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Technology and Internet Emerging and current tech related issues. Internet, DRM, IP, and other technology related discussions. |
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Buy new laptops, or update the old ones?
Son starting Cal Poly, Sciences, in a few weeks. Daughter is a Health Sciences major, 3rd year.
Both are using 6 yr old Dell Inspiron 5520's, updated to Win10 Home 64-bit, Intel i7 2.2GHz, 8G of RAM, and a 1T HDD that's 90% free space. 6 yr old laptop scares me. I barely get 5 yrs out of mine but mine see's far more use. Tech-smart neighbor says keep them, but swap HDD for SSD. What say you? If I swap discs, do I need a 1T SSD? Or can I half that since there's so much free space? Thanks in advance for any insights offered. |
#3
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Depends, If you really can't afford to buy new, you can upgrade with a new SSD,. You will get more storage and faster start up and loading of programs. But you still have old slow ram and cpu. But Your kids can get by on that. But if you can just buy new, you get everything faster and more capable. Not to mention much better battery life and smaller and or lighter to pack around. Plus it would be fresh and new,. How long before something dies on the old ones at a critical time, right before an exam or project is due. If you can afford new I would do that, if things are tight upgrade what you can until they can be replaced.
Just my opinion. Sent from my Z982 using Tapatalk
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#5
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I've got a ten year old Gateway with 8GB ram and 3.06 processor that had a facelift with an SSD five years ago, which prompted me not to buy a new laptop till last November. The Gateway still runs decently, but I did have to clean up the internals couple of times for better air flow. It is not as fast as my new one, but chugs along just fine, the main limiting factor is the internal wifi card, but you can always get a USB wifi card to speed things up. So unless your son needs to crunch a lot of numbers or heavy graphics, the old laptop would probably suffice.
To add: 500GB ssd would be plenty with an external large HDD for back up and storage.
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Last edited by C.G.; 07-31-2018 at 11:19 PM.. Reason: adding |
#6
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If you're going to buy used, check out Dell's refurb site. They recondition and sell off-lease business machines, you can get some great deals on lightly used machines that often look brand new.
http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineS...77&lid=4677451 |
#7
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HP15 platform. Dell Latitude E6430/E6440. The Lenovo T440p, is the best built, easiest to upgrade, and most usable, laptop ever built by anyone. If buying used, stay away from everything else, unless you really know what you're doing, or you're wanting a gaming machine (MSI/Alienware/Asus ROG/Razor/Acer Predator). Two sticks (16gb) of higher voltage, 2x8gb DDR3 PC3 12800 SODIMM's (ThinkPads, Dell Latitude) and lower voltage, 2x8gb DDR3 PC3L 12800s (HP15 platform) will run you $60-$80. A 512gb SSD can be had for $100, or less. The HP15 platform is reliable, fairly, easy to upgrade, and budget priced, between $200-$650 on Ebay, depending on what you want. Outstanding platform. If looking for an HP15, make SURE it is an i5, i7, or AMD A8 or better, with R5 graphics, at least a 3rdGen for Intel CPU's. Dump Win10, in lieu of Win8.1 with "Classic Shell", for the above mentioned computers. No driver issues, and updates/telemetry are under YOUR control. Win8.1 is also easier on SSD's than Win10. Unless you're buying a gaming laptop, I do not recommend ANY other brands for good computing. The rest, you are just asking for trouble, if you don't know, or aren't sure of what you're doing. Last edited by Dragunov; 08-01-2018 at 11:05 AM.. |
#8
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If you're REALLY on a tight budget, and only need very basic computing, the HP15, with an "N" class processor, and 8gb/RAM, and a 500gb/7200rpm mechanical drive, is an "ok" choice. At least it's reliable, and they have excellent touchscreens. Don't pay more than $200+tax for it though. In ANY case, stay AWAY from Celeron processors. A fair "budget" model, HP15, would be model # f024wm. My wife had one, we still have it. A little on the slow side, but very dependable, and an excellent touchscreen, with Win8.1. You'll want at least a 3rdGen i7 processor, absolutely NO less than a 256gb SSD (512gb< recommended), and NO LESS than 8gb/RAM (12< recommended, 16gb is very good). Get on Ebay, there are good computers there, for only a few dollars more than the crap on that link, in some cases, LESS $$$. Good Rule of Thumb: NEVER Celeron. You'd be better off, with a Core2Duo-Quad core! NEVER slower than 2.1ghz. NEVER less than 8gb/RAM. NEVER less than a 500gb/7200rpm mechanical drive, and NEVER more than $180, unless it has a touchscreen, and you like touchscreens (I do not, but my Mrs. does). The ONLY lesser computers I would consider? A minimum setup for a child in primary, or middle school: MINIMUM, ThinkPad T400/T500 8gb/ DDR3 1333 ram (You can actually "get by" with 6gb/RAM in the Win7Pro, or Win7 Home Premium, T400/T500). 500gb/7200rpm mechanical drive, or a 256gb SSD. The T9400 (Penryn) Core2Duo processor, at 2.53ghz. Win7Pro. Apache Open Office, or MSOffice 2007/2010/2013. Foxit PDF reader. Firefox Portble web browser. AVAST! Free Antivirus. A 32gb Flashdrive, to back up school work. If you don't mind them having a few games: Freespace 2 System Shock2 Halo. Half-Life2, and similar games run fine on the GMA-HD4500, on-board graphics array, AND Win7. It has a decent Wi-Fi capability, and you can drop it on the floor, and it will still be usable, provided you have the acceleration detection driver installed (Download from Lenovo), and it's built properly. Oh, YES.. AOMEI one-key recovery (FREE!!!) works very well with Win7/T400/T500, in case the kid (or YOU) screws up the O/S. F11 at boot up, will restore it to working order, in about 15 minutes! Last edited by Dragunov; 08-01-2018 at 11:11 AM.. |
#9
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For kids in college, they don't need the latest and greatest. Whatever choice you make, my 2 cents is to keep it as low cost as possible. College work requires the use of Office products and the internet. Most specialized software required for coursework will be available on campus computers.
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#12
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Depends on what they're doing with the laptops. If it's just typical computer programs, you don't need the latest and greatest, however, I recommend backing up all data that cannot afford to be lost. At worst, you can get new laptops if they fail and restore the data. If you wish to be safe, laptops are very affordable these days and there are always deals to be had. A new laptop would give some peace of mind and no interruptions of their school work.
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#13
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#15
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I'd recommend buying new ones. If they were like on the cusp of 3-4 I'd say keep them, but considering that they're about 5-6 years old, the newer bus speed and tech will make the experience faster. If they're only using it for surfing and word, then don't get anything extravagant, you can find deals ranging from the 400-700 range. And I agree with some on here, don't buy a refurb, just get it new.
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#16
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For example, lets take the following systems: A Lenovo Thinkpad T440p Win8.1Pro, 4thGen Quad core i7 (2.4ghz, Haswell), 16gb/RAM, 256gb SSD, 1tb/7200rpm HDD, HD4600 video (4 yrs old). Dell Latitude E6430 Win10Pro, 3rdGen Quad core i7 (3ghz, Ivy Bridge), 16gb/RAM, 256gb SSD, 500gb/7200RPM HDD, nVidia NVS5200m/HD4000 Graphics (5/6yrs old). HP15 "Green Machine" Gaming. Win8.1Pro, 6thGen Quad core i7 (2.8ghz, Skylake) 16gb/RAM, 960gb SSD, 1tb/7200rpm HDD, nVidia GTX 950/HD530 graphics (just under 2yrs old). For general computing, very little difference in how they perform. Yes, they "Geek Bench" differently. however, in the real world, to the average user, with the way they're set up, any of them would be GTG. The only difference would be to a "Gamer". In this case, the HP is the better, followed by the Lenovo, then, the Dell. I own these three machines. They all have the same things on them, except for games. I can pick up the Dell, and use it just as well as the Lenovo, or HP. For using MSOffice, there is LITTLE difference in the speed that Excel, etc, opens up and runs, between the three of them. No difference in running videos, Little difference in boot up/shut down speed (although, the Lenovo DOES boot/shut down a little faster than the other two), and no difference in surfing the web. I had a $4000 MSI Gamer i7 7thGen (3.5ghz Kaybe Lake) 32gb/RAM for a few months, and IT was no faster at "General" computing. However, due to the NVMe drive, boot time was around 4 seconds! Gaming was flawless (1070 nVidia). However, we're talking the difference between a $4000 MSI, a $1500 HP, a $500 Lenovo, and a $300 Dell. You want to spend $4000 for a speedy gamer? Go for it. I do it. Want a good, solid performing computer that will play SOME games? Get a bare bones Dell, or Lenovo with nVidia graphics, buy ram, get a SSD, set it up properly. A 12yr old child can do this. I'm an idiot, and I do it all the time. $300-$500 total, and you'll have a good machine that will last you for years. Last edited by Dragunov; 09-09-2018 at 12:57 AM.. |
#17
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You could actually get an old Thinkpad T400 (8/9yrs old), put 8gb/RAM in it, and a 256gb SSD in it, and most of you would be very impressed with it. I have one of these too. I actually like it very much.
$40 for computer, $50 for SSD, $35 for two, 4gb sticks of PC3-1333 DDR3 ram, and Win7Pro, Win8.1, or Win10 (Win8.1Pro, recommended, Win10 is hard on SSD's). Takes about 1 1/2 hours to put together, get up and running. Not as fast as the computers in my previous post for sure, but fast enough even for an impatient person to enjoy. $125, and just a little time. Last edited by Dragunov; 08-25-2018 at 8:32 PM.. |
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Last edited by the86d; 08-13-2018 at 10:41 AM.. |
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#21
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Note that Microsoft 365 is given to students at a discounted rate as with Amazon prime. Books are way cheaper and you can rent books directly from Amazon.
I really didn't use my laptop to it's fullest extent. I also hated the Windows 8/10 platform on my Lenovo Yoga 11. Really, I used MS Office and the occasional media stuff for video entertainment and streaming coursework. This is with both traditional brick and mortar classes and online video streaming classes. You don't need much for school stuff unless you're in a graphic based type major. |
#22
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The only issue most people had with Win8.1, was the metro interface.... Which you can bypass, and even better, install Classic Shell. Makes it work like Win7, better behaved than Win7 start menu, takes up less ram, far more customizable. You get all the good things from Win7Pro, and all the speed, control, and SSD friendliness, from Win8.1. Don't get me wrong, Windows 8 SUX!! But Win8.1, is a real gem if you work with it. I WISH people wouldn't have complained about it so much. It's actually, the fastest, stablest, and most well behaved Windows that Microstiff ever made. The only time I had trouble with it, is on the Dell, E6430. It doesn't play well with Win8.1 WiFi drivers. However, barring that, it's far more driver friendly than Win10, OR Win7. It's a better gaming platform than either, IF you like 2-3yr old games. BUT I've played newer games on a Win8.1 system, and they worked fine. I can play The Sims2, Dink Smallwood, or Notrium, as well as the newest titles on my Win8.1 Gamer. ALL run flawlessly. I can run the original Freespace (16yrs old). Last edited by Dragunov; 08-13-2018 at 5:38 PM.. |
#23
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Want to see a good performance boost in your T400? Try Win8.1Pro. It really is faster.
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#24
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thoughts on surface pro?
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#25
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@freonr22
For anyone but a very responsible adult? No. They're fragile, overpriced, not repairable at a reasonable cost. Most are "throw away" computers. Unfortunately, you spend a LOT of money for them. Some can be upgraded, but most have the memory, AND CPU soldered on-board. No upgrade route for CPU/Mem. Unless you have a VERY specific use for one, Leave it. I thought about buying one a few years ago, I tried to justify it, but I couldn't. The ONLY "advantage", is you can use it as a tablet. Something I have no interest in doing. Pro's: Small size/portability. Tablet mode. Con's: Expensive, even used ones. Fragile. No upgrade route. Most can't be repaired if broken. poor quality batteries. Niche computer, If you REALLY need the portability/Tablet mode, go for it. If you don't NEED those, stay away! You can get stuck with a 4gb/RAM-64gb/ SSD machine quite easily, if you don't watch what you're doing..... NOT good! Before anyone asks: MacBooks are overpriced, underpowered, glued together, proprietary junk. If I had to choose between a MacBook, and a surface pro? I'd take the surface pro every time! Last edited by Dragunov; 08-14-2018 at 5:37 AM.. |
#26
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100% correct. I had a Surface Pro 3 and it worked great, but as Dragunov explained, it can't be repaired because it's glued together and trying to open it up will more likely cause more damage. If you like the form factor, I suggest you take a look at the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 tablet. Same form factor, a bit sturdier and can be opened up for repairs or upgrades. It's just a touch heavier than the Surface Pro, but still quite portable.
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#27
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I consider utility, to be more important than functionality, and brand. A laptop, no matter WHAT bells and whistles are on/in it, that can't be upgraded, replaced, or is easily broken, and expensive to repair, is like a firearm.... If you have one, you'd better have a backup for it, otherwise, you have none.
A carefully chosen laptop, used OR new, needs to do what you want it to do. If it doesn't, at least make sure you can upgrade it to do so. I've found it's sometimes even CHEAPER to choose a lesser (in function, not quality) computer, and upgrade it to the capabilities you need, than to buy a new one that isn't much better. A good example: I purchased a "bare bones", HP15 "Green Machine" Gamer for $400. Added a 960gb/SSD ($160), 16gb/RAM ($45) (now 32gb), and added a 1tb/7200rpm mechanical drive in the optical bay ($45). It came with nVidia GTX 950 graphics, 8gb/RAM, 5400rpm, 1tb HDD, and a 6thGen "Skylake" quad-core i7. As I don't NEED the GTX 1050<, this computer is a GREAT start for gaming, and just about anything else! For a grand total of $650, and it's near the specs of a higher end, HP "Omen", $1000 LESS than the "Omen", with better cooling, and reliability. ALL from Ebay. No, the CPU is not upgradeable, but with a 6thGen i7-6700 CPU (virtually, the same capabilities as the 7thGen Kaybe Lake CPU), I won't need to. I've seen this SAME computer with 8gb/RAM, and a single, 1tb, 5400rpm HDD going for over $1500 on-line! A four year old Lenovo, Dell (certain models), and an HP15 with decent graphics (nVidia/AMD), and CPU (i5-i7) that can "grow with you", is a superior product to the latest and greatest for most peoples use. Just a note: I buy only i7, because a used i7 computer, is GENERALLY only $20-$30 more than the i5 computer, give, or take. However, there's NOTHING wrong, with an i5, or i3 (3rdGen, or better) for that matter, if you have no other choice. I recently had an older Dell 3rdGen i3. Upgraded to 8gb/Ram, and a 500gb/7200rpm HDD, that runs fantastic! I "paid" $25 for it. New keyboard ($12), 500gbHDD ($20), and another 4gb/RAM to total 8gb ($20), new battery and charger for around $30, and about 1hr labor, and it ran fantastic. A friend of mine, purchased it for $150 from me with a warranty. I could've EASILY gotten another $75 for it locally, and sold a GREAT little computer, and doubled my money! BTW, most 2ndGen laptops and better, CAN be upgraded to 16gb/RAM . ************************************************** ********* Moore's Law is dead, and has been for some time. That's why you see the prices of older, used laptops going up in price. Your computer is no longer obsolete every 18 months. For 80% of computer users out there, a 5/6 year old computer will suit their purposes as well as a new one. With the advent of reasonably prices SSD's, and the ability to run 8gb/RAM or more, most computers that are less than 8 years old, are still QUITE usable, and worth a purchase IF it will suit your needs. MOST of the computers from this time period are upgradable to an SSD, and 8< ram. Unless you're a "gamer", do high end graphics, have a need for more than 5/6 Excel sheets open at once, and more than 20 web pages opened at one time, even an old Lenovo T61 with the proper upgrades would work for you. Not the fastest thing on the planet, but we're talking about a computer that is at LEAST 12 years old, and was around $3k new. The best value for a laptop right now, in my opinion, is a 3rdGen i7 powered, Lenovo T430s, with nVidia NVS5200m Graphics, Windows 7-10, or a Dell E6430 with the same configuration. These are the best "Bang for your Buck". Why? Even good ones can be purchased for a song off Ebay. The Lenovo "S" model has a soldered CPU, but you can STILL add up to 16gb/RAM, and an SSD. That's why I said to get one with an i7 to begin with. Even the Dell E6430 CPU can be upgraded, if you feel the need. I put the following together for my Daughter, stationed in Germany, and sent it to her: Lenovo T430s/i7 Quad Core/16gb of Ram/256gb SSD/nVidia graphics/Win10Pro. Not only did it survived being jostled, and banged around on it's UPS journey to Germany, She relies on it for work, AND entertainment, as she hasn't had to buy a T.V. or gaming console. It suits all her needs, and still functions perfectly! I'm in the business of purchasing, and refurbishing laptops. Because I choose carefully what I buy to build, I, proudly have NEVER had one come back to be replaced, since "officially" going in to business in 2005. I stick with Lenovo, certain Dell's, HP15, and Alienware, or MSI for "Gamers" (currently evaluating a few other higher end gamers for quality/usability/utility). Proof is in the pudding. Choose carefully, learn to do upgrade basics, choose the best O/S and software for that system, and you'll SELDOM be disappointed! Last edited by Dragunov; 09-09-2018 at 12:51 AM.. |
#28
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Hey Dragunov, I received and installed the two 8GB sticks on both laptops and they're running like a champ. Will probably add SSDs when the kids are back home over Xmas break.
Thanks for all your help, very much appreciated. If you have a website or online list of the refurbished laptops you sell pls post up or PM it to me. Thanks again for all your help!! Last edited by RBShooter; 08-15-2018 at 6:49 AM.. |
#29
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Glad you're computers are running well. I PM'ed you. You will NEED to contact me BEFORE you install a SSD, there are things in the BIOS you may have to do before installing it, depending on the computer you're installing it to. I'll send you my phone number in a PM when you get ready to do this, as I might need to talk you through it. In the meantime, you'll need to get an inexpensive, external HDD. a 1tb would work, but a 3tb would be much better. This will be a NECESSITY!!!, and I'll send you a list of free software, that will be a huge help to you, in your upgrade endeavors. This is ALSO a necessity! You're very welcome! Good luck! Last edited by Dragunov; 08-15-2018 at 11:48 AM.. |
#30
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it makes zero sense to upgrade a 6 year old laptop.
fwiw, the only time i would recommend upgrading from a hdd to an ssd is when the laptop is less than 2 years old. 6 equals an old system, taxed components and failing and low battery life. a college student is looking for one primary thing with a laptop, battery life. the dell does not offer that. get them two lte microsoft surface pros or ipad pros unless theyre using software which is not supported by ios. get them wireless internet from att or verizon and the unlimited data plan. that is going to be the best bet for a college kid, especially one as sharp as a cal poly science student. Last edited by NYT; 08-15-2018 at 11:37 AM.. |
#31
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A good laptop will last 20 years. I know, I have a few that old. A 6 year old laptop will work just fine, if properly maintained. More efficient, replacement batteries can be had rather cheaply. Computer parts are cheap, and easy to replace. Electronic components, if cared for, will last 100 years (no moving parts), if they're not defective, or abused. You're entitled to your opinion, of course. Last edited by Dragunov; 08-15-2018 at 4:13 PM.. |
#32
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Just a side note:
If your hard drive goes out in a Surface Book Pro.... you're screwed. MS has locked the BIOS down, and you can't boot from ANYTHING but the hard drive that just went out. You cant get in to the BIOS. You can't boot from USB. You can't boot from a DVD. You can't replace the Hard drive, and load an O/S. You're stuck. Just something to think about. |
#33
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Sadly mine has lasted at least ten years without having to replace. Just replace hard drive with SSD, max out memory and upgrade wifi card if you can. Setup good drive and dropbox and if it does die no big deal.
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#35
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When you can buy a new laptop or a used 1 year old for cheap, I don’t get repairs and upgrades to a 6 year old model.
You don’t need an SSD. Why spend the extra money for faster start speed? Most college kids need the office suite and won’t use much CPU power. Word documents, excel, PowerPoint are all easy on ram and cpu. Netflix and prime stream fine Use the laptops you have an get some type of back up system. Back up papers and school work When the laptop is stolen or dies, you can get a new one in 1-3 days
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#36
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Hi Dragunov, CG member Darto posted these Amazon deals on SSD's. Are you familiar with the brand?
https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/...6#post22076006 |
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#38
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Last edited by Dragunov; 09-07-2018 at 9:20 AM.. |
#39
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Do not forget to get cloud backup as well as a physical drive. Cloud backup should be setup to be done automatically.
A $300-400 laptop should be just fine for schoolwork, Internet surfing and TV. They do not need a high end laptop unless they are in engineering or similar. Even then, they could get by. That said, the college may have hardware requirements.
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Biden's Laptop Matters Read the Kelly Turnbull novels to see where California is and will go: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=kelly+tur..._2_15_ts-doa-p Last edited by tomrkba; 09-07-2018 at 9:25 AM.. |
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Last edited by Dragunov; 09-07-2018 at 9:35 AM.. |
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