Core Tip：Looking to buy a new computer? You've picked an excellent time.
Looking to buy a new computer? You've picked an excellent time.
Microsoft's latest and much-improved version of Windows has been released, Macs have gotten better with the latest version of ink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/OS X El Capitan" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; cursor: help; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(248, 98, 0) !important;">OS X El Capitanink>, Google Chromebooks have gotten more refined; plus Intel has just released the latest version of its processors, which are faster and offer better battery life.
If you're looking to upgrade your computer this holiday season, here's a guide to help you get the best machine for you.
What are you using it for?
This is arguably the biggest and most important step of the buying a new computer process. You can find solid PCs for as low as $149.99 for the Lenovo Ideapad 100S, $159.00 Acer CB3 ink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/Chromebook" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; cursor: help; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(248, 98, 0) !important;">Chromebookink> or $199.99 for the HP Stream 11 or more powerful machines like the Microsoft Surface Book or ink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/MacBook Pro" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; cursor: help; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(248, 98, 0) !important;">Apple MacBook Proink> for well over $1,000, with plenty of good choices in between.
To make the best purchase, you first need to decide what you are using it for. All these machines run Office or can access ink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; cursor: help; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(248, 98, 0) !important;">Google Docsink>, are fine for browsing the web and can play ink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/Spotify" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; cursor: help; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(248, 98, 0) !important;">Spotifyink> and ink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/Netflix" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; cursor: help; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(248, 98, 0) !important;">Netflixink>, but there is a reason there is such a price gap.
The small and low cost options
With improvements to Windows and growth of the iPad and Chromebook, the last few years has seen a rise in low-cost PCs. In fact, many of the major PC manufacturers now dabble in more affordable Windows and Chromebook computers.
Like tablets, these machines have 10- to 12-inch screens, and while they are thin and portable, they also feature the traditional mouse and keyboard.
These machines are excellent options for a starter computer or a second machine, and their small sizes make them ideal for young kids and travelers.
On the Windows side, many run Intel processors, which means all your ink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/Metro-style apps" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; cursor: help; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(248, 98, 0) !important;">Windows appsink>will work, like iTunes and Spotify. Microsoft even bundles a 1-year subscription to their Office 365 service (which includes Office plus 1TB of ink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/OneDrive" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; cursor: help; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(248, 98, 0) !important;">OneDriveink> storage) with the purchase of many of these low-cost PCs.
And while it is best used with an ink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/Internet access" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; cursor: help; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(248, 98, 0) !important;">Internet connectionink>, many of the Chromebooks also feature Intel processors and are great options if you have everything stored online and in the cloud. Like Microsoft, Google bundles in goodies including 100GB of Google Drive storage for two years and 3 free movies from Google Play.
But they have drawbacks. For one, many lack the amenities found on more powerful laptops including higher-resolution displays, HD webcams, large amounts of storage space or 10+ hours of battery life. HP's Stream 11 and Lenovo's Ideapad 100S for example, work fine for doing a few tasks, but their slower Intel Atom processors and 2GB of RAM quickly lead to slowdowns and lags as you do more at once. Those weaker specs also make them poor gaming choices or viable alternatives for those who do heavy multitasking with multiple tabs or apps open at once.
Chromebooks in this price range, like the 11.6-inch Acer CB3 available for around $160 at Best Buy, have faced similar issues in the past when juggling multiple things at once, but they have gotten better. If you need more speed, look at something like Toshiba's Chromebook 2 for around $270 from Best Buy which has a much more usable 4GB of RAM and faster processor. And while Chromebooks can't install traditional apps like Office or iTunes — think of them as laptops with just the ink class="culinks" culang="en" href="http://curiyo.com/en/topic/Google Chrome" title="" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; cursor: help; display: inline !important; float: none !important; padding: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(248, 98, 0) !important;">Chrome browserink> installed — many of the more popular apps have web versions that are readily available (including Microsoft with Office Online).
It's important to note that these devices are more one- to two-year solutions and aren't likely to last you as long as some of the more traditional, pricier computers on this list.
The midrange: $399- $799
At this level is where we see many of the more traditional, fuller-featured computers. Devices in this range have several hundred GBs of storage space, HD displays, faster Intel Core i processors and several GB of RAM.
The options here are pretty vast and its more complicated to label a "best one" as there are so many out there and the best computer for you really depends on what you plan to do with it.
For that, here's a handy little specs checklist to help guide your shopping:
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