Laptop advice
Buying a new laptop. I know very very little so please don’t ask me hard questions.
Use for writing, email, search. Maybe movie streaming.
Prefer keyboard and mouse. Thumb drive.
Suggestions on brand, memory, even screen size….?
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Amazon was my one stop shop, for advice, brands, and cost. Not anymore.
Since the pandemic began, prices went way up, and I no longer trust the advice that Amazon gives.
I am not sure about your budget, but I would search Amazon (still), but I am increasingly impressed with BestBuy. They are clearly trying to match Amazon's pricing, with the added benefit that you can get it there and then if it is in stock (of course you have go to the store, unlike Amazon; however, they ship too.
To give you an example, we were away from home, and family member's Mac died. It turns out it was water damaged, and it would have cost several hundred dollars to fix. With a bit of searching, I found a nearby BestBuy that was selling for $200 cheaper than either the Apple Store or Amazon.
From what you describe, you don't need a super-duper fancy laptop. If this is going to be your main computer and you don't need to carry it around with you, I would get a larger screen size (e.g., 16 or 17"
and as much memory as possible. Also, to get a good deal, consider getting a factory-reconditioned late model laptop. You can still get some good deals.
Macs are more expensive than PCs, but TEND to have less issues and less user maintenance required. Any brand should do.
Good luck.
Last edited Sat Aug 6, 2022, 01:53 PM - Edit history (1)
I was just going to post a link to the long song-and-dance below, that I had posted elsewhere long ago, but I forgot to save the URL, so here it is in its entirety. I will save this URL this time 
12/1/18 - I ordered a Microwave oven from BestBuy.com for in-store pickup (Ridgedale, Minnetonka, MN) late night 12/1/18, they expect it to be in-store 12/7, will notify me by email.
12/7 - I get an email from the csuckers: "Your order has been delayed -- Delayed orders are typically fulfilled within 7 days. However, as soon as your item becomes available, we'll send an e-mail letting you know it's on the way. We will keep your order open and continue to work on getting your item(s) to you until January 06, 2019. If your item(s) are still not available by this date, we'll cancel the item(s) and notify you via e-mail."
Other options given at the bottom of the email. The options vary by product type. Mine was "Make Changes" and "Cancel", but when I hover my mouse over either one, it makes an "X" over it. When I click on "Why Can't I make changes?" It tells me: "We’re working on your order. At this point, we can’t change or cancel it."
WELL FUCK YOU, BEST BUY.
I did hunt down some phone numbers. I checked with some forums and some had called 1-888-BESTBUY (1-888-237-8289 ) and people said they couldn't cancel or had to talk to 3 or 4 people before they could get it cancelled.
I wasn't really in a hurry so I just waited and waited, and sure enough January 6 rolled around and they sent me an email that the order has been cancelled. At that point they finally did one thing right: they did promptly refund the full amount to my Paypal account (but with no thank you for the 5 week interest-free loan from me, and no expression of apology at all, except the word "unfortunately" )
Anyway, I think this is really really rotten. Bestbuy.com said it would be available in 6 days for in-store pickup at the Ridgedale store, so that's why I ordered it. It's just pure bait and switch crap. And then when it wasn't, they send me an email saying I can't cancel the order. WTF!
To clarify, this was all via BestBuy.com, and I don't think it was any decisions or actions by anybody at the Ridgedale store that was the problem. I doubt they were involved at all, except possibly initially someone might have checked their inventory.
that was thorough. They went over every component, component by component, and every peripheral (e.g. DVD drives, monitor) peripheral by peripheral, suggesting what to get, what to avoid, suggested minimums like memory amounts and disk size (and type, e.g. the type that is actually memory chips -- SSD -- Solid State Drive. Or conventional hard drive), yada. I so miss that they don't do that anymore (probably not in the past 10 years).
There's probably something like that out there somewhere on the Interwebs , or maybe the Intertubes , I hope so, because I've got an 11 year old computer (which is my main and only computer) and I don't know what I would have done in the past without a guide like that when I last purchased a computer (April 2011).
I've never owned a laptop, so I'm sorry that I don't have any useful advice at all, other than avoid Best Buy.
Response to cbabe (Original post)