Buying Notebook in October

Aidanmc

I don't how 4GB RAM would be enough. Whenever i was looking for a new laptop recently everyone was recommending 8GB minimum and upgradable at that.
Ended up going with a 16GB machine and from what i can see its usually running around 50% capacity,
Even with all tabs closed and cookies cleared RAM usage is still 30% 

Frozen_up_north

Aidanmc said:

I don't how 4GB RAM would be enough.

The OP was quoting Microsoft who state the min spec is 4GB RAM and 64GB SSD, and wanted evidence that more RAM and storage was beneficial.
Pointless disagreeing, as Microsoft know more than anyone what spec is needed.
I totally agree with you, the minimum I would look for is 8/250 and I wouldn’t look at a Celeron processor either, but that’s where insisting on a minimum spec machine takes you.

Vitor

- E410 Laptop, Intel Celeron Processor, 4GB RAM, 128GB eMMC - 

Future-proofing is almost nil: 4 GB is barely enough now, might be OK for basic web browsing, light document editing but slow storage (eMMC) is a bottleneck. Buy cheap, buy twice 

BFBW

Some people will insist on forcing themselves into a corner. 4GB will work, no doubt. Couple that with a Celeron Processor and an eMMC storage drive, which is essentially an SD card, then you are just looking for trouble. But if you want to insist on a low spec, buying new and not online, you are restricting yourself for no good reason. Why do people choose to deliberately make life more difficult for themselves? 

Inspiron 15” 3000 (3530)

Outlet Price £276.00

£230.00 excluding VAT @20%

Standard Shipping FREE

INCLUDED 1 Year Onsite Hardware Service

Pre Built Specs

• Dell Outlet Inspiron 15 - 3530 Laptop
  Processor
  Intel Core 13th Generation i3-1305U Processor (5 Core, Up to 4.50GHz, 10MB Cache, 15W)
  Memory
  8GB (1X8GB) Up to 3200MHz DDR4 SoDIMM Non-ECC
  Hard Disk Drive
  256GB PCIe M.2 NVMe Gen 4 Class 35 Solid State Drive
  Windows 11 Home
  15.6 inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Wide View Angle Anti-Glare 120Hz 250-nits LED-Backlit Non-Touch Narrow Border Display
• HD RGB Camera and Microphone
  Intel UHD Graphics
  Realtek RTL8852BE Wi-Fi 6 2x2 802.11ax and Bluetooth
  Carbon Black - LCD Back Cover (Non-Touch Screen)
  3-Cell, 41 WHr Lithium Ion Battery
  No Optical Drive

https://outlet.euro.dell.com/GDOOnline/Online/InventorySearch?brandId=3&c=uk&cs=ukdfb1&l=en&s=dfb

Be kind to yourself.

Edit: I neglected to note they wanted a smaller screen.

goodValue

I've seen advise to avoid the following:

4GB Ram  (controversial)

Celeron Processor 

eMMC storage

Are there other features that should be avoided?

Alternatively, is it easier to say which items you should look for (for example, say, choose processor A or processor B

Vitor

 - Are there other features that should be avoided? - 

Windows in 'S' mode
Low-res displays, anything less than 1920x1080
Dim display (200 nits or less) 
M.2 SATA only SSD instead of NVMe
Non-backlit keyboards
Small, cheap, wobbly trackpads
USB-A ports only
 

debitcardmayhem

The Dell @BFBW posted looks good value, yes it’s 15” but only an inch wider 

ididgetwhereiamtoday

I don’t know why people just don’t buy a used one from CEX?
Physical stores, 5 year warranty and decent customer service. 

For example I bought a pixel book go for £225. Like new condition, this thing cost £800 brand new and it’s still supported by google. 

goodValue

I don’t know why people just don’t buy a used one from CEX?

I hadn't heard of CEX, but had a look at their website.
There is a local store, but not with anything similar to what I want.
How can you tell if the item is in good condition ?
A 5 year guarantee sounds a bit over the top - is this reasonable?
Do you need good laptop knowledge to know if it has a reasonable price?

BFBW

Vitor said:

 - Are there other features that should be avoided? - 

Windows in 'S' mode
Low-res displays, anything less than 1920x1080
Dim display (200 nits or less) 
M.2 SATA only SSD instead of NVMe
Non-backlit keyboards
Small, cheap, wobbly trackpads
USB-A ports only
 

Windows in 'S' mode is a non-issue, since you can switch to Normal mode easily.