Mustachian isn't tested if you already have everything

[greaper007]

For the record, I also hate laptops.   Desktops are way cheaper, I can make them myself, and they last considerably longer since it's much easier to just upgrade components.

Kinda - my sister picked up a brand new Windows 8.1 laptop for her son for Christmas this year for $149 on special.  Even when they aren't on special it is child's play to find brand new Windows laptops for $300 from major brands.  It's generally just as expensive or moreso to get a desktop PC, and almost always more expensive to build a budget PC yourself because if you want to do it legally, you need to pay full price for Windows instead of the $9 or so that the big brands pay for it.

Legally.....when was the last time I did that?    I think it was 1993 on a Packard Bell.

There's always linux.   You're also not considering the upgradability.   I can reuse my case, keyboard, monitor, power supply and various other devices when I decide to upgrade.   I can also do things like throw a SSD in when they drop down in price, or a new video card or stick of ram.   

My wife has been through two laptops in less than the time that I've had one desktop.   The heat and shock really seem to kill laptops.

You typically can upgrade SSDs and RAM in laptops as well.

For the record, I also hate laptops.   Desktops are way cheaper, I can make them myself, and they last considerably longer since it's much easier to just upgrade components.

Kinda - my sister picked up a brand new Windows 8.1 laptop for her son for Christmas this year for $149 on special.  Even when they aren't on special it is child's play to find brand new Windows laptops for $300 from major brands.  It's generally just as expensive or moreso to get a desktop PC, and almost always more expensive to build a budget PC yourself because if you want to do it legally, you need to pay full price for Windows instead of the $9 or so that the big brands pay for it.

You can get laptops for cheap, absolutely - but the price/performance ratio isn't there. If you're getting into something that will play even 5yr old games well, you won't be able to swing that for $300.

That said, I love my $350 laptop. I tossed an SSD and extra RAM in it and it does great (I don't game on it though).

I can't get a cheap ssd that I just keep the OS on and maybe one game for a laptop.    To clone a typical laptop drive you need a fairly large SSD since there aren't multiple bays on laptops.   That means less than a hundred is now running you $250+.    It's also not possible to reuse a lot of the parts on a laptop when you decide to upgrade to a new computer.   You have to toss the whole thing out, where I can just buy the motherboard processor combo for a few hundred bucks for a desktop and I'm basically running a new ultra fast (for me) computer.

Even when I was a pilot and lived on the road I mostly didn't have a laptop.   I ended up inheriting an old one from someone, and it was great for email and porn.   Otherwise I just read books and newspapers, especially once I was at cruising altitude and the autopilot was on.    A paperback is much easier to manage in that environment.

[Wiggle]

Computers, especially desktops seem to last a very long time nowadays.  I built one over 4 years ago for under $800 that is still going strong (i5 2500k, 8GB).  Added an SSD and upgraded the video card to a Radeon 6950 in the last couple years and that's all I intend to do to it for a while.  It's still super quick, especially with the SSD and can play newer games: Skyrim (maxed out /w high def textures), Battlefield 4 (nearly maxed out) for example are no problem.  The very newest stuff might give it some trouble but honestly not really concerned.

To me, the one upgrade that is really worth your money is the SSD.  They are so affordable now and make enormous improvements to how the computer actually performs in day to day use.  I would definitely sacrifice in other areas to get at least a small or medium size SSD.

[Sid Hoffman]

Your heater's functionality is directly tied to the condition of your engine's cooling system. If you don't have much heat, you likely have air in your cooling system so you aren't seeing coolant circulate fully through your heater core. It's indicative of another problem brewing (unless you have bypassed your heater core entirely, in which case you would have no heat at all).

Your guess is correct: the heater core is bypassed entirely.  Book replacement time on my car is 7.5 hours, so the best quote I could find was $900 to do the job and even more than that at some shops.  I didn't even call the dealer.  I had the heater core bypassed instead.  The car leaks both coolant and oil, which makes for some sad puddles in the drip pan I keep under my car.  It hasn't quit running yet though.  :)

[neo von retorch]

I can't get a cheap ssd that I just keep the OS on and maybe one game for a laptop.    To clone a typical laptop drive you need a fairly large SSD since there aren't multiple bays on laptops.   That means less than a hundred is now running you $250+.

This has never been my experience. I've cloned 500GB laptop hard drives onto 40GB SSDs. As long as the OS + Programs was not taking up more space, it worked fine, whether using Samsung's software or Macrium Reflect Free. (And these days you can get a high quality 128GB SSD for $80.)

Of course, that is not to say that you may feel you need to keep more on your laptop that the users I've helped, in which case you need a larger SSD. Of course even 256GB SSDs (2.5" and mSata) have dropped below $100 lately. Personally if I were going to use a laptop as primary, I'd consider pairing an inexpensive external drive for data (if there are movies or other large files you want around) with the SSD OS option.

[Christof]

The car leaks both coolant and oil

Not the greatest substances to leak into the environment...

[bzzzt]

Your guess is correct: the heater core is bypassed entirely.  Book replacement time on my car is 7.5 hours, so the best quote I could find was $900 to do the job and even more than that at some shops.

Hell, I'd do it for $400. Book time on a '94 Escort was was 13.5 hrs, had it done in 5. Driving to Chicago would probably be the deal breaker though. ;)

DIY side gigs FTW.

[JLee]

For the record, I also hate laptops.   Desktops are way cheaper, I can make them myself, and they last considerably longer since it's much easier to just upgrade components.

Kinda - my sister picked up a brand new Windows 8.1 laptop for her son for Christmas this year for $149 on special.  Even when they aren't on special it is child's play to find brand new Windows laptops for $300 from major brands.  It's generally just as expensive or moreso to get a desktop PC, and almost always more expensive to build a budget PC yourself because if you want to do it legally, you need to pay full price for Windows instead of the $9 or so that the big brands pay for it.

Legally.....when was the last time I did that?    I think it was 1993 on a Packard Bell.

There's always linux.   You're also not considering the upgradability.   I can reuse my case, keyboard, monitor, power supply and various other devices when I decide to upgrade.   I can also do things like throw a SSD in when they drop down in price, or a new video card or stick of ram.   

My wife has been through two laptops in less than the time that I've had one desktop.   The heat and shock really seem to kill laptops.

You typically can upgrade SSDs and RAM in laptops as well.

For the record, I also hate laptops.   Desktops are way cheaper, I can make them myself, and they last considerably longer since it's much easier to just upgrade components.

Kinda - my sister picked up a brand new Windows 8.1 laptop for her son for Christmas this year for $149 on special.  Even when they aren't on special it is child's play to find brand new Windows laptops for $300 from major brands.  It's generally just as expensive or moreso to get a desktop PC, and almost always more expensive to build a budget PC yourself because if you want to do it legally, you need to pay full price for Windows instead of the $9 or so that the big brands pay for it.

You can get laptops for cheap, absolutely - but the price/performance ratio isn't there. If you're getting into something that will play even 5yr old games well, you won't be able to swing that for $300.

That said, I love my $350 laptop. I tossed an SSD and extra RAM in it and it does great (I don't game on it though).

I can't get a cheap ssd that I just keep the OS on and maybe one game for a laptop.    To clone a typical laptop drive you need a fairly large SSD since there aren't multiple bays on laptops.   That means less than a hundred is now running you $250+.    It's also not possible to reuse a lot of the parts on a laptop when you decide to upgrade to a new computer.   You have to toss the whole thing out, where I can just buy the motherboard processor combo for a few hundred bucks for a desktop and I'm basically running a new ultra fast (for me) computer.

Even when I was a pilot and lived on the road I mostly didn't have a laptop.   I ended up inheriting an old one from someone, and it was great for email and porn.   Otherwise I just read books and newspapers, especially once I was at cruising altitude and the autopilot was on.    A paperback is much easier to manage in that environment.

Why clone a drive? Do a fresh install and dump all the junk you don't need. My work laptop has a 120Gb SSD. My home laptop has a 120Gb SSD. They're both perfectly adequate. If you need more space, get a 128Gb USB3 drive.

[greaper007]

For the record, I also hate laptops.   Desktops are way cheaper, I can make them myself, and they last considerably longer since it's much easier to just upgrade components.

Kinda - my sister picked up a brand new Windows 8.1 laptop for her son for Christmas this year for $149 on special.  Even when they aren't on special it is child's play to find brand new Windows laptops for $300 from major brands.  It's generally just as expensive or moreso to get a desktop PC, and almost always more expensive to build a budget PC yourself because if you want to do it legally, you need to pay full price for Windows instead of the $9 or so that the big brands pay for it.

Legally.....when was the last time I did that?    I think it was 1993 on a Packard Bell.

There's always linux.   You're also not considering the upgradability.   I can reuse my case, keyboard, monitor, power supply and various other devices when I decide to upgrade.   I can also do things like throw a SSD in when they drop down in price, or a new video card or stick of ram.   

My wife has been through two laptops in less than the time that I've had one desktop.   The heat and shock really seem to kill laptops.

You typically can upgrade SSDs and RAM in laptops as well.

For the record, I also hate laptops.   Desktops are way cheaper, I can make them myself, and they last considerably longer since it's much easier to just upgrade components.

Kinda - my sister picked up a brand new Windows 8.1 laptop for her son for Christmas this year for $149 on special.  Even when they aren't on special it is child's play to find brand new Windows laptops for $300 from major brands.  It's generally just as expensive or moreso to get a desktop PC, and almost always more expensive to build a budget PC yourself because if you want to do it legally, you need to pay full price for Windows instead of the $9 or so that the big brands pay for it.

You can get laptops for cheap, absolutely - but the price/performance ratio isn't there. If you're getting into something that will play even 5yr old games well, you won't be able to swing that for $300.

That said, I love my $350 laptop. I tossed an SSD and extra RAM in it and it does great (I don't game on it though).

I can't get a cheap ssd that I just keep the OS on and maybe one game for a laptop.    To clone a typical laptop drive you need a fairly large SSD since there aren't multiple bays on laptops.   That means less than a hundred is now running you $250+.    It's also not possible to reuse a lot of the parts on a laptop when you decide to upgrade to a new computer.   You have to toss the whole thing out, where I can just buy the motherboard processor combo for a few hundred bucks for a desktop and I'm basically running a new ultra fast (for me) computer.

Even when I was a pilot and lived on the road I mostly didn't have a laptop.   I ended up inheriting an old one from someone, and it was great for email and porn.   Otherwise I just read books and newspapers, especially once I was at cruising altitude and the autopilot was on.    A paperback is much easier to manage in that environment.

Why clone a drive? Do a fresh install and dump all the junk you don't need. My work laptop has a 120Gb SSD. My home laptop has a 120Gb SSD. They're both perfectly adequate. If you need more space, get a 128Gb USB3 drive.

I'd love to do that, the problem is that new laptops ship without copies of windows now.    I'm trying to do an SSD swap on my wife's old toshiba, I did a wipe with the built in software and got rid of all the data.    I'm still at 300+ gb.    Windows should only be 40gb, but I can't figure out how to get just windows on the drive without a copy of the software.    Any  ideas?

[neo von retorch]

Recovery to factory settings leaves you with 300GB of usage?! What model laptop is this and what bundle of software does it include?

Also note that Some cloning software tries to include the page files. Samsung cloning specifically ignores this since Windows just regenerates it when you boot on the new drive. This page file is often "mid-drive" and prevents you from shrinking the partition. (But with Samsung cloning software, you don't need to shrink the partition before cloning, as long as the "necessary" disk usage doesn't exceed the SSD size.)