Laptop for dad for christmas

HankMarducas

Honorable
Apr 4, 2012
10
0
10,560
1. What is your budget?
$500ish
2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
I think 15in but can be persuaded, its going to be used for video viewing and editing
3. What screen resolution do you want?
Whatever works well for him to watch GoPro and you tube
4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
This will be a desktop replacement
5. How much battery life do you need?
2 hours would be nice
6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
no games
7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
He already has my moms old ipad he uses to browse the internet. He needs it because he wants to be able to download and organize all of his GoPro footage and trail cam pictures. As well as edit the go pro clips
8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
As much as possible, he likes to keep EVERYTHING.
9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
As long as it can play the 1080p video nicely. Anything faster than his 8 year old HP desktop will be a huge increase
10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
as long as it works. I would say 5 years or more
11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
Just a dvd rom but i dont even think that is 100% necessary. I can be persuaded
12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
I like Lenovo because that is what have now but am not loyal to any brand in particular. I do not like HP or Sony, they have all failed me
13. What country do you live in?
USA
14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
My one thought is would it be worth it getting him a MacBook of some kind? He likes the ipad but is also somewhat familiar with Windows. From what I understand MacBooks are built for video editing and ease of use. I have always thought they were twice as expensive but this is something I am unsure about. I really want to get him something that will work efficiently and without a bunch of problems. His old HP desktop always seemed to have an issue. He is not the most computer literate but is learning and I will help him. So the easier the laptop is to use and the more dependable the better.
 

HankMarducas

Honorable
Apr 4, 2012
10
0
10,560


Thank you. I am not against the HP. I think the old desktop was just bad from the get go. If I had to choose the HP or Lenovo what would be the better choice? Am I really limiting getting him a laptop to do the job only spending $500 ?
 

HankMarducas

Honorable
Apr 4, 2012
10
0
10,560



Ok, any other suggestions besides the Lenovo? I would like to stay away from the HP as well.