Computer recommendations

Apple's used to always be best.

The way things have gone, it's difficult today to know.

Don't buy the new Asus brands, My laptop has given me lots of trouble and the wires broke going to the screen the first year and it cost 150 to fix it.

Depends on what you want to do, Apple is high quality and will last but they are notorious for not taking certain software. Depending on what you are doing take a good look at multicore processors. Typically, a processor processes one command at a time, with a multicore (multiple processors), it's faster and better. Get as much RAM and storage as you can afford and give some thought to a video card. It should also me upgradable. I don't have a preference for the brand myself but think seriously about what you want to use it for, if it's just for writing papers that's one thing, but if you get into gaming it costs money.

Christgirl67 said:

Does anyone have any recommendations for a computer?Or any stores who sell computers?I need a new laptop for college.

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Normally a HP is the most for the least. Check paper and Internet for sales.

Since you said you need it for college, I'd recommend getting a Windows PC. Apple is good, but it's not versatile enough to handle all the stuff you might need it to do in your classes. That said, I'd get either an HP or a Dell. You can get a nice new machine for a reasonable cost by looking at Computer Parts, Laptops, Electronics, and More - Newegg.com.

Apple, you are paying a high price for the name. Go to a pc store and see whats available for your needs. Why not check out Dell?

I have had a Samsung for around 8 years and it is still going strong!

Apple can do everything the other guys can do,
faster and better.

Even "native", i.e. just as if on another machine.

Avoid laptops with 32GB eMMC storage option. Some inexpensive computers come with them, and I have read horror stories. Such as Windows 10 not being able to update, due to limited drive space. My opinion don't go lower then 256GB, and get one with a real Solid State Drive.

dysert said:

Since you said you need it for college, I'd recommend getting a Windows PC. Apple is good, but it's not versatile enough to handle all the stuff you might need it to do in your classes. That said, I'd get either an HP or a Dell. You can get a nice new machine for a reasonable cost by looking at Computer Parts, Laptops, Electronics, and More - Newegg.com.

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I’d disagree as at uni doing Computer and Information Security I needed a beast of a laptop and had a MacBook Pro. I didn’t find anything it couldn’t do. (And at 9 years old it’s still running perfectly with no upgrades). But I’d say this: I paid nearly 2k for it. But I needed it’s power and I needed Apple specifically. I would not be willing to pay that amount again unless I had to. But it depends on exactly what you’re using it for. IIRC, the OP wanted to move to healthcare management or similar? (Please forgive me if I’ve confused myself). So a decent midrange windows machine should see you through your whole course. Also consider the rest of your devices, and in the case of college/university you should have heard it from tutors to death: BACKUP everything. On that premise a chrome book or laptop that comes with an office 365 subscription with storage may be great because it’s automatic and losing your papers is the worst thing ever.

Have a look at (whatever the American version is) the ‘classifieds’, local paper, etc for people who are getting rid of a decent one at a low price because they got a new one for Christmas too. It can save you money or get more for your money sometimes.

If there is a local computer shop ask if they have any refurbished or ex demo machines. They aren’t new but heavily discounted and usually come with a good warranty. Sometimes a manufacturer one

Christgirl67 said:

Yeah I'm trying to get a computer about $500 or less.I would like a Mac,but I dont have that kind of money lol.

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I've had a few macbooks, emacs, imacs, etc.... and never paid more than $200.00 for one. Each of them worked good and did not need anything other than occasional upgrading of software/ os/ etc ....
The best one was the first one - from an employee of a publishing house that gave away their business/office macs every year to the employees - the business got new ones every year for office use.
That one was I think $125/ maybe $200......

Others I got off ebay , and once or twice off craigslist...

I wouldn't go with Apple unless you actually know you need it (or are already using/used to some form of Mac). The hardware is almost identical to what comes in anything else now (just shinier and more expensive), and any software you use has to be compatible. Also look into what software (if any) your college will supply for free; some will give you free licenses for Microsoft Office.

For your price range, you might want to look at:
Intel Core i5, or anything with an AMD Ryzen in it
8GB of RAM is a good target, but 4 will be fine (unless you're a big multitasker who likes to have lots of Chrome tabs open 24/7, then definitely 8GB)
If you can get anything with an SSD that will make your laptop a lot faster and help with battery life

I've been getting HP Probooks for work lately, and they're quite well built. Most Dell stuff is okay these days. ASUS used to be fairly good for laptops, but I haven't liked most of their lower/mid-range consumer stuff over the last few years.

Also I'd be hesitant to go for whatever is higher/top of the range in a laptop; in general, mid-range to best laptops will last about 4-6 years regardless of what you get; eventually the motherboard will die and that is definitely not worth replacing in a laptop. Throwing money into a much higher spec laptop when you don't need it is just a waste.

Look into reviews for whatever you look at getting, particularly for battery life.

I'd also avoid going second-hand if possible; you can't guarantee the parts in it are still any good, and if the battery hasn't been replaced it won't be as effective as if it was new. If it's been refurbished by a trusted outlet then that should be otherwise okay, but new is better where you can.

SSD is superb in a computer. Really speeds it up.

If you want open source hardware, get the Librem 13/15 from Purism and install any variety of open source software like Linux (I think it comes with PureOS).

If you want main stream hardware, get a Lenovo Thinkpad T400 series (it's well designed). Acer is ok too.

Sam1986 said:

SSD is superb in a computer. Really speeds it up.

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Oh yeah, I forgot about SSD.

Make sure, especially if you run Windows, that it has an SSD. It might be cheaper just to put an SSD yourself (cause you can part out a higher quality one). Samsung Evo Pro is a good series of SSDs.

If you have a microcenter near you, go to that...they are pretty competitive.

Samsung is a great make