Laptop recommendations?

[albireo13]

Hi,
I have just retired and have handed in my work laptop.
Our home computer is a MAC which I like. However, there are still some SW and applications which are WIN based which I like so, I am looking to get a modest price WIN laptop for my own home use. I am not a gamer so, something good for streaming occasional video, and doing other stuff ... docs, spreadsheets, web surfing.

Any good suggestions or recommendations? As for budget, I'd like to be $750 or less. There are lots of used laptops on CL and other sites but, I am hesitant buying one used. I don't know if they've been abused or not.

I could even consider a 2-in-1, like a new MS Surface Pro. I have a MS Surface Go which I about a few years ago. It is nice but, now I wish I got a bigger screen. Also, the original Surface Go has really poor battery runtime.


Anyway, I am open to suggestions. Thanks!!!!

 

[pb4uski]

I'm partial to Lenovo laptops.... pretty bulletproof in my experience both from work and personally.

My current 2-in-1 is a Lenovo Miix 700 that I bought in January 2017 for $570. Truly the best laptop that I have ever owned, though I rarely use it as a tablet since I have a Samsung Tab A tablet.

Unfortunately they no longer make the Miix so if I was buying today I would probably go with a Lenovo Yoga or Microsoft Surface.

 

[njhowie]

I only purchase refurb laptops/desktops, almost always from Newegg. I have never had any problem in the past 15 years.

Just buy one with a SSD and even if it is not the fastest CPU, it will be plenty fast for the uses you describe.

Newegg always has a good selection. For $300 to $400 you can get a really good configuration. Choose one sold/shipped by Newegg and not one of the marketplace companies. Any problems and they will take care of it themselves and make it right.

Check here:
https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100006740 8000 4016 4809 4841&PageSize=96&Order=1

 

[Jimmie]

DD bought a MS Surface Pro laptop and had lots of issues. MS replaced it once under warranty but had same problem with replacements. MS cannot actually "repair" them due to how they were designed. They just replace them. She ended up throwing it away and bought a MBP.

Most major name laptops are built in Malaysia at the same factories. They all have the same internals for the most part. Lenovo, Dell, HP, doesn't really matter any more. Laptops now have great reliability.

One suggestion would be to find out when it's getting close to end of financial quarter/year for the companies and check out their websites. Most will have deals to drive revenue for that quarter/year.

 

[Aerides]

I am not a gamer so, something good for streaming occasional video, and doing other stuff ... docs, spreadsheets, web surfing.

You might want to look into a Chrome book for that sort of casual use.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

I bought a new Windows 10 Dell Inspiron PC Laptop when I retired partially funded by the $250 my immediate team of coworkers gave me as a retirement present. Never did get a watch or anything from MegaCorp itself.

I think I paid about $600 for it total from BestBuy. There were less expensive ones, but I paid a little more to get 512gb of SSD space. It's has a touch screen, but I don't really use that functionality. It has 8gb of memory, which is more than enough for basic internet, email, Office documents, etc.

I also just recently paid $899 for a 24" All-in-One desktop from HP that I'm very happy with.

I am a big fan of Apple computers and that's all I had for the last 10 years or so. But now that I'm retired, I don't find it so fun to pay the premium price for them. I'll keep my iPhone and iPad though.

 

[O2Bfree]

You might want to look into a Chrome book for that sort of casual use.

+1

That's DH's MO for laptop use, and he just got an Acer Chrome book, Model N16P1. It's working great for him so far. The OS is a little different from the Windows system he had, so that's taken him a bit to get used to but otherwise he's happy with it. Especially since the Dell laptop I bought him some 8 years ago was really getting slow for surfing and would frequently lock up. Now he can read through all his news in the morning before he's finished with his cup of tea!

 

[ejman]

I've been very pleased with the Dell latitude that I bought from https://www.dellrefurbished.com/ It looks brand new and comes with a warranty and there is extensive Dell support. I'm partial to business computers because they seem to be more rugged than consumer types and much easier to service if needed.

 

[albireo13]

A Chromebook is an interesting idea but there are some
SW packages I would like to be able to run.

 

[O2Bfree]

I've been very pleased with the Dell latitude that I bought from https://www.dellrefurbished.com/ It looks brand new and comes with a warranty and there is extensive Dell support. I'm partial to business computers because they seem to be more rugged than consumer types and much easier to service if needed.

Dells are workhorses for sure. I loved the reliable and lightweight Latitude E7450 I used at the office, so when I retired last year I asked my manager if I could take it with me, and he said yes. It was only a few years old, but IT wouldn't support it anymore because the warranty was expired. So I knew it would just sitting gathering dust somewhere, like all the other laptops left by departing employees, and end up in a "recycle" bin during a 5S event. Such a waste!

 

[target2019]

I recommend and use Dell.

Daughter just bought a 17" model. It's already been replaced since her buddy dropped it. It damaged the USB ports, but rest of system was working. That's a good test.

I do have an ancient HP notebook that is anchored to my desk and runs Linux.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I'll second Newegg, although IMO refurbs are best suited for when you are trying to squeeze more performance out of a tight budget, which doesn't seem to be the case here. Five or ten years ago I might have trusted Newegg more, but their customer service has gone from stellar to only really good...again, IMO, YMMV.

Here's the laptop we just bought for our first-year college student. They wanted a big screen (kids these days prefer watching media on their computers to TVs many times), and this exceeded the specs that the college listed while being cheaper than the Dell and Lenovo they recommended even WITH the student discount: https://www.newegg.com/slate-gray-asus-f512da-nh77-mainstream/p/N82E16834235291?Item=N82E16834235291

*Oops, sorry, it's out of stock, but there are similar ones listed on that item page. We paid $659 before tax back in June.

I only purchase refurb laptops/desktops, almost always from Newegg. I have never had any problem in the past 15 years.

Just buy one with a SSD and even if it is not the fastest CPU, it will be plenty fast for the uses you describe.

Newegg always has a good selection. For $300 to $400 you can get a really good configuration. Choose one sold/shipped by Newegg and not one of the marketplace companies. Any problems and they will take care of it themselves and make it right.

Check here:
https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100006740 8000 4016 4809 4841&PageSize=96&Order=1

 

[jim584672]

If you have limited income (under 200% FPL) this site has lots of cheap refurbs:
https://pcsrefurbished.com/sales/categorySales.aspx?categoryID=3

I would get a new SSD and it should be fine.

 

[OldShooter]

... I could even consider a 2-in-1, like a new MS Surface Pro. ...

I have been using a Surface Pro 3 P5 256 for about 5 years. It has done a very good job. Its wifi radio just died and, although the USB wifi adapter I installed works fine, I used the event to get a Surface Pro 6 P7 512.

I use the machine three ways: (1) Docked in my home and lake home offices with standard monitor, keyboard, and mouse. It connects to many USB devices including two scanners, a monitor calibrator, sound adapter, and a Wacom tablet. Just like a "real" computer. (2)Sitting in my recliner chair with morning coffee and the loose Surface display (with the pen, no keyboard) I check email, browse news web sites and, of course, this one. (3) As a portable computer with mouse for presentations (adult-ed investing classes, and SCORE client meetings. For use case (3) the keyboard is adequate but not great. I use a BT Arc Mouse in that case.

I would suggest lurking on your local CraigsList for a Surface Pro 3, 4, 5, or 6. Minimum P5 but probably 128GB is adequate for your use case. Ideally find one with dock, keyboard, and pen for under $500.

Any computer thicker than about 1/3 inch is obsolete!

 

[CardsFan]

In my case, my laptop is basically a desk top that I can move around as needed.

I have been happy with HP, so last time I ordered on line to get exactly what I wanted.

- 17" screen
- 512g ssd
- 8 g of memory

SSD is a must.

 

[zinger1457]

I've been very happy with the Asus Vivobook I picked up ~ 2 years ago, lightweight and has a SSD drive for the OS and programs and a regular HD for data files. I've tried different size laptops over the years, a 17" screen was nice but the laptop was too heavy, 14" screens were just too small for my liking, seems 15.6" is the right fit for me. I would definitely look at the lightweight laptops available, plenty of good ones in your price range, makes a big difference IMO.

 

[albireo13]

I have been researching laptops and even went to BestBuy to look at some in person. The number of options is dizzying!
I liked the Lenovo C940 Yoga I looked at, as well as Yoga 740.
I am still going back and forth between a 2-in-1 style or classic lightweight laptop style.
Also screen size .... 14" to 15.6". I would like to use it in my lap sometimes so a big screen is unwieldy.

The Asus Vivobook looks nice too.

I had an HP 15.6" laptop for work. It worked well but was heavy.

 

[samm]

Last year I bought an Acer Aspire 5 and it is the fastest PC I have ever had.
I suggest a model with large SS drive. I got the fastest Intel chip then available.
Newegg has a good selection.

 

[finnski1]

I have been researching laptops and even went to BestBuy to look at some in person. The number of options is dizzying!
I liked the Lenovo C940 Yoga I looked at, as well as Yoga 740.
I am still going back and forth between a 2-in-1 style or classic lightweight laptop style.
Also screen size .... 14" to 15.6". I would like to use it in my lap sometimes so a big screen is unwieldy.

The Asus Vivobook looks nice too.

I had an HP 15.6" laptop for work. It worked well but was heavy.

I am in exactly the same boat as you.
shopping right now as I killed my ASUS 15.6 " screen laptop by dumping a full cup of coffee all over it a few weeks ago.
I have the same price range in mind.
I like the Dell Inspiron 7000 series because they have everything I want in a slim aluminum chassis. $650 to $750 range right now with the 10% off promo code

I want at least 8Mb Ram, 256 SSD and a backlit keyboard for low light night surfing. I am going back and forth on the touch screen.
Using my wife's little 11.6inch ASUS as we speak. Kind of like the touch screen but not a deal breaker. Seems to add another $100 or more for comparable Dells that I am looking at.
Another candidate which is getting excellent reviews is the HP Envy x 360.
Metal chassis, highly liked AMD Ryzen 5 processor, touch screen, backlit keyboard, and has a full numeric keypad as well as regular keyboard which is very handy for spread sheet entry etc. Price right around $700

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Why not just install a Windows guest running on your Mac? (This assumes your mac has reasonable processing power and more importantly memory. I wouldn't recommend doing this unless it has 8 GB of memory)

VirtualBox is free: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Then purchase a Windows 10 license and install Windows 10 as a guest. Or, if you want to try it out first (before buying), Microsoft has FREE virtual box appliances (which are in essence pre-configured systems) which you can install: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/
These are time limited (90 days) but you can always "snapshot" your guest imsage after setting up things how you like so that you can rollback your guests 90 day timer...or assuming you like how it works just buy a Win 10 license and activate it.

I do these things all the time..I have Linux guests on my windows based pc, Linux and Windows guests on my Mac.

ETA: If you want to go the PC Laptop route, I recently bought my child a Lenovo Yoga 740: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-yoga-c740-2-in-1-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i5-12gb-memory-256gb-solid-state-drive-iron-gray/6367803.p?skuId=6367803 which was on sale for $600 with educators discount. Pretty nice, looks similar to my MacBook Pro, has a touch screen, can use an optional pen. 12GB of memory, while soldered, should be "good enough". Fairly light. There's also a 14" version of it which might be even better for some use cases. The Yoga's are on the higher end of Lenovo's consumer laptops.

 

[5Miler]

I have bought several desktops, laptops and servers from Ebay and have never had an issue. Just in the last couple of months I have purchased two Lenovo laptops, T550 and T430 and both were under $300 with Windows 10 installed. I use Paypal so I have two forms of protection with Ebay and Paypal. I also stick to major refurbishers which I have found to be reliable and willing to make any issue right to keep their reviews/ratings high.

There are newer models with higher prices but if you just want a laptop to surf, view videos and use the occasional Windows application, they will more than meet your needs. I stick with HP, Dell or Lenovo commercial/business class products for reliability and keep away from consumer type models. Most of them come with SSDs already installed and are typically much easier to upgrade/service than current models.

 

[wdberry62]

I've been very happy with the Asus Vivobook I picked up ~ 2 years ago, lightweight and has a SSD drive for the OS and programs and a regular HD for data files. I've tried different size laptops over the years, a 17" screen was nice but the laptop was too heavy, 14" screens were just too small for my liking, seems 15.6" is the right fit for me. I would definitely look at the lightweight laptops available, plenty of good ones in your price range, makes a big difference IMO.

+1 - I've had 2 Asus notebooks in the past 8 years. Best bang for the buck in my opinion - reliable and low priced.

 

[CRLLS]

I've had poor luck with buying new laptops designed for home use from Lenovo. Parts are not easily or cheaply replaced. My last Lenovo, the keyboard went out and toe replace it required replacing the entire top of the machine at > $160. I've been happy with buying HP off-lease off of eBay. I'm pretty sure that Off lease Dells would be good too. Leased machines are generally made to be configurable and repairable easily and quickly. Figure that you will probably need a new battery, if not immediately, soon.

 

[caninelover]

I would also do an emulator, like Parallels, if it is just a few applications that you need to use occasionally (and you otherwise like your Mac).

https://www.parallels.com/pd/window...69hUAZ3zQZV0rZYe28LOGkwvXHFUVhVkaArb5EALw_wcB

Otherwise, if you would still like a whole separate Windows laptop, some of the others have made some good suggestions. Costco has a good selection of laptops in all price ranges as well if you wanted to go look at some.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[albireo13]

I prefer a separate WIN laptop, for portability reasons.