Laptop suggestions

[petitepedal]

Might...might look at replacing my laptop this weekend my options are pretty much best buy or Office Depot...No Apple...it isn't in my budget.... any suggestions on brand and make?....keep in mind I gotta pay someone transfer stuff to my new computer....budget budget budget

[Chris...]

Budget?

[petitepedal]

Probably $300ish

[ChrisL]

Not so much a suggestion in what to buy but where to look. WOChrisL got hers at Costco. We did the Best Buy thing and a few other places and we happened to be in Costco for other stuff and stumbled upon the best deal there.

FWIW she got a Lenovo and is really happy with it but it was higher than your price point.

[Ralphie]

28 minutes ago, petitepedal said:

Probably $300ish

Then you have to buy the cheapest available.  I have had pretty good luck with a refurbished Dell I got for $100!  I think on Amazon.  It is old and slow but still kicking, and I hear Windows 10 is not a bigger resource hog like most new OSes so there is that.  We bought a new Toshiba pretty cheap at BJs years ago but it only lasted a couple of years.

[Longjohn]

Stuff mart has cheap. My all in one desktop came from there and has been great.

[Ralphie]

6 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

Stuff mart has cheap. My all in one desktop came from there and has been great.

Hmm - never really heared of all in ones before.  They look interesting.  One of my computers is a laptop that I use with an external big screen that I hardly ever use as a laptop, but then I do like using the old Macbook portably (new word, eh!).

The prices are right on target, just less than $300.

https://www.cdw.com/product/Lenovo-ThinkCentre-Tiny-in-One-22-Gen-3-LED-monitor-Full-HD-1080p/4785934?cm_cat=google&cm_ite=4785934&cm_pla=NA-NA-Lenovo_VL&cm_ven=acquirgy&ef_id=EAIaIQobChMIhZTltZbc4QIV2eDICh0e_QVqEAQYBCABEgK0A_D_BwE:G:s&ev_chn=shop&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhZTltZbc4QIV2eDICh0e_QVqEAQYBCABEgK0A_D_BwE&s_kwcid=AL!4223!3!198554567937!!!g!339728685480!

[Longjohn]

8 minutes ago, RalphWaldoMooseworth said:

Hmm - never really heared of all in ones before.  They look interesting.  One of my computers is a laptop that I use with an external big screen that I hardly ever use as a laptop, but then I do like using the old Macbook portably (new word, eh!).

The prices are right on target, just less than $300.

https://www.cdw.com/product/Lenovo-ThinkCentre-Tiny-in-One-22-Gen-3-LED-monitor-Full-HD-1080p/4785934?cm_cat=google&cm_ite=4785934&cm_pla=NA-NA-Lenovo_VL&cm_ven=acquirgy&ef_id=EAIaIQobChMIhZTltZbc4QIV2eDICh0e_QVqEAQYBCABEgK0A_D_BwE:G:s&ev_chn=shop&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhZTltZbc4QIV2eDICh0e_QVqEAQYBCABEgK0A_D_BwE&s_kwcid=AL!4223!3!198554567937!!!g!339728685480!

Mine is an HP and was under $300, it came with a cordless keyboard. The exact same computer with a touchscreen was $100 more. I decided I didn’t need touchscreen. I bought it back when I was working so I have had it for awhile. I got it the week before windoze 10 was released. I used Windoze 8 for five days and then installed 10.

[Fret Buzz]

1 hour ago, petitepedal said:

Might...might look at replacing my laptop this weekend my options are pretty much best buy or Office Depot...No Apple...it isn't in my budget.... any suggestions on brand and make?....keep in mind I gotta pay someone transfer stuff to my new computer....budget budget budget

1) What do you use your laptop for - ie JUST internet stuff OR actual install & use programs?

2) What is wrong with the current laptop that an OS clean install couldn't fix?  In other words, buying a new copy of Win10 (or you have the original OS disks) and doing a fresh and minimal install on a clean/new SSD harddrive might be wonderful. Most originally "cheap" laptops have the minimum in regards to CPU, RAM, and HD efficiency, so while the CPU is pretty much fixed, you could possibly bump up the RAM (from say 4 to 8 gb), and replace the old and slowed traditional hard drive with a much faster solid state hard drive (SSD).  This is not "simple" to do for someone inexperienced, but it is very simple to do for tech folks.  Win 10 is ~$140, new SSD ~$70, and RAM ~$50.

3) If you traditionally just use a laptop at a desk, an external keyboard, mouse, and even a monitor will "fix" any keyboard issues you may have.

[Fret Buzz]

1 hour ago, petitepedal said:

Probably $300ish

Costco (like Walmart or Best Buy) has some reasonable close-outs (or last year's processors) for cheap:

[groupw]

A while back, I would have agreed with the Win10 upgrade. But a couple big updates to Windows have changed my mind. We are running into a lot of compatibility issues with older machines not designed for Win10. Remember how they said they were going to model Win10 after the Mac OS? They are quietly doing it. Making old hardware obsolete by system updates. Where Microsoft outdid Mac is you can't turn off the updates in Win10. 

[2Far]

MS Surface. Wo2 has one. We have several in the company, including me. I love it.

Wo2 uses hers in tablet mode, I use mine with the supplied keyboard as a laptop.

[2Far]

A little more than you wanted to go (Open Box)

[Scrapr]

Does it have to be a big box? I found a laptop in Best Buy on their refurb shelf. You kind of have to look around for it...or ask

If you can wait a bit do E bay/refurb

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xlasptop+computers.TRS0&_nkw=lasptop+computers&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&Form%20Factor=Tower&_osacat=0&_odkw=desktop+computers&LH_ItemCondition=2000&rt=nc&_dcat=179&Operating%20System=Windows%2010

One day shipping

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xlasptop+computers.TRS0&_nkw=lasptop+computers&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&Form%20Factor=Tower&_osacat=0&_odkw=desktop+computers&LH_ItemCondition=2000&rt=nc&_dcat=179&Operating%20System=Windows%2010

[maddmaxx]

What do you do with the laptop?  If you do not run windows programs like excell or windows games you might want to look into a chromebook.  Web, music, streaming movies all great and well within your budget.

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Chromebook-Computer-802-11ac-Bluetooth/dp/B07FSFRWS4/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=chromebook&qid=1555681936&s=gateway&sr=8-6

I have that in white.  Big screen for a chromebook.   $209 prime.

[Scrapr]

Just now, maddmaxx said:

What do you do with the laptop?  If you do not run windows programs like excell or windows games you might want to look into a chromebook.  Web, music, streaming movies all great and well within your budget.

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Chromebook-Computer-802-11ac-Bluetooth/dp/B07FSFRWS4/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=chromebook&qid=1555681936&s=gateway&sr=8-6

I have that in white.  Big screen for a chromebook.

I like my chromebook. But it's a total rethink of what you do. It took me a couple months to figure out workarounds for no. memory & saving to the desktop. Every once in a while I have to use a Windows machine and it's like going back to 1998

[Kzoo]

3 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

like excell

Google apps. -  Docs Sheets Slides

[maddmaxx]

3 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

Google apps. -  Docs Sheets Slides

Yep.

And memory consists of a 64gb sd card stuck in the slot.  Womaxx currently has about 20,000 deer cam pics stored on two flash drives.

[jsharr]

I run an old Dell Latitude that I maxed out RAM on and installed an SSD.  Running Windows 10.  Has an optical disk drive,   It is a bit of a tank, but it runs great.  I bought two power supplies and leave one at work and one at home.  At home I have port replicator and use a corded keyboard and mouse and an 23" monitor.  Makes it much easier to use.

I keep a 12 volt cigarette lighter power supply in my car, so no matter where I am, I have options to charge.

I would look at refurbed Dells on Amazon or Office Depot or Staples.  Most places seem to be very close on price for comparable machines.

[sheep_herder]

1 minute ago, jsharr said:

I would look at refurbed Dells on Amazon or Office Depot or Staples.  Most places seem to be very close on price for comparable machines.

Just curious, does Dell not sell their own refurbished units, like Canon does cameras and lenses?

[Fret Buzz]

2 minutes ago, sheep_herder said:

Just curious, does Dell not sell their own refurbished units, like Canon does cameras and lenses? 

Dell Outlet:

[jsharr]

1 minute ago, sheep_herder said:

Just curious, does Dell not sell their own refurbished units, like Canon does cameras and lenses?

Yes, Dell sells refurbed, but I found better deals at other places and mine has been bullet proof.

[dinneR]

1 hour ago, Razors Edge said:

Costco (like Walmart or Best Buy) has some reasonable close-outs (or last year's processors) for cheap:

I have one of these. It's okay. The trackpad blows compared to an apple. It disconnects from the wifi fairly often which is just annoying. The praphics are good.

You get what you pay for. It's a $350 computer. 

I do use it to stream movies and tv shows on hoopla. I can plug it into y tv with a HDMI cable and that is slick.

[jsharr]

Here is a decent machine but $100 more than your budget

https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/3327916/Dell-Latitude-E5550-Refurbished-Laptop-156/

Core 15, 8gb of RAM, 256 gb SSD, so it will start fast and if you use cloud storage, no need for more storage than that.

 

[MickinMD]

If you're looking for a large screen (17.3" or 15.6") Walmart Online has great prices on just-like-new refurbished HP laptops but I don't recommend them to anyone unless they have the skill to deal with some initial software problems that sometimes arise.  A relative of mine called Apple and they hooked up to the laptop through the Internet and solved his problems then threw in a free Microsoft Office 2016 for his trouble.

I got my last two laptops there.  The only problem is that the 3rd party people sent me laptops where I had to send back (at their expense) the first laptop they shipped to me in each case.  Supposedly, certified refurbished HP laptops are passed back through the assembly line but clearly there were still problems.  But the price was worth the hassle for me for the 17.3" of screen I want.  Right now, I see this one that's similar to one I got in the past, though my guess is that a virtually identical one for around $300 will appear within the next month.  In general, computers with AMD processors are considerably cheaper than those with Intel processors of the same quality.  The AMD A10-9620P is a quad-core processor that runs from 2.5 GHz to 3.4 GHz, speeding up from 2.5 if an application requires it.  That's fast enough to run 1080p Anagraph 3D video, which is the most demanding stuff I run.

The last one I got, for $519, has 12 GB RAM, a 2 TB HD and a 3+ GHz quad core processor that listed at $1399 new and I've been using it for 2 years.

[jdc2000]

https://deals.dell.com/en-us/productdetail/2ahe

https://deals.dell.com/en-us/category/laptops

 

[Chris...]

My son is a PC guy. He just bought a Macbook pro from ebay for $299. It's a 2014 model but it's actually really nice.

[Tizeye]

Since I use a fully loaded 15" MacBook Pro, will keep quiet, but if I came back to Windows, the Dell XPS would be at top of list...but way out of your budget.

Last year as I was researching for my sister, she settled on a Lenovo and has liked it.  As a Realtor and former military I get a discount on Lenovo, Dell and Apple. Through your employer or other professional organizations do you get a discount, medical professional discount???,  and could order direct? Although, sometime the current discount is not as good with limited choices compared to the sale price for the general public. 

Also, in my research, noted a design error in certain Dell models. Whichever brand, make sure the camera is located along the top of the screen. For some unknown reason, Dell placed it at the bottom of the screen near the hinges. The problem with that placement is that when used for Skype, or blogging, it catches the underside of your chin and really distorts the face. The upper bezel placement provides a more natural look.

[Tizeye]

6 hours ago, petitepedal said:

....keep in mind I gotta pay someone transfer stuff to my new computer....budget budget budget

Before you do anything, get a backup hard drive and backup your entire computer. 

All they are going to "transfer" are photos, movies, documents, music, etc. What they typically DON'T transfer are programs which need to be re-installed as they have to interweave with the operating system registry. With that in mind and future planning, get a laptop with an SSD (512gb or so) and install the operating system (windows 10) and the various programs. For the pictures, movies, music, documents, etc, keep them on a regular spin type harddrive attached to the laptop by USB. Wouldnever have to have others transfer your stuff in the future as you can carry it from computer to computer. Be sure and routinely back up that drive.

[petitepedal]

Good advice here...Since I am still unsure...maybe I will get a new mouse for now and keep trying to figure it out.....(or make a trip to visit @groupw....the closest geek I know