Advice on a new laptop

[Buehler445]

I use a laptop for the farm. What I've been doing is buying a small laptop and using a docking station at both the home office and at the farm. I started out with those Dell Latitude docking stations that clipped into the mobo. Then went to a USB Type C adapter. Now I have a USB 3.0 adapter for a Surface Pro 4. Don't really have a strong opinion one way or the other but I do currently have the 3.0 adapters at both locations.

I like the Surface Pro. It's been pretty reliable, but the battery is starting to have issues and it's a pain in the ass thing, but if I hook to bluetooth it nukes the wifi because it's the same frequency (I guess). I was going to buy a different router but then the battery started getting a little wonky so I decided to just go a different route on the computer front.

Does anybody have any recommendations? I'd been a dell guy up until the Surface. Probably go that way again, unless there are some other known issue things like the whole bluetooth shit.

I don't use a ****ton of horsepower. I've got some pretty giant ass spreadsheets, and sometimes a lot of them at the same time. Working with Deere's GIS shit takes a pretty healthy amount of computing power depending on the amount of data on the card. Typically I don't cheap out because I don't want to have trouble for a few bucks. One thing I do have to support is two screens through the docking stations at both locations.

I'm so far removed from the computer industry I barely know what to look for.

Any advice up front? Thanks in advance.

[Fish]

I'd probably recommend another Surface Pro. I've not heard of the bluetooth/wifi issue, but I suspect there's a way to resolve that.

If you're interested in a Dell, look at the Latitude 5290, or its big brother the 7200. Those are both decent machines similar to the Surface.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Fish

I'd probably recommend another Surface Pro. I've not heard of the bluetooth/wifi issue, but I suspect there's a way to resolve that.

If you're interested in a Dell, look at the Latitude 5290, or its big brother the 7200. Those are both decent machines similar to the Surface.

Thanks. I'll look into those. Have you had any experience with Lenovo X1 or Yoga machines? Some dorks on YouTube recommended it. And let's be real here, the older I get the more I lean on dorks on YouTube.

Credit to DaFace here, I was too stupid to figure it out myself, but apparently if you have a router that operates on a 2.4 Ghz channel, it is either the same as bluetooth or a harmonic or something and it nukes the network connection. The solution is to buy a router that runs on 5Ghz. I did that at the house, but I haven't yet at the farm. There's some more shit going on there with shared devices that I'm not sure I can install without ****ing up. And quite frankly, I'll drop some coin elsewhere to not dick with networks that I'm a functioning reerun on.

[Buehler445]

I'm just really trying to avoid the whole, "you bought a nice laptop but you should have bought this other one if you want to do that." Noise, like the whole bluetooth Network thing.

[notorious]

I got a Dell 13" XPS. Easily the best laptop I've ever owned.

Avoid Lenovo like the plague. I purchased one that was a BEAST as far as horsepower, but little parts of it broke in the 2 years I used it.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by notorious

I got a Dell 13" XPS. Easily the best laptop I've ever owned.

Avoid Lenovo like the plague. I purchased one that was a BEAST as far as horsepower, but little parts of it broke in the 2 years I used it.

Yeah, dorks on youtube recommended some model of the XPS 13 that I have written down somewhere. You stick that thing on a docking station?

RE: Lenovo - Serious question. Did you own this laptop on either the Luck game or the Forward Progress game? That's a game changer in terms of durability.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Thanks. I'll look into those. Have you had any experience with Lenovo X1 or Yoga machines? Some dorks on YouTube recommended it. And let's be real here, the older I get the more I lean on dorks on YouTube.

Credit to DaFace here, I was too stupid to figure it out myself, but apparently if you have a router that operates on a 2.4 Ghz channel, it is either the same as bluetooth or a harmonic or something and it nukes the network connection. The solution is to buy a router that runs on 5Ghz. I did that at the house, but I haven't yet at the farm. There's some more shit going on there with shared devices that I'm not sure I can install without ****ing up. And quite frankly, I'll drop some coin elsewhere to not dick with networks that I'm a functioning reerun on.

Don't have any experience with the Lenovo or Yoga. My portables are mostly Apple, except for a couple old Dells.

I'd recommend replacing that old 2.4Ghz router, sounds like that was the problem. The Surface is capable of using both at the same time. That must be pretty old. Routers are cheap and easy these days.

Good luck.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Fish

Don't have any experience with the Lenovo or Yoga. My portables are mostly Apple, except for a couple old Dells.

I'd recommend replacing that old 2.4Ghz router, sounds like that was the problem. The Surface is capable of using both at the same time. That must be pretty old. Routers are cheap and easy these days.

Good luck.

Yeah. I bought one but haven’t installed it. I might be too stupid to make the network printer and other shit work.

Thanks for the help.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Yeah. I bought one but haven’t installed it. I might be too stupid to make the network printer and other shit work.

Thanks for the help.

Post the model of router here, and we'll walk you through it...

[notorious]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Yeah, dorks on youtube recommended some model of the XPS 13 that I have written down somewhere. You stick that thing on a docking station?

RE: Lenovo - Serious question. Did you own this laptop on either the Luck game or the Forward Progress game? That's a game changer in terms of durability.

No, and it's not being used in a tractor, either.

I use it in my pickup, office, and home. Feels solid as hell, but I'm not testing it in the farm environment to find out how far she can go.

Yes, I owned that mother ****er during the forward progress game, but I was hoisting Bud Light instead of that laptop.

If I had a Panasonic Toughbook on my lap during that game it would have ended up being spread from one end of my house to the other.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by notorious

No, and it's not being used in a tractor, either.

I use it in my pickup, office, and home. Feels solid as hell, but I'm not testing it in the farm environment to find out how far she can go.

Yes, I owned that mother ****er during the forward progress game, but I was hoisting Bud Light instead of that laptop.

If I had a Panasonic Toughbook on my lap during that game it would have ended up being spread from one end of my house to the other.

I keep my old laptops for the tractors and sprayer. AND THEN. I give paper work orders to everyone not named Buehler445.

My buddy has a reasonable cover/keyboard for his iPad. That may be an easier solution than my old laptops, a power inverter and charging block

[notorious]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

I keep my old laptops for the tractors and sprayer. AND THEN. I give paper work orders to everyone not named Buehler445.

My buddy has a reasonable cover/keyboard for his iPad. That may be an easier solution than my old laptops, a power inverter and charging block

That’s what my buddy uses. John Deere and their proprietary software.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by notorious

That’s what my buddy uses. John Deere and their proprietary software.

I don’t run anything new enough to need an independent iPad. Is that the combine that auto sets itself or whatever?

[Buehler445]

FWIW I bought a Lenovo X1 Carbon. If it breaks down like nortorious’ I won’t have it long, but they were running a pretty hot deal on a few models so I did it.

I have a low tolerance for dicking with them so if it gives me any shit I just go a different way most of the time. But yeah, 2-3 years is all I typically keep them as the main rig.

Appreciate all the advice.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Fish

Post the model of router here, and we'll walk you through it...

I’m going to try it without. I fired up an old computer got it on the Wifi and then hooked up some Bluetooth and it seemed to work without issue.

I can’t find the article DaFace sent me but I think it’s a Surface hardware issue. I think their network cards are just junk. I have a the google mesh at the house and they are dual band with the device determining which channel to hook to and it’s a **** half the time.

If I don’t have to dick with routers I’ll roll with what I’ve got.