Posts by darkowl72

Nothing to lose. He says the diagnostics are free.

Maria James94 said:If that’s actually their "official" response, then honestly, just thank them for their service and fire them. This isn't even funny. Are they running a business or just playing around??

🙂 👍

Try a different browser. But if you're planning on reinstalling a trial version that’s already been sitting on this computer, don't hold your breath. 😬 Adobe builds some pretty clever traps to make sure that doesn't work...

If you’re really that obsessed with it, just hand the card over to the professionals who actually deal with this stuff:

https://www.geeksquad.com/pricing

Call Acer USA and ask them why they won't honor the EU warranty.

Rebecca Parker said:I’ve been reading up on this G552, and apparently, they took some shortcuts with the build quality compared to the old G551 series—especially those models with the plastic lids. On the bright side, though, the cooling seems to be a bit better.
I actually went to check on the Acer warranty situation. It turns out they offer one year of coverage for both individuals and businesses, but you can pay extra to bump it up to $100, two years for 700, or even three years for $333... So, maybe that Acer stays on my shortlist after all. Mainly because I really need that 17" screen.
The Y700 caught my eye first, but honestly, I'm a little torn since it uses a weaker processor. Reviews say the cooling is fantastic, which is huge for me after all that trouble I had with my N551JM where the thermals were just mediocre. That's another reason why I'm feeling skeptical about the G552.
I think I'll scratch the Y5070 off the list entirely. I couldn't even make sense of the resolution 😁
.
Anyway, I know buying tech is basically a lottery. The laptop I had before was replaced within the very first week I bought it because the trackpad was defective. And then, after barely two years, this one died too...

I don't know, until recently it was two years for individual consumers, and US regulations are pretty clear that all tech goods need to carry a two-year seller's warranty. I highly doubt retailers would take on that second year themselves—they’d go bankrupt overnight....

Look, it feels like all the info regarding these manufacturer warranties just vanished into thin air out of nowhere. Besides, Acer was one of the first companies to roll out a 3-year warranty years ago, and that's exactly how they built their massive market share in the laptop industry...

It's a total gamble. It's hard to say anything definitive here.

Personally, I trust the G series a bit more because the build feels sturdier, though even that isn't a real guarantee. But looking at availability, if it's only sitting in a shop in Indianapolis, and considering import warehouses are empty right now since the holiday stock is just starting to trickle in... 🤷 you might be looking at the one and only unit left in existence. 😬 Then again, you could just be walking straight into a minefield...

Regarding the Acer, it's a decent machine. It looks like there's still some stock floating around from importers (it’s not sitting in an HG warehouse), and for individual buyers, the Acer warranty covers you for 2 years (just like any other Acer or Lenovo). If someone says otherwise, they're either making a typo or trying to follow outdated local rules that don't match US standards. Some retailers still try to pull that stuff, but federal regulations are crystal clear—you can always contact consumer protection if anyone gives you grief. That said, the price is a little steep...

The Asus N is definitely the weakest configuration, and honestly, it has the worst screen out of those three. The Y5070 has a resolution that's overkill for gaming (given everything you mentioned), and considering how many of those $1k+ units have actually been sold here 😬 don't expect much in the way of detailed reviews regarding build quality or actual performance capabilities... unfortunately...

You'll get better help by checking out reliable, data-driven sites like these:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-....155878.0.html
http://www.notebookreview.com/notebo...n-budget-king/

From what I've seen, Notebookcheck isn't a "pay-to-play" site; they aren't afraid to trash a product if it's bad. However, I should point out that results vary based on the specific units that actually make it to our market, because we all know it's not like we get a steady stream of QC-grade hardware imported here...

For gaming, having 8 threads isn't strictly critical. As for how many apps you use—now or in the future—will actually benefit from 8 threads, you'll have to judge that for yourself. The I5 6300 HQ is anything but a weak processor, and the Y700 should have a great screen, even if they really should have tossed in a bit more RAM and a faster drive. 😬

Otherwise, yeah, you've covered all the bases. Nothing missed. The only outlier is the Acer Predator with the 970m being slightly over $1,100, but the real question is whether it's worth the premium or if that price gap even makes sense—that thing is aimed at hardcore gamers who just want that specific aesthetic...

Conclusion? There isn't one. 🤷 All you can do is hope that whatever negative experience happened was just a fluke and won't happen again. Generally, you have to be careful with these $1k+ laptops; manufacturers hate getting expensive units returned, and they'd much rather deal with a few $300 returns than one high-end headache. As for extended warranties, I haven't a clue. Ever since those third-party protection plans became popular, manufacturer warranties seem to have vanished into thin air.

You won't find anything special here; you can pick this up at basically any Best Buy or Micro Center. In 99% of cases, they’re just standard DVDs, so almost any will work. Just make sure you grab a slim SATA model, because yours is definitely going to be that type.

Honestly, it might be easier to just pop it out, take it down to the shop, and show them what you need. You only have to unscrew one screw to pull it out:

http://www.laptopinventory.com/Lapto...7739ZG/CD%20RW

You’re working with pretty tight storage here, but I guess it is what it is.

Running 3ds Max alongside other heavy apps messes with your allocated memory. 3ds Max doesn't always "release" certain memory blocks, leading to fragmentation—kind of like how a hard drive gets cluttered. When you launch a new app, it tries to load into that fragmented mess, which forces a massive spike in your macOS pagefile and application swapfiles. That ends up choking your slow drive, and there's your headache right there...

It's honestly a bad move to run multiple high-demand apps when your disk space is this low. It might not feel small to you, but once you factor in the pagefile, swapfiles, and all those temporary or scratch files applications create on the fly, that extra space vanishes instantly.

The root of your specific issue is that even after you close 3ds Max, certain RAM partitions stay allocated instead of being freed up for other tasks. 3ds Max is complex software and prone to bugs; these memory leaks and its tendency to generate massive, unnecessary files are well-documented issues.

Check out this forum thread and the discussion here:

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/3ds-ma...es/m-p/4921192

Specifically, this should probably help you out:

http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/sc...free-memory-v1

...or something similar. Just run it after you exit 3ds Max and things should stabilize. If that one doesn't work, just find another memory cleaner tool.

Just tell me which version of macOS you're running and how much free space is left on your drive.

Is automatic defragmentation turned on? 🤷

The monitor is solid. People seem happy with it.

But here’s the real issue: you’re linking to a site based in Canada. Aside from the fact that they're overseas—which makes dealing with a warranty claim a total headache—they only offer a 2-year warranty. You can get one right here in the States with a full 3-year warranty for just a few bucks more:

https://www.nabava.net/monitori__90/...8-24__17272451

You’re running all this software on a pathetic Seagate HDD 320. You don't really have much storage to work with for those programs.

Check how much free space you actually have left. And for heaven's sake, defrag the drive—it looks like you haven't touched it in ages. It’s incredibly fragmented; your models are scattered across a billion different sectors, so it’s no wonder everything is crawling.

Get a new, larger drive immediately and reinstall everything from scratch. I know it's a pain, but honestly, after what you've put this old thing through, I wouldn't trust its longevity for a second...

And don't bother partitioning the new drive. Just leave it as one single volume. Use folders to stay organized instead.

EDIT:

Just a heads-up: defragging is probably going to take a loooong time. Your best bet is to let it run overnight. If it looks like nothing is happening, don't assume it froze; just leave it alone so it can finish. Force-stopping a defrag can absolutely wreck your data.

Aside from gaming, the specs on this build are actually solid.

It really depends on how you spec it out, but if you want some general benchmarks for the whole lineup, check this out:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-....150778.0.html

1. If you’ve already downloaded the exact drivers from the manufacturer’s site for Windows 7 and they match your specific Wi-Fi module perfectly—but the laptop is still acting up—just take it back to the store and demand a replacement.

2.

- Use an Ethernet cable that you actually know works.
- Make sure your TV is set to the right input.
- Ensure the correct drivers are installed on the laptop and check if you need to toggle the video output settings.
- Double-check the HDMI versions on both ends and the cable itself; sometimes version mismatches cause headaches. For instance, if the TV is running HDMI 1.0 and the laptop is way more advanced, the TV might not even see the signal. It's a long shot, but it happens.

And honestly, there's always the chance the HDMI port is just dead...

Just try a different browser.

Good luck finding a flat cable just sitting on a shelf at a retail store. Your best bet is checking with a repair shop or scouring eBay. Give Best Buy Tech Support a call; I know they usually keep a stock of replacement LCD panels, so there's a decent chance they'll have the peripherals too—flat cables, inverters, backlights, all that stuff.

Best Buy Tech Support

I haven't personally tested it, but the HP ProBook is definitely a step up from the standard HP lineup in terms of build quality and materials. You could easily put it in the same league as the Pavilion series. On the other hand, you have to remember that ASUS and Apple laptops in this price bracket are basically entry-level, so you get exactly what you pay for regarding build quality.

Another dead giveaway for better quality is the backlit keyboard. Without fail, you'll only see that feature on the higher-end, more expensive laptops across all brands.

I’ve had my iPad for a while now—it's an older model from a few years back. But the second you pick it up, you realize you're holding a premium piece of tech. The build quality and materials are just top-tier...

The catch is that since it's an older, lower-end model, it only has 1 GB of RAM, which just isn't enough to run macOS smoothly. It runs iOS perfectly fine and fast, though, powered by a Snapdragon chip. Plus, it’s fully detachable, and the keyboard dock actually acts as an extra battery, pushing the runtime past 12 hours if you're just browsing the web.

Now, I know that might not be exactly what you asked, but here’s my take. First, if you do decide on a Microsoft Surface, you're getting a seriously high-quality device. Second, whatever you do, don't buy any hybrid that has less than 2 GB of RAM, otherwise macOS is going to lag like crazy.

You might want to try posting this in the tablet subforum instead; there's a user there named Vikings who really knows his stuff when it comes to this kind of thing...