New laptop shopping

[Pat58]

My eight year old Dell is slow, but still runs reasonably well. Windows 7 is no longer supported but my Dell will not accept the recommended Windows 10 upgrade.

What's new and exciting in laptops? Good brands? I want to be as frugal as possible but still get the most machine for my buck.

Thanks!

PS I'm not a Mac person.

[katmom]

I was about to recommend a MacBook until I saw you said you were not a Mac person. I was not either until I purchased a MacBook Pro about 3 years ago. I will say my experience with the iPhone and iPad made the transition easy. I have heard good things about Chromebook and Microsoft Surface Pro.

[adawn]

I've grown to like Lenovo laptops. I have a Lenovo ThinkPad P50 (thick and heavy as a brick) and a very small 11.6" Lenovo Yoga* for travel, putting in my purse for when I know I'm going to be stuck in a waiting room, or just to use when moving from room to room around the house. I think I got them both about 2-3 years ago. I'm pretty rough on my laptops (physically) so am surprised nothing has broken on either so far (usually I've managed to break the hinges or have cracked the plastic around the screen by now). And I admit I've dropped the Lenovo Yoga several times and thus far, it's survived the falls. The ThinkPad I have not dropped because it's a beast that I rarely pick up because it's relatively heavy and cumbersome.

*I do not recommend the Lenova Yoga if you're interested in using it as a tablet. While I do sometimes use the touchscreen, I almost never flip it around to use it as a tablet. While it feels light and tiny as a laptop, it does not feel light and tiny as a tablet. I know what a true tablet feels like and it's just a bit too bulky/heavy when flipped around in tablet mode IMO.

[cataddict]

I have a Microsoft Surface Pro that's roughly 6 month old and an older Mac (that is on a recall that I haven't done anything about yet). I really like the Microsoft Surface. It is a little pricey but I'm very happy with it.

One I would NOT recommend is an HP. I liked the HP that I got until the motherboard was fried after only TWO YEARS. Really, really made me angry and HP CS was no help. I thought at first it was the adapter, ordered one, returned it when the problem was the motherboard, and it took a total of 3 months to get my money back. I have a 20 year old and a 10 year old Dells that are slower than snail snot but do still run, so for the motherboard on a two year old laptop to fry was a shock. And it wasn't a cheap laptop either. As an aside, I have since read that HP prides itself on having the "most millennials" in its workforce, which only says to me that they push out older workers, don't support diversity, and don't pay as much. That was puzzling to me.

[cyana]

If you have access to someone technically savvy, I'd encourage you to revisit trying to get Windows 10 on your current machine before making a new computer purchase if you're looking to be frugal. I waited until the last minute with both an elderly Toshiba laptop and a Dell refurbished desktop because I'm not a Windows 10 fan. Both machines are around 10 years old. While not blazing fast, they work fine and I wasn't in a hurry to replace them. DH was able to get both machines updated after getting off to a bit of a rocky start. A family member with an even older desktop was able to get Windows 10 installed and humming along like a charm, although it required a lot more work and far more patience and computer savvy than I possess. ZDNet.com had some articles on updating to Windows 10 that DH found helpful.

I was going to go to Linux Mint if I couldn't get Windows 10 on my machines (article on Mint also on ZDNet.com). However, you may occasionally encounter something that won't work correctly with Linux.

If you have to purchase, I don't know if you have a computer store like Microcenter in your area. I thought of Microcenter because they have brick and mortar stores where you could go in person, as well as selling on-line, and they have refurbished computers which can save you a bunch of money. Other entities such as Best Buy, Staples, Newegg, etc., also sell refurbs. Both of our home desktops are refurbs and they've worked fine. Since so many companies lease computers from Dell versus buying, there are many newly off-lease Dell refurbs out there. My current and two previous work laptops (employer owned) were Dell and I had no problems with any of them. After saving so much money purchasing refurbs last time around and being happy with the machines, I don't know that I'd spring for a new computer at this point. A good retailer will provide a warranty on a refurbished machine, although it may be shorter than a manufacturer's warranty.

I also have a hand me down Surface and like it, although I must admit I use it more for streaming work-outs (YT plus several streaming services) through the TV in my bedroom than anything else. Best hand me down gift ever!

[summer breeze]

I'm pretty rough on laptops and after dropping my 10+ year old Dell more than a few times, the screen finally cracked and stopped working. Totally my fault not Dell. It was a good laptop. I didn't want to spend a lot of money and don't need a lot of bells and whistles. I bought the Acer Chromebook last year and really like it a lot. I'm not tech savvy at all and this fits the bill perfectly for me.

[Pat58]

Thank you everyone! I appreciate the suggestions of what not to buy too.

Cyana, I'll reach out to a local small business that fixed my Dell once to see if he can patch me up with 10, good idea.