New Laptop, 2019 edition

February 8, 2019 8:41 PM

Asking for recommendations for a general purpose relatively inexpensive new laptop,

I'd like to buy a new laptop, I've been on the Mac, but I'm thinking of moving on. Now I'm thinking about getting a reasonable budget Windows 10 machine, Multi purpose, internets, not gaming, but some shuffling video & audio files, some lite editing. Around $600ish range, within reason..

*Not a Chromebook.
*heavy weight is okay; short battery is okay; virtual desktop here.
*decent memory, prefer at least 8 ram, SSD is nice if possible..

There's lots of models to choose from, from what I've seen available.
I'd like to hear opinions about particular models and configurations to like, or to avoid.

I'd consider a recent used model if recommended.

posted by ovvl to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

Best answer: Personally, I have been very happy with the Thinkpad I have bought almost three years ago. I bought the T460 at about 1000 euros and it had held up beautifully. It's the line of laptop many companies issue to their employees because of their sturdiness and battery life (I still have 15h on mine, with the bulky battery). They are more expensive than other laptops with similar specs but the quality of their T and X series are among the best available on the market (P is good as well, others are low cost lines and aren't worth it imo). You might think it's quite expensive but the good thing about these laptops is that since companies use them and cycle every couple of years, many second hand laptops are sold and are of incredible value. I recommend you taking a look at the Thinkpad subreddit where the enthusiasts talk about the love for the laptop.
posted by lite at 8:53 PM on February 8, 2019 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Lenovo Yoga for $594 is a complete winner. We own three. 128GB, SSD, touchscreen and keyboard both, and the screen flips back to make a flat tablet which you think you don't care about but is actually amazing. Bonus: battery life is great.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:55 AM on February 9, 2019 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thank you. I've seen some luv for the classic Lenovos on Reddit, and some skepticism about some of the newer models.
posted by ovvl at 7:28 PM on February 10, 2019