I need a new cheap laptop. What's OK?

[W0QNX]

Like the title says I need a new cheap laptop. I've just started looking and wow there are lots of options out there now. I don't want a mac or a chromebook.

I only do a few things on the laptop anymore. I watch lots of youtube and visit forums. So it needs to stream YT flawless and good quality. 1080p probably. My internet speed is great at around 500megs so YT failure is all in the laptop. I'll probably use an external screen as I have for years. Might use my old one or buy an new screen.

All my pictures go to the laptop then off to an external storage device (terabyte drive).

I do zero games NONE so don't need to go high speed.

I bought a chromebook about 5 years ago and was very disappointed in the YT speed so no more chromebooks.

I have one Excel file I want to keep but I think since I won't pay any yearly fees I'll need to move that data to something else. What?

I guess it will be a Win 11 home edition.

Is copilot something I need or avoid? Is it OK if it's on the pc?

I've been an ASUS user my last two laptop and that would be OK. Any other might work too...

I'm thinking something around $500 is where I'd like to be. Probably won't go much over since I don't do anything other than stream stuff.

I've looked at a few,
Omnibook 5 with 16" screen AMD R7 AI or A1 (what is that mean?) 16/512 (ram/ssd) win11 home with copilot. $499 at Walmart.

Asus Vivobook 15 FHD i3-1315 core *GB ram 512gb ssd win11

Asus Vivobook 16 FHD+ AMD ryzen AI5 330 (?) 16gb and 512gb with copilot. $499 at Bestbuy.

Should I order one up from online PC shops?

Replies for the next couple weeks will be considered. Thanks for the input in advance.

 

[jdmccright]

Back when they (Microsoft) put the fear of Windows 10 obsoletion into all of us, I opted for this:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ASUS-Viv...Display-Deca-Core-Iris-Xe-Graphics/8376856707

It's overall a solid runner. Big screen, number keypad, good horsepower, plenty of storage. My only niggles are the plastic case is a bit flimsy and it only has one USB-C port. It hasn't completely supplanted my old laptop yet since I have so much on it and had signed up for extended Win 10 updates. But I know the time will come to shift over, and from what I can tell it should be easy. I don't need CoPilot...I'm not trying to figure out the origin of the Universe. I can do a search just fine and don't need Big MS snooping (more) on my search habits.

As for working with Excel files, look into OpenOffice.org. I've used it for a decade or more. It will read and write MS Office docs, though its native file format is different. If I need to send a doc to somebody, I just "save as" a .doc or .xls file or print to PDF. Otherwise, it works/feels almost the same.

 

[JohnK]

If you have a costco, there are some decent Dell laptops, that get additional warranty through them. Ive owned several over the years and none have let me down

 

[Erdoc48]

Interesting topic. If you don’t want to pay a subscription to Microsoft for Word/Excel (who does??), there is open source and free software called LibreOffice (for MS word) and LibreOffice Calc (for Excel spreadsheets)- I have it on my laptop (that in truth doesn’t get used much as I’m mostly on the iPad with a keyboard), but in the rare instance I need to open a Word doc, I can. I can’t justify paying Microsoft a subscription fee for something I barely use. For the iPad, it’s an app called Pages and it’s free (if that matters). I’m older and don’t write too many form letters anymore (and if I have to sign a document for work, it’s usually done with Docusign, but I digress…).

 

[Uncle Phil]

I bought a refurbed HP Elite 840 G7 Laptop on Amazon (after my deer encounter destroyed my old one).
I have been very pleased with it for $434 and it came with Win 11 Pro installed.
It is a 14 inch screen but I wanted that size because it fits nicely in my ST1100 top trunk.
If you are planning on using an external screen anyway, screen size does not really matter.

 

[Bmacleod]

If you are going to use an external monitor, why not look at a mini pc? Cheaper, smaller. I have recently been saying if I was going to get another PC just for the internet this is what I would do. I did a Google search and linked to a YouTube video that seems to explain mini PCs very well...

 

[Sadlsor]

I have an Acer chromebook that may be 2 years old now, and in all that time I've had NO issues with YouTube... outside of work, I probably spend more time on YT than I do on st-owners, hard as that may be for some to believe.
Our main SAAS system integrates nicely with the Gsuite, so we are heavy users of the Google ecosphere.

 

[drrod]

I second the Costco route. 90 days to return if you don't like it, plus 2 year warranty.

Surprised about your Chromebook comment. I have been using one for several years and they have worked well. No issue with YT. I finally replaced my original Asus with another Asus after dropping it enough for it to quit working/charging. Cost enough to repair that I went the new route.

 

[jdmccright]

If you are going to use an external monitor, why not look at a mini pc? Cheaper, smaller. I have recently been saying if I was going to get another PC just for the internet this is what I would do. I did a Google search and linked to a YouTube video that seems to explain mini PCs very well...

I've been considering a Mini as well, but every time I see a good deal I start looking at added features, bigger CPU, memory, speed, graphics, and end up costing as much or more than a laptop of the same capability. Their major drawback is a weaker CPU than what you would get in an equivalent laptop. As MS has shown us, you can buy a computer with a CPU that works fine now and into the near future, but it's no guarantee anymore that it'll have the same longevity of processor generations of the past at the whim of MS. So, I tend to stick to the major processor lines to maximize longevity and compatibility for the future.

Until then, my Intel Core i5 "made to run Wincows 7" will do until I changeover to my "blessed by Microsoft Windows 11" Asus Core i7.

 

[Bmacleod]

I've been considering a Mini as well, but every time I see a good deal I start looking at added features, bigger CPU, memory, speed, graphics, and end up costing as much or more than a laptop of the same capability. Their major drawback is a weaker CPU than what you would get in an equivalent laptop. As MS has shown us, you can buy a computer with a CPU that works fine now and into the near future, but it's no guarantee anymore that it'll have the same longevity of processor generations of the past at the whim of MS. So, I tend to stick to the major processor lines to maximize longevity and compatibility for the future.

Until then, my Intel Core i5 "made to run Wincows 7" will do until I changeover to my "blessed by Microsoft Windows 11" Asus Core i7.

Yes, for power users, they dont make sense, but to surf the web, theyre fine. OP stated he just wants to watch YTube. I have been considering a mini to fasten to the backside of my monitor for internet only use. Its just not a priority right now.

 

[jdmccright]

Yes, for power users, they dont make sense, but to surf the web, theyre fine. OP stated he just wants to watch YTube. I have been considering a mini to fasten to the backside of my monitor for internet only use. Its just not a priority right now.

Myself I keep threatening to do quite a bit of 3D scanning of parts for the ST group and other purposes. So, my searches usually include that as a "requirement." But yes, for just about anything else, with a few minor additions (*cough* memory) most Minis are fine for general use.

 

[SMSW]

Interesting topic. If you don’t want to pay a subscription to Microsoft for Word/Excel (who does??), there is open source and free software called LibreOffice (for MS word) and LibreOffice Calc (for Excel spreadsheets)-

When my mac died recently, and I had to buy a new computer in a hurry (tax season, and I do much of the bookkeeping on QB), my old MS Word and Excel would not work. I searched and found that I could buy MS Office 2021(no subscription, I own the software) for 19.55 pounds from theunitysoft.com.

I saw the Libre software and other touted freebies but every one had a catch. So for roughly $25 I popped for the license then downloaded MS Office.

 

[Tedbrogden]

I've been using Open Office for years instead of paying Microsoft. No "catch " that I have been able to see. Has the full suite of programs and reads/writes so the Microsoft versions can understand it.

 

[Gus1300]

I have used Dell for a long time but on my latest, I started to get WiFi device 'stops' that require a disable / enable cycle to get access going again, and also the mouse pad locks up. So went with an HP this time around and so far no issues. I tend to keep laptops for years (and then much to my wife's chagrin, don't get rid of them when they're replaced...I work in the intel\security field, don't ask). The new one doesn't even have a CD drive for the first time (for me)...but the old ones do! lol