Solved! Looking for suggestions on getting a new laptop

[GrampaC53]

I'm an old guy who's looking to get a new laptop. I want something with a good amount of storage for files and pretty good speed. I'm an author and want to use it for my writing as well as for social media and some online games.
Any suggestions?

 

[COLGeek]

Budget? You have a screen size in mind? Do you intend to lug around a lot, or really use like a desktop system?

 

[AlHuneke]

My personal choice for screen size is 15", but that is very personal. For mostly writing and browsing, speed is not really an issue. An i3 machine would be fine. Machines at the lower end price wise often have only 4GB of RAM and 128 or 256 GB of SDD. I would update the memory to 8GB (a repair shop will do that pretty inexpensively). Don't be lulled into thinking you need a huge drive. I'm a heavy user and could get by fine with 128GB. I don't keep photos or videos on my machine, however. There are many on-line places to put this kind of stuff. Run Disk Cleanup regularly (I usually select everything) and tell it to clean system files and you should be good. I also reinstall Windows "clean" first thing and that gets rid of all the "crapware". The built-in Windows anti-virus works just fine.

I've purchased 4 new laptops in the last year for myself and friends. I like Staples. If you are patient, you can find some excellent bargains.

 

[crusade12]

As you're looking for a general all purpose laptop, you can go for anything that has a decent i3 or i5 processor, with around 256-512 SSD and 6-8 Gigs RAM. Since you're a writer, opt for a laptop with light keyboard with proper key travel. Don't go for heavy machines as they won't be portable. For screen size, 14" is the best one, but if you're specially inclined for larger screen, go for 15.6".

 

[Ambassador_Kosh]

I picked up an ASUS Vivobook last week when it was on sale. Tried out two of them - an i3 and an i5

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/produc...12gb-ssd-32gb-optane-12gb-ram-win-10/14679325

Ended up with the i5. Really happy with it overall. It's really fast, zero lag. I like that you can put in a microSD for extra storage (though I do have cloud storage too). Most of what I do is web surfing and light gaming on it (I have a custom PC for actual gaming). Nice screen, good sound. I actually have zero complaints about it (though a backlit keyboard would have been nice, but not end of the world).

I can definitely see the difference in performance with the SSD over an HDD for a laptop.

 

[xiaomei106]

You can consider a laptop of a big brand, and choose the latest game laptop with large memory, it will be smoother to use.

 

[GrampaC53]

Budget? You have a screen size in mind? Do you intend to lug around a lot, or really use like a desktop system?

Fairly inexpensive. I'm a senior on limited income. Not a gamer but would like something portable to take around the house or to the backyard. Don't want a Chromebook, that's what I want to replace. Screen size about 15".
Looking for something with good memory and lots of storage space for files, pics and videos.

 

[COLGeek]

Fairly inexpensive. I'm a senior on limited income. Not a gamer but would like something portable to take around the house or to the backyard. Don't want a Chromebook, that's what I want to replace. Screen size about 15".
Looking for something with good memory and lots of storage space for files, pics and videos.

Something like this offering would meet your stated needs:

https://www.newegg.ca/mystic-silver...stream/p/N82E16834324046?Item=N82E16834324046

 

[Gerard Sorme]

Remember, you can get minimal installed storage space (save money) for OS and programs. Then use USB sticks or drives or SD card (even micro-SD) for data storage.