Laptop recommendations?
1So I find that I’m in need of a new laptop. This is mostly because the ancient laptops I have (which were gifted to me by a friend who was updating hers) keep telling me that their current version of Windows will no longer be supported and they can’t update to a newer, supported version. But I have no idea what I actually need in terms of specs.
Mostly I need a computer for basic web related stuff (streaming video, social media, shopping, Google based office type applications, filing taxes, etc.). Long(ish) battery life and portability are pluses but I’ve been dealing with giant, heavy, ancient machines so pretty much anything will be an upgrade.
Looking for Windows based primarily because of cost. A keyboard with a number pad would be very nice but not 100% required.
Any recommendations? Or, equally as important, things to avoid?
- 14 comments, 41 replies
- Comment
Probably need to have some idea of your price range. If you are at all interested in trying out a Macbook, the low end one from Walmart is actually still a pretty good machine for $600:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Apple-MacBook-Air-13-3-inch-Laptop-Space-Gray-M1-Chip-8GB-RAM-256GB-storage/609040889
@dave f*** that unless you’re used to using a mac. And my personal opinion they suck. But that’s just my opinion
@Cerridwyn @dave
Not a Mac fanboy either, but, gotta say I’m hating Windows 11.
@chienfou one thing I have noticed since I retired is that how I use a computer has changed significantly. So Windows 11 doesn’t bother me as much as it does some other people because I really don’t use it as much as I used to. Also Android browsers have gotten so good that they work almost just as well as the ones on Windows. Firefox is not the same as Firefox. But Opera works pretty damn close to Opera
@dave In spaaaaaace gray.
@dave I had a MacBook ages ago and it worked well, particularly since I had other Apple products (replaced a Mac mini, used iTunes for music and podcasts, had an iPad and iPod…I’ve never gotten into iPhones). While I still have an iPad, I have an Android phone and would rather keep the laptop price lower. Budget is hopefully under $500. Ideally less if I can get something reasonable.
@Cerridwyn
I resent how difficult it is to navigate to the things you want on your own as well as the push towards storing everything in the cloud. Having to use the windows search function to find your documents and programs is a PITA. Having a pop-up window activated by the lower left corner of the screen where the start button used to be is also aggravating. Sometimes it’s damn near impossible to make that slide out disappear. All the things seem to be designed for social media / internet functionality rather than being productive.
@Cerridwyn @chienfou I will end up on Windows 11 on my work machine eventually. But I don’t use my personal machine for work and vice-versa. So I will have to get used to it at some point.
@chienfou Do this, and thank me later.
https://explorerpatcher.net/
@therealjrn
I used classic Shell, then open shell until I recently changed out my computer and haven’t gotten around to installing it. I may check that out.
@chienfou strangely enough, i don’t mind the cloud stuff. a lot of my stuff is saved locally (just a need to learn and program the steps into your brain) but when my father died, i was actually happy it saved to the cloud, I could access anything I needed from my phone, handy for meetings with lawyers and banks and stuff.
The lower left window is again learned I think. It took a bit, but it is really the same with a different GUI, I didn’t like it in the beginning but I am used to it now.
I still like using a computer when I have to type more than a line or two (I can’t do the thumb thing the kids do these days).
Did we really get this far without someone suggesting just installing Linux? Should perform all the requested tasks (filing taxes is the only possibly blocker if the software is Windows based, but even that might run - quite likely under Wine, or you can just run Win10 in a virtual machine). Someone below suggested a Chromebook, which is really just a Linux machine.
Since the request was for an upgrade, I’d second the ASUS suggestion below for a low-cost but fairly decent machine. The Dell Outlet is probably also worth a look.
@Cerridwyn @chienfou @Dave Hey I have not liked WinDOZE since 3.11!
ASUS are very reliable and come in a very different price breaks. I personally would not buy anything from HP anymore but you could probably get one cheap. And sadly number pads seem to not be around much anymore but I think you can still get external ones that you can either use with the USB port or Bluetooth. If it’s something you really need.
@Cerridwyn @gt0163c
I’ve also had pretty good luck with ASUS as well as Lenovo. Max out your RAM and CPU specs in your price range then check out all the usual suspects (Sam’s, Costco, Best Buy, Office Depot, Staples, Amazon, Walmart etc)
@Cerridwyn Their business-class computers are okay; their consumer-grade computers, less so.
Printers? I only suggest Horrible Printers to someone I want to inflict pain upon, primarily due to a very anti-consumer business model.
@Cerridwyn @narfcake Fortunately I have an old Brother laser printer that continues to work flawlessly. So I don’t have to worry about a new printer.
@Cerridwyn @gt0163c @narfcake
I’m still using a monochrome Brother laser printer I bought my parents 15 years ago. Didn’t really need color and they printed infrequently enough that they had problems with the inkjet all the time. This solved the problem of the printer staying still for months at a time yet being ready when they needed it. We’ve been using it for the last 5 years since Mom and Dad got older and less computer active then passed away. Frequently printing around 500 pages (or more). in a day when my wife is teaching an ACT prep bootcamp class and needs to print out test booklets for 20+ students at one time. I’ve never had any problem with third-party toners in this unit and can count the number of paper jams over the years on one hand.
@Cerridwyn @chienfou @gt0163c @narfcake Same here… I have a Brother Monochrome duplexing under $100 when I bought it several years ago!
@Cerridwyn @gt0163c @narfcake I have a 1994 Apple laser printer that still works fine - it’s a bit slow and the paper try is broken and needs propped up and fortunately I can still buy the toner. Were it made today it would take up far less space. But hey I got it used when the department was going throw it in the trash and it has served me well.
@narfcake
@narfcake @gt0163c I use my (cheap) ASUS Chromebook for ~90% of my stuff. We have a Windows (10) desktop PC in the home office - my wife uses it quite a bit, but I only (begrudgingly) use it occasionally. Works for us.
@narfcake Of course if you like Google being about to read & be snoopy about everything. Security – don’t make be Laught.
@narfcake was one if the last 5 remaining users (worldwide) of a windows phone @mycya4me!
@mycya4me @therealjrn Hey, I was happy to be part of their
4%3%2%1%0% market share!WP was actually lighter than Android was at the time, so it ran well with less. Granted, the biggest issue was that MS was very very late to the market with two very established strongholds already. After years of heavy losses, they pulled the plug, and I don’t blame them. After all, they sure didn’t get much of my money in selling an unlocked phone for $9.99, complete with security and OS updates 5 years after it was released. As with Apple, updates came from Microsoft; I didn’t have to question whether a phone manufacturer would drop support either.
Household and friends’ experience leads me to recommend against HP for the long term. Availability of spare parts for those with DIY capabilities makes me favor Dell personally, but…
If I had the money to spend, I’d look for either an ASUS or a Dell with an externally-demountable battery (NON-NEGOTIABLE). Other characteristics are a matter of taste, but I absolutely cannot recommend any laptop whose battery requires disassembly of the case to swap it out. I just can’t.
I’ve had a laptop question-checklist that’s been my go-to for the past 4 decades.
Q0. Assuming you’re buying a laptop and not a portable desktop (there’s such things now)
Q1. What’s your carrying comfort?
Q2. What’s your typing comfort?
Q3. What’s your reading comfort?
Q4. How long will you be using it on the go?
Answer 0: There’s portable desktop devices, from small boxes with USB power plugs (compatible with portable high-rate discharging power-banks) to USB sticks that plug into TVs – you have to bring a box of accessories though (mouse, keyboard, external disk drive, portable TV)
In relation to the other questions - do you mind a heavier laptop? They’re cheaper, and the bigger ones come with number pads so you don’t have to carry a spare keyboard (or number pad; various manufacturers make wireless pads that communicate via Bluetooth or a USB receiver; the pad itself is usually powered by a flat battery)
Speaking of keyboards, you should try some out in stores to see if you like the various key layouts. I’m not a fan of the chiclet style keys (low squares) that are popularized by Apple. I’m also not a fan of Lenovo’s SHIFT-CTRL-ALT-SPACE layout: for smaller laptops, they have a secondary shift key, called Function, that triples the feature of some keys (e.g. “1” will be “!” if you press Shift-1, or F1 of you press Function-1, or sleep-mode if you press Shift-Function-1) and Lenovo upends this a little. But your mileage may vary depending on the other comfort factors. (And you can always attach an external keyboard if you can stomach carrying extra accessories.)
Another thing you can test in-store: how much you like the screen. Is it bright enough? Are things too zoomed-in? (There’s usually free software that can enlarge things if they’re too zoomed-out, but nothing fixes “the font is too big” outside of using an external monitor - you can buy a big-name lightweight HD LCD that connects via USB-C for as little as $100, but it’s going to about 15", or the same size as your laptop.)
Finally - just how much mileage are you expecting to use it on the go, away from an outlet? Batteries these days last anywhere from 2 to 4 hours of continuous work (the screen eats up most of the power).
For basic spreadsheet work, I’d suggest something with a big screen. Processing power-wise, you’re forced to get a modern system unless you’re buying secondhand (at which point, you better know what you’re looking for).
I don’t like HP, but they have cheap deals:
https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/custom/hp-laptop-15t-fd100-15-inch-intel-core-ultra-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-9Y9X7AV_20008
$400 for a modern system (15th gen processor), wide screen, wide keyboard, I would suggest splurging the extra $100 to raise the RAM from 8 to 16 (just in case you like opening dozens of Internet browsing tabs), possibly another $50 to turn the screen into a touchscreen (I am biased towards those). The storage upgrades are actually at a decent price at the moment. Get as much as you prefer (or buy an external drive or a DVD/BR burner).
What i have personally are two laptops: a tricked out Microsoft Surface 4 tablet (they’re up to 11 now) that’s probably worth 500$ if properly refurbished (new battery; but the system is so old it’s not really worth that asking price), and a HP 840G3 running on a 6th gen processor that’s only a little bigger (that I keep because it has older plugs built into the system, reducing the need to buy a USB hub of some kind) but tricked out with the maximum RAM and Storage options; it’s about the same age as the Surface 4, and if the components were new, would fetch $500 (but also not worth it if you can get a wholly newer kit for the same price).
I’ve got friends who will be content with a $100 Chromebook (using phone apps for spreadsheet work is a far cry from Excel or even Libre Math) but then also splurge on accessories (keyboard, mouse, screen, optical drive, external storage drive) requiring an equally large traveling case had they bought a 16" laptop with everything built-in. (Though they saved $100 doing things piecemeal, the cost arrives with the hassle to assemble everything.)
Don’t know why that link doesn’t work
https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-laptop-15t-fd100-156-9y9x7av-1
@pakopako Thanks for the detailed reply. Lots to think about here. I think I was aware or portable computers but that’s definitely not what I want. I need to think through some of the other questions.
@ergomeh
While I agree that Linux would be a good choice economically, there is a learning curve that may or may not be a critical factor.
@chienfou it seems that there’s always a learning curve for Windows. Every revisions shifts everything around so that I can never find anything on the menus. Browsers are about the same everywhere so if you’re using primarily web-based applications you won’t even notice. The desktop replacements applications shouldn’t have much of a learning curve - OpenOffice, Thunderbird, etc. Sysadmin tasks - network connections, updates, adding software (probably easier than Windows for the most part), screen/dual monitor/etc. are all within reach. There are a number of Linux distros targeted at Windows users and Win10 refugees.
Corporations lease laptops for 2-3 years then turn them back in. Your best on a deal is getting one of those. They’re usually either Lenovo, Dell, or HPs. The Lenovo’s are solid but the Dell’s have better monitors. Over the summer I got the business equivalent of the consumer XPS 15, the Precision 5560 (i5, 32gb ram), for $400 off Amazon.
@redleaf I actually have friends who work at corporations. I get 2nd dibs on their hardware they’re tossing (they don’t even bother looking for donation opportunities). Some stuff is really worn (like I’ve found dirt and seeds inside the keyboard), but mostly things are usable with a new hard drive and battery and power plug.
My two current machines are throwaways from about 2 years back; because they’re from a large corporation, the models are from about 2020 (five years “out of date”). Any other usable components I still rife through and donate to local libraries, campuses, and schoolteachers (anything they have is typically ten years out of date).
There’s more in-depth garbage cleaning that could go in (checking hinges, screen burn-in, internal battery leaks), but for the most part I accept that gamble that if one of those three give out “early” (after 3 years), there’s more free garbage coming in from corporate America by then.
@pakopako @redleaf Yep I have had a good Retired Corp MacBook Pro. It lasted for Years. then had to replace it the battery!
(This is coming from a 30-year veteran computer engineer who is still a computer geek.
)
Alternative to Windows
@ItalianScallion
@therealjrn … and it’s been done before… on Android phones…
@ItalianScallion
Yes Apple cost more as it is not subsidize by all the trial software on a WinDOZE computer.
I never buy Apple products New in the Box! Why?, I rather buy them Open Box or Refreb from a known pro.
Plus the hardware is more durable. My last MacBook Pro lasted 10 years (yes it was a Corp referb)
Yes Linux is Great if you are a True Geeky/ Nerd/ Codehead. But for the regular person they will be lost!
I use a MacBook Pro to have all the extra ports,
like Sd slots, HDMI, earphone jack, Plus a number USB-C ports. Plus it has more memory, Solid State Drive space & a Better CPU. Yes it is a Couple year old when I got it!
Plus Apple is not as Nosey as Google/ Chrome/ Android. (which is the worst) Or Microsoft! That is the ONE of the BIG reason Companys use iPhones/iPads!
I have worked I am a Corp, 2nd Level Desktop Tech. I am NOT 1st level Phone support (Help Desk) they send me the hardware ticket. For over 20years.
A very good Brand Windoze is MSI. they have been making the hardware inside the computers for decades. Yes HP is good as is Dell. I don’t care for any other brand. BTW You’re held hostage also by WinTEL hard/ Software
I am a Corp, 2nd Level Desktop Tech. I am NOT 1st level Phone support (Help Desk) they send me the hardware ticket & come to your desk with my Magic wand & pixy dust. I have been doing this for over 20 years. So if the Hardware is Broke/ I fix it!
I suggest NOT a Chrome Book or if you can help it a WinDoze lap/desktop! That is what I worked on mostly. so I know many of the Issues they cause.
If a computer is more than 3-4 years old (other than a Mac) it is NOT worth it!
I have been buying Open Box (someone has bought it & brought it back - It was wiped/ Re-imaged. Like Brand New) at a nicely reduced price, or Refreb.
Personally I would stay away from “Used” ones unless you know it was Refreb by a Pro. they can cause a lot of issues,
@mycya4me My observational experience with refurb HPs leads me to favor “not an HP” regardless of who did the refurb. Those never seem to last more than a couple of years.
@werehatrack I agree, that is the Reason I don’t get an HP, Dell or whatever. Remember when you get a referee Corp computer, it is already 2-4 years old. So if you get 2-4 more years you are doing really well!
If I personally needed WinDOZE based computer, will I would build it or have a Local shop you TRUST to build one! I would use an AMD CPU, If possible an MSI System/ Motherboard! Maybe a MSI laptop! (there are now a few laptops out there that are very modular. You pick the parts for you laptop like you do for a desktop. Yes if you are a real Geeky Nerdy person. especially of you like to program/ Code, Linux is the Better O/S for you!
Plus there is a reason larger companies get rid of their Windoze based system after 2-4 years. the Warranty has run out. So time to replace, that is called a Refresh.
I can’t remember how many Refresh project I have worked on, Plus the mergers, they are also fun! I have worked in Banks, Drug Stores, Credit card & Health insurance companies & other places. They are all the same! Same type of users (that NEVER changes) Just a different location. You really don’t need to know what is the product that they do, Just how to fix the hardware!
@gt0163c If you don’t require Windows 11 to make money, and would like to kick the can down the road for another year, you can get extended support of Windows 10 for $61 :
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/extended-security-updates
/showme sullen teen kicking laptop down the road with label that says “Windows 10”.
@cfg83 Here’s the image you requested for “sullen teen kicking laptop down the road with label that says Windows 10.”
@mediocrebot Wow. That was better than mediocre.
@cfg83 @mediocrebot You don’t know how many times I have wanted to do that to a stubborn Computer, be it a laptop or desktop.
Plus you should see my shop. I have many laptops, Desktops other computing devices. Many will be stripped of parts & the frame will be recycled!
When you have been a Pro Computer Tech & general Geeky Nerd for over 20+ years. People “donate” stuff to you. Some could be useful or others destined for the Recycle heap!
@gt0163c Without knowing your budget, I would look into framework laptops.
https://frame.work/marketplace
They have a DIY version for $549 :
https://frame.work/products/laptop12-diy-intel-13gen/configuration/new
/showme Anthropomorphized goat trying to put together laptop made out of puzzle pieces.
@cfg83 Here’s the image you requested for “Anthropomorphized goat trying to put together laptop made out of puzzle pieces.”
@mediocrebot You’re running on all cylinders!
@cfg83 I am not sure if the General public is ready for a Framework computer. But he computer hobbyists are ready! Also other Geeky Nerds are!
@mycya4me Yeah, you are right, but I couldn’t help myself. If I was in the market right now, then the framework would be in the top 3.
For your needs (web, streaming, emails, Office/Google apps), look for a Windows laptop with:
Intel Core i3/i5 or AMD Ryzen 3/5
16 GB RAM (better than 8 GB for smooth multitasking)
SSD storage (256 GB+) for speed
Good brands: Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer — avoid old laptops with HDD/4 GB RAM.
@dhoni45 remember that Open Office is a complete Office suite that is Compatible with MS office. I have used it for years. Didn’t want to give Microsoft their pound of flesh for that. I would not use Google office or whatever they’re calling it. It’s controlled by Google, so therefore it’s very open to google spying.
@gt0163c Oh, and one more thing. In the following video, replace “The Narn” and “The Centauri” with “Windows 10” and “Windows 11”, respectively.
For everything you need to do except your tax software, you could accomplish easily with Linux Mint (Windows like experience) or Elementary OS (Maclike experience). It would probably run quite well on your existing laptop as it’s generally much more resource friendly than Windows. It may seem intimidating but I believe the process has gotten to be straightforward enough that most people can accomplish it, maybe with the help of a tech savvy buddy if you’re nervous. For either option, you download the installer, put it on a USB drive, and boot your old computer with the USB to install.
https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
https://elementary.io/
There’s even some possible open source software to help with the taxes: https://opentaxsolver.sourceforge.net/
Even if you buy a new laptop, you might want to check out one of these friendly Linux distributions to extend the life of your old one and expand your horizons.
I built dozens of Elementary laptops during COVID to hand out to everyone at my company who had kids suddenly doing virtual school, and they all got right on and I didn’t have any problems come back to me. And it’s had a few years to improve since then.