Category Archives: computers

tools of the trade

18 Saturday Jun 2016

Posted by in blogging, computers, home, work

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mk330

When I bought Sterling – less than a year ago – I also splashed out on a new HP wireless keyboard and mouse. Well, the keyboard started sticking not long after, though it still actually worked, so I just put up with it. Then the mouse stopped scrolling, which I tried to live with but it was just too frustrating. So for awhile I had two mice on the desk… one that scrolled (but was also “sticky” so not good for general use) and the HP one. Then yesterday I thought – what the hell am I doing? – and went out and bought this baby. Which already feels better than the HP one ever did. But I mean honestly, I know I use my keyboard a lot, but I also have a light touch, so what’s with products that seemingly self-destruct after a short time? At least for now it’s actually a pleasure to be typing (and scrolling) again.

windows 10

15 Friday Apr 2016

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windows 10

So there I was working on a blog post this morning when suddenly Sterling started updating to Windows 10 all on his own with the screen warning NOT to turn off the computer. There had been a pop-up window earlier about scheduling it, but I didn’t want to schedule it, so I just closed the window. Oops. And so now I have Windows 10. After all the horror stories it seems to working okay. Anyhow, so far so good…

Any of you guys using Windows 10?

sterling

28 Monday Sep 2015

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sterlingMeet Sterling. Named so not just because he’s a lovely matte silver, but also for his many sterling qualities. The i7 processor, 12 gm RAM, 1 T memory. I’ve been working (and playing) with him all weekend and have to say I’m very happy with my purchase. And flatmate Peter is happy too because he has inherited the Greyhound. Question: what to do with two very old laptops no longer in use?

i5 vs i7

24 Thursday Sep 2015

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hp dilemma (1)

As some of you may recall, I’ve been going through a computer upgrade dilemma all summer, trying to decide whether to go with another 17″ laptop or an all-in-one 23″ desktop. That question has been decided – I’m definitely going with another laptop. But now another techy-geek dilemma has reared its baffling head… which processor should I get?

Behold two lovely laptops by HP. Both have 17.3″ screens, 12 GB Ram, 1 T memory as well as other similarities. The only difference is that the one above has the new Intel Core i7 processor and the one below has an i5. Oh, and the one above costs 300€ more.

My question is… is the i7 processor worth spending an extra 300€? I mean, I almost hope it is because the Envy above is way prettier than the Pavilion below, but I also don’t want to spend an extra 300€ just for a pretty exterior.

Help? If it matters, I do use my laptop every day for many hours, so speed is important. Also, I do a lot of photo editing and hope to be getting into video editing soon. The other thing is that if I don’t decide which one to purchase by Saturday then I’ll have to wait until another special offer comes along. Right now Fnac is offering a 20% discount.

hp dilemma (2)

upgrade dilemma

06 Thursday Aug 2015

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update dilemmaIt’s computer upgrade time! Not so much for myself, but flatmate Peter has been using trusty six-year-old Shadow since I bought the Greyhound, and it’s looking like Shadow is about to give up the ghost, so if I upgrade then I can pass the Greyhound on to him. But I’m not sure which way to go. I saw an older version of an HP all-in-one desktop (different than the one shown above) awhile ago and thought it might be nice to have a larger screen to work with, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to lose the portability option of a laptop. Though it must be said that the Greyhound has seldom left the desk in the past three years. So I thought I had finally decided on going with this newer desktop version with a 23″ touchscreen, but then I saw this 17″ laptop that is a bit cheaper and seems to have more “stuff” (RAM, memory graphics, etc) so would it be better to go with the laptop instead and keep the portability option? Do I really need 12 GBs of RAM? Help?

hp envy 17

hp envy 23