- May 16, 2025
- 2
- 0
- 10
I'm copying and pasting the post I made in r/SuggestALaptop below because I urgently need suggestions; I am out of work without a laptop, but I don't want to waste my money just buying something random out of desperation.
- Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase
- I would really like to find something for under $500 USD. However, durability is preferred over cheapness, and I can go somewhat higher if I have no other choice, although I don't want to test the limits of what I can reasonably write off on my freelancer taxes.
- Are you open to refurbs/used?
- Yes; refurbs are preferred if they're a good deal. I'd take a used, unrefurbished laptop only from an extremely reliable seller.
- How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?
- Performance > build quality > battery life > form factor.
- How important is weight and thinness to you?
- Weight is important, as I carry my laptop around with me frequently, but it isn't my highest priority (for reference, my current laptop is 3.88 lb and I don't find it to be too heavy). I don't care about thinness in and of itself.
- Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A.
- 13-15 in, although smaller is fine if that helps me get within budget.
- Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run.
- I need to be able to run Blender (no high-poly modeling; offloading rendering), Godot, Photoshop, Illustrator, and fairly low-end games (see next response). I am currently able to meet my most basic performance needs on an Acer Aspire A515-45 with 8GB RAM and an AMD Ryzen 3 5300U core with Radeon graphics, although I deal with frequent Blender crashes and am hoping for a slightly beefier machine.
- If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?
- The most performance-intensive game I play on PC is probably Tabletop Simulator; I'd like to be able to play games like Warframe on low graphics settings, but that's not a high priority.
- Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?
- A build that can handle being transported frequently is a must; I'm sick of screens failing after just a couple of years of normal use.
- 16+ GB RAM is preferred; 8GB is the floor.
- 256+ GB built-in storage or, failing that, upgradeable storage. However, GPU > storage; if I have to go lower than 256GB, then so be it.
- I'd prefer a matte screen, as I work outdoors a lot; it's not strictly a requirement, however.
- This is a weirdly specific ask, but I'd like to avoid a trackpad that requires significant force to click because of tendon issues.
- An HDMI port is highly, highly preferred.
- IF AVOIDABLE, PLEASE DO NOT RECOMMEND NEW HP, DELL, OR INTEL PRODUCTS. Used/refurbished from third-party sellers is fine.
- I'm willing to get a refurbished laptop that requires minor work to get going (OS installation, component purchases w/o plug-and-play installation, etc).
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