OT-New laptop

[Letsgohuskies11]

Anyone have any recommendations for getting a new laptop? I have like an 8 year old macbook that's way past its prime and is overdue for something new. I'm probably looking for a PC this time just as its easier if I need to use it for work stuff Microsoft suite/google sheets stuff etc. Primarily just use it casually though, holding photos/music/surfing internet, may play a game or two but dont want or need a gaming PC, more just play the casual steam game. Probably would be looking to spend upwards of $1,000 or so but dont need anything super complex. Feel free to move this to whatever abyss it needs to be off the bball board.

 

[fatlucy]

I just got a new Lenovo Thinkpad and I like it a lot. The only downside is that the camera is low quality and I telecommute. Otherwise I think it’s great.

 

[storrsroars]

I've been using Chromebooks for years and love 'em. Ridiculously light, fire up instantly, good video/camera for Zoom, etc. But if you really need local storage of a lot of MS files, might not be for you.

 

[uchusky32]

Microsoft Surface Laptop or Surface Book. Spend the same amount you would spend for your Mac Book.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I must recuse myself from any actual brand recommendations in this conversation. Strange time to move on from Apple though, the M1 chip has really changed them for the better. I'm pretty sure it runs Office 365 just fine. For gaming, figure out what you need to play anything you actually want to play (7 Days to Die is fun) at an acceptable frame rate, and then price out brands. Consider how portable you need it to be and whether you'll actually dock it to monitor and keyboard. Some gaming PCs are huge heavy beasts.

I can confirm one change from several years ago. Supply chain constraints now mean that "build your own" is far more expensive than that bigger brands, which have much better supply chains. Used graphics cards sell for good money now.

 

[imno1]

Since the macbook air has a new model next month you can get a current one for $879. Office 365 runs fine on a mac. 13" MacBook Air Apple M1 chip with 8 core CPU and 7 core GPU 256GB Space Gray | University of Connecticut Official Bookstore

 

[jleves]

Frist thing to do is determine what size screen you want. Next determine how portable is has to be. If it's just going to sit on your desk 95% of the time, it can be larger and heavier, you won't care and it will probably have better internals. If you are going to be traveling with it daily, you'll want something smaller and lighter.

From your use case and price, what kind of processor it has will not matter. Everything in that price range will be fast enough for browsing and Office.

As with all commodity items like laptops or TVs, I always suggest getting the best fit for you in your price range from Costco. They extend the warranty by a year and they'll take it back for the first three months if you don't like it or something better comes along.

As mentioned above, don't discount a Mac in your search and or criteria. I'm not an Apple user, but their stuff is definitely solid if you can find something within budget and it will easily do everything you are looking for (not sure about Steam games, though - check me on that).

And finally, no matter what you get, make sure the primary drive is an SSD and an M.2 drive at that. Figure out how much space you need then double it. 512GB on the primary drive should be your minimum. 1TB always better. Get at least 8GB of memory, 16GB would be better and more future proof.

That's all I got.

 

[uconnever]

Frist thing to do is determine what size screen you want. Next determine how portable is has to be. If it's just going to sit on your desk 95% of the time, it can be larger and heavier, you won't care and it will probably have better internals. If you are going to be traveling with it daily, you'll want something smaller and lighter.

From your use case and price, what kind of processor it has will not matter. Everything in that price range will be fast enough for browsing and Office.

As with all commodity items like laptops or TVs, I always suggest getting the best fit for you in your price range from Costco. They extend the warranty by a year and they'll take it back for the first three months if you don't like it or something better comes along.

As mentioned above, don't discount a Mac in your search and or criteria. I'm not an Apple user, but their stuff is definitely solid if you can find something within budget and it will easily do everything you are looking for (not sure about Steam games, though - check me on that).

And finally, no matter what you get, make sure the primary drive is an SSD and an M.2 drive at that. Figure out how much space you need then double it. 512GB on the primary drive should be your minimum. 1TB always better. Get at least 8GB of memory, 16GB would be better and more future proof.

That's all I got.

Don’t know anything about computers, but bought my son a MacBook for Christmas and just bought him a game on steam last week and he couldn’t get it to work. Before last week I never heard of steam and he’s new to it.

 

[uconnfan68]

Looking for opinions/experience with HP Envy 17” laptop. Says i5, 8gb, ssd (256? 512?) . Would have it mainly for when on the road to stay with the kids or on vacation. On sale for $500-600. Used to have Elitebook for remote work a few years ago, and it was ok. Only 14” screen though. Not even sure if it would be better than my phone, but might come in handy now and then.

 

[Drumguy]

Microsoft Surface Laptop or Surface Book. Spend the same amount you would spend for your Mac Book.

We started with Books but the Laptop is a much better value. I have 11 Laptop 4's in my firm (we change our computers evrey two years).

 

[HuskyHawk]

Don’t know anything about computers, but bought my son a MacBook for Christmas and just bought him a game on steam last week and he couldn’t get it to work. Before last week I never heard of steam and he’s new to it.

Not every Steam game is compatible with the Steam for Mac appl. (Steam Link?). There are lists online of what will play and what won't along with the various issues you may encounter. So it's a mixed bag, but I understand it is mostly getting better because the new apple chips are so good.

 

[jleves]

Looking for opinions/experience with HP Envy 17” laptop. Says i5, 8gb, ssd (256? 512?) . Would have it mainly for when on the road to stay with the kids or on vacation. On sale for $500-600. Used to have Elitebook for remote work a few years ago, and it was ok. Only 14” screen though. Not even sure if it would be better than my phone, but might come in handy now and then.

17" for travel is really big. I wouldn't go bigger than a 15" lightweight if that is the main use case. Of course as you go lighter and lighter the $$$ go up. Not sure there is a great travel option in the $600 range.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Looking for opinions/experience with HP Envy 17” laptop. Says i5, 8gb, ssd (256? 512?) . Would have it mainly for when on the road to stay with the kids or on vacation. On sale for $500-600. Used to have Elitebook for remote work a few years ago, and it was ok. Only 14” screen though. Not even sure if it would be better than my phone, but might come in handy now and then.

As @jleves said, that's probably too big. For that use case I'd go with a 13". Look at the weight on it. My 15" for work is huge. There are some 13" and 14" laptops that don't break the bank. 14" is a lot bigger than 4". They sell iPads for a reason though. If you're an Android person, then maybe a chromebook (android tablets kind of suck).

 

[Greedo]

I have a surface pro for work that I like and would definitely meet all of your needs. I like that you can detach the keyboard and use it as a tablet too. It’s super thin and light weight. Only downside for me is it sucks if you want to sit on the couch with it on your lap because the “kick stand” thing isn’t the same as a true laptop. But it being super light weight and portable outweighs that to me, and being able to write on the screen is important for me too. Not sure how much you care about that. I like that I can detach the keyboard and lay it flat on a desk and write on it like a notebook in OneNote.

 

[B1GEast]

Long time HP user. Recently purchased a Dell. I would recommend either.

I prefer lots of storage. A lot of new laptops come very small amounts of storage, 200 GB's or less. I have a TB on my Dell, don't really care for cloud storage, although that's the way it is today.

Nothing less than a newer iCore 5 processor

As much RAM as you can afford

13 to 15 in screen

I like back-lit keyboards, it helps in low light

Spend a little extra on a higher network/wifi card

I have a touch screen, but I never use it, more importantly get a good pixel resolution, that makes the difference.

I think that's it. Good luck

 

[uconnfan68]

17" for travel is really big. I wouldn't go bigger than a 15" lightweight if that is the main use case. Of course as you go lighter and lighter the $$$ go up. Not sure there is a great travel option in the $600 range.

It’s not “travel” as much as it is having a real computer at the destination, with a big enough screen to view. Probably would never go on a plane. Just trying to determine if Envy laptops are as reliable as Envy desktops. Thanks for the info!

 

[Hurleyman216]

We’ve had a lot of issues with HP laptops recently. I really like the Dell XPS line if you’re going the PC route. They’re solid, fast and just well built. I have a 13” XPS I’ve been using for a few years and will likely get a 15” version the next time I buy one

 

[KembaStepback]

HP is bad. I have friends with tech experience te me never to get an HP. Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo are fine. The important specs are RAM, cpu and GPU if you're planning to game at all.

 

[HuskyHawk]

We’ve had a lot of issues with HP laptops recently. I really like the Dell XPS line if you’re going the PC route. They’re solid, fast and just well built. I have a 13” XPS I’ve been using for a few years and will likely get a 15” version the next time I buy one

My XPS is going strong at almost 4 years old. Got my daughter one for college and it has served her well. I would grab one of the ones they have on sale from time to time as they are expensive. More a rec for @Letsgohuskies11 That said, the newer Inspirons are nicer and lighter than they were, and they sell gaming versions of those. Less premium product but more specs for the $.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

HP is bad. I have friends with tech experience te me never to get an HP. Acer, Asus, Dell, Lenovo are fine. The important specs are RAM, cpu and GPU if you're planning to game at all.

Oddly, my experience is different. Have only had HP's the last 10 years - I shop in the business section at the website, not personal, less bloatware, better prices and specs. Agree on a minimum 512GB SSD, and 16 GB RAM. Personally, I like a 14 inch screen - as Goldilocks would say, 13 is too small, 15 is too large for portability. The HP Elitebooks are very light, less than 3 lb. I'm replacing my last one now with a new Elitebook, only because it's 6 years old and because HP had a solid replacement - more memory, better screen resolution, better graphics - on sale at half the list price. As it still works fine, I'm having a tough time letting go of the old one, though.

If you go Intel I'd lean toward i7 or higher. Had problems with i3 and some i5 in the past. And I've heard the AMD Ryzen chips rock.

No problem with Dell, though I know several guys who use them without issues.

 

[M.S.G.]

I'm a big Toshiba guy, my last 2 laptops have been Toshibas and they have absolutely ruled. I understand that so many people are Mac people and you have your PC folks on the other side. I just can't wrap my head around Macs, we got a Commodore 64 when I was in like 4th grade and I graduated to a PC with Windows 3.1 - that's just simply HOW I do computing.. Macs are all fine and good, but you either or you aren't.

My best advice when you customize is to go 2 levels above what you actually need at the time - because that will give you added longevity and will give you a much more powerful machine then you'll need at the time.

 

[NowInStorrs]

I am still using a first gen Surface Pro from 2011. It's still going strong. I have another more powerful laptop that can do gaming and whatever else but for general use the Surface is awesome. It's lightweight, portable, and nice to use. One of these days I'll probably get a newer model Surface Pro. That said, there are a lot of options for what you are looking for. Agreed with the person who said figure out what screen size you want and go from there. Don't cheap out though. I'd recommend at least an i5 if you're going Intel. The Ryzen 5 and up chips are nice as well.

 

[JordyG]

Long time HP user. Recently purchased a Dell. I would recommend either.

I prefer lots of storage. A lot of new laptops come very small amounts of storage, 200 GB's or less. I have a TB on my Dell, don't really care for cloud storage, although that's the way it is today.

Nothing less than a newer iCore 5 processor

As much RAM as you can afford

13 to 15 in screen

I like back-lit keyboards, it helps in low light

Spend a little extra on a higher network/wifi card

I have a touch screen, but I never use it, more importantly get a good pixel resolution, that makes the difference.

I think that's it. Good luck

All good advice, and @Letsgohuskies11 should take them. I would also ask @Letsgohuskies11 what his uses and needs are? He's well accustomed to Mac programs and services. Microsoft computers add far more programs, far more applications, and far greater flexibility. But let's also remember, because Mac's make up about 20% of the world current computers (not sales), hackers find Mac's far less attractive. So although you will have Mac viruses, hackers target Windows 83% of the time. 80% of the worlds Operating Systems, 80% of the worlds viruses. If you are into light gaming or heavy gaming (guilty your honor), then there is no choice. It's Windows and the rest aren't even also rans. Mac charges more, and IMO, offers less, although they have always looker better than most Windows laptops. Mac's are also more expensive to repair, and the number of horror stories I've heard about turn around are gruesome. Your Windows breaks down there are lots of reputable repair centers. If your Mac breaks down you'd better have a Mac repair center do the work or face the wrath of Apple with a voided warranty, shoddy workmanship, or both.

​

 

[JordyG]

Oddly, my experience is different. Have only had HP's the last 10 years - I shop in the business section at the website, not personal, less bloatware, better prices and specs. Agree on a minimum 512GB SSD, and 16 GB RAM. Personally, I like a 14 inch screen - as Goldilocks would say, 13 is too small, 15 is too large for portability. The HP Elitebooks are very light, less than 3 lb. I'm replacing my last one now with a new Elitebook, only because it's 6 years old and because HP had a solid replacement - more memory, better screen resolution, better graphics - on sale at half the list price. As it still works fine, I'm having a tough time letting go of the old one, though.

If you go Intel I'd lean toward i7 or higher. Had problems with i3 and some i5 in the past. And I've heard the AMD Ryzen chips rock.

No problem with Dell, though I know several guys who use them without issues.

I have an Elitebook and its looks, functionality, reliability, and portability have met all expectations. I'm an Intel man, although the last big boy gaming computer I made is a Ryzen 9.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Marcus Williams has some at a good price.

Too soon?