Opinions on Laptops

What is your price range?

For Windows machines I have always been an IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad fan, mostly due to their awesome keyboards.

D-ManPV ✉
Jan '20

I was told by a computer expert to NOT get Dell any longer.

Those that are more reliable that don't have defects and issues are:

HP; Lenova; Acer; Asus.

SPECIFICATIONS I WAS TOLD TO LOOK FOR/GET:

Get an Intel or AMD.

Processer: I-3 to I-5.

AMD: A-10 or A-8.

RAM (memory): Minimum 4 Gigs; Maximum 8 Gigs.

Storage: 500 gig (basic) or 1 TB.

Buy from Costco, Sam's Club or BJs for best prices.

This information will be saved until my HP finally dies. I've had it almost 5 years.

Hackresident ✉
Jan '20

Have been on Lenovo's for a couple generations now. Remember, it's not only the purchase price, but with today's machines, the warranty/maintenance contracts are critical. I strive to get a 3-year, and then strive to update for another 3 since I am getting 7 - 10 years from a machine. As you might surmise, I am on it quite a bit. Over the life of the product, half my spend on these is usually for the support contract. Seems to be the nature of the industry. Probably the Thinkpad, and Apple, are the only PCs out there with a real history.

Thinkpads are legendary as pretty rugged, reliable machines, but you pay a premium for the old IBM brand name and case design. Not sure there's much of the actual brand left inside at this point but you can't go wrong with it because they are trying to extend the reputation, especially for business. Check the price vs. the equipment (memory, disk size, etc.), you can usually see the premium.

I jumped ship on Thinkpad for the last two and got other Lenovo brands, Yoga, IdeaPad, etc. Seem pretty good, love the finger-scanning for password. Fast and secure. For me, I need a "real" keyboard, I bang em pretty hard, and if I have to hunch over, bring my arms together to hack at those little ones ---- ain't worth any amount of savings. I opted for the SSD mostly because I tend to put my $$$ in HW as in cpu size, speed, solid-state anything, in order to maximize how long it remains "modern," and reduces failures (moving parts).

Ripped the screen off the last one, not my fault, bad hinge design, and I use the bigger 15+inch screens so they have a lot of flex to them. I was very careful, but the one time I grabbed the screen by the corner...… New one had redesigned hinges, redesigned screen case, so I must not be the only one.....

If you get depot maintenance, I think the closest Office Max Lenovo Depot is in Union which is a bummer. I only know because they foolishly sold me one more maintenance contract so I guess I am about to get a new refurb for my screen-less mega machine (it folds everyway but loose, and now it's even loose :>) On the new ones I got home service; that should be a rush.

Even with the Lenovo's that approach of full size kb; I use add-on keyboard and mouse unless on the move. Sometimes, even on the move I grab the mouse since I find it faster/easier than the heat-seeking pads.

I know, TMI, but I have a full-size keyboard :>)

strangerdanger ✉
Jan '20

You could easily get a MAC for less than 1k

Drew ✉
Jan '20

Most of this discussion is a rehash of this previous discussion (other than the Movie making software part):

http://www.hackettstownlife.com/forum/774997

Would never recommend Toshiba anything.

Dell is mediocre but their service isn't. If you don't buy their service your only option is to buy a new one. They have several lines of laptops, the low end ones are not good.

HP has definitely got some good ones, would easily buy over a Dell. Asus is OK. Acer has had quality control problems.

My personal programming workhorse is a Lenovo for the last two. Ever since they went away from the pointsticks that I can't stand, they've been great. Slim but very rugged. The keyboard has been very responsive, same table touch screen so you can flip it like a tablet or use it normally.

SSD you get less for your $. For some things it can be faster, but not everything. I wouldn't count on it making your computer last. An HD is a really easy fix for a laptop. It's all about what your priority is - if you need lots of space you don't want to put out the money for SSD. If you're swimming in space with 100 GB then the extra speed for small files is probably worth it.

Buy it where ever it's cheap. No advantage where you get it from.

Today I agree with i5 at a minimum. The difference in price is next to nothing between i3 and i5. For what you're doing an i7 is not necessary.

GC ✉
Jan '20

A few general points:

1. laptops (or systems as a whole) purchased from Staples/Best Buy/Costco, etc. are generally lower end consumer systems that are made for those stores. This is not to say they are bad systems, but USUALLY, those are made with lesser quality components. I'm a fairly heavy user (not gaming, though) and I was blowing through HP laptops almost 2 years to the day purchasing a system from one of the stores mentioned above. Finally, I bit the bullet and purchased a Lenovo Thinkpad direct and it still going strong more than 5 years later. The bottom line is if you buy consumer products, don't expect them to last as long as business-class systems.

2. SSD vs HDD: As a general rule of thumb, you should spend the little extra money for an SSD. The speed difference is very noticeable, but don't skimp on storage space. All drives need a certain amount of free/available space to work efficiently, but SSD's do require more a little more free space. The only main drawback to an SSD is if there is a drive failure, data recovery is not as simple as it is with an HDD and it is possible everything could be lost. Failure rates are typically less with SSD's since you don't have any moving parts, though.

3. Office versions: This becomes a tough one and I guess a lot depends on your situation. If there are multiple people in the household, Office 365 Home may be the better bet since that give you 6 users and all their devices for $100/year. If it is just you and only one device, purchasing outright may be the better solution as long as you don't need/want the most recent version when it comes out.

jnnjr ✉
Jan '20

Don’t spend to much money as all computer hw - they slow down after updates and application installs - so I used to replace mine every 4 -5 years until I switched a iPad full time and yes I am in IT for 25 years and find the windows operating system is garbage

LibertyThinker ✉
Jan '20

Get a Dell Precision.

BrownEyesGuy ✉
Jan '20