Laptop recommendations

[lookapigeon]

I would second the option to get an refurbished/former corporate laptop. Cosmetically it maybe a bit worn, but you'll get more bang for the buck. It would enable you to get a better spec machine, 8GB maybe fine for the occasional single-tasking web browsing, but these days 16GB should be the minimum, as software tends to get bulkier over time and if there is a situation whereby you may find yourself doing several things at once with a load of softwares open the machine will start to creak with 8GB.

An alternative opinion on this is just keeping using Windows 10 if it works for you.
Yes, it maybe unsupported after October 2025 however, if you are careful and do not visit dodgy sites, opening unsolicited emails attachments, run antivirus with its updates, are behind a firewall etc the risk is marginal. It won't suddenly die in October 2025. It also appears that Microsoft in its keen-ness to foist Windows 11 onto everone has forgotten about quality control and also the UI experience is badly designed, they have fiddled with too much.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Bear in mind refurb devices have no manufacturer's warranty and typically a much shorter refurb-seller guarantee (28 days to 3 months), compared to that with a brand new device (1-2 year retailer guarantee)

 

[JamesT]

Bear in mind refurb devices have no manufacturer's warranty and typically a much shorter refurb-seller guarantee (28 days to 3 months), compared to that with a brand new device (1-2 year retailer guarantee)

CeX are currently offering a 5 year warranty on items bought from them.

 

[Sun Chariot]

CeX are currently offering a 5 year warranty on items bought from them.

That's excellent and a rarity.

 

[pdq]

Bear in mind refurb devices have no manufacturer's warranty and typically a much shorter refurb-seller guarantee (28 days to 3 months), compared to that with a brand new device (1-2 year retailer guarantee)

I mentioned warranty in my previous post about the Gadget Centre. We got an ex corporate Dell i5 with 16GB, 500GB SSD, W11 installed and three years warranty for £375

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

An alternative opinion on this is just keeping using Windows 10 if it works for you.
Yes, it maybe unsupported after October 2025 however, if you are careful and do not visit dodgy sites, opening unsolicited emails attachments, run antivirus with its updates, are behind a firewall etc the risk is marginal. It won't suddenly die in October 2025. It also appears that Microsoft in its keen-ness to foist Windows 11 onto everone has forgotten about quality control and also the UI experience is badly designed, they have fiddled with too much.

My previous laptop lasted 12 years and was still running XP in 2018. Given how badly W11 has been received there's every chance that Microsoft will be forced to come up with W12 in no time at all. As such I'd certainly second the notion to simply stick with W10.

As for build quality the hinge issues referred to upthread seem to also afflict HP machines. I'm now avoiding closing the lid on mine as far as possible due to the amount of cracking around one hinge and a family member recently remarked they have issues with hinges not being properly fitted/secured on their HP laptop.

 

[bspahh]

My previous laptop lasted 12 years and was still running XP in 2018. Given how badly W11 has been received there's every chance that Microsoft will be forced to come up with W12 in no time at all. As such I'd certainly second the notion to simply stick with W10.

Windows 11 was released three years ago. Its fine. I didn't like having the menu move to the middle of the taskbar, so I bought StartAllBack for $4.99 which makes it look like the older versions.

In general, with a laptop I would stick to the major version of the operating system version from when it was released, but keep it updated.

 

[david1212]

I usually buy refurbished business grade laptops such as the Lenovo Thinkpad or Dell Latitude. The consumer grade laptops you get from the likes of Curry's are usually not built very well.

Likewise. Work have only bought Dell for several years so I simply do not follow other brands. The Latitude range is better built than Inspiron and 5 series better than 3 series e.g. better keyboard, trackpad, screen - look for an IPS (in-plane switching) screen as they are noticeably better. Over at least 25 only one totally failed and that was a 3 series 3540. I'm posting this from a Latitude 5590 bought on eBay over 2 years ago for around £150 when around 3 years old.

To run Windows 11 requires an Intel CPU that is 8th generation or later. While IMO Windows 11 was not an improvement over Windows 10 as already posted support and security updates for the latter end next October.
TBD if Windows 12 will be more user friendly and the minimum hardware requirements.

I would be looking for an i5 rather than i3 not least so updates in the background don't hog the system and the update reboots are quicker while for internet browsing and basic tasks an i7 is overkill. 8GB RAM is adequate but 16GB better. Definitely a SSD ( solid state drive ) not a spinning HDD ( hard disk drive ). 250GB is adequate if you do not want to store a lot. In any case anything you want to keep should also be on an external drive. With 500GB you could partition the drive putting files in the second partition. Then should Windows become corrupt and need re-installing your data stays intact.

Rather than paying for MS Office you will probably find Libre Office does all you need. It reads .doc, .docx, .xls and .xlsx and can save in those formats too.

As an alternative to an upgrade to Windows 11 (unlikely to be possible for old machines), I would suggest looking at a Linux variant (I use Linux Mint, there are many others, several having low hardware requirements). For the OPs requirements (web browsing, bit of word processing & spreadsheets) will be adequate: it will (or can) have alternative software to do all that they require. But the downside is that it is different - Linux isn't Windows, it just does the same things - it's a matter of how far they're prepared to push their comfort zone.

Back when Windows 10 and the bi-annual major updates was announced I investigated Linux and for home it is now my primary OS, I have Windows installed too as dual boot but rarely use it. Initially I tried a few but soon settled on Mint with the Mate desktop primarily because the laptop I was using was then several years old. I now use Debian with the KDE desktop but this because with the standard screen being 1920x1080 while I need to scale it to 1366x768 and Mint does not ( or a least did not ) do this well while KDE does.

 

[melon68]

My ThinkPad was bought around 2018 and charges through a USB-C port, which failed due to stress. Belfast Computer repairs fixed it, not a big job. The old school Lenovos are great.
My Acer Spin bought in 2020 as a replacement, was badly designed, the hinge failed eventually and the repair at BCR was very expensive as the top case had to be replaced. After 6 months of careful use without converting it to tablet mode it failed again in the same place as the screws holding the hinge are not strong.
Amazingly, it's still working but looks very messy and ugly, it can get hot charging too as the fan might be kaputt
I would avoid "convertible " type machines.

 

[ABB125]

The one thing I don't like about modern ThinkPads is the flimsiness of the USB-C connectors. Not convinced the connectors my T14s G2 will last that long - other manufacturers (HP is the one I've got experience with) seem to make their USB-C connectors much more robust and "solid" when plugging in.

 

[najaB]

My previous laptop lasted 12 years and was still running XP in 2018. Given how badly W11 has been received there's every chance that Microsoft will be forced to come up with W12 in no time at all. As such I'd certainly second the notion to simply stick with W10

As an IT professional I can't support this advice. While it might be fine, it just isn't smart to run an OS that isn't receiving security updates. Especially given that fact that malware authors know that there will be a sizable population of unpatched Windows 10 machines out there.

 

[Crossover]

I would second the advice to consider a refurb business spec laptop - we are using Latitide 5000 series laptops at work and have done for some time and they do last well. The latest crop do have USB-C chargers but I’ve not had too much issue with them - usually it has been the docks that have failed with bad connections, the power cables and ports themselves seem fine.

Don’t go for anything less than 8GB RAM if you can, and make sure the boot disk is SSD as otherwise performance will be abysmal.

£1000 would probably buy a new one to be honest - I think I recently paid around £750 + VAT for our latest crop

@Gloster - I haven’t seen DVD drives in laptops for some time now and even desktops tend not to come with them as standard now

As an IT professional I can't support this advice. While it might be fine, it just isn't smart to run an OS that isn't receiving security updates. Especially given that fact that malware authors know that there will be a sizable population of unpatched Windows 10 machines out there.

I would second this advice. Even though Windows 11 isn’t officially supported on some older hardware, there are ways round it (the only thing is whether Microsoft will pull the updates for these devices, but if so, it’s no worse a position than Windows 10 following Oct 2025)

 

[Yew]

To be fair, I do think it's hard to beat a 14" Dell Inspiron with 16GB ram, and they can be had for around £530.

Dell Inspiron 14 with 13th gen Intel Core processors | Dell UK

Shop the Inspiron 14" laptop with built-in ready for business features, latest Intel processors. View on Dell.com

www.dell.com

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

People will groan at me for this...

...but MacBook Airs have never let me down, and my favourite thing about them is how ridiculously light and thus portable they are. Earlier models are now available for way below £1000.

 

[najaB]

People will groan at me for this...

...but MacBook Airs have never let me down, and my favourite thing about them is how ridiculously light and thus portable they are. Earlier models are now available for way below £1000.

I won't groan, but just point out that while they're very nice, they are also very expensive for what they are.

You can get much more in an x86 machine for "way below £1000".

 

[david1212]

... My Acer Spin bought in 2020 as a replacement, was badly designed, the hinge failed eventually and the repair at BCR was very expensive as the top case had to be replaced. After 6 months of careful use without converting it to tablet mode it failed again in the same place as the screws holding the hinge are not strong.
Amazingly, it's still working but looks very messy and ugly, it can get hot charging too as the fan might be kaputt
I would avoid "convertible " type machines.

A perfect example of why business grade models while initially costing more long term are a cheaper option.

The one thing I don't like about modern ThinkPads is the flimsiness of the USB-C connectors. Not convinced the connectors my T14s G2 will last that long - other manufacturers (HP is the one I've got experience with) seem to make their USB-C connectors much more robust and "solid" when plugging in.

Dell now are the same with no barrel connector as an alternative. Only time will tell how they last.
The Latitude 5540 bought recently are 2 x USB-C and 2 x USB 3.x so with a charger connected only 3 ports available.

 

[bahnause]

I won't groan, but just point out that while they're very nice, they are also very expensive for what they are.

You can get much more in an x86 machine for "way below £1000".

No Windows laptop in this price range (X86 Intel / AMD or Snapdragon) can compete with a MacBook Air M1/2/3 in terms of performance, performance on battery, battery life, noise, build quality and display. I really enjoy not having to think about carrying a charger around an looking for a socket all the time just to make it through a >8 hour shift. My company issued Lenovo X13 is nice, good screen, good keyboard but the battery lasts for 2 hours max (or 3-4 hours in power saving mode with atrocious performance).

However, with this budget I would go for a new(ish) device, especially if battery life is important. ASUS Vivobooks or Zenbooks and the Lenovo Yoga series seem to be a very well balanced package.

 

[signed]

However, with this budget I would go for a new(ish) device

For a PC, under 1000, new devices are sometimes leagues behind slightly older business laptops

When you compare the build quality, keyboard, screen it's usually a no brainer

New batteries are very easy to find for most Thinkpads and Lenovo publishes very detailed replacement guides for most of their models

 

[Bevan Price]

I would second the advice to consider a refurb business spec laptop - we are using Latitide 5000 series laptops at work and have done for some time and they do last well. The latest crop do have USB-C chargers but I’ve not had too much issue with them - usually it has been the docks that have failed with bad connections, the power cables and ports themselves seem fine.

Don’t go for anything less than 8GB RAM if you can, and make sure the boot disk is SSD as otherwise performance will be abysmal.

£1000 would probably buy a new one to be honest - I think I recently paid around £750 + VAT for our latest crop

@Gloster - I haven’t seen DVD drives in laptops for some time now and even desktops tend not to come with them as standard now



I would second this advice. Even though Windows 11 isn’t officially supported on some older hardware, there are ways round it (the only thing is whether Microsoft will pull the updates for these devices, but if so, it’s no worse a position than Windows 10 following Oct 2025)

There are still plenty of satisfactory computers that are unable to upgrade to Windows 11. Is it too much to hope that the next version of Windows will be made to run on lower specification computers. We don't all need fancy additions at every upgrade. (And the same comment applies to other software, including browsers.)

 

[JamesT]

There are still plenty of satisfactory computers that are unable to upgrade to Windows 11. Is it too much to hope that the next version of Windows will be made to run on lower specification computers. We don't all need fancy additions at every upgrade. (And the same comment applies to other software, including browsers.)

Given the minimum specifications for Windows 11 are such that they include various security features provided by the CPU, I can’t see that MS would ever go backwards.
It’s common across the industry. If you want to run the current release of macOS you’ll need something of a similar vintage to Windows 11. Chromebooks used to be infamous for having a short lifecycle.

 

[Crossover]

There are still plenty of satisfactory computers that are unable to upgrade to Windows 11. Is it too much to hope that the next version of Windows will be made to run on lower specification computers. We don't all need fancy additions at every upgrade. (And the same comment applies to other software, including browsers.)

My laptop (former business grade machine) is one such device that doesn’t support Windows 11. However, as of last week (just the point where I could be bothered to deal with it) it is running Windows 11 24H2 (the latest build)

I won’t do such upgrades on machines used for business, but for home, I’m happy to take the ‘risk’ and I know plenty others have as well

 

[najaB]

No Windows laptop in this price range (X86 Intel / AMD or Snapdragon) can compete with a MacBook Air M1/2/3 in terms of performance, performance on battery, battery life, noise, build quality and display.

Going to have to disagree there. There are some very nice Acer and HP machines out there in the high hundreds of pounds.

I won’t do such upgrades on machines used for business, but for home, I’m happy to take the ‘risk’ and I know plenty others have as well

Less of a 'risk' given that Microsoft has
quietly reduced some of the system requirements.

 

[D365]

I would very much recommend, if that is your budget, a MacBook. Such a lovely machine and syncs perfectly with your IPhone if you have one. No moving parts inside either, so they’re likely to be more sturdy than a Windows based one.

No idea what difference you're trying to highlight. The only moving part in some x86 machines might be a fan. Even that is less common these days.

’ARM’ based MacBook Airs do not have any cooling fans.

No Windows laptop in this price range (X86 Intel / AMD or Snapdragon) can competewith a MacBook Air M1/2/3 in terms of performance, performance on battery, battery life, noise, build quality and display. I really enjoy not having to think about carrying a charger around an looking for a socket all the time just to make it through a >8 hour shift. My company issued Lenovo X13 is nice, good screen, good keyboard but the battery lasts for 2 hours max (or 3-4 hours in power saving mode with atrocious performance).

However, with this budget I would go for a new(ish) device, especially if battery life is important. ASUS Vivobooks or Zenbooks and the Lenovo Yoga series seem to be a very well balanced package.

I’m a long time Mac user but agree with the Asus and Lenovo recommendations.

 

[JamesT]

’ARM’ based MacBook Airs do not have any cooling fans.

Though the MacBook Pros with Apple Silicon do.