Author Topic: Another "Recommend a Laptop" thread (please don't hate)  (Read 976 times)

Solomon960

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Another "Recommend a Laptop" thread (please don't hate)
« on: July 15, 2021, 01:45:33 AM »
Hello fellow Mustachians. Acknowledging that a boundless number of threads already exists on this platform already on this platform ( the most recent being https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/laptop-advice/msg2715423/#msg2715423), as each Mustachian's needs are unique, this thread is seeking guidance for my unique reality.

My current Dell N4110 Inspiron laptop was purchased perhaps six years ago. It possesses a Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2350M CPU @ 2.30GHz (64-bit) processor, a half-used 6.00 GB RAM, and runs version 20H2 Windows 10 Home edition. Especially in 2021, every mode of operation has become slow. My primary software suites are Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (installed on the device), adobe Acrobat Reader (installed on the device), the latest Chrome browser, and Skype (free version pre-installed on the device). On the internet, I often watch free media on imdb, Roku, tubitv, Vudu, and YouTube while occasionally being required by work to sign-in to zoom meeting feeds. For storage, all essential Microsoft and adobe files are stored onto removable flash drives. Apart from a basic wireless keyboard and mouse set, I own no special external I/O devices. Over the last month or so, it is the inability of my device to transmit or receive audio and video through Skype WITHOUT having made ANY changes to my device that is incentivizing me to go ahead and replace my laptop.

Like all true Mustachians, I hate spending money - but without a reliable laptop at home, my productivity and ability to communicate at work and with friends is negatively impacted. Recommendations are appreciated. I've purchased 5-year old desktops through a Dell auction site previously, so I am not afraid of purchasing used so long as I can still access my existing file types and can communicate with my peers reliably.

Thank you.

former player

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Re: Another "Recommend a Laptop" thread (please don't hate)
« Reply #1 on: July 15, 2021, 03:51:21 AM »
I have come to the conclusion that a laptop is an inherently unsustainable option: the failure of one part often means the failure of the whole, and they need replacing frequently - a new laptop every few years is one of my bigger impacts on the planet that I can do something about.

When my current laptop fails I am going to transition to a desktop which has a better life expectancy and replaceable parts for the serious stuff and probably look for a reliable tablet for recreational browsing and reading.

FLBiker

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Re: Another "Recommend a Laptop" thread (please don't hate)
« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2021, 06:09:30 AM »
I have come to the conclusion that a laptop is an inherently unsustainable option: the failure of one part often means the failure of the whole, and they need replacing frequently - a new laptop every few years is one of my bigger impacts on the planet that I can do something about.

When my current laptop fails I am going to transition to a desktop which has a better life expectancy and replaceable parts for the serious stuff and probably look for a reliable tablet for recreational browsing and reading.

This is a reasonable point, and something I may do myself when I next replace my personal computer.  If you do need a new laptop, though, I have had decent success with refurbed Lenovos (although, in fairness, I kind of feel like Lenovo quality has dropped recently).  Basically, though, I just look on newegg or similar for last year's model in the $400 range.

Here's an example of the type of refurb Lenovo I might look at (although, in fairness, the specs are pretty similar to what you already have) - https://www.newegg.com/lenovo-t450/p/N82E16834850867?Item=N82E16834850867&quicklink=true

And here's the general Microsoft Authorized refurb page at newegg: https://www.newegg.com/MICROSOFT_AUTHORIZED_REFURBISHED_NOTEBOOK/EventSaleStore/ID-9300?cm_sp=Cat_Laptops-Notebooks-_-recertified%2f21-1241-_-%2f%2fpromotions.newegg.com%2frecertified%2f21-1241%2f1920x360.jpg&icid=631863

Your specs are pretty good, though, for what you're doing.  Maybe you just have a lot of bloat?  If you've had it for 6 years, you might benefit from reformatting it and starting fresh.  To me, there's no reason why that machine shouldn't be able to do what you're doing.

Sailor Sam

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Re: Another "Recommend a Laptop" thread (please don't hate)
« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2021, 06:14:21 AM »
I came to the same conclusion as @former player, and switched entirely to a tablet. Finding all the right apps to make it as productive as a laptop took a bit of time, but the tablet now does everything I need a computing device to accomplish.

Though, I do have a work computer as a backup, if I run into something that's heavily annoying to do on a tablet. Also, a new tablet might not be cheaper than a refurbished laptop or desktop.

grantmeaname

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Re: Another "Recommend a Laptop" thread (please don't hate)
« Reply #4 on: July 15, 2021, 01:20:48 PM »
My strong views are 1) buy a business laptop, not a consumer laptop, 2) buy a Dell business laptop in specific, and 3) buy refurbished to save the planet and let you buy a much higher end product relative to your budget.

Thinkpads are Lenovo now, and the last Lenovo laptop and the last three Lenovo (Motorola) phones in my family had all been big underperformers on the durability side. I or close family members have had really poor experiences with Acer, Asus, HP, and Toshiba consumer laptops at this point. My wife's got an 11 year old Dell Latitude laptop that works perfectly excepting that the battery stopped working early in year 8. So when it came time to get a laptop for work, I got a refurbished 3 year old Dell Latitude. It's unbelievably well constructed. Now there are five of them across my extended family.

neo von retorch

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Re: Another "Recommend a Laptop" thread (please don't hate)
« Reply #5 on: July 15, 2021, 01:36:30 PM »
Have you reviewed Memory usage in the Performance tab of Task Manager (hit More Details if you do not see this tab)?

Also review the Disk 0 usage.

The most likely culprits are:

 - disk was never very fast to begin with
 - memory usage has creeped up, and relies on that slow disk for swapping

Is the disk an SSD? That laptop won't support the latest, fastest, disks, but it almost certainly supports a 2.5" SATA SSD, if it's user accessible.

Looking at the Service Manual - https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_laptop/esuprt_inspiron_laptop/inspiron-14r-n4110_service%20manual_en-us.pdf, I think you can replace the 2.5" drive. The original was probably a 4200 or 5400 rpm drive. Any SSD would help a lot. And you say "half-used" so I assume you've done some upgrades of RAM yourself? Is there any further upgrading you could do - maybe get yourself to 8GB or higher?

If none of that is tenable, then yeah some kind of Lenovo business laptop, especially something with a Ryzen 4500U / 5500U would give you a great increase in speed for a somewhat reasonable price.
« Last Edit: July 15, 2021, 01:41:27 PM by neo von retorch »

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Another "Recommend a Laptop" thread (please don't hate)
« Reply #6 on: July 17, 2021, 02:33:36 AM »
Does your current laptop use a mechanical hard drive or an SSD?

If you're handy enough with working on a computer, swapping in a 2.5" SSD and reinstalling Windows and software would definitely improve responsiveness. Mechanical hard drives are sloooooow, and SSDs of reasonable capacity these days are relatively cheap.

If you could get away with Google Docs instead of MS Office, even a Chromebook may be sufficient.

Although, if you are working from home and using it as a work computer, I'd probably recommend to pony up and get a decent machine. Whether it's a business-focused device like a Dell Latitude or Lenovo Thinkpad T series or higher, or a more consumer focused but still relatively higher-end machine like a Dell XPS.

Dell Outlet might be your friend in this instance:

https://www.dell.com/en-us/dfh/shop/refurbished/cp/outlet-dfh

Something like this if you're on a tight budget.

Or this if you're feeling flush.

Maybe this?

Depends on what level of build quality and what specs you want really. It seems with Dells that the first digit indicates the quality, so a 7000 series is a better built machine than a 3000.

grantmeaname

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Re: Another "Recommend a Laptop" thread (please don't hate)
« Reply #7 on: July 17, 2021, 05:41:12 AM »
It seems with Dells that the first digit indicates the quality, so a 7000 series is a better built machine than a 3000.
Yep! First digit is how premium the laptop was when new, second digit is screen size (e.g. 74XX is 14") and third digit is model year ish (7480 is 2018)

dcheesi

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Re: Another "Recommend a Laptop" thread (please don't hate)
« Reply #8 on: July 17, 2021, 06:51:38 AM »
I have come to the conclusion that a laptop is an inherently unsustainable option: the failure of one part often means the failure of the whole, and they need replacing frequently - a new laptop every few years is one of my bigger impacts on the planet that I can do something about.

When my current laptop fails I am going to transition to a desktop which has a better life expectancy and replaceable parts for the serious stuff and probably look for a reliable tablet for recreational browsing and reading.
Eh, it depends. Better quality laptops will let you replace the most common upgrade components (RAM & storage), and unless you're a serious gamer, the graphics don't need upgrading nearly as often.

Everything else (CPU etc.) tends to be bound by the limitations of the motherboard, regardless of whether it's a desktop or laptop. This is likely to be especially true for Mustachians, who (as with the OP) presumably have longer upgrade cycles/device lifetimes in mind; no six year old desktop mobo would be compatible with current processors, etc., so you'd be replacing mobo, probably RAM, etc. in any case (no pun).

As for peripherals, these days external options offer adequate performance and plenty of selection compared to internal expansion cards. (This is a big change from several years ago, when external busses were often quite limited.)

Pretty much the only thing that's more future-proof about a desktop these days is the case & monitor. Even the power-supply might need updating to match a new mobo's requirements.

...All of that said, if OP's laptop is still working, albeit slow, perhaps they could just hold onto it for travel purposes, while saving money on a new home PC by going the desktop route. It's worth looking into, at least; just don't forget to include the cost of separate keyboard/mouse/monitor if you don't already have those (IMHO worth having even for a home laptop station, just for the ergonomics).

dandarc

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Re: Another "Recommend a Laptop" thread (please don't hate)
« Reply #9 on: July 17, 2021, 08:03:57 AM »
What @grantmeaname said. Refurbished Dell business laptop is usually a good value.

Dicey

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Re: Another "Recommend a Laptop" thread (please don't hate)
« Reply #10 on: July 17, 2021, 09:57:53 AM »
Batsignalling @NotJen, who also has an interest in this topic.

NotJen

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Re: Another "Recommend a Laptop" thread (please don't hate)
« Reply #11 on: July 17, 2021, 12:39:27 PM »
Batsignalling @NotJen, who also has an interest in this topic.

Thanks! I read through this thread this morning and will definitely be looking into a refurbished Dell.

 

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