Laptop for Scrapping

[JuliaM]

I'm hoping to get some suggestions for a good laptop to use for scrapping. I have a 4 year old Dell Inspiron that's starting to give up the ghost. I replaced it a couple of weeks ago with a newer Dell Inspiron. I believe the model was 3505. I only had that for a little over a week before I returned it. No matter what I did, color didn't display correctly. Red looked more of a burnt reddish/orange color. In it's place, I got an Asus Vivobook which was delivered yesterday. I got as far as setting up windows before realizing it also had the same issue displaying color.

I know it's not just me seeing the colors wrong. On both, I flood filled a canvas with pure red (ff000) and asked my sister what color she saw. She also agreed that it was more orange than red.

I've got a consultation appointment Saturday at Best Buy to return the Asus and look for something else. I was wondering if any one had any recommendations. Right now, the thing I'm most interested in is the display properly showing colors...specifically red as red.

Thanks!

[just_jo]

I don't scrap on my laptop but I could. I love the display on it. It's a Lenovo.

[Kimberly27]

I just bought a Lenovo Legion from the Lenovo website. I just watched an waited for a deal.
Here are my specs.....The biggest deal for me was a separate graphics card to run PS as opposed to an integrated graphics card....


Configuration Details
● Processor: 10th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-10750H Processor (2.60 GHz, up to 5.00 GHz with Turbo Boost, 6 Cores, 12 Threads, 12 MB Cache)
● Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64
● Display Type: 15.6” FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, anti-glare with Dolby Vision™, 500 nits, 240Hz
● Memory: 16 GB DDR4 2933MHz (2 x 8 GB)
● Hard Drive: 1 TB PCIe SSD
● Warranty: One Year Legion Ultimate Support
● AC Adapter: 230W
● Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX™ 2060 6GB
● Battery: 4 Cell Li-Polymer 60Wh
● Camera: 720p HD
● Keyboard: Backlit - US English
● Wireless: Wi-Fi 6™ 802.11AX (2 x 2) & Bluetooth® 5.0

**edited to add: Check dealnews.com for laptops. They are always posting great deals

[Tree City]

I had a 17" HP Envy and LOVED it until the screen started separating and it began making a grinding noise...even when it was supposed to be in sleep mode. It was well used and well loved. I ended up with a desktop (HP Omen GT13 with AMD Ryzen) but I'd have snatched up a newer Envy laptop in a second if I hadn't "needed" a desktop for the office.

I also have a Lenovo ideapad 3 with Intel i3...nothing like my Envy's 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM, 17" screen, and Intel i7. (Granted, it's an older chip than the ideapad's i3, but still!) Anyway, I've used it a few times for scrapping in the family room while we watch TV as a family. It's quick with good colors, but it's a smaller screen and I haven't tried to surf the Web or stream music while scrapping--not sure if that's a big thing for you? I like a powerful workhorse for my scrapping laptop, and the ideapad isn't enough for me. I need more RAM and speed. (Cue Tim Allen growling about "more power" lol.)

Good luck finding something that works for you!

[JuliaM]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I'll keep them in mind and see if any of them are available at Best Buy (where I'll be returning the ASUS so will have a credit there).

I've also been looking at the HP Spectre listed on the website. I did some googling and found some good reviews for it...especially the screen. It's a bit pricey from where I started, but if red actually looks like red instead of burnt orangey/red, I'll consider it worth it.

[DawnMarch]

I bought an expensive Dell "gaming" laptop for scrapping and it died at just past the 2 year warranty period and could not be repaired. I absolutely love my Dell desktops but I won't be buying a Dell laptop again.

[JuliaM]

I really liked the Dell Inspiron I got initially to replace my 4 year old one. It worked great and was super fast in comparison. If it hadn't been for the color issue, I'd have been very happy with it.

[tjscraps]

I have a MacBook Pro that I've been scrapping on for years - I love it!

[rach3975]

Before you return the Asus, have you tried calibrating the display colors? There are built in tools in Windows 10 to do it. If the problem is due to the laptop being shipped with some sort of vivid settings turned on (best for movies and gaming), then you might be able to fix it with calibration.

I have a 17" Dell G3, which I'd describe as their entry level gaming computer. ("Entry level" compared to their higher end gaming computers--the G3 is a lot better than an entry level productivity computer.) I like it, but I'm not sure I love it enough to recommend it to people. Then again, that's how I've felt about my last few computers even though I've done tons of research before buying. Maybe I'm expecting too much for my price range. The color is fine, but I calibrated it shortly after buying and can't remember how I felt about it straight out of the box.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[rach3975]

Originally Posted by Tree City

I had a 17" HP Envy and LOVED it until the screen started separating and it began making a grinding noise...even when it was supposed to be in sleep mode. It was well used and well loved. I ended up with a desktop (HP Omen GT13 with AMD Ryzen) but I'd have snatched up a newer Envy laptop in a second if I hadn't "needed" a desktop for the office

I'm on my 2nd Dell after 2 HPs, so it's been about 5 years since I owned an HP laptop. I loved both until things went spectacularly wrong. They both developed hinge problems that made the screen separate and led to the computers dying well before they should have. With the second one I sent it in for service (which they did under warranty at 13 months because the problem had begun before the 12-month mark). It came back to me making noises it shouldn't have, but I was never able to get HP to agree to look at it and admit they had caused a new problem while it was in for service. By 18 months it was unusable and unrepairable, so I'm done with HP laptops.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[JuliaM]

Originally Posted by rach3975

Before you return the Asus, have you tried calibrating the display colors? There are built in tools in Windows 10 to do it. If the problem is due to the laptop being shipped with some sort of vivid settings turned on (best for movies and gaming), then you might be able to fix it with calibration.

I tried all of the calibration tools and it didn't make a difference...other than making me feel like I was losing my mind. I ended up doing a bit of research on the particular Asus model I got and everything I came up with said that the display on it just doesn't have a big enough range of colors. According to one of the reviews, it's limited to 53% of the sRGB color gamut. That meant nothing to me but it also came with nifty diagram showing the range of colors the human eye can see. It then overlayed an outline of what of that is in the sRGB color gamut and then another outline of what the display on the ASUS could show. Based on that, it looks like it literally can't show red as red.

I've got a consultation appointment at Best Buy tomorrow to return the Asus and look at something else. I've been doing a lot of reading on different laptops and I really, really think I'm going to go with the HP Spectre. I found a couple of different reviews saying it's one of the best for photo editing and it covers more than 100% of the sRGB color gamut. According the Best Buy app, it also looks like they have some in stock at the store I'm going to, so that's a bonus if I can leave with it in hand. *fingers crossed*

I want to thank everyone who's offered ideas. I really, really appreciate it!

[JuliaM]

Originally Posted by rach3975

I'm on my 2nd Dell after 2 HPs, so it's been about 5 years since I owned an HP laptop. I loved both until things went spectacularly wrong. They both developed hinge problems that made the screen separate and led to the computers dying well before they should have. With the second one I sent it in for service (which they did under warranty at 13 months because the problem had begun before the 12-month mark). It came back to me making noises it shouldn't have, but I was never able to get HP to agree to look at it and admit they had caused a new problem while it was in for service. By 18 months it was unusable and unrepairable, so I'm done with HP laptops.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

I've only ever had Dell's or HP's...and have loved them both. The current Dell I'm replacing is just over 4 years old. I probably could use it for a little longer but I've issued with it after Windows updates. I'd actually hoped to use for a lot longer since I do have a bit of an emotional attachment to it. I know it's only a computer but I bought it about a month and half before my Dad passed away. He helped pick it out. I sat in his apartment one Saturday transferring all of my data over to it (with his running commentary). I'd use the Dell to work from his apartment one day a week to help out him and my step-mom and I'd also stay with him on Saturday mornings and I'd usually be scrapping at kitchen island. He'd sit on the other side and offer suggestions and critiques to what I was doing...so I'm rather attached to the laptop.

[Tree City]

Originally Posted by rach3975

I'm on my 2nd Dell after 2 HPs, so it's been about 5 years since I owned an HP laptop. I loved both until things went spectacularly wrong. They both developed hinge problems that made the screen separate and led to the computers dying well before they should have. With the second one I sent it in for service (which they did under warranty at 13 months because the problem had begun before the 12-month mark). It came back to me making noises it shouldn't have, but I was never able to get HP to agree to look at it and admit they had caused a new problem while it was in for service. By 18 months it was unusable and unrepairable, so I'm done with HP laptops.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Whoa, by 13 months the hinge was breaking/broken? Yikes! Mine was about 4 years, and I do think it was just from use. I used to keep my laptop on the coffee table in the family room so I could scrap while watching TV at night with DH or hanging with the kids during the day. (Like, if they were happily playing I could sneak off to scrap.) So it was constantly being opened and shut. 4 years seemed long to me for the wear and tear I put on it, but barely a year? No way. And the fact they wouldn't look at it again? Not cool.

[littlekiwi]

I was a Toshiba gal to start with due to cost but once I switched to HP, a good 6ish years ago I never looked back. I’m on my 2nd HP only because the first one got stolen nearly 4 years ago.

[JuliaM]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their advice. After trying some at Best Buy, I ended up going with a Dell Inspiron 700 2 in 1. The color on it is AMAZING! I've just finished setting everything up on it and transferring all my data over. Now I'd like to try some scrapping on it.

[Leablahblah]

Originally Posted by JuliaM

I just wanted to thank everyone for their advice. After trying some at Best Buy, I ended up going with a Dell Inspiron 700 2 in 1. The color on it is AMAZING! I've just finished setting everything up on it and transferring all my data over. Now I'd like to try some scrapping on it.

oh Yay! Glad you're happy with it!

[JuliaM]

Originally Posted by Leablahblah

oh Yay! Glad you're happy with it!

Thank you. Right now I can say I'm quite happy.

[rach3975]

Originally Posted by Tree City

Whoa, by 13 months the hinge was breaking/broken? Yikes! Mine was about 4 years, and I do think it was just from use. I used to keep my laptop on the coffee table in the family room so I could scrap while watching TV at night with DH or hanging with the kids during the day. (Like, if they were happily playing I could sneak off to scrap.) So it was constantly being opened and shut. 4 years seemed long to me for the wear and tear I put on it, but barely a year? No way. And the fact they wouldn't look at it again? Not cool.

The one that broke in 13 months was my second HP. The first starting having hinge issues at 2.5 years, and I was able to keep using it until right around 3 years. I would have liked to get longer out of it, but I can live with 3 years. I loved it before the hinge problem, so I tried again and hoped they'd fixed the problem. Didn't work out that way, LOL!

Originally Posted by JuliaM

I've only ever had Dell's or HP's...and have loved them both. The current Dell I'm replacing is just over 4 years old. I probably could use it for a little longer but I've issued with it after Windows updates. I'd actually hoped to use for a lot longer since I do have a bit of an emotional attachment to it. I know it's only a computer but I bought it about a month and half before my Dad passed away. He helped pick it out. I sat in his apartment one Saturday transferring all of my data over to it (with his running commentary). I'd use the Dell to work from his apartment one day a week to help out him and my step-mom and I'd also stay with him on Saturday mornings and I'd usually be scrapping at kitchen island. He'd sit on the other side and offer suggestions and critiques to what I was doing...so I'm rather attached to the laptop.

I would be attached, too!

Originally Posted by JuliaM

I just wanted to thank everyone for their advice. After trying some at Best Buy, I ended up going with a Dell Inspiron 700 2 in 1. The color on it is AMAZING! I've just finished setting everything up on it and transferring all my data over. Now I'd like to try some scrapping on it.

That's great. So glad you were able to return the Asus and find something with better color!