Which (what) Laptop (again)?

[Time Waster]

I have a quick requirement for a decent laptop for a course coming up. Work type of use but first need is video conferencing and safe to use an online exam proctoring software from an external course provider. Work laptops can not be used for this and there are no safe work vanilla laptops. Plus my two laptops have batteries that are not really working.

It needs to be windows, I'm thinking 16gb RAM for multitasking with plenty of big spreadsheets, browsers, etc open. No photo or video editing though. I have had AMD but not sure they are as good as intel for work stuff. I have an old i3 and a newer i5 8th gen. I am not fussy about screen size but i daresay 15" or even 17" as I rarely take them travelling other than in the van from home to relatives visiting them.

No idea about W11 home vs pro. I am guessing pro is better work type security but not much else that really matters.

I had a hp envy and a lenovo ideapad 330 and they are not very good IMHO. They both were until they went wrong at about 1 year (i.e. they last to warranty then no further in a practical way). Both the battery went and the first had network adaptor issues where you have to reset each one to get them working. I do not trust those two brands now.

How much should I spend for a new one that is suitable. Also, ideally I need them by next week, but week after might be ok as I really need it ready for the exam after next week course.

Anyone got an opinion or advice?

 

[annedonnelly]

I always buy Dell when I buy new. Many years ago I worked with a chap who knew loads about hardware. He recommended Dell.

I use the Dell outlet store to get a good price. I've recently bought a new Dell laptop and went for as much memory (32Gb) as I could reasonably afford so that hopefully it'll cope with Windows updates for a good few years. My Dell desktop is more than 10 years old and I'd hope the laptop will last just as long.

 

[Jameshow]

I have a personal dell i7 laptop and a work Lenovo i3, I prefer the Lenovo build quality esp the keyboard .

The lenovo dosen't feel slow either.

 

[Bazzer]

Another Dell user here. The last two have been refurbished ones, with the first still going strong after 5/6 years and we wouldn't have bought a second laptop but for a screen mishap. The last one, a latitude with an i7 8th gen chip, came about a month ago with upgraded memory, W11 and 12 month guarantee.
As speed appears to be of the essence, I would try in the first instance a local computer repair shop, unless you can find an online retailer with a guaranteed delivery date.
Personally I'd steer clear of HP and Acer. Neither we nor one of my daughters have had an enjoyable expereince with these makes. The Acers in particular had awful reliability every time.

 

[presta]

A few of the things I didn't know I wanted until I didn't have them:

Keyboard visibility: this one is silver with grey legend instead of white on black. Contrast is fine viewed from above and lit from above (like when you're stood looking at it in the shop), but sitting down with side lighting coming from the window, the characters are all but invisible. A complete PITA.

Numeric keypad: It never occurred that I would miss it.

Touchpad: My old one allowed you to momentarily lift and reposition your finger mid-drag without releasing, the new one won't, and it's a PITA to use.

SDHC slot: You press & release to eject instead of pulling it out, and it's too easy to eject accidentally.

Fan noise: It's not loud, but it's an annoying high-pitched whine.

 

[postman]

If you go on FB every now and again an offer comes up.Last years models only £3,it's a bargain.

 

[Kingfisher101]

I've got a Lenovo Thinkpad L14 and it seems quite good.

 

[Dadam]

Is this course for work? If so, I'd be saying they have to provide you with kit to do that course. Or at least you might be able to write off the purchase against tax as a necessary work expense!

That aside with your requirements I'd be looking at a Dell XPS 15" with 16Gb. Processor less important for your use cases but don't go below i5, though not sure you can with the XPS range anyway. We have an older i5 XPS 13" from 2017 it still runs great, though my son uses it most. Daughter has an XPS 15" i7 16gb/512gb from 2016 which runs fantastic.

I'd definitely go W11 Pro for work. Comparison here
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/compare-windows-11-home-vs-pro-versions#tabs1-2

What leaps out is the Bitlocker drive encryption. If your work are big on security and you're doing anything on work data on it they'll require you use full drive encryption.

 

[Time Waster]

Anything strictly involving work means work laptop and work provided kit. Nothing gets plugged in without approval or work supply.

This laptop is purely because the course exam involves software that's not approved for work laptops. There are vanilla work laptops you can borrow from the company's training department but they're very hard to get hold of.

There is also the subtext going on here, I'm taking advantage of this to have a good excuse to get a new laptop. No I'm not, it's a genuine need!