Reply With QuoteI know it’s a predictable reply, but I personally would go with the newest MacBook I could get for the money, for me, they just last a lot longer than a Windows machine.
I know that there was recently another laptop advice thread but that seemed to be higher end kit.
My brother is looking for a laptop and has about £500. He doesn't play computer games so it's just the basic browser, MS Office apps, streaming, etc..
I'm constantly amazed how quickly laptops seem to slow to a crawl, so I am trying to help him find something that might give 3 years decent service - but with minimal knowledge myself.
I'd be very grateful for any contributions.
He'd looked at the Acer Swift 1 SF114-32 https://uk-store.acer.com/swift-1-ultra-thin-sf114-32-black which got 70% inthe Which magazine test - but 15 months ago.
The summary said "Not the fastest" which doesn'tbode well for longevity. The spec includes a very modest 4Gb RAM and avery average processor: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php....10GHz&id=3204.
I had a quick look at Dell outlet which I've haddecent experience of previously (albeit with desktops).
In the price range, there is an Inspiron 15 - 3585 laptop with a AMDRyzen 5 2500U Processor (Quad Core, Up to 3.60GHz, 6MB Cache, 15W) [https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Ryzen+5+2500U&id=3123] and 8GB(2X4GB) 2666MHz DDR4 RAM.
The Dell has a bigger screen (so presumably heavier) and I'mnot sure which has better battery life. (Both screens are 1920x1080resolution.) Which magazine said the Acer had a "long" batterylife. A distinctly lukewarm review here: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Review....424262.0.html
Then I thought what about an HP? There is the HP 14-dk0011na? The processor AMD Ryzen™ 5 3500U with Radeon™Vega 8 Graphics (2.1 GHz base clock, up to 3.7 GHz max boost clock, 6 MB cache,4 cores) seems to test better than the Acer and Dell mentioned [https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Ryzen+5+3500U&id=3421]. But then I looked at Which and that was quite damning 56% - Drab screen, Poor speakers, cheap build quality.
I think a £500 budget is going to mean quite a few compromises but I believe processor and RAM do need to be reasonable or the whole thing is compromised from the outset. A decent display would be good for streaming, etc..
So, anyone able to help - pretty please.
Last edited by David_D; 18th April 2020 at 16:06. Reason: typo
I know it’s a predictable reply, but I personally would go with the newest MacBook I could get for the money, for me, they just last a lot longer than a Windows machine.
Cheers..
Jase
Thanks. Fair comment but it’s a hard budget really.Originally Posted by JasonM
Sorry, I meant second hand.
Hoxton Macs in London usually have a good selection.
Cheers..
Jase
I've always gone to Novatech - https://www.novatech.co.uk/ and i have worked in IT for 25 years.
You will get a lot more for your £500 than Dell etc and get a good warranty. But lots of people prefer the 'assurance' of a large brand name like Dell or Lenovo.
I have never had any issue with anything from Novatech. Thier business laptops are very powerful and you save by not having the brand name.
I can also reccomend buying SW from https://theunitysoft.com/
Windows 10 and office for less than £50 each - and legitimate. Again, ive never had any issues.
Good luck.
Are there any decent Chromebooks in this category?
I've always built desktops, but have family that have used: https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/ct/l...bute=1~129~500 and seem happy.
Thank you. Certainly very useful to hear from someone "in the business"!
Thanks. I'm not really sure what Chromebooks are but I had seen them as an option so worth researching.
- - - Updated - - -
Ah, OK! Thanks. I'll have a look. EDIT: Interesting but they are quite low on stock at the moment
Last edited by David_D; 18th April 2020 at 17:28.
My IMac was awful. It needed all its capacitors replacing after 4 years (a known problem) before the motherboard finally blew. Replaced it with an All-in-One O.
Also do not forget that a laptop has a average life expectancy of about 5-6 years (the typical refresh cycle used by most companies), so given a Apple product is typically 2-3 times the price of a “normal” windows PC, in theory they should be good for 10- 15 years, yet they aren’t. My IPhone 6 and IPad (gen 4) (both about 5 years old) are now useless, not because they are defective, but because I can no longer update them.
Personally if I was your brother I would be looking at something like a HP Elite Pad 840 with at least an Intel I5 (Gen5+), 4GB+ RAM and 256GB SSD. Professional quality machine, pretty much bullet proof plus you can get spare batteries, etc without much stress. Install Win 10, Office 2019 and a decent AV and he will be sorted - for a lot less than £500.
Speaking as someone who worked in IT for 25 years - the last 10 with HP 😀
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
There's a good Dell XPS i7 and even a MacBook on SC right now. Either look good.
Check some of the refurbished Mac sites e.g. https://www.mac4sale.co.uk/macbooks/...-mid-2010.html … likely a fast machine with its solid state drive and should be easy to upgrade the RAM … for £258 would be a good buy and reliable. Also reasonably easy to upgrade an older machine yourself if you source a donor Macbook. I just upgraded a 2007 Macbook Pro using components sourced from https://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/...BoCpPgQAvD_BwE … their batteries are excellent … My Macbook Pro A1226 2007 model is now running faster than ever and is a pleasure to use. Macupgrades website includes DIY instructions / videos.
dunk
EDIT: Mine is listed for sale sold on TZ UK SC and has with MS Office 2011 and other apps
Last edited by sundial; 28th April 2020 at 21:49.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
As said
By the best MacBook on the used market he can afford
Apple are going 24month 0% I think too if he wants to be bold
For email, browsing, streaming and general office functions, a Chromebook is well worth considering. I have been using one for the last two years and I am in no hurry to return to a PC or Mac. OS and security are always up to date and you can get them well within budget.
0% APR doesn't triple a £500 budget.
If he can push to £550 - this looks a good shout (free speakers and mouse as well):
https://consumer.huawei.com/uk/lapto...-d-15-amd/buy/
Review here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYgqsd2IZLQ
Not new, but Morgan computers have a good choice of refurbished ones-
https://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/c/...tops-Netbooks/
Thanks. I know you can get some absolute bargains buying pre-owned, but I think he's nervous about anything that doesn't have a warranty.
Unsure about how dell operate but the Mac will be easy to find out. Just ask for the serial number and paste it in here https://checkcoverage.apple.com/gb/en/
Apple warranties are worldwide and tied to the equipment not the purchaser. I'd have no worry at all buying apple equipment second hand.
So long as there's no damage etc. Proof of purchase also helps.
Thanks. That's a blast from the past. I'm sure I bought some kit from them donkeys' years ago.
OK thanks. Trouble is, notwithstanding the law, most companies try and fob you off with a 12 month (only) guarantee when the law isn't that simple for goods that clearly you should expect to last longer. Also the question is the extent to which warranties are transferable.
Thanks. Looks like a decent one. Fair review here too:
https://www.techradar.com/uk/reviews...book-d-15-2020
I'll mention that, thanks!
I agree. EU law is tied to the original supplier not the manufacturer and who knows what's going on. That being said if the MacBook is less than 12 months you can still buy AppleCare (not AppleCare+) but would have to price that in.
I don't know how knowledgable the HotUKDeals posters are but there are various Lenovo deals that look pretty good and are getting a lot of heat, for example:
https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/len...lenovo-3445328
Does says "only drawback is the TN screen", whatever that means.
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