Laptop recommendations?

[Zeta16]

Ok I have had this laptop for about 10 years, it is getting old
https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01890522

Don’t really play games anymore, just internet, office, and wife uses for Shutterfly.
I would like to get close to 10 years again, so is 8gb ram enough for should 16gb be the goal. Also must have at least a 1080p screen.

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[SniperHF]

16gb be the goal.

Given that you keep laptops for 10 years, I'd target more than 8.
8 is still enough for most people right now, but memory is harder to upgrade than it used to be and if you think you'll have this laptop in 5 years get one with more than 8.

I don't really keep up with brands and what's going on that front. Normally in these situations I'd just whip up newegg, use the power search and specificy 1080p + 12GB or 16GB and narrow down some options then research further.

New, 12 GB, 16 GB, 1920 x 1080, Newegg, Laptops / Notebooks, Laptops / Notebooks, Computer Systems - Newegg.com


This looks pretty reasonable:
ASUS ZenBook 14 UX431FN-IH74 Ultra-thin and Light 14-inch FHD Laptop, Intel Core i7-8565U, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB PCIE SSD, GeForce MX150, Windows 10, Silver Blue - Newegg.com
$900, reasonably up to date CPU, 16GB RAM, 14" monitor, 512GB SSD.

Little cheaper, less RAM, slightly worse CPU:
Lenovo Laptop IdeaPad S540 81NH0019US AMD Ryzen 7 2nd Gen 3700U (2.30 GHz) 12 GB Memory 512 GB SSD AMD Radeon RX Vega 10 14.0" Windows 10 Home 64-bit - Newegg.com


You can pay more for higher build quality....in theory. But researching that stuff is a massive pain in the ass.

 

[Zeta16]

I see that companies upgrade laptops and sell them on Amazon, are they trustworthy or a scam. Anyone here bought one of these laptops.

 

[aleshemsky83]

I see that companies upgrade laptops and sell them on Amazon, are they trustworthy or a scam. Anyone here bought one of these laptops.

You can check the sellers ratings and how long they've been selling. There are scam sellers on Amazon but it's far fewer than eBay.

There's also a 30 day return with free shipping. You can return for whatever reason just like any store

 

[Osprey]

I see that companies upgrade laptops and sell them on Amazon, are they trustworthy or a scam. Anyone here bought one of these laptops.

I noticed that for the first time a week ago. It seems like a neat idea that fills a niche, since it's often hard to buy a laptop with a lot of RAM and storage without the specs of everything else being bumped, as well, and the price ending up way beyond your budget. I'm comfortable and experienced with upgrading them, myself, but the thought of not having to do that is appealing.

One thing that may be a concern is the warranty. One of the upgrade shops, NexiGo, says that "Upgraded / custom computers will have the manufacturer warranty, but will be provided by NexiGo." In other words, the laptop is covered under the original warranty, which is good, but only so long as NexiGo is in business, which is not so good. I'd say that there's a good chance that they'll be out of business before the warranty runs out, at which point it'll be useless unless you get lucky and the manufacturer honors it. That wouldn't bother me, but you may be more risk adverse and you do hope to get 10 years out of the laptop.

 

[Zeta16]

So is there any thing wrong with this one it is 599 at Costco
https://www.costco.com/lenovo-flex-...core-i5-10210u---1080p.product.100517162.html

 

[ItsFineImFine]

It's pointless to go for 16GB because in 10 years, the limiting factor for you will be the processor more than the RAM. I can upgrade the RAM on my 7 year old laptop but it makes little difference because everything is limited by the slow processor and in some cases, the integrated GPU. I'd honestly try to go around 5 years and not invest too much, laptops are made so cheaply these days and there's so many imporvements in stuff at times like display tech that it's worthwhile to upgrade.

I recommend you go for something 14", a matte display instead of the more eye-strain causing glossy ones, an i5 Intel 8th gen or newer processor or something around a 3500U if it's AMD, an SSD only that's at least 256GB big, and obviously the 8 GB RAM.

You can find probably quite a few different Asus Zenbooks which meet these specs (the non-touch screen matte type), they should come in at around $600-800 USD for a middle of the line model on sale (I think that UX433 is the model to look into).

I'd also look into the newer Lenovo Thinkbook 14 and Thinkbook 14S, it's a new line they made in between their business line and their cheaper IdeaPad user line.