Advise on buying new laptop

[sneakypete]

Guys,here are two of the laptops I am looking at. Not final choices by any means,but they both fit the general idea of what I think I want.

Right off the bat,I do NOT want any computer made in China at ANY price.

The 500 buck one is right at the very top of my budget,but I could spring for it if it was that much better than the other one.

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-A515-56-32DK-Display-i3-1115G4-Processor/dp/B09R5VYRVN/ref=sr_1_9?crid=177EGH04T30VM&keywords=laptop+computer&qid=1658473743&sprefix=laptop%2Caps%2C646&sr=8-9

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-A515-46-R3UB-Display-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B09HVC79PC/ref=sr_1_36?crid=177EGH04T30VM&keywords=laptop%2Bcomputer&qid=1658474631&sprefix=laptop%2Caps%2C646&sr=8-36&th=1

Please feel free to check out this link and make suggestions about other laptops to buy. The one thing I do NOT want besides a Chinese computer,is one that doesn't have black keys. The one I have now has silver keys,and I hate the damn thing.

[Texas Yellow Rose]

https://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?brandId=2201&c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&dgc=IR&cid=258996&lid=4635114&~ck=mn

[Elderberry]

I haven't ran much on laptops.

I started out on a VT100


Since then I've run on PCs. Usually a mid-tower case, separate monitor(currently a 24"), keyboard and mouse.

I do have a couple of Panasonic CF-29 Toughbooks that I take hunting to view game camera pics.

[Kamaji]

I haven't ran much on laptops.

I started out on a VT100


Since then I've run on PCs. Usually a mid-tower case, separate monitor(currently a 24"), keyboard and mouse.

I do have a couple of Panasonic CF-29 Toughbooks that I take hunting to view game camera pics.

Ahh, the good old DEC days!

[Elderberry]

Ahh, the good old DEC days!

Tweren't too good connecting over a 300 baud no handshaking modem. Even with my poor typing skills, waiting on that modem sucked.

[Bigun]

My advice is don't buy a new one @sneakypete for that $500 you can get a really good used corporate machine that will serve you well.

Here's just one example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133785229224?hash=item1f263897a8:g:Qw8AAOSwVBNin1Fu&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4FbSgepyF4LfGaPgXYr4rHU5k%2BskHtoHkQV%2FjYsGEvF36OcgZvPkGVRf5My2iK3%2BaOEJr7kW62WisszdrMiERval9DR7bLTPhE86T1sJgYIBMV%2Bqsncan83hCF04fnPMyPQSNQoIVN9390Aq%2Fc5%2FtQpwgH4JwB%2Ft8%2BQ05oV91eJu0RcIXN9aew92TdUqPWXxGlP4nxWUD1tUOS0e%2BbtpWufQ7WPXDMUXlntWQf1v8GiPP5aT5l2Yk3HNdGJfQv2UhN%2FWkKQdrsRQGmskE43GPHa3aQ14kE7fpFdcsVTAx%2Bbd%7Ctkp%3ABFBM4rz05MRg

FWIW, I've had really good luck with HP Probooks Two of them currently in use here.

[Kamaji]

Tweren't too good connecting over a 300 baud no handshaking modem. Even with my poor typing skills, waiting on that modem sucked.

In high school my best friend's father worked with the government, and had a DEC terminal at home with a 1200 baud modem.  My friend had access to a very limited guest account, so we would log on and play the text-based star trek game.  Unbeknownst to me, we were on ARPANET before it became the internet.

[Elderberry]

In high school my best friend's father worked with the government, and had a DEC terminal at home with a 1200 baud modem.  My friend had access to a very limited guest account, so we would log on and play the text-based star trek game.  Unbeknownst to me, we were on ARPANET before it became the internet.

I didn't get my VT100 until 1981 when was in college from another student. I used it to connect to the school for my 8080 assembly programming class. I also used it in the 1st class on 6502 SYM-1 Application Programming. After that I really didn't get online much until around 91, when I picked up a used 386, and got online using Archie and Gopher.

[Kamaji]

I didn't get my VT100 until 1981 when was in college from another student. I used it to connect to the school for my 8080 assembly programming class. I also used it in the 1st class on 6502 SYM-1 Application Programming. After that I really didn't get online much until around 91, when I picked up a used 386, and got online using Archie and Gopher.

My first intro to assembly was on my old Atari 800.  I got tired of writing "game" programs in BASIC, which was processed so slowly one could see the individual line rastering.  So I grabbed an assembly programming cartridge from a friend for the 800 and figured out how to write assembler code snippets to govern movement that could be stuck into a BASIC program (the Atari had a mechanism for reading machine code into memory when running a BASIC program).

After my foray into the internetworks on my friend's father's terminal, I didn't go back online again until sometime in the early 1990s, when VT in conjunction with the Town of Blacksburg started going all computers and networks.

[corbe]

   Personally @sneakypete I wouldn't buy anything but a DELL Inspiron Laptop with an Intel I5 processor/8GB Ram.  I put many of my customers on one and they love it.  Here's one on EBAY with Win 10 from an Authorized Reseller for $300.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234571904775?hash=item369d933707:g:2akAAOSw0D1ipXx6

[roamer_1]

My advice is don't buy a new one @sneakypete for that $500 you can get a really good used corporate machine that will serve you well.

Here's just one example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133785229224?hash=item1f263897a8:g:Qw8AAOSwVBNin1Fu&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4FbSgepyF4LfGaPgXYr4rHU5k%2BskHtoHkQV%2FjYsGEvF36OcgZvPkGVRf5My2iK3%2BaOEJr7kW62WisszdrMiERval9DR7bLTPhE86T1sJgYIBMV%2Bqsncan83hCF04fnPMyPQSNQoIVN9390Aq%2Fc5%2FtQpwgH4JwB%2Ft8%2BQ05oV91eJu0RcIXN9aew92TdUqPWXxGlP4nxWUD1tUOS0e%2BbtpWufQ7WPXDMUXlntWQf1v8GiPP5aT5l2Yk3HNdGJfQv2UhN%2FWkKQdrsRQGmskE43GPHa3aQ14kE7fpFdcsVTAx%2Bbd%7Ctkp%3ABFBM4rz05MRg

FWIW, I've had really good luck with HP Probooks Two of them currently in use here.

Almost all of my computers (7 of 10) are business class HP. My last (and now secondary, the one I take with me on service calls) laptop was the last of a long run of HP Elitebooks. My main laptop right now is a Dell inspiron.... The only other non-HPs in the whole place are  my main media machine (which is a Dell) and my portable notebook which is a Lenovo Thinkpad of some kind.

You just can't go wrong with business class HP.

[roamer_1]

   Personally @sneakypete I wouldn't buy anything but a DELL Inspiron Laptop with an Intel I5 processor/8GB Ram.  I put many of my customers on one and they love it.  Here's one on EBAY with Win 10 from an Authorized Reseller for $300.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234571904775?hash=item369d933707:g:2akAAOSw0D1ipXx6

I will second that, secondarily... I think business class Dell is probably the top of the heap at the moment... though I am probably HP business class at heart. That may be changing...

[Bigun]

   Personally @sneakypete I wouldn't buy anything but a DELL Inspiron Laptop with an Intel I5 processor/8GB Ram.  I put many of my customers on one and they love it.  Here's one on EBAY with Win 10 from an Authorized Reseller for $300.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234571904775?hash=item369d933707:g:2akAAOSw0D1ipXx6

I gotta have 16 gigs of Ram.

[roamer_1]

Well, @sneakypete ... The two you are looking at are kinda crap.

The i3 would kinda be a battery sipper if you are wanting something with longer battery life, but will suffer performance-wise when compared to i5 or i7.

but neither one has satisfactory RAM, and the sad thing about ACER is that their economy models are often incapable (artificially limited) from increasing RAM. Note that I don't know if that is still true - I haven't looked at an ACER in years. But I surely would be very careful about that aspect.

4g RAM is nowhere near enough.I would say Windows cannot run properly without 8g, and I REALLY like 16g. So right off the drop, figure on upgrading the RAM immediately.

@corbe is sending you the right way. With the money you have to spend, I would be looking for a used, off-lease, business class machine. At least 8g RAM and at least a newer generation i5 (or i7) processor.

[Bigun]

Here's another good choice:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165394746454?epid=9043493048&hash=item26824b8c56:g:1CUAAOSwcGpiOK3G&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA0MIJxqtcJnfN7k1QJOeVIZ7TjnJaEr8a6dSTx5CYM3lZrkoE%2FT0sKGb01eI%2FrRd8qN2TKGTZIDCkRuCAGWesGBVaEoE8mdkqV1gAq8q8Qzn5t7C4oRah9DNt6%2BIwYEVwt88CegOogo05UVESG7atDTc2bLQv%2FVtZKeuEZobACXjclFGWWOs6PIrrDdn8yhn93EfCuzqhue3wcEPVEX7RfXVrIWYpxKR6gbIQonfEk2zoj%2ByYMWxrxyHokca7Oc6zclzzhhxd3BEiaQJJgd03hRI%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBMnq2b7cRg

[Kamaji]

I would strongly second the idea of getting an off-lease business model rather than getting a new economy model.  A number of years ago I purchased a couple of Dell desktops from eBay that had come off-lease, and didn't have much of a problem with them.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Bought this in 2021:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08H2H89K1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Love it.

Heavy though... not light at all.

[Fishrrman]

SneakyPete --

Once again, I'm going to suggest "Mac".

THIS is what you should be looking at:
https://www.apple.com/macbook-air-m2/
(keep scrolling down from the opening image)

You can get a 10% "veteran's discount" from Apple. If you need help with that, I can explain further. But I just bought a 2021 MacBook Pro 14" and got $200 off last February.

I reckon "the base configuration" will do you fine.

And please -- none of the "I can't learn a new OS" nonsense.
The Mac will be "the easiest" computer you use and an "easy transition", as well.

There's even a "Windows migration assistant" app to get your stuff moved.

[sneakypete]

@Bigun @Kamaji   @Texas Yellow Rose  @corbe @roamer_1 @Weird Tolkienish Figure

@Fishrrman

Ok,guys,just pulled the trigger on this one.

Dell Latitude E5530 15.6 Inch Business Laptop, Intel Core i5-3210M up to 3.1GHz, 8G DDR3, 320G, DVD, VGA, HDMI, WiFi, Win 10 Pro 64 Bit Multi-Language Support English/French/Spanish(Renewed)

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Latitude-E5530-Business-Multi-Language/dp/B00WJTC13O/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1AUTB373MHH4O&keywords=Dell+Latitude+E5530+15.6+Inch+Business+Laptop%2C+Intel+Core+i5-3210M+up+to+3.1GHz%2C+8G+DDR3%2C+320G%2C+DVD%2C+VGA%2C+HDMI%2C+WiFi%2C+Win+10+Pro+64+Bit+Multi-Language+Support+English%2FFrench%2FSpanish%28Renewed%29&qid=1658631185&sprefix=dell+latitude+e5530+15.6+inch+business+laptop%2C+intel+core+i5-3210m+up+to+3.1ghz%2C+8g+ddr3%2C+320g%2C+dvd%2C+vga%2C+hdmi%2C+wifi%2C+win+10+pro+64+bit+multi-language+support+english%2Ffrench%2Fspanish+renewed+%2Caps%2C528&sr=8-1

Mostly because I am even cheaper than the computer,it is a 15.6 inch Dell,and it has a CD player. I learned a long time ago that I can't play computer games if I also want to waste time doing stupid stuff like eating,sleeping,taking showers,and leaving the house.

99 percent of what I do is buy stuff I need and get it shipped to me to save money on gas and time,and irritating people on TBR. Don't need all the latest and greatest do-dahs to do that,but I am DONE with 14 inch screens.

Might take this HP apart so I can maybe sell the screen to somebody for 20 bucks plus shipping,as well as a few other parts on it. Going to trash the hdd. Damn thing just wants to crash all the time,anyhow. I blame that on Win 11. Probably a faulty install at the factory,but I don't care. There were some really great deals out there on newer 15.6 laptops,but most seemed to have Win-11,and with chemo brain,I am just NOT interested in learning a new op system. The one I just bought has Win-10 Pro installed.

Taking a chance on a used one,but if it even lasts one year I can't see how I went wrong.

[Gefn]

I’ve been saving up for an .Apple Mac Book pro.


Am I the only Mac enthusiast here?,

[Smokin Joe]

Almost all of my computers (7 of 10) are business class HP. My last (and now secondary, the one I take with me on service calls) laptop was the last of a long run of HP Elitebooks. My main laptop right now is a Dell inspiron.... The only other non-HPs in the whole place are  my main media machine (which is a Dell) and my portable notebook which is a Lenovo Thinkpad of some kind.

You just can't go wrong with business class HP.

I used Tosshibas through Win XP, am running an HP now, and have had good results (all laptops current one is an elitebook, I5 with 8GB Ram and a 256 gig SSD).

[Bigun]

@Bigun @Kamaji   @Texas Yellow Rose  @corbe @roamer_1 @Weird Tolkienish Figure

@Fishrrman

Ok,guys,just pulled the trigger on this one.

Dell Latitude E5530 15.6 Inch Business Laptop, Intel Core i5-3210M up to 3.1GHz, 8G DDR3, 320G, DVD, VGA, HDMI, WiFi, Win 10 Pro 64 Bit Multi-Language Support English/French/Spanish(Renewed)

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Latitude-E5530-Business-Multi-Language/dp/B00WJTC13O/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1AUTB373MHH4O&keywords=Dell+Latitude+E5530+15.6+Inch+Business+Laptop%2C+Intel+Core+i5-3210M+up+to+3.1GHz%2C+8G+DDR3%2C+320G%2C+DVD%2C+VGA%2C+HDMI%2C+WiFi%2C+Win+10+Pro+64+Bit+Multi-Language+Support+English%2FFrench%2FSpanish%28Renewed%29&qid=1658631185&sprefix=dell+latitude+e5530+15.6+inch+business+laptop%2C+intel+core+i5-3210m+up+to+3.1ghz%2C+8g+ddr3%2C+320g%2C+dvd%2C+vga%2C+hdmi%2C+wifi%2C+win+10+pro+64+bit+multi-language+support+english%2Ffrench%2Fspanish+renewed+%2Caps%2C528&sr=8-1

Mostly because I am even cheaper than the computer,it is a 15.6 inch Dell,and it has a CD player. I learned a long time ago that I can't play computer games if I also want to waste time doing stupid stuff like eating,sleeping,taking showers,and leaving the house.

99 percent of what I do is buy stuff I need and get it shipped to me to save money on gas and time,and irritating people on TBR. Don't need all the latest and greatest do-dahs to do that,but I am DONE with 14 inch screens.

Might take this HP apart so I can maybe sell the screen to somebody for 20 bucks plus shipping,as well as a few other parts on it. Going to trash the hdd. Damn thing just wants to crash all the time,anyhow. I blame that on Win 11. Probably a faulty install at the factory,but I don't care. There were some really great deals out there on newer 15.6 laptops,but most seemed to have Win-11,and with chemo brain,I am just NOT interested in learning a new op system. The one I just bought has Win-10 Pro installed.

Taking a chance on a used one,but if it even lasts one year I can't see how I went wrong.

It will serve you well @sneakypete personally I would have gone with something that had an SSD and 16Gigs of RAM but that's just me.  Windows runs in 8 gigs but WAY more better in 16.  At least that has been my observation.

[catfish1957]

I’ve been saving up for an .Apple Mac Book pro.


Am I the only Mac enthusiast here?,

Nope.  I got tired of fighting the malware and viruses of WIN machines.  Not that ios products are exempt, but the problem is apparently infinitely less.

[Bigun]

I’ve been saving up for an .Apple Mac Book pro.


Am I the only Mac enthusiast here?,

I have never owned anything Apple and never will. Their way of doing business soured me on Apple products early on. @Gefn

[roamer_1]

Nope.  I got tired of fighting the malware and viruses of WIN machines.  Not that ios products are exempt, but the problem is apparently infinitely less.

Viruses are pretty much non-existent since win10. Even spyware and such. I can't even tell you the last time I had an infection of any kind. Years and years.