RFI: <$250 Windows-based laptop for old lady

[rob_s]

Wife told me last night that the MIL would like a laptop for Xmas. I think she'd be a prime candidate for a Chromebook but wife says her mom is used to windows so that's the direction we're heading. Not looking for a mac or any other OS. Gotta be Windows.

So I start googling around this morning. There are a *ton* of options out there now in this $200-250 price range. Most seem to have Celeron processors (which is fine by me) and not a lot of RAM (which also should be fine) and flash-based storage? (I think I'm ok with this, just get her an external hard drive, and/or a really big SD card, right?)

My question is, does anyone have a specific recommendation? As far as I know she wants it for emails and other things where typing on her ipad isn't ideal. No, I'm not going to just get her an iPad keyboard. I think she also wants MS Word, and she might even know how to use or want to use Excel. No, apparently using Google Docs/Drive isn't an option there either. So I'm budgeting for needing a "home use" O365 license here as well. Probably want a 14-15.5" screen I'd think. Not a 10/11".

Links to a particular product, or advice on criteria I may be missing appreciated.

It appears I'm not the only one shopping this as a LOT of the items I'm finding are out of stock until after Xmas, which also doesn't do me much good.

ETA:
here's one example I'm considering. Brand I'm familiar with, screen is larger (which seems to me to be good for an older person)
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-15-6-laptop-intel-celeron-n4020-4gb-memory-64gb-emmc-star-black/6444337.p?skuId=6444337

[Bio]

Coincidentally, I'm looking for the same thing, for children instead of parents.

[mtnbkr]

The laptop in the OP has a couple issues in my mind:
First, I hate hate hate the number pad on the right side because it shifts the keyboard over relative to the screen.
Second, the 64gb storage is pretty tiny after you get Windows and your apps installed.
Third, the processor is pretty weak. It's probably fine for a Chromebook, but may struggle with Windows after a year's worth of updates and bit rot.
Finally, Windows S is MS' response to ChromeOS. It's fine for ChromeOS-like activities, but could be limiting unless you only run MS-qualified apps.

Chris

[RJ]

What is MIL using now?

What does she like about it? Not like?

Any need to xfer data/files/pictures "to" the new laptop? If so, how much data are we talking about?

[boing]

Refurbed Thinkpad, if you’re willing to spend up a bit, and she won’t be put off by a 13.3” screen and it not being new:

http://www.amazon.com/refurbished-laptops-13-3inhces-I5-6300U-Thinkpad/dp/B08LFWRDZW/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=thinkpad+laptop+x260&qid=1607447433&s=pc&sr=1-9

RAM is easily upgraded, if 4GB doesn’t do it. I find it easy to spend other people’s money, though.

[rob_s]

What is MIL using now?
ipad


What does she like about it? Not like?
she likes facebook
she dislikes a lack of physical keyboard, screen size, and no MS Word (and she's not interested in learning anything new)


Any need to xfer data/files/pictures "to" the new laptop? If so, how much data are we talking about?
I don't believe so, but who knows. Right now any/all of that stuff (pretty much just pictures is my guess) is on the iPad/iCloud and I can take care of putting it all onto an external drive if need be.

BTW, I already know that the "right" answer is a Chromebook, but that's not going to be acceptable because of various hurdles that aren't really worth my time to try and explain, let alone actually fight about at home.

[MEH]

When my house desktop died a few years ago I needed a replacement pretty quickly and went to Costco and bought a $400 HP laptop. Later I wanted to get something for a daughter to use at college and went the ebay route and ended up with two Dell latitude 7450's for not much more that that HP laptop. Bought from "dell-official-store-usa-refurbished". A quick look shows that they have nothing for sale right now. The Latitude's are business class laptops and the HP model I got is a consumer class laptop. World of difference, I hate that HP laptop. Wish I had gotten the Latitudes much earlier. Every manufacturer makes business class laptops, doesn't have to be Dell.

The only problem with buying used right now is the supply is limited and demand is high because of all the at home teaching going on.

For $250, I wouldn't even look at new. Look around locally (FB Marketplace, craigslist, et al) and perhaps you find a good used business class laptop.

[rob_s]

For $250, I wouldn't even look at new. Look around locally (FB Marketplace, craigslist, et al) and perhaps you find a good used business class laptop.

I've stopped buying used... well shit pretty much everything. I'm unwilling to invest the time in the shopping experience, I live in a boarderline third world country that polutes the shit out of the listings and further consumes/wastes time, and I just kept getting used items that came with someone else's baggage that left me kicking myself that I should have bought new.

[TQP]

Also, what version of Word. My mother to this day doesn't understand why we can't get her a copy of word like she had at work before she retired. Which was either Office XP or Office 97. I can't even get her to try to learn a new UI.

[rob_s]

Also, what version of Word. My mother to this day doesn't understand why we can't get her a copy of word like she had at work before she retired. Which was either Office XP or Office 97. I can't even get her to try to learn a new UI.

I'm definitely concerned about that. I keep hearing "she's familiar with Word from when she worked" which was 10+ years ago and she's going to have to completely re-learn Word anyway!

What I don't want to do is go through all of this and spend $300 on a paperweight because nobody making the decisions knows what they are talking about.

[LOKNLOD]

We bought three Acer windows 10 laptops for the kids at the end of summer as we went into "full virtual" for school this year. As memory recalls, I had to spend in the mid-300's to get something decent.

My recommendation in that price range, is to go to Amazon, use the filters, and pick the one closest to your price with the most quantity of postive reviews possible. This is one of those '"wisdom of the crowd" situations.

[karandom]

Unfortunately a sub $250 Windows laptop is going to crap. Chomebook is the answer or get Word on iPad and a keyboard.

If you are are moderately handy, most cheap laptops are lacking in Ram which is easy to upgrade yourself for a few bucks.

[RJ]

I can’t find a sub two fiddy Windoze laptop I’d buy for a MIL. Most in that price point are short on RAM e.g. 2G, or storage e.g. 64G SSD.

I found this refurb Lenovo Thinkpad at BB. $350, but as a computer, it’d be a better performer than a processor with limited RAM (low RAM=lots of page swapping, no bueno). I think something with these specs (8G/256 GSSD) at a minimum would be highly preferable, especially if it was saddled with W10.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-thinkpad-t460-14-refurbished-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-256gb-ssd-black/6402649.p?skuId=6402649

[NEPAKevin]

https://media1.tenor.com/images/ddb1d7bfbf17516e42cfeebf3fa88124/tenor.gif

YMMV, but I have witnessed the gifting of technology. It's not always the joyous Christmas miracle that people expect it to be.

[RJ]

What I don't want to do is go through all of this and spend $300 on a paperweight because nobody making the decisions knows what they are talking about.

Is it an option to let these people making the decisions buy the laptop?

[rob_s]

Is it an option to let these people making the decisions buy the laptop?

How long have you been married again? ;)

That’s not how this works. The way this works is, ridiculous criteria are established, but the “decision” is left up to someone else. Thataway the real decision maker can claim innocence.

You know, like at work.
:p

[RJ]

How long have you been married again? ;)

That’s not how this works. The way this works is, ridiculous criteria are established, but the “decision” is left up to someone else. Thataway the real decision maker can claim innocence.

You know, like at work.
:p

Well, alrighty then. Sounds like the less you have to do with this, the better., lol

But I still say you still need to spend tree fiddy to get a W10 box that's worth a crap.

Good luck.

[Blades]

What version of Windows is she use to? We have 8 and 10 at work and I find 10 annoying because I can't find anything since I'm used to 8.
Another vote for Chromebook. :)
Good luck.

[LOKNLOD]

What version of Windows is she use to? We have 8 and 10 at work and I find 10 annoying because I can't find anything since I'm used to 8.
Another vote for Chromebook. :)
Good luck.

How gullible is she? "THis 'chrome' is the latest version of windows, you'll love it!" :cool:

[beenalongtime]

Price range is too low. In that range your getting a chromebook, with Windows OS on it. (not a good mix)

[rob_s]

How gullible is she? "THis 'chrome' is the latest version of windows, you'll love it!" :cool:

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t already thinking that.

[Hambo]

BTW, I already know that the "right" answer is a Chromebook, but that's not going to be acceptable because of various hurdles that aren't really worth my time to try and explain, let alone actually fight about at home.

Tech hurdles or family? If tech, please clue me in.


Price range is too low. In that range your getting a chromebook, with Windows OS on it. (not a good mix)

Not good because?

I may not be in Rob's boat, but I'm close. Wife uses an ancient iPad to look at the net and pay bills. No pics, no docs, no games. She would like a replacement, but has soured on the iPad (probably not for any real reason).

[RJ]

Decently rated $219 Chromebook:

https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/samsung-chromebook-3

I’ve never so much as touched one tho. They run ChromeOS, a flavor of Linux right? Maybe I should get one to play with if my Dell e6530 Mint Box croaks. :cool:

[mtnbkr]

Decently rated $219 Chromebook:

https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/samsung-chromebook-3

I’ve never so much as touched one tho. They run ChromeOS, a flavor of Linux right? Maybe I should get one to play with if my Dell e6530 Mint Box croaks. :cool:

I bought a Chromebook this summer as a lite duty travel and drag around the house computer. It's based on Linux, but isn't Linux on the surface. It does have a Linux subsystem you can enable where many Linux apps can run (some better than others for various reasons). It'll also run Android apps. The end result is I can do most of what I'd want to do with a laptop if I only had this one device, but not necessarily with the traditional Windows or Linux apps.

Mine is a CTL VX11, which is oriented towards students, so it's drop-resistant and spill-resistant. I thought that would be a good feature set for a laptop that is going to be dragged around. It also charges via USB-C, meaning I can use a phone charger (at a slower rate) or use its charger to charge my phone.

ETA: The only thing I don't like is that it lacks a traditional right mouse button. You either press ALT while clicking to get your right-click or you use a three finger tap on the touch pad. I've gotten used to the 3-finger method. This is a "feature" specific to this model and not a general Chromebook thing.

Chris

[rob_s]

Tech hurdles or family? If tech, please clue me in.

The main hurdles are that people who know even less than I do about this shit have already come up with a set of parameters that is destined to fail because it's based on (at best) outdated memories (as someone else mentioned, if they liked windows 2000 and Office '95 then that's irrelevant to today) and at worst shear ignorance ("google docs is too hard").

[lnxgeek]

Something like this:

Lenovo ThinkPad T450.8.180.Pro 14" Refurbished Ultrabook Laptop, Intel i5, 8GB Memory, Windows 10 Professional

https://www.staples.com/lenovo-thinkpad-t450-8-180-pro-14-refurbished-ultrabook-laptop-intel-i5-8gb-memory-windows-10-professional/product_24422887

I have purchased refurbished laptops from Staples before, without issues.

[rob_s]

So I'm poking the bear and trying to make the argument for the Chromebook. My arguments for it are (1) it's designed for what we're trying to do, (2) we can get a "better" machine than a similarly priced windows machine, (3) Windows doesn't look like it did 10 years ago anyway (4) neither does Word, and (5) the kids already know Chromebook so they can help teach her.

All that said, and despite having previously said "no chromebooks" earlier in this thread, somebody send me a link to a decent Chromebook <$300 with a 14-15" screen that's in-stock so I can click "buy" and be done!

[beenalongtime]

T
Not good because?

I may not be in Rob's boat, but I'm close. Wife uses an ancient iPad to look at the net and pay bills. No pics, no docs, no games. She would like a replacement, but has soured on the iPad (probably not for any real reason).

They tend to be very limited and push Windows with their online stuff (online office, etc), with no real storage room for using them offline. They also tend to use lower powered CPU's and have soldered on memory/storage. (built as a throwaway)
I would be much more apt to get her a used desktop and spend that money on a monitor, then buy one of these.
Refurbs are a whole other deal. Some people get them and their great, others I have heard/known, tried and ended up with ones with horrible battery life. (kind of why you would want a laptop)

I have a couple of Windows machines, but they are work computers. For my online surfing, word processing, email etc. I do get away with a several year old Lenovo EDU series that is a glorified netbook, that I upgraded the storage (500gb) and the memory to 8gb and run Linux by choice.
One of my Windows machines, is an 8 gen I5, with a less then 1080P resolution that I found a deal on at a damaged freight store (new), and have $300 into it with an upgrade to 12gb of memory. I have never seen another deal like that and it has paid for itself in dealing with the tax and estate issues as well as organizing all the information that came from a floor/trash can/disappeared, filing system of diabetic inattentive/rather play with their toys, owners. A comparable laptop, is around the $500 mark. I would find out if she has a place of preference to shop, and give her a gift card/cash/prepaid visa/etc. toward HER choice of laptop. That way she can upgrade, AND you will not be the one who bought it/tech support for life guy.

[mtnbkr]

So I'm poking the bear and trying to make the argument for the Chromebook. My arguments for it are (1) it's designed for what we're trying to do, (2) we can get a "better" machine than a similarly priced windows machine, (3) Windows doesn't look like it did 10 years ago anyway (4) neither does Word, and (5) the kids already know Chromebook so they can help teach her.

All that said, and despite having previously said "no chromebooks" earlier in this thread, somebody send me a link to a decent Chromebook <$300 with a 14-15" screen that's in-stock so I can click "buy" and be done!

You might also add that the user can install and use Android-based smartphone apps. If she uses an Android phone, she could load some of the same apps on her Chromebook.

FWIW, my mom, at my brother's insistence, uses a Chromebook instead of a Windows machine for day-to-day tasks. She is NOT the slightest bit tech-oriented and even struggles with a smartphone. She gets along just fine with ChromeOS. For what that one data point is worth...

Chris

[rob_s]

You might also add that the user can install and use Android-based smartphone apps. If she uses an Android phone, she could load some of the same apps on her Chromebook.

FWIW, my mom, at my brother's insistence, uses a Chromebook instead of a Windows machine for day-to-day tasks. She is NOT the slightest bit tech-oriented and even struggles with a smartphone. She gets along just fine with ChromeOS. For what that one data point is worth...

Chris

She's on an iPhone.

I honestly would much prefer that we just get her a keyboard for the fucking iPad over all the rest of this nonsense, and that would probably solve the problem better than anything else.

[Sig_Fiend]

A Lenovo Thinkpad T430 is probably the sweet spot for those specs and that price range. Not a ton of good listings on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Thinkpad-T430-Processor-Professional/dp/B00LAEUBN6/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=Traditional+Laptop+Computers+thinkpad&qid=1607531719&refinements=p_36%3A-25000%2Cp_n_operating_system_browse-bin%3A17702486011&rnid=562215011&s=pc&sr=1-12), but there are options in the T430 out there where you could end up with 8-16gb ram, an i5 or possibly even an i7. Those old Thinkpads have withstood the test of time.

A good alternative are Dell Latitudes, maybe around the E64xx (https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Latitude-E6440-2-6GHz-Windows/dp/B07B53TZNV/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dell+latitude&qid=1607532628&refinements=p_36%3A-25000%2Cp_n_operating_system_browse-bin%3A17702486011%2Cp_89%3ADell%2Cp_n_size_browse-bin%3A2242801011%7C2423840011%7C2423841011%2Cp_n_f eature_four_browse-bin%3A2289792011%7C2289793011%2Cp_n_feature_five_b rowse-bin%3A13580790011%7C7817223011%7C7817224011&rnid=2257851011&s=pc&sr=1-1) to E65xx (https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Latitude-E6530-LED-Notebook/dp/B008XFC8UE/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=dell+latitude&qid=1607532829&refinements=p_36%3A-25000%2Cp_n_operating_system_browse-bin%3A17702486011%2Cp_89%3ADell%2Cp_n_size_browse-bin%3A2242801011%7C2423840011%7C2423841011%2Cp_n_f eature_five_browse-bin%3A13580790011%7C7817224011%2Cp_n_feature_four_ browse-bin%3A2289792011&rnid=676578011&s=pc&sr=1-4) series. Those tended to mirror some of the features, design, and robustness of a lot of the old Thinkpads.

[Hambo]

That way she can upgrade, AND you will not be the one who bought it/tech support for life guy.

Too late for not being the family IT guy. :( Thanks for the advice, and will skip the Chromebook.

[Clay1]

I just set up my mother's Christmas present. Her 8 year old machine went belly up. She actually booked a guy to come and look at her machine for $200, that was before parts. I told her to cancel that call and I would just get her a machine for Christmas. Black Friday Dell, 10th Gen I3 machine, with windows installed, a keyboard and a mouse $279 delivered. I hooked up her new tower to her old monitor and life is good.

By the way, I KNOW THAT THE GUY who wanted to charge my Mom $200 to look at her machine was going to charge her $XXX for parts and it would cost more to fix her old machine than the new one that I bought her. :p

Good luck with finding a good deal for your Mother-in-law.

[rob_s]

Too late for not being the family IT guy. :( Thanks for the advice, and will skip the Chromebook.

FWIW I think that what he meant was that a $250 was the equivalent of a Chromebook with windows, and that the combination is not good. And, my inference was, just get the chromebook with... chrome? on it.

[Hambo]

FWIW I think that what he meant was that a $250 was the equivalent of a Chromebook with windows, and that the combination is not good. And, my inference was, just get the chromebook with... chrome? on it.

I got that, but Chrome on Chromebook would be too easy. In my wife's case, a supplementary requirement has been added, so Windows is now necessary.

[rob_s]

I got that, but Chrome on Chromebook would be too easy. In my wife's case, a supplementary requirement has been added, so Windows is now necessary.

Gotcha.

In my case it appears that the “windows isn’t windows anymore, word isn’t word anymore” argument has worked.

Now I get to start all over again looking for $300 chromebooks that are in stock...

And, of course, if there’s the slightest problem now it’ll become “I don’t know why we couldn’t have just gotten a windows computer like she asked for”

[RJ]

I got that, but Chrome on Chromebook would be too easy. In my wife's case, a supplementary requirement has been added, so Windows is now necessary.

Reminds me of work.

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