New Laptop or Desktop Required
Discussion
I have a quite old Lenovo ideapad 320s, it works ok but I am aware I need to update for a newer and faster model .
I want a machine for home administration including some quite detail Inland Revenue and Government interaction I have being an executor on two Wills and managing finances for relatives.
I don't do gaming or edit videos etc is all home office work with the need for secure document storage on the device .
I am not a rich man but want to buy value and some quality
May I have recommendations please I have no clue where to start, look or buy from. I use windows and office apps today and would like to stay that way
Thank you
I want a machine for home administration including some quite detail Inland Revenue and Government interaction I have being an executor on two Wills and managing finances for relatives.
I don't do gaming or edit videos etc is all home office work with the need for secure document storage on the device .
I am not a rich man but want to buy value and some quality
May I have recommendations please I have no clue where to start, look or buy from. I use windows and office apps today and would like to stay that way
Thank you
Laptop wise you are just out of the sweet spot for low end "good" laptops, up it to £600 and there are some decent ones to be had, Dell 15s and similar. I've got several Dells and are reliable. The 15s aren't as well made as the XPS (my daily laptop), but they are cheaper and reliable.
Or you could go the mini PC route such as an AMD based Geekom: https://www.geekom.co.uk/geekom-a5-mini-pc £429 to $475 would keep you under your budget with those models. But you'll obviously need a screen, keyboard and mouse to go with it. There are cheaper systems to be had, but you'll want to look at price vs performance vs quality. At the moment with the sky high price of RAM and storage, it's not the best time to bag a bargain.
Or you could go the mini PC route such as an AMD based Geekom: https://www.geekom.co.uk/geekom-a5-mini-pc £429 to $475 would keep you under your budget with those models. But you'll obviously need a screen, keyboard and mouse to go with it. There are cheaper systems to be had, but you'll want to look at price vs performance vs quality. At the moment with the sky high price of RAM and storage, it's not the best time to bag a bargain.
16GB RAM should be sufficient. Have a look at the refurbished laptops on Laptops Direct, they usually have some good options.
There's a big difference between a 13.3" and a 15" screen. The smaller laptops often have compromised or no number keypads, which would be a must for me for number input, if I wasn't using an external keyboard.
This website is handy for looking up the CPU performance:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/
Edit - I just noticed you're also looking at desktops. You'll get more for your money with a desktop if you already have a desk and monitor set up. Used ex-corporate tower PCs can be a very cheap option on ebay.
There's a big difference between a 13.3" and a 15" screen. The smaller laptops often have compromised or no number keypads, which would be a must for me for number input, if I wasn't using an external keyboard.
This website is handy for looking up the CPU performance:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/
Edit - I just noticed you're also looking at desktops. You'll get more for your money with a desktop if you already have a desk and monitor set up. Used ex-corporate tower PCs can be a very cheap option on ebay.
Edited by AlexC1981 on Friday 7th August 19:54
Have a look at www.backmarket.co.uk
I've used them for years very successfully. Bought a laptop from them only this afternoon...
I've used them for years very successfully. Bought a laptop from them only this afternoon...
Edited by Pitre on Saturday 8th August 19:25
Piginapoke said:
If you can stretch your budget to £700, the new MacBook Neo seems to blow everything else away
If you're going for a MacBook Neo - and I'm not saying that's the perfect choice - then you can save £100 by buying one from the Apple Refurb Store.https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/fhfa4b/a/ref...
If you fancy going Mac, and have all the other gubbins (screen, keyboard, mouse, speakers, etc.) then a more powerful Mac Mini M4 is available from the same place for £679.
https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/fu9d3b/a/Ref...
I'm still running an Intel NUC from 2019 for my media centre (i5-8259, Intel Iris graphics, 16GB DDR4, 500GB SSD) - but even back then it was almost £500.
If you already have a monitor, keyboard and mouse, then I'd suggest going for a mini PC like this:
https://www.minisforum.uk/products/um760-plus-mini...
At £505 it's bang on budget.
The internals are laptop chips, etc, but you're getting a decent spec and not paying for the screen and other bits.
I've got a couple of min PCs from this place for media PCs around the house and they are very good, easily do all non-gaming use with ease and I reckon I'll easily get 7+ years out of them for that sort of application.
You will need to get a windows license and install that yourself, however there's plenty of £10 windows license websites out there and installing windows is very easy these days and plenty of youtube videos for that if you need.
https://www.minisforum.uk/products/um760-plus-mini...
At £505 it's bang on budget.
The internals are laptop chips, etc, but you're getting a decent spec and not paying for the screen and other bits.
I've got a couple of min PCs from this place for media PCs around the house and they are very good, easily do all non-gaming use with ease and I reckon I'll easily get 7+ years out of them for that sort of application.
You will need to get a windows license and install that yourself, however there's plenty of £10 windows license websites out there and installing windows is very easy these days and plenty of youtube videos for that if you need.
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