Should I buy a new laptop?

[Another Reader]

I would not buy a computer at Amazon for the reasons listed above. If you like Dell products and have an Amex card, you may have a good offer available on a Dell computer. Currently, my Amex card card has an offer of $120 back if you spend $599 or more at Dell.com. Worth checking.

 

[Donno]

Very satisfied with the Apple MacBookPro 16" M1 Pro ordered back in May and delivered in late July. A bit less than $3k. Not helpful for your situation but - hey - YOLO / BTD.

I have a 2018 version of a MacBook Pro that I bought when I had finally had enough of Windows and drivers and error messages. I love it and when it dies I will buy another one and once again have a silent laptop with no fan burning my leg, no windows problems and a quality built machine with no problems.

 

[flyingaway]

My 8GB memory laptop's battery just died. So I can only use it with the power line connected. The laptop is around 6 or 7 years old, but otherwise is adequate for my need of browsing, reading, watching videos, etc. Thinking about buying a new one with little weight. I want to bring it on travel.

For the OP, I think laptops are inexpensive these days. If you don't play games, 8GB memory is enough. $600 is just about right.

 

[JBTX]

If you aren’t picky, and willing to take a modest risk, you can often go to a pawn shop (I’ve used Cash America) and find some pretty good laptops for about $200 and very good for $300+. You often will have a very limited or no warranty, but I’ve bought maybe a half dozen this way, mostly for my kids, I’ve never had a problem.

The thing to watch out is some older laptops out there aren’t Windows 11 compatible.

 

[JP.mpls]

Yes you need a new something, 7 years is end of life. I find a Chromebook is nice for a 2nd gadget, but would not forgo a laptop or pc as primary.

My partner has a Chromebook. I was fired up to get one, but hers is a constant source of frustration.
Some of the problem is that we both have years of using a PC, but I'm sticking to my laptop for now. JP

 

[TexasPE]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gateway-...canner-1MP-Webcam-HDMI/654399212?athbdg=L1100
$350 - I'm typing on one now

 

[Ian S]

What do y'all think? At $659, it's above my self-imposed limit, but really about the same as I paid for my 7-year-old Lenovo.
Is an ASUS likely to give 7 years of service?

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Vivoboo...H2QN/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1

Among the comments/questions/answers about that computer is it doesn't have a backlit keyboard. If you only use the laptop on a well-lit desk, then it doesn't matter but I use my laptop on my actual lap sometimes and the light isn't always great so the back lit keyboard is very useful.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I have never owned any laptop other than a Dell bought through their small business services. This was on the recommendation of a friend who was a Dell engineer 20 years ago.

When you buy from the small business section you don't get the bloatware and you get MUCH better customer service. You get someone in the US. I also always buy the extended warranty for 4 years because it covers accidental damage as well. I got almost a new computer last December when my 4 year old computer had a minor crack in the case 2 weeks before warranty expired. They replaced everything but the motherboard and SSD I think. It was a long list. Cost? $0.

They have completely replaced a computer that I spilled a beer on in the past. It almost doubles the price but the service is so good it is worth it to me. They will come to your house, business or hotel and fix your computer the next business day.

Now, obviously that is not worth it to many retirees who can live without a laptop for a few days but the service really is amazing. It includes tech support as well. Shortly into covid my battery went from lasting 6 hours to under 2. They put me in contact with an engineer who did a deep dive and we ultimately traced the problem to an issue with Slack, some work software I had started using. They wanted me to buy a new battery, $80, not covered by warranty, then helped me optimize settings, and 2 years on, I still get 6-9 hours on battery depending on what I am doing.

I like the XPS line but there are Dells that are competitive with some things mentioned here. If you are an occasional user then maybe saving a couple of hundred dollars makes sense. But I depend on my laptop both for work and daily tasks so reliability/service is very important to me.

No affiliation or kickback from Dell, just a happy customer of 20 years!

ETA: My partner got a 13 inch Dell XPS last December, $1,100 including tax, shipping, and 4 year warranty including accidental damage and next day service plus a few extras. Obviously that is more than a $400 costco laptop but she is guaranteed to have no problems for 4 years even if accidentally damages it. Personally I like a bigger screen so I go with the 15 inch. I used to get 14 inch but they stopped making them.

 

[target2019]

What do y'all think? At $659, it's above my self-imposed limit, but really about the same as I paid for my 7-year-old Lenovo.
Is an ASUS likely to give 7 years of service?

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Vivoboo...H2QN/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1

Yes, ASUS has a good track record.
That's a very good deal. Check that it's a new computer (not refurb or return).

 

[Amethyst]

Thanks, I did check. No mention of refurbishment. Went ahead and ordered it from Amazon, and will return it if it doesn't pan out, but hopefully it will. There were a very few complaints about plastic parts on the case breaking off. I'll be careful how I handle it - same as I always am, with electronics. As for backlighting, I need to do my computing in a well-lit room whether the computer is backlit or not.

I went with jollystomper's laissez-faire attitude about the swapping in and out of parts, memory, etc...I can live with that as a convenience. I would install more RAM in my Lenovo, if it were possible, as it is otherwise a very good machine.

Yes, ASUS has a good track record.
That's a very good deal. Check that it's a new computer (not refurb or return).

 

[zippy2020]

I converted to a Chromebook several years ago. Haven't missed Windows at all. But everyone is different.....some people need a true laptop with a hard drive.

+1. My niece uses a Chromebook at home, as her tech eqpt at work is first-rate. She is very happy with it and doesn't mind working off the cloud.

Being retired, I mostly use my desktop as they last forever since we always buy TOL, custom-built by our local PC shop.

For traveling I use the Dell XPS 13 laptop, extra RAM and SSD. Spouse uses ASUS tablet but I need a real keyboard, being a speed typist. Dell is 6 yrs old, battery life not quite as good as before (was 11 hrs, now down to about 8-9).

When it dies I'll go to the Dell XPS 15. I've used a Lenovo, ASUS, and HP laptops and prefer the Dell to all of them.

Using the cloud is fine if I were only at home, but although Net coverage is a lot better than it used to be, there are still "dead spots" when we travel so that depending on the cloud for access to my files is not 100% reliable.

 

[dawdmorgan]

Try a reset

You can try this for free - albeit with some effort: Reset your laptop to a clean windows install >> type "reset" in the search box bottom left and select "reset this pc". The "remove everything" selection is the best for a clean install, but be sure to back up all your personal files to a seperate drive first and also note which programs you have installed as you will need to reinstall them after the reset.

You'd have to do most of this with a new PC anyway, so worth a try. And if you do buy a new pc, be sure to try the "reset" on the old one so you'll have a backup!

 

[Sunset]

My current computer is 10 yrs old, and while I'm tempted by a new 12 core machine for just over $1K at costco, there is nothing wrong with my machine.

I run Ubuntu (linux) and keep upgrading the OS for free every few years.

I don't subscribe to the 7 year rule, but if I was using a laptop I might as the battery would be toast by then.

 

[Trailwalker]

My current computer is 10 yrs old, and while I'm tempted by a new 12 core machine for just over $1K at costco, there is nothing wrong with my machine.

I run Ubuntu (linux) and keep upgrading the OS for free every few years.

I don't subscribe to the 7 year rule, but if I was using a laptop I might as the battery would be toast by then.

I use a laptop with Ubuntu. On my second battery. They are cheap and an easy swap. Not sure mine will last ten years. Dropping it on the floor and cracking the back case was hard on it, but that was a few years ago.

 

[Jerry1]

My current computer is 10 yrs old, and while I'm tempted by a new 12 core machine for just over $1K at costco, there is nothing wrong with my machine.

Same here. My machine is 10 years old and there’s nothing wrong with it and, it does all I need to do, which isn’t much - surfing, writing a document, simple spreadsheet and some basic games like video poker. I timed it the other day and even with the password needed when the computer starts, I was up and clicked into this forum in less than 30 seconds.

But, I want one of those new all in one 24” Mac’s. I like my Windows machine, but I always had Windows machines because I wanted something consistent with what I had at work. Now, that restriction is gone. I had a MacBook Air, but I gave that away to DD because I don’t use a laptop any longer. I use my iPhone and my iPad more than anything, but sometimes, I just want to sit at my desk and have a full size screen and keyboard.

 

[Janet H]

Get as much RAM as you can afford and then get a little more. Increasingly we live a cloud existence and the ram is needed. Buying extra ram now will future proof your purchase and is money well spent.

 

[jollystomper]

My current computer is 10 yrs old, and while I'm tempted by a new 12 core machine for just over $1K at costco, there is nothing wrong with my machine.

I run Ubuntu (linux) and keep upgrading the OS for free every few years.

I don't subscribe to the 7 year rule, but if I was using a laptop I might as the battery would be toast by then.

In my view, ff you are running Linux the 7 year rule does not really apply. Linux makes much more efficient use of the hardware than Windows does, and is much better at continuing to support older devices. You can do a lot more with 4GB of memory on Linux than you can with twice that amount on Windows. The tradeoff is that relatively more technical skill is needed, and there are fewer choices for supported applications, but many can deal with that.

 

[teetee]

Recently I got a used Lenovo 300e with AMD Ryzen 3015e processor from a ebay seller that gets their laptop supply from schools for $75.

It was a really good deal for me. The 11" laptop is a 2-in-1 convertible with a stylus and IPS screen, has usb-c charging, and in a really good condition.

While many says the processor is slow, the window 10 runs smoothly and I have no trouble running web browsers, games (StarCraft II), Cura (slicing software for 3D printing), Gimp, and others on it.

The best part is it is something I can toss around during traveling. Not only it is cheap, it is also semi rugged, designed to withstand abuse from kids at school.

My previous daily driver was a Lenovo Thinkpad x61 from mid-2000s so it was a worthy upgrade (or some may say upgrade that was 10+ years overdue).

I do however have a MacBook pro for work and two other modern and more expensive 14" and 15" high resolution Lenovo laptops that I don't use often. I think the mobility is my main preference for a laptop when I am getting older.

 

[Souschef]

We bought a new Dell laptop for DW. We have a local tech that sets it up for us. The only problem is that the new laptops do not have a CD drive.
I wanted to load Office on her laptop, and fortunately I have an external CD drive. No problem.

 

[pacergal]

My MacBook arrived last week, I love it.
DH has my old one and he is in heaven also. Now his older iPad is for the grandkids when they want to play games or watch cartoons.