ADVERTISEMENT

Lower to Mid-Priced Laptops....

B

bjf1991

Well-Known Member
Oct 4, 2016
4,790
5,257
1
Usage:

Fairly basic stuff......web access, word processing, documents, e-mail, social media, etc

Looking at Lenovo 110-15isk.......thought it might do the trick

Haven't really found much on-line in the way of "reviews" that seems to be real determinant one way or the other

Any comments from more knowledgable folks wrt this selection (the Lenovo 110-15isk).....or suggestions for alternatives?


(trying to start early, and beat the rush, vav Christmas shopping this year :) )
 
Everybody hates Dell, but I paid $400 for an Inspiron laptop 3 years ago and I have yet to have a problem.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bjf1991
have you looked at a Chromebook? I got one for the in-laws at Target for $120 and works great as long as you have wifi and can use google docs (I guess you can use the browser version or word for a fee).

I find a big differentiator in laptops is having a solid state drive (SSD). This puts the operating system in memory and not on a hard drive. It dramatically improves speed and battery life. My wife has an ASUS, which she loves. Booting takes about ten seconds and battery lasts about 6 hours realistically. you can pick one up for ~ $400 and I think it is worth the price difference.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mayestj, BoulderFish and bjf1991
Obliviax said:
have you looked at a Chromebook? I got one for the in-laws at Target for $120 and works great as long as you have wifi and can use google docs (I guess you can use the browser version or word for a fee).

I find a big differentiator in laptops is having a solid state drive (SSD). This puts the operating system in memory and not on a hard drive. It dramatically improves speed and battery life. My wife has an ASUS, which she loves. Booting takes about ten seconds and battery lasts about 6 hours realistically. you can pick one up for ~ $400 and I think it is worth the price difference.
Click to expand...
TY

As a non-techie, most of this stuff is way over my head......but that makes sense, even to a non-techie like me
 
  • Like
Reactions: Obliviax
bjf1991 said:
TY

As a non-techie, most of this stuff is way over my head......but that makes sense, even to a non-techie like me
Click to expand...

NP...your next two decision points are size of screen (I like a smaller laptop for travel and have a large screen I plug into when at home) and touch screen (I am not a big fan but the wife loves it).

Good luck...good time to buy
 
bjf1991 said:
TY

As a non-techie, most of this stuff is way over my head......but that makes sense, even to a non-techie like me
Click to expand...

Mine was marked down from $1049 to $899 sir.

And, for $80, the GEEK squad is going to transfer over all my data from my current computer. The 'mother-board' has about had it.

Also got the 'forever' Windows Office disc to add to my computer.

The ENVOY operates on Windows 10.

Added a nice printer and 1 year security for a grand total of $1298.42 spent.
 
Buy the least expensive Apple laptop. It's $799 and better quality than the PC's. You won't be sorry when you buy an Apple product.
 
I'm a fan of Lenovo for bang-for-the-buck (yeah, I know it's Chinese, but whatever). HP is cheaper, but is among the least reliable. You can get a high performing Lenovo with Intel i7 processor, fast graphics card, SSD, and 12GB RAM for a very reasonable price -- just keep checking with places like DealCatcher, MicroCenter, etc. Upgrades are very simple as well. My daughters are big Apple fans, but they learned very quickly in college that Windows is essential there. I have used both OS platforms and find them a wash (although the MS Office suite does not perform/operate the same under MAC OS), so cost becomes a distinguishing factor.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bjf1991
I have two Acer laptops that I'm happy with. The less expensive one was about $600 I think and has the solid state drive (a must IMO) obli referred to.
 
I have had a lot of issues with HP's and Dell's. My wife made me buy 2 macbooks and they have been simply perfect. Also the battery life on the macbooks are much better than the other laptops I have had.
 
Brands don't matter that much. All PC laptops are made from the same components. A laptop is like buying a pair of shoes -- you have to go to the store and try out some models. The thing that really matters is whether you like the keyboard, the screen and the weight.

Basically price/weight will move in inverse proportion. If you're willing to deal with a 6 pound laptop, you can get something perfectly serviceable for under $300. If you want something lighter, you can either spend more or buy a chromebook or HP Stream-type Windows machine. If you want something under 4 pounds and full laptop functinoality you're probably looking at $600 or $800.

Don't overbuy capability you don't need. With laptops, in my experience, the more you spend, the more there is to go wrong. Generally better to spend $300 now and another $300 in 2-3 years than spend $600 and try to make a laptop last 5 years (some Appleheads keep their laptops forever but that's mainly because replacing them is so expensive -- so they put up with outdated hardware).

Just one other piece of advice. I had an absolutely awful service experience involving an Asus laptop. Asus is a highly respected hardware maker and I've rarely had problems with their stuff, but when this laptop died their service department was so slow that it took me 3 months to get a working replacement. Lenovo or Dell (particularly if you pay for an enhanced warranty) will often have on-site service or express shipping service. I would not buy from Asus again based on this service experience --- they are just too slow.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bjf1991
saeed said:
Everybody hates Dell, but I paid $400 for an Inspiron laptop 3 years ago and I have yet to have a problem.
Click to expand...
Dell is fine. In fact, that is what I would recommend to anyone looking for a budget PC. Their customer service is better than most companies and their stuff is relatively cheap. If someone only is doing basic computing, I would recommend something with an i3 processor, 4 GB of RAM and a hard drive to fit your needs (don't need a large one if you are not hording pictures and videos). In the future you may need to add some RAM, but it's dirt cheap.

This computer is fine. It has the older generation processor, but it still is more than capable:

http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/inspiron-15-3558-laptop/fndoc105sb

If someone wants something smaller and lighter, they will have to pay more.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bjf1991
I have a Lenovo that's about 4 years old and it's s basic middle of the road laptop. I use it for basic stuff and I have no complaints.
 
bjf1991 said:
Usage:

Fairly basic stuff......web access, word processing, documents, e-mail, social media, etc

Looking at Lenovo 110-15isk.......thought it might do the trick

Haven't really found much on-line in the way of "reviews" that seems to be real determinant one way or the other

Any comments from more knowledgable folks wrt this selection (the Lenovo 110-15isk).....or suggestions for alternatives?


(trying to start early, and beat the rush, vav Christmas shopping this year :) )
Click to expand...

Just spent weeks researching this for my daughters first college laptop............finally decided on an ASUS for $550 . 15.6 inch, core I5 processor, Solid State hard drive with 256gb and 8g of ram. I was determined to get a solid state hard drive for the least amount of money. Extremely fast in and out of applications and 256 is plenty of storage for what she needs. Also 550 is a nice "starting out" price for when she drives off with it on the roof of her car.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Obliviax, 91Joe95, artsandletters and 1 other person
BoulderFish said:
LOLOLOLOLOL

The only thing Apple is good at is marketing.

I got suckered a couple of years ago with the iphone. Never again.
Click to expand...
I'm surprised to hear that. I've owned all Apple products my whole life....never would buy anything else.

Nobody else integrates their products like Apple does....try syncing your Dell laptop with your Dell phone. lol
 
Last edited:
jake418 said:
Just spent weeks researching this for my daughters first college laptop............finally decided on an ASUS for $550 . 15.6 inch, core I5 processor, Solid State hard drive with 256gb and 8g of ram. I was determined to get a solid state hard drive for the least amount of money. Extremely fast in and out of applications and 256 is plenty of storage for what she needs. Also 550 is a nice "starting out" price for when she drives off with it on the roof of her car.
Click to expand...
256 does not sound like a lot for a college student. It sounds woefully small to me actually.
is it too late to get a bigger ssd?
 
SSD drives are still relatively new on the market. They're a lot more expensive per gig than a regular hard drive. That's why they're still small.

I wouldn't buy a laptop that is maxed out at 8 gigs of ram. Always get one that can be upgraded to at least 16GB, if not 32, even if it only comes with 8 installed
 
ClarkstonMark said:
256 does not sound like a lot for a college student. It sounds woefully small to me actually.
is it too late to get a bigger ssd?
Click to expand...

I believe my son had something like 16 GB of files of value after 4 years of college, Criminal Justice, going into Grad School. He just replaced his laptop during his 1st semester at seminary with a Lenovo Yoga, 256 SSD, 8 GB memory and loves it. I recommend putting one of the very low profile USB drives (looks like a mouse remote) in a USB drive and leaving it there (32 GB is usually fine) and then just regularly backing up your "documents" folder structure to it.

As stated above, a SSD should boot faster. But although the SSD is really "memory" hardware you still need adequate dedicated memory, which Windows 10 seems to eat up. So try and get at least 6 GB of memory, and more if it is available on a fairly priced laptop.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bjf1991
bjf1991 said:
Usage:

Fairly basic stuff......web access, word processing, documents, e-mail, social media, etc

Looking at Lenovo 110-15isk.......thought it might do the trick

Haven't really found much on-line in the way of "reviews" that seems to be real determinant one way or the other

Any comments from more knowledgable folks wrt this selection (the Lenovo 110-15isk).....or suggestions for alternatives?


(trying to start early, and beat the rush, vav Christmas shopping this year :) )
Click to expand...

As others have said, don't get anything fancy, its just overkill. The basics - 4 GB ram (operating system uses about 1 GB, programs about 1-2). Other than that its pretty much just what size you want. More than 4 GB will go unused. Hard drive size isn't going to matter. Ssd are faster but are not considered as reliable as regular hard drives. Any processor will handle what you want to do. I've got a 15" Asus I bought 2 years ago for $250 from best buy. Works great. I prefer windows, on the odd chance you find a win 7 or 8, you can still upgrade easily to win 10, which I really like. Apple runs on Intel. Its just an overpriced toy that has too small of a user base to be worth targetting, but you're paying 3-4x what they are worth, and apple locks you out of a lot of interesting stuff. They've really let their computer division slip, terrible what they've done. I've also got a 10 year old 17" Compaq I bought 10 years ago for $500 that originally ran vista. Wasn't even close to top of the line then and its still running fine. Recently upgraded to 10 a few months ago, and it handles it fine with only 3 GB ram. I do internet stuff, mail, macro intensive excel and word, and mame.

What I like to do when I get a computer is spend 10 minutes disabling and removing manufacturer apps. Ironically, the less expensive it is, the less garbage they put on it. Built in Windows security is perfectly fine, I don't even bother with extra security. You can add, but I don't find it necessary anymore.

If you back up your data regularly, computers have basically become throw away items that are actually pretty reliable.
 
  • Like
Reactions: getmyjive11 and bjf1991
Check out EBAY I got one for my son for Christmas...you can pick up a nice Dell or the like for around $100 with some software installed.
 
Obliviax said:
have you looked at a Chromebook? I got one for the in-laws at Target for $120 and works great as long as you have wifi and can use google docs (I guess you can use the browser version or word for a fee).

I find a big differentiator in laptops is having a solid state drive (SSD). This puts the operating system in memory and not on a hard drive. It dramatically improves speed and battery life. My wife has an ASUS, which she loves. Booting takes about ten seconds and battery lasts about 6 hours realistically. you can pick one up for ~ $400 and I think it is worth the price difference.
Click to expand...
My brother and son recommended Chromebook, so in need of the same capabilities you describe, I recently got one. I haven't had a chance to know it well, but I trust my well laptop versed relatives.
 
interrobang said:
SSD drives are still relatively new on the market. They're a lot more expensive per gig than a regular hard drive. That's why they're still small.

I wouldn't buy a laptop that is maxed out at 8 gigs of ram. Always get one that can be upgraded to at least 16GB, if not 32, even if it only comes with 8 installed
Click to expand...
You are never going to have to upgrade that laptop to 16 (let alone 32) GB if you are only using it for basic tasks. Anything over 8 would be unnecessary.
 
aferrelli said:
I'm surprised to hear that. I've owned all Apple products my whole life....never would buy anything else.

Nobody else integrates their products like Apple does....try syncing your Dell laptop with your Dell phone. lol
Click to expand...
Unfortunately we tend to treat our tech (and our politics but that is another conversation) like rooting for football team with apple vs microsoft, android vs apple, etc.
 
I just bought 3 of these at Best Buy. For an inexpensive laptop, it is surprisingly sturdy and more then adequate for basic use.

Lenovo - 110-15ISK 15.6" Laptop - Intel Core i3 - 4GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - Black

$269.99
 
  • Like
Reactions: GregInPitt and 91Joe95
Don't rule out Windows 7 machines. You can still upgrade them for free to Windows 10.
 
Apple computers cost more, BUT ;-)
It's like comparing an AUDI with a Chevy, both are cars (kind of). An AUDI is NOT for everyone.

MAC is better, but PCs are OK. I once had a poster made up for a Dell V.P. - "Dell, it's good enough for you" !!! Hung it in my office when he visited :)

That being said, PCs are fine for the most part, especially if short term cost is THE decider.
 
dawgduice said:
Apple computers cost more, BUT ;-)
It's like comparing an AUDI with a Chevy, both are cars (kind of). An AUDI is NOT for everyone.

MAC is better, but PCs are OK. I once had a poster made up for a Dell V.P. - "Dell, it's good enough for you" !!! Hung it in my office when he visited :)

That being said, PCs are fine for the most part, especially if short term cost is THE decider.
Click to expand...

Audi's are not underpowered nor do they keep you from going into overdrive. Macs are for people who think computers are filled with voodoo magic.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BoulderFish
91Joe95 said:
Audi's are not underpowered nor do they keep you from going into overdrive. Macs are for people who think computers are filled with voodoo magic.
Click to expand...
what kind of anti virus software do you think is best?
 
YeOldeCup said:
Sadly, it has expired except for those who use "assistive technologies."

Per Microsoft:

Is the Windows 10 free upgrade offer still available?

The Windows 10 free upgrade through the Get Windows 10 (GWX) app ended on July 29, 2016.

LINK
Click to expand...

Microsoft asks a simple yes/no question on whether you use the assisted technologies, they don't even check. Answer yes and it downloads and installs no problem. You don't even have to turn off the assisted technologies once its installed since they don't come turned on.
 
I wouldn't get a Chromebook. Too underpowered and dependent on wifi. This deal looks OK @ the online Microsoft Store. It wouldn't be a bad idea to upgrade to one with an SSD, but that will bump the price a bit.

Dell Inspiron 13 5378 Signature Edition 2 in 1 PC (Intel Core i5)
★★★★★★★★★★2.5 out of 5 stars. Read reviews.

(79)Read reviews
$459.00

(was $749.00) save $290.00

  • 13.3-inch Full HD touchscreen
  • Intel Core i5-7200U
  • 8GB memory/1TB HDD
  • Intel HD Graphics 620
 
I would bank on Dell

HP is headed south...I have 2 Lenovos that I have had issues with....I have 4 Dell laptops that I have never had a problem with!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT
Top Bottom
Back