jpelg

For anyone still interested, the MSI came in yesterday. To Nate's point, I probably did overbuy. But my overall thought was to get something that will last me, as I keep my home PC around 7+ years on average. So I wanted to max-out the stock configuration (processor, RAM, SSD HD) within a reasonable budget, as access to the innards of laptops for future upgrades gets more difficult with each new model. Off-grid battery life is less of a consideration, as this will be pretty stationary in my home office & won't be taken on travels (an old Android tablet and/or my cellphone serve that purpose sufficiently). Legacy ports were important to keep things simple for older peripherals & hardwired network connectivity. Buying through Costco leverages the kickback I get at the end of the membership year, as well as their stellar customer service should anything go awry. Having the MSI go on-sale this month was the tipping point. I fired it up last night & applied the outstanding Windows OS updates. That took much longer than updating my wife's Macbook when she got it a few months back. Now to transfer my files & install applications. TL;DR - seems pretty good for basically a fast Windows PC. #fingerscrossed Thanks again all for your inputs to my query.

Wow! Thank you all for your thoughtful & extensive responses. They each offered valid perspectives (some I had considered, some not), and expressed in a much more lucid manner than I could have. I promise I will consider them all. Much appreciated, truly.

Necro-bumping this thread since I am looking to choose between two laptops thru my local Costco. Use cases include office apps, light photo editing (no video), Internet browsing, generally not movie watching. Stationary, plugged-in use (ie. 99% not portable). Both with 15.6" displays, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD 1. MSI GS66 - Intel Core i9-10980HK (8 core) processor - Max-Q GPU - 8GB NVIDIA GeForce® RTX 2070 SUPER Max-Q Graphics (1920x1080 resolution) - Legacy ports (RJ45 Ethernet, USB A both of which I would use) 2. Dell XPS9500-7852SLV-PUS - Intel Core i7-10750H (6 core) processor - 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti (3840x2400 resolution) - No legacy ports (would require adapters) The biggest differences are raw processor power vs. max screen resolution. Which would you pick & why?

Happy birthday!

Thank you everyone - much appreciated, truly.

Both seasons of The Umbrella Academy (Netflix), Absolutely fantastic! Everything a sci-fi/superhero ensemble franchise should be. Very well produced on all levels, and fresh. Highly recommended for fans of this genre.

That was one, crazy opening episode!

^Yup

Finally got around to the final season of Travelers (season 3). I actually went back through S2 again due to the long timeframe since originally watching that. Great stuff, and a satisfying ending journey for our time-hoppers. Now on to The Magicians (SyFy). I'm well into season 2 now, and binging hard. How the heck did I miss this when it was actually on IRT? Great stuff here too, for many of the same reasons, plus the occasional musical theater number!

^IIRC, those speakers were super-inexpensive Insignia brand bookshelves from BestBuy some time back. The juxtaposition of them against the rest of that gear is astounding & wonderful.

Well, actually Sunday & yesterday...in order: Fired my lawn-cutting guy Mowed & trimmed my own lawn for the first time in 4 years Realized how grossly out-of-shape I am The good news are: My push-mover fired up on the first try Since I'm still working from home, I can split the lawn-cutting tasks across at least two days to create a built-in lunchtime exercise activity

^I really liked season 1 of Search Party. IIRC, season 2 kind of went off the rails & lost it's likeability, imo.

Just finished Maniac & loved it! So quirky, and so many layers. Cathartic & ultimately satisfying, imo. One of my favorite tv series ever now.

I'd say if you liked, and followed, season 1, then the second is a natural extension & worth your watch. S2 had some amazingly beautiful episodes (the one's that centered on Shogun World & the native American Ghost World, come to mind), culminating in a finale that provides a satisfying payoff for your efforts, imo. I just finished season 3, and I can't recommend it to anyone, sadly...

Any recommendations for a basic trainer to turn my road bike into a stationary? Looking to get some exercise during my @home work lunch hours. Nothing fancy, just sturdy & not requiring tools for every adjustment. Maybe...$150-300 range-ish?

Saw this posted elsewhere on the internets, & thought some classical lovers might like this: Free access to the Berliner Philharmoniker digital concert hall: https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/info

An enterprising local pro photographer has begun marketing a "front-porch" photo service. She sets up a session where a family poses on their front porch, while she photographs a safe distance away from the sidewalk. Social media posts seem to indicate she is doing well during this crazy time.

So sorry to hear about ZoeBelle. Condolences to you & your family Brent. RIP John Prine

Dispatches from Elsewhere - a new series airing on the AMC network, created by Jason Segel. Although the premise sounds fairly innocuous, the execution is so fresh & quirky it defies summarization, while commanding your complete attention. Awesome cast, with everyone pulling their weight. My current favorite tv series.

Heard these headphones @NYC Canjam last month as well. Thought they were pretty bass-heavy & a bit tipped on the upper-end as well. Likely fatiguing, imo. Brief listening with open headphones in a busy public setting as that are not ideal though, as we know.

I was more reminded of the spL Phonitor, just with more elegant switches: https://spl.audio/professional-fidelity/phonitor-xe/?lang=en

Picked up one of the newer MacBook Pro 16" (i7, 16GB Memory, 512GB SSD, in Space Gray) yesterday for my wife. Seems pretty nice. I haven't owned or played with a Mac in a long time. Still have to install MS Office. Thanks all for the inputs. Much appreciated.

Thanks for the additional insights Todd.

Thank you both for your quick & detailed responses. Real-world advice is always much appreciated. You both outline my own worries wrt file compatibility/interoperability. Two years ago, we both encountered issues (separately) when using MS Office 2013. She received an Excel file created in Excel 2016, which used a function not in v2013. I had a similar issue with a work assignment attempted to be completed at home). This prompted upgrades to Office 2016. And that is "Windows :: Windows"! My worry is that "Windows :: Mac" differences will likely be greater. Maybe I can dissuade her from the MacBook & steer her toward a nice Surface Pro? We'll see.. Again, much appreciated guys. Cheers.

So, my wife needs a new laptop. Currently, she (and I) both use Windows-based laptops for home & work, so that is the OS with which she is familiar. However, she has had iPhones since v6 (now on vX 256GB), and also uses an iPad for most casual tasks (web-browsing, e-book reading, etc.). The Windows laptop is used only on-occasion for more mundane tasks. Predominant PC use-cases include iTunes library base/backup, and creating/sharing documents for the local Rotary club (MS Word & Excel files). So, she needs an HD capacity bigger than her phone, as well as the latest Microsoft Office suite. Given her leanings toward other Apple products, she is considering a MacBook to replace her aging Windows laptop. OS-differences aside, my main question has to do with MS Office file compatibility across operating systems (assuming MS Office 2019 on both sides). Word-compatibility should be pretty easy, but Excel functionality needs to match nearly 100% between Mac & Windows versions. Can anyone who has switched operating system platforms, or use both, AND use Microsoft Office on both, comment on issues, caveats, etc. when it comes down to file sharing?