I use computers as tools. I am not expert on how they run, or what components are important, etc.

I need a new laptop. I use a computer to word process, connect to the internet, connect to my office system remotely (via the internet), and store and view photos, with a little light photo editing. I play games on a console, not my PC.

I don't think I need all that much computer. The one I am replacing is a cheapy HP - I think I paid $350 for it five or six years ago. It was fine for what I do.

I like Windows and that is what will work with the office most easily, so no Apple.

I don't need the cheapest computer, but I don't want to spend money on power and capacity I won't use.

What laptop do you suggest?

How about this one?

https://www.newegg.com/Product...P5XN8901&ignorebbr=1

Intel Core i5
8GB of RAM
256 GB SSD
15.6" screen
Windows 10
Weights a little over 4 lbs.

$605

That HP is a horrible deal. It’s not sold by Newegg, it’s a 3rd party seller so your warranty may be invalid.

If you want something in that range (with a full warranty), here’s the same specs minus $250 via the Dell Outlet, just add an SSD of your choice and you are good to go:

https://m.dell.com/h5/m/r/outl...QirkLOzEqGQqqz5LljFy

Note: a Samsung Evo 250gb SSD is $55.

I second Skull Leader's suggestion on Newegg.

Skull Leader's recommendation is also quite good; I saw that you were in the $350 range so I thought about what might get you closer to the price range of what you are replacing.

I had to get a PC for a grad program and picked ASUS; I still have it (and use it regularly) six years later.

I might suggest a newer version of that ASUS:

https://www.newegg.com/Product...34235070&ignorebbr=1

$389.

Have you checked Dells refurbished laptops on their website? Some pretty good deals there with full warranty's.

Jim

^^^^ Dell refurb. And their Outlet store has great deals. I get my computers through them.

Similarly equipped Lenovo IdeaPad for $499 (on sale now at newegg):

https://www.newegg.com/Product...item=N82E16834850876

Things to be careful about in this price range:

1) You want an SSD. Some will try to sneak in a 1TB conventional disk, or maybe a hybrid disc. SSD will blow your mind if you don't already have one on your old laptop.

2) You want full 1080p screen resolution at this price range. Some laptops come with 1366x768, which is garbage in comparison to the 4k screens that some laptops now ship with.

3) 8th gen versus 7th generation Intel processors. You likely won't notice much difference, but the upgraded graphics chip on the 8th gen might be worth going with the newer chip.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Things to be careful about in this price range:

1) You want an SSD. Some will try to sneak in a 1TB conventional disk, or maybe a hybrid disc. SSD will blow your mind if you don't already have one on your old laptop.

2) You want full 1080p screen resolution at this price range. Some laptops come with 1366x768, which is garbage in comparison to the 4k screens that some laptops now ship with.

3) 8th gen versus 7th generation Intel processors. You likely won't notice much difference, but the upgraded graphics chip on the 8th gen might be worth going with the newer chip.

Thanks to all.

I was hoping you would wander in here, Aetocles, as you seem to be someone who pays attention to the details of this stuff.

Keep it coming, please.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:


I don't think I need all that much computer. The one I am replacing is a cheapy HP - I think I paid $350 for it five or six years ago. It was fine for what I do.

I'm going to offer some lessons learned from my recent experience.

My 5 year old Win7 desktop "crapped the bed" ultimately leading to my doing a clean install with Win10. During the down time, while I sanity checked the hardware confirming an irreparably corrupted OS, I limped along on my decade old Dell Vostro 1000 running XP.

When I posted some frustrations with the "dumbing down" of Win10 several asked if I'd considered Linux. Last time I looked at Linux was 2000 and I never did try it out.

Well throwing caution to the wind I installed Linus Mint Mate 19.1 on that 10 year old laptop not wanting to mess (for now) with the desktop. Holy cow. Talk about easy and the package came with a ton of software, much of which I was already using on my Win desktop (e.g. LibreOffice, Firefox, etc.). Drivers and configurations for everything from WiFi to my printer was almost automatic. Easiest I'd ever experienced. The GUI closely resembled Win7 to boot. And to top things off the sluggishness of XP was gone. But the old 80Gb HDD was showing signs of failure so I invested $27 in a new Crucial 120Gb SSD and $7 (yes $7) in a faster 4Gb twin SODIMM DDR2 RAM memory upgrade for the old slower factory installed 2Gb. Now the old girl was really peppy!

So the lesson learned here is that with a change to a lightweight current OS and a modest SSD my 10 year old laptop has been reborn as a capable performer. It does everything I want as a non-gamer and obviates any consideration of needing a new laptop.



Dell Vostro 1000 laptop purchased 6-17-2008
15.4” XGA LCD display
AMD Athalon 64 X2 TK57 1.9GHz/ 256Kb CPU
ATI Radeon® Xpress 1150 256MB HyperMemory™ (integrated)
Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Wi-Fi Internal Card
Hitachi GSA-T21N 8x DVD +/-R
53 Whr 6-cell LiON battery
updates / add-ons
Linux Mint Mate 19.1
Crucial BX300 120GB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 Inch Internal SSD - CT120BX300SSD1
Crucial 4GB Kit 2X2GB PC2-6400S DDR2-800MHZ SODIMM 1.8v 200 pin RAM
Logitech M570 750 dpi 2.4GHz wireless trackball
Monoprice Laptop Cooling Stand w/ 4 USB 2.0 ports Item #8422
Goal Zero Luna Touch LED light #14104

Couple of years ago, I went completely fanless on both desktop and laptop. You have no idea how much more I enjoy not only the quiet but not having to worry about fans jammed up with dust or fan's failing and computer over-heating.

I can't make any recommendations to you other than you won't regret going fanless. At least I haven't and don't do anything more with a computer than you might.

Don't know how up to date this list is (posted 29NOV18) so perhaps you could do your own google-foo on "fanless laptop" but maybe this is a place to start if interested ... https://www.ultrabookreview.co...-fanless-ultrabooks/

I have a HP 255 G6 w/ 4 meg ram, 15.6 in. screen (not touch), disc drive, AMD processor and 256 gig SSD. Works great for me. Looks very similar to what Skull Leader posted except it has a different processor and less ram.
My son works IT and got this for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
You want an SSD.

Truth.

Doesn't matter if it's Apple, Dell, Windows, OS.

SSD is the only way.

I want to throw my standard 1TB HD work computer out the window. I hate it, and it isn't that slow. It's only a year old. But compared to an SSD equipped computer, it's like the stone age waiting for it to do things.

I only use it when I have to.

How about approaching this from a more basic approach. For your documented needs, get a....

Intel GEN 7/8 i5 chipset (or better)
8gb of RAM
250gb SSD (or larger)
Full HD screen

Shop Dell, Lenovo, or other manufacturer offering laptops with those basic specs and pick your favorite. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with a Refurb'd Dell or Lenovo machine either. I'm typing this response on a two year old refurb'd Lenovo Thinkpad T450 with spec's matching those listed above and it does everything you do with a laptop, and more.

Caution:

You DO need an SSD.

However, you can always buy it separately and install it, as I mentioned a good 250gb SSD is $50.

Make sure your system has a replaceable hard drive, and you are GTG.

I like bigdeal’s approach, with the edit of looking at SSD equipped and HDD equipped systems. If the price difference is >$90, buy your own SSD.

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:
I like bigdeal’s approach, with the edit of looking at SSD equipped and HDD equipped systems. If the price difference is >$90, buy your own SSD.

I didn't go that route because I have no idea how technically proficient the Op is. Cloning and swapping a SSD for an HDD might not be something he's capable of (or even interested in messing with).

As I contemplate the next laptop I purchase, I look at these elements as well.
1. Chassis / case quality. I like metal.
2. Screen quality. I like brighter, more colorful screens.
3. SSD. Must have.
4. Operating system of choice.
5. Size. Smaller can work, quite well, which was a surprise to me after lugging 17 inch screens around for years.

Without spending some time at a physical retailer, I find it difficult to purchase what I want online, since look and feel and quality of construction can't be assessed online.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Things to be careful about in this price range:

1) You want an SSD. Some will try to sneak in a 1TB conventional disk, or maybe a hybrid disc. SSD will blow your mind if you don't already have one on your old laptop.

2) You want full 1080p screen resolution at this price range. Some laptops come with 1366x768, which is garbage in comparison to the 4k screens that some laptops now ship with.

3) 8th gen versus 7th generation Intel processors. You likely won't notice much difference, but the upgraded graphics chip on the 8th gen might be worth going with the newer chip.

The keyboard and screen are two things that will either make you happy or annoy you. Make sure you can tollerate the keyboard, and that the screen and/or resolution isn't something that's going to give you an eye twitch.

quote:

SSD

?

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

SSD

?

Solid state drive.

No moving parts.
Faster read/write speeds.

Like a giant flash drive.