Need recommendation for a touchscreen laptop under $500 for my 11 yr old & me.

[CottonBear]

We want to Email, search the internet, do middle school research & homework. play Roblox, Minecraft & Fortnite, use Microsoft Office, manage photos, and watch streaming videos. We need bluetooth capability.

We have a limited budget. Kiddo has a Lenovo touchscreen Chromebook issued by school, but, due to security reasons, many websites are blocked, there’s no external email (there is email within the school system), and we cannot print from it. I have a laptop that is 11 years old and needs to be retired soon.

I researched and found this at Best Buy:
HP - Pavilion x360 2-in-1 14" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB SSD - Natural Silver
Model:14m-dw1013dx SKU:6428667

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-pavilion-x360-2-in-1-14-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i3-8gb-memory-128gb-ssd-natural-silver/6428667.p?skuId=6428667&irclickid=ykQQ5QzIWxyLT2y05-R4sULoUkE1prwmIzMy0Q0&irgwc=1&ref=198&loc=CNET%20Media%20Group&acampID=0&mpid=159047

I did some initial research on CNET for best laptops undercover $500. We don’t want a Chromebook.
https://www.cnet.com/news/best-laptop-under-500-of-2020-from-hp-lenovo-acer-and-more/?_amp_linker=1

We currently also have an iPhone, an LG phone, an android tablet and a Nintendo Switch.
We are lacking a good laptop.

[Captain Zero]

1. Look at some Lenovo products too.

My last two work laptops before I retired came from Lenovo. They were good.
Probably my next one at home will be a Lenovo.

[CountAllVotes]

6. I bought a used ThinkPad W530

I had the HD replaced on it and Windows 10 installed and I added an extra 16 RAM to it so it has 32 RAM on it now.

I could not be happier as it runs ZOOM, has a camera, a DVD player, CD player and also has the ability to record videos on its 15" screen.

I've put a total of $475.00 into it and it is the best ThinkPad I've had in a long time and I'd highly recommend it!

[CottonBear]

11. That's cool! I hadn't thought of doing that! Thanks! NT

[CottonBear]

7. Thanks! Kiddo's school touchscreen is a Lenovo Chromebook. It works great! NT

[cilla4progress]

2. Bookmarking and

following.

I have a laptop (Dell Inspiron) - I think I paid somewhere around $400 - 450 for it a few years ago at Office Depot. I don't game on it, so, don't know if it would suffice for that. Use it mostly just for data - work. Word processing, simple spreadsheets, web browsing.

I am considering a tablet, now. I made the mistake of buying a Dell notebook a few years ago to use in my satellite office in town (now closed due to COVID), where I could last minute edit documents while meeting with clients. About $200. Woefully inadequate; small, slow processor!

Good luck in your search!

[CottonBear]

8. Ultra-cheap laptops are slow! We don't play games that need a graphics card.

Gaming laptops start at about $750 and go WAY up from there. Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft and Among Us can be played on smart phones, tablets and Switches, and don’t need high end graphics cards.

There are 2 in 1 Chromebooks and Laptops that have touchscreens and either fold out flat or the screen flips all the way 180 degrees around so it’s like a tablet. You can use stylus pens with many of them. It’s the best of both worlds with tablet mode and regular laptop/keyboard mode. You can also connect to a large monitor(s).

Thanks for your input and advice!

[cayugafalls]

3. Lon does really good reviews at YouTube. My son has an HP x360...

[cayugafalls]

5. He is reviewing a different setup with 1920x1080p screen and larger SSD

But it is a solid laptop.

[CottonBear]

9. Thank you! YouTube review videos are great!

I used a YouTube video by a very helpful Indian IT guy to set up my exact printer and to print from my exact iPhone model! I tried following the printed and online product setup directions for 2 days to no avail, before resorting to YouTube!

[katusha]

4. check out discount electronics

surplus store that has an inside line on all the dells that Dell uses(they near the headquarters here in Austin):

https://discountelectronics.com/used-laptops/laptops-by-price/laptops-under-400/

[CottonBear]

10. Great info and link! Thank you! NT

[DonaldsRump]

12. I looked at getting a low-mid range new PC just at the start of the new school year

(late Aug-Sept).

I was shocked at the lack of choices and the prices seemingly higher than I would have thought they would be. I was not happy with the specs that I could get for the money I was willing to pay. On the other hand, high end computers were readily available, but there is no way that I will pay anywhere near 4 figures for a PC. I'm assuming this was pandemic-related.

As another poster said, get a good used computer or upgrade your existing computer if you can. Just switching to an SSD and adding memory, assuming you can, makes a huge difference. The kind of things you and your child are going to use for don't need high end computing.

Try eBay too. If you deal with a highly rated seller, you can get good stuff there. I'm not very big on Amazon these days for buying PCs. I'd definitely look around.

[CottonBear]

13. Thanks for the good advice. I hadn't considered eBay.

Best Buy has a lot of sales going on right now. Apparently, prices have dropped since the beginning of the school year. Supplies have been replenished and there are holiday sales.

[DonaldsRump]

14. That's good to know

I was shocked in the late summer when I looked at getting a cheap computer how little I could find. I was trying to get one for my daughter for online school. I finally gave up and just gave her a new computer I had bought in March when I thought I would be doing a lot of travelling.

I am no longer enamored with Amazon. It is not always the cheapest (it used to be reliably the best and easiest way to find good deals on non-Apple computers, but no more). BestBuy is very good. eBay is GREAT for parts if you go the route of getting a good used laptop and then do some add ons (memory and a solid state hard drive does wonders for PCs.

I regularly use a 7 year old PC that I have repaired myself and done add ons. So, if you go the used laptop route and then add some stuff to it, just check YouTube on videos to make sure you can add what you need to and to find guidance. It's so satisfying to boot up the computer and see that everything works! (My daughter loves Roblox too!)

I've learned in the last year or so that you need to keep scouring, and you will find good deals.

[CottonBear]

16. I'm in research mode & am leaning toward Lenovo or HP.

My current HP laptop needs a new battery, because the battery died & I have to use it plugged in.

It is overheating and the fan runs loudly and constantly. It needs to have the case opened up to be cleaned. An SSD upgrade is a possibility.

I originally got it to run Autocad while working from home after I lost my engineering job during the Great Recession in 2009. My former office computer & IT consultant ordered it for me. It had upgraded graphics capability in order to run Autocad.

It was Windows 7, but I had to upgrade to Windows 10. Now I have Windows 10 with Edge, Chromium, Firefox and it’s a MESS. I’m trying to get rid of Bing.

I need professional help! LOL! 😁

In the meantime, Kiddo and I need a good touchscreen laptop.

[DonaldsRump]

15. One other thing

When you get your new/used computer, you can probably take your old computer and make it in to a high end Chromebook for no cost with only software changes. I circulated a primer on how to do this on DU a few months, and I can dig it up if you want to try this.

I NEVER get rid of computers. You can always find some use for them. I love Chromebooks for certain things like basic surfing, streaming, etc. I don't "do" Google docs and stuff like that, but there are many benefits to a Chromebook. If you have an old computer that you're going to get rid of, you can probably convert into a high end Chromebook only with free software changes as described in the link I had previously posted.

[CottonBear]

17. Thank you! I have read about Chromebook conversions!

We actually need to use Google Docs quite a bit for both the middle school PTO and for Kiddo’s online Piano lessons.

Kiddo Zooms piano lessons from his smart phone. I’ve been Zooming when volunteering online for the Warnock & Ossoff campaigns here in Georgia.

Kiddo started virtual online school in March 2020 and will continue to do so.

[ItsjustMe]

18. You may not find a (Really Good New) touchscreen laptop

For under $500.00, but I suggest you check this website every day for any sales posted.

https://slickdeals.net/laptop-deals/?src=SearchBarV2_cat

These two Lenovo laptops have really good specs for $549.00

https://slickdeals.net/f/14621110-549-99-lenovo-ideapad-3-81we0146us-10th-gen-core-i7-15-6-touch-laptop-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-office-depot

https://slickdeals.net/f/14687540-lenovo-ideapad-s340-15-touch-screen-laptop-amd-ryzen-7-3700u-12gb-memory-512gb-solid-state-drive-abyss-blue-549-99-bestbuy-com

[CottonBear]

19. Thanks! I like Lenovo. $549 is a great deal! NT