Quote:
Originally Posted by dawabeav
Make sure the machine has Windows 11. Win 10 will lose support 10/25. If you use the internet and buying new, Win 11 is a must. I'm researching a new desktop and finding out that even old generation I-5 and I-7 are bottom end machines now days. Just educate yourself before you buy.
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i5 and i7 refer to the Intel Core processor, not the computer's model. If you're using your laptop for basic tasks, an i3 is fine. And i5 is great for home, if you're using your laptop to stream video and do MS Word and Excel and e-mail and general stuff like that. And i7 would be most appropriate for gaming computers, online content creators, high-end digital artwork and the like. Intel's Core processors are currently on their 14th generation, but the 12th and 13th are 100% totally and completely perfectly useful.
12th generation Intel Core i5 would probably do the OP fine, with plenty of wiggle room to expand functionality for several years.
Of course not all computers use Intel processors, AMD has their Ryzen processors which do the same job by a different company. Ryzen is often considered to be superior in benchmark tests of similar generation. I'm an Intel gal, I have stock in the company. But I wouldn't turn down a Ryzen machine if everything else was equal and I could get it for less money.
For MOST people, an AMD 5600 series Ryzen 5 is all they'd need in a laptop. The Ryzen 7 is considered high-end, is much more expensive, and can do things most people will never need to do, thus being totally wasteful. Ryzen 9 is for - I don't even know who would need a processor that powerful. You could probably run a state government computer system on something like that.
If the OP wants to go bare-bones, they could try an updated Athlon (they were basically discontinued and then resurrected recently by AMD). You'd need to look around to find a machine that comes with it though, and you'd be looking for a 7000-series Athlon.