[billethkid]

I have a 6 year old desk top that has crashed and won't even reboot anymore.

I am using my 8 year old HP Pavilion laptop....works but is just slow.

I want to eliminate having the desk top and the laptop and go to a more powerful (?) laptop. Between the laptop and iPad I see no reason to have a third machine taking up space/time/$.

Are the laptops that come apart and double as a smart pad practical or just gimmicky?

We are not gamers and any streaming we do is through the television or the blu ray player. No big downloads. Mostly email, researching/cruising the internet, news, etc.

I am not opposed to spending a few dollars more if it gets the right machine.

Any comments/experiences appreciated.

[biker1]

Buy a Chromebook if you don't feel that an iPad will fill your needs.

Originally Posted by billethkid

I have a 6 year old desk top that has crashed and won't even reboot anymore.

I am using my 8 year old HP Pavilion laptop....works but is just slow.

I want to eliminate having the desk top and the laptop and go to a more powerful (?) laptop. Between the laptop and iPad I see no reason to have a third machine taking up space/time/$.

Are the laptops that come apart and double as a smart pad practical or just gimmicky?

We are not gamers and any streaming we do is through the television or the blu ray player. No big downloads. Mostly email, researching/cruising the internet, news, etc.

I am not opposed to spending a few dollars more if it gets the right machine.

Any comments/experiences appreciated.

[retiredguy123]

If you want to replace a desktop with a laptop, I would get one with an Intel I7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, a 1 or 2 TB hard drive, a built-in disk drive, and an HDMI output. I would also get at least a 15 or 17 inch screen. Whether the screen detaches, folds back, or whatever really doesn't matter. Some of the top-of-the-line laptops now come with a solid state hard drive, but the capacity is usually far less than 1 TB, which would not be enough for me. The old type hard drives work just fine. A Chromebook may be good for surfing the Web, but it won't replace a desktop.

[jnieman]

Originally Posted by billethkid

I have a 6 year old desk top that has crashed and won't even reboot anymore.

I am using my 8 year old HP Pavilion laptop....works but is just slow.

I want to eliminate having the desk top and the laptop and go to a more powerful (?) laptop. Between the laptop and iPad I see no reason to have a third machine taking up space/time/$.

Are the laptops that come apart and double as a smart pad practical or just gimmicky?

We are not gamers and any streaming we do is through the television or the blu ray player. No big downloads. Mostly email, researching/cruising the internet, news, etc.

I am not opposed to spending a few dollars more if it gets the right machine.

Any comments/experiences appreciated.

I also am getting a new computer. My last computer was an HP Envy. I believe I paid almost $1000 for it. It has a 17 inch screen which is the largest I have seen. The screen was just not large enough for me and I found myself squinting to see everything. It also seemed a little blury. I purchased a 22 inch monitor and hooked it up and was so pleased that was until the laptop began to fail. I have decided to get an All-in-one computer. I like the portability of it with just one cord. Of course you can't pack it up and take it with you on the road like a laptop but I have a smaller older laptop that I take on the road with me. I will not buy another HP Envy after this experience. My daughter-in-law is on her third one as well so they just don't last that long. One thing in my research I noted it that the higher the Gig the more expensive. I found that if the computer has 8 gig but is upgradeable to 16 then I can always do that later if needed.

[Arctic Fox]

Originally Posted by billethkid

I want to eliminate having the desk top and the laptop and go to a more powerful (?) laptop. Between the laptop and iPad I see no reason to have a third machine taking up space/time/$.

If you want to travel with it you could opt for a smaller screen (makes it lighter and easier to carry) and plug it into a larger monitor when at home

[villagetinker]

One word of caution, please completely destroy the hard drives in your existing computers before recycling them. If there are files on these that you need, I may be able to help, I have hard disc to USB adapters that will allow you to transfer files (no programs) to your new PC. Send me a PM if interested.

[permanentvacation]

Get a Macbook Air. it will last a very long time. You won't be disappointed.

[Jima64]

Just don't get sucked into buying the Mac products.

[JoelJohnson]

Another vote for a Chromebook.
I wrote my first program in 1969 so I've been around the computer world, you can say. I've used more computers than anyone has ever heard of. I worked as a Best Buy computer salesperson a few years ago. While I was there the first Chromebook came out. Someone had bought it, returned it(because it wasn't a Windows laptop) and I bought it at the restock price.
That was the best thing I ever bought (in computer terms).

What it is:
Light weight, fast easy. I looks like a laptop and, for the most part, acts like a laptop. You can sign in and surf the web, go to your bank site and do your banking, sign into Facebook, Twitter and anything else you would normally sign into on line.
It never gets a virus because it is the chrome operating system (OS). Updates are automatic, you almost never even know you got an update.
It has limited storage, but you get 15 gig online with your gmail account. (100 gig is only $1.99/month)

What it is not:
It is not Windows or Apple or Linux. You can not download programs that only work on those OS. (Such as Photoshop, Quicken, etc).
It only works online connected by WiFi (but then, when you use Windows you are probably connected to WiFi anyway).

Do you use M/S Word?
Well, chrome has Google docs that can read and update files and let you save it in Docs (and send it back as a word doc if you need to)
Excel - Google sheets is like docs above.

I gave my first Chromebook to my daughter and got a little bit bigger unit (eye sight).
I use it 99.99% of the time (including now). The other .01%? , well I still have a laptop for Quicken, but after the next couple of years I won't need it.

I hope this helps.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

If you want to replace a desktop with a laptop, I would get one with an Intel I7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, a 1 or 2 TB hard drive, a built-in disk drive, and an HDMI output. I would also get at least a 15 or 17 inch screen. Whether the screen detaches, folds back, or whatever really doesn't matter. Some of the top-of-the-line laptops now come with a solid state hard drive, but the capacity is usually far less than 1 TB, which would not be enough for me. The old type hard drives work just fine. A Chromebook may be good for surfing the Web, but it won't replace a desktop.

Just keep in mind that it will be a very heavy laptop. And run very hot which, if you actually hold it on your lap, can be a problem. They are basically a desktop crammed into a laptop, which makes them good for memory and speed. I used HP 16 or 17" laptop to work from home and while away. It was very heavy. I think I went through two of them quite quickly. Back in 2000-2010, the mechanical functions of HPs did not last long.

PS: I loooooooooved both of mine. If only they didn't wear out physically so easily. Maybe it's different now. But I am afraid to buy HPs now.

[Reiver]

A small laptop with a docking station allows portability along with a large screen, mouse and actual keyboard.

[retiredguy123]

In my opinion, it really doesn't make sense to try to replace a desktop with a laptop. If you have space in your house for a desktop, you can buy a super duper desktop and huge monitor plus a cheap laptop (under $200) all for less money than one high end laptop. You will save money and have more computing power and flexibility than just having a laptop.

[fred53]

Forget anything with microsoft....wickedly prone to hacking. iMac desktop 17" or 21". Had mine since '09. Zero issues and all upgrades are free so far. No antivirus software ever used(probably jinxed myself). Much easier to use.

[NoMoSno]

My 8yr old Toshiba Satellite 17" still works great. As with any computer, especially a laptop, you want to back up. I use an external hard drive for backups.

[villagetinker]

AMEN to the backup, I have lived through too many hard disc crashes.