Hard Core Shopping: Best Laptop Buy For The Buck SSD ?

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
14" is fine as long as the downsizing buys performance or quality. Yep, I'm a novice. No gaming. Internet mostly.

Mex I have an I7 with 16 gigs of ram and an SSD drive.

It is by far the fastest computer I've ever owned.

Unfortunately it has "chicklet" keys. There is no microphone input. Other than that it is the best machine I've ever owned.

I purchased through costco which doubled the makers warranty.

Twix, the last post of the thread was June 1st of 2020, bringing a long dead thread back to life..That IS 7 months ago, I suspect the OP has already made a choice and long gone from monitoring this thread..

Looks like you are freshly minted poster..

Yes, I have done the same thing, best to check dates before posting to a very old thread.

Any $150 Chromebook can browse the internet and watch videos. Spend a couple extra bucks for more RAM and better screen resolution. Get USB C for charging and expansion. A $50 USB C hubs can support extra monitors, extra USB A ports, and audio combined.

Otherwise, I'd recommend a MacBook. You cna often find good deals @ Apple Refurb Store and Microcenter.

TurnThePage wrote:
I too will throw my support behind SSDs. I do IT in a shop with nearly 10,000 PCs to support. After that initial hiccup, they are rock solid and FAST.

Windows 7 lack of security could bite you bad regardless of your financial status. As previously mentioned there are front end software products that will make Windows 10 act and behave just like XP or Win7.

IF you live where Internet is not guaranteed, Windows is worlds better than Chromebook.

Even an i3 processor will perform well with at least 8 GB of RAM and an SSD.

I personally won't go smaller than a 15" display now, and the cost is minimal. Sometimes 15" models are cheaper than 14" models that are otherwise identical.

I second the recommendation to buy directly from Dell too.

During these COVID times, it can be quite a challenge finding good laptops. At least it has been for us. We have had to settle for Lenovo models. They are starting to grow on me. A lot of bang for the buck for sure.

JMHO

It is best to switch to Windows 10 and not sweat it, because at the time of hacking the Windows 7 system is much easier

Okay, I think I'm getting the picture.
15-20 minutes of chair time doesn't leave much time to learn a new OS such as Windows 10
Thus, you prefer Win 7.

Security: There are hacker idiots out there that would happily "brick" your computer just for fun.
And/or they would divert your SS check to Nigeria.

Okay - so you would take your chances.

I'm not sure that Win 7 is capable of operating an SSD
Plus, printer drivers won't be available when your printer ***** out and you need a replacement.

I also get the drift that your home operates off an inverter - not the local power company juice.
Thus the need for a low power consumption, fast SSD.

So, to summarize, you need a low cost SSD laptop with a Win 7 interface.

An i3 or i5 Intel chip would be fine.
A small SSD boot chip
A 14 or 15 inch screen.
A standard USB port.

I'm way out of practice with Classic Shell and its brethren, so I couldn't offer legitimate advice. This link seems like a great place to start though.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-make-windows-10-look-like-windows-7/

Thanks again. Are there better and worse 10 to 7 shell programs.?

I too will throw my support behind SSDs. I do IT in a shop with nearly 10,000 PCs to support. After that initial hiccup, they are rock solid and FAST.

Windows 7 lack of security could bite you bad regardless of your financial status. As previously mentioned there are front end software products that will make Windows 10 act and behave just like XP or Win7.

IF you live where Internet is not guaranteed, Windows is worlds better than Chromebook.

Even an i3 processor will perform well with at least 8 GB of RAM and an SSD.

I personally won't go smaller than a 15" display now, and the cost is minimal. Sometimes 15" models are cheaper than 14" models that are otherwise identical.

I second the recommendation to buy directly from Dell too.

During these COVID times, it can be quite a challenge finding good laptops. At least it has been for us. We have had to settle for Lenovo models. They are starting to grow on me. A lot of bang for the buck for sure.

JMHO

I have built north of 55 PC's and I will say that your SSD is likely to outlive you. It is the greatest performance gain I have ever seen. In other words you will notice the difference especially at boot.
Once I built a Windows 7 on an SSD of 128 GB I have never gone back. On a laptop that would have a good chance of being too small. But you can use the cloud and microsd. My Dell has 256GB as ordered.

Yeah I forgot I want to update photos of my granddaughters just about monthly on my printer. Dang they're growing like weeds. When the eldest gets married then Great Grandfather will appear as my moniker.

Battery means a big and bigger Lifeline batteries running through a Samlex pure sine wave inverter. With one of the strictest cuarantinas on the planet where could I go?

And sitting in a chair is limited to 15-20 minutes
Then it's back to bed. Spine is decomposing. Meaning the vertebrae.

The kids are lucky. The family lives at the seashore the place where everyone else wants to go on vacation. Fantastic opportunity to make photos, frame them all over the house here 2,000 miles away from home

Windows 7 is fine for me. I tried the symbol heavy Windows 10 and repeatedly got so lost then deeper and deeper I went trying to extract myself friends had to help me find my way back. I do not need that level of complexity. I refuse to choose digital clocks. Do I need to know the hour, minute, and second when I arise or make coffee? Humans have analog brains, not digital. At least I do.

I used a tiny sliver of hard drive disc capacity on my last laptop then the disc died. Blue screen.

Arguments roar about people who spend a fortune on RAM upgrades only to find a solid state drive was the real answer?

I could care less about so called security. With a 750 dollar month social security who is going to rob me?

Like my car. Thoughts of stealing it would have a robber rolling on the floor.

Multitasking means cooking while watching a clock. If I have two windows open it means I forgot to close one.

None of my laptops worked wirelessly with the bluetooth Canon printer until distance closed to within 3 feet. So I bought a cable connector

Endless thanks for your suggestions. They are of immense help.