HP Elitebook or Microsoft Surface or Something Else?

LJkzerowolf on 21/12/2024 - 10:00

I’m not text savvy, I’ve tried to educate myself but it’s really doing my head in. I’ve done the rounds of some of the big players (Officeworks, JB, good guys) without feeling like their sales people know much either.

Looking for a portable laptop that can stand up to being knocked around. I try to be gentle with my gear but inevitably I drop things. I’ve been using an elitebook for my day job for 3.5 years which has stood up well and I have no complaints. My personal business laptop has been a dell latitude which is finally cooked after six years.

I wouldn’t mind another elitebook, but also tempted by the surface laptop. Is there anything out there of a similar size, build quality and potential for longevity as a small business laptop?

Computing Computer HP Laptop Microsoft

Comments

  • dan0909 on 21/12/2024 - 11:08

    I have had good experiences with Microsoft Surface (I have 3 in family) and a lenovo. both are good. My both HP machines (elitebook from work and another unit at home) heated up quickly without doing anything heavy (just browsing, word, excel). So i would say, stay away from HP.

    • MrFrugalSpend on 21/12/2024 - 21:19
      +1

      Surface laptop is better than surface pro.
      I and others have had bad experiences with Microsoft surface pro tablet with detachable keyboard thing. A friend of mine's surface pro got hot and the screen exploded and put shards around. I have had 2 and had enough when trying to use them with external monitors as desktop replacement etc, wifi connectivity issues where laptops side by side are working fine, it would get hot at the external monitor connection point etc - They've packed a lot into a tight space and that impacts reliability and thermal performance. I still have a spare old one for trips as it is best of both worlds for that for basic email, web browsing, but I use a HP laptop with touch screen for my main laptop on a daily basis now and it is better, although the fan seems to run hard a lot of the time and suck power and noisy if anything stresses it. Others I know that abandoned the surface pro switched to the surface laptop and prefer that. Apparently its fairly good but i haven't experienced it personally.

      EDIT: I notice others below have echoed this sentiment.

  • datafellows on 21/12/2024 - 11:52
    +4

    Microsoft Surface Laptop would be my choice.

    I wouldn't choose the Surface Pro tablets.

    • trustnoone on 21/12/2024 - 18:48
      +2

      Want to echo I've had 2 Surface Pro and they are nice but definitely not great for longevity, both have had faulty issues after a couple years. If I went that direction I'd go Surface Laptop ahead of it as well.

    • McSquintus on 23/12/2024 - 09:58

      My Surface Pro 3 is still a tank but the alcantara keyboards are one to avoid.

  • idwjbehca on 21/12/2024 - 12:39

    you cannot beat, no matter what anyone says, the base model MacBook Air. power : durability : value ratio is simply unmatched.

    • neoleo on 21/12/2024 - 13:00

      I don't like MacOS, so either Windows and/or Linux instead …

  • sumyungguy on 21/12/2024 - 12:56
    +1

    Whatever you choose, add a matching rugged shell/case for maximum longevity

    • neoleo on 21/12/2024 - 13:05

      Very very rare to see other people's laptop with rugged shell/case.

      Maybe start comparing with Thinkpad first for durability.

      • sumyungguy on 21/12/2024 - 13:06

        Visited a university or school lately?

        • neoleo on 21/12/2024 - 13:08

          I think most people prefer thin and light laptop. Uni or school students maybe cheap laptop or MacBook for certain schools or second hand Thinkpad/Latitude series maybe not that many 🤷

        • neoleo on 21/12/2024 - 13:12

          Previously I walked around UTS, UNSW, and USyd but I haven't noticed anyone use rugged shell/case for their laptops. Just normal laptop or MacBook.

          • sumyungguy on 21/12/2024 - 13:16

            @neoleo: You need to respect OP's use case. People who are hard on their tech (phones, tablets, notebooks, wearables) may choose to option protective counter-measures

            • neoleo on 21/12/2024 - 13:28

              @sumyungguy: OP is looking for a portable laptop that can stand up to being knocked around and still tough after falling on the floor. So, Thinkpad or Latitude series? Must use SSD instead of HDD for the storage.

  • neoleo on 21/12/2024 - 13:03

    Looking for a portable laptop that can stand up to being knocked around. I try to be gentle with my gear but inevitably I drop things.

    No one has mentioned Thinkpad for durability?

  • bargaino on 21/12/2024 - 13:16

    Surface laptop has the higher screen res.
    But if you have been happy with Dell & HP, why not just get a nice, newer ex-lease Elitebook, Thinkpad or Dell 73XX ? Great laptops, tough and you won't cry if you drop it under a bus.

    • pencilhead on 22/12/2024 - 18:45

      +1 for dell. Pleas easy to repair if needed.
      Ive replaced power receptacle, screens, battery etc in Dells.
      They make it very easy

  • Nillionaire on 21/12/2024 - 16:49

    MacBook Air.

  • sprocketoctopus on 22/12/2024 - 09:38

    I've posted before about my experiences, but anyway :
    Son's school mandate Mac books. Buy in year 7, and again in year 10.
    He was one of the first cohort to get Apple silicone.

    When he was in year 10 school wrote to all parents/guardians explaining that mandatory purchase in year 10 was now optional.
    I assume this is because the laptops were not stuffed at year 10, as they were in the past.
    My son still has his original machine. Battery still ok and runs great.

    Just a data point.

    FWIW I don't like Mac OS, just as soon as Asahi is mature enough I'll probably replace my own X1 carbon with a Macbook with Linux.

    • Jkzerowolf on 22/12/2024 - 10:09

      Thanks for the thoughts. I don’t have the energy or inclination at while juggling a day job and my own business in my 40s to learn a new OS. I doubt doubt the quality of Macs but just not up for it.

      • sprocketoctopus on 22/12/2024 - 13:46

        Ok then.
        Try a Lenovo X1 carbon.

        Or Dell XPS. Or Surface Pro.

        All are $$$ but have great build quality.

        Unfortunately you are going to have to pay for better build quality.

        The cheap consumer stuff is, in my experience, not going to hold up

  • simmos on 22/12/2024 - 10:32

    Comments noted by some disliking the MacOS, however my experience is that Windows OS is inferior. If you do want to persevere with a Mac, the hardware is unbeatable. Wife and I have a MacBook Air each and we bought them very cheap from a refurbisher many years ago (I think $200 each). Battery on mine needs replacement but a new one from eBay is $37 and once replaced (self), machine will run another 5 years I’m sure. It still accepts the latest OS upgrades too.

    The great thing about Mac is its interchangeability with other Apple products. With “find My”, Airdrop, iMessage, iCloud Windows in my opinion doesn’t come close.

    • Magus on 24/12/2024 - 12:47

      The MAC ecosystem is great for device interoperability.

      Apple hardware is also a known excellent build. Poor choice for those who want to upgrade, as it is 'finicly' about hardware added.
      As more apps move to the cloud, OS will be less importaint.

      As to Windows hardware, the corporate versions of HP, Dell are fantastic.
      I still have 10yo Elitebooks (now with SSD/more ram, W11) as my home use laptops. My 20 yo Dell D600s just don't have the grunt and have been relegated to Docker duties. (not enough RAM)

      If you go 2nd hand, ensure you get 16Gb ram, and 8th or later gen CPU. This is when USB charging came in. Chargers and charging ports are the leading cause laptop death. (outside dropping and breaking hinges)

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