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Please help me choose a new computer.

M

matante

Nov 3, 2003
2,397
2,522
#1
Hi to everyone who remembers me as I've been away for a while. I've been using macbook pros for about ten years and it's time to replace it because it's dying a slow death. The thing is that all I use it for is web browsing and word processing so a new laptop feels like overkill and I'm thinking that to save money I'd like to get something like an iPad, chromebook, or something else that isn't a full powered computer. Does that make sense? I'm not recording music anymore, no photoshop or video editing or anything like that.

My concern with the iPad would be that the screen would be too small. Is there a way to use your TV as the monitor? Would a chromebook hinder me in terms of getting a good word processing app?

Any experience comparing these options?

Thanks for the advice.
 
#4
I like the Chromebook idea too. However, I've done some recent upgrades to the family computers, so I have some general comments:

1. If you're thinking about a Windows machine at all, make sure it's Windows 10, and that the machine has at least 8 GB of RAM. (This among other things makes Windows laptops more expensive than Chromebooks). Win 10 "Home" is good enough.

2. Don't bother with a new machine. I bought refurbished PC's from NewEgg, and have always been satisfied.

3. One thing that drives me to Windows laptops is the touch screen, but that's a matter of preference.
 
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#6
sleddogn said:
don't go back to the dark side, stay with apple. I'm typing this on my 2014 model mac book pro. First apple cpu for me, and i love it. Its pricey, but you don't have to replace it every 2 years
Click to expand...
Our last PC, a Windows 7 machine, was 10 years old when we replaced it in 2019, and it was still working perfectly (it was a Dell, BTW).

I have to agree on the Chromebook option. For the OP's purposes, it will work just fine.
 
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#7
I recently picked up a well cared for 2012 MacMini with some upgrades. It was sub $600. 16g Ram Quad Core i7 at 2.7ghz. I just use my 32in 1080p television as a monitor. It does everything I ask of it and for an 8 or 9 year old machine it’s still pretty powerful and relevant to my needs. Runs Ableton Live 10 flawlessly and is a central hub for my media consumption.

It will do some light video editing but the graphics cards on these are low performance and not upgradable. I could get an eGPU but d*** they are not cheap. I can play CIV 5 and it only starts to get laggy towards end game. I won’t bother with anything more graphics intense than that.

Wound up nabbing Apple’s magic keyboard. Most I’ve ever spent for a peripheral like that but it’s feels and works great. I may grab the track pad. I have a wired trackball that works fine. BT track balls like the Logitechs don’t work as well. I think there is an interference issue with the signal.

I don’t dare move off of Catalina.

I was never much of an Apple proponent having grown up learning on DOS and Windows. I didn’t have anything against MacOS or OSX. Just didn’t have any experience. Pivot to Mac was a breath of fresh air. Something about the Mac ecosystem; it’s just intuitive, user friendly and works. I can see why Mac has a cult following. I try to transcend a lot of that. I’m happy to roll with older and refurbished equipment and I still have a Windows machine that I use regularly.

I’m looking at 2015 quad core MacBooks for a laptop currently.
 
#8
I've been an Apple guy since 1984. I plan to get a new MacBook Air to replace my aging desktop iMac. I do still do some recording and practicing, so I need more than a Chromebook or even an iPad...although I did think about an iPad Pro, but by the time you get a keyboard and pen and all that, you can get a nice MacBook Air so...

If I were just doing what you describe, a Chromebook would probably do it for you. And they are cheap. They can get expensive, but for a couple hundred bucks...
 
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#9
MonetBass said:
Our last PC, a Windows 7 machine, was 10 years old when we replaced it in 2019, and it was still working perfectly (it was a Dell, BTW).

I have to agree on the Chromebook option. For the OP's purposes, it will work just fine.
Click to expand...
Yeah I'm generally able to keep even cheap machines running and running well for 10 years plus.

They don't have 8gb+ of ram either.
 
#10
The dirty secret is that mainstream personal computers haven't gotten all that much more powerful over the past decade unless you go for some giant beast. The ones that I just replaced were in fact more than a decade old, and were cheap even when they were new.

Apple silicon, and other ARM based computers, are worth keeping an eye on.
 
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#13
People were selling iPads dirt-cheap immediately after the holiday, most likely because they'd been gifted a newer one.
So I grabbed one, used it for a single night & sold it the next day. I just cannot get used to not having a keyboard.

Even just grabbing the URL of an imagine was a PITA to me, & I do it all the time for posting images in there.
 
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#14
Killed_by_Death said:
People were selling iPads dirt-cheap immediately after the holiday, most likely because they'd been gifted a newer one.
So I grabbed one, used it for a single night & sold it the next day. I just cannot get used to not having a keyboard.

Even just grabbing the URL of an imagine was a PITA to me, & I do it all the time for posting images in there.
Click to expand...
My father got a tablet, a samsung I think, and found out that with the right adapter he could ACTUALLY use a keyboard on it.

Not particularly helpful, I know, but could have been worth a shot... maybe.
 
#16
I've heard multiple stories about how Chromebooks need to be replaced regularly... but I don't have any personal experience with them.

Does Apple still sell their refurbs at a discount? I've purchased a couple of Macs this way... still get the factory warranty... great route to go.

matante said:
Hi to everyone who remembers me as I've been away for a while. I've been using macbook pros for about ten years and it's time to replace it because it's dying a slow death. The thing is that all I use it for is web browsing and word processing so a new laptop feels like overkill and I'm thinking that to save money I'd like to get something like an iPad, chromebook, or something else that isn't a full powered computer. Does that make sense? I'm not recording music anymore, no photoshop or video editing or anything like that.

My concern with the iPad would be that the screen would be too small. Is there a way to use your TV as the monitor? Would a chromebook hinder me in terms of getting a good word processing app?

Any experience comparing these options?

Thanks for the advice.
Click to expand...
 
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#18
Last edited:
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#19
hbarcat said:
OP requirements:

-- browsing and word processing only
-- screen bigger than tablet size
-- save money


The answer is Chromebook.
$200 - $250







Here's an HP Chromebook with a 14" screen that's been very well reviewed.
It's $250.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08529BZS...1246741159.1610012697&tag=shopperz_origin1-20

Here's a Lenovo that's regarded as great bang for buck at $200.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D72R6T...1246741159.1610012697&tag=shopperz_origin1-20
Click to expand...

Thanks man. The iPad screen is too small for me. That HP looks like the front-runner.
 
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#20
Yeah, a Chromebook gets a lot of use at school. In adult hands it would probably fair a little better. Even if you do have to replace it every 2-3 years, at $250, you can get 4 -5 of them over the course of 10-12 years for the price of a MAcBook Air that you'd have to replace once in that time.

I wish I could talk myself into a Chromebook, but I have been a Mac user for so long...
 

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