new laptop needed

[Clorey]

fast laptop for intermediate computer user, I have an Asus and love this brand.

 

[rgd1101]

fast laptop for intermediate computer user, I have an Asus and love this brand.

How do we know what intermediate computer user do.
And you have unlimited budget?

 

[Clorey]

I used a computer at work for 30 years and have had a home computer for the last 15 years. I do a bit about computers. I want to get a new laptop as this one is old and y husband can use it. I am much faster on the computer than my husband and can't stand waiting for everything to load up all the time. I suppose I could spend up to $800.00 but would like to spend less if possible. Do you recommend getting The Geek Squad additional support like they have at Best Buy? Where is the best place in Ontario, Canada to buy a laptop? I do not play a lot of games, so I don't think I need a gaming machine. I spend at least 4-5 hours on the pc every day. I make spreadsheets, read emails, play some games, check out stuff on the internet and use social media all the time. I hope this answers any questions you may have for me.

 

[jaguarskx]

So basically from what you have described, all you need is a modern Core i5 CPU and a SSD.

Modern Core i5 CPUs come with either 2 or 4 cores. A dual core i5-7200u should be fine for your needs, a quad core i5-8250u would be better if you do a lot of multitasking, but generally speaking for average daily tasks you should not notice much of a difference. However, a laptop with an i5-8250u CPU will likely exceed your budget limit.

If you "can't stand waiting for everything to load up all the time", then you are better off with a SSD (solid state drive) since they have much higher read and write speeds compared of a HDD (hard disc driver or simply hard drive). SSDs cost more so laptops with SSDs typically have 128GB or 256GB capacity. A laptop with a SSD takes about 20 seconds to boot to the desktop assuming a password has not been setup on the laptop compared to up to 60 seconds or more with a HDD.

Just to give you an example of how expensive SSDs can be in the US it is possible to buy a 2.5" 1TB hard drive for as little as $51 USD at Amazon.com as opposed to $250 USD for a 1TB SSD.


If you do not mind ordering online, then you can buy the following HP Laptop 250 G6 for CND$ 759. It has a dual core i5-7200u CPU, 8GB of RAM a 256GB SSD, but only a 1366x768 resolution screen.

https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0N6-00ZF-001B7


The following Dell Inspiron 5000 with a quad core i5-8250u and 1080p screen is at the limit of your budget; CND$ 800. This is absolutely the least expensive laptop with a 1080p screen (it is even a touchscreen) and the i5-8250u CPU. All other laptops with an i5-7200u and 1080p are easily more than CND$ 800. The fact that this laptop has both a quad core CPU and a 1080p screen makes it a bargain. However, it only has a HDD (1TB).

https://www.amazon.ca/Dell-Inspiron-Touchscreen-i5-8250U-Windows/dp/B077T46GLP/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1521145262&sr=8-9&keywords=i5-8250u


The good news is that the HDD can always be replaced with a SSD later to make the laptop more responsive.

 

[Clorey]

thank you jacquar for your detailed answer. I really appreciate the time you took to do this. I will take your advice and use it to buy my new laptop.