[SOLVED] Searching for laptop

[mrmike16]

Hi,
I've decided to buy a new computer for myself and another for my mother, and I am very out of date in technology. I'm still in the era where Intel Core processors were just i3, i5, or i7. So if you guys can help me out, that'd be great.

For me, I am thinking of going for something between $400-$650 or maybe push it to $700 if necessary. I am not a heavy gamer, although once in a while I like to play an N64, Sims 3 or GTA 4 or something (Haven't checked out GTA V yet). My mom will probably be on the less demanding side. Both of us really just want something that will last. I'd also carry it around a lot, but I'm not sure 2-in-1 is a good idea. Windows 11 compatible, of course. I just don't know what laptops to trust anymore. Reliability is the most important thing- not some Inspiron that has some notorious left hinge cracking thing or mouse freezes...(Experiences).

My mother has been on a Chromebook until now, and it's no longer supported. I am thinking of getting her a new one, but if it's Windows she won't be very demanding in specs, just something reliable. Which is annoying, because most laptops with lower specs are also less reliable from what I've seen.

I think what I'm asking for is a mid-range laptop. Or maybe a cheaper business one?

I love the Surface, I had a Surface 3, but they are extremely expensive. MacBooks still don't attract me so much.

Ah. the screen size. I think they are too small these days. I like 14-15 inch screens, generally. A laplet I'd settle for 13.

Thanks in advance, any help is appreciated. I haven't been here in a while, but I hope to help others too once I get reacquainted. If I missed any details, let me know and I'll update.

 

[Lutfij]

You should ideally stylize your post like that asked for in this thread. You will need to include your preferred site for purchase and your location for us to locate the best options with respect to your region. So in essence, two sets of requirements, two sections in one thread as asked for in the previous linked thread.

 

[mrmike16]

You should ideally stylize your post like that asked for in this thread. You will need to include your preferred site for purchase and your location for us to locate the best options with respect to your region. So in essence, two sets of requirements, two sections in one thread as asked for in the previous linked thread.

Guess I didn't look where I was supposed to for that. Here goes:

1. What is your budget? $400-$700

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 13 if laplet and 14-15 inches for a laptop.

3. What screen resolution do you want? Uh...I don't know what is the standards of that today. I may go into the graphics field eventually, though. Doesn't have to be XPS, but not too bad either.

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? It needs to be portable and also may be my desktop replacement laptop as well. I will be carrying it around, that's for sure.

5. How much battery life do you need? Again, I don't know the standards. Minimum of a day of regular use, I'd think (Not watching videos 24/7)

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)? I think even 10 year old laptops can handle the games I play: GTA 4, The Sims 3, and N64 emulator. Not a heavy gamer.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.) Photo editing possibly as mentioned above, the video editing I do is converting VHS to DVD sometimes, and I do fix people's computers often, so I will be using programs in that area as well such as HDD scanners. Oh and I do audio editing as a hobby, not professionally, with Audacity.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? I think I can be flexible with that, as a hard drive is replaceable. I can get a good 1 TB SSD separately for much cheaper than if it comes with the PC.

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links: The last time I bought a computer was from dell.com. I have no experience in that.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? As long as possible. My old laptop lasted 12 years.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? I think most laptops no longer come with one. I'll probably use one via USB. Speaking of which, I'd like some USB ports...

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons. I prefer Asus, Dell, and Microsoft. Those are the ones I am familiar with and except for their cheaper laptops they have been quite reliable in my experience. Apple I've had negative experiences with and considering that they charge hundreds for the brand, I'd prefer not to go there.

13. What country do you live in? USA.

Thanks!

 

[punkncat]

If moms was happy on the Chromebook I would probably consider going that way again. Same enviro that she is already used to and such. It appears that some of the better models hit around the top range of your budget, as I am assuming that is for each device, not combined.

For laptops I tend to lean towards Dell Inspiron, XPS, such as that. The above mentioned gaming aspect would probably skew the hunt on that a bit. Sounds like you may desire something with discrete graphics.

 

[mrmike16]

If moms was happy on the Chromebook I would probably consider going that way again. Same enviro that she is already used to and such. It appears that some of the better models hit around the top range of your budget, as I am assuming that is for each device, not combined.

For laptops I tend to lean towards Dell Inspiron, XPS, such as that. The above mentioned gaming aspect would probably skew the hunt on that a bit. Sounds like you may desire something with discrete graphics.

Yes, the budget is seperate.
As for Inspirons- are they reliable these days? From what I have seen they usually come with various issues. XPS is a bit pricey but it is an option.

 

[Old Molases]

Hi,
I've decided to buy a new computer for myself and another for my mother, and I am very out of date in technology. I'm still in the era where Intel Core processors were just i3, i5, or i7. So if you guys can help me out, that'd be great.

For me, I am thinking of going for something between $400-$650 or maybe push it to $700 if necessary. I am not a heavy gamer, although once in a while I like to play an N64, Sims 3 or GTA 4 or something (Haven't checked out GTA V yet). My mom will probably be on the less demanding side. Both of us really just want something that will last. I'd also carry it around a lot, but I'm not sure 2-in-1 is a good idea. Windows 11 compatible, of course. I just don't know what laptops to trust anymore. Reliability is the most important thing- not some Inspiron that has some notorious left hinge cracking thing or mouse freezes...(Experiences).

My mother has been on a Chromebook until now, and it's no longer supported. I am thinking of getting her a new one, but if it's Windows she won't be very demanding in specs, just something reliable. Which is annoying, because most laptops with lower specs are also less reliable from what I've seen.

I think what I'm asking for is a mid-range laptop. Or maybe a cheaper business one?

I love the Surface, I had a Surface 3, but they are extremely expensive. MacBooks still don't attract me so much.

Ah. the screen size. I think they are too small these days. I like 14-15 inch screens, generally. A laplet I'd settle for 13.

Thanks in advance, any help is appreciated. I haven't been here in a while, but I hope to help others too once I get reacquainted. If I missed any details, let me know and I'll update.

Here are some options to look at given the budget you have:

1. Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop
2. HP Pavilion Gaming 15
3. MSI GF63 THIN 9SCX-005
4. Lenovo L340
5. ASUS VivoBook
6. Acer Aspire 5
7. ASUS TUF FX505DT

 

[mrmike16]

ASUS TUF FX505DT

Appreciate the suggestions, but those are gaming laptops. Not that I have much against those, the weight of them is just too much.

The Vivo is a possibility, although it seems to be their Inspiron, like how Zen is like XPS.

I'm thinking of a Vostro for myself at the moment and an Inspiron or Vivo for my mom.