Laptop suitable for everyday tasks without gaming demands
Laptop suitable for everyday tasks without gaming demands
Hi everyone
I'm searching for a laptop that doesn't break the bank yet offers solid performance for everyday use. I understand by "normal" tasks you mean basic activities like typing, using word and excel, making video calls on skype or zoom, and streaming Netflix without any major slowdowns or quality drops. No gaming here.
Budget limit: around £350 (based in the UK)
Key features needed:
- Operating system: Windows
- Long battery life
- Good trackpad
- At least one or two USB ports
- Sufficient speed and reliability for years of use, even with these tasks
I was considering the models you shared:
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/compu...ti...6-pdt.html
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Computer-Laptop...08R8VLBJ8/
But I’d also appreciate any other suggestions. I just want to be confident I’m getting something that will last and work well for a while.
Also, I don’t want the purchase to look great on paper but fail in practice—trackpad or display issues are a big no-go.
Feel free to share your thoughts!
Thanks!
The best recommendation for a laptop in terms of processor and RAM specifications is an i3 or i5 with 8GB of RAM. You should also consider a laptop with a storage capacity of at least 128GB to 256GB SSD, along with an HDD for additional space. Regarding Windows 11, it might be wise to wait a year before making a decision to assess its value. I installed the OS relatively recently, once most major issues were resolved.
Certainly, Lutfij. If you believe the options provided aren't ideal, feel free to request a tailored suggestion.
What you think is typical still requires a fairly strong processor. Netflix, in particular, demands a lot of resources for its compression processes, so you should aim for at least an i5 and a minimum of 8GB of memory.
The laptops mentioned are far too weak to handle Netflix or even basic web browsing. They feature extremely low-power, budget processors that barely support Windows.
For this price range, you’ll likely need refurbished or overstock deals, which usually come from older models (2016–2018). That’s perfectly fine, just a reminder.
When searching for refurb options, focus on Dell, Lenovo, and HP. These brands are preferred because major companies purchase them in bulk, ensuring the refurbished units are well maintained and rarely used.
Unfortunately, if you’re after a laptop that supports Windows 11, expect to spend over £350. That’s just reality.
Amazon offers a solid selection of corporate refurb laptops matching your requirements. Note: Amazon refers to these as “Renewed” instead of refurbished:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Windows-Dell-La...B08NW4PYGH
- £300
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-ThinkPad...0868S67F2/
- £340
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-EliteBook-82...B08QG159M2
- £420
Be cautious while browsing, as there are many 3000 and 4000 series i5 models available at similar prices. The 5000 series is the best choice, and ideally a 6000 series or higher.
No, you don't.
That is hyperbole.
Here in the real world the Netflix and Disney+ apps from the Microsoft store run perfectly fine on my Lenovo 100e Gen1 laptop running Window 10 Pro. It is a cheap model that was designed for the educational market. Its specs are,
CPU: Intel Celeron N3450 (4 Atom family cores)
RAM: 4GB DDR4 2133MHz RAM
Storage: 120GB EMMC
The Pentium Silver CPU in one of those laptops Pacdude suggested is basically a higher clocked version of the Celeron N3450, but with double the L2 cache and other improvements that make it even better than the already "good enough".
Any of the 4 core, 4 thread Celeron and Pentium N series based laptops will be completely fine for every day computing tasks. The 2 Core 2 thread ones and the AMD A-Series ones on the other hand are not.
The really important thing to keep in mind with cheap laptops is that they almost always have terrible screen quality. 1366x768 resolution is too small for many websites that have been redisgned for 1920x1080 (1080p) or "4k" screens, such as this one! Virtually all the TN screens are the crap dim ones, like in this Lenovo 100e. Do yourself a favor and only buy a laptop with an IPS or VA screen at 1080 resolution.
Also, EMMC storage is the bottom of the barrel for solid state storage, but after a year and half of experience with this laptop, I can say without a doubt that it's faster than a hard drive and totally fine for every day use. Win10 boots in 10 seconds or so and almost instantly from sleep mode. "Good enough!", especially for the $260 I paid for the computer!
Ps. 64GB is not enough storage space for a Windows machine, even if you never install any large software packages, and especially if you want to store any of your digital media. 120GB is great, but shoot for 512GB if you plan of keeping a lot of pictures or videos on hand.
340 GBP is about 600 CAD and for that price here in Canada we can definitely find a basic laptop with a 1080p IPS screen and a decent CPU. All of these CPUs will be fine
Celeron/Pentium, 4 cores, 4 threads
i3, 2 cores, 4 threads
i5, 2 cores 4 threads
Athlon 3020e, 2 cores, 4 threads
Ryzen3, 2 cores, 4 threads
Ryzen5, 4 or 6 cores, 8 or 12 threads
Avoid any AMD A-Series CPUs, as they are old as dirt and dreadfully slow, and any 2C/2T CPU, as they just aren't worth your money and they will choke unless you "debloat" Windows and stay on top of closing background tasks (which probably means nothing to you, so get something with 4 threads or more so you never have to!).