So my current laptop is over 7 years old and was cheap when I bought it. I've been provided with work laptops since then so not needed to update. Now I need to use my own for work and it's not cutting it. I know very little about computers, basically I need something that will be good for my role as a psychologist whereby I'll be using Telehealth a lot for the foreseeable future, writing notes/reports, etc. I like the idea of one that I can use a pen on a touchscreen as that may engage kids if I'm trying to demonstrate something to them. I'll be lugging it back and forth to work so not too heavy. I'd love to be able to get back into some games like Starcraft on it, but that's not the priority. I don't really know how much I need to spend so am open to suggestions, but would rather keep it as a maximum of $1300. Any ideas? Thank you!
Edit: I need it within a few weeks, so anything that won't even get shipped for weeks won't work well for me.
Recommendations for New Laptop: $1k-1.3k?
Last edited 12/09/2020 - 08:51
Comments
there is 20% surface from Microsoft.
and there is 6% cashback too
Have you looked into business laptops such as Lenovo Thinkpads or Hp Probook/ Elitebook, Dell Latitude or Vostro? Yes they do cost more but built better.
Cheers for all your help everyone, ended up getting the Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 14 from eBay which came out below budget which was nice!
O cool so U did go for the Lenovo. Did U manage to get the eBay plus discount?
I did! Signed up for the free trial of eBay plus so I didn't have to pay for it too.
Cool cool! Glad my suggestion helped.
Remember to cancel the membership, eBay plus is a rip off, not much value in it. Amazon Prime membership is much better value (Prime Video, music, books, the free prime shipping for overseas items etc etc)
Have you considered something like a tablet with keyboard and good stylus support? The iPad pro and the new Samsung Tab S7/S7+ could be a good option and within budget for the work you do? Or a Microsoft Surface Pro?
Spec wise for a laptop for that budget:
- Look for something with a 10th gen Intel i5 processor or the Ryzen 5 4000 series processors, for future proofing as you seem to keep your laptops for a long time and since you are not running demanding programs or editing don't require the most powerful processor n graphics etc.
- If possible aim for 16gb RAM… but if not minimum 8GB RAM
- Minimum 256gb SSD
- Displays 1080p is a minimum, avoid 4k panels as the battery endurance really suffers
- For my own personal preference I prefer matte screens over glossy screens, if the glossy panel is not bright enough the reflections can be rather annoying. Minimum should be 300 nits brightness and decent colours.
For a laptop with a touch screen as you said would be nice for your work, the Asus Zenbook Flip UX463FA (around $1300-1450 on sale… here is a review Notebook check, Asus Zenbook Flip is a good option as well as the Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 14 (screen doesn't get super bright however) is on sale on Ebay Plus with the 21% off ($1105.21).
Again do some research online and see what fits your needs best.