Any laptop advice?

"ImmoralMinority" (araimondo)
08/11/2018 at 11:39 • Filed to: None

I have to buy 3 laptops today for my attorneys. I need them to be fast on the internet, reasonably priced, but graphics and sound are not important.

Any suggestions?

Toby for your time.

DISCUSSION (19)

bob and john > ImmoralMinority
08/11/2018 at 11:42

think pad buisness level machines. done and done

M.T. Blake > ImmoralMinority
08/11/2018 at 11:50

You’ll have a hard time finding one that fits perfectly into a 1986 black Lincoln Towncar.

facw > ImmoralMinority
08/11/2018 at 12:11

Thinkpad X280, X380, and X1 are all good machines, that are light-weight, sturdy, reliable, and will appear professional and down to business to clients, though they are on the pricier end of things. https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/c/thinkpadx?menu-id=ThinkPad_X

The Thinkpad T480 would still be a sturdy professional laptop, and it’s not too heavy, but unless you expect it to always be sitting on a desk, I’d spend a little more for the X-Series. I’d stay away from the T580, that’s just too big. https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-t-series/c/thinkpadt?menu-id=ThinkPad_T#compareSection

Dell XPS 13 seems to generally be considered the best all around Ultrabook, and while it doesn’t help you if you need to buy right now, can often be found for very good prices: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/cty/pdp/spd/xps-13-9370-laptop?cid=297817&st=dell%2Bxps%2B13&VEN1=s3i5fZT7f,277185345488,901pdb6671,c,,&VEN2=e,dell%2Bxps%2B13&lid=5695353&dgc=st&dgseg=dhs&acd=123098073120560&VEN3=810104473066524287

Asus Zenbooks are generally the best value ultraportables, but they are not as well built, and their designs are much more “consumer” than “business”. https://www.asus.com/us/site/makewaves/#!/home

Whatever you get, make sure it has at least a 1080p (sometimes called Full HD or 1920x1080) screen, 8GB of RAM, and some 200GB+ solid state drive. Going lower on any of those components is false economy. In particular beware of cheap laptops with 1366x768 screens, it’s really hard to get anything done on them.

facw > ImmoralMinority
08/11/2018 at 12:11

Kinja, please stop duplicating my posts...

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > ImmoralMinority
08/11/2018 at 12:22

The only computers I have experience with are what the government uses: HP Probooks. Durable and fast (when new), cheap as heck.

lone_liberal > facw
08/11/2018 at 12:23

We recently started buying Thinkpad T580s and I’ve been impressed so far. If the ultimate in mobility isn’t necessary it’s a solid choice.

Maxima Speed > ImmoralMinority
08/11/2018 at 12:26

My first thought would be the Samsung Chromebook’s . They are extremely reliable , simple to use, and integrate very handily with google docs. Some Chromebook’s including all the Samsung m odels are able to install Android apps from the Google play store. This will be critical if they need access to Microsoft Office Suite. The Chromebook’s also offer an unbeatably low price point along with great portability. All the chrome books I have used run rather quickly also. How many hours at a time would the employees be using them and would they be required to type very large documents? I ask this because, they are quite compact. The Chromebook 3 has an 11.6 inch screen and the Chromebook plus has a 12.3 inch screen. In my experience, typing on a laptop of that size for extended periods can cause discomfort, and is not as fast as typing on a full size laptop. The other thing to keep in mind is that if you would decide to go the Chromebook route, the Chromebook has usb 2.0 and 3.0 ports whereas the Plus only has USB-C.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > facw
08/11/2018 at 12:27

I just got an X380 and I love it and it should be what he needs. However i will say that it runs a bit warm and battery life could be better.

however, these are minor nitpicks.

facw > lone_liberal
08/11/2018 at 12:30

Our standard is T4XX (though I have an old X25 0), and the 14" machines are already big for my tastes, I think for me anyway, going to the 15" model would be a bridge too far. My personal laptop is a 13.3" Zenbook with a 3200x1800 screen, which is really nice, though due to limited choices when I bought, has an incredibly anemic processor. As I noted, it is also definitely not as well made as the Thinkpads.

Nom De Plume > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
08/11/2018 at 12:35

Elitebook might be better in the long term, but yes.

https://h41369.www4.hp.com/pps-offers.php

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > ImmoralMinority
08/11/2018 at 12:36

Based on your description I would say a chrome book. The Samsung ones are the nicest followed by the Asus ones. They’re also pretty secure since they store everything on G-suite. So if someone loses one then you realistically won’t have anything on the actual laptop. So you would just remote wipe it and be done.

lone_liberal > facw
08/11/2018 at 12:54

For our purposes the extra size is an asset since they’re used on desks with docking stations and they give people an extra display. They mostly only travel between home and office. We almost went to 17” bruisers but decided that they needed more flexibility.

MoCamino > facw
08/11/2018 at 12:56

+20 internet points on the Lenovos. The company I work with has used Lenovo laptops since before the product line was bought from IBM. They are fairly rugged, perform well, and are professional looking at a competitive price.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > ImmoralMinority
08/11/2018 at 13:08

medion

normally i’d say avoid them as they have their own motherboards wich are shite for upgrading

but they are hard to beat for price and pretty good if you plan to keep em as is

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > ImmoralMinority
08/11/2018 at 13:11

Microsoft Surface? Not the Pro series, jut the regular Surface? They have LTE support now, and while it is an extra cost, the type covers are actually decent keyboards.

I’ve been incredibly impressed with my Surface Pro 3 over the last 4 years. And whenever I see a Surface being used by other people I never think of it as too ‘consumer’ looking.

And since they all run full versions of Windows 10 now, you have support for full Windows programs as well as Google apps via Chrome.

DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By > ImmoralMinority
08/11/2018 at 13:16

Thinkpad, bar none. The x1 carbon if you can swing it

His Stigness > ImmoralMinority
08/11/2018 at 13:24

If you're just using browser based apps and nothing windows based then I would get higher end Chromebooks. Much more reliable than Window machines and they are more productive (no stupid Windows updates).

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > facw
08/11/2018 at 15:02

I had my FIL get a UX490 recently and it’s a solid machine that I’d have no trouble dealing with as my only computer if it just had an Ethernet port... It’s extremely sturdy while being exceptionally light.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > ImmoralMinority
08/11/2018 at 18:34

My advice is the same I always I give out when someone asks about laptops for work - get something from Dell’s business side (Lattitude or Precision) and get the 4 year full-coverage warranty. Dell’s business support and repair/replacement turnaround time is second to none. When something goes wrong - and over 4 years with 3+ laptops, something probably will at some point if they are getting used enough to have been bought in the first place - the support to keep productivity going will be worth it over whatever other feature you preferred somewhere else.