I need a windows laptop

In reply to Toyman! :

Lenovo also made a 15" version of that laptop called the T580 (and I believe they also made a "slim" version called the T580). They're usually not much more expensive than the T480.

porschenut said:

In reply to BoxheadTim :

Thanks, the old dell is still working but the wifi is cutting out at random and the second battery has a life of 10 minutes. I have an external monitor but tend to use it alot to watch TV from other than TV accessable locations.  It also has a CD drive which I like but know this feature is long gone from new stuff. Right now costco and microcenter have decent stuff under $600.

If you're halfway handy with computers and the Dell is reasonably easy to disassemble, I'd first check if the WiFi card is replaceable (assuming it's a hardware and not a software issue) and look for a replacement battery. Of course those might be more expensive than a replacement laptop.

My issue with the current(ish) laptops is that they're close to impossible to repair outside the manufacturer's service centers, either due to parts availability or general repairability issues. And with the costs involved, they're thus e-waste in the making, whereas especially for the Lenovo business laptops (and I assume similarly for the Dell and HP higher end laptops, I'm just not as familiar with them), there's a thriving market for secondhand spare parts and even new parts are relatively easy to get.

If you are shopping now, keep in mind that Windows 10 is approaching End Of Life next year, and unless your computer is fairly new, it will not be upgradeable to W11 (hardware security).

Also, my pet peeve is the i3, i5, i7 etc. It's worthless without knowing the generation. Intel just announced the 15th gen. I have an i7 at home, but it's a 12 yo 3rd gen. No comparison to a new i5 or even i3. And a Celeron chip will do most home tasks just fine.

In reply to llysgennad :

I was just about to bring Windows 10 support point

The windows 10 thing is why I ask questions on this forum.  Thanks. will make sure the next one is windows 11.

I recommended Lenovo when this thread came around the 1st time, and I'll stick with that recommendation now. As an IT guy, I feel they have the most stable machines out there right now, and their build quality/servicability is above the rest. 

My favorite lines are the P1 and the X1 Carbon, but those can be pricey. I have one of each for work, and they are stupid fast, powerful, and reliable. I've had a few of them from various generations so far, and they are all really stout. The X1's are super lightweight which is awesome. They also have cool options, like carbon fiber top cases if you want to spend the $$$. The P1's can be had with graphics cards that are meant for CAD work, but they can also play games, if you're into that sort of thing. 

That said, the T-Series and the P-Series are stout and can be had cheap refurbished. I'd buy one of those all day before buying a regular consumer laptop for the same money, regardless of specs. I did have one bad batch of 15.6" T-Series roll through about 6 years ago with squealing chipsets, but that's the only blip on the radar. 

And Windows 11 is fine. It's not the end of the world to get a Win11 PC over 10, 7, etc. We've been on it here for over a year and I haven't seen any reasons not to use it. There are ways around some of the more annoying aspects of it baked into the configuration settings; you just need to know where to find them. 

In reply to Toyman! :

I'm sitting next to a Lenovo T490S given to me by one of our clients.  Apparently, these are cheap enough that when contractors like myself are finished with them, they don't bother with spending the labor to wipe them - into the shredder they go (assuming they pull the batteries first).