Which laptop should I go for?

[skillz22]

I want to buy a laptop on which I can do some very basic tasks such as word processing and some web browsing. Here are the two choices.

1: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07K6LH572/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_DmziCb4Z2DBE5

2: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07JZ6VV3J/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_3GziCbF8CVTBY

 

I have owned an Acer laptop before and had it break on me two years down the road. I'm asking because I've never used an Asus laptop before. I did a bit of googling and it seems that Asus is a better brand than Acer, but I'm not sure. How good is each one's online support services? For choice number 2, which comes with Windows 10S, I plan on switching out of that immediately. Which laptop should I buy, and why? 

[MandoPanda]

Neither.

 

What is your budget?

 

What will you be doing on it? If it's just word processing and web browsing you can consider a Chromebook too.

[skillz22]

Just now, MandoPanda said:

Neither.

 

What is your budget?

 

What will you be doing on it? If it's just word processing and web browsing you can consider a Chromebook too.

Budget is as low as possible, this will be used as my secondary machine when I'm outside the house. I did initially consider a Chromebook, but I want to actually install proper programs. Why do you say neither?

[TheBean]

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAA0S8AF0634

dont want a Chromebook

Chromebooks will be cheaper though. (and more secure)

 

[skillz22]

3 minutes ago, saksham said:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAA0S8AF0634

dont want a Chromebook

Chromebooks will be cheaper though. (and more secure)

 

I live in Australia, that product is not available for me. Also, as I said, I am only going to be using this for the most basic tasks. i3 is really not necessary...

 

Edit: Mate, that's a $900 laptop.

[MandoPanda]

Just now, slickboss21 said:

Why do you say neither?

Those processors will give you headaches.

 

Look for something like this on Ebay:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-LAPTOP-LATITUDE-E6430-14-HD-i5-CPU-8GB-RAM-240GB-SSD-HDMI-WINDOWS-10/392188737332?hash=item5b50453734:m:mUnXCzEvlws2dMsJys_DTvQ:rk:2:pf:0

 

And then buy a new battery.

[skillz22]

Just now, MandoPanda said:

Those processors will give you headaches.

 

Why? Because of how slow they are? Once again, I will only be using this for the most basic tasks. The main idea that I'm on the fence about is which brand I should go for. That's why I asked this question, since there are people here who know a whole lot more than me about PCs.

1 minute ago, MandoPanda said:

Look for something like this on Ebay:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-LAPTOP-LATITUDE-E6430-14-HD-i5-CPU-8GB-RAM-240GB-SSD-HDMI-WINDOWS-10/392188737332?hash=item5b50453734:m:mUnXCzEvlws2dMsJys_DTvQ:rk:2:pf:0

 

And then buy a new battery.

1

I'm not buying a second-hand laptop.

[TheBean]

2 minutes ago, slickboss21 said:

I live in Australia, that product is not available for me. Also, as I said, I am only going to be using this for the most basic tasks. i3 is really not necessary...

trust me. i3 will be waayyyy better and it will give you a much better overall experience. only grandparents will need anything below i3. 

 

https://www.newegg.com/global/au-en/Product/Product.aspx?Item=1TS-000X-00TX8&Description=laptop&cm_re=laptop-_-1TS-000X-00TX8-_-Product

 

^available in AUS. but its refurbished.

 

https://www.newegg.com/global/au-en/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100202571 601310930 601286749 600003986 600004803 600004804 4814 600566986&IsNodeId=1&Description=laptop&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=36

^if you want new

 

 

https://www.newegg.com/global/au-en/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100202571 601310930 601286749 600003986 600004803 600004804 600566986&IsNodeId=1&Description=laptop&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=36

^if you dont mind refurbished

[markr54632]

Neither of those is useable at all. 4gb is not enough to run windows anymore, much less handle more than a single chrome tab open. That celeron is so ungodly slow that even word processing is going to lag.

 

If you install a lightweight linux distro it might be tolerable.

 

Otherwise buy used.

[skillz22]

Just now, saksham said:

trust me. i3 will be waayyyy better and it will give you a much better overall experience. only grandparents will need anything below i3. 

 

https://www.newegg.com/global/au-en/Product/Product.aspx?Item=1TS-000X-00TX8&Description=laptop&cm_re=laptop-_-1TS-000X-00TX8-_-Product

 

^available in AUS. but its refurbished.

 

https://www.newegg.com/global/au-en/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100202571 601310930 601286749 600003986 600004803 600004804 4814 600566986&IsNodeId=1&Description=laptop&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=36

^if you want new

 

 

https://www.newegg.com/global/au-en/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100202571 601310930 601286749 600003986 600004803 600004804 600566986&IsNodeId=1&Description=laptop&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=36

^if you dont mind refurbished

Ok people, please listen. I ALREADY HAVE A DECENT PC AT HOME. I need something small and portable. It does not need to be anything stronger than a  Pentium. I appreciate you for going into the effort to look up these PCs, but just please answer this question. IF, you had to buy one of the two laptops I linked to above, which one would you buy?

[TheBean]

Just now, slickboss21 said:

Ok people, please listen. I ALREADY HAVE A DECENT PC AT HOME. I need something small and portable. It does not need to be anything stronger than a  Pentium. I appreciate you for going into the effort to look up these PCs, but just please answer this question. IF, you had to buy one of the two laptops I linked to above, which one would you buy?

im being 100% serious. none of them. if you really want something more portable. get a quality chromebook rather than trash celeron

[skillz22]

Just now, saksham said:

im being 100% serious. none of them. if you really want something more portable. get a quality chromebook rather than trash celeron

Is it worth it getting a Chromebook though? I want to install proper MS Office. Google docs is really good, but I just prefer office. What do you think of choice 2? it has a Pentium.

[TetraSky]

6 minutes ago, slickboss21 said:

but just please answer this question. IF, you had to buy one of the two laptops I linked to above, which one would you buy?

The Asus one. It's Quad core while the Acer is Dual core. You don't want a dual core CPU in 2018/2019. They are trash even for word processing and will be pinned at near 100% just by browsing the web.

[skillz22]

1 minute ago, TetraSky said:

The Asus one. It's Quad core while the Acer is Dual core. You don't want a dual core CPU in 2018/2019. They are trash even for word processing and will be pinned at near 100% just by browsing the web.

Will the more powerful processor drastically reduce battery life?

[Donut417]

3 minutes ago, slickboss21 said:

Is it worth it getting a Chromebook though? I want to install proper MS Office. Google docs is really good, but I just prefer office. What do you think of choice 2? it has a Pentium.

Should mention that there is a cloud version of MS office, I think its included with the 365 Sub. While its dumbed down, its still MS office. 

[TheBean]

1 minute ago, slickboss21 said:

Will the more powerful processor drastically reduce battery life?

 

 

slightly? maybe. drastic? no

Edited December 25, 2018 by saksham

[skillz22]

Just now, Donut417 said:

Should mention that there is a cloud version of MS office, I think its included with the 365 Sub. While its dumbed down, its still MS office. 

I am aware that office online is a thing, but as you said, it's a dumbed down version of it. And no, you don't need office 365, it's free.

[MandoPanda]

I don't know man, that quad core seems pretty powerful. I don't think you need it. /s

[TetraSky]

1 minute ago, slickboss21 said:

Will the more powerful processor drastically reduce battery life?

Not really. They both advertise "up to 8 hours", so either way, you're probably looking at something closer to 5~6 hours of actual usage.
 

So yeah, between the two, the Quad Core Asus one would definitely be the better choice. Dual Cores shouldn't even be a thing anymore.

[Donut417]

Just now, slickboss21 said:

I am aware that office online is a thing, but as you said, it's a dumbed down version of it. And no, you don't need office 365, it's free.

Id spend no less than $500 USD, You need at least 6-8 Gigs of Ram for it to run some what ok. Windows 10 likes RAM. And Windows does not run on potato hardware real well. Plus Chromebooks have excellent battery life compared to Windows devices. If you want dirt cheap Id go Chromebook. If you dont mind spending a little then a Windows device would be fine. The best bang for the buck Windows device Ive seen are in the 15 inch range. That seems to be the sweet spot when it comes to price per performance. Any smaller they get more expensive and bigger, generally they get a little more expensive. 

[TheBean]

17 minutes ago, slickboss21 said:

I am aware that office online is a thing, but as you said, it's a dumbed down version of it. And no, you don't need office 365, it's free.

have you actually used it? for 'basic' usage, its the same. its only more of the 'advanced' features that are disabled in the online version. i would suggest that you try it out. 

[skillz22]

8 minutes ago, saksham said:

have you actually used it? for 'basic' usage, its the same. its only more of the 'advanced' features that are disabled in the online version. i would suggest that you try it out. 

Yeah, I have used it. I see your point.

[TheBean]

2 minutes ago, slickboss21 said:

Yeah, I have used it. I see your point.

so do you need full ms office or is the online one ok?

[skillz22]

Just now, saksham said:

so do you need full ms office or is the online one ok?

I still cannot save to local storage with Office online can I? I don't use OneDrive, I use Google Drive. Also, I would still like the ability to install proper programs as well.

[TheBean]

you can get android apps on Chromebooks now (only some models)