Looking for a laptop for around $500.

Any thoughts on these two. I've been using Apple for years but can't justify the prices for my needs now. This will mostly be used for internet use and other light use. 15" screen or bigger.

Not sure I like the matte screen on the Lenovo. Mostly because it was on an Acer Chromebook I used for some travel. I felt that screen was never bright or clear.

Lenovo

HP

Had a bad experience with a "budget" Lenovo laptop. Kind of put me off the brand, so I'd go with HP.

That said, I'm on a Dell G3 15 3590 right now and it's been flawless.

-Rob

Ive had multiple problems with Dell, so for my company for PCs we only buy Lenovo now.

We also had an issue with an HP.

JB

I have had a Lenovo laptop that I just want to throw in the ocean. Ended up buying an HP and never looking back.

My Lenovo is a tank. It's not new (W520), but it's been a good machine. My wife's Lenovo is smaller and lighter and she likes it too.

Two of my previous employers only bought Lenovo laptops, always Thinkpads (business-oriented), either T, X or L series; rarely ever had issues.

Like most computer companies, Lexmark has a consumer and business division and quite frankly computers coming from their consumer division aren't that great.

Focus on the specs. I look at manufactured computers like canned corn. They all basically have the same contents, but with a different label. Especially in your price range. That being said assuming the guts are very similar, I would even pay a little more for a Lenovo.

Based on your examples the Ryzen 5 5600H(HP) CPU has about an 18% edge over the Intel i5-1135G7(Lenovo)

https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/...H/m1286124vsm1522632

The HP doesn't have an 1920 x 1080 screen, for me this would be a no go:
15.6" diagonal, HD (1366 x 768), touch, micro-edge, BrightView, 250 nits

Based on what I could find the Lenovo comes with
16-inch 2.5K QHD IPS display (2560 x 1440)

Laptop deal links:
https://www.dealnews.com/c49/Computers/Laptops/
https://slickdeals.net/laptop-deals/
https://old.reddit.com/r/LaptopDeals/#ld

If you can find a Lenovo Thinkpad for the $500 range, go for it. They're built tougher and has MIL-STD test ratings. Aside from that, look at the specs and ignore the brand. If it makes a difference, Lenovo was IBM's consumer lineup that was bought by the Chinese.

My work laptops have been Lenovo for years. No issues.

Lenovo's business laptops (Thinkpads, formerly IBM) and their higher-end consumer laptops ($1000+ gaming laptops) are great. Their lower-end consumer laptops, not so much. But the same can be said for most laptop manufacturers.

As xantom stated, in the $500 range of consumer laptops, I don't know that brand will matter much. You're unlikely to get an amazing consumer laptop from any manufacturer for $500 or less. But if it's just for internet browsing, does it really matter?

quote:

Originally posted by comet24:
15" screen or bigger.

If you're just going to be using it at home, definitely consider a 17" screen. It's less convenient to lug around to outside locations, due to the larger size and weight, but for home use the larger screen is nice.

My current laptop is 17". I initially wanted the 15" version, but that 17" model was on sale for cheaper, so I took a chance on it, having never had a 17" laptop before. Now I don't think I'd go back to 15" (and certainly not smaller).

quote:

Not sure I like the matte screen on the Lenovo. Mostly because it was on an Acer Chromebook I used for some travel. I felt that screen was never bright or clear.

There's a slight trade-off with matte screens, sacrificing a little clarity (sometimes very little) in exchange for better glare/reflection resistance. If you're going to be using it in bright and/or direct light, or taking it around to multiple locations where you don't know what the lighting conditions will be, matte is worth it.

Lenovo X1 Thinkpad. Thumbs up.

I’d go with the HP simply because I have had decent luck over the years with them. I tried a cheaper Lenovo like your looking at. It sucked big time, and getting help was a trial of inept fixes and replacement disks. After a very short while, it became a range target. Hope you have better luck than I did if you go that route.

FWIW,, and I am not a computer tech type, nor a gamer

former employer used Thinkpads, rarely any issues

current employer uses Dells,
they take a beating, and do well,

I have a vintage M3500 dell that is heavy as a tank, and still runs fine (Did replace the hard drive 4-5 yrs ago with SSD),
vintage as in ~10 yrs or older

when it was being repaired, I bought a refurb T530
it ran well, but being all plastic and a bit heavy, I was going to have to replace the fan (rubbing) but then broke the screen ao I parked it and had a friend hook me up with a HP Elite book

the Elite book has a metal skin, that I have managed to beat up on the corners a bit , but it runs fine, no issues

I've had it about 3 years, it's the bigger model with separate key pad,

I've been happy with it so far

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
My Lenovo is a tank.

Yep. My Lenovo T450u is about five years old and has taken a licking. Even recovered from half a glass of tea being spilled into it (don't ask). I've been very pleased with Lenovo.

Components. HP components, Lenovo Components, ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!

It’s nearly double your $500 price, but look at www.system76.com for fully Open Source Linux systems. They Re built so YOU can upgrade components and come with FREE Lifetime Support. They are what Apple should have been.

HP hands down.

I have a pile of old HP they retire when they get too outdated.

All the from the business lines.

The personal line is designed to throw away in a few years.

I paid about $1k for my Lenovo in 2016. Mostly internet use, streaming movies, iTunes. It's never had any issues.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Lenovo's business laptops (Thinkpads, formerly IBM) and their higher-end consumer laptops ($1000+ gaming laptops) are great. Their lower-end consumer laptops, not so much. But the same can be said for most laptop manufacturers.

I have been buying and using Lenovo Thinkpads for my business since they bought out IBM. They all have been excellent laptops, really top quality builds. I have heard their lower end products are hit or miss. But to get a decent Thinkpad, one must pay the bucks for the specs (I max out processor, RAM, video card, HD, etc), my last one was $1800.

My wife switched from a 15" Macbook Pro to a Thinkpad three years ago and she is happy with the laptop.