Looking for light work laptop suggestions

[Blackie Sheen]

My mom is looking for a new laptop for work since her old one does not cut it anymore. She mostly uses for accessing her pc at work, and to simultaneously use excel and chorme. So she asked me to look up for one for her. For her use case, here are the specs it should have (The rest is to your discretion since  i'll take a look myself anyway ):

 

RAM:8 GB

Storage: at least 250 GB (ssd or not)

CPU: At least 4 threads, 4 core with hyperthreading would be great for the long term.

BUDGET: 800-1000 CAD (I cant stress this enough, dont present me a 1000$ USD laptop). If there are options toward the 800$ mark and that would fit the bill, I would prefer that since she needs to present it to her boss in the first place.

Display: 15 inch if possible, 13 would be fine otherwise

Keyboard: numpad is a plus. She uses it a lot.

 

What are your suggestions?

[genexis_x]

Could you provide some links of online stores in your country? I can help you.

[Tarun10]

7 hours ago, Blackie Sheen said:

My mom is looking for a new laptop for work since her old one does not cut it anymore. She mostly uses for accessing her pc at work, and to simultaneously use excel and chorme. So she asked me to look up for one for her. For her use case, here are the specs it should have (The rest is to your discretion since  i'll take a look myself anyway ):

 

RAM:8 GB

Storage: at least 250 GB (ssd or not)

CPU: At least 4 threads, 4 core with hyperthreading would be great for the long term.

BUDGET: 800-1000 CAD (I cant stress this enough, dont present me a 1000$ USD laptop). If there are options toward the 800$ mark and that would fit the bill, I would prefer that since she needs to present it to her boss in the first place.

Display: 15 inch if possible, 13 would be fine otherwise

Keyboard: numpad is a plus. She uses it a lot.

 

What are your suggestions?

You can try a used Ultrabook or last gen ultrabook but the core count would be only 2 so you will need a 8th gen processor.

 

The Dell Inspiron 15 is also pretty good and you can get it with the latest processors. It is available in a wide range of prices.

 

The HP Envyx360 also has the latest processors but the SSD version is a little expensive. It has 16GB RAM(no need to upgrade in the future) and a beautiful screen with great speakers. I have this laptop and it is pretty good.

 

I just suggest going with any model of the Dell Inspiron 13/15 series that you can get online or at your local stores with an i7-8550U and 8GB RAM.

 

[Blackie Sheen]

6 hours ago, Tarun10 said:

You can try a used Ultrabook or last gen ultrabook but the core count would be only 2 so you will need a 8th gen processor.

 

The Dell Inspiron 15 is also pretty good and you can get it with the latest processors. It is available in a wide range of prices.

 

The HP Envyx360 also has the latest processors but the SSD version is a little expensive. It has 16GB RAM(no need to upgrade in the future) and a beautiful screen with great speakers. I have this laptop and it is pretty good.

 

I just suggest going with any model of the Dell Inspiron 13/15 series that you can get online or at your local stores with an i7-8550U and 8GB RAM.

 

Thanks for the suggestions however while I started looking at laptops last night, I just though of how important it is for my mom to have a numpad so even though the dell inspiron 15 looks really good, the fact that it does not have a numpad is kind of a bummer.

 

Also, I said 13 or 15 for the display size but 17 inch is fine too if you think of laptop in the price range since the laptop wont move much.

 

In the meantime, I looked around and found also the that certain configurations of the aspire 5 look pretty good. Do you know if they are worth it. I mean I looked at some reviews and it looks good but I thought I'd ask for a  second opinion here. Here's the config: https://cafr-store.acer.com/laptops/classic/aspire-5-laptop-a517-51g-522w

[genexis_x]

The Aspire 5 17 inch is good. High quality IPS panel is the main selling point at this price range.

 

However, there might be better options. Could you provide some links of online stores in your country?

[Tarun10]

1 hour ago, Blackie Sheen said:

Thanks for the suggestions however while I started looking at laptops last night, I just though of how important it is for my mom to have a numpad so even though the dell inspiron 15 looks really good, the fact that it does not have a numpad is kind of a bummer.

 

Also, I said 13 or 15 for the display size but 17 inch is fine too if you think of laptop in the price range since the laptop wont move much.

 

In the meantime, I looked around and found also the that certain configurations of the aspire 5 look pretty good. Do you know if they are worth it. I mean I looked at some reviews and it looks good but I thought I'd ask for a  second opinion here. Here's the config: https://cafr-store.acer.com/laptops/classic/aspire-5-laptop-a517-51g-522w

This Dell Inspiron 5000 has a numpad. Don't go for the Acer Apsire the screen quality is better than other lower models but overall build quality will be bad and not worth it at this price.

Here is a link to amazon.ca Dell Inspiron 15 5000

https://www.amazon.ca/Dell-Inspiron-Touchscreen-i5-8250U-Windows/dp/B077T46GLP/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1520514344&sr=1-3

This HP laptop seems good and I know their quality is very good.

https://www.amazon.ca/Touchscreen-Notebook-i7-8550U-Processor-Bluetooth/dp/B077R98FBR/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1520514531&sr=1-3

This Pavilion is a little more expensive but it has a great keyboard for casual typing and I think the better overall quality is worth it.

https://www.amazon.ca/HP-15-ck010caWin10-HomeIntel-i5-8250U8GB-SDRAMInte/dp/B077KXZRRN/ref=sr_1_9?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1520514642&sr=1-9

 

All of these have the latest Processors and a numpad. If you wish you can add in a SSD later.

Do you require portability or more battery life?? Depending on that pick one of these or the Acer Aspire 5. Also keep an eye out for deals on the HP Envy x360 or just the plain one. It is very good for casual loads and is almost like an ultrabook with a great screen and keyboard. I got mine for 720 USD but prices have gone up.

[Blackie Sheen]

1 hour ago, Tarun10 said:

-snip-

Honestly thanks for insisting because when i went and looked at the dell inspiron 15 it had no numpad so i dont know how I did that. I looker at the other ones but the inspiron 15 looks like a winner.

Honestly, neither portability nor battery life is important. She needs a laptop mostly because she does not have a work desk at home and she works at the dining table so a desktop doesnt not make sense. Also, she has occasional work trips but nothing that would require her to have good portability or battery life. 

 

I plan on adding an ssd in due time. Honestly, i would of picked a model with a 256 gb ssd but they are quite a bit more expensive. Honestly 800-850 is really the sweet spot since its the company thats going to pay the laptop and noy my mom so keeping the price down is a priority. 

 

Honestly, i cant insist enough on how helpful you are currently cause laptops are not my cup of tea 

 

I just hope i can snipe it for the 800$ price

[Blackie Sheen]

1 hour ago, ZM Fong said:

The Aspire 5 17 inch is good. High quality IPS panel is the main selling point at this price range.

 

However, there might be better options. Could you provide some links of online stores in your country?

Bestbuy

Amazon

Newegg

And basically any shop from the manufacturers websites with the canadian setting

[genexis_x]

39 minutes ago, Blackie Sheen said:

Bestbuy

Amazon

Newegg

And basically any shop from the manufacturers websites with the canadian setting

Sorry but I have to sleep now, will come back to you in 24 hrs time

[genexis_x]

2 hours ago, Tarun10 said:

snip

Wow there are a lot misinformation. Dell 5000 series is mediocre. Mediocre battery life, enter level IPS panel, OKish build quality and input devices. And yet it's priced a bit high. Avoid HP Pavilion lineup, mediocre build quality and battery life, OKish input devices and display, questionable QC. Build quality of Aspire 5 is decent, not bad at all. It's affordable too so it's a good budget laptop which is worth it. Don't provide false info to others if you're not sure about the topic.

[Tarun10]

12 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Wow there are a lot misinformation. Dell 5000 series is mediocre. Mediocre battery life, enter level IPS panel, OKish build quality and input devices. And yet it's priced a bit high. Avoid HP Pavilion lineup, mediocre build quality and battery life, OKish input devices and display, questionable QC. Build quality of Aspire 5 is decent, not bad at all. It's affordable too so it's a good budget laptop which is worth it. Don't provide false info to others if you're not sure about the topic.

For 800$ you can't really expect a killer battery life or build quality since no laptops will deliver that at this price point. Compared to Lenovo, Asus and some Acer laptops, HP Pavilion and Dell Inspiron 5000 are much better. They are overpriced but honestly what else isn't then at this price point. The Acer Apsire 5 may be a good budget laptop but when it comes to bang for buck the Dell is much better not to mention frequent driver updates with HP and Dell. Battery Life won't cross 6 hours on any of these laptops but that is pretty much enough for those binge watchers and casual home use people out there. As for input devices, how many people do you think consider that when buying a laptop even if it is for gaming?? And I have used quite a few Dell and HP laptops in the mid price point and business oriented and most of them feel pretty good. Quality Control is something all top brand shave trouble with. Remember the Note 7, the required thing however is not to expect the top notch QC on budget laptops but expect good customer support.

[genexis_x]

8 hours ago, Tarun10 said:

snip

You can get a good battery life and build quality for $800. I don't think that HP Pavilion and Dell 5000 series are good, look at reviews and many weaknesses are revealed. Aspire 5 is more well built. I tried them before in store so I can tell. How do you know there are more driver updates? Too many driver updates may cause issues as well like my Y520. You can get decent battery life in Aspire 5 due to 48Wh battery which is larger than the Pavilion ones and Dell 5000 series. Input devices are not the most important, however they are part of my choosing criteria since you use them every time you use the laptop. It can provide a great experience. Of course business laptops have great input devices, nonsense.

[Blackie Sheen]

I am currently looking also at amazon.com not .ca and I found some deals that just might make it worthwhile to import to canada even considering about 100$ in import fees and the transfer from usd to cad.

 

Also, I just looked at the acer aspire e 15 which also looks quite compelling boasting pretty similar specs to the aspire 5 but with a better battery life and reportedly good keyboard

 

Edit: this is the link to the actual spec I was looking at from amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075FLBJV7/ref=s9_acss_bw_cg_cegwcacl_2e1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=unified-hybrid-3&pf_rd_r=A7CVNV7BJ2CSG1ZY0XW9&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=c6914c55-9a93-4c89-96ff-c92a897823fa&pf_rd_i=565108

Edited March 9, 2018 by Blackie Sheen

[Tarun10]

Okay got it but you should not just dismiss them the Pavilion can do better but the Inspiron 5000 series is good to ok.

Well driver updates can mess up stuff on laptops that is why it is better to buy from a manufacturer who has a dedicated driver update software. I have done almost 15 updates in 4 months on my HP laptop with no problems at all.

[Tarun10]

6 hours ago, Blackie Sheen said:

I am currently looking also at amazon.com not .ca and I found some deals that just might make it worthwhile to import to canada even considering about 100$ in import fees and the transfer from usd to cad.

 

Also, I just looked at the acer aspire e 15 which also looks quite compelling boasting pretty similar specs to the aspire 5 but with a better battery life and reportedly good keyboard

 

Edit: this is the link to the actual spec I was looking at from amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075FLBJV7/ref=s9_acss_bw_cg_cegwcacl_2e1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=unified-hybrid-3&pf_rd_r=A7CVNV7BJ2CSG1ZY0XW9&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=c6914c55-9a93-4c89-96ff-c92a897823fa&pf_rd_i=565108

Yes the 600 dollar price tag looks fantastic and it is a good laptop but you will compromise on the screen quality a lot. Brightness will be average but quality of the panel is below average just decent. However, if your mother doesn't watch any Netflix/ other programs a lot and only uses it for browsing and excel and stuff, it should be fine considering it is a FHD IPS panel.

[genexis_x]

6 hours ago, Blackie Sheen said:

better battery life and reportedly good keyboard

Aspire 5 has slighly better battery life. They use the same keyboard.

[genexis_x]

51 minutes ago, Tarun10 said:

dedicated driver update software

It's the same with downloading drivers from official website

[genexis_x]

OK, here's what I've found: (from good to OK)

Acer Swift 3 15

Acer Aspire 5 15/17

HP Probook 450 G5

 

If no numpad:
Asus Zenbook UX330UA (better option)

Acer Spin 5 13 (better option)

Acer Swift 3 14

 

Make sure it has i5-8250U CPU and SSD. If you need more RAM and storage, add them after purchase if it doesn't void the warranty.

[Tarun10]

2 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

OK, here's what I've found: (from good to OK)

Acer Swift 3 15

Acer Aspire 5 15/17

HP Probook 450 G5

 

If no numpad:
Asus Zenbook UX330UA (better option)

Acer Spin 5 13 (better option)

Acer Swift 3 14

 

Make sure it has i5-8250U CPU and SSD. If you need more RAM and storage, add them after purchase if it doesn't void the warranty.

The Swift is good I was considering that for myself but I read about thermal problems with it in a lot of reviews.

[genexis_x]

3 minutes ago, Tarun10 said:

thermal problems

Hmm...neither the dGPU and iGPU model have this problem. In fact the dGPU model (MX150 25W) has very good CPU and GPU clocks. Where did you read this from?

 

The only problem of the Swift 3 is the entry level IPS display. If you can live with low max brightness and low sRGB coverage then it's OK.

[Tarun10]

16 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Hmm...neither the dGPU and iGPU model have this problem. In fact the dGPU model (MX150 25W) has very good CPU and GPU clocks. Where did you read this from?

 

The only problem of the Swift 3 is the entry level IPS display. If you can live with low max brightness and low sRGB coverage then it's OK.

I believe I read this on trustedreviews or laptop mag about 6 months ago.

[genexis_x]

7 minutes ago, Tarun10 said:

trustedreviews or laptop mag

Their reviews are not that good. Look for in depth reviews like Notebookcheck, Ultrabookreview and Laptopmedia.

 

Swift 3 has a good cooling system. It has a very low fan noise even under full load while inner temps are good. Surface temps under load also normal for a metal chassis ultrabook. CPU and GPU performance are slightly above average.

[Tarun10]

1 hour ago, ZM Fong said:

Their reviews are not that good. Look for in depth reviews like Notebookcheck, Ultrabookreview and Laptopmedia.

 

Swift 3 has a good cooling system. It has a very low fan noise even under full load while inner temps are good. Surface temps under load also normal for a metal chassis ultrabook. CPU and GPU performance are slightly above average.

Oh ok fine guess next time I will read reviews there. Sorry for any misinformation though. I did read that the brightness on the screen is well below 200 nits??

[genexis_x]

12 minutes ago, Tarun10 said:

Sorry for any misinformation though. I did read that the brightness on the screen is well below 200 nits??

It's OK. Yes. Indoor use is fine, outdoor use is a problem.

 

Swift 3 selling points are the full metal chassis, good battery life and affordable price tag. I can live with the IPS panel.

Edited March 9, 2018 by ZM Fong

[Blackie Sheen]

2 hours ago, ZM Fong said:

It's OK. Yes. Indoor use is fine, outdoor use is a problem.

 

Swift 3 selling points are the full metal chassis, good battery life and affordable price tag. I can live with the IPS panel.

Honestly the quality of the panels doesnt matter too much as long as the brightness is ok. She wont watch netflix on it. She rarely watches youtube videos on it but thats about it it terms of leasurely usage. She mostly works on her laptop. Also, from the laptop she is coming from, any display will make for a stellar improvement. Her current laptop is a pile of trash. 

 

So after looking at the different suggestions, I've come to decided between the Aspire 5 17'' and the Aspire e15, the main difference beign that the aspire 5 is equipped with a 1 tb harddrive and integrated graphics, and the other one has a 256 Gb ssd, also has a mx150 and a dvd drive(lol).I'd like to point out that the graphics solution doesnt really matter in the decision. Also, 256 Gb of storage would be sufficient. The aspire 5 would costs 850 $ CAD while the aspire e15 after import/shipping cost and the currency tranfer to 900$ CAD before tax.

 

Also, I'd like to point out that the swift 3 seemed interesting but is backordered basically everywhere in canada and importing one from the us would be too expensive. Also, she sometimes takes her pc outside during the summer so the low brightness would be a bit of a bummer.

 

So, all in all, which of the two, would you choose and for what main reasons? I already have a bit of an idea which one I would take but I'd like your opinion before that.