15" Laptop Recos for MS Office, TurboTax, and Web Browsing

fake

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Gaiz, I'm trying to find a laptop for my dad. He got an HP several years ago but it's always run like shit. I put a fresh install of Windows 7 on it and it still sucked. I'm looking for something that he can use to run productivity apps and browse the web / watch YouTube without a 10-minute boot-up or frequent slowdown. What should I expect to spend? Any recommendations?

I do not need anything that can play games, run Photoshop, edit videos, etc. It does need to run Windows, though, so no Chromebooks or things like that.
 

FredyFired

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ASUS W202NA should do the trick, cheap and can do well all the things you mentioned. About $250

Edit: The display might be the issue tho, only 11.6 inch, I guess look into the more expensive models if it is mandatory to have such a large display, but the price doubles, like the VivoBook 15 F513
 
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joe8

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Gaiz, I'm trying to find a laptop for my dad. He got an HP several years ago but it's always run like shit. I put a fresh install of Windows 7 on it and it still sucked. I'm looking for something that he can use to run productivity apps and browse the web / watch YouTube without a 10-minute boot-up or frequent slowdown. What should I expect to spend? Any recommendations?

I do not need anything that can play games, run Photoshop, edit videos, etc. It does need to run Windows, though, so no Chromebooks or things like that.
The main thing it has to have is an SSD, if you're installing Windows 10.
In some cases you can buy one that has a mechanical HDD, and then upgrade it youself to an SSD. But obviously it's better to buy a laptop with an SSD already installed (with an O/S).

Also, for reasonable speed, it should have at least a quad core, 8 thread CPU (such as a Core i5, at a minimum), and 8GB (or preferably 16GB) of RAM. A dual-core Celeron is too slow, even for basic use such as browsing the web, and multi-tasking. A laptop CPU is slower than the desktop version of the same CPU. Laptops also get slower over time, as you install more software on them. So, you'd want something that's still fast enough to use in a few years from now.
 
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fake

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Yes, I'm assuming it will have to be an i5 with 8GB of memory.
 

SpamYouToDeath

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I'd like to apologize on behalf of all computer programmers. We're in a place where multiple gigabytes of RAM and multiple billions of instructions per second are "slow". We're all doing a real bad job.
 

FredyFired

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If you settle for Windows 10 S (which can handle all that you mentioned) it will run well even on low specs, since that is how it was designed, also Office can run even in your browser now. W10 S has its limitations, but don't think your dad would mind.

I also recommend not bothering with Windows 7 or 8 anymore, especially 7, since it has become quite obsolete and can't really offer you that fast of an experience.
Another good option that is not too expensive is the Lenovo Ideapad 3, has decent specs for normal W10, not the fastest out there, but it is up to the task no doubt.

The budget options, especially if the computer won't get any heavy use, are not that bad nowadays, no point in investing more imo.
 

Lastblade

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I just picked up a LG Gram at Costco for $800 ($200 off), seems to work fine for what we need (light and fast booting). It is no longer on the website so you will have to go to store.
 

skate323k137

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I'd like to apologize on behalf of all computer programmers. We're in a place where multiple gigabytes of RAM and multiple billions of instructions per second are "slow". We're all doing a real bad job.
At my last job I used 32GB of ram almost entirely for Chrome lol
 

FredyFired

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e22.gif


At least the other Chromium based browsers are doing a much better job and not eating your resources away. Especially Edge, but Opera can be good too having a built-in limiter.
 

Burning Fight!!

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I'd like to apologize on behalf of all computer programmers. We're in a place where multiple gigabytes of RAM and multiple billions of instructions per second are "slow". We're all doing a real bad job.
Development teams can barely organize itself with managerial gimmicks to put out a WORKING and maintainable program, much less a program that is performance optimized. Only the biggest of big tymers do that nowadays.
 

joe8

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I'd like to apologize on behalf of all computer programmers. We're in a place where multiple gigabytes of RAM and multiple billions of instructions per second are "slow". We're all doing a real bad job.
We're talking about installing Windows 10 here, which is what it would have to be. Linux would use less system resources, though (a leaner O/S).
Software that's run on Windows 10, also isn't as lean as it used to be. Which may also be due to fact that it's running on a newer Windows O/S, even it's the same old version of the software that you were running on Windows XP or 7.

I think the culprits here are the new version of Windows (with higher system requirements), as well as the fact that browsers these days can use a lot of RAM, if you start opening a lot of tabs. Also, the browser doesn't even have to be using most of the RAM, before the system performance starts to suffer. Even if you have 16GB, you can easily use at least 60% of that, when running a browser on top of everything else.
 
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@M

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I've got a Lenovo laptop running Windows that I paid about $500 for last year. It's a'ight (screen could be brighter and battery life longer), but, I just use my cellphone for everything 99% of the time now, including doing my taxes.
 

fake

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Thanks, guys. I think I'm going to get him a VivoBook.

The issue with performance I think is both in design and in engineering. I need Microsoft Word to type out what I tell it, format shit, and track changes and comments. I don't need any of the other bloated bullshit it does. Right now I have a small file open. It's taking up over 300MB of RAM. My old PC that ran Word perfectly find didn't even have that much RAM for the first two years I had it. What has changed about word processing? I wish companies would create lighter versions of their software that had fewer bullshit features and were less system intensive.
 

joe8

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It really depends on your budget you have. You can get a second hand laptop for about the price as the ones mentioned above, and it will be at least as fast, with maybe better features.
An IPS screen also makes a laptop easier to do work on, but it's sometimes hard to tell if an advertised laptop has this feature.
Thinkpads tend to have the best keyboards of any laptops. Most keyboards on laptops are crap quality, where you can actually depress the keyboard in the middle, by putting a little pressure on it.

 
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evil wasabi

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anyone who recommended a Windows PC should be put on ignore. If your dad needs Windows, put him on ignore. He clearly doesn’t need a computer, but instead computer training.

your dad will be better off with a 2012 MacBook Pro, for $100. Add a new battery and ssd and he will be set for another decade probably.

buy a PC and it will be in the trash within 2 years.
 

skate323k137

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anyone who recommended a Windows PC should be put on ignore. If your dad needs Windows, put him on ignore. He clearly doesn’t need a computer, but instead computer training.

your dad will be better off with a 2012 MacBook Pro, for $100. Add a new battery and ssd and he will be set for another decade probably.

buy a PC and it will be in the trash within 2 years.
My 2010 macbook pro and 2011 imac are still kickin, the only reason I bought a newer mac was because both of those are capped at High Sierra :(. They have more RAM and SSD space than the brand new iMac I bought came with lol. Buying an older macbook and cramming it full of RAM / SSD is definitely a good way to go.

I just started my new job and I was issued a windows machine. I spent the last 12 years doing my work almost exclusively from linux and mac workstations. I'm not helpless in windows by any means but I'm certainly not a huge fan.
 

SpamYouToDeath

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My 2010 macbook pro and 2011 imac are still kickin, the only reason I bought a newer mac was because both of those are capped at High Sierra :(. They have more RAM and SSD space than the brand new iMac I bought came with lol. Buying an older macbook and cramming it full of RAM / SSD is definitely a good way to go.

I just started my new job and I was issued a windows machine. I spent the last 12 years doing my work almost exclusively from linux and mac workstations. I'm not helpless in windows by any means but I'm certainly not a huge fan.
My favorite part of Windows is trying to do work and
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MINECRAFT UPDATE
WOULD YOU LIKE AN XBOX GAME PASS
WINDOWS IS A SERVICE, WINDOWS NEEDS TO UPDAAAAATE
 

fake

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anyone who recommended a Windows PC should be put on ignore. If your dad needs Windows, put him on ignore. He clearly doesn’t need a computer, but instead computer training.

your dad will be better off with a 2012 MacBook Pro, for $100. Add a new battery and ssd and he will be set for another decade probably.

buy a PC and it will be in the trash within 2 years.
I don't disagree but he's stuck in his ways. As soon as I mention a Mac he says no way.
 

joe8

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the
anyone who recommended a Windows PC should be put on ignore. If your dad needs Windows, put him on ignore. He clearly doesn’t need a computer, but instead computer training.

your dad will be better off with a 2012 MacBook Pro, for $100. Add a new battery and ssd and he will be set for another decade probably.

buy a PC and it will be in the trash within 2 years.
So, what are you saying here- that Mac is a better OS than Windows? Or that it's easier to use?
Windows laptops can be kept for significantly more than 2 years, if you get the right one.
I can't say I've used an Apple product in the last ten years, except for an iPhone a for while. The controls on it were over-simplified. You only had one button to do everything on the phone, whereas an Android phone has two buttons, which makes it much easier.
 

evil wasabi

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the

So, what are you saying here- that Mac is a better OS than Windows? Or that it's easier to use?
Windows laptops can be kept for significantly more than 2 years, if you get the right one.
I can't say I've used an Apple product in the last ten years, except for an iPhone a for while. The controls on it were over-simplified. You only had one button to do everything on the phone, whereas an Android phone has two buttons, which makes it much easier.
No. The build quality is better, and that should be self evident from my post, as I specifically talk about the Mac lasting longer. And sure, you can use a Windows laptop for longer than 2 years. Maybe 3 or 4. Still shit.
 

joe8

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No. The build quality is better, and that should be self evident from my post, as I specifically talk about the Mac lasting longer. And sure, you can use a Windows laptop for longer than 2 years. Maybe 3 or 4. Still shit.
I like how Mac Pros seem to made of metal (brushed aluminum, something like that). And I guess the keyboard is better than on many Windows laptops, but most people aren't that fussy about the keyboard they use. Gaming and workstation laptops tend to have better keyboards. Workstation laptops tend to have better build quality. There are a lot of cheapie Windows laptops out there which don't have great build quality, because that isn't what people are going for- they want them to be fast, and thin & light, and for not too much cost, either. They buy them as throwaway devices, instead of really intending to upgrade them much, later on. So, it's definitely something where you can get a better deal secondhand, if you know what to look for.
 
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evil wasabi

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Stop defending your tech whataboutism. “if you know what to look for” just buy the device that has the best reputation. Sell it when you are done. Depreciation schedule on an Apple computer will scale for a decade. Depreciation on your well researched PC product: months.
 

sylvie

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The only route to go with PCs is the ThinkPad. You can keep them going for a long time, sadly they don't really make them how they used to, but they are still very reliable. I have an X1 Carbon and a T520; my work computer and my personal computer respectively-- and they are both solid

My other work computer, a 2012 MacBook Air , is still functioning. Which is fucking impressive. I use it every day, hooked up to a monitor of course. It doesn't work WELL, given how old it is (slows down real bad if you have a couple browser windows and apps open) but technically it works well enough to be a productivity tool
 
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