while this is a great price, I feel that OP wants a non-apple laptop.

I remain shocked that netbooks are not produced. I love the super-low weight of a laptop. Super easy.

Like IBM going to Lenovo, Toshiba went to Dynabook. Both still very good choices.

Regarding HP printers, I recently bought a low end Inkjet. I hardly ever print, so took the 9 month free ink offer, and then 99p a month :)

It was an absolute pig to set up. Got half way through the process and just stopped. I had to completely reset it (via some obscure button pressing) and then start again (used my phone the 2nd time). It’s been OK since then, but I dread to think how “non-techies” would have fared.

does that subscription mean that HP mails you an ink cartridge when you run low? Genius! I still own HP shares and I’ll take any excuse for HP’s survival.

Wow, I don't think I've heard the word 'outer since my grandmother used it in the 90's. Word of advice to Mary2e... If someone wants to sell you a 'puter, go to another store! :p

I do highly recommend any mid-range Lenovo or Dell. They are solid machines overall. You can get a decent Lenovo ThinkPad that will last you for years to come at a decent price.

Edited to add: If you are a number pad user, keep that in mind when choosing a model. If you use it plenty, you'll miss it if you don't have it. They sell external USB ones, but its just another thing to carry around.

I'm thinking I will for no other reason than not to have to run out an buy another printer because I really like the one I have. I might leave the scanner behind.

That is the one thing that is a must have (along with a decent sized screen) - absolutely need a number keypad as its infinitely slower using the numbers on the main keyboard

I noticed that everyone in this thread, so far, that likes HP printers is talking about old ones. Yes, those were good. New ones, however, are not so good. I like Brother Printers although I currently have an Epson that works well.

I can’t add much to the computer recommendations l ready given. I prefer Dell., but see other good ones already mentioned.

These days, quality all-in-ones sell for $200. You could trade in two devices for one. (Unless your current printer is laser.)

A friend gave me her old HP printer for our house here when she got a new one. I pay 99¢ per month for HP Instant Ink for a certain number of pages every month and have never yet used them all. They also roll over a certain number of unused pages each month so I have more than I will ever possibly use. They automatically mail me new cartridges whenever they get below a certain level or I can request them myself. It is awesome. I am not a huge printer so it works for me and so far, it has been a great printer. The one time I had a problem, their customer service chat was excellent and they overnighted a new cartridge immediately.

My current printer is laser :) That's why I love it. The ink lasts forever, though it is expensive to buy a cartridge when it does empty. I think it's been at least 5+ years since I put in a cartridge and did so this week.

They haven’t been produced for like a decade. I had one for traveling also. But now, or pre Covid I should say, I usually traveled with an iPad Pro with a keyboard or a MacBook Air. My current MacBook Air, which is the newest model is very fast, has a 13 inch screen, and 18 hour battery and weighs 2.7 pounds. There are probably lighter, comparable Windows machines or Chromebooks. I know my Chromebook is. No room for netbooks unless they really rethought the concept.

Color or B&W laser?

This is one of the things to think about as the years pass - you may love your printer, but if toner cartridges get more and more expensive, it may be more cost effective to get a new printer.

B&W. I really don't need color, and if I do, my husband has one that's bluetooth. I can't say I've ever used or needed it. I print out tax returns and Quicken reports most of the time. :) I'm a low volume user, really low volume.

B&W laser all-in-ones are less than $150 these days; and they're wireless; and they're faster; and they're more compact. Just something to think about instead of lugging two appliances to Hawaii. :D :D :D

Thank you. On top of looking for a laptop, I'll look at those too. Any hints of brand? I've been happy with my HP, but it's also an older HP.

If you like HP, I'd say continue with HP - especially since your usage is like twice a year. :D :D :D (Many of the posters here have far heavier usage.)

Sounds similar to what I do. Outbound fax once in a blue moon (I still have a landline for now), some light scanning and copying and light printing.

For $199 you can get a nice new Brother wifi laser monochrome all-in-one delivered to your new place and not have to worry about packing and shipping the old one.


For another $20, there's a version that supports AirPrint (iOS wireless printing) and google cloud print .. look for model# MFCL2710DW. Mine doesn't support AirPrint and I get along without it, but I have to send everything to the computer (any computer on the network) to print. I think for $20 I'd get it next time.

You might get better results with this thread in the Tech Forum.

-David

In my view, that's like the perfect travel laptop--it's light, thin, absolutely stunning screen, and very easily portable.

However, as they say, old habits die hard and though I came of age as a Mac person, my long ago Corp days introduced me to the IBM, now Lenovo, Thinkpads and I've found their keyboard to be the best of any laptop I've ever used. When I anticipate needing to type a bunch, which happens from time to time, I picked up an X Series as a compromise between the keyboard I prefer and light weight form factor.

Now, if Apple could produce the current Air with an Thinkpad keyboard, it'd be my perfect laptop.

_

People fundamentally underestimate the importance of a good, responsive and well laid out keyboard - laptop or desktop. Given how much time one spends cognitively outputting ideas and responses into multiple applications as well as FT for us, having a good, if not great keyboard is essential.

Having a crappy user interface - which is what I'd characterize as any modalities that use touchscreens and/or audio - are always prone to errors and requires, in my mind, heroics to change and modify text inputs is a royal pain in the ....Getting back to the ThinkPad keyboard, having good/great tactile feel and responsiveness (and either audible and/or tactile feedback) allows one to keep typing and know that one's thoughts are actually being captured. Marshmallow keys on some/many Dell (and other) keyboards annoys me especially - when I have to actually look down to see if I'm depressing a key or three since no feel or feedback is provided.

David

So, I'm likely an outlier to many of the people here. For my use case, I need horsepower, so my primary laptop is a gaming laptop. For some of the work, I can use ultrabooks, but when I need to spin up some virtual machines, most ultrabooks don't cut it. But that's neither here nor there. In your case, I would have no problem recommending an HP (especially an elitebook or probook.... only downside is that they're expensive unless you have an EPP or someone in a corporate purchasing program). I have had a few in the past, and not counting one who's battery started to swell (after heavy use), they have all done well for me. I would (as others have) suggest having a dock. If you need to go mobile, having just one plug (other than power) to disconnect is always very helpful. The HP branded ones are a tad expensive, but a generic USB-C hub should be more than sufficient. Also keep in mind that once you settle, you don't necessarily need to stick with the laptop's KB or mouse. Just make sure you set it up to function with the lid closed.

Dell is ok as well. Lenovo I have two issues with. One can be easily dealt with (I don't like how they have their CTRL and FN keys reversed.... but this can be remapped). The other is the fact that they don't have a very secure past (shoddy software mostly although spyware and adware have crept in before). They have gotten better, but every so often I find a product that is half-assedly done (their Android tablets for example... pale significantly compared to their Samsung competitors).

I agree about the importance of a keyboard. I’ve either looked for that being discussed in online reviews or tried the keyboard in store. I took the OP as meaning she was planning on using an external keyboard and mouse so I didn’t comment on that. But, Mary2e, if you aren’t planning on using an external keyboard and mouse, definitely check that aspect out before you buy. I know my wife uses an external physical keyboard with great key travel and a clickity feel.

Refurb "business" laptops are where it's at. Lots of big businesses, government departments, etc. either lease laptops for 2-3 years or buy them but surplus them as soon as the warranty is up. There's a massive supply of 2-5 year old business laptops out there and now that the 'rona is mostly in the rearview mirror, supply is outstripping demand again.

Unless you need a really small or really large laptop, the big surplus/refurb sellers on eBay or Amazon are easily the best deal out there. For the price of a Chromebook, you get a perfectly good laptop with real specs that most casual users won't outgrow for 5+ years (as long as you either buy one with an SSD or upgrade it the second you get it home).

The name is dead, but the concept of a cheap, low-end machine intended for web browsing is quite alive--most of that market is filled by Chromebooks now, but if you hate yourself you can still buy machines with Chromebook-level hardware that run Windows from all the big manufacturers. Those are basically the same thing as netbooks were.

I agree that Chromebooks largely took that market niche. But now the machines are a little heavier than a netbook (at least the one I had) but with a lot more screen size.

I think this thread reflects the old saying, "horses for courses." The OP is replacing a 7-year-old desktop with a laptop that she then expects to use like a desktop. If mobility were more of an issue, I'd happily recommend a smaller, netbook-like computer (yes, they're still out there--for personal trips, I use an Asus with an 11.6" screen that weighs about 2.3 pounds and easily runs the type of office programs the OP said that she uses) that weighs little, packs light, and, more importantly, will easily fit on an economy class tray table.

Mobility, other than the initial move, is not an issue here, however, and would make me lean towards getting a moderately-priced laptop with decent specs with the largest screen/keyboard. And given that the packing issue is for a one-time transport with a short period of use until the OP's stuff arrives and can be addressed by a laptop that is smaller than her old desktop and monitor, almost any laptop today will accomplish the OP's goal without much of a size or weight disadvantage. I'm sure there are military-grade laptops out there that might weigh more than 6-7 pounds, but unlike 10-15 years ago, a bigger laptop and screen may not add much weight to the total package.

I like the Costco idea because you can test out the computer before you buy, and they have a great return policy. I also like the recommendation for a refurb business computer because it sounds as if the OP does not require cutting edge technology. I'd only add one more suggestion: is there a real need to buy the laptop before the move? If you need the machine when you hit the ground or if you're moving to an area with few retail options, then I guess you need to buy before, but if you can even go four or five days after arrival without a computer and you have the opportunity to do a bit of shopping, I'd consider waiting so that you don't have to haul the laptop with you.

On a side note, I did look at what our local Costco had before buying through Dell again (and they always provide quick turnaround, my laptop arrived this morning so two business days after ordering) and they had several HPs and Macs and I think an Asus in the non-touchscreen laptops, so pretty limited selection as far as being able physically look at layout and the Costco online options weren't a better deal than directly through Dell with their sale going on.

I've never been to a US Costco, but the Canadian ones often don't have much on display. Maybe 10 or so laptops? Bestbuy (here) would have a bigger selection. You don't necessarily have to buy from them, but allows you to do some research. And you guys do have MicroCenters...

We talk'in something like Alienware?

Yes and no. Alienware does do gaming laptops (core business), but depending on the model, I find them generally heavier than necessary. Some Asus ones are like that too. Same for MSI. I can usually get away with thinner or lighter models... I've been trying to offload to a mini pc that I can carry around.

I will be using a keyboard and mouse the majority of time, but will use the laptop's keyboard until we are settled, so I will have to try them out.

Thank you. Yes, I will need to use it until we are settled. Our financial life is in Quicken and that runs off the hard drive. From what I have read, the cloud version is buggy and I don't want to take the chance of it not working or losing stuff.

That was quick: ordered on Friday, delivered on Sunday.

Definitely a refurbished unit, as there is a long, light scratch on the lid. No worries since Miss Swede will cover it in stickers soon enough. After doing a bunch of Windows and BIOS updates, it seems to be in good shape, and the battery is giving about 7.5 hours unplugged with light usage. It's very well built and light. Miss Swede is happy. I'm going to let her use it for school for the next two weeks to see if any other issues pop up so I can return it if necessary.

I'm a huge fan of Toshiba laptops, although they are too expensive for casual use. Except for one Lenovo ThinkPad before my current laptop, I've had only Toshibas since the dawn of laptops. The keyboard is what sold me on them; it has the best feel--for me, at least. The Lenovo is a close second. I've used every Toshiba for years past life expectancy, buying a new one only when I had to upgrade the OS and the hardware couldn't handle it. I bought the current one from CDW 5 years ago and had the option to configure it to my specs.

Why the specificity of an i5 or better? I'm also in the market for a low end laptop for light use while away from the desktop I built and am considering a machine that has an i3. Is Windows that much of a resource hog now that it requires an i5 to run well on non-resource intensive tasks?

It really depends on what you're doing. I have a few I3 systems of varying kinds. For general surfing and productivity, it's fine (well, assuming you don't have something like 20 tabs open and active). You might want to do some optimizing, but for most people, it's fine. If I recommend an I5 or higher (or R5 or higher) it is usually to partially futureproof the computer or in anticipation of the person running the computer harder (eg, if they are buying now with them taking a database admin course in a few months). Sure the other things will benefit from the additional horsepower, but for most, it's part of the laws of diminishing returns.

Also, many laptops with i3 processors also tend to have lower build quality to really drive down prices. In reality, for every laptop with an i3 processor, you can find one with an i5 processor and a little bit better build quality for $50-100 more.

I'm still using a laptop with an 8th-gen i5 processor using Chrome with lots of tabs, light video editing, and I also use it to run OBS to livestream Baby Swede's hockey games. It's totally fine even though benchmark scores put it 45% slower than a 12th-gen i3 processor (and 64% slower than the 12th-gen i5 processor in Miss Swede's new laptop).

I would disagree with this.My i3 systems are of pretty good build quality (ChromeOS or Windows). I may have gotten lucky, but they are solid machines for me. As for pricing, it can depend on time of year and other factors. Up here, it's common to see $200+ price differences.

One other note to the OP is the potential that you decide that laptops are not really for you.

Example: Mrs. DELee has been a desktop person for her entire career and going back further. When she decided she wanted to have more mobile operations, even prior to CV-19, she tried out a number of laptops and was unhappy with the keyboards, the sensitivity of their touchpads, the need to carry, unpack, hook up things like power cords and their attached transformer blocks, mice cables and pads, etc. and then unhook and repack and re-carry everything everywhere. There's also the incessant updates to Windows and all manner of apps that, should you not constantly connect to networks with sufficient bandwidth, affect your ability to plug in and start up and get working/doing/browsing, etc.

Currently she has a laptop that's provided by work but fundamentally, she's given up being a laptop person and goes to work to not have to work on a laptop. She's moved on to smartphone and tablet for her primary personal computing.

FWIW.

David

My client gave me a Thinkpad X390 Yoga with an 8th gen i5 and 16 GB RAM and it is decidedly poky running Office and web browser. Though it could also be whatever management/spyware they put on it...

Beware of clients bearing gifts of computing.

David