Time for this age-old question again. My Mum wants a new laptop - what's good these days? I've had a mac for 5 years so more than a little out of the loop on windows laptops, aside from the Thinkpad I use for work and get no choice over.
Her ideal wishlist looks something like the following:
- 14" or 15" screen
- at least one USB3 port (more = better)
- min 250 GB storage
- Decent non-janky trackpad (my words, not hers!)
- Lightweight would be good
Something that's not full of bloatware out of the box would also be nice as I'm not in the UK to help set it up, though conceivably could remote desktop in and delete any pre-installed shite if needed.
Budget is not fixed but closer to 300 than 800 would be welcomed! FWIW, her current machine is a Samsung R530 which she's been relatively happy with but it's getting really slow after about 8 years of use.
In terms of shops, I've warned her off PC World already. John Lewis is usually a good bet but they don't have anything with decent storage for the price. Amazon?
Any thoughts?
Comments
HP 250 G6 Core i5-7200U 8GB 256GB 15.6 Inch Windows 10 Laptop
256gb ssd, 8gb ram, last gen i5 (I'm running gen before that... Processors are pretty much topping out on current tech I think).
Seems decent. For less, you can get a 4gb ram version but I'd probably stick with 8 as ram is pretty cheap.
HP 240 G6 Core i5-7200U 8GB 256GB 14 Inch Windows 10 Laptop
https://www.very.co.uk/lenovo-ideapad-320-intelreg-coretrade-i5-processor-8gb-ramnbsp128gbnbspssd-14-inch-laptop-platinum-with-microsoft-office-365-home-1-year-and-mcafee-total-protection-for-1-device/1600319424.prd
Got it for £399 during Black November. I have to say I’m very impressed.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
I'm not 100% on which model I have, it's got a 250gb ssd (I think). The only downside to it are the built in speakers are utter bollocks.
They look a bit austere though, and if your parents plan on using it on the train they will look like they’re on their way to a meeting.
I think they're a bit "work looking" for mum though.
Will have a browse of laptops direct
They're just tools to me though, I guess it’s like me fussing over the look of my guitars when lots of gigging guitarists wouldn’t give tuppence about fancy tuners or an aged pickguard.
Paying loads of money should get you something that makes you feel good when you’re using it.
Dell make good machines.
Not sure why you don't trust Google. Yes I am biased as I work for them, but culturally they are probably the least evil company I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with.
Once you get used to the quirks of using G suite it's not bad, especially if you are sharing and collaborating with others.
But I digress... the main point is my Mum doesn't know how to use it and doesn't want to.
They’re really well built. Acer laptops fall apart. My last two Dells failed within a year.
I’m sticking with Lenovo!
Laptop for parent?