Question Durable budget laptop recommendations for work and art

[signofthecrow2]

I'm copying and pasting the post I made in r/SuggestALaptop below because I urgently need suggestions; I am out of work without a laptop, but I don't want to waste my money just buying something random out of desperation.

• Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase
  • I would really like to find something for under $500 USD. However, durability is preferred over cheapness, and I can go somewhat higher if I have no other choice, although I don't want to test the limits of what I can reasonably write off on my freelancer taxes.
• Are you open to refurbs/used?
  • Yes; refurbs are preferred if they're a good deal. I'd take a used, unrefurbished laptop only from an extremely reliable seller.
• How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?
  • Performance > build quality > battery life > form factor.
• How important is weight and thinness to you?
  • Weight is important, as I carry my laptop around with me frequently, but it isn't my highest priority (for reference, my current laptop is 3.88 lb and I don't find it to be too heavy). I don't care about thinness in and of itself.
• Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A.
  • 13-15 in, although smaller is fine if that helps me get within budget.
• Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run.
  • I need to be able to run Blender (no high-poly modeling; offloading rendering), Godot, Photoshop, Illustrator, and fairly low-end games (see next response). I am currently able to meet my most basic performance needs on an Acer Aspire A515-45 with 8GB RAM and an AMD Ryzen 3 5300U core with Radeon graphics, although I deal with frequent Blender crashes and am hoping for a slightly beefier machine.
• If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?
  • The most performance-intensive game I play on PC is probably Tabletop Simulator; I'd like to be able to play games like Warframe on low graphics settings, but that's not a high priority.
• Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?
  • A build that can handle being transported frequently is a must; I'm sick of screens failing after just a couple of years of normal use.
  • 16+ GB RAM is preferred; 8GB is the floor.
  • 256+ GB built-in storage or, failing that, upgradeable storage. However, GPU > storage; if I have to go lower than 256GB, then so be it.
  • I'd prefer a matte screen, as I work outdoors a lot; it's not strictly a requirement, however.
  • This is a weirdly specific ask, but I'd like to avoid a trackpad that requires significant force to click because of tendon issues.
  • An HDMI port is highly, highly preferred.
  • IF AVOIDABLE, PLEASE DO NOT RECOMMEND NEW HP, DELL, OR INTEL PRODUCTS. Used/refurbished from third-party sellers is fine.
  • I'm willing to get a refurbished laptop that requires minor work to get going (OS installation, component purchases w/o plug-and-play installation, etc).

 

[signofthecrow2]

Also, what refurb marketplaces/sellers would you recommend?

 

[COLGeek]

Also, what refurb marketplaces/sellers would you recommend?

I have made several purchases here over the years. Never disappointed.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/dfh/lp/outlet

 

[JonahScott]

You could look for refurbished business laptops like Lenovo ThinkPad T480, Dell Latitude 5490, or HP EliteBook 840 G6. They’re durable, upgradeable, and ideal for work, art, and light 3D tasks under $500. Focus on at least an i5/Ryzen 5 CPU, 16GB RAM, and SSD storage for best performance.