What is the best poverty-budget laptop?

bernard

bernard

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Hey people,

My Lenovo S440 just quit on me (it was good while it lasted). I am, honestly and shamelessly, dead broke but need a new laptop to work from.

What would you recommend in the absolutely poverty level of laptops, how bad is good enough?

It really doesn't need to do much:

- Be able to have lots of open windows in Chrome/Firefox
- Run Python
- Run GIMP

Don't care about anything else. I tested a very cheap one, I think it was $200, but it lagged already at 5+ tabs open.
 
Suppose you could have a look here

Code: 
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/how-to-buy-a-budget-laptop/
 
Cheap laptops are the most expensive laptops, but if that's what you've got to work with then try looking on second hand sites?
 
Get a chromebook and fork Crouton into it.

Presently using a Lenovo Thinkpad 13 Chromebook which I got on Amazon for just $180 (brand new) and I'm currently learning python and using the PyCharm IDE plus I have GIMP installed and working just fine.

The only downsides I'm having the with the thinkpad are it's awful screen (when working under direct sunlight) and limited internal storage -- 16GB.

But I hardly ever work outside and have an external hard drive -- problem solved!

Did I mention the fact that the battery holds up for up to 6 hours while I'm connected?

And trust me, you'd have no open tab issues at all so long as you are browsing reasonably (20 tabs work just fine for me) as Chrome OS does a wonderful job at multitasking.

Snoop around, you can get brand new chromebooks (even ones with android app support) for under $300.

If Chrome OS/Linux is not your thing, then, you should look at getting used (and dated) Dell Latitudes or Lenovo thinkpads. If you search properly, you should be able to get one with a Haswell chipset and memory options which you can upgrade over time (you can upgrade the RAM of most thinkpads and latitudes past 8GB).
 
Kay said:
If Chrome OS/Linux is not your thing, then, you should look at getting used (and dated) Dell Latitudes or Lenovo thinkpads. If you search properly, you should be able to get one with a Haswell chipset and memory options which you can upgrade over time (you can upgrade the RAM of most thinkpads and latitudes past 8GB).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the excellent recommendations! This is definitely something I will consider, leaning to the Chromebook method, sounds like the best value.
 
+1 for a ChromeBook. I bought one used as a backup when I had to replace my MBP's screen, I think it was like $120 or something. For what they are and for that price range, Chromebooks are pretty fucking sweet.
 
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Thinkpad X220 (12.5") or Thinkpad T420 (14") productivity workhorses from the 2011-2012 era.

They are the last true Thinkpads ever made that can still be considered part of the IBM lineage. They can be had in the $75-$200 range all day long on eBay depending on condition and specs. Extremely easy to upgrade and repair while also retaining the legendary Thinkpad durability. You also get the legendary Thinkpad keyboard (the last of their kind). You can probably buy a beater that functions for under $100 and slowly upgrade / repair / improve it over time. Ebay and amazon have all kinds of parts for it. It'll probably even come with a Windows 7 Pro license, even though I run linux on my X220 -- great linux compatibility.

I'd waaaaay rather spend $200 on a 5 year old X220/T420 than resort to the disposable shitcans that you find in the budget laptop market no matter how modern they may be. In fact, the X220 is still my #1 choice regardless of budget and the value is just stupid at this point. I got a dock for it and use it with an external keyboard, mouse, and monitor as my main workstation when I'm at home.
 
Bastion said:
I'd waaaaay rather spend $200 on a 5 year old X220/T420 than resort to the disposable shitcans that you find in the budget laptop market no matter how modern they may be
Click to expand...

Yep! This exactly!

Bastion said:
You also get the legendary Thinkpad keyboard (the last of their kind)
Click to expand...

I have no idea why a lot of folks find this to be an issue. I've typed on both the old Thinkpad keyboard (thinkpads south of x220) and the new ThinkPad keyboard (the x230 and those north of it) and I actually a little faster on the new keyboard. Minus the missing buttons on the new layout, it totally rocks my world!
 
https://slickdeals.net/ is your friend.

FWIW and at the risk of opening the Dell-hate can of worms, I've had a lot of luck with Dell Outlet. Scratch-and-dents are usually brand new machines that get pulled from the production line for the most minor cosmetic issues, and you can usually find some pretty good coupons to bring the reduced price down even further.

The money I saved on my Inspiron more than paid for the 512GB Samsung 850 Pro SSD I put into it.
 
when i need a cheap laptop for $200-$300

i go to buy a factory refurbished computer direct from the brand

Usually a Toshiba refurbished computer I go with and it does me fine. I bought a cheap Lenovo that was great too. Super cheap casing but if you're not slamming your laptop and moving it every day.. should be ok

These companies are selling on Amazon and Ebay these days.
 
I hope not to sound too obnoxious, but : do you really need a laptop?
Laptop components are way more expensive than desktop, deliver less performance and last less/deteriorate earlier.
I've travelled extensively and my current day job requires me to live on-site as we build, so I totally need to use my old 2015 i3 laptop.

On the other hand, I've bought a fantastic desktop off ebay for 80£ that with a couple of upgrades (SSD+RAM so far) is able to handle all sorts of work involved in learning after effects and using adobe illustrator/muse on a daily basis and is still using the same (4th) generation core I3, while the laptop can barely handle a few dozen tabs open in Vivaldi/Chrome/Firefox.

My 2cents (or pennies, considering I'm from the other side of the pond) :D
 
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