Recently I have been experiencing ageing issues with my laptop, the screen has lines on it, and the power socket (DC jack) is wobbling to the point of being "half loose". I have had this laptop since around 2012, and so, it is in dire need of replacement. Here are the specs: Code (Text): Processor: AMD A4-5000 APU with Radeon(TM) HD Graphics - 1.50 GHz RAM: 8.00 GB HDD: 1TB (of which only 90GB I've actually used...) OS: Windows 7 64-bit This is what I am looking to replace, I need a laptop with a much faster CPU, RAM probably about the same, and HDD I don't mind having much less than 1TB (if this will help drive the cost of the machine down then I'll certainly dive for that), and hopefully for a laptop where there are drivers to support Windows 7. Having experienced 8 for over a year and 10 for two years, I have grown to loath them for constant minor but nevertheless irritating features and changes. My price range will go up to £500, obviously, the cheaper the better... I have had a look in a few stores and on a few sites, but am having trouble finding anything at a reasonable price, I suspect the laptops having extra features, disk space, etc (stuff I don't really need) are driving up the prices. I did check a few sites which allowed making customised laptops in which I could drive the cost down, but I had concerns after reading a few people may have trouble installing 7 on the things. Now, I know... I know... What am I thinking? Laptops are generally crap, they are designed not to last and so forth, I get that, and I'm also aware that it might be impossible to get what I want because of the way the market swings. But I felt there to be no harm in asking. So, any ideas? Suggestions?
Ebuyer's pretty great for laptops. If you need a decent processor and aren't worried about dedicated graphics then this one is well within your price range: https://www.ebuyer.com/805720-hp-250-g6-i5-laptop-2sy46es-2sy46es-abu I had an AMD AX CPU with Radeon combo for years (bought one in 2013) and I have to say using this current and newer Intel-based machine (quad-core i5) is so much better. Intel processors really are significantly better than AMD's old AX range. I hear Ryzen is supposed to be fucking amazing but it's quite costly. Just did another couple of searches and this one has dedicated GeForce graphics: https://www.ebuyer.com/805830-asus-a556uq-laptop-a556uq-dm1319t Whilst this one is rocking an Intel i7 processor (and is still within your price range!): https://www.ebuyer.com/818429-asus-vivobook-15-x540ua-laptop-x540ua-gq170t Basically hit up Ebuyer and click the right settings (price, dedicated graphics or not etc.) and go wild. Hope this helps!
Sorry for the late reply, I have been considerably busy lately. That does seem to be ideally what I'm looking for specs wise, but again, my biggest concern is the ability to install an older operating system onto it. I am not a fan of 10 as I said, and from what I've read up, installing 7 on these things appears to be between unpredictable and not possible. Thank you very much for your help though, this is at least a step in the right direction.
If you are after an older operating system you might as well try and see if you can get a laptop that's only a few years old but in good condition. I've personally been buying used Lenovo ThinkPads off eBay since 2013 and I've never gone back, they are durable and won't fall apart as bad as others can, for example I used to have Acer laptops and they were nothing but problematic. My first was a T410 built in 2010 and lasted until 2018 and my current is a T440p (dated to 2014 but acquired this year) which I spent £320 on originally (I spent a little more on that for a hard drive caddy to replace the DVD drive and I had to blow £20 on a replacement fan due to a canned air mishap). I got a good deal on it as the seller was willing to lower the price by removing the storage drive (which I am using my T410 drives in this) and also fitted a backlit keyboard as the T440p doesn't have a light above the screen which was handy for night time usage. I could upgrade the CPU to a quad core and go up to 16GB RAM but those can wait, I'm quite satisfied for the time being. Plus from what I've been told to upgrade the CPU I also need a different charger for it, that's more money. I haven't had much issues with 10 myself other than the constant feature updates which my desktop is now rejecting upgrades for it, it's an old box dated to 2008 but I got a hold of it in 2013 and upgraded it well. It's due a replacement but that won't be happening for now anyway. I don't blame people for sticking to Windows 7 though, let's not forget how many people rejected Vista and stayed with XP. I certainly did it a few times myself.
If you are gonna pick W10, stay the absolute fuck away from the 1803 update. Install the 1709 version, then block updates (I really don't remember the process, there's a handful of commands you have to run as TrustedInstaller to block UpdateOrchestrator from running) I'm not sure why but has ruined performance on any machine of mine it's been installed on.
