Hi all
I’ve been out of the loop for quite some time with regards laptops so am looking for help.
I have a budget of around $1000 and am looking for at least the following
Not really gaming, just really for documentation, browsing and some other mapping / GIS software.
Weight isn’t too important either.
Thank you
Neil
Had seen this at HN, but I hate using HN!
https://www.harveynorman.com.au/acer-aspire-7-15-6-inch-i5-1…
Acer Aspire is bottom of the barrel quality. You also have an old weak dedicated gpu in that draining battery life. The victus 3050 for $999 is similar build quality but much better gpu.
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/768429
Just be aware keyboards and touchpads on these will make you commit sepuku after a few months.
I have an acer swift 1 and I have already unalived myself 3 times in the 15 months I have owned it.
Have you considered refurb and upgrading ram if necessary? Gen8 i5 can be bought $300 to $400, sometimes already with 16gb.
Thanks Sinnerator
Would consider refurb but would like a decent build quality even if it means sacrificing specs as long as they are upgradeable which I am happy to do.
Thinkpad E15 Gen 4 $929 on Lenovo Edu store for Ryzen 5 5625 / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD:
https://www.lenovo.com/au/edu/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpade/thinkpad-e15-gen-4-(15-inch-amd)/len101t0023?groupId=education
Thanks - That prompts me to sign up - is it worth it?
Currently have an older Lenovo and am not that happy with the build quality (keys broken wtc)
Currently have an older Lenovo and am not that happy with the build quality (keys broken wtc)
Is the older Lenovo a Thinkpad or another series? At least some of the Thinkpads have a rep for good quality + 3 year warranty (X and T series) whereas the E series is regarded as a bit more meh for build quality. Not sure if they also run 3 year warranties. I'm not sure that any modern laptop has what I would call a 'good' keyboard, but these ones are… less bad than average.
I've had old X series machines last over a decade in crazy bad environments.
We've had a couple of Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga machines which have been okay but nothing special.
Thanks for your input!
JB Hifi is having some sort of computer clearance and a few HPs are within or a bit over your budget. Maybe ask some perks coupon as well from the other threads.
It doesn't fit any of your criteria except for good keyboard and build quality, but for documents and browsing the M1 MacBook Air is hard to beat (though a little over $1000). Fast, lightweight and superb battery life.
I don’t know why you got downvoted, it’s a good suggestion. Have a + from me
Thanks, is there much of a learning curve going from a windows background to MacOS?
It's easy to make the transition for general use - but check if the mapping / GIS software you want to use is compatible with MacOS.
Ok thanks!
As others have said, for general internet browsing, MS Office applications, emails etc, it's basically the same as using Windows. But also as already mentioned by others, make sure your Mapping/GIS software of choice is compatible with MacOS first.
Good point, yes i’ll check
The keyboard for me took some getting used to - so accustomed to ctrl-c, ctrl-v, win+l etc etc - figuring out what key combo for mac does the same thing took some adjusting to.
I actually prefer using CMD instead of CTRL for copying, pasting etc. Other commands took a little longer to memorise.
Found anything you like around that price?