Chromebook or laptop

[Deleted User]

EveryWhere wrote: »

Another thread? Come on, is it really that difficult?
Don't waste money on a Chromebook. If your budget was £60, then perhaps.
If you've a problem with Windows, then just install Ubuntu Linux or similar, for free.
No offence meant, but in general, the people who advise the buying of a Chromebook simply don't have a clue. We've had this discussion before. You are just paying over the top for cheap hardware and a locked down device.

Get a decent laptop that can do everything a Chromebook can and more.

The 12.5" screen Dell on your other thread for £180 is a good small machine, if you are looking at a smaller screen

Full agreement with that except for the comment about a locked down device, the vast majority of people couldn't care less if it's locked down or not (or even know what you're talking about).

EveryWhere

wilson1973 wrote: »

I know what you're saying I have a desktop upstairs,I'm a full time carer at home for my mother who is in a hospital bed downstairs so it's for me to surf the web when I am sat(not for hours on end as that would be ignorant) with her and she likes to be shown old places from where she grew up,also I can show her items of clothing that I can buy for her online,and so I felt a chromebook may suit me,I wouldn't be buying a new one

You are missing the point. Why would you pay the same for a machine capable of doing less??
What's the benefit to you?
That's why I wrote that if your budget was much smaller there would be a good reason. Because a second hand Chromebook at £60 might be better than a second hand laptop at £60. Because you don't need a particularly powerful machine and the eMMC drive(that is actually an SD card) in the Chromebook will be snappier than a mechanical HDD in an old laptop.
But that argument goes out of the windows when you are going to pay the same, doesn't it?

The DELL recommended to you has a much more powerful processor, a full high definition screen and a dedicated solid state drive, not a silly SD card, for storage.
Much more versatile and possibly the same price as the Chromebook that you are considering.
You can take a horse to water....

EveryWhere

Colin_Maybe wrote: »

Full agreement with that except for the comment about a locked down device, the vast majority of people couldn't care less if it's locked down or not (or even know what you're talking about).

Rubbish...how can you claim to speak for the 'vast majority'?

I don't know of a single person who has chosen a Chromebook over a fully fledged laptop.
Why would you? They use the Windows Update argument, but with a proper laptop, you can likely install Chrome OS(which is used on Chromebooks), a flavour of Linux(on which Chrome OS is based) or Windows. So just more versatile.


There are just a couple of people on this forum who can lay claim to have purchased one and they have other laptops they can use if the Chromebook fails.


If the Chromebook was for his mother who didn't want to learn how to use Windows, there might be some justification. But for the OP, I suggest a normal laptop with a bigger and better screen. IPS if possible.

benson1980

That HP chromebook looks like a pretty decent choice, especially if you can find a good refurb option. For the usage you describe it sounds ideal and again its worth bearing in mind that the battery will last for yonks, which is really helpful if you are moving around the house with it. Personally, I really like the chrome os- the speed and simplicity of chromebooks alongside the functionality of a touchscreen, plus all the android apps is a bonus.

Sure, they're not for everyone but we can do everything we need to do with it- casting, streaming, browsing and a bit of basic word processing etc

[Deleted User]

EveryWhere wrote: »

Rubbish...how can you claim to speak for the 'vast majority'?

I don't know of a single person who has chosen a Chromebook over a fully fledged laptop.
Why would you? They use the Windows Update argument, but with a proper laptop, you can likely install Chrome OS(which is used on Chromebooks), a flavour of Linux(on which Chrome OS is based) or Windows. So just more versatile.


There are just a couple of people on this forum who can lay claim to have purchased one and they have other laptops they can use if the Chromebook fails.


If the Chromebook was for his mother who didn't want to learn how to use Windows, there might be some justification. But for the OP, I suggest a normal laptop with a bigger and better screen. IPS if possible.

Perhaps you've misread my post as no where did I say I "speak for the majority"?

I also did not advocate buying the Chromebook but the majority of people who do buy one (or an Apple, Amazon or Android product for instance) don't actually know that they're buying into that ecosystem. They definitely wouldn't know what Linux was so I'm guessing you really did misread my post.

benson1980

arciere wrote: »

For once I agree with EveryWhere, must be the weather.
Chromebooks let you browse the web, use some offline apps if there is no internet access, that's about it. But there is pretty much nothing more they do that a normal Windows computer at a similar price level can't.

Its 2018, where most people are constantly connected to wifi/4g etc. What would the average user do offline on a PC these days?

Chromebooks are pitched at being far more usable at budget pricepoints in terms of speed/ease of use etc. They aren't pitched at being more versatile.

JustAnotherSaver

I swear people come on this message board just to look for ways to disagree and generally pick apart other posts.

wilson1973 wrote: »

I have a desktop

On the topic of 'can do more', he has another machine which i am taking a guess at it being able to do more.


Now everyone can get on with their day (a.k.a. find something new to pull apart).

EveryWhere

Funny that the two people who have actually purchased a Chromebook are both on this thread.

:rotfl:

Seriously just a waste of money. But some people need to justify that they have spent their money on nonsense.
They'll claim that the thing starts up a few seconds faster. ...as if that makes any difference. My nine year old laptop is ready to use in less than 30 seconds including sign-in and Desktop fully loaded.
Of course it will be quicker to open something that has nothing on it.
They fail to mention that if they open a few too many tabs, the thing can struggle, as the CPU are usually pitiful...or that they have only the one Browser installed.

I can have two or three Browsers running at any one time with maybe forty tabs open on each. Useful when you are booking and comparing things and don't want information shared across the tabs of the single Browser.

So you are just locking your ability down for no good reason at all.
You don't need twelve hours of battery life when sitting at home. I also have a Desktop. I rarely use it, because I have a capable laptop.
So better to have a laptop that can do it all, than to spend the same amount on a machine that will compel you to use the Desktop when you need to do the things that the Chromebook cannot.

This is a Technical board and a money saving forum. Some people tend to forget that, recommending any old rubbish.

That HP device is not worth £160. That is ridiculous. Not when you can get a much more capable device that you can do everything the Chromebook can do, much better.
Unless of course you need to use Android applications.
Don't waste time and money on a silly gimmick. Otherwise you'll end up one of those people who try to justify why they spent good money on a Chromebook.

Normal laptop with SSD drive is the way forward.

EveryWhere

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

I swear people come on this message board just to look for ways to disagree and generally pick apart other posts.



On the topic of 'can do more', he has another machine which i am taking a guess at it being able to do more.


Now everyone can get on with their day (a.k.a. find something new to pull apart).

Wow....you are brilliant.
You think because they have a Desktop, that justifies spending money on poor and less capable hardware?

What about the common sense of simply buying something that can do everything the Desktop can do and probably much faster, for much the same price as the poorly specified Chromebook?

I have a Desktop, but I prefer to use my laptop, because it does everything that I need from day to day.
If I had a Chromebook, I would need to use the Desktop more frequently.

So it doesn't make any sense to buy a Chromebook. Especially the one mooted by the OP. It just doesn't have anything about it. No Touchscreen, No IPS screen. So why pay £160 for it? I'm just not seeing it. Where is the value?

The Chromebooks advantages are....longer battery life and that is it.

They were supposed to be more affordable than a standard laptop, but that is no longer the case. In addition, with the advent of solid state drives, the Browser performance advantage is also lost.
Most Chromebooks use an SD card for storage. No chance to even upgrade the thing. Just a disposable item.
I'm still using the same normal laptop nine years later. 4GB of RAM and solid state drive fitted will still outperform a Chromebook.

Read about Full HD video stuttering on Chromebooks....

As they say...up to you..

For me, totally pointless. They had their day around four years ago perhaps. Before SSD became cheap.

benson1980

I've certainly never experienced any slowdown on the chromebook with multiple tabs or apps open etc. Quite often I'm downloading something, streaming and browsing at the same time.

It's not that we don't want to mention it. It's just not accurate, alongside the rest of the drivel that you post.