The HP ProBook is decent. It doesn't have a powerhouse processor, but the dedicated graphics card helps make up for it, which you definitely need at 4K resolution. You won't make a mistake with that one.
Personally, I’m leaning toward Dell because of that 3-year warranty. The main difference between the Latitude and the Pavilion is that the Latitude is built as a business machine—it only has a VGA port for HDMI needs and features an anti-glare screen so you can actually see what you're doing in daylight.
The Pavilion is more of an entertainment model, so it includes HDMI for hooking up to a TV and stuff. Its screen has a glossy coating (just like most laptops from any brand) that improves contrast, sharpness, and color saturation, making everything look brighter and more vibrant. The side effect is the glare, which can be annoying depending on how much light hits it. But again, that’s just how it works with almost every laptop that doesn't come with an anti-glare screen. Most laptops are like that; the Latitude is actually one of the rare ones that offers this kind of display.
By the way, are 17.3" models out of your budget? For older guys like me, a slightly larger screen is a lot easier on the eyes.😬
Once again, you've proven you're technically sound when it comes to printers—probably the most competent person on this board. Based on your horoscope, you're probably a Virgo, or at least have 😬 rising, because your drive for perfectionism is absolute and relentless. It's fine and actually commendable, it's just that not everyone operates that way...
My Canon has been working great for over two years now. So far, I’ve burned through about 150 ml of color ink and roughly 250 ml of black, plus a few cartridges before I set up the CISS. I just hope I don't kill it. As someone who uses it slightly more than your average user, I’m perfectly happy with both the printer and the CISS. My wife is a teacher so she prints a lot, and my son occasionally messes around with color printing too. I think CISS is a solid solution since it keeps me satisfied and I can grab ink dirt cheap on eBay. I've cycled through a ridiculous amount of printers in my time. The last two were HP models where finding compatible ink was a nightmare, so I ended up dropping a ton of cash on originals. Then there was the Epson 205, which handled Epson ink pretty well for a while at $3.25, but eventually, it just clogged up hopelessly.
From that perspective, the Canon is good for me because I haven't had issues in over two years. Even though I'd love for it to last longer, I'm realistic—today's tech quality isn't even close to what it used to be. Everything is made of plastic designed to fail the second the warranty expires.
Alongside those inkjet headaches, I also ran a Brother laser printer. It was an excellent machine, ridiculously cheap, bought at Walmart, and the toner was practically free (refilling $13 is easy, and one cartridge lasts almost ten refills). And then what happens? Right after that generous three-year warranty expired, the plastic gears just stripped and started spinning uselessly, and the springs that lift the paper weakened so much they couldn't even hold the tray up... It worked while the warranty lasted, and that was it. Back in the day, lasers and copiers had metal gears and could run for 20 years straight...
So, I get it: there is no perfect solution and nothing lasts forever. That's just how it is. Once my Canon finishes its service life and hits the scrap heap, I won't be messing around with print heads, nozzles, Dampere, or sponges—it's just not worth my time. 😬 Still, I respect your knowledge and experience, which is why I always try to dig through your posts for info, even if you tend to ramble on with technical details that the average user couldn't care less about. Not trying to offend anyone, but it seems like your glass is always half empty because you chase perfection; you always find something wrong with every solution, which ends up confusing people who just came here for a simple answer to: "Which printer should I buy?"
And regarding the colors, I can confirm that too—I noticed after about ten prints that things start getting messy.
Look, I don't know about you, but I find a Continuous Ink Supply System way easier than dealing with cartridges. With a CISS, I don't even have to pull anything out of the printer; I just top off the tanks whenever they look low. So, what you said about needing a local repair guy doesn't really hold water for me. Not trying to start a war over different brands and models here.
But yeah, you're spot on about using different ink types—that's a huge plus!
By the way, I've been running a Canon MG5550 with one of these setups for quite a while now without any major headaches. I just run a cleaning cycle every once in a while and call it a day.
hollowmarlin27 said:When you look at the cost per print, there isn't any real difference between using a Continuous Ink Supply System or permanent cartridges.
The only difference is that a Continuous Ink Supply System requires constant trips to a local repair shop, whereas permanent cartridges don't.
Wait, what are you even talking about regarding permanent cartridges? What do you mean by "service," and what kind of technician are you even referring to here? You just have to refill the ink tank. For crying out loud, when you drive a car, you have to pull up to a gas station to refuel, but nobody calls themselves a mechanic just for doing that.🤷
If your software supports hardware acceleration via CUDA cores, then your GPU choice and its VRAM are massive dealbreakers. You can scrape by loading models from a hard drive, and having plenty of RAM helps ensure you aren't constantly hitting the disk for scratch files, but if you actually care about processing speed—you know, the actual math part—that’s what really matters. As for RAM? Honestly, just get as much as you can afford.
Look, the N550 is a solid machine. The graphics are fine for gaming, though it’d be a lot better if they paired it with a 960M since those have faster memory. But hey, if you can't find one, it's not the end of the world.
The Asus K series is alright, but let’s be honest—the screens are just mediocre. Asus doesn't really bother with decent displays until you hit the N series, and even then, the truly top-tier panels are reserved for their G or GL models. If you want a killer screen without breaking the bank, you might actually want to look at the Acer V5 models instead.
Check this out:
There are other newer Asus K models out there, plus the Acer V5, or even an HP Pavilion gaming laptop that looks pretty sharp. Just a heads-up on the HP, though: people complain about the washed-out colors and the battery life is pretty pathetic. Do some digging through the different models to see what actually fits your needs. I only mentioned Best Buy because they have a massive selection and decent descriptions, but you'll probably find better prices if you shop around locally...
Regarding graphics, the GTX950m can handle FullHD resolution, but if you can swing it, definitely hunt for a model with faster GDDR5 memory. Some versions come with slower DDR3, which isn't ideal. The GTX960m is a step up and only comes with GDDR5, making it the smarter pick.
It’s not just about the CPU; everything else matters just as much. Especially when you're gaming—the balance between your GPU power and your resolution is what actually dictates performance.
As for the processors themselves, they're pretty much neck and neck, even if the clock speeds look similar. I'll give you this: the 6700 is newer, so it follows those modern trends like better efficiency and running cooler. Honestly, there's no point in obsessing over comparing them too closely. One benchmark might give one an edge, while another app favors the other. It's all relative.
You really need to figure out which software you're actually running first. You've got to check which GPUs are supported and which ones they actually recommend, because picking the wrong card can absolutely tank your entire system's performance.
There are plenty of solid, affordable choices there. If gaming is your only priority, stop obsessing over the processor. Just make sure the resolution isn't higher than 1080p and focus on getting the strongest GPU possible—something like a GTX960. If you're on a tight budget, a GTX950 will work, but the first one is definitely better.
Why does the GPU and resolution matter so much? Because that's what actually dictates your gaming experience. A faster CPU, more RAM, and an SSD definitely help, but if you're trying to push a massive resolution through a weak graphics card, you're dead in the water.
If you want to see the actual numbers, you can look up FPS benchmarks for various games here. Just search for the specific GPU you're eyeing, like a GTX960m, and match it against the resolution of the laptop you're planning to buy:
You'll see that a card like that handles modern titles pretty well at 1080p on high settings. But once you try to crank everything to Ultra, even it starts to struggle because that resolution is demanding...
I'm not much of a gamer myself, so I can't give you an exact answer—it really depends on what you're playing—but that 940m struggles even at lower resolutions with a lot of titles. Check this out:
You'll see the FPS results for various resolutions there, so just look for yours. If the numbers are green or borderline yellow, you're probably fine to play. At the bottom of the page, there’s a full IGN list with benchmarks for tons of different games. If you want to check a different card, just type the model into the search bar (like a GTX950m) and it'll pull up those results too.
Games usually run at the native resolution—basically whatever the screen was built for. Sure, you can drop the resolution, but cheap, budget panels often handle downscaling like garbage, making the image look like absolute trash. Plus, changing the resolution actually makes the Graphics Card work harder to render everything, which ends up tanking your FPS.
Resolution is directly tied to how much power your Graphics Card needs. The higher the resolution, the beefier the card has to be just to push a playable 30 FPS, which is really the bare minimum before things get unplayable. There are tons of threads on this topic if you want to dig deeper; it'll make things a lot clearer for you...
When it comes to actual gaming, most people stick with Nvidia GTX cards...
Yeah, you really need to start prioritizing graphics card power like Jeffrey Chavez6 said... And I seriously hope both of them are just standard 1366x768 resolution. If they happen to be any higher than that—you might as well forget about gaming altogether.
You can find plenty of YouTube tutorials on how to install these kits for various models. I actually managed to pull off a mod on my old 5550, even though it was technically "impossible" to fit one in. Honestly, you can make anything work if you try hard enough. Some crazy guys over in Russia posted guides showing exactly where to trim the plastic housing to make everything fit. It’s like Canon intentionally designs the casing with useless plastic just to prevent you from using a Cissom system. 😬I just used a heated needle to cut out the excess, popped it all together, and now you can't even tell from the outside—but it works perfectly.
This one comes with individual ink tanks that hold about 12.5ml each—supposedly enough for 500 to 800 pages according to 😬. You can pick up generic refills for anywhere from 50 to $27, which isn't actually a total rip-off.
I’ve been using this line for a while now (this is just a redesign of my old one) and haven't run into any issues. Honestly, I only bought official ink twice before I just rigged up a CISS system myself, and it's been working fine ever since...
I’m not from New York City, so I don't know the local scene there, nor do I know those guys personally. I just go by whatever models are actually in stock and what the price tag looks like. That said, do yourself a favor and check PriceGrabber before you pull the trigger...
Take a look at this. The ASUS P comes with a 3-year warranty that actually covers the battery, plus they’ve got these new high-endurance batteries that can push past 15 hours of runtime (depending on the model). If you want the best build quality and top-tier internals—especially if you care about a high-quality LCD panel—go with the ASUS N. The ASUS K models are the heavy hitters, but they sit a tier below the N series in terms of refinement.
It wouldn't be fair to leave out the Acer Nitro, though. For what it costs, the value is hard to beat:
Check Best Buy for the best deals, but honestly, Arhiteh has been one of the go-to spots for both selection and pricing for a long time now.
It’s usually one year for $100 and two years for $133. Besides Corning, there's another company handling this—just look at the intro post meant for anyone buying a laptop, under the warranty section...
But honestly, you're smarter off checking the manufacturer's extra warranties offered on specific models. You really need to verify that, ideally through an authorized dealer or importer.
Manufacturer warranties are definitely higher quality and more reliable, and they look something like this:
And anyway, obsessing over just the processor is useless; it doesn't give you any real idea of the laptop's actual power or build quality. There are a million other factors. darkowl72 suggested an excellent, budget-friendly laptop that, besides having a solid CPU and very strong integrated graphics, is built significantly better than that Dell you linked, and it even comes with a 3-year manufacturer warranty right out of the box...