[NA] Suggestions wanted for new laptop: Brands, Models, Sources

AggieMike88

AggieMike88

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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
Borrowing a page out of Dr. Dave's book by asking this crowd to answer a tech question...

Need to purchase a new laptop. Talk to me about what brands, models, and sources to consider.

Budget is no more than $1000.00 and less is better of course.. Wants include long battery, screen in the 13 to 15 inch range, SSD, lack of pre-installed crap ware.

Open to both Win10 and Mac Suggestions.

Uses are for internet browsing, word processing, slide presentation creation and general usage. Maybe in future lightweight video editing if I obtain GoPro's for the flying.
 
I cannot remember how many years ago I bought my Dell Latitude E6330 but it has been an absolute workhorse! I did a lot of research to get all the features I wanted, and I fear it will be difficult to replace. Seems like there were so many choices, it took a few months to narrow it down (not a spurious buyer here).
 
Does anyone make one with the old style non-exploding, non-touch-sensitive, non hover etc mouse pad?
 
Lenovo Yoga. Lightning fast, thin, lightweight, strong, big screen, and it can even be used in tablet mode if you want, as the screen folds over the back. Even if you don't need that capability, it's still a great laptop. Pretty much everything in a laptop has an SSD these days, but I would consider that a basic requirement.

I picked one up at Best Buy for overseas use last year and it works as well as the day I got it. First laptop I've used that didn't slowly degrade to oblivion.
 
Doesn’t quite meet your screen size spec, but the MS Surface Pro is around $800 and will do all your other stuff. When docked at home, just use a large monitor if it suits you.


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Matthew said:
Typing this on a Macbook Pro right now. Nice system, but outside that price range.
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by how much? Many others are making a positive case that the MB Pro is worth a hard look.
 
AggieMike88 said:
by how much? Many others are making a positive case that the MB Pro is worth a hard look.
Click to expand...

Prior to getting my 1st Mac I was buying a new computer in your price range once a year. Now with Mac it's more like 4-5 years between computers. So, long term, you may be ahead of the game depending on your situation.
 
Why a laptop? Any specific things about a laptop that you need besides those things already mentioned?

I ask this because I’m writing this on a iPad Pro and I’m finding that it does a fine job doing almost everything I need a laptop for. (I have the optional keyboard / cover which really makes a big difference.) Plus you can run ForeFlight on it and use it in the aircraft.
 
I've had good luck with HP business-class laptops and desktops. YMMV.

The ones marketed to businesses tend to have little or no crapware installed on them and usually have better warranties. Other than that, I don't know how different they are from the higher-end consumer models.

Rich
 
Thinkpads are pretty nice. I’ve got an x1 carbon and it’s great.
 
I like Fujitsu. Comes without bloatware in the configuration you specify. The CD/DVD drive is removable and can be replaced with a second battery. I can go days without charging. A bit spendy, the last one survived 8 years of daily use.

I also have a MacBook pro for work. I don't care for the mousepad setup and the sharp edges on the case. Oh, and I don't care for the fact that its uses that apple operating system.
 
AggieMike88 said:
by how much? Many others are making a positive case that the MB Pro is worth a hard look.
Click to expand...
I’ve got a maxed out late 2015 13 inch MBP retina. It was just under $2000 if I remember correctly, but it’s just as fast as the day I got it, and it’ll edit 4K videos


Look in their refurb’d section if you want to spend less. They’re basically new
 
I've been a MacBook Pro guy for many years for my personal computer and use Windows machines for work. For a time I used my Mac with Parallels and it ran circles around my Windows desktops. My latest work computer is a Dell Latitude 7830 that was configured for me with more memory than their website offers. Honestly? This Dell could de-throne my MacBook. Small, thin, light, fast.... I'm still clinging to Windows 7 Pro but soon will have to step up to 10. I'll see how I like that when it happens. I got rid of my desktops and keep a dock on both desks so when I travel back and forth I use the same computer. One location uses a Sophos tunnel to seamlessly connect to my server at the main office. It works like a charm. One thing's for sure, I'll never buy a desktop again.
 
AggieMike88 said:
by how much? Many others are making a positive case that the MB Pro is worth a hard look.
Click to expand...
Ours is about 2yrs old, 15" MacBook Pro. It's slowly becoming our daily driver as we migrate over from our old and dying Windows desktop.

Current prices for a similar system now are about $2k and up, so roughly double your price limit. If you are an iPhone user, the Mac OS has some ways to link the two together for messages and FaceTime by connecting to the same Apple ID account. The whole Apple Cloud thing also works on both.

For reference: my daughter got a 13" MacBook - it got her through senior year of HS, 4 years of undergrad, 2 years of masters, and 1 yr of doctorate. It finally wore out and the hardware was old enough that it couldn't take any more OS upgrades.

She switched to a 2-in-1 convertible laptop (Windows), I can't remember the brand. It has a keyboard that flips around so you can either use it as a large touchscreen tablet, or a notebook. You need to take a close look at those: some of them simply let you hinge the keyboard all the way back (Then the keys themselves become the "bottom" and if you set it down on something you run the risk of either damaging the keys or getting dirt and grit on them.), and others are hinged in such a way that the top of the keyboard fits against the back of the screen and the result is the back side of the keyboard becomes the back side the tablet and the keys are protected. I think hers was around $1k, and she got the kind with the fancy hinge that protects the keyboard.
 
Getting 5+ years out of a PC hasn't ever been an issue for me. I had an HP desktop (WinXP) that got me through 5 years of college and 3+ years afterward. I'm currently on a refurbed Dell desktop (Win 7) which had 3-4 years of business use, and I've been using it for another 3-4 years. It's getting to the end of its lifespan, but it still runs just fine. I probably won't replace it for another year or so, as it only sees light internet browsing and bank account recons. I will probably go with a laptop/tablet of some sort just to have the availability of it being mobile. I use an HP laptop at work (large screen w/10key) which has been just fine for a couple years, had a Dell laptop before that (same large screen/10-key) which never really had issues for 4-5 years.

There's no way that I could justify buying an Macbook or Macbook Pro for several $K's when my $600 desktops have been stable workhorses for a fraction of the cost. However, I am not vested in iDevices and certainly don't have any love for them, personally. Unless you're doing some high-level video editing/graphic design work that you want a Mac for or just love iThings, you can always find a PC that will match for much lower cost.
 
Says a guy who's not used them, right?

My Macbook Pro was much better, faster, more reliable than my high-end windows desktops have been. You can't understand it til you experince it.
 
I research all of my purchases until it usually drives me crazy! Last June I decided a laptop I could take with me to edit photos when on trips was needed. I studied a lot of them, read all of the reviews, and finally settled on this one, for $349, I even ordered more memory, and a larger SSD at the same time and put them in as soon as everything arrived. It's been a great computer, but less than a year later I've decided that for photography I should have just bought the Macbook that I wanted! For me it comes down to a monitor that is good for most things, vs. one that is really good for photos.

Search laptops on Amazon. You can enter everything you want on it, then spend some time to read the reviews. That's been good for me.
 
I'm surprised denverpilot hasn't shown up yet. He's always good for a page long rant anytime anyone mentions Apple. :)
 
My computers are tools. I care less about the label than the performance!
 
kayoh190 said:
I'm surprised denverpilot hasn't shown up yet. He's always good for a page long rant anytime anyone mentions Apple. :)
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Or anything related to tech and has a nugget of controversy.

He must be getting to bed earlier than usual. Just about all of his one to two page contributions arrive around 1:30AM to 3:00am. So he's sleeping instead of wearing out a keyboard.
 
Stewartb said:
Says a guy who's not used them, right?

My Macbook Pro was much better, faster, more reliable than my high-end windows desktops have been. You can't understand it til you experince it.
Click to expand...

I've borrowed a couple of them over the years when I was doing some video editing for personal projects for a few weeks, but never owned one personally. I didn't find it to be any better than anything else for what I was doing. Other than a different GUI (which is personal preference), it functioned the same and did its job. Again, unless you need a MB Pro to run one of the few programs that truly utilize Apple architecture or Retina screens, I don't see the advantage for the average layperson. The majority of users, especially in the case of AggieMike, don't need anything like that. Running the MS Office Suite, some other basic programs, and watching internet videos doesn't exactly tax the processors or memory of even the cheapest laptops. Again, I haven't needed to "experience" anything because getting 6-8 years out of my cheap desktops has been more than sufficient. I certainly wasn't replacing them every year like Anymouse was.
 
My wife's HP laptop started failing and my daughters talked her into getting a Macbook. My wife is 56 years old and I thought she should have a 15 inch screen, so that's what I got her. $2149 at Best Buy, plus another $270 for Applecare. Ouch. I hope it lasts.

She had two HPs that weren't the most durable, and one Dell that was. The girls had Toshiba laptops that were long lasting, but both now have Macbooks, that's what they wanted. I've paid for a lot of Apple products in my day, but have never owned one myself. I have an 8 year old HP desktop for serous use and an Android tablet for casual use. The cost of both those two items wouldn't have bought the cheapest Macbook we have.
 
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