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

I looked at costco for a thinkpad and they have an idea pad for $899 that looks more than powerful enough for me

What is the difference? I never heard of an ideapad.

Thinkpad is Lenovo's line of business laptops. Ideapads are their line of consumer laptops. Thinkpads are probably a little better made/can stand up to being dropped more, and are more expensive. For home use I wouldn't worry about it.

Thank you! I have to run over to Costco to see if they have it in the store.

Costco also has an Ideapad for $549 ($250 off) that would be more than enough for you.

https://www.costco.com/lenovo-ideapa...100858010.html

Thank you. If it stops raining, I'll run over today to see if it's in stock.

Even if not in stock, it looks like they can deliver to you quickly.

I got into Costco today, and much to my surprise, they had an employee monitoring the computer & jewelry areas, and she was quite well versed.

The model on sale doesn't have a separate numeric keypad, and I think it's almost a pound heavier, so I purchased this one online... she actually found it for me

https://www.costco.com/lenovo-ideapa...100858044.html

Now, knowing that I'm working with a minimum 7 year old desktop, and have a backup drive, mouse, keyboard, plus a thumb drive for duplicate backups of quicken (yes, I'm paranoid), what accessories to you think I need to be able to swap out to the laptop? While I'm still in NJ, I'd like to continue to use my monitor if I can.

And millions of thanks for all you help/adivce.

That's a good choice!

Honestly, the only real challenge would be the monitor. Most of the other stuff has standardized to USB long ago. You should get a USB hub to help manage your peripherals. As for your monitor, it should plug in via HDMI, but if you got one of those rare ones that only support displayport or one of the older standards, that's a different story.

For the software it will help to know what version of Windows you are coming from and what version of Quicken you are running now.

The mouse and keyboard should work with the generic drivers that come with Windows. If you had extra features (usually extra buttons) it will depend on what the vendor of the keyboard and mouse still supports.

There is supposed to be a way for Windows to connect the laptop with the laptop closed and use it with a keyboard, mouse, and external display just like a desktop. I may not recall correctly, but I think it's in the power settings and how you set the lid-closed button. It may be possible to trigger the change depending on if you are on battery or wall power.

You may want to look into USB hubs if you run short of ports. These expand one USB port into 4 or 7 or even 10.