I bought the HP Omnibook X with 16GB and 1TB, and 1tb extra added for files only)

But I still feel iffy because of reviews saying HP is meant to last only a year or two. I’m entering college and I need a laptop that will last 5 years or so

Would this laptop be reliable? Anyone who has it, what do you think about it? Or should I return it and get another one

My laptop standards consist of
- no Mac.
- durable for years
- not too huge
- not crazy expensive
- storage!!

I read a ton of reviews on finding a laptop suited for me and many came through this community board. So, thank you all for your comments. I figured I'd give some quick feedback if anyone else is looking for a similar computer.

• This is used for personal use at home. Mostly browsing the web and making spreadsheets. We do code in colab and mess around with different AI platforms. Don't use the PC for gaming.
• Bought 16GB of RAM. Really way more than I needed unless you really are a gamer. I have this connected to 2 other screens. So I had on my 3 screens - the Bears pre-season game on yesterday, running some python script for stock screening and had websites like realtor.com up that that requires a lot of processing b/c of the amount of maps and pictures it loads. All worked smoothly and I didn't hear the fan kick on at all. NO NOISE.
• The one thing I was reading with HP and OmniBooks is it is has hinge problems (funny comment I read was that is what HP stands for...."hinge problems"). But I also read that is not for the X version. On this version, the hinges seem like they are built well. We will find out over time as this is a very big screen.
• I really thought I was going to go for the XPS 14 with similar specs (but obviously smaller screen), but everything kept pointing me to this direction. With exception the XPS certainly looks more elegant.
• Anyway, I started this process and thought for sure a Dell, maybe Acer or Lenova for my PC needs. But after 3 hours of researching it, I changed my opinion and can't believe I bought an HP b/c I never had. I just retired a Surface Pro and I have invested in a few of those in the past. But, I can say this HP is impressive so far. It does list for 1,500...but you can find it for $900 ($600 off) at best buy right now.
• Finally with that price reduction and some other back to school sales, I did take the specs and run though both chatgpt and gemini and both pointed to this one across a multitude of factors. But, for the current price, it really tipped it in HP's value.

So far - a very happy HP client.

Are the hinges of an idea pad good if i want a laptop that lasts me 5 years in university

zenbook 14

Processor: AMD Ryzen AI 7 445

Graphic Card: AMD Radeon Graphics

Memory: 16 GB RAM

Storage: 1 TB SSD

Display: 14" WUXGA , OLED touchscreen

Yoga 7

Yoga 7 2-in-1 

Processor: AMD Ryzen™ AI 5 340

Graphic Card: Integrated AMD Radeon™

Memory: 16 GB

Storage: 1 TB SSD

Display: 14" WUXGA , OLED

i can’t decide which one is better. if you ever had these laptops what was your experience? I would like to use it for research/ school/ college. is it to small? I struggle with focusing so what’s your opinion? is there a different laptop y’all recommend. my budget is $899 (US) and below

Okay, so im using dell' latitude 5491 for 2-3 years now. Four days earlier, it stopped working completely and wouldn't even turn on and would heat up all the way up. I got a heatburn from it, too (like not actual, but it was extremely heating up). I went to the laptop repair shop, and he said it has something to do with the motherboard if it's not working properly. It took him two days, and it still didn't fix anything, and later on, he said that the laptop had some issues with the charging port. But my laptop is still nIdk what i should do. He returned my laptop and didn't charge anything. I have some important data in it. How can i retrieve it? It's showing this:

"No bootable devices found.

Press F1 key to retry boot.

Press F2 key for setup utility.

Press F5 key to run onboard diagnostics." On screen, and i dont want to lose my personal data by pressing the wrong button.

I’m planning to buy a laptop in India, but I’ve noticed that prices have increased a lot recently.
For example, a laptop I was tracking was around ₹52k about 8 months ago (45k after bank discount and sale) and the same/similar configuration is now around ₹65–69k.
I don’t urgently need to buy it right now, so I’m wondering whether I should wait. I need it in the next month or upcoming 2 months.
For people who regularly track laptop prices in India,
Do you think these current price increases are temporary, or should we expect prices to stay this high?
Is there any realistic chance that laptops in the ₹50–60k range will come back down?

Are the upcoming Amazon/Flipkart/Diwali sales likely to give meaningful discounts, or will the inflated prices simply get discounted from a higher MRP?
Historically, what has been the best time of year to get a good laptop deal in India?

I need a laptop for work, and it should give smooth support to ML models, running libraries, multi-tasking.

I’m mainly looking for price-market advice rather than laptop recommendations.

I am a 2nd year college student and I want to buy a laptop just to learn how to code. For which I think buying a new laptop is over power or more than what I need. I am thinking of buying a 2nd hand laptop which can do my basic work effortlessly and not high performance gaming.

I have an option of buying a macbook pro with Intel i5 10th gen is it good?

Hey everyone, I’m trying to fix my HP EliteBook 840 G3 (Windows 10) and it’s gotten so messed up that almost nothing works anymore. I’m hoping someone can help me repair it for free or recommend what to do next.

Here’s everything going wrong:

💻 Laptop Details

• HP EliteBook 840 G3
• Intel i5‑6300U
• 8GB RAM
• BIOS: N75 Ver. 01.24 (2018)
• Serial: 5CG7065BC5
• UUID: 7C25370A‑EFF9‑11E6‑855B‑0607B9008048

🛑 Major Problems:

1. BIOS is locked:

I can’t change boot order, update BIOS, or access advanced recovery.
HP says I need an SMC.bin unlock file.

2. Windows is severely corrupted:

• SFC and DISM don’t fix anything
• Settings app broken
• Taskbar sometimes doesn’t load
• Windows Update fails
• Recovery Mode doesn’t load
• Safe Mode only partially works

3. Boot issues:

• Slow boot
• Sometimes won’t turn on
• Black screen with fans spinning
• WinRE missing or corrupted

4. Network problems:

• WiFi disconnects randomly
• Adapter disappears
• Network services fail to start

5. Hardware aging:

• Possible SSD wear
• Possible CMOS battery failure
• External monitor not detecting
• Random freezes and crashes

🛠️ What I’ve already tried:

• SFC /scannow
• DISM /restorehealth
• msconfig repairs
• Driver updates
• Safe Mode
• Basic hardware checks

❓ What I need help with:

• How do I unlock the BIOS?
• How do I repair Windows without losing files?
• Should I reset Windows or reinstall?
• Is this fixable or is the hardware dying?
• Any Ottawa tech helpers willing to take a look?

Thanks for any help — I’m stuck.

--------- What Copilot AI said: -----------

🔥 Everything Wrong With Your HP EliteBook 840 G3 (Based on Your System Info + Symptoms)

🧩 1. BIOS Lock / Firmware Problems

Your BIOS version: N75 Ver. 01.24 (2018)  
Your UUID: 7C25370A‑EFF9‑11E6‑855B‑0607B9008048

This tells me:

• Your BIOS is 8 years out of date
• EliteBooks with old BIOS versions often get:
• Boot failures
• Secure Boot corruption
• Missing recovery environment
• Fan spin + black screen
• You cannot update BIOS because your BIOS is password‑locked
• You cannot change boot order → cannot reinstall Windows normally
• You cannot access advanced recovery tools
• You cannot fix firmware‑level corruption

This is the #1 root cause of your entire mess.

You need an SMC.bin unlock file from HP.

🧩 2. Windows System Corruption:

Based on your symptoms:

• SFC and DISM fail or don’t fix anything
• Windows apps missing
• Settings app broken
• Taskbar not loading
• Windows Update failing
• Recovery Mode not loading
• Safe Mode only partially working

This means:

Your Windows installation is severely corrupted, likely from:

• Forced shutdowns
• Failed updates
• BIOS restrictions blocking repairs
• Damaged system files
• Possibly a damaged Windows partition

This is not normal wear — it’s deep OS corruption.

🧩 3. Hardware Aging / Failure:

Your EliteBook 840 G3 is from 2016–2017.
Common failures at this age:

• SSD wear (causes slow boot, freezing, missing files)
• RAM instability
• Power delivery issues
• CMOS battery failure (causes BIOS weirdness)
• WiFi card instability
• Overheating due to dust

Your symptoms match:

• Slow boot
• Random freezes
• WiFi adapter disappearing
• External display not detecting
• Laptop sometimes won’t turn on

This strongly suggests SSD degradation or motherboard aging.

🧩 4. Network Stack Corruption:

You reported:

• WiFi disconnecting
• Adapter disappearing
• Network services failing
• Safe Mode networking unstable

This is caused by:

• Corrupted Windows networking stack
• Damaged drivers
• Possibly failing WiFi card

EliteBooks are notorious for this.

🧩 5. Missing or Broken System Services

You’ve mentioned:

• Windows services not starting
• System apps missing
• Settings app crashing
• Taskbar not loading

This means:

Your Windows registry is damaged, and several core services are failing:

• AppX Deployment Service
• Windows Shell Experience Host
• Windows Update
• Network Location Awareness
• Windows Installer
• WinRE (Recovery Environment)

This is why nothing behaves normally.

🧩 6. Bootloader / Partition Problems:

Symptoms:

• Windows Recovery won’t load
• Boot errors
• Safe Mode only partially works
• System apps missing
• DISM cannot repair

This suggests:

• Corrupted EFI partition
• Damaged WinRE partition
• Possibly a broken BCD (boot configuration data)

This is extremely common when BIOS is locked and Windows updates fail.

Hey all,
I’m a mechanical engineering student and I need a new laptop mainly for CAD work (SolidWorks, Fusion 360) and some electronics/PCB design (KiCad). My old MSI laptop physically broke apart and honestly wasn’t the most reliable machine, so this time I want something sturdier and more trustworthy.
I’ve been looking at the HP OmniBook 7 17-dc0179ng:
• Intel Core Ultra 7 258V
• 32GB DDR5 RAM (soldered, not upgradeable)
• 1TB SSD
• NVIDIA RTX 4050 (6GB VRAM)
• 17.3” FHD IPS touchscreen
• ~2.34 kg
• Price: ~1,399€ (down from 1,599€)
This would replace my MSI Delta 15, and reliability/build quality matters a lot to me this time — no glitches, no heating problems, something that’ll last 4-5 years of daily campus use.
A few questions for anyone with experience:
1. Anyone own this specific model (or the OmniBook 7 line in general) who can speak to real-world thermals and reliability?
2. Is HP generally considered trustworthy compared to brands like MSI, Asus, Lenovo for this kind of workload?
3. Is the RTX 4050 with 6GB VRAM going to be enough for SolidWorks/Fusion 360 assemblies, or should I be looking at something with more VRAM?
4. Any better alternatives in the ~1,400-1,500€ range with similar specs I should consider?
Appreciate any input — trying to make a solid decision before I buy!

please help me decide. should I buy a used MacBook or a box pack dell/hp laptop??

My Dell Inspiron 15 3520 has been unreliable and cheaply built, flimsy plastic, screen wobbles way too much on small bumps. BIOS is also locked and Dell support couldn’t fix it, I keep trying to guess my password but nothing comes up, no error codes or support like people say online.

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

Country
United States

Budget
1200 USD

Are you open to refurbs/used options?
Yes, as long as there’s no scratches or dents

Screen size
15”-16” 1080p or 1440p

Weight limit
Any

GPU: hell yeah

Purpose
Gaming, schoolwork, and some game/mod development

Form factor
Standard/Clamshell (a regular laptop)

Intended usage
Minecraft at 80-120 fps on Fabulous settings alongside Brave and Discord, plus schoolwork and light game/mod development. Not a gaming laptop.

Assalam alaikum everyone

So I'm planning to buy a laptop for myself, I'm a medical student, planning to do research work and will be using apps like Anki, Atlas etc. and some gaming as well

Which one should I buy??

Hi everyone. I'm writing this partly to vent and partly as a warning to anyone thinking about spending their savings on a premium Lenovo rig. My experience with their customer support in Spain has been an absolute joke.

For context: I bought a top-tier Lenovo laptop (a Yoga Pro 9 16IAH10), spending a fortune, because I need it as my main daily driver for my studies and work. Right out of the box, the PC came with an unbearable factory defect: random micro-freezes. And mind you, this happens regardless of the workload. It doesn't matter what you're doing; you type and the letters show up seconds later, you move the mouse and the cursor takes seconds to react, the screen just hangs out of nowhere, etc.

Here begins the timeline of my odyssey:

• December 2025: I make my first call to support to report the factory defect (the PC was practically brand new). They tell me to send it in. Since I was right in the middle of the academic year, I explained that it was IMPOSSIBLE for me to be without my main study tool, so we agreed I'd send it in as soon as classes ended. At no point did they offer a replacement.
• June 2026: The semester ends, and I send the PC to the repair center.
• The Big Lie: Weeks go by and I get a notice saying the repair is "on hold waiting for a part". Over the phone, they confirm that the part they are waiting for is the motherboard.
• August 2026: After holding my laptop hostage for almost two months, they send it back. I read the official repair report and surprise: the "Replaced Parts" section is EMPTY. They spent two months waiting for a motherboard they never installed. The only thing they did was reinstall Windows and update the BIOS (something I had already done at home before sending it in).
• The Result: The PC is still failing exactly the same way. Mouse stutter, keyboard lag, constant micro-freezes.

From then on, the customer service has been abysmal. They ignore my emails (I've waited up to +11 days for a reply, had to email again to get a reply), the wait times are endless, and they constantly give me the runaround.

Just yesterday I spoke with them on the phone; they promised to send me everything we discussed in writing and that a supervisor would call me before today (Friday). Guess what? Zero emails, zero calls. To make matters worse, they are now refusing to give me a replacement unit, claiming "the computer is too old now", completely ignoring that I reported the issue back in December when the laptop was new, and that THEY are the ones who made me waste almost two months for nothing.

I have demanded their official internal complaint form, but they flat-out refuse to provide one (or they simply don't have a formal complaints channel at all). Because of this, I gave them an ultimatum before I report them to the Consumer Rights Authorities for violating Spanish/EU Warranty Laws.

Has anyone else gone through something similar with Lenovo? Any advice on how to pressure them, or if going straight to Consumer Protection speeds things up? Any help is welcome.

TL;DR: Bought a premium Lenovo PC (Yoga Pro 9 16IAH10). Came with factory micro-stutters (mouse/keyboard lag regardless of workload). Sent it in for warranty, they kept it for 2 months claiming they were waiting for a new motherboard. Returned it without replacing a single part and it's still freezing. Support gives me the runaround, lies to me on the phone, refuses a replacement, and refuses to provide a formal complaints channel. Avoid this brand.