>>27265

>My benchmark was finally getting to play GTA V but a laptop able to play it in decent quality appears still out of reach

Not any more. At the low end of your budget, a machine with a Ryzen 5 2500U will run GTA V on medium settings at 720p at about 50fps, while still being reasonably portable. At the high end of your price range, you could have something with an i5 and a GTX 1650, which will give you decent frame rates at 1080p on very high settings.

https://www.ebuyer.com/885240-hp-probook-455-g6-15-ryzen-5-8gb-256gb-ssd-win10-pro-6eb47ea-abu

https://www.ebuyer.com/900672-asus-rog-strix-i5-9300h-8gb-512gb-ssd-gtx-1650-15-6-win-10-g531gt-al106t

>>27265
Your budget will definitely stretch to something GTAV-capable, my laptop runs that and it's only worth ~£500. I picked an Inspiron 15 7577, which doesn't look like the usual "gamer laptop" with rainbow LED and go-faster plastic tacky embarrassment. By all accounts it has a quiet cooling system by gaming laptop standards, but it's still too loud for me when it gets going. When a game like GTAV is running you'd better have headphones or some way of moving the thing into an adjacent room.

Can you really not squeeze in a decent desktop? And then grab a second-hand chromebook or something dirt cheap for when you're out and about? Gaming laptops are inherently a significant compromise, don't go there unless you really have to.

If anyone is after a refurb laptop, there are loads at 20% off on eBay right now. You can have an X250 with 8GB of RAM and a 180GB SSD for a mere £127.99.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-Thinkpad-X250-Core-i5-5200U-8GB-Ram-180GB-SSD-Windows-10-Webcam-Laptop/233240665373

Talking SSDs as the singlemost effective modern upgrade - how do you install an operating system on one? I've done it before but it put a really sour taste in my mouth. The actual install is fine - it pretty much does itself - it's all the faffing about with USBs, CDkeys and calling Microsoft that really gets me.

Do they not sell them on disc, anymore? How do i buy directly from windows, or find a legitimate retailer?

sage for not really /g/ and barely relevant to the thread.

>>27287

If you're upgrading a computer with a working Windows installation, you can just clone the hard drive to the new SSD with a cheap USB to SATA adapter.

You can create your own installation media (USB or DVD) using the Windows Media Creation Tool. It just takes a couple of clicks.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

If the PC has previously had a license for Windows 10, the license will be automatically recognised, even if it's a clean install.

You can buy a boxed retail copy of Windows 10, but it's over £100. Given that Windows still works even if the license isn't validated, I'd rather take my chances with a cheap key off eBay.

https://www.ebuyer.com/818640-windows-10-home-box-pack-32-64-bit-usb-flash-drive-haj-00055

>>27288
>You can buy a boxed retail copy of Windows 10, but it's over £100

Amazon sell proper Microsoft USB key versions of Pro for about £70. Not quite as cheap as some on eBay, but at least its a safe purchase.

>>27289
>>27288
eBay has quality buyer protection so if you get dicked over with a bum key you should be covered. Unless you're worried about malicious software or something.

>>27290
Download Windows 7, activate it, then claim a free upgrade as a user of assistive technology. I mean, who hasn't tried getting the narrator to say silly things?

>>27291
You rascal.

>>27288

> If the PC has previously had a license for Windows 10, the license will be automatically recognised, even if it's a clean install.

How does that work, exactly? Is the product key stored in UEFI or even the TPM? I did notice when work shipped me a new Thinkpad with Windows 10 on it there was no printed product key, either on the laptop itself or in any of the paperwork that came with it.

I'm going to have a serious grumble to myself if there's some unique device ID that's sent to some remote service in Redmond that verifies that your device previously ran Win 10 and is eligible for continued service.

>>27293

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/volume-activation/appendix-information-sent-to-microsoft-during-activation-client

>>27294

> A unique number called a globally unique identifier, which is assigned to your computer

Good grief. *grumble*

This begs the question, however, of how they deal with virtualization. Presumably I could spin up a thousand cloned VMs and have them all activate on a single license. Additionally it's probably going to cause all kinds of problems (as MS Office has for years) when you want to test and debug a system image locally then upload it to a production server - as soon as it detects a different CPUID then you'll have a different GUID and everything will break.

>>27295

They don't really care about individual users - Windows 10 will work indefinitely even if you don't bother to activate it. I think they realised that a) people who build their own computers will just pirate Windows anyway and b) the risk of pushing people towards Linux outweighs the paltry sums they might earn through retail Windows sales. The real money comes from volume licenses for OEMs and enterprise users.

There's an entirely separate (and dizzyingly complex) licensing system for corporate customers who are likely to be using automated deployment. If you buy a shitload of licenses, Microsoft will automatically authenticate any machine on your network.

http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/F/5/1F5357DD-F7C8-4CC8-8C5F-7F6B1569ECF0/Transactional_Licensing_Comparison_Chart.pdf

>>27296
Microsoft have cottoned on to the 90/9/1 distribution of their income, knowing they get the majority of their income from enterprise customers using enterprise products, a smaller slice from business customers buying Windows and Office, and a tiny slice from home users.

>>27298
Office Commercial revenue is six times higher than Office Consumer revenue. That leads me to believe your supposed distribution is seriously made up.

>>27296

>Windows 10 will work indefinitely even if you don't bother to activate it

True of any computer that retains its 'globally unique identifier', as mentioned - but any and all hardware upgrades or replacements might trigger an unverification and a 'you need to ring us to sort this out' type message. I think it basically gives you three or four changes behind the scenes before it freaks out, but you never know.

It's still infinitely more friendly than previous systems, and I do indeed have a few legit copies of windows from dodgy win7 cracks and so on.

>>27299
I can only assume you have no idea how expensive their enterprise offerings are, or how widely used OEM licences are.

While we're on the subject of licences, how much of my PC can I upgrade before Windows 10 shits itself?

I'm planning to drop the cash for a new CPU/motherboard combo soon, considering I've had this venerable old 3570K for well over 6 years. If I just throw my current hard drive in, will I see issues, or have computers come past that these days?

I really can't be arsed fannying about reinstalling everything.

>>27306

>how much of my PC can I upgrade before Windows 10 shits itself?

There's no definitive answer, but your license isn't void when it happens, you just have to sort it out with Microsoft. It's a bit of a hassle but not too bad, though I've heard if you do it too much you run out of activiations, but 'too much' is constant hardware changes on a test bench sort of thing.

>>27307

That's fair, cheers.

How well does an installation tolerate changes in hardware then? I remember last time I upgraded back in about 2013 I just had to boot up in safe mode and swap some drivers.

>>27308

The answer is 'pretty well', it seems. Here's a decent video on it that goes over the basics, but also demonstrates that even though Linus is actively trying to get the authentication to trip up, it doesn't always work. It also seems like if your Win10 licence is tied to a Windows Live account it's even easier to sort out anyway.

https://youtu.be/M3bezYerYxQ?t=110

>>27309

I should add that in my experience, I've swapped out graphics cards, CPU and motherboard, and Windows 10 either didn't notice, or immediately adapted to the new hardware behind the scenes. I've also put my SSD from one Thinkpad into a different model and that worked fine too. I wouldn't worry.

>>27309
>>27310

Sound, I'll just go for it then. Cheers lad.

>>27306
> How much of my PC can I upgrade before Windows 10 shits itself?

I'll eventually find this out myself as I migrate various VMs around work/customer/enterprise boxes but I do have a shit ton of experience of Office 2013's "Windows Genuine Advantage" which basically threw its toys out of the pram if your CPU changed.

If Win10 is anything like WGA you can change your hdd/ssd, your ram, and any peripherals like video cards / gpus and the like - but the moment you change out the CPU it'll throw a wobbly.

Essentially it all comes down to what data MSFT uses to create their "globally unique identified" (my money's on CPU model and serial number and probably BIOS/UEFI serial number if it's available).

>>27316
If you've got a fleet of any significant size you really should be using KMS or emulating it.

>>27265
For some reason after making this post I ended up buying a cheapo laptop and never getting to play GTA V - I suspect because of a girl. 2 years later however and I now live in a big flat where I can buy myself a proper desktop and never have to worry about girls again.

Is everything still a mess thanks to Covid and miners? I've not bought a desktop in over a decade so I have no idea on what brands are good, looking online everything has rainbow lights and see-through cases (to make it run faster) along with energy drink names which makes me think it's all a big scam.

>>28031
>Covid and miners

Everything is mostly fine but you can't get hold of graphics cards for love nor money.

>>28031

AMD decided to get good again, that's the only real difference in the past decade. And I guess SSDs are affordable now, and we'll worth it.
Not checked in the past year or so but I'd bet they're still the best choice for a CPU.

>>28032
Fuck. I assume this has destroyed the self-build community but the pre-builds have been protected by the suppliers?

>>28034

Graphics cards are available, but they're extortionately expensive, selling at 2-3x MSRP. This pricing has also affected pre-builts.

There aren't a lot of great options at the moment. Game streaming services like Geforce Now offer decent visual quality as long as you've got reasonable broadband, but too much latency for competitive titles. An AMD APU like the Ryzen 5 5600G will deliver playable frame rates on older titles while leaving you the option of adding a discrete GPU later when prices eventually fall. Ironically, gaming laptops can be the best bang-for-your-buck if you want to play current AAA titles at medium-high settings. You could of course buy an Xbox.

>>28031
There are two things wrong with what I wrote here:

1. You cannot escape girls
2. My laptop shell was badly cracked and it was expensive to replace for what is a shitty Ideapad that must've cost a couple hundred pounds and has been a complete headache

The latter point led to my own nightmare before Christmas this evening as the slot for the power cable came off with the cable and I couldn't then reconnect the wires. No doubt because a huge section of shell above it broke off and I've just been dealing with the odd spark because why wouldn't I wait until January.

Picture the stress as I rushed to get everything off my laptop before its battery died and how I nearly lost years of financial records. I just about managed to get everything onto an old laptop before the battery died. It was awful and now I can only play 2000s era games at best over Christmas where I'm on my own.

Anyway, are January sales real and I should hold out or is it wiser to drop a grand on a laptop now? What are the current recommended brands and models?

>>28048
No USB-C socket?

>>28048

>Picture the stress as I rushed to get everything off my laptop

You know you can just take the drive out, right?

>>28049
Tried the USB-C port and it didn't take power despite using the power lead from a USB-C only laptop. I can only assume the port is fucked for whatever reason.

>>28050
That would involve buying an enclosure and mean that I'd have no budget data likely until the new year when I need to make a large purchase for a new laptop.

>>28048
I found this which is £126 below RRP but do you think in 2 days it might be massively discounted?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09K14HHGJ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&psc=1

>>28052
PCs don't tend to appear in sales at massive discounts, so no.

>>28053
Tah for the quick response. It's going to happen lads, I'm going to finally get to play GTAV.

>>28053
What about the parts? I've been planning to build my own PC out of fancy new pieces for several years now; my current one is 11 1/2 years old but it runs just fine. If this is a time when I can be confident I'll be at home to receive a fat new case and motherboard and other bits that won't fit through the letterbox, perhaps I might finally take the plunge.

>>28055
Everything I've heard about PC parts at the moment is that crypto and chip shortages have rendered a lot of things way more expensive than they should be.

>>28055>>28056
A lot of PC parts are cheap at the moment - I bought one of my kids an i5 processor for hardly any money compared to the RRP. But graphics cards are absolutely fucking mental. You'll pay 400 quid for a card that would have cost 100 pounds a year back - I don't know what to do about that other than wait. 3090 cards are over two grand now, which is just a mental amount of money to pay.

>>28057
That's wonderful; that's exactly what I wanted to hear. Thank you very much. Now I just need to wait till Monday for those parts to drop even further in price, and soon I'll be tearing around with my brand new 64GB RAM, 12-core CPU, and 3dfx Voodoo 2 graphics card.

>>28058
>Voodoo
Those fuckers are expensive nowadays m8

I'm thinking about dropping close to a grand on a Dell Latitude 5320 laptop, but I suspect it's overpriced.

I've used one for work the last year and it's done most things pretty well, but it excels at video conferencing. The camera and mic are excellent, I like how I look and sound on it, and Teams/Zoom/Google meet work perfectly.

Are there any cheaper laptops that might do just as well?

I would also consider getting an external camera for my older laptop, but I tried buying a webcam that claimed to be 720p and the field of view was absolute shite.

>>28491

You're in luck - there are some on eBay right now, brand new with a full Dell warranty for £400. They've almost certainly been purchased by a corporate user, but never actually issued to a member of staff.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115915403057

>>26969

>My VR porn collection just hit 400gb.

The past is a foreign country.

>>28493

You're truly a man of finer things.

>>28492

I'm about to pull the trigger on this, but like a thicko, I'm now doubting myself. The only thing I can think of that might be different enough to consider is an Apple toy, but those seem to be more fashion statements than laptops. I may be doing video editing in the near future, but is that any reason to get one thing over the other?

>>28512
Do they have the same amount of RAM? RAM is very important for video editing.

>>28512

That's a tricky one. The Macbook Air really is an incredibly impressive bit of hardware - despite being very thin, the Apple-designed M1/M2 chip is so outstandingly fast and efficient that it'll match practically any Windows laptop, even much chunkier desktop-replacement machines.

The problem is that they start off quite expensive, they get ludicrously expensive with a few upgrades, and you can't upgrade them later - the RAM and storage is permanently soldered on, so what you buy is what you're stuck with.

You only get 256GB of storage on the base model Air. Upgrading to 1TB costs £400 and 2TB costs £800; a 2TB NVMe SSD for a Windows laptop costs less than £100 and takes about ten minutes to install. It's a similar story for RAM - you get 8GB as standard, but if you want 16GB it's an extra £200.

The Latitude 5320 is comfortably fast enough for basic video editing and will cope just fine if you're cutting together some straightforward clips in 1080p. If you're planning on doing something more complex - 4K footage, lots of heavy colour grading, green-screen or other compositing, large projects with lots of edits - then you might want to consider something with a bit more power and/or something with a bigger screen.

>>28515

Thanks mate. I went with the Dell as I thought it was better to go with what I know. I don't want to fuck about with another operating system on the off-chance I might do some video editing at the moment.

Anyway, thank you for the link, you saved me a good few hundred quid, there.