Price of new computers on the rise

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buksida
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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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Dannie Boy wrote: Tue Jun 27, 2023 11:32 am I managed to find a replacement battery on Amazon for less than £40 and fitted it myself so now it’s fine. A similar spec replacement these days is well over £1,000 and for what I need, no real benefit so I’m very happy now.
Good job, laptop batteries are easy to replace and a machine of that spec will still cost a hefty price today, even though it is a few years old. I'd also look into upgrading the RAM to 16GB (if there is an empty slot) since memory is the only thing that has come down in price and it will noticeably improve performance.
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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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buksida wrote: Tue Jun 27, 2023 11:54 am
Dannie Boy wrote: Tue Jun 27, 2023 11:32 am I managed to find a replacement battery on Amazon for less than £40 and fitted it myself so now it’s fine. A similar spec replacement these days is well over £1,000 and for what I need, no real benefit so I’m very happy now.
Good job, laptop batteries are easy to replace and a machine of that spec will still cost a hefty price today, even though it is a few years old. I'd also look into upgrading the RAM to 16GB (if there is an empty slot) since memory is the only thing that has come down in price and it will noticeably improve performance.
I’m not sure where I’d start so I think I’ll quit while I’m winning - taking laptops apart might be like riding a bike for you, but just changing the battery was the first time I’d ever taken a laptop apart, so for me that was an achievement.

My only experience of laptops prior to this one was with the old type of hard drive, so for me this one is still lightning fast and does everything I need. :cheers:
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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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If you're in the UK, take it to any computer store and ask them if it is possible to upgrade the RAM. A competent tech will know within 5 minutes with the machine!
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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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Ok thanks I’ll look to see if I can find somewhere.


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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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Mr Don did my RAM upgrade for next to nothing. When I bought my laptop it came with a RAM upgrade, but it had to be installed yourself. So if in Thailand, cheap and easy (if you know what you're doing).
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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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Having read about this further, I’m not sure I need more than 8GB of RAM as I don’t use the laptop for doing very much at all these days - mainly for just connecting to TV streaming via a VPN, so I’ll probably just leave things as they are.
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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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I think you'd be surprised at the difference the extra RAM would make. Not essential, but definitely desirable.
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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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Big Boy wrote: Tue Jun 27, 2023 7:56 pm I think you'd be surprised at the difference the extra RAM would make. Not essential, but definitely desirable.
Do you think it would make any difference to streaming the BBC on iPlayer?
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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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I don't know, I just switch them on, and watch. However, if its something important like football, and I need a quality feed, I'll unplug my regular TV laptop, and plug in my bestie. By all accounts, the evidence says the answer is yes, but it may be coincidence.
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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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Ok we’ll I’ll wait until I’m back and then maybe visit Mr Dom


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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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Start of the year got a laptop 11th gen i7, 16g ram & touchscreen for £650 on offer. No chance of anything near that in 2020. So prices have definitely come down.
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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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Dannie Boy wrote: Tue Jun 27, 2023 10:21 pm
Big Boy wrote: Tue Jun 27, 2023 7:56 pm I think you'd be surprised at the difference the extra RAM would make. Not essential, but definitely desirable.
Do you think it would make any difference to streaming the BBC on iPlayer?
My five year old trusty dell 4g ram serves up iplayer just fine.

Edit: what it doesn't like is opening web pages when I already have 5 or 6 open. :wink:
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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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Lost wrote: Wed Jun 28, 2023 1:37 am
Dannie Boy wrote: Tue Jun 27, 2023 10:21 pm
Big Boy wrote: Tue Jun 27, 2023 7:56 pm I think you'd be surprised at the difference the extra RAM would make. Not essential, but definitely desirable.
Do you think it would make any difference to streaming the BBC on iPlayer?
My five year old trusty dell 4g ram serves up iplayer just fine.

Edit: what it doesn't like is opening web pages when I already have 5 or 6 open. :wink:
When I’m in Thailand I have to access the iPlayer using a VPN and that has quite a negative impact of the stability- in the UK that isn’t an issue.
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Re: Price of new computers on the rise

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More memory definitely makes a difference to everything the machine does from playing a video to opening web pages (browsers are very memory hungry). My latest upgrade will be from 16GB to 32GB when it arrives later this week (buying online was much cheaper than the shiny shops.) But no, it will not make the internet faster!

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Lost wrote: Wed Jun 28, 2023 1:30 am So prices have definitely come down.
Not in Thailand they haven't. The same laptop two years ago is now at least 25% more.
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