Where can I buy a sensible laptop?!

crashbox

Member
Livestock Farmer
One that is:
Not that expensive (sub £500?)
Starts quickly
Can do a spreadsheet/use an internet browser
Doesn't do a "go slow" after 2 years

Thanks
 

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
MacBook here, I know it's a lot more than £500 but turn it on and it works, no constant windows updates etc and no "blue screen of death" Had numerous cheaper Windows laptops and found am lucky they last longer than two years. Am on my second MacBook previous one lasted 7 years, no issues.
 

yoki

Member
MacBook here, I know it's a lot more than £500 but turn it on and it works, no constant windows updates etc and no "blue screen of death" Had numerous cheaper Windows laptops and found am lucky they last longer than two years. Am on my second MacBook previous one lasted 7 years, no issues.
Bought one of the new M1's in 2020, and won't have another.

Screen started flashing lines at me last year, eventually went blank, as ever with Apple turns out it's a "common fault".

Six hundred and some odd quid for apple to repair it, local computer guy done it for £375 with a year's warranty. That's the price of a decent s/h laptop ffs!

It's got no abuse, never been dropped, never been outside, it leads a particularly pampered life actually so who knows when or if it'll go again.

That's me done with Apple!
 
Location
salop
I have used a chromebook for the last 10 years. A good one is about £150 2nd hand a lot less. It does everything I need, the only downside it requires internet access for most jobs. The only things it cant do are specialist proffesional programs that are microsoft based, like 3d building design, revit and fusion 360 solidworks etc.
 

David.

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
J11 M40
I only have a Samsung Android tablet now, it does all I need to do.
But I think they only run programs that are app based.
 

PI Stsker

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South West
I have an Apple Mac desktop, Apple iPad and an Apple phone and all talk to one another, I can use the iPad with the attached keyboard case if I’m out and about, phone if in a pinch wanting to know some quick data or desktop when in the office.

The way everything just works and talks to each other is amazing. I can half start a spreadsheet on the desktop (not have to save it, it’s all automatic to the cloud) go for tea and sit with my iPad on an evening and carry on right where I left off. I don’t know why anyone would want anything else, you get what you pay for I think, the desktop is 6/7 years old and never missed a beat, I don’t think it’s ever been turnt off either just goes to sleep after a few minutes and a quick shake of the mouse and your off again.

I very nearly got a MacBook instead of the iPad but felt the iPad was more multi use as I can take it on a plane and watch films and seamlessly switch to doing work if I needed to. 100% would buy a MacBook if I thought I had a need.

when I first started with the apple desktop I did think what have I done. It’s so diffent to Microsoft yet so similar it was confusing. Best thing I did was get rid of the Microsoft programs (I paid extra for) and use apples version of excel and word etc. once you do that everything is where you think it should be and it talks to your phone/ipad quicker and easier.
 

yoki

Member
Mrs "Y" bought one of these on Black Friday for £160 odd.


Doing well so far, there's a work around you can do to put Google playstore on it so you're not restricted to Amazon's own apps, and if it last's as well as the other Fire tablets it'll be a bargain.

A bit pricey maybe at full retail but they're always doing discount days or weekends when you can get them cheaper if you're patient.
 

Chris F

Staff Member
Media
Location
Hammerwich
One that is:
Not that expensive (sub £500?)
Starts quickly
Can do a spreadsheet/use an internet browser
Doesn't do a "go slow" after 2 years

Thanks

This is what I would get. Must are 16GB RAM - 32 is just a bit more future proof. And SSD hard drive will boot way, way quicker. Thinkpads are just good. Mine is 4 years old and I hammer it every day.

£291 + vat.

 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
One that is:
Not that expensive (sub £500?)
Starts quickly
Can do a spreadsheet/use an internet browser
Doesn't do a "go slow" after 2 years

Thanks
I paid 90 quid for a W10 laptop last back end, to replace a VERY old micro base station still running W7. Updates were an increasing issue and I have a few legacy programs that need Windows.

However for 99% of the time, work and play, I use an Acer Chromebook, my 3rd now. Touchscreen again (which is wonderful) and HD screen. As said, it likes Internet access, and is designed as such, but it will run the Google office suite apps, offline.
 

GarMan

Member
Location
South East
Try eBay and get a decent Windows laptop for under £200. These days to keep it gooing, pick one with at least 8GB RAM (higher the better), Win10 preferably to Win 11, about 500GB hard disk and better if you can find SSD with an i5 processor. Dell Latitude E7470 is a cheap but good option. Best to pick up a professional laptop that is used for work as opposed to for games or casual browsing. They are sturdy and survives better.

The slowness is caused usually by junk that gets filled up with day to day stuff and if you give it a cleanup every now and then, even an old lapto can work quite well for a good few years. If possible get it tweaked for performance by disabling some of the unwanted stuff such as gaming, cortana, background sync etc, have a local account, disable touchscreen for better battery life and keep it updated with OS updates. Do shout if you need any further clarifications.
 
Location
East Mids
One that is:
Not that expensive (sub £500?)
Starts quickly
Can do a spreadsheet/use an internet browser
Doesn't do a "go slow" after 2 years

Thanks
We by a s/h properly reconditioned one from a brilliant independent store that doesn't rip you off and doesn't try and sell you something over spec-ed that has much more than you need. Last one cost £250 in 2019 and still using it now. Happy to transfer stuff for you from an old one too. http://www.meltoncomputers.co.uk/
 
This is what I would get. Must are 16GB RAM - 32 is just a bit more future proof. And SSD hard drive will boot way, way quicker. Thinkpads are just good. Mine is 4 years old and I hammer it every day.

£291 + vat.


Second this.

Refurbished think pads are great value
 

GTE

Member
+1 for chromebook .bomb proof , start quick but be aware they operate slightly differently from a windoze device. Files are held in the cloud but that's not a problem.
Windoze so slow to boot, constant updates and virus treats, blank screens, error messages -no thanks.
Chromebooks will run word and excell and love or hate them are very reliablw...... imho
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
One that is:
Not that expensive (sub £500?)
Starts quickly
Can do a spreadsheet/use an internet browser
Doesn't do a "go slow" after 2 years

Thanks
I got my last one of FB marketplace, a local guy reconditions and refurbs them. ASIS

That keeps the price down, this one set me back a whopping $220

Look for something reasonably modern with a SSD for quick starting, more RAM is better than less RAM especially if trawling the net alot.

Try to keep clutter to a minimum all the same, we were given one of those desktop machines that is just a thick screen, we clog that up with shite and leave the laptops for more specific stuff
 

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