# Advice on laptop brands **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** computer-hardware\ **Created:** [March 17, 2025, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710 "2025-03-17T08:04:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/41 "2025-03-18T12:58:35Z")
> [@MacDoc](#): > > Lots here > [OWC New, Used, & Refurbished Macs for Sale | MacSales.com](https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Apple_Systems/Used/Macs_and_Tablets) > Larry picks up discontinued Mac models from Apple some of which are brand new and generally all can have 2 years warranty. When you said “the Apple Refurb site,” for some reason I assumed you meant the actual Apple Refurb site. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/42 "2025-03-18T12:59:32Z")
Well, it will run Microsoft Office online, which is probably 80% of the functionality of regular Windows Office apps. One thing to watch out for is printing, though – my Chromebook won’t print to my older printer anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/43 "2025-03-18T13:03:31Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > That won’t run Windows apps, though. Well, it should do fine for: > [@Tusculan](#): > > Word processing, e-mail, just garden variety laptop use, nothing heavy. Sounds like more content consumption than generation and it should be able to play videos and display websites like the rest of 'em plus handle Office style stuff. OP may have their own reasons for wanting a Windows based machine but it feels like this is a use case where it’s easy to overspend given that basically anything should be able to handle the listed tasks. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/44 "2025-03-18T13:07:27Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Sounds like more content consumption than generation Hmm, yeah, if that’s the case, I wonder why Windows is needed at all. It would only add bloat and hardware issues. I guess it’s up to the OP… to me those are two contradicting statements (“needs Windows” vs “only doing web browsing and word processing”). An iPad or Android tablet with a keyboard would probably be better, honestly. They’re typically better than Chromebooks at the same price points because their CPUs aren’t as janky. And way better than a budget x86 laptop trying (barely) to run Windows and all its adware and forced AI spam. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/45 "2025-03-18T13:14:36Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > An iPad or Android tablet with a keyboard would probably be better, honestly I’ve been trying to do some minor word processing with an iPad and I find the experience to be much worse than using my Chromebook or Windows PC. Aside from the smaller screen, the keyboards are generally terrible and using my finger to select, copy, paste is a pain. ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/46 "2025-03-18T13:18:34Z")
A reasonable assumption but many vendors have Mac Intel deals. [https://www.amazon.com/s?dc&ds=v1%3AfqRsCjv0WbPn3gayAiW9ezhxHEnNFWbaGwzIgCRlY5o&k=apple%20intel&qid=1742303777&ref=glow\_cls&refresh=1&rh=n%3A172282%2Cp\_n\_condition-type%3A16907720011&rnid=2224369011](https://www.amazon.com/s?dc&ds=v1%3AfqRsCjv0WbPn3gayAiW9ezhxHEnNFWbaGwzIgCRlY5o&k=apple%20intel&qid=1742303777&ref=glow_cls&refresh=1&rh=n%3A172282%2Cp_n_condition-type%3A16907720011&rnid=2224369011) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/47 "2025-03-18T13:26:17Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > And a lot of Dells are ordered by institutions (companies, schools, governments) instead of individuals, so there’s a big second-hand market too. That’s how I got the Optiplex desktop that I love so much – it was an off-lease refurb purchased from the Dell leasing division. Those particular models were very expensive when new. The only problem with those refurbs is that they come with a generic version of Windows so there’s quite a bit of setup required. They’re not ready to run out of the box like a new Dell. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/48 "2025-03-18T13:32:56Z")
> [@MacDoc](#): > > many vendors have Mac Intel deals. Right, you should have just said that in the first place. And saying they have “full warranty” is rather dubious because whatever warranty is offered is going to vary from vendor to vendor. ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/49 "2025-03-18T13:50:41Z")
Pedantic much? 🙄 Not much interested in being schooled on info I provide. If anyone is interested in getting an Intel Mac they can easily chase one down, new , refurb or used and get best of all worlds, MacOS, Linux or Windows or them all on the same machines as some of my website clients used to undertake. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/50 "2025-03-18T15:42:58Z")
Let me just add that I am stuck with Windows. The editing program that I have been using for BION over 40 years runs only under Windows. I once tried to run it under a Win emulator in UNIX and it didn’t work at all. I will not buy a Macbook on the off-chance it is better in that regard. ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/51 "2025-03-18T15:53:27Z")
Just to clarify - you are not running in emulation. You are running Windows in native on an Intel Mac. ••• > Depending on where you are there still should be some with full warranty on the Apple Refurb site > > I kind of doubt that. I get the feeling Apple would rather dump whatever supply of Intel Macs it has left in the landfill next to all those ET Atari cartridges than sell them to anyone. That is not how Apple works moving their dated product. Many products are simply recycled back into component parts. Apple works very hard to avoid anything going to landfill let alone working Macs. > **[National Services](https://www.apple.com/au/recycling/nationalservices/)** > > Learn more about the recycling options available through the Apple Recycling Program. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/52 "2025-03-18T15:54:39Z")
I’m on my second HP Envy 17" laptop as of this year. My first one was still going strong, but I was seeing an increasingly larger grey area which I took to mean pixel failures and figured it was only a matter of time before I lost my screen. Still, I got three years or more out of it without any major issues. I think I paid about $1500 for the new one. It came with one year free of Office 365 and I think McAfee. I declined the latter. Changeover was a breeze, and largely automatic. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/53 "2025-03-18T16:20:52Z")
My home setup has my notebook computer held closed, in a vertical stand. (It’s [this one](https://omoton.com/products/ld01).) I attach a USB-C dock to it, through which the computer gets power, and connects to one or two external monitors and a regular desktop keyboard and mouse. In short, my experience with the computer when at home is no different than working with a desktop computer. So the quality of the screen, keyboard, trackpad or camera is not really a concern. I can disconnect the computer from the dock if I want to work away from my desk. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/54 "2025-03-18T16:43:15Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I once tried to run it under a Win emulator in UNIX and it didn’t work at all. If you’re talking about [Wine](https://winehq.org), it’s possible that things have improved since your first go around. Not that I’m recommending buying a whole new machine to see - but if you have access to one and some time to kill, it might now be possible to do what didn’t work before. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/55 "2025-03-18T18:47:23Z")
> [@MacDoc](#): > > Just to clarify - you are not running in emulation. You are running Windows in native on an Intel Mac. It’s got nothing to do with native or not, but certain hardware components and drivers. Many real Intel/AMD computers will soon stop being able to run Windows 11, despite being native AND having standard x86 components. Old Intel Macs face additional challenges on top of that (such as not having TPM 2.0 chips or continued Bootcamp & driver support from Apple for all the other Apple-specific proprietary hardware inside them). Are you _sure_ this will be a supported use for more than a few more months? And that they won’t just become unusable for Windows once the Windows 10 phase-out is complete? If not, this would be a very risky purchase. > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > The editing program that I have been using for BION over 40 years runs only under Windows. What is a “BION”? Not that I’m trying to convince you to get a Mac or Unix machine, but if you were curious, I’d be happy to try to try running it in Parallels. WINE isn’t really an emulator (and I’m not being pedantic)… it reimplements a limited subset of Windows API calls, which means it can be faster than emulation for supported apps, but there will be apps it doesn’t support at all. On the other hand, Parallels runs Windows for Arm, and inside that Microsoft has their [own x86 emulation layer](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/arm/apps-on-arm-x86-emulation) that would probably be more compatible than WINE. Again, purely academic 🙂 You should ultimately buy and use whatever laptop you like. ---
**Author:** ![songsoflovetrouble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@songsoflovetrouble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/songsoflovetrouble)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/56 "2025-03-18T19:06:45Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I’m assuming reliability is higher now after 16 years of additional R&D and product development. The price of the “just powerful enough to run the latest version of Windows” laptop making up the lowest-priced non-clearance option at Staples or Best Buy has remained constant at $299 for over 15 years now. The fact that the price hasn’t changed despite inflation and increased machine power indicates that costs are being cut somewhere - the plastic parts, the hinges, the power adapters, etc. If you really just need some sort of stopgap or emergency backup machine, I would suggest buying a refurbed device (Amazon, Newegg, etc) which will get you much better options for the $100-$200 range. If this is going to be a daily use item, then absolutely do not buy the bargain basement model. $1200-$1500 is a reasonable amount for something that will directly impact your productivity and last 4-6 years without breaking or becoming outdated, which can’t be said for the $300 machine. Asus is probably the best of the brands you will find at the big box stores. You can get all sorts of high-end and custom-built stuff online. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/57 "2025-03-18T19:30:00Z")
> [@songsoflovetrouble](#): > > $1200-$1500 is a reasonable amount for something that will directly impact your productivity and last 4-6 years $1500 would get you a current gen gaming PC. I wouldn’t spend more than a third of that on a laptop for the lightweight use he describes . Especially since the OP says he’s also getting a new desktop soon so I assume most productivity stuff will be done on that and the other $1,000 is far better spent on that. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/58 "2025-03-18T20:06:27Z")
> [@MacDoc](#): > > Pedantic much? 🙄 > Not much interested in being schooled on info I provide. Well, it helps if that info is accurate. > [@MacDoc](#): > > That is not how Apple works moving their dated product. The word for the day is sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/59 "2025-03-18T20:15:52Z")
I bought two Lenovo laptops after a good bit of research. After 2 1/2 years the hinge on one of them broke. Cost $250 to get it repaired. A while later, my wife’s Lenovo laptop hinge broke. The repair shop said that this is common in Lenovos, as they used a plastic part on the hinge that should have been made of metal. These were purchased in 2020. I have no idea if Lenovo has remedied the issue. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710/60 "2025-03-18T22:42:10Z")
BION = believe it or not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-on-laptop-brands/1015710.md?page=4)