Samsung series 7 chronos. £650ish on amazon, can either have it with decent graphics* or decent CPU**, not both.
*ish
**Ivy Bridge ones seem to only have Intel HD graphics.
I'm saddened to hear that Apple make laptops with screens that are shite for films and gaming. No, really I am.
16:10 is better for gaming.
In fact 16:10 is just better. It is a closer fit to my (and most other humans') field of vision. Films tend to be wider than either so you get letterboxing either way.
But yeah, I don't see it as a big deal. 16:9 is only marginally inferior, you'll get used to it.
I /am/ used to it. I don't really care. Especially since I watch a lot of films in non-current standard formats (e.g. 1930s-1950s)
It bothers me a bit. 16:10 is just /nicer/ (better approximation of the golden ratio) and it's frustrating that these things are being dictated by the entertainment industry when most of us spend most of our time on our computers doing things other than consuming TV/films. Man, that was a badly written sentence.
But yeah, I managed with 4:3 for years and either is better than that so it's no big deal.
Because you seem to think the old ones are better?
Sorry, but 1366x768 is a 16:9 resolution :-(
As I say, I don't mind 16:9 being the common and cheaper aspect ratio. My big irritation is that 16:10 is literally not available at all - even on so-called premium laptops. Her old laptop has a decent 1400x900 screen res and it wasn't a premium model.
My guess is that 16:9 obviously became cheaper to make - what with the entertainment industry and everything, and as it became more popular, 16:10 screens became more expensive. As the margins are better with 16:9 screens, the manufacturers obviously thought that if they shifted EVERYTHING to 16:9, we'd have to buy them, and they'd make more profit as a result. The exception is Apple, as they can charge what they like and still sell things - plus the excellent screens are one of the MacBook's unique features these days.
Dan: Old laptop *screens* are better, but with an older CPU, slower memory, ageing battery and all the rest of it, the laptop is in need of replacement. I want a *new* laptop but with a good screen. Unfortunately, that's not possible unless I buy an Apple laptop. I don't really want to buy a laptop and know that it's deliberately got a sub-standard screen, just to help that manufacturer's profits.
Well, I'm not being sarcastic. I mean buy an old model new (i.e., not used) or maybe refurb, or in 'like new' condition, if you can find one. Sure the latest cpu and faster memory are nice, but maybe not all they're cracked up to be, or really needed by your wife for her computing purposes. And you can usually get a replacement battery.