What do you think of this $250 Costco HP 14-FQ1003CL laptop (250GB ssd)

[Oscar Mayer]

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?

[sticks]

A little more info is helpful
<https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c08626217>

[Stan Brown]

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 в 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.

--
Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA https://BrownMath.com/
Shikata ga nai...

[Stan Brown]

> 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

A more helpful URL:

<https://www.costco.com/hp-14%22-touchscreen-laptop---amd-ryzen-3-
5300u---hd-1366-x-768---windows-11-in-s-mode.product.4000176433.html>

How computer-knowledgeable is your nephew? Probably more so than
people of older generations. If you want to do something nice for his
birthday, rather than buy a machine he might end up returning, why
not write him a check for $250 + sales tax, point him at this ad, and
let _him_ evaluate it? If the specs look good to him, he can buy it;
if not, he can put the money toward something better. At least you
wouldn't be saddling hi with something he'd have the hassle of
returning.

[Paul]

The device in question might be adequate for some purpose, but
the 1366x768 screen is a hazard. My laptop screen is like that,
and it's a bit cramped. For example, with that big-ass Task Bar,
you don't have a lot of vertical space left. The processor is
a Zen2, which is presumably enough for Windows. A Zen3 might be a
bit better, without climbing higher than a quad core. Both the
processor and the RAM are likely soldered down on the thing.
The storage seems to be an NVMe! (if you believe it, no eMMC for once)

https://support.hp.com/ca-en/document/c08626217

Here's a review of the Intel-based equivalent. The diff here is
the screen is 1920x1080. The display plastics, look similar to your
find. The base is aluminum-looking here. But this one is 4GB of RAM,
and on W11, that leaves maybe 1.4GB of RAM for the user.

https://www.theverge.com/23677127/hp-14-budget-laptop-review-specs-features-price

The webcam on cheap laptops, tends to be a webcam in name only.
The webcam on my laptop is dark, and you can't really tell what
exactly the camera is looking at. If I were forced to do a Zoom call
on the thing, I would probably have to change the transmitted picture
on my end, to an icon, as the image from the camera would not be
presentable. Surely someone out there, makes a sensor that does
not suck like that.

There's no takeapart for the 14-FQ1003CL , so no way to verify the innards.

Some educational institutions, specify what compute device to provide.
This allows the institution to have some "minimum expectation" for
compute equipment, so if you're in a lab situation, everyone has
adequate kit to use for the lab (like a computer lab writing Hello World
programs).

As for notetaking in class, not all educators allow clicky-clacky
activity while they are lecturing. It sounds like a seagull colony,
when three hundred students type at the same time :-) So just because
you think you'll be notetaking with the thing, there may be exceptions
when a lecturer gets snotty. I'm told that students like the battery
life on these things, and a short battery life gives their machine
"a bad review".

Paul

[T]

You pay for what you get. I would not touch it
with a 10 foot pole.

If you want to get him a laptop for college, first
find out from his college what they recommend:
Windows, Linux, or Apple. Then size appropriately.

Also, some cheap laptops have their drives
soldered in. And some expensive ones too. If
memory serves me, Apple is doing that to some
of their models.

[Joel]

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.

--
Joel Crump

[Paul in Houston TX]

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]

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.

[Bradley]

On 10/3/2023 4:29 PM, Joel wrote:
> 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?

[Joel]

Char Jackson <no...@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.

--
Joel Crump

[Joel]

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c08626217

https://i.imgur.com/zLYJCBV.png

--
Joel Crump

[Paul]

"the Alienware x14 R1 lasted 5 hours and 32 minutes
on the Laptop Mag battery test which consists of continuous web surfing"

You'd need a gadget to strap that to your hip... so you wouldn't lose it.

Paul

[Paul]

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.

Paul

[Joel]

If there isn't a restore function, I would want to do exactly that.
Reinstalling the OS generically is fine, but I'd want to have the
option to restore the OEM's setup.

--
Joel Crump

[Carlos E. R.]

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.

>
> 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.
>

--

Cheers,
Carlos E.R.

[MikeS]

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.

[Ken Blake]

On Wed, 4 Oct 2023 13:36:32 +0200, "Carlos E. R."
<robin_...@es.invalid> wrote:

>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,

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.

>> and neither is 8 GB of
>> RAM.

A lot? No, certainly not a lot, but probably enough for most people.
But again, it depends on what the computer is used for.

>> 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.)

I don't know whether they have, but whatever they do to a computer in
the way of crapware and customizations can be undone. Worst case, a
clean reinstallation of Windows could be done.

>> Touchscreen is good,


We're all different. To me a touchscreen is good for something held in
the hand--a smart phone or tablet--but not for a laptop. I want to
keep my hands at the keyboard and next to it on the mouse, not lift
them up to the screen.

>> but IMHO this machine is pretty barebones

Yes. The question is whether barebones would be enough for his usage.
I suspect not, for a kid in college, but there's no way I can know for
sure.

>> 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.)

3440 x 1440 here on my desktop with its 34" monitor. I have no
laptop.

>> 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.

I especially agree with those last two sentences. What's good for one
person isn't necessarily good for the next.

[Ken Blake]

Yes. At almost five times the price, it should be no surprise.

[Ken Blake]

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.

[Stan Brown]

On Wed, 4 Oct 2023 15:14:32 +0100, MikeS wrote:
> 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.

Not quite. The OP asked because he wants to give a gift to his
nephew. I still stand by my suggestion: don't make this a surprise,
but discuss the nephew's needs with him, and perhaps subsidize part
of the cost of a computer that will meet those needs. Somebody else
made what I think is an excellent suggestion: find out whether the
nephew's college has standardized on iOS world or Windows world.

> Going much larger than 14 or 15 inch defeats the main purpose of a
> laptop - portability.

I agree. For years a 17" laptop was my main computer. After the first
attempt, I gave up trying to use it in an airplane seat.

[...winston]

Underpowered for a college student that will most likely not only use if
for school work(Windows, Office, Email, Class content and submission)
but also for other personal preferences(music, pictures, games,
archiving, data storage).

A device like the above should be supplemented with at least a 1 or 2 TB
external drive(e.g. W.Digital Passport).
- Note: The device does have a SDXC card reader, which if sized
correctly could be used for data, music, pictures storage.

Screen resolution of 1920X1080 is a better choice than the 1366x768
screen size.

--
...w¡ñ§±¤ñ

[Frankie]

On 4/10/2023, Stan Brown wrote:

> find out whether the
> nephew's college has standardized on iOS world or Windows world.

You probably meant macOS or Windows.
Most colleges are agnostic.

If it can run Microsoft Office & Google Docs and connect to the web,
that's all that usually matters until you get into the details of running
CAD software (which most kids don't do - some do - but most do not).

When it is for CAD software, then Windows is required.
If it's a marketing class though, they may use macOS.

But again, they usually don't require either platform.
Especially until they're in graduate school.

And even then, the computer is often supplied.
Plus the libraries have computers for specialized software.

So they're going to be agnostic in the main.

While most schools have both Ethernet and Wi-Fi in the dorms, some are
going to just Wi-Fi but again, that will be something all will have.

[Larry Wolff]

On 10/4/2023 11:28 PM, Ken Blake wrote:

>>> 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.

I have a truly portable HP 32-GB 14-inch stream laptop for traveling.

There's a 400GB sdcard in the side slot (D drive) since 32GB is just about
what the Windows 10 operating system takes up (most of it anyway).

What it's for is traveling. It's fine for that.

About the only thing I wish it had was a lit keyboard.
Does the OP's laptop have a lit keyboard?

That's the one feature I'd consider required for dorm room typing
especially for freshmen who almost always will have a room mate.

[Stan Brown]

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.

[Carlos E. R.]

On 2023-10-04 17:40, Ken Blake wrote:
> On Wed, 4 Oct 2023 15:14:32 +0100, MikeS <Mi...@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, 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.

Fine, but buy a larger laptop than 14".

> 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.

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.

>
> And that's not to mention that there are many more choices of hardware
> configuration for desktops.

--
Cheers,
Carlos E.R.

[Carlos E. R.]

On 2023-10-04 16:28, Ken Blake wrote:
> On Wed, 4 Oct 2023 13:36:32 +0200, "Carlos E. R."
> <robin_...@es.invalid> wrote:
>
>> 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,
>
> 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.

Me, I need storing the photos, and seeing it more confortably than on
the camera Liliput made display.

...

--
Cheers,
Carlos E.R.

[Paul]

On 10/4/2023 4:28 PM, Stan Brown wrote:
> 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.
>

There are also different types of lit keyboards, from
the elegant to the ridiculous. Just because light
leaks from it, doesn't mean the feature is any good.

I have two lit keyboards here so far. One has a LED per key (fixed color),
and it's a double-shot key. The character is made of transparent plastic,
that conducts light from the LED below. The transparent plastic is shot
into the black plastic surround.

The other keyboard costs $25 or so, and the LEDs were "kinda drilled
into the lid as an afterthought". Light comes out at all different
angles. Doesn't really seem intended for any purpose, than to look silly.

I would have bought a second keyboard, same as the first (good) one ($70),
but there weren't any. And my computer store, doesn't seem to have
anything resembling inventory control.

What they did have, was keyboards for $150 and $200 bucks, as if
this was the "Apple Era" or something. How a $25 keyboard snuck into
that lot, is a mystery. I have paid $150 for a keyboard, back when
I got an Apple Extended II to replace one I'd spilled a beverage on,
and the Apple keyboards cannot be complete disassembled for cleaning.
(I did my best to clean the original, but three keys remained stuck.)
I did have a membrane keyboard at one time, you just rinse the membranes
and reassemble when dry. A piece of cake. But that keyboard wore out.

If you're serious about getting a good quality light show from
one, it would pay to examine it in person. I doubt they do double-shot
keys for laptops. It's the cheapness that counts.

Paul

[Graham J]

Ken Blake wrote:

snip]

> 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.

+1


--
Graham J

[Skybuck Flying]

On Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at 5:40:06 AM UTC+2, 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?

For that price I think it's pretty great. It sure as hell beats the shit out of the laptop I have been using for 2 months ! ;)

And it's pretty usuable.

One thing that might be a bit of a downer/issue is windows-s. Which is a deprived/reduced version of Windows 11, but might it's still good/workable, might even be an advantage if it's less bloated.

Pretty good find.

Not bad of a first PC for a young kid that might need it for school, and bag it, and dirty places.

I agree to not waste to much money on it, if it might fall, break or get dirty or even stolen or beat it !

Smart ! ;)

Bye,
Skybuck.

[Skybuck Flying]

On Friday, October 6, 2023 at 1:04:17 AM UTC+2, Skybuck Flying wrote:
> On Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at 5:40:06 AM UTC+2, 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?
> For that price I think it's pretty great. It sure as hell beats the shit out of the laptop I have been using for 2 months ! ;)

Little correction, it's actually been 4 and a half months or so ! how time flies ! ;) =D

I've used it in bed... 90 degrees rotated... I would love to have this horizontal resolution... so I know it will be somewhat ok-ish...

Vertically might indeed be some of an issue, but probably much less, most GUIs (graphical user interfaces) mostly designed to be horizontal, so can auto-adjust.

[MikeS]

FWIW I prefer a laptop but will not waste my time justifying it.
Suffice it to say it does not "beat the shit out of me" if you or anyone
else prefers a desktop.

[Char Jackson]

>>>>> both 1920 в 1080, for example.) Nothing is said about the keyboard

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.

[Paul]

>>>>>> both 1920 × 1080, for example.) Nothing is said about the keyboard

Amazingly, the glass counter display case at my computer store, was
choc-a-block with AMD Zen desktop processors. One of the few items they
stock at my "computer store". (They also had a good stock of motherboards.)
Across from the display case with desktop processors,
is a table of (mostly lame) laptops.

The market still seems to be there, for both platform types.

Unfortunately, the owner has lost his mind at that store. The very
last time I was there, a visitor and one of the staff, were having
mock conversations involving opinions of the owner. The staff really
seem to hate working there now. (This is a store, where you can't buy
a hard drive big enough to do a backup on -- and you'd have to go up
the street to the Best Buy and get one of their "stock" WD Blue drives.)

"Would you like an LCD monitor Timmy ?" No stock. Showroom units only,
older items. It's hard to see what the store owner, what kind
of 4D Chess he is playing. I had to go up to the Staples to get
a monitor. Staples LCD monitor section was stocked, and demo units to look at.
I got an LCD monitor for about $120 CDN. Which in this day and age,
is particularly strange. An actual bargain. I don't think they
have any 55" wide monitors though (that one that needs the big stand,
just to stabilize it). They just have useful ones.

Paul

[Newyana2]

"Ken Blake" <K...@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.

It's even gone beyond laptops for many people. People
I know use their cellphone and don't want to have to deal
with email. The screen is too small for typing. So maybe find
a bigger screen? No. Their answer is to eliminate typing! I find
that people are often surprisingly adept with cellphones, but
again, it's an "on the go" lifestyle. Nothing that requires a 1
minute attention span is considered a resasonable activity.
The cellphone ergonomics dictate its uses. It's capable of
fullscale computing, but too small for any serious task. So
people text, call Ubers, and use consumer "apps". (Though I
have a neice who has a contraption to convert her iPhone
into the heart of a desktop computer.)


I bought my first laptop about a year ago. It was cheap,
big, and I needed a newer Win10 computer for occasional use.
I never carry a computer anywhere and have no need to do so.
I got a laptop because I only need it occasonally for certain
websites, and I can set it up without moving my desktop
computer that I use normally. Otherwise it's in a closet.
If I'd bought a desktop, I'd have needed a desktop to keep
it on. I already have an XP and a Win7 desktop. So I bought
a 19" Win10 laptop and a wireless mouse. The keyboard is still
crap, but I don't need it for much. If I did then I suppose I'd get
a wireless keyboard as well. The laptop could serve as desktop
monitor with limited upgradability, but in general a desktop will
be less money for better hardware and more upgradability.

[Ken Blake]

On Fri, 06 Oct 2023 19:21:22 -0500, Char Jackson <no...@none.invalid>
wrote:

>>>>>> both 1920 × 1080, for example.) Nothing is said about the keyboard

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.

[Paul]

On 10/7/2023 11:18 AM, Ken Blake wrote:

> 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 think you'll like this one.

It's an AIO with a battery in it, and the keyboard
is not joined to the AIO (of course).

It comes with a handle on the top, which makes the product, um, "cute" :-)

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/10/hp-wireless-all-in-one-has-83-wh-rechargeable-battery-handle-for-portability/

No, you don't take that to class to make notes, but you might
have it at home, in a very big drawer, for working in the evening.

It's 2560×1440 on graphics, 21.74" * 14.43" which is 16:9 like common HD monitors.

It might just barely fit in my sock drawer.

Paul

[Carlos E. R.]

On 2023-10-07 15:07, Newyana2 wrote:
> "Ken Blake" <K...@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.

Portability doesn't necessarily mean move every day. When I was a
student, moving the desktop computer to/from home at the end/start of
the term was a major problem. I would have used a portable, except that
they were barely invented and hugely expensive.

And my desktop, which was small, was a major problem during the term,
using valuable space in my assigned room as a student.

A portable I could have taken to the place of another student, when
having to do team work.




--
Cheers,
Carlos E.R.

[Danny Bockius]

On Monday, October 2, 2023 at 9:40:06 PM UTC-6, 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?

Did you get it? Its fine, it definitely works. I currently go to school for mechanical engineering. The little hp does fine for typing up anything to turn in, I use it to do my programing for stats. You WANT a tiny laptop like this. If does the road the kid wants a crazy nice laptop, why should this one be any more than portable. There is going to be computer labs at the school to use too. This thing is way better than the chromebook I was using. For starting off in college, I couldn't recommend the $250 laptop enough. I bet it gets used all the way to the end of college.

Don't buy and packages for Microsoft Office or anything like that. It'll be free to download from the college. Just use something free like libre office till then