I write this post on the laptop I bought used in June 2018, a second-hand Dell Latitude E7440, ex-corporate leasing. The service tag at the bottom of the laptop indicates that it was shipped on 15 August 2015, so it's over ten years old. And unlike my previous laptop, a Samsung bought new in 2011 (which fried and died), this Dell is still working fine, albeit without a battery (I replaced the first one, but when that replacement battery died, I discovered they no longer made them). And the QWERTY stickers have been replaced twice (see below). Otherwise, works perfectly!
When I bought it, I was roundly mocked by fellow blogger Student SGH for not saving wisely. "I burst out laughing," he wrote, "that sounds like Panie, Wieśwagen od starego Niemca, tyle co do kościoła i z powrotem jeżdżony." Well, I'm the one laughing now, as I have a piece of kit that stood the test of time.
So if it's working OK, even as a stationery PC, why do I need a new one?
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Software. And hardware. The main reason for my purchase of a new used ex-corporate leasing Dell Precision 5750 is the latest release of Adobe Photoshop (version 27.0). Asking the old Latitude to run it was like expecting a horse to pull a 12-carriage passenger train. Whilst it could cope with simple tasks like opening a .jpg file and cropping it or altering colour balance, anything more challenging would cause the laptop to slow right down. Of course, six or seven years ago, it would rip through photo after photo at amazing speed. However, all the bells and whistles introduced by Adobe in the successive iterations of Photoshop that have been released since 2018 have slowed down my laptop to a crawl. The final straw came with the introduction of full-blown AI tools in the release before last. Asking my laptop to do AI-assisted noise-reduction would result in several minutes of 'thinking' followed by the application crashing.
So – old laptop (15" screen):
8 GB RAM, 113 MB graphics card, Intel Core i5-4300U CPU @ 1.9GHz
New laptop (17" screen):
32 GB RAM, 6 GB graphics card (what a difference!) Intel Core i9-10885H CPU @ 2.4GHz
Now, I've moved over to the new laptop so that I can actually use the new Photoshop. Below: to put it to the test, I took a photo this evening soon after sunset, to get a grainy photo on which to try the denoise tool. Here it is: wow! I wasn't expecting it to be anything like this smooth!
Interestingly, the new used laptop came from Norway rather than Germany like the old one did; in both cases, stickers were needed to adapt the keyboard to the QWERTY systems used in the UK and Poland. I ordered mine with Windows 11 in UK English. I paid 3,600zł rather than the 6,530zł for a new one on Allegro.
Over the past 18 years I have bought five computers for myself and family at Master s.j., Aleja K.E.N. 105/U6 in Ursynów, and am totally satisfied by the professionalism, helpful personal service and value for money that this small shop offers, far outclassing all the big-brand IT chains. Please support local suppliers wherever you can! These guys specialise in building bespoke PCs, refurbishing ex-leasing gear and repairing old computers.
This time two years ago:|
Kielce across the tracks
This time five years ago:
Chynów situation update
This time seven years ago:
Socialist-realist Tychy
This time nine years ago:
Face to face with the UK retailing scene
This time 12 years ago:
Bricktorian Birmingham
This time 13 years ago:
Łazienki's statues renovated
This time 17 years ago:
Last of the Rampa na kruszywa
This time 18 years ago:
Airport zoning halts Jeziorki development
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