Not sure how much computer to get

[MrsWeeze]

I apologize ahead of time as I am not a computer wiz but do have some knowledge.

I'm 34 yrs old and I've recently become disabled due to a physical illness. This is what I am looking for in a computer and what I will be using it for:

* A laptop that is small in size and weight so that I can carry it around easier. (11inch and 2-3lbs)

* I will be using the computer for online medical research and saving medical literature.

* I will be saving ALL my medical records to the computer to bring to doctor visits vs putting them in giant heavy 3 ring binders. I currently have 3, 4 inch, 3 ring binders full of records. So I guess I would need lots of space for this?

* I will be saving a lot of photos.

* Frequent use of Microsoft Office (DO NOT like online version)

* Frequent use of Adobe.

* Listening to music (can always use phone for that)

I don't have a large budget, would like to stay around 300 - 400 dollars. I also have an external hard drive that is 700gb I believe.

My husband suggested that I get a chromebook rather than a laptop but from what I have read I can not install microsoft office and other programs I need. For a laptop he suggested I have at least 4gb of memory and at least 500gb hard drive.

Any suggestions on how much memory and hard drive space I need?

One thing I get REALLY confused by is the processors. Celeron, AMD A6, etc....

This computer stuck out because of its size and price but I have no idea if will do what I need it to.
Dell - Inspiron 11.6" Laptop - Intel Celeron - 2GB Memory - 32GB eMMC Flash Memory - Bali Blue

What do they mean my 32gb eMMC Flash Memory?

I have also heard that Intel Celeron processors are really slow.

Any info is greatly appreciated and I hope I didn't confuse anyone.

Thank you!!!!!

 

[Math Geek]

i'd go with at least an i3 cpu or better on the intel side or an amd a8 or a10 on that side. 4-8 gb of ram is plenty for your uses and anything above 500 gb of hdd space is also enough. on the cheaper side, 500 gb might be all you can get but it's plenty. documents don't use a lot of space so you can have a ton of them and still barely break a gb or 2 unless they are full of large pictures.

biggest issue with your budget is going to be the small/thin models are not usually the cheaper ones. you may find a decent refurbished model online if you look close enough but otherwise you may have to settle for a less sleek model at that budget

with those basic minimums in mind look at the right size you want and pick something. most anything will do for web and office use.

 

[jaguarskx]

I do not recommend a Chromebook for your needs. ChromeOS is a browser based operating system. That basically means all the apps available for it are from the internet so you need to have an internet connection to be able to use it. Most of your files would be save to the "cloud" which means you need an internet connection to access them. Though some Chromebooks will probably have a small amount of storage space for you to use. Also, printing from a Chromebook requires the internet and you need a networked printer as well; meaning it needs to be able to connect to a home network that has access to the internet.

The 11.5" Dell laptop you are referring to is not suitable for your needs either. Yes, it does have a Windows OS, but 32GB is very limited storage. Windows itself uses roughly 18GB - 22GB of storage on a fresh install. Windows updates will eat away at the remaining storage space over time. These laptops also have "weak" Intel Atom CPUs; they are adequate for "everyday" simple tasks like

I recommend you consider the following 12.5" Lenovo ThinkPad X230 which weighs in at 3lbs. It is a refurbished business laptop for $270 and it comes with a 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3320m CPU (from 2012) which is far more powerful than any Intel Atom based CPU. The 320GB hard drive should be good enough for your needs, if not, then it can always be upgraded later. eMMC Flash storage cannot be upgraded. A nice added feature is a backlit keyboard which can come in handy in low light environments.

Below are links to the refurbished laptop and a review:

http/www.overstock.com/Electronics/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X230-12.5-inch-2.6GHz-Intel-Core-i5-CPU-4GB-RAM-320GB-HDD-Windows-10-Laptop-Refurbished/11469614/product.html#more

http/www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X230-2306-2AU-Laptop-Review.75317.0.html