Back to school means something different in 2020, both in spite of, and because of COVID-19.  But with the current state of the world this year there is a greater chance that a person or a household will need a new computer for the fall.  There are literally hundreds of models of computers available to purchase, making knowing what to buy potentially very difficult.  I am by no means creating a comprehensive list, but I hope to provide some help, and some idea as to what the options are based on needs, and price.

There are a few different platforms on the market right now.  There are Windows computers, Macs, and Chromebooks.  Each of these has strengths, weaknesses, and other considerations like pricing that are worth discussing. 

Chromebooks

First we’ll tackle Chromebooks.  These are, in general, the most inexpensive options for a laptop.  There are Chromebooks that cost as much or more than mainstream Windows laptops, but in general, these will be the least expensive.  Chromebooks run Google’s Chrome OS, which is an operating system built around the company’s Chrome browser.  It relies heavily on web apps and online services, but a good number of those services do have offline support.  Most Chromebooks also support Android apps through the Google Play store, hoping to bridge the gap between online services and apps that work offline.

The biggest advantage to Chromebooks for an individual is the price.  As said, they are generally more inexpensive than mainstream Windows laptops.  This does not mean they are bad computers, in fact some inexpensive Chromebooks have a better build than some common mainstream Windows laptops.  For someone on a budget, or maybe needing a second computer to compliment an existing one, a Chromebook can be a good choice because it generally costs less.

However, there are some situations where a Chromebook may not make sense.  The Chromebook’s usability depends on the software you need to use.  If you live in online services, or make extensive use of services with offline modes like google docs, a Chromebook can work very well.  However, because it is not Windows, if you need certain tools or applications that run only on Windows, then a Chromebook will obviously not work.  This is a big consideration, and it doesn’t matter how nice a Chromebook is, or how cheap it is.  If you buy one, and then 6 months from now need a piece of software that will not run on a Chromebook that Chromebook becomes useless.

Chrome OS tries to bridge that gap by supporting Android apps, but aside from a select few, Android apps on Chrome OS suffer the same problem they do on Android Tablets, in that they are not built for that form factor and do not work as well on a bigger screen.  They can help in a pinch, but on a Chromebook I owned, I eventually just turned off Android Apps altogether as I never found one worth using.  Your mileage may vary.

Overall, Chrome OS excels when needs are straightforward.  If the main use of the device is writing, be it documents, assignments, or the like, and that can be done using online services like Google docs, or the web based version of Microsoft Office products, a Chromebook is an excellent purchase.  As a second computer to compliment a Windows laptop or a Mac, they can also have great utility when there are multiple people sharing computers.

For what to buy, Chromebooks usually have very common platforms, and most laptops will do the trick.  But there are a few things worth looking for

• 4GB of RAM at the absolute minimum.  You can still find Chromebooks with 2GB of RAM.  Do not buy one.  Get at least 4, but get 8 if you can.  4 is a decent number but 8 will let the Chromebook do more without slowdown.

• A 1080p screen.  Some of the cheapest Chromebooks still have 1366x768 screens.  Avoid that if you can.  Those lower resolution displays will feel cramped, with less information on the screen

Beyond that, there aren’t a lot of internal differences that will make a lot of difference.  The cheapest Chromebooks can be found for between $250 and $300.  While those will work, and are better than no computer, stretching up to the $400 range can get a very good Chromebook that will let you do everything that an Chromebook can do for years to come.

Windows For Everybody

There are Windows laptops of all shapes and sizes.  Literally.  From a 10” tablet form factor to a 17” laptop that weighs almost 9 pounds, if there is a type of laptop you may be interested in, there is a laptop to suit you.  Pricing also varies, from the $300-$400 price range for computers I wouldn’t really recommend, but do exist, up to over $5000 for the highest end laptops that are designed for the heaviest of workloads.  Obviously, the variance is massive, but the amount of money you need to spend will depend on what you need it to do.

The likeliest use case is an all around laptop designed mostly for productivity, be it document creation, social media, and every so often working with photos or maybe video.  Almost any laptop will do that, and do that well.  That decision comes down to size and portability.  As a rule of thumb, a laptop that I personally would recommend would have the following

• An Intel Core i5 processor or an AMD Ryzen 5 processor with a model number that is in the 4000 series.  An Intel Core i3 is good, but I generally recommend Core i5 if possible.  Do not buy an AMD laptop that is not a Ryzen laptop with a 4000 model number. 

• At least 8GB of ram.  This is a good number that should be fine for basic use for years to come.  You can get away with 4GB today, but in 2-3 years, that may make the laptop start to feel much slower.

• At least 256GB of solid state storage, what is generally marketed as an SSD.  128GB is enough for today, but in the long term, the extra storage will be worth it.  Do not buy a laptop with a “hard drive” unless cost is a real barrier.  SSD’s are orders of magnitude faster than a traditional hard drive, and is well worth investing in

• A 1080p HD screen.  You can still find cheaper laptops with screens that are 1366x768. Do not buy those.  That is not enough.

• A touchscreen.  There are still a number of laptops that do not support touchscreens, and while they work fine, a touchscreen adds more versatility to a Windows laptop.  Even if it is not used often, it doesn’t add to weight or thickness.  I’ve found touchscreens very useful in Windows, even on my laptop that doesn’t convert to a tablet.  I don’t believe it is vital, but if I could help it, I wouldn’t buy a laptop without a touchscreen.

Past that, choosing a laptop becomes a mix of size, portability, battery life, and style.  Generally, the thinner and lighter a laptop is, the more expensive it becomes.  Inexpensive laptops trade thinner, stronger materials like aluminum and magnesium for plastics.  This doesn’t have to mean cheap, but laptops with plastic chassis are generally thicker and heavier.  Inexpensive laptops also generally compromise on battery capacity and life.  If portability and battery life are not important, like a situation where the laptop mostly sits at home on a desk, an inexpensive laptop can make plenty of sense.  If portability is important, and battery life is important, expect to spend more.

Windows laptops also come in a variety of form factors.  From a traditional laptop, to a convertible laptop with a screen that can flip all the way around, to tablets with detachable keyboards, to large laptops designed for gaming, there are many different types of laptop that can meet any need.

Convertible and tablet style laptops will generally cost a little more than similar laptops that cannot convert into a tablet, but in many cases the versatility is worth the extra cost.  It isn’t vital, but it is useful.

Lastly, laptops designed for gaming are generally more expensive, though budget models do exist.  Gaming laptops are often also very good for heavy workloads like photo and video work.  They usually come equipped with more powerful processors than productivity laptops, as well as dedicated video cards.  The trade off will be size, weight, and battery life, But if content creation and/or gaming is important and required, a laptop designed for gaming could be a good choice.

With so many choices and form factors, it can be hard to know how much to spend.  But it can be broken down into price categories.  First, general purpose laptops

• For $500-$7000, you can find what I consider to be the minimum for a productivity laptop.  It will be thicker, heavier, and wont’ have as good of battery life, but it will absolutely get the job done.

• For $700-$1000 you can find a good laptop.  It wont’ be the lightest, it won’t be the thinnest, but it will be a good laptop.  Unless you really want the thin and light and portability, this is currently the sweet spot between price, performance, features, and design

• For $1000-$1200 you start to get into the thinner and lighter laptops, as well as the convertible laptops.  Laptops in this range are more likely to be thin and light enough that carrying and travelling with them is not a chore, but still not be quite as expensive as the highest end laptops.  If I was shopping for a Windows laptop, this is the price range I would start looking, if I could afford it.

• Above $1200 and you get into laptops that are thin and light, and get into the territory of the best you can buy.  If you have the money, this is where to look, and you will generally find fantastic laptops that are small, portable, and are an absolute joy to use.

Next up, gaming laptops and those designed for content creators.  These laptops generally start at a more expensive level and get more expensive quickly.  These more powerful laptops are for those who need the power of gaming, or heavy workloads.  General purpose laptops can do that type of work in a pinch, but if that is the primary focus, a more powerful laptop is generally warranted.  The tradoff will be battery life.  While the best general purpose laptops can see battery life of over 12 hours, gaming laptops will rarely see more than 5 hours of battery life, even under light usage.  These laptops are generally meant to be plugged in, with long lasting batteries a secondary thought of of the time.  These laptops will have different specifications than general purpose laptops.

• The processors in these laptops will generally have a model number with an “H” suffix.  An example is the Core i7-10750H, or the Ryzen 7 4700H.  Those processors are more powerful than the processors in thinner and lighter laptops, but also use more power.

• Look for 16GB of RAM.  Where in general purpose laptops 8GB is usually sufficient, the heavier demands of heavier workloads mean 16GB of RAM is what you should look for.

• If Gaming is important, look for a laptop with at least a GTX 166Ti graphics card.  That will allow good gaming performance for a few years.  The GTX 2060 is a better buy, but those laptops generally start to get quite expensive.  The cheapest gaming laptops will usually come with a GTX 1650 graphics card, which will not have the longevity in gaming.  If the primary purpose of the laptop is photo or video editing type workloads, that GTX 1650 is more than enough

As I said, These laptops start more expensive, and the costs escalate quickly.

• For $900-$1200 you can get an entry level gaming laptop.  These will be decent and will get the job done, but will be bare bones.  In some cases, a general purpose laptop in this price range will be a better buy.  These laptops will generally have Core i5 processors and GTX 1650 graphics cards.  They are not the best laptops, but gaming and content creation laptops in this price range will get the job done.

• For $1200-$1600 you find laptops with the GTX 1660 Ti graphics card.  These are good laptops, and probably the sweet spot in terms of what you get for the money spent.

• For $1600-$2000 is where the laptops start to get more powerful.  Here is where the common configurations are a Core i7 and RTX 2060.  These laptops are more expensive, but also have more power and capabilities, and generally more longevity than cheaper laptops.  If I was shopping for a laptop of this kind, this is where I would start if I had the financial means.

• Above $2000 you get into the range of higher end laptops.  If you have that much money to spend on a gaming laptop, you’re not the kind of person reading this type of content.

When to Buy a Mac

Macs are a very interesting proposition.  They are by far the most expensive option to buy, and for most people, do not make the most sense.  Apple’s cheapest laptop right now is a MacBook Air at $1200, and in day to day activities a significantly cheaper Windows laptop will out perform it by a wide margin.  The MacBook Pro 13” is not much more powerful than a Windows Ultrabook that in some cases costs a few hundred dollars less. The MacBook Pro 16 is a very good laptop, but starts at $3000.  Apple’s hardware design and build quality is very good, but you pay a premium for it.  The reason to buy a Mac is because you want a Mac.  In many cases, it doesn’t make sense, except for MacOS.  If you absolutely have to have MacOS, buy a Mac.

There is the added uncertainty of the fact that Apple is switching from Intel to it’s own processors.  Apple will still support Intel Macs for years to come, but with the future just on the horizon, the Mac is in an interesting spot.  If you need a Mac today, buy a Mac today. Don’t worry about it, and just get one.  But if you have a Mac that is a few years old and you think you can squeeze one more year out of it, it is probably worth it to wait.

As for the specific Macs I would recommend, it is a pretty easy list to create, but gets expensive.

If the majority of the usage will be typing up documents/assignments, social media, web browsing, etc, get a MacBook Air, but not the cheapest version.  At the very least, get the base model but with the upgrade to the Core i5 processor.  The Core i3 in the least expensive model is ok for today, but I do not think that configuration is what anyone wanting to hold onto this laptop for 3+ years should buy.

If your needs are more than that, if you will be needing to do content creation, then the MacBook Air will not cut it, and you will need to look at the MacBook Pro.  The MacBook Pro 13 is a good compromise of size and power, but only the more expensive models with the 10th generation Intel processors inside.  The cheapest MacBook Pro still has a 3 year old Intel processor in it.  It will work, but the more expensive models with the 10th generation Intel processor is the better buy.

Lastly, there is the MacBook Pro 16”.  This is Apple’s premium laptop, and it shows.  It starts at $3000.  Most people should not buy this laptop unless they really know they need it.  This is not a laptop you buy to look at Facebook and watch Netflix.

Final Thoughts

If I was shopping for a laptop today, I personally would be either looking at a Chromebook in the $400 range or a general purpose Windows laptop in the $1000 range.  I think at those prices you can get a lot of capability in their product classes, and a good device for years to come.

But, the good news is that it’s hard to buy a bad laptop today.  A $600 Windows laptop wont’ have all the bells and whistles as one double the price, but it will get the job done, and do it well.  There is plenty of choice.  Setting a budget, and getting the best computer you can within that budget will net you a good computer, whether it be an every day computer, or a second (or third) computer for the family.