Help with New Laptop purchase

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RetiredAndLovingIt

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I'm looking for a basic Windows 11 laptop that will be used just for keeping track of my personal files, Turbo tax and possibly Quicken. My old PC is going to die at any time so I can't keep putting it off much longer. I;m looking at the laptop linked below but I'm already seeing issues that I may not want to deal with.

Firstly it comes with S-Mode installed and everyone seems to hate it because it locks you into only installing software from the Microsoft store. I understand it can be disabled which I'd need to do for TurboTax and Quicken software installation. How easy is it to do that, I've seen comments ranging from its just a switch you turn on or off in the Microsoft store to others saying it's a really big deal.
Secondly, when checking out they want me to purchase Microsoft 365 subscription which I'd rather not do if it's not needed. I don't need cloud backup or subscription software and I'd prefer to use Google docs if I could, can I do that on a Windows machine?

I have a really nice Asus Chromebook that I'll continue to use for web browsing and YouTube etc and I'm happy with it, it's way better than all the HP's I've purchased over the years.

This is the laptop under consideration, it's not going to be used for much more than what I stated. I'm not really much of a Windows fan anymore since I started using Google products.

 
If you're happy with your Chromebook, why not replace your laptop with a new Chromebook?

And make sure you have everything backed up if your laptop is dying!
 
If I were in your shoes, I’d find a local computer store and ask them to install a clean version of Windows on it and configure it the way you want it configured. Of course you could do this yourself if you’re up to it but it sounds like you’re concerned about your ability to do so.

Note, my belief, and I most certainly could be wrong, is that buying a computer for a couple hundred bucks, like the one you linked, is that cheap because of all the things you mentioned. They give you the machine and you give them your data and future purchases, even if it’s just using software/apps that mine your data or advertise to you.

I’ve bought a couple machines from a custom computer seller and it’s amazing how much different a clean install is on the operation of the machine.
 
My laptop that I bought in 2016 is not charging so I thought it might be time to shop for a replacement. I was surprised how inexpensive comparable models were but I didn’t look at any at the $120 price point. I was discouraged that I might be forced into the subscription model for Office. I looked on Youtube and my issue is common for the model I have and the repair part is $15.
 
Getting out of Win 11 S mode isn't a big deal. I did it for someone recently on a new machine.
 
Windows 10 is being made obsolete in mid 2025, and Windows 11 won’t install on anything older than an Intel 8th generation CPU - typically 2018 and newer.

That Best Buy laptop is way underpowered for Windows 11.
A much better choice for a mini PC is a

Beelink Mini PC,12th Gen Intel Alder Lake-N100 up to 3.4 GHz, 16GB DDR4 RAM 500GB M.2 SSD Desktop PC, S12 Pro Mini Computers, 4K@60Hz Dual HDMI, USB3.2, WiFi 6 BT5.2, RJ45 LAN​

Which costs $151.05 at Amazon
 
Al18 said:
Windows 10 is being made obsolete in mid 2025, and Windows 11 won’t install on anything older than an Intel 8th generation CPU - typically 2018 and newer.
Click to expand...
Bit of a thread hijacking here, but having used Win-11 on a former "work" computer, I am sorely disappointed. In particular there appears to be no way to split in the bottom-screen ribbon individual applications. So, if I have 5 Word documents open at once, I want to have 5 tabs in my ribbon... easy in Win-10, but impossible (I was told) in Win-11. Is that correct?

Getting back on topic, I'm no expert, but it seems fraught to buy something at introductory/gimmicky price, only to be straightjacketed and hassled. When last I checked, a reasonable price point for a compact mainstream laptop was around $700... that gets one a decent screen resolution, crisp keyboard, OK memory and CPU, and so on.
 
I’ve seen the Beelink computer in action - it definitely handles Windows 11 quickly, and boots in just a few seconds.
 
Diogenes said:
... Win-11 on a former "work" computer. In particular there appears to be no way to split in the bottom-screen ribbon individual applications. So, if I have 5 Word documents open at once, I want to have 5 tabs in my ribbon... easy in Win-10, but impossible (I was told) in Win-11. Is that correct?

.....
Click to expand...

I have Win 11, and if I open 2 documents, it shows them stacked in the bottom ribbon and when I hover over them it pops up a row of miniature doc images to show what they are with their filenames as titles.

That is good enough for me, so I haven't checked to see how to split them off into their own icons
 
Diogenes said:
Bit of a thread hijacking here, but having used Win-11 on a former "work" computer, I am sorely disappointed. In particular there appears to be no way to split in the bottom-screen ribbon individual applications. So, if I have 5 Word documents open at once, I want to have 5 tabs in my ribbon... easy in Win-10, but impossible (I was told) in Win-11. Is that correct?

Getting back on topic, I'm no expert, but it seems fraught to buy something at introductory/gimmicky price, onackup the important stuff for nowly to be straightjacketed and hassled. When last I checked, a reasonable price point for a compact mainstream laptop was around $700... that gets one a decent screen resolution, crisp keyboard, OK memory and CPU, and so on.
Click to expand...
It will get very minimal usage so no way am I spending anywhere close to $700 but point taken. I'm considering that mini PC that Al18 recommended.
 
RetiredAndLovingIt said:
It will get very minimal usage so no way am I spending anywhere close to $700 but point taken. I'm considering that mini PC that Al18 recommended.
Click to expand...

I'll second the mini-computer suggestion. This assumes you have a spare mouse, keyboard, and monitor laying around, which I guess you could poach from your dying PC.

That one that Al18 suggested has a very basic Intel Celeron processor. It might be that's all you need but since mini-PCs are so inexpensive I'd be tempted to upgrade to a mini-PC with a Ryzen 5 processor. Much more powerful with better graphics and name brand internals.

I got DW this one last spring and it's fantastic.


Of course, you might not need the extra horsepower of the Ryzen CPU for the applications you will be running.

I'd also suggest buying a standalone copy of Microsoft Office instead of MS 365. You can still buy your own copy of Office that's not a subscription like 365 for around $50 or so. Or you could continue using Google Docs, Sheets, etc. on your new PC.
 
Last edited:
Here's my thread on mini PC advice.

Do You Have a Mini PC? Looking for Feedback...

I started a thread about refurbished computers which morphed into a thread about mini PC's. After reading some replies in that thread, talking to some friends, and doing research I'm coming around to the idea of a mini PC. I'm currently looking at this one, but there are others...
www.early-retirement.org www.early-retirement.org
 
Al18 said:
Windows 10 is being made obsolete in mid 2025, and Windows 11 won’t install on anything older than an Intel 8th generation CPU - typically 2018 and newer.

That Best Buy laptop is way underpowered for Windows 11.
A much better choice for a mini PC is a

Beelink Mini PC,12th Gen Intel Alder Lake-N100 up to 3.4 GHz, 16GB DDR4 RAM 500GB M.2 SSD Desktop PC, S12 Pro Mini Computers, 4K@60Hz Dual HDMI, USB3.2, WiFi 6 BT5.2, RJ45 LAN​

Which costs $151.05 at Amazon
Click to expand...
I'm really interested in the mini PC and I've looked at these before but never pulled the trigger.I don't see a USB-C connection but not sure I really need it. Is this the one you mean, I think the price might have gone up just a tiny bit but I don't want to order the wrong one.
 
How well to the mini pcs work for graphics for things like photo editing (Photoshop) or if you play games?

One advantage of a desktop is to put in a graphics card.
 
easysurfer said:
How well to the mini pcs work for graphics for things like photo editing (Photoshop) or if you play games?

One advantage of a desktop is to put in a graphics card.
Click to expand...

The mini PC I got my wife with the Ryzen 5 does fine with photo editing. I haven't tried video editing on it though. I'm fairly certain the basic Celeron PCs wouldn't do well. You could look at the performance charts for the various CPUs for more info.

As to games, the mid priced minis can handle most games, which surprised me, except for the newest, most graphics intensive ones. Note I said "handle", meaning decent frame rates, just not optimal frame rates. There are plenty of YouTube videos detailing this sort of thing. But really, if you're a serious gamer, you're not looking at a mini PC.
 
The ports on the mini PC are USB3.x, so no problem using the inexpensive USB 3 A to C adapters.

Beelink has about 3 models with identical specs - I don’t know why. As long as the specs match, I wouldn’t worry about the slightly different price.
 
Another vote for a mini pc. DH and I both have one. Mine is more advanced with usb4 ports as well as usb3.2 ports. Use your existing monitor, mouse and keyboard. The AMD based ones have some surprisingly powerful graphics builtin for the price.
 
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