16-17 inch laptop and traveling

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Finridge
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by Finridge »

cjking wrote: Mon May 15, 2023 3:50 am Someone mentioned up-thread the idea of having a portable monitor. I noticed when I googled LG Gram that there is such a thing as a 16" LG Gram portable monitor. So if you were sold on the idea of a 16" LG Gram laptop, note that you can get what I assume is the exact same screen separately, and presumably use it with any laptop.

https://www.lg.com/uk/laptops/lg-16mq70

If I've understood the technology correctly, a laptop with the right type of USB connection can support two external portable monitors of that resolution, daisy-chained together, so no need for a hub.
Yes, my LG Gram supports a large 4K second screen just fine. But this is using the HDMI port, not a USB port.
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watchnerd
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by watchnerd »

I'm digging my M2 Macbook Air in starlight for travel.
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GreenLawn
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by GreenLawn »

visualguy wrote: Fri May 12, 2023 11:19 pm
G-J-H wrote: Fri May 12, 2023 5:54 pm ++1 for LG gram 17" laptop. Traveled twice with it, both times great. Very light, and easy to travel with.
Yet another vote for the 17" LG gram. Wonderful large-screen notebook for travel. It is amazingly light for its size, but since the size is naturally large, it's not the best choice for cramped economy plane seats. If you don't use it much on the plane, or you travel in business class, then no issue. Otherwise, a notebook with a smaller screen might be better.
As mentioned, may be large for use on the plane, but otherwise a nice companion at home or on the road.
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stocknoob4111
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by stocknoob4111 »

Lots of choices in the 14" group though:

Andrew Marc David had a review out today on this model
:

https://youtu.be/Oje-z5ygI2s

$999 for OLED, H series chip is a great deal!!
SurferLife
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by SurferLife »

About 10 years ago I had a 17" macbook and I absolutely hated how wide it was. It was a dream to have when I was at my desk, but travelling with it was a major pain. The main problem I had was when I sat down and put it on my lap, I could not put one leg up and rest my ankle on my knee. That sounds weird when written, but essentially, crossing my legs would cause me to have to slide the laptop over more so it's not tilted and the center of mass for the laptop was now too much outside my leg such that I wasn't able to use it, support it, or even type on it. I found a person who had a 15" mackbook but wanted a 17" macbook, and we did a straight switch. I have never been happier with going with a smaller size.
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stocknoob4111
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by stocknoob4111 »

This looks pretty neat, AR glasses that can project multiple screens...

https://youtu.be/IkztgptX4wE
cheesepep
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by cheesepep »

I occasionally use the hotel safe. Most of them can barely fit my 15” MBP. A 15-17” would be a no go.
bombcar
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by bombcar »

I've had various MacBooks in my time, and I currently have a 16" - I prefer it even when on the go (which isn't that often).

The only real downside is using it on an airplane, but that's quite rare for me, otherwise I like the bigger screen.
Wwwdotcom
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by Wwwdotcom »

unclescrooge wrote: Wed May 10, 2023 3:39 pm I've used 13 and 14 inch Dell latitude for travel for years. They are great.
I prefer 14 inch screen but they are both great.
My thoughts as well. Refurb office surplus ones from dell are sold for $200 with coupons. I like all the ports they have compared to an XPS or surface pro.
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unclescrooge
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by unclescrooge »

Wwwdotcom wrote: Tue May 23, 2023 9:47 am
unclescrooge wrote: Wed May 10, 2023 3:39 pm I've used 13 and 14 inch Dell latitude for travel for years. They are great.
I prefer 14 inch screen but they are both great.
My thoughts as well. Refurb office surplus ones from dell are sold for $200 with coupons. I like all the ports they have compared to an XPS or surface pro.
Where can you buy one so cheap?
Wwwdotcom
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by Wwwdotcom »

unclescrooge wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 6:44 am
Wwwdotcom wrote: Tue May 23, 2023 9:47 am
unclescrooge wrote: Wed May 10, 2023 3:39 pm I've used 13 and 14 inch Dell latitude for travel for years. They are great.
I prefer 14 inch screen but they are both great.
My thoughts as well. Refurb office surplus ones from dell are sold for $200 with coupons. I like all the ports they have compared to an XPS or surface pro.
Where can you buy one so cheap?
dellrefurbished.com

make sure to use one of their coupons. today there is a 40% memorial day sale, but there is usually something every week.
a tip is to be very patient and check the site often to make sure you get the right specs on the ram etc.
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unclescrooge
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by unclescrooge »

Wwwdotcom wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 1:02 pm
unclescrooge wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 6:44 am
Wwwdotcom wrote: Tue May 23, 2023 9:47 am
unclescrooge wrote: Wed May 10, 2023 3:39 pm I've used 13 and 14 inch Dell latitude for travel for years. They are great.
I prefer 14 inch screen but they are both great.
My thoughts as well. Refurb office surplus ones from dell are sold for $200 with coupons. I like all the ports they have compared to an XPS or surface pro.
Where can you buy one so cheap?
dellrefurbished.com

make sure to use one of their coupons. today there is a 40% memorial day sale, but there is usually something every week.
a tip is to be very patient and check the site often to make sure you get the right specs on the ram etc.
These prices are insane!

Have you used them before? Any issues with delivery or product?
bombcar
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by bombcar »

unclescrooge wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 11:26 pm These prices are insane!

Have you used them before? Any issues with delivery or product?
"Copyright 2023 Dell Financial Services LLC"

They're off-lease equipment/returns, they'll be quite well taken care of and checked out. I've never bought from them but I'd have no hesitation to do so.
numerica
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by numerica »

We have two LG Grams (17” and 16” - thanks to Costco for the great discounts). Incredibly light with great screens to offer substantial real estate for our aging eyes. Both will fit the front compartment on our carry-on. We had the 17” first, but then switched to the 16” (a more comfortable fit on my backpack with its ~1/2” smaller width) to take on -and tote around- in our domestic and overseas travels.
harland
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by harland »

I think thermal throttling will be an issue if you plan on doing anything workload intensive on the LG Gram. I had a thin and light 'gaming' laptop (MSI Stealth) and it made sense to undervolt the CPU so that throtting wouldn't occur. This design also had a discrete GPU which shared the same heatpipes and made the problem somewhat worse. It's possible this would be the case with the Gram as well. If you want something that will handle heavy workloads, you need to look at the desktop replacement form factor like Alienware and Dell Precision (which I think you're already familiar with). These models have more robust cooling solutions that are capable of drawing max performance out of the hardware.

I recently traveled with my Dell Precision 7760 and it was fine. I don't use it on the plane and have a laptop bag that can loop over the carrying handle of my roller carry-on so lugging it around wasn't a hassle. I didn't have a problem with the size of the laptop bag even though I flew United which has some of the most stringent rules on size. I think as long as it fits underneath the seat in front of you, the flight attendants don't care.
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Wwwdotcom
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by Wwwdotcom »

unclescrooge wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 11:26 pm
Wwwdotcom wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 1:02 pm
unclescrooge wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 6:44 am
Wwwdotcom wrote: Tue May 23, 2023 9:47 am
unclescrooge wrote: Wed May 10, 2023 3:39 pm I've used 13 and 14 inch Dell latitude for travel for years. They are great.
I prefer 14 inch screen but they are both great.
My thoughts as well. Refurb office surplus ones from dell are sold for $200 with coupons. I like all the ports they have compared to an XPS or surface pro.
Where can you buy one so cheap?
dellrefurbished.com

make sure to use one of their coupons. today there is a 40% memorial day sale, but there is usually something every week.
a tip is to be very patient and check the site often to make sure you get the right specs on the ram etc.
These prices are insane!

Have you used them before? Any issues with delivery or product?
I haven't bought/used one yet. They are frequently discussed on slickdeals, and it seems like they are better than an average refurb because many of them never had a problem in the first place.
bighatnohorse
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by bighatnohorse »

By "travel" do you mean flying?
By road travel I use a 17" laptop - mostly for photography purposes.
For flying locally I use a 14" laptop solid state hard drive - has better battery life.
For international adventure travel I bring a tablet. If I were to stay at a hotel or home for a period of time I might bring the 14 inch.
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stocknoob4111
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by stocknoob4111 »

harland wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 7:40 am I think thermal throttling will be an issue if you plan on doing anything workload intensive on the LG Gram. I had a thin and light 'gaming' laptop (MSI Stealth) and it made sense to undervolt the CPU so that throtting wouldn't occur. This design also had a discrete GPU which shared the same heatpipes and made the problem somewhat worse.
This is what i've read as well with the LG Gram laptops, the cooling is insufficient. This is supposedly a problem with all Intel based laptop which is why I am starting to look at AMD Ryzen based units which have substantially superior thermal efficiency at the same performance level.

The Zen 4 based chip 7840U with 780M integrated graphics seems to be a great choice and the new Acer Swift Edge OLED is coming out with this processor in July so looking at that as an option. BTW, the claims from AMD are that the 7840U chip is faster than even the Apple M2, we'll see the actual benchmarks when it comes out.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/3/23709 ... op-cpu-apu

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/a ... -geekbench

Acer Swift Edge OLED 16" at 2.71 pounds weight, price is $1299 for 16GB variant.

https://www.pcworld.com/article/1930174 ... eaper.html
jetstream
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by jetstream »

I have an LG Gram 17". Two problems came up with the keyboard.

The "q" key appears to be broken. It will not type a "q" or "Q" when I press it. When I open a new tab, it sometimes automatically types a "q" repeatedly and endlessly. It stops when I press "Esc".

For a while, when I press "c", it would type "cq". Now that seems to have stopped.

The other problem is that the 4 on the numeric keypad does not type anything.

Strange that both these issues came up at the same time. I don't remember doing anything unusual with the computer.

I tried prying up the Q and 4 keys and don't see anything wrong there. They still do not work.

At the moment I am using a separate (external) keyboard (Logitech). This is working fine, but when I travel, I don't take a separate keyboard.

Is there anything I can do to fix it?

The laptop is 2-3 years old. Is it time to get a new one?
Second Round
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by Second Round »

jetstream wrote: Mon Jul 03, 2023 11:30 am I have an LG Gram 17". Two problems came up with the keyboard.

...

Is there anything I can do to fix it?

The laptop is 2-3 years old. Is it time to get a new one?
I don't know how to fix janky laptop keyboards. Perhaps a targeted web search will give you some ideas. All I immediately see is info on how to change the setting in the OS for repeating a key. But since you seem to have issues with specific keys, and not always related to repeating, I don't think that's your issue.

If the laptop is no longer under warranty, I would either data wipe it and sell it / give it away* (with full disclosure of course), or I'd raid it for parts if you think you could make use of anything in there (and give away the rest). I have an old 17" laptop also, with a not-so-great original battery. But it as a 1 TB HDD in there and that's worth something to me (I do have an interface for it). Some people will pair the display with a display controller they buy separately and voila, they'll have a new (and awkward) monitor.

* I once found a home for a 3 yr old failing Unicomp keyboard. Local CS teacher was going to see if his students could fix it up. It's amazing what people will take (and that you can keep out of landfills) if you just offer it up for free. Someone out there will want to have a go at it.

Added: As for getting a new one, I'd consider getting a smaller machine unless this is one you don't travel with much. 17" laptops are just a bit large and heavy to be regular travel companions.
jetstream
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by jetstream »

I understand that it may have an extended warranty because I purchased it at Costco with a Costco Visa. I am trying to find the old statement to determine when I bought it. Does anybody have any experience with the Citi Costco Visa warranty? How do I claim it?

I have seen some videos about changing the keyboard. I could do that myself, but I am not excited about it. I may call a local repair shop and see if they can do it.

The size does not bother me much when I travel. The benefits outweigh the disadvantages right now.
tibbitts
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by tibbitts »

jetstream wrote: Mon Jul 03, 2023 11:30 am I have an LG Gram 17". Two problems came up with the keyboard.

The "q" key appears to be broken. It will not type a "q" or "Q" when I press it. When I open a new tab, it sometimes automatically types a "q" repeatedly and endlessly. It stops when I press "Esc".

For a while, when I press "c", it would type "cq". Now that seems to have stopped.

The other problem is that the 4 on the numeric keypad does not type anything.

Strange that both these issues came up at the same time. I don't remember doing anything unusual with the computer.

I tried prying up the Q and 4 keys and don't see anything wrong there. They still do not work.

At the moment I am using a separate (external) keyboard (Logitech). This is working fine, but when I travel, I don't take a separate keyboard.

Is there anything I can do to fix it?

The laptop is 2-3 years old. Is it time to get a new one?
I don't have experience with LG but have a fair amount of experience with replacing Toshiba (whoever they're called today) and Dell laptop keyboards. Some of them are trivial but the newer Dells are basically the last part in completely disassembling the computer. Older ones were one of the first and easiest parts to remove and replace. The most recent one that failed was under warranty and a tech came to replace it. To make a long story short, it was an experienced tech and he took care with it, but still broke the main board. And before somebody complains that it wasn't a business-class laptop, it was. These newer laptops seem to be more dense and more fragile when they're being disassembled. Once you replace something that requires opening the case (and replacing keyboards or drives, or adding memory, didn't used to), the computer isn't going to be the same. Especially if you don't have a lot of experience with that particular model, you're fairly likely to break at least some of the snap-together connectors, and unless you get just the right amount of the right kind of Locktite on every thread you'll constantly be chasing them when they back out. Another time I replaced a different Dell keyboard I went through two iterations with Dell parts and despite having the service tag they sent me an incompatible part both times, so a lot of frustration and time wasted.

So if it was me I'd either keep it for external keyboard use or recycle it.
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White Coat Investor
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Re: 16-17 inch laptop and traveling

Post by White Coat Investor »

stocknoob4111 wrote: Wed May 10, 2023 2:14 pm Anyone here use a 16+ inch laptop and travel with it frequently? Do you regret it or do you enjoy the bigger screen. What model did you buy?

I currently have an old Surface Pro 4 (12.3"), absolutely love it's diminutive nature but at almost 7 years old it's showing it's age (slow dual core) and looking to replace it. Still torn whether I should go with a 14" or a 16-17" one. I plan to full time travel in the future and having the larger screen as my only machine may be something I appreciate more.
I regretted it so I bought a 13 incher. Haven't gone back over 4 or 5 laptops.

While you might appreciate a larger screen more, I can guarantee you would enjoy having a smaller, lighter machine too!
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