Upgrade my Microsoft desktop or get a Nexus tablet? Stick with the Status Quo?

[B. Diddy]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

My argument about those specs is that even with that level of machine, I find the performance hardly any better on my Win 8.1 laptop then on my Chromebook, for what I need either of them for. That has been my point.

I don't use Photoshop. I can edit photos as much as I want using Pixlr.

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[UJ95x]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

4 Gigs is a lot of RAM

You're joking, right? We're not talking about phones here... 4GB on a Windows laptop is far from a lot. Especially one with a weak processor and an HDD. My desktop has 4GB of RAM and the performance is subpar, even for things like broswing, writing documents, etc. Any laptop that has good reviews for performance usually has 8GB (base model) of RAM, and i5 processor or higher, and usually an SSD. None of the ones you linked meet any of those criteria.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SlimKat 4.4.2

 

[JeffDenver]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

You're joking, right?

No. This is my serious face.

We're not talking about phones here... 4GB on a Windows laptop is far from a lot.

Compared to what is on his XP machine, it is a lot. (they are all upgradable too btw)

In my experience, 4 gigs is the minimum you need for a fluid UI experience on Windows 8. Though it will work with less.

Especially one with a weak processor and an HDD.

Again "weak" is relative. All those CPUs are probably faster than what he already has. You are not going to need a Quad Core pentium to play Doom.

My desktop has 4GB of RAM and the performance is subpar

Maybe you are just too demanding?

That has not been my experience. Browsing and opening documents and other mundane tasks are very quick on the Win8 machines I have used.

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

The whole point here is that we're trying to keep options open. Chromebooks won't be right for everyone, but they might be perfect for a lot of people. I agree with JeffDenver that Chromebooks can't do everything that Windows laptops can do, but one question to ask is if you need every single feature that Windows provides.

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[JeffDenver]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

I don't hate Windows 8, and I do have two Win 8.1 machines, but it isn't perfect, so it isn't quite fair to disparage Chrome OS as beta testing. I'm curious, have you actually sat down to use a Chromebook for more than a few minutes? You clearly have strong opinions about it, but if you haven't had a chance to really use one for a few days, then your experience may be skewed.

The fact that they have not wowed me with their performance is all the evidence I need. I already encouraged the OP to go to a store and try both out. I already told him not to take my word for it. IMO, the results will speak for themselves.

I think the Chromebook advocates greatly exaggerate it's assets. Almost all of them are using it in addition to a Windows 8 desktop or laptop, not in place of it. They are using it the way I would use a tablet.

 

[Almeuit]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

Jeff how come you answer their questions and avoid my Windows 8 one?


Also 4 GB of RAM is actually kind of low for a PC now-a-days. RAM is one of the things that is cheap to buy.

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

 

[garublador]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

Is 4 years really considered that "old" for a system anymore? My laptop is 4 years old and I haven't even considered upgrading. I don't play games or do any crazy CAD or mathematical computations on it and the performance has been at least as good as I require. I spend way more time waiting on my internet connection than I do on my CPU. Heck, my work computer is 4 years old and I do some CPU heavy stuff on it and the performance is still good.

 

[JeffDenver]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

Is 4 years really considered that "old" for a system anymore? My laptop is 4 years old and I haven't even considered upgrading. I don't play games or do any crazy CAD or mathematical computations on it and the performance has been at least as good as I require. I spend way more time waiting on my internet connection than I do on my CPU. Heck, my work computer is 4 years old and I do some CPU heavy stuff on it and the performance is still good.

He is wanting to upgrade because Microsoft said they are going to stop supporting XP, and he does not want an OS that is not receiving security updates. He's not upgrading for performance reasons. If he could continue using his XP system he would.

 

[garublador]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

He is wanting to upgrade because Microsoft said they are going to stop supporting XP, and he does not want an OS that is not receiving security updates. He's not upgrading for performance reasons. If he could continue using his XP system he would.

But why the new hardware? Why not just get the OS and save a couple hundred bucks?

 

[Ry]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

REMINDER: Please keep the discussion civil. Refrain from personal attacks.

Community Rules & Guidelines - Mobile Nations Forums

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

The fact that they have not wowed me with their performance is all the evidence I need. I already encouraged the OP to go to a store and try both out. I already told him not to take my word for it. IMO, the results will speak for themselves.

I think the Chromebook advocates greatly exaggerate it's assets. Almost all of them are using it in addition to a Windows 8 desktop or laptop, not in place of it. They are using it the way I would use a tablet.

So you've never actually used one for more than a few minutes. Thank you, that's what I was curious about.

Please don't suggest that I'm exaggerating anything. I'm just reporting my own experience. Thanks again.

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[Kevin OQuinn]

Not having spent a significant amount of time while projecting your opinion like you have is extremely disingenuous.

I spend every day with a quad core i7 win7 laptop with 4gb ram and a 500gb spinning disk. And a 14" Chromebook. I use the chromebook far more. Web browsing is much faster and smoother, without any lag or performance issues. I have to use the windows machine because my comp any requires it for Office. Otherwise it would be all chromebook all the time at work.

That's my experience after spending significant time with both systems.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Zabigayle]

I just purchased a Chromebook earlier in the week and I'm really enjoying it. When they first appeared I thought it was the most ridiculous thing ever, who would pay $200 for essentially a web browser?! I've since done more research and evaluated what I really do with my PC..I mostly surf the web, online shop, use quite a bit of Chrome Web Apps and games, watch Netflix/Hulu. Thankfully my work stays at work and never comes home with me so I don't need to worry about that.

For me it is enough to be a replacement for a regular laptop/desktop and I think that it can be for a lot of people that casually use a computer and use Google services.

 

[JeffDenver]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

So you've never actually used one for more than a few minutes. Thank you, that's what I was curious about.

I have no idea why so many people on here are so defensive about Chromebooks. Do you guys own stock in the companies or something?

 

[JeffDenver]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

But why the new hardware? Why not just get the OS and save a couple hundred bucks?

I am guessing because his current system is too old to support it.

Also...for the cost of the OS alone you could almost just buy a laptop anyway.

 

[Almeuit]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

I have no idea why so many people on here are so defensive about Chromebooks. Do you guys own stock in the companies or something?

Well they are talking from experience of using them and you told them they are exaggerating.. But it's their experience. You admitted to limited experience but portray it as you have used it a bunch..

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

 

[B. Diddy]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

I have no idea why so many people on here are so defensive about Chromebooks. Do you guys own stock in the companies or something?

I have no idea why you are so against the whole idea of Chromebooks. I own one and like it, and think it's a good idea. I'm done with you. Have a good day.

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[garublador]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

I am guessing because his current system is too old to support it.

I doubt that. My wife has a 4 year old Dell laptop that runs Windows 7 just fine. Windows 7 came out in 2009, so his computer is newer than the OS. In general, OS's will work on PC's that came out before they were released. They want people to be able to upgrade. FWIW, Windows 8 has similar, if not the same, requirements as 7. He would have had to specifically look for a PC (or build one himself) that didn't have Windows 7 installed in 2010. I know because we bought two laptops at that time.

Also...for the cost of the OS alone you could almost just buy a laptop anyway.

Laptops are $100?

https://www.google.com/search?q=win...pv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#q=windows+7&tbm=shop

Or in the case of Ubuntu, free?

 

[JeffDenver]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

Well they are talking from experience of using them and you told them they are exaggerating..

I do think they are exaggerating (specifically, about the impact supposedly "low" specs have on the Win8 experience).

But it's their experience. You admitted to limited experience but portray it as you have used it a bunch..

I also advised the OP to go look for himself rather than take my word for it.

 

[JeffDenver]

Re: Upgrading to a Microsoft Nexus or Sticking with the Status Quo?

I doubt that. My wife has a 4 year old Dell laptop that runs Windows 7 just fine. Windows 7 came out in 2009, so his computer is newer than the OS. In general, OS's will work on PC's that came out before they were released.

In my experience you need a lot more RAM for a good Windows 8 experience. It might be physically possible to cram Windows 8 onto an old computer. I personally would not spend the money for a license to find out whether or not it is tolerable. When I attempted to upgrade last year I think it was $150 for a license.

I have Windows 7 on my work machine. The difference between 2 gigs (what I started with) and 6 gigs (what I just upgraded to) of RAM is night and day. It is an obvious and dramatic difference. This is not a game machine...I am talking about Office and Browser stuff.

His system was designed for XP, so it might not even be able to run Windows 7. Here are the requirements:
Windows 7 system requirements - Microsoft Windows

None of the XP systems still in my office meets these requirements.