Computer Recommendations

I am often asked what computers I would recommend for people to buy. That is a complicated question, because the computer that is good for me, may not be the right computer for you. Sure there are some general use computers that would be great for most users, but depending on what you want to do on it, you may have more specific needs. So I have broken down some recommendations into several categories to help to hone in in what might work for you and your computer needs. I’ve broken down the computers into several categories in the tabs below with a little description and a few computers that I am familiar with and I believe are worthy of spending your hard-earned money on.

Some factors you might want to consider when selecting a laptop:

Use: what are you going to do on it? Do you need lots of graphics power, or lots of hard drive space, or both??
Portability: is this going to sit on a desk or will you be travelling with it? Do size and weight matter?
Price: do you want the best computer on the market or just the best one for what you want to do?
Functionality: are you a numbers person who needs a separate number pad on your keyboard?
Connectivity: will you be plugging it onto a projector? Do you need lots of USB ports?

Select the type of computer from the links below to see the ones that I like from each category.

Gaming Laptops General Use Laptops Ultra Portable Laptops

Gaming laptops are generally workhorses. They have a separate video card for processing all of the intensive graphics that today’s games are known for. But they are good for so much more than gaming. They make great all-around computers too, but you pay somewhat of a premium for the graphics cards. For gaming, CAD, 3D design, movie and picture editing or other graphic intensive work, they are essential. For daily computer stuff like, getting your email, writing a document, shopping online and Facebook, they can be overkill. As with anything else, it is a cost/value proposition. If money is no object, then get a gaming laptop. If you never do anything graphic intensive, and are trying to save a few dollars, look at a good general use computer.

Lenovo – Legion 5 15″ Gaming Laptop

This is the laptop that I have at home and use nearly every day. It is a workhorse and has a very sturdy feel. Plenty of power to do just about anything that you would want to do. It has a nice graphics card, so it can run the heavy load of gaming as well as other graphics and processor intensive programs. I do a lot of CAD and 3D design work on here and this computer has worked great. This is the second Lenovo I have owned and I am very happy with them.

Specs:

Processor: Intel 10th Generation Core i7 @ 2.6Ghz
Memory: 8GB DDR4 SDRAM (the web site says it will only take up to 16GB of RAM total, but I am running 24GB with no problem)
Storage: 512 GB SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
Screen Size and resolution: 15.6 inches 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) (non-touchscreen)
Operating System: Windows 10 Home

Dell – G3 15.6″ Gaming Laptop

This is the laptop that we got my oldest son. He likes to play games and is even able to connect a VR headset to this and use this for Virtual Reality. Plenty of power to do just about anything that you would want to do. It is a great all-around laptop for a responsible teenager (or adult). This is fully capable of getting homework done and having some fun. It has a nice graphics card, so it can run the heavy load of gaming as well as other graphics and processor intensive programs. I have always been a fan of Dell computers, this one is no exception.

Specs:

Processor: Intel 10th Generation Core i5 @ 2.5Ghz
Memory: 8GB DDR4
Storage: 512 GB SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti
Screen Size and resolution: 15.6 inches 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) (non-touchscreen)
Operating System: Windows 10 Home

MSI – GF75 THIN 17.3″

MSI makes beasts. I love their brand. They look cool, they perform well and they have a good track record for making good products. This is on the low end of gaming laptops from MSI, and it is still a beast. Their product line gets more powerful (and more expensive) as you move up the line. But this is a great gaming PC that I would be thrilled to own. It is a 17 inch screen, so it is less portable, but has lots of pretty real estate to work and play on.

Specs:

Processor: Intel 10th Generation Core i7
Memory: 8GB DDR4 SDRAM
Storage: 512 GB SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti
Screen size and resolution: 17.3 inches 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) (non-touchscreen)
Operating System: Windows 10 Home

General use computers are just that… for general use. They can generally do just about anything you would want them to do, as long as you don’t have any specific needs, like gaming, video editing, and CAD, as examples. They are great for most people who just use a computer for their day to day computing needs like online banking, shopping, email, web browsing, solitaire and non-graphic intensive games. They come in a wide range of prices depending on their specifications. I generally stay away from the low-end ones for the simple fact that, regardless of what you do on a computer, the better the specs, the longer they will be relevant. The bottom of the barrel computer will be outdated before the top of the line one, if for no other reason than it has better, bigger and more powerful components. These types of computers are generally great for school and work. I prefer a full-blown computer to a Chromebook because you have more opportunity to use it for more things. I find the Chromebooks to be limited and often as expensive or more expensive than a full-blown laptop with similar specs.

Lenovo – Ideapad 3 15 15.6″ Touch-Screen

I like Lenovo laptops, and this one is no exception. This is a good middle-of-the-road laptop to get connected to school or work. It has the Intel Core I3 processor, which is on the low-end of the top line of Intel consumer processors. Plenty of horsepower for general use and streaming. The screen has a lower resolution than many, but that means that objects on the screen will appear bigger without you having to adjust settings.

Specifications:

Processor: Intel 10th Generation Core i3 @ 2.1Ghz

Memory: 8GB DDR4

Storage: 256GB SSD

Graphics: Integrated Intel UHD Graphics

Screen size and resolution: 15.6 inches 1366 x 768 (HD)

Operating system: Windows 10 Home

Lenovo – Ideapad 3 17

This one looks like another Lenovo I’ve recommended, but looks can be deceiving. This one is a 17 inch model with a ultra high resolution screen. Much easier on the eyes if you are staring at it for hours on end, but harder on the back to carry around weighing in at 4.84 pounds. But with a 9 hour battery life, you may want to take it with you when you go. Plenty of horsepower for general use and streaming. It has the Core I5 processor, which is the middle of the line model from their top of the line series. The I5 is a quad-core processor, which essentially means that it is 4 processors running on a single chip. So it can handily outperform single or dual-core processors with a similar Ghz rating. It has a traditional hard drive to keep the price down, but will be slower booting up than a solid state drive (SSD). Overall a really good deal for a larger laptop with a great screen.

Specifications:

Processor: Intel 10th Generation Core i5 (quad-core)

Memory: 8GB DDR4

Storage: 1tb HDD

Graphics: Integrated Intel UHD Graphics

Screen size and resolution: 17.3 inches 1600 x 900 (HD+)

Operating system: Windows 10 Home in S mode

Dell – Inspiron 15.6-inch

This is a nice Dell laptop with some pretty impressive specs. It has 2 hard drives so you get the boot speed and performance of a solid state drive and the storage capacity (and low price) of a traditional platter drive. It has 12Gb of memory, so you should be able to have lots of things open and running at the same time without much performance hit. It has a touchscreen so you have the ability to navigate around with just your finger on the screen. A great price a really good computer.

Specs:

Processor: AMD 3rd Generation Ryzen 5 @ 2.1Ghz
Memory: 12GB DDR4
Storage: 256 GB SSD and 1TB 5400 rpm Drive
Graphics: Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 8
Screen size and resolution: 15.6 inches 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) with Touchscreen
Operating System: Windows 10 Home

Okay, so the term Ultra-portable laptops is totally redundant and I just made it up, but I think it is accurate. I consider ultra-portable laptops to be anything under 14 inches in screen size and bordering on tablet territory. These are mighty mites. Plenty of power to get things done, but in a small formfactor to make them great for the mobile worker, frequent traveler, or just someone who doesn’t want to lug around a 15+ inch laptop.

Microsoft – Surface Pro 7

The Microsoft Surface Pro is my work laptop. I had tried to work on an iPad before with mixed results, so I was hesitant to go to another tablet when I was away from my desktop. The Surface Pro put all of those fears to rest. It is a tablet sized computer with plenty of punch to get the job done and isn’t constrained to an app store to get software on the computer. It is small and thin enough to fit into the notepad portfolio that I carry around to meetings. but sets up with a full keyboard that connects magnetically. It has a full touchscreen, so when you remove the keyboard, you can use it much in the same way that you use an iPad, but with all of the features of a windows computer that keep it familiar and easy to use for someone who is accustomed to the windows environment. This one (as well as the one I have) use the Intel Core I5 Processor, which I have read actually has better battery life than it’s little brother the Core I3 and older sibling the Core I7. It is a great travel computer due to its size and power. When I am flying somewhere, I load up a thumb drive with some movies, plug in some headphones, take off the detachable keyboard, and I have a great movie experience on a killer screen with 9.5 hours of advertised battery life. I love my Surface Pro. It gives me the power I need on the road without the bulk and weight of a full laptop. The only downside I have encountered is that, due to the small size, there are limited connections into the computer. It has an audio port for headphones, a mini displayport for video connections, a USB A plug(the traditional USB plug) and a USB C plug (smaller, faster and more rounded) which is also a charging port to recharge the internal battery. the lack of connections isn’t that big of a deal, but if you plan on using a projector, you need to make sure that you have the right adapter and probably a pocket USB hub for plugging in more than one USB drive (al teast for me that has cropped up as a problem once or twice). Some packages come with the keyboard, some do not. So be aware as you make your purchase.

Specs:

Processor: Intel 10th Generation Core i5 (Dual Core) (configurable to the I3 or I7 at purchase)
Memory: 8GB DDR4 SDRAM (configurable to 4GB to 16GB at purchase)
Storage: 128 GB SSD (configurable from 128GB to 1TB of storage at purchase)
Graphics: Integrated Intel® UHD Graphics (i3) Intel® Iris™ Plus Graphics (i5, i7)
Screen size and resolution: 12.3 inches 2736 x 1824 and Full Touchscreen
Operating System: Windows 10 Home
Weight: 27.2 ounces

Microsoft – Surface Laptop Go

I don’t have a Surface laptop, but I have some co-workers who are salivating about getting one. It is the brother of the Surface Pro tablet, in a laptop form. No removable keyboard, but more connectivity and more room for a bigger battery, boasting a whopping 13 hours of battery life at a cheaper price than it’s tablet sibling and a slightly bigger screen. Another great option from the people in Redmond.

Specs:

Processor: Intel 10th Generation Core i5 (Dual Core) (configurable to the I3 or I7 at purchase)
Memory: 8GB DDR4 SDRAM (configurable to 4GB to 16GB at purchase)
Storage: 128 GB SSD (configurable from 128GB to 1TB of storage at purchase)
Graphics: Integrated Intel UHD Graphics
Screen size and resolution: 12.4 inches 1536 x 1024and Full Touchscreen
Operating System: Windows 10 Home in S mode
Weight: 2.45 pounds

Lenovo Yoga 6 13 2-in-1

Lenovo makes great computers. As far as their offerings in the small laptop market, these are no exception. They have several sub-15 Inch laptops meant for working and playing on the go. Their Lenovo Yoga line, as the name implies, is capable of contorting itself into several different configurations to meet your needs. It can be used with like a traditional laptop or flip the keyboard around behind the screen and it works like a stand for the touchscreen LCD. Fold it all of the way back, 180 degrees, and it works like a tablet. All of that with an insane 18 hours of reported battery life, for less than the Microsoft Surface products. It comes in at a half pound heavier than the surface laptop, but at only 3 pounds, it is hardly a boulder to carry around. It even has built -in Amazon Alexa to make your computer smarter, if you choose to enable it.

Specs:

Processor: AMD 3rd Generation Ryzen 5 @ 2.1Ghz
Memory: 8GB DDR4 SDRAM
Storage: 256 GB SSD
Graphics: Integrated AMD Radeon Graphics
Screen size and resolution: 13.3 inches 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) and Full Touchscreen
Operating System: Windows 10 Home
Weight: 2.99 pounds