[Don_S]

I am looking for a new laptop. I have two questions. How do Asus laptops compare with HP or Lenovo? I have owned both and I was satisfied.

I need an Ethernet port and that is limiting my choices. Smaller, thinner laptops do not have an Ethernet port. I see USB>Ethernet adapters are available. Any experience?

Thanks

[mix4fix]

Since I own Asus motherboards, buying their laptops would be a no-brainer for me.

I didn't think about the port being missing.  I need to keep that in mind.

[Doublej]

Can't speak to the quality of Asus vs. Lenovo vs. HP but can say that I have used a few USB Ethernet dongles and have never had a problem with them other than occasionally requiring a reboot for them to be recognized when switching from WIFI.

These days, I think you can only find a hardwired Ethernet port on some business class laptops.

[Don_S]

Thanks Doublej and mix4fix for the information. I ordered a TP-Link dongle to try. I do not need it with my current laptop but having a dongle that works opens options for my next laptop.

[Yog Sothoth]

I've owned Asus, HP, Dell, and Lenovo laptops (albeit not the most current models).  The Asus were fine; they seemed to run Linux without any hiccups (I'm a Linux only person).

I must admit though my favorite, time and time again, are the Lenovos.  They seem better constructed than the others, and their keyboards have the best feel for me.  Of course, this is completely subjective.

My only thought would be to either get the maximum amount of RAM you can, or get one where the RAM can be increased afterwards if need be.  Especially with Windows!

[Folsom]

Dell Latitudes have Ethernet. The RAM isn't soldered like Lenovo is now. I love Thinkpad keyboards (and only P/T/W/X are real Thinkpads.

[Mike-48]

My ancient desktop computer didn't give the Ethernet speed I wanted, so I got a USB/Ethernet dongle. Speed increased by about 30%. So the potential is there.

The dongle I got is this one.  I got another, similar, one for my Acer laptop. It also does a fine job. So I wouldn't
hesitate to use such a device.

IME, few laptops are as well thought out or constructed as a ThinkPad, especially in their keyboards. But TPs are costly. If you aren't going to be typing all the time, Asus has a good reputation.

Will you be using it for audio? I like to get an i7 for that, and plenty of memory. Laptops have performance-reducing features that extend battery life but might impact audio performance. I can't say that they do or don't, but it's something to consider, especially if using DSP.

The Crucial site will take a model number & let you know how much memory the device can hold. The manufacturer's specs should say that, too.

[Don_S]

How do Intel Celeron CPUs compare to Intel i3?

I have i3 on my HP ProDesk and it handles many open tabs at one time. My laptop won't work that hard. Getting the features I want at a price I am willing to pay for the use it will get is proving difficult.

[WGH]

Skip to the bottom for a comparison if the chip data is unimportant

What is the Difference Between Intel Celeron vs i3?
https://pcguide101.com/cpu/intel-celeron-vs-i3/

[Doublej]

How much do you want to spend? I would stay away from Celeron processors. For $300 you can get this from Microcenter.

HP 15-ef1082nr 15.6" Laptop Computer -Silver
AMD Ryzen 3 3250U 2.6GHz Processor; 8GB DDR4-2400 RAM; 256GB Solid State Drive; AMD Radeon Graphics

[Don_S]

Skip to the bottom for a comparison if the chip data is unimportant

What is the Difference Between Intel Celeron vs i3?
https://pcguide101.com/cpu/intel-celeron-vs-i3/

Thanks. WOW! Huge difference.

[mcgsxr]

When my daughters wanted PC's for school about 7 years ago I bought them Asus laptops.  They were on the lower end of the scale, and worked just fine for the 5 years they were in service.  They could certainly be repurposed with Linux and run for a long time into the future I am betting.

Would buy again.

[Don_S]

My search for a new laptop is based on the assumption that if I purchase JRiver I can only load it on one device. You know what they say about assumptions. Am I correct?

I am working on creating a music server. I plan to load a free trial of JRiver on my existing laptop. If the server proves satisfactory I would buy a new, larger, W11 laptop and purchase JRiver.

My existing laptop is a 5-yr old Lenovo (11.6" screen) travel buddy. Works great but if I create a server I want a larger screen and a newer computer with a longer expected life. My main computer is a desktop so the small laptop worked fine for the use it got.

[Mike-48]

My search for a new laptop is based on the assumption that if I purchase JRiver I can only load it on one device. You know what they say about assumptions. Am I correct?

Not correct. One license allows several installations. From the J River site:

Q: Can I install on more than one computer?
A: Yes, if it is the same operating system or if you have a Master License that works with all three operating systems.  During the two-week period after you have purchased or restored, you can use the Install Key you received to activate the program on your other computers.  You may use a single license for all your computers, within reason.

It may not be clear, but the installations don't need to be within two weeks, it's just that their (convoluted) system sends keys that expire, but when one does, you can get another one at n/c.

[Don_S]

Thanks Mike. That takes some pressure off.

[WGH]

I am working on creating a music server. I plan to load a free trial of JRiver on my existing laptop. If the server proves satisfactory I would buy a new, larger, W11 laptop and purchase JRiver.

My existing laptop is a 5-yr old Lenovo (11.6" screen) travel buddy. Works great but if I create a server I want a larger screen and a newer computer...

Three words that send shivers down my spine is Laptop Music Server. Laptops are a noisy environments and the USB is not designed for jitter free music streaming. I have to admit they are convenient, many of the big name equipment reviewers like Stereophile's Herb Reichert and John Atkinson evaluate high end electronics using laptops. Heck, 10 years ago I used a Toshiba laptop as a music server but once I built a dedicated music server the sound quality was so much improved I never looked back.

I recently built a new music server, they are quite easy to put together. The price of the parts would be in-line with the cost of a laptop. Windows 11 is free by linking to your Microsoft account to your existing Windows 10 computer. I booted the new (naked, no OS) server and installed the Windows 11 ISO from a thumbdrive. Microsoft automatically registered Win11 by accessing my Microsoft account resulting a free and legal clean install of Windows 11.

This is what I built:
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=177495.msg1867916#msg1867916
The regulated power supplies are not needed, I used them because my old music server had a cheap switching ps plus the regulated supplies adds a little clarity, space and enhanced low level information.
Unfortunately the Paul Pang USB 3.0 V2 cards are no longer available, too bad, they are excellent.


But if using a laptop is a done deal then look at the Intona USB Isolator, it may work for you. I tried the Uptone Audio Regen, AudioQuest Jitterbug and an early version of the Itona on my music server and they all fuzzed up the sound. The regulated ps made a clean signal and adding a USB dongle just added another layer on top of the music. Laptop USB is so noisy that these filters make an improvement. All the guys in our audiophile group used the USB filters at one time, but as they added linear regulated power supplies the USB filters were no longer needed and nobody is using them now.

Herb Reichert has a mini-review of the Itona USB Isolator tucked into his HoloAudio May KTE review. Herb uses a laptop and even with the HoloAudio's heroic USB implementation with galvanic isolation the Itona improved his sound. Now that is lousy, dirty USB from his laptop.

HoloAudio May D/A processor & Intona USB Isolator Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-39-holoaudio-may-da-processor-intona-usb-isolator

[mix4fix]

What about Alienware laptops?