you (and I) are in the majority.
Ken Blake wrote:
Why do they do that? Beats the shit out of me. As far as I'm
concerned, a laptop is the wrong choice for almost everyone. It's
harder and more expensive to upgrade or repair, and it's more
vulnerable to being dropped and broken or being stolen.
Have had 4 laptops since 1998, not one ever dropped, broken, repaired or >stolen
- Compaq, Micron, two Acers.
"Ken Blake" <Ken@invalid.news.com> wrote
I agree with you that the main purpose of using a laptop rather an
desktop is portability, but we're apparently in the minority. These
days many (perhaps most) people choose a laptop rather than a desktop
even though they don't expect to travel with it.
Why do they do that?
People can't be bothered. Everything is "on the go".
With college students there's probably also a social factor:
Do your homework in a public space where there's some
chance of getting laid. If they really wanted to just do
work with the computer then the ergonomics and economy
of a desktop would win.
Yes, I know. If don't remember why you said you prefer a laptop, but I remember your saying it and having a good reason.
Note that I said "wrong choice for *almost* everyone." Almost
everyone, not everyone. I've known several other people for whom it
was the right choice.
I've also known several people who were convinced it was the right
choice until they got it and realized they had made a mistake.
And yes, I know you're in the majority.
I'm not trying to convince you or anyone else here to change. I don't
know why you prefer laptops, and I don't particularly care. You may
have a very good reason for that preference. My only point is that as
far as I'm concerned, it's a mistake for *most* people. Again, note
the stress on the word "most." I don't claim that it's a mistake for everyone.
On Fri, 6 Oct 2023 20:38:24 -0400, "...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com>
wrote:
Ken Blake wrote:
Why do they do that? Beats the shit out of me. As far as I'm
concerned, a laptop is the wrong choice for almost everyone. It's
harder and more expensive to upgrade or repair, and it's more
vulnerable to being dropped and broken or being stolen.
Have had 4 laptops since 1998, not one ever dropped, broken, repaired or
stolen
- Compaq, Micron, two Acers.
I'm sure the same is true for many people. But as far as I'm
concerned, that argument is like saying "I've had four cars since
1998, and never had an accident; why do I need insurance?"
I'm not trying to convince you or anyone else here to change. I don't
know why you prefer laptops, and I don't particularly care. You may
have a very good reason for that preference. My only point is that as
far as I'm concerned, it's a mistake for *most* people. Again, note
the stress on the word "most." I don't claim that it's a mistake for everyone.
"...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> wrote
| Still don't buy the 'most' scenario, the number of laptops sold and
| deployed across OEM and Consumers far exceeds the desktops.
| - Note: Enterprise is and has always been the primary purchaser of OEM
| devices significantly greater than consumers.
|
It's funny how whenever this topic comes up,
both sides argue that the majority agree with them.
Few make any actual case for one or the other. Laptops
are portable, but many people don't move them. Desktops
are upgradeable, but few people upgrade them. I've
had friends who spend hours per day in front of a small
laptop that doesn't move.
Over time I've concluded that there isn't much rational
thought involved. People find computers ugly and clunky.
Period. They don't want a big metal box as a decorating
element in their bedroom or living room. And most people
are not aware of their body enough to care about
ergonomics. They become masters of typing telegrams
full of misspellings on their iPhones and yet believe that
they actually use email. They don't use email. The
cellphone is no good for that. They simply double-thumb
hasty responses to other people who use email. It's a
lifestyle thing, not a best-tool-for-the-job thing.
Laptops are portable, unobtrusive, easier to steal,
ergonomically wanting, more expensive... Power and storage
haven't been notable issues for a long time. So why do people
buy laptops? It must be the portability and/or the
unobtrusiveness.
Yesterday I was walking by a building with offices on the
first floor. One of those places where a lot of young lackeys
sit side by side at long tables all day. The tables were filled
with HP "all-in-ones". It looked like just a bunch of average
size monitors. Maybe 17-19". But each had a box as part of
the vertical support coming up from the base. Not much
bigger than a pack of cigarettes. I'm guessing that box holds
an efficient chip with onboard graphics and ethernet, with a
tiny SSD and tiny RAM.
Interestingly, those all-in-ones are usually more expensive
than a basic desktop. But they're visually more appealing
and simpler. 20 years ago the PC magazines were predicting
the age of the thin client. That never really happened. Why?
Thin clients are less upgradeable, more expensive, and just as ugly
as a desktop. They still require a box that looks like a machine,
with lots of wires attached. Compare that to a Mac laptop --
a sleek sculpture in aluminum or white plastic that conceals all of
the tech and often runs with no wires. In the end, most people
don't like tech and don't like computers. They only want the
service it provides. If you just spent an hour putting on makeup
and getting dressed in a $2,000 suit, do you want to sit at a clunky
machine with wires, or do you want a fashion accessory that
can run MS Word without glitches? No contest. That's also the
reason that fewer people now use Windows. Mac is sleek and
so locked down that it rarely has bugs. Just the thing for people
who'd rather not deal with tech in the first place.
The amusing thing to me is people who spend $2,400 for a 5' 4K
TV, then happily stream TV shows on their laptop in the other room.
Comfort and quality are just not things that most people notice.
On 08/10/2023 18:34, Newyana2 wrote:
"...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> wroteThe amusing thing to me when this topic comes up is that there is always someone to write a long explanation of why everyone else is wrong.
| Still don't buy the 'most' scenario, the number of laptops sold and
| deployed across OEM and Consumers far exceeds the desktops.
|Â - Note: Enterprise is and has always been the primary purchaser of OEM >> | devices significantly greater than consumers.
|
    It's funny how whenever this topic comes up,
both sides argue that the majority agree with them.
Few make any actual case for one or the other. Laptops
are portable, but many people don't move them. Desktops
are upgradeable, but few people upgrade them. I've
had friends who spend hours per day in front of a small
laptop that doesn't move.
  Over time I've concluded that there isn't much rational
thought involved. People find computers ugly and clunky.
Period. They don't want a big metal box as a decorating
element in their bedroom or living room. And most people
are not aware of their body enough to care about
ergonomics. They become masters of typing telegrams
full of misspellings on their iPhones and yet believe that
they actually use email. They don't use email. The
cellphone is no good for that. They simply double-thumb
hasty responses to other people who use email. It's a
lifestyle thing, not a best-tool-for-the-job thing.
  Laptops are portable, unobtrusive, easier to steal,
ergonomically wanting, more expensive... Power and storage
haven't been notable issues for a long time. So why do people
buy laptops? It must be the portability and/or the
unobtrusiveness.
  Yesterday I was walking by a building with offices on the
first floor. One of those places where a lot of young lackeys
sit side by side at long tables all day. The tables were filled
with HP "all-in-ones". It looked like just a bunch of average
size monitors. Maybe 17-19". But each had a box as part of
the vertical support coming up from the base. Not much
bigger than a pack of cigarettes. I'm guessing that box holds
an efficient chip with onboard graphics and ethernet, with a
tiny SSD and tiny RAM.
  Interestingly, those all-in-ones are usually more expensive
than a basic desktop. But they're visually more appealing
and simpler. 20 years ago the PC magazines were predicting
the age of the thin client. That never really happened. Why?
Thin clients are less upgradeable, more expensive, and just as ugly
as a desktop. They still require a box that looks like a machine,
with lots of wires attached. Compare that to a Mac laptop --
a sleek sculpture in aluminum or white plastic that conceals all of
the tech and often runs with no wires. In the end, most people
don't like tech and don't like computers. They only want the
service it provides. If you just spent an hour putting on makeup
and getting dressed in a $2,000 suit, do you want to sit at a clunky
machine with wires, or do you want a fashion accessory that
can run MS Word without glitches? No contest. That's also the
reason that fewer people now use Windows. Mac is sleek and
so locked down that it rarely has bugs. Just the thing for people
who'd rather not deal with tech in the first place.
  The amusing thing to me is people who spend $2,400 for a 5' 4K
TV, then happily stream TV shows on their laptop in the other room.
Comfort and quality are just not things that most people notice.
My simple philosophy is that I do what suits me and am content to let everyone else do what suits them - without any of us needing to justify
our preferences.
"...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> wrote
| Still don't buy the 'most' scenario, the number of laptops sold and
| deployed across OEM and Consumers far exceeds the desktops.
| - Note: Enterprise is and has always been the primary purchaser of OEM
| devices significantly greater than consumers.
|
It's funny how whenever this topic comes up,
both sides argue that the majority agree with them.
Few make any actual case for one or the other. Laptops
are portable, but many people don't move them.
Desktops
are upgradeable, but few people upgrade them.
I've
had friends who spend hours per day in front of a small
laptop that doesn't move.
Over time I've concluded that there isn't much rational
thought involved. People find computers ugly and clunky.
Period. They don't want a big metal box as a decorating
element in their bedroom or living room.
And most people
are not aware of their body enough to care about
ergonomics. They become masters of typing telegrams
full of misspellings on their iPhones and yet believe that
they actually use email. They don't use email. The
cellphone is no good for that.
They simply double-thumb
hasty responses to other people who use email.
It's a
lifestyle thing, not a best-tool-for-the-job thing.
Laptops are portable, unobtrusive, easier to steal,
ergonomically wanting, more expensive... Power and storage
haven't been notable issues for a long time. So why do people
buy laptops? It must be the portability and/or the
unobtrusiveness.
Yesterday I was walking by a building with offices on the
first floor. One of those places where a lot of young lackeys
sit side by side at long tables all day. The tables were filled
with HP "all-in-ones". It looked like just a bunch of average
size monitors. Maybe 17-19". But each had a box as part of
the vertical support coming up from the base. Not much
bigger than a pack of cigarettes. I'm guessing that box holds
an efficient chip with onboard graphics and ethernet, with a
tiny SSD and tiny RAM.
Interestingly, those all-in-ones are usually more expensive
than a basic desktop. But they're visually more appealing
and simpler.
20 years ago the PC magazines were predicting
the age of the thin client. That never really happened. Why?
Thin clients are less upgradeable, more expensive, and just as ugly
as a desktop. They still require a box that looks like a machine,
with lots of wires attached. Compare that to a Mac laptop --
a sleek sculpture in aluminum or white plastic that conceals all of
the tech and often runs with no wires. In the end, most people
don't like tech and don't like computers. They only want the
service it provides. If you just spent an hour putting on makeup
and getting dressed in a $2,000 suit, do you want to sit at a clunky
machine with wires, or do you want a fashion accessory that
can run MS Word without glitches? No contest. That's also the
reason that fewer people now use Windows. Mac is sleek and
so locked down that it rarely has bugs. Just the thing for people
who'd rather not deal with tech in the first place.
The amusing thing to me is people who spend $2,400 for a 5' 4K
TV,
then happily stream TV shows on their laptop in the other room.
Comfort and quality are just not things that most people notice.
On 08/10/2023 18:34, Newyana2 wrote:
"...winston" <winstonmvp@gmail.com> wroteThe amusing thing to me when this topic comes up is that there is always >someone to write a long explanation of why everyone else is wrong.
| Still don't buy the 'most' scenario, the number of laptops sold and
| deployed across OEM and Consumers far exceeds the desktops.
| - Note: Enterprise is and has always been the primary purchaser of OEM
| devices significantly greater than consumers.
|
It's funny how whenever this topic comes up,
both sides argue that the majority agree with them.
Few make any actual case for one or the other. Laptops
are portable, but many people don't move them. Desktops
are upgradeable, but few people upgrade them. I've
had friends who spend hours per day in front of a small
laptop that doesn't move.
Over time I've concluded that there isn't much rational
thought involved. People find computers ugly and clunky.
Period. They don't want a big metal box as a decorating
element in their bedroom or living room. And most people
are not aware of their body enough to care about
ergonomics. They become masters of typing telegrams
full of misspellings on their iPhones and yet believe that
they actually use email. They don't use email. The
cellphone is no good for that. They simply double-thumb
hasty responses to other people who use email. It's a
lifestyle thing, not a best-tool-for-the-job thing.
Laptops are portable, unobtrusive, easier to steal,
ergonomically wanting, more expensive... Power and storage
haven't been notable issues for a long time. So why do people
buy laptops? It must be the portability and/or the
unobtrusiveness.
Yesterday I was walking by a building with offices on the
first floor. One of those places where a lot of young lackeys
sit side by side at long tables all day. The tables were filled
with HP "all-in-ones". It looked like just a bunch of average
size monitors. Maybe 17-19". But each had a box as part of
the vertical support coming up from the base. Not much
bigger than a pack of cigarettes. I'm guessing that box holds
an efficient chip with onboard graphics and ethernet, with a
tiny SSD and tiny RAM.
Interestingly, those all-in-ones are usually more expensive
than a basic desktop. But they're visually more appealing
and simpler. 20 years ago the PC magazines were predicting
the age of the thin client. That never really happened. Why?
Thin clients are less upgradeable, more expensive, and just as ugly
as a desktop. They still require a box that looks like a machine,
with lots of wires attached. Compare that to a Mac laptop --
a sleek sculpture in aluminum or white plastic that conceals all of
the tech and often runs with no wires. In the end, most people
don't like tech and don't like computers. They only want the
service it provides. If you just spent an hour putting on makeup
and getting dressed in a $2,000 suit, do you want to sit at a clunky
machine with wires, or do you want a fashion accessory that
can run MS Word without glitches? No contest. That's also the
reason that fewer people now use Windows. Mac is sleek and
so locked down that it rarely has bugs. Just the thing for people
who'd rather not deal with tech in the first place.
The amusing thing to me is people who spend $2,400 for a 5' 4K
TV, then happily stream TV shows on their laptop in the other room.
Comfort and quality are just not things that most people notice.
My simple philosophy is that I do what suits me and am content to let >everyone else do what suits them - without any of us needing to justify
our preferences.
I'm on the desktop side. But I *don't* argue that the majority agrees
with me. I'm well aware that laptops are outselling desktops these
days. But A being more popular than B doesn't mean A is better than B. Quality, value, etc. should be assessed on their own, without regard
to popularity.
You, and others here, may not think that's also true of my philosophy,
but it actually is. If someone prefers a laptop to a desktop, that's
fine with me. I don't care. If someone prefers a Ford to a Toyota,
that's fine with me. I don't care. If someone prefers to vacation on
a beach rather than a mountain, that's fine with me. I don't care.We
are all entitled to our own preferences, and any effort to convince
someone that my preference is better than his is highly unlikely to
succeed (especially here in a newsgroup).
I started this sub-thread, but wasn't trying to convince anyone else
to do the same thing as I do. My main point on the initial post here
was "These days many (perhaps most) people choose a laptop rather than
a desktop even though they don't expect to travel with it. Why do
they do that? Beats the shit out of me." I was simply expressing my
lack of understanding as to why laptops are so popular. Despite other people's replies to my post, I still don't understand why, and I
probably never will.
Ken Blake <Ken@invalid.news.com> wrote:
[...]
You, and others here, may not think that's also true of my philosophy,
but it actually is. If someone prefers a laptop to a desktop, that's
fine with me. I don't care. If someone prefers a Ford to a Toyota,
that's fine with me. I don't care. If someone prefers to vacation on
a beach rather than a mountain, that's fine with me. I don't care.We
are all entitled to our own preferences, and any effort to convince
someone that my preference is better than his is highly unlikely to
succeed (especially here in a newsgroup).
I started this sub-thread, but wasn't trying to convince anyone else
to do the same thing as I do. My main point on the initial post here
was "These days many (perhaps most) people choose a laptop rather than
a desktop even though they don't expect to travel with it. Why do
they do that? Beats the shit out of me." I was simply expressing my
lack of understanding as to why laptops are so popular. Despite other
people's replies to my post, I still don't understand why, and I
probably never will.
Well, you didn't just "not understand why", but you also said a laptop
"is a mistake for *most* people". That's not "I don't care." and it's
not just not understanding.
About the not understanding: We (Carlos, me, others) have said that a
main point is moveability - from one place in a room or home to another
-, portabilty - more or less the same, but not exactly the same (re: the battery powered all-in-one) - and 'mobility' - take it somewhere else
(than in your home), *anywhere* and use it there. A laptop can do all
the above, a 'desktop' can't do any of them.
You've been ignoring those arguments, so it's no wonder that "I still don't understand why, and I probably never will."
Ignoring *the* major feature of a product make any and all
'comparisons' meaningless and rather silly.
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