I just sent a similar email asking the same question to Lunis and just realized that I should probably be asking here as well to get inputs from others?

I am considering upgrading my laptop. Whenever I do that, I consider also upgrading my Dragon through KnowBrainer.

 I currently have Dragon version 12.5  purchased in 2013.

Below is a link to the laptop I'm considering but I always ask you if it is robust enough to handle what Dragon program you're are recommending at the time. You always let me know the minimum specs that I need in a laptop

https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Lenovo-Performance-Quad-Core-Grapgics/dp/B0769G6PVG/ref=sr_1_13?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1513982054&sr=1-13&keywords=windows+laptop+256gb+ssd

I imagine there's a lot of technology that has come along since 2013? 

What do you recommend I get?

 I would like to get your recommended cordless microphone so if you could provide that link as well. I currently have your KB Hands-FreeHeadsetMic KB0600029 + KB06033011AndreaPureAudioUSB-MA; so if that will still work with whatever Dragon version you are recommending today then please let me know if it will suffice.

There is no way I can keep up with Dragon and your products like you can so I really appreciate your opinions.

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DragonPremium v.12.5

 

main: 64bitWin7 home Premium 8GB  (other: 64bitWin7Professional 6GB)

 

main: IntelRCoreTM i5-4200U CPU @1.60GHz 2.30GHz  (other: IntelRCoreTM i5-337U CPU @1.80GHz)

 

KB Andrea PureAudio USB-MA + KB Hands-Free Headset Microphone

here is another laptop I am considering.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B075FLBJV7/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1513998957&sr=8-13&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=windows+laptop+256gb+ssd

Thank you for aany comments.

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DragonPremium v.12.5

 

main: 64bitWin7 home Premium 8GB  (other: 64bitWin7Professional 6GB)

 

main: IntelRCoreTM i5-4200U CPU @1.60GHz 2.30GHz  (other: IntelRCoreTM i5-337U CPU @1.80GHz)

 

KB Andrea PureAudio USB-MA + KB Hands-Free Headset Microphone

Both of these computers are adequate but also slightly minimal. Our preference is 16 Gb of RAM (8 Gb minimum). We have a slight preference for Windows 10. We prefer Intel i7s or i5s (i3 minimum) Skylake (6th generation or higher) processors. Note that Dragon 15 requires less processing power. 

SSD (solid-state hard drives) have recently become much more affordable and recommended over a traditional HDD. If you are planning on using a single drive, we recommend 256 Gb minimum. 

Note that you cannot upgrade from Premium 12 to DPI 15 (Download) so you would need a full copy which you can still get before Christmas (because it's a download). Also note that DPI 15 is much faster than Dragon 12 but if you are on more of a budget, you can optionally upgrade to the NaturallySpeaking Premium 13 Upgrade for $99. Also note that we only have one left in stock and is also downloadable.

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Change "No" to "Know" w/KnowBrainer 2022
Trial Downloads
Dragon/Sales@KnowBrainer.com 
(615) 884-4558 ex 1

I am at the same point again. I have to get a new laptop. I always like to be sure I purchase one that will handle the latest Dragon requirements for when I upgrade my Dragon. What would be the minimum/suggested I need in a laptop for that? Is it the same as Lunis pasted above or now a bit different ? Thank you.

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DragonPremium v.12.5

 

main: 64bitWin7 home Premium 8GB  (other: 64bitWin7Professional 6GB)

 

main: IntelRCoreTM i5-4200U CPU @1.60GHz 2.30GHz  (other: IntelRCoreTM i5-337U CPU @1.80GHz)

 

KB Andrea PureAudio USB-MA + KB Hands-Free Headset Microphone

Oddly enough, Dragon Premium 12 requires more resources than DPI 15.61.

 

We recommend 16 Gb of RAM (8 Gb minimum) for most end-users; 32 Gb of RAM or more for power users. We prefer Intel i9, i7, i5 or AMD equivalent processors. Note that DPI/DPG 15.61/DMPE 4.3 require notably less processing power than previous Dragon releases. 

 

SSD (solid-state hard drives) have recently become much more affordable and recommended over traditional HDDs. We recommend 512 Gb SSD (256 Gb minimum) or larger. 

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Change "No" to "Know" w/KnowBrainer 2022
Trial Downloads
Dragon/Sales@KnowBrainer.com 
(615) 884-4558 ex 1

I have an old Lenovo Thinkpad, and I found that the built-in array microphones were just fine in a quiet environment. I could sit on the couch and dictate without a microphone and without any problems at all. I think it has 8GB of RAM (16GB at the outside, but I doubt it). It was a T431 or something, I think.

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Win10/11/x64, AMD Ryzen 7 3700X/3950X, 64/128GB RAM, Dragon 15.3, SP 7 Standard, SpeechStart, Office 365, KB 2017, Dragon Capture, Samson Meteor USB Desk Mic, Amazon YUWAKAYI headset, Klim and JUKSTG earbuds with microphones, excellent Sareville Wireless Mono Headset, 3 BenQ 2560x1440 monitors, Microsoft Sculpt Keyboard and Logitech G502 awesome gaming mouse.

I too tried the array microphone built into my laptop and yes, it does work with Dragon. However, when I compared it to my Sennheiser D10 USB over the ear Wireless Microphone, then you notice the differences.

When using the array, I found it had difficulty picking up the small words such as,
a, an, as, at, in, I'm, I've, I'll, on, if, end for example.

I also found that unless it was as you say, a very quiet and still room, even having a fan on in the background away from the computer affects a microphone such as an array.

Cheers

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Tiger Feet

| DPG 15.7.1 | KnowBrainer 2020 | Windows 10 Professional /64 Bit | Intel® Core™ i9 Ten-Core Processor i9-10900K (3.7GHz) 20MB Cache |  32GB RAM. | 250GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe SSD (up to 3500MB/R, 2300MB/W) Boot Drive | 1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe SSD (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W) Storage Drive | Sennheiser D10 USB Wireless Microphone