Advice on laptop purchase

Hello!

I am going to buy a new laptop for my dad, and as I have absolutely no clue about laptops, I thought I would ask here, even though the requirements for this laptop are few. My dad does nothing but browse the web, write some documents, work with pictures, and some light photo editing. No games or any hardcore photoshop stuff. I would love though if the laptop could last for at least 5 years, hopefuly 10, in terms of hardware. Apple products is okay, but I would prefere to avoid them. However few the demands might be, here they are:

Big screen, I'm thinking at least 15"
Light weight
Speed (Maybe SSD if it's within pricerange?)
Battery life. I have no idea what to expect, but I would like 10-12 hours of battery life. Doesn't have to be the battery originaly in the laptop if another can be bought. Advice on batterys is apreciated as well if I'd want/need to buy one seperately.

My pricerange would be around $1.000. I'm the 'best bang for the buck' kind of guy, so I would love to save some money, maybe to spend on a mouse for him, or another battery if needed. As I said, I have no idea what to expect from laptops, what is good and what is bad, so any general pointers is nice as well. What brands to go for, which to avoid. Maybe a few things I need to look out for when looking around. Basicaly, anything.

Thank you in advance.

Have you thought of maybe a Surface Pro 3?

i5 - 128gb model:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/microso...lver/6243045.p?id=1219198824874&skuId=6243045

I think it's a good device, highly portable. Storage could definitely be a problem but overall it could be good for him.

Think you might be pretty optimistic about getting that kind of battery life from a 15-inch, lightweight $1,000 laptop, especially on the Windows side of things. The 15.6-inch Samsung ATIV Book 9 gets close to 10 hours in real life, but that's $1,500 and uses a fairly low-end CPU (let's put it this way: a $900 MacBook Air is faster). You're more likely to get the longevity you want in the 13.3-inch realm.

Also, just to set expectations: you will likely never, ever find a laptop that lasts for 10 years... not any time soon, anyway. You can do 5 years, but that's pushing it. Lithium batteries gradually lose their capacity the more charges you go through, and the likelihood of finding a replacement battery several years down the line isn't great (you'd most likely be depending on third parties at that point).

As for brands to pick... do seriously consider Apple. Remember, you're buying for your dad, not for you -- Macs are typically easy to use, and you won't have to deal with your dad infecting the system with viruses (if he's inexperienced). If not one of those, definitely consider systems from ASUS, Lenovo and Samsung in that price range. Acer's Aspire S7 is nice, too. I would mainly avoid Dell, HP and Toshiba, although Dell's new XPS 13 is superb if you're willing to get a 13.3-inch laptop.

Why not Chromebook and save the money for a new one in 2 to 3 years?

a3n1ma said:

Have you thought of maybe a Surface Pro 3?

i5 - 128gb model:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/microso...lver/6243045.p?id=1219198824874&skuId=6243045

I think it's a good device, highly portable. Storage could definitely be a problem but overall it could be good for him.

Click to expand...

Interesting suggestion. I like the idea of this, especially since it looks like it doesn't take much space, and it really doesn't weigh much. My concerns are if it's really him, and the small screen. I know the laptop he has now is 17", and he has complained a bit about it's size and weight when traveling, so he might be willing to go a bit lower, but I think a 12" is pushing it. I will definitely look into it though, thank you. Also, unfortunately that thing costs over $1.100 here in Denmark

Aurelius said:

Think you might be pretty optimistic about getting that kind of battery life from a 15-inch, lightweight $1,000 laptop, especially on the Windows side of things. The 15.6-inch Samsung ATIV Book 9 gets close to 10 hours in real life, but that's $1,500 and uses a fairly low-end CPU (let's put it this way: a $900 MacBook Air is faster). You're more likely to get the longevity you want in the 13.3-inch realm.

Also, just to set expectations: you will likely never, ever find a laptop that lasts for 10 years... not any time soon, anyway. You can do 5 years, but that's pushing it. Lithium batteries gradually lose their capacity the more charges you go through, and the likelihood of finding a replacement battery several years down the line isn't great (you'd most likely be depending on third parties at that point).

As for brands to pick... do seriously consider Apple. Remember, you're buying for your dad, not for you -- Macs are typically easy to use, and you won't have to deal with your dad infecting the system with viruses (if he's inexperienced). If not one of those, definitely consider systems from ASUS, Lenovo and Samsung in that price range. Acer's Aspire S7 is nice, too. I would mainly avoid Dell, HP and Toshiba, although Dell's new XPS 13 is superb if you're willing to get a 13.3-inch laptop.

Click to expand...

Thank you for your suggestions. With what you're saying, then my expectations might have been too high yes. But as I said, I have no idea what to expect from laptops. So thank you for explaining a bit. When I thought I wanted a laptop that lasted for 10 years, I wasn't really taking into account that the battery might not last that long, I was thinking completely in terms of hardware, and what he actually uses the computer for. Granted nothing breaks down for instance, I have no doubt he could have a normal PC for 10 years, but yes, I didn't think about the battery might not last, even if the rest of the laptop will. And the battery life is not THAT big of a factor if it's way out of my price range.

And as for Apple, honestly I wouldn't mind if I end up buying an Apple product for him. I just know I won't really be able to help him very much whenever there's a problem. We do have an Apple expert in the family, so it's not all too bad. But he's not bad with viruses anymore, so that's not actually my concern. And I know my dad would really apreciate something he knows. Ie, a Windows platform computer.

I will definitely see what I can find from those brands, thank you.

Edit: Also, do you have an oppinion about the Microsoft Surface Pro the poster above you suggested?

bebble said:

Why not Chromebook and save the money for a new one in 2 to 3 years?

Click to expand...

I hadn't considered it because 1: It's Apple, I'd like to avoid it and 2: I'd like not to change every 2-3 years. But you're not the first one to suggest Apple, I'll look into it as well, thank you.

Edit: A quick question, would it preserve battery life if he actually removed it when he was just at home for instance and had it hooked up to power anyway, as he always does?

Ayoralyn said:

Thank you for your suggestions. With what you're saying, then my expectations might have been too high yes. But as I said, I have no idea what to expect from laptops. So thank you for explaining a bit. When I thought I wanted a laptop that lasted for 10 years, I wasn't really taking into account that the battery might not last that long, I was thinking completely in terms of hardware, and what he actually uses the computer for. Granted nothing breaks down for instance, I have no doubt he could have a normal PC for 10 years, but yes, I didn't think about the battery might not last, even if the rest of the laptop will. And the battery life is not THAT big of a factor if it's way out of my price range.

And as for Apple, honestly I wouldn't mind if I end up buying an Apple product for him. I just know I won't really be able to help him very much whenever there's a problem. We do have an Apple expert in the family, so it's not all too bad. But he's not bad with viruses anymore, so that's not actually my concern. And I know my dad would really apreciate something he knows. Ie, a Windows platform computer.

I will definitely see what I can find from those brands, thank you.

Edit: Also, do you have an opinion about the Microsoft Surface Pro the poster above you suggested?

Click to expand...

Welcome. On the Surface Pro: it's a pretty solid device, although it's really for people who value mobility over screen size. The 12-inch display is really nice, just not exactly big. And don't forget, you have to factor in the price of the Type Cover with any purchase, since you're otherwise just getting a tablet.

A question of my own: has your dad used Windows 8, and if so, what does he think of it? It's a bit tricky to argue that it's a "familiar" OS for someone who may have never seen W8, since there are actually a lot of interface changes.

Also, on the battery front: if you plug in, you don't really sap any power from the battery. You just want to periodically give the battery a good "workout" (i.e. use it for most or all of a charge).

Aurelius said:

Welcome. On the Surface Pro: it's a pretty solid device, although it's really for people who value mobility over screen size. The 12-inch display is really nice, just not exactly big. And don't forget, you have to factor in the price of the Type Cover with any purchase, since you're otherwise just getting a tablet.

A question of my own: has your dad used Windows 8, and if so, what does he think of it? It's a bit tricky to argue that it's a "familiar" OS for someone who may have never seen W8, since there are actually a lot of interface changes.

Also, on the battery front: if you plug in, you don't really sap any power from the battery. You just want to periodically give the battery a good "workout" (i.e. use it for most or all of a charge).

Click to expand...

Thanks for your feedback.

The Surface Pro is most likely out of my pricerange. But I think I like it mostly because it would be something I would buy for myself over a normal laptop, more then my dad would buy it for himself, if you understand what I mean.

As for Windows 8, it was actually going to be a question as well. No, he has no experience with Windows 8 whatsoever, and neither do I for that matter. I went from Windows XP to Windows 7, which I'm still using. My dad used Windows Vista for a long while until a few months ago when I installed Windows 7 Pro on it (I had a key from an earlier job). I was considering buying a laptop without any OS, if possible, and just install Windows 7 on it myself, unless someone would really recommend Windows 8. Also to avoid all the crap that comes preinstalled. I also heard some rumors about free upgrades from Microsoft to Windows 10 for all Windows 7 and up users.

I will remember the battery thing, and let him know once he gets his new laptop, thank you

Ayoralyn said:

Interesting suggestion. I like the idea of this, especially since it looks like it doesn't take much space, and it really doesn't weigh much. My concerns are if it's really him, and the small screen. I know the laptop he has now is 17", and he has complained a bit about it's size and weight when traveling, so he might be willing to go a bit lower, but I think a 12" is pushing it. I will definitely look into it though, thank you. Also, unfortunately that thing costs over $1.100 here in Denmark



Thank you for your suggestions. With what you're saying, then my expectations might have been too high yes. But as I said, I have no idea what to expect from laptops. So thank you for explaining a bit. When I thought I wanted a laptop that lasted for 10 years, I wasn't really taking into account that the battery might not last that long, I was thinking completely in terms of hardware, and what he actually uses the computer for. Granted nothing breaks down for instance, I have no doubt he could have a normal PC for 10 years, but yes, I didn't think about the battery might not last, even if the rest of the laptop will. And the battery life is not THAT big of a factor if it's way out of my price range.

And as for Apple, honestly I wouldn't mind if I end up buying an Apple product for him. I just know I won't really be able to help him very much whenever there's a problem. We do have an Apple expert in the family, so it's not all too bad. But he's not bad with viruses anymore, so that's not actually my concern. And I know my dad would really apreciate something he knows. Ie, a Windows platform computer.

I will definitely see what I can find from those brands, thank you.

Edit: Also, do you have an oppinion about the Microsoft Surface Pro the poster above you suggested?



I hadn't considered it because 1: It's Apple, I'd like to avoid it and 2: I'd like not to change every 2-3 years. But you're not the first one to suggest Apple, I'll look into it as well, thank you.

Edit: A quick question, would it preserve battery life if he actually removed it when he was just at home for instance and had it hooked up to power anyway, as he always does?

Click to expand...

Chromebook is not Apple producing, but running Google ChromeOS. Lots of vendors are now selling Chromebook (e.g. HP, Acer, Dell). Search "Chrome book" in amazon, and you will find lots of review.

bebble said:

Chromebook is not Apple producing, but running Google ChromeOS. Lots of vendors are now selling Chromebook (e.g. HP, Acer, Dell). Search "Chrome book" in amazon, and you will find lots of review.

Click to expand...

Ahh shit haha. Just shows how much I know about laptops! And Apple. And Google. Thanks haha.

Ayoralyn said:

Thanks for your feedback.

The Surface Pro is most likely out of my pricerange. But I think I like it mostly because it would be something I would buy for myself over a normal laptop, more then my dad would buy it for himself, if you understand what I mean.

As for Windows 8, it was actually going to be a question as well. No, he has no experience with Windows 8 whatsoever, and neither do I for that matter. I went from Windows XP to Windows 7, which I'm still using. My dad used Windows Vista for a long while until a few months ago when I installed Windows 7 Pro on it (I had a key from an earlier job). I was considering buying a laptop without any OS, if possible, and just install Windows 7 on it myself, unless someone would really recommend Windows 8. Also to avoid all the crap that comes preinstalled. I also heard some rumors about free upgrades from Microsoft to Windows 10 for all Windows 7 and up users.

I will remember the battery thing, and let him know once he gets his new laptop, thank you

Click to expand...

On the OS front... well, the Windows 10 upgrade isn't a rumor -- so long as you do it within the first year of Windows 10's availability, you can upgrade from Windows 7 or 8 for free. Just remember that he'll be using a pre-10 OS for at least a few months if he gets something now. I'd let him consider a Mac (he can always swing by a retailer with Macs if he likes), but he wouldn't be stuck in Windows 8's strange land for very long.

To be honest looking at laptops has always been a jungle to me. I went to Newegg and just clicked an top sellers and read some of the reviews of some of the laptops there. I can't order from Newegg, unfortunately. But I did come across this.

It had gotten some fairly good reviews, and whatever people were complaining about wouldn't be an issue for my dad. Looking for the laptop in Denmark left me with several choices in specs. Based on the comments it seems to be pretty sturdy, low noise, not get hot, and fairly light. It seems to just be up to me to choose weather I want intel core i5 or i7, 4 or 8 gigs, SSD or standard harddrive, and 500 gigs or 1tb if not SSD. As he will mostly be using it for pictures and stuff, I'm thinking the SSD will suit him more, since I don't think he will be using 500 gigs of space, and I think he would then prefer the speed. He also has a 500 gig external harddrive I've been trying to get him to use for his pictures as a back up. I'm also thinking 4 gigs of RAM is enough. Most of them comes winth Windows 8 downgraded to Windows 7. I will most likely be reinstalling it anyway to get rid of everything not needed. And unless you guys scream for me not to buy this thing, I think this will be my choice.