Should I get a new laptop before Windows 10 hits?

[benjer3]

So here's my situation: My only computer is a Toshiba Satellite that's two and a half years old. It's still trucking along pretty well, at least on Windows 10, but it hasn't been performing too well as of late and I might need a new computer by the end of the year. (The Windows 7 install on it is also close to dead with frequent BSODs, but I'll probably just keep my Windows 10 install and erase the Windows 7 partition after RTM.)

I'm trying to get into developing, so it was great news that all insider previews of Windows 10 will become legitimate copies. That gives me a free version of pro edition, which means I can run Visual Studio emulators without having to pay for the upgrade. However, it would stink to have my computer die on me soon after RTM and lose that.

What I'm wondering is if it would be best to get a new laptop before RTM that I can install the preview on and still have a free pro version. Would there be any way to transfer the pro edition on my current laptop to a new laptop? Is there a chance that laptops released with Windows 10 will run it significantly better than those before it, or have newly introduced features that complement the new OS? Is it possible that Visual Studio emulators will be able to run on Windows 10 Home Edition?

Thanks in advance.

 

[EssThree]

I personally don't think so. I imagine there will be price cuts on PCs preloaded with Windows 8.1 after Win10 comes out, and I imagine a few OEMs are holding back new hardware until after it comes out as well.

 

[xandros9]

I wouldnt time my laptop because of Windows 10 (I'm going to get a laptop anyway in a month or two regardless of 10 being out or not)

What I would keep any eye on is Intel's new releases. (see: Skylake) which you may want to wait for depending.

 

[Jas00555]

I wouldnt time my laptop because of Windows 10 (I'm going to get a laptop anyway in a month or two regardless of 10 being out or not)

What I would keep any eye on is Intel's new releases. (see: Skylake) which you may want to wait for depending.

I disagree on not waiting on Windows 10. If the OP is interested in stuff like the Hello features that can do biometric stuff, it would be worthwhile to wait.

I do agree that waiting on Skylake would be a good option though. By then, Windows 10 will already be out anyways.

 

[benjer3]

Yeah, I didn't say it well, but new hardware coming out around when Windows 10 did was something I was wondering about. So Skylake is something to consider.

Essentially what I'm trying to decide between is cost and new technologies. I'm rather limited financially, so if I'm to wait, the coming hardware needs to be worth the cost.

Things like biometrics I probably wouldn't really use. I'm very much about practicality, so what I'm looking for is things that I would regret missing out on for a couple years, both as a moderate power user and an aspiring developer.

I've done some more research now, and it seems there are two main things that potentially fall under that category:

• Skylake - Do you know how noticeable of an improvement should I expect with day-to-day use, moderate-heavy gaming, and hardware virtualization? It looks like information is limited right now, but it seems that there's potential for significant improvement.
• USB Type-C - How likely am I to regret not having the new port on my only computer in the next two years?

The other things I found are biometrics sensors, wireless charging, WiGig, and OLED displays. I probably won't make use of these, and the new displays isn't really something I care about. Plus all of these would add unnecessary costs that I would probably avoid if I bought a computer post-Windows 10, anyway.

Anything else I should know about?

Thanks for the replies.

 

[DavidinCT]

So here's my situation: My only computer is a Toshiba Satellite that's two and a half years old. It's still trucking along pretty well, at least on Windows 10, but it hasn't been performing too well as of late and I might need a new computer by the end of the year. (The Windows 7 install on it is also close to dead with frequent BSODs, but I'll probably just keep my Windows 10 install and erase the Windows 7 partition after RTM.)

I'm trying to get into developing, so it was great news that all insider previews of Windows 10 will become legitimate copies. That gives me a free version of pro edition, which means I can run Visual Studio emulators without having to pay for the upgrade. However, it would stink to have my computer die on me soon after RTM and lose that.

What I'm wondering is if it would be best to get a new laptop before RTM that I can install the preview on and still have a free pro version. Would there be any way to transfer the pro edition on my current laptop to a new laptop? Is there a chance that laptops released with Windows 10 will run it significantly better than those before it, or have newly introduced features that complement the new OS? Is it possible that Visual Studio emulators will be able to run on Windows 10 Home Edition?

Thanks in advance.

If your computer is slowing down a little, and your still using a OEM physical hard drive in it. Upgrade it to a SSD, even a 2 year old SSD will make a world of difference in performance on a older laptop.

I even had a spare HP netbook that runs WIndows 7 starter, so slow it was almost unusable. I put in a 60gb used SSD that I got for $23 on ebay, and it is VERY usable now, and peppy enough to use for office and other small apps. For this SLOW netbook, it boots up on about 3-4 seconds, that impressive.

Unless you NEED a new machine now, I would hold out till 10 devices hit, as better deals, faster for less money will come down the pipe right after release.

 

[Joshwin]

is it likely that next gen ultrabooks/laptops of current models(spectre x360/xps 13) will get skylake too? I have an eye on spectre x360. So I wonder whether it will come with skylake later this year.thanks

 

[ven07]

I even had a spare HP netbook that runs WIndows 7 starter, so slow it was almost unusable. I put in a 60gb used SSD that I got for $23 on ebay, and it is VERY usable now, and peppy enough to use for office and other small apps. For this SLOW netbook, it boots up on about 3-4 seconds, that impressive

Been looking at this option, but for some reason I only thought about getting a brand new ssd instead of used :/

 

[DavidinCT]

Been looking at this option, but for some reason I only thought about getting a brand new ssd instead of used :/

I was also going that route too but, I didn't want to spend ANY money on that old school, slow *** Netbook. It was cheap and I was thinking, why not ?

 

[ven07]

I was also going that route too but, I didn't want to spend ANY money on that old school, slow *** Netbook. It was cheap and I was thinking, why not ?

My laptop isn't slow, but it's around that 5 year mark and I know that it will happen at some point lol

 

[David Feifer]

To the op it is a little hard to dictate what you would need without the specs. As someone else had said an sad would double your performance on that system. 2.5 years is actually fairly young in our business and not even out of warranty. We usually get three year extended warranties.

Generally from what I have seen 98% of blue screens are attributed to bad drivers. Windows 10 SHOULD fix that since it copies over settings and files but kills the rest. For the past few years we have been purchasing i7's with 8 gigs of ram. If you have at least that I would just upgrade the current system.

 

[DavidinCT]

My laptop isn't slow, but it's around that 5 year mark and I know that it will happen at some point lol

Trust me, an SSD makes a world of a difference, Just in boot times, it can take a computer than takes 10-12 seconds to boot down to 3-4 seconds.....It really is impressive. And day to day stuff, from web browsing to Office applications, things load worlds faster than on a old 5400rpm drive...

It's one of those cheap fixes to get a computer running to the point it's worthy to hold onto for a little longer...

 

[benjer3]

Is that worth the $350 or so, though? That's half the amount I spent on the computer, and probably more than its current value (I know little about tech prices). At any rate, though, with the way MS is going to do the insider previews, my original question is irrelevant. I'll keep going on this computer at least for a bit.