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Floradude

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I am a life long Desk Top computer user.   I am thinking of buying a computer (laptop) for a Mexican friend but I am totally ignorant about laptops.  I am looking for a quality machine---not the cheapest and not the most expensive.  I would appreciate any suggestions for a  reliable brand and what to look for.  If it matters the person who will be receiving the computer is an adult.  Also, I am not interested in Apple.  Do new laptops come with Windows 10 installed?

Thanks for the help and suggestions.

 

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Chrome books are designed for people who have an interest in exploring computers. They are not for the faint-of-heart. They function completely differently than what most people are used to. (I await the flak.)

A couple of things to note about buying a laptop in Mexico. It will be in Spanish. The keyboard will be Spanish. Almost all laptops sold around here come with a "single language" version of Windows, which means it cannot be changed to English legally.

When shopping, Walmart has the best prices.

To narrow down the selection, choose a screen size that you prefer. That will reduce your choices to a manageable level.

Once you have done that, determine your price range. I would not buy anything under $9,500 pesos ($500 US). If you spend less, you risk getting under-powered gear (unless, of course, it is on sale). Example: a super-slim, beautiful, 13" screen laptop that I worked on yesterday seemed like an excellent deal, until the owner discovered she was "out of space" and couldn't update Windows, let alone add any programs. Why? The tantalizing price included a hard drive that was only 25 Gigabytes. Windows itself took up 20 of those Gigs.

If you don't want to spend that kind of money, then get what you can afford, of course.

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From Laptopmag (for what it's worth)

"If you're comfortable living in the cloud and you want to get stuff done in a secure yet simple environment, a Chromebook will suit you nicely. However, if you need power and versatility, Windows 10 reigns supreme."

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IMHO...If you know how to use an Android smartphone...you already know how to use a Chromebook. I would quickly confess I have no idea what the "ins and outs" of a Chromebook are because I'm in no way a power user. It just works for me with no viruses (yet). I don't do spreadsheets or photo editing. I paid under $200 US for my 13" Chromebook about 4 years ago and I may never need another laptop. Perhaps the actual person who is going to be the recipient should have a lot to say about which one he/she would like to have.

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Of course, and this is far too complex a topic to cover easily here. Anyone that wants to call me for a conversation is always welcome. I would add, pappys, you are not what I would refer to as the average user. You even know how to modify third-party routers for DNS. The majority of my clients are retired people who don't care about technology and want an easy answer. And And that's what I provide them.

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Back to the OP's need.... he/she is buying for a Mexican friend. This may or may not suggest a novice user.  I agree with CG.... Chromebooks and Linux probably don't make a good choice for a newbie or low capability user. When one comes upon a problem there are very few 'friends' who could help but with a Windows machine many people could give rudimentary help. The KISS principle....

To the OP..... yes, new laptops will come with a copy of Windows 10. As suggested above, they will be Spanish.... but this may be an advantage to your "Mexican friend".

 

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5 minutes ago, ComputerGuy said:

You even know how to modify third-party routers for DNS.

Hahaha...If anybody had taken a video of me doing that they could have made a bunch of money posting to YouTube under the comedy section. I don't know what came over me to try that except I really wanted to be able to stream the then new streaming services such as Hulu Live, and the other ones. I naively believed it wasn't that hard but after paying for the router I had to somehow make it work. I was sure I bricked the router until I got into a chat with  ExpressVPN and with a few keyboard clicks it suddenly worked. I wouldn't try it again, I'd just pay extra for a preconfigured router.

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Floradude,

1) Has your Mexican friend used a computer before? If so, with what operating system?

2) What is your friend going to use the computer for?

3) Where is your friend going to be using it?

4) Can your friend pay the cost of an internet connection? A voltage regulator if their home is not grounded? A printer and the ongoing ink/toner cartridge(s)?

There are deals to be had if you shop carefully and know what you're looking for... especially with Buen Fin coming up (Nov. 15th to 18th) and Black Friday (Nov. 29th) and Cyber Monday (Dec. 2nd). Best Buy and Amazon usually have the best deals... the Mexican sites if you're looking for a Spanish operating system and keyboard. That doesn't mean that the specs can't be checked out on the English sites first and then copy and paste the link into the Mexican site search area.

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OK.   Let's keep this simple.  My friend is Mexican so the Spanish keyboard is required.  He will be using the computer in his home in Puerto Vallarta.  He has never used a computer before that I am aware (although his wife does have one) so yes, he will be a novice user.  Forget about Clouds, etc.       Computer Guy, thanks for the suggestion about size, etc.  What is a practical number of gigabytes I should look for in a computer?  I prefer to overshoot than get too little.  

Remember, I have never used or purchased a laptop so are there any ancillary items that do not come with the laptop purchase that I should buy for him that he will need?   We are not talking printers here.

Please keep the suggestions coming.  This has all been very helpful. 

 

 

 

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My preference is for a minimum of 16 GB RAM (memory)... more is better and a minimum of 500 GB hard drive...more is better . I also like an Intel chip (not less than i5). imho, it is easier to use a mouse (wired) so that's an added extra. I have had luck with whatever video card comes with them. Gaming (video) computers have special cards that cost extra. I would avoid a touch screen computer as they get incredibly dirty. I'm a windows girl but actually hate the format of windows 10 so I had ComputerGuy put on a "classic shell" program that makes it look and feel and operate the way all the previous windows versions did. That's my comfort level. I am currently using a second hand Toshiba with Windows 7 that I had to buy when mine died and I like the feel of the keys. My personal preference overall is Hewlett Packard and they have the most extensive selection imho. I have stashed a new HP windows 10 that I got for $399 U.S. on Amazon. 1 TB Hard drive and 32 GB RAM with an i7 chip and a 15.6 inch screen. It was excellent value for the money.

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4 hours ago, Ferret said:

Floradude,

1) Has your Mexican friend used a computer before? If so, with what operating system?

2) What is your friend going to use the computer for?

3) Where is your friend going to be using it?

4) Can your friend pay the cost of an internet connection? A voltage regulator if their home is not grounded? A printer and the ongoing ink/toner cartridge(s)?

There are deals to be had if you shop carefully and know what you're looking for... especially with Buen Fin coming up (Nov. 15th to 18th) and Black Friday (Nov. 29th) and Cyber Monday (Dec. 2nd). Best Buy and Amazon usually have the best deals... the Mexican sites if you're looking for a Spanish operating system and keyboard. That doesn't mean that the specs can't be checked out on the English sites first and then copy and paste the link into the Mexican site search area.

Voltage regulator not needed for a laptop. The transformer will work on anything from 100 volts to 220 volts. In that range it will send the right voltage to the laptop. 

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1 hour ago, Ferret said:

My preference is for a minimum of 16 GB RAM (memory)... more is better and a minimum of 500 GB hard drive...more is better . I also like an Intel chip (not less than i5). imho, it is easier to use a mouse (wired) so that's an added extra. I have had luck with whatever video card comes with them. Gaming (video) computers have special cards that cost extra. I would avoid a touch screen computer as they get incredibly dirty. I'm a windows girl but actually hate the format of windows 10 so I had ComputerGuy put on a "classic shell" program that makes it look and feel and operate the way all the previous windows versions did. That's my comfort level. I am currently using a second hand Toshiba with Windows 7 that I had to buy when mine died and I like the feel of the keys. My personal preference overall is Hewlett Packard and they have the most extensive selection imho. I have stashed a new HP windows 10 that I got for $399 U.S. on Amazon. 1 TB Hard drive and 32 GB RAM with an i7 chip and a 15.6 inch screen. It was excellent value for the money.

WOW!!!  A 15.6" screen AND and i7 Intel chip and tons of memory. I guess that WAS an excellent buy! One will seldom see that kind of priceline with such a robust laptop.

However, I would take issue with the recommendations of a laptop for a person who has never touched a PC.  Your specs will drive up the cost unnecessarily I fear for someone who will never use the capabilities.  I just bought a Lenovo 15.6", i3 chip and 8GB of memory, 500GB hard drive. I would have preferred to have an i5 but....  Windows 10 of course but I switched it to the "Classic Shell" as you did.   I don't do anything 'over and above' but more than this person will ever do..... unless he somehow starts gaming 🤖..... and I'm not taxing this configuration. I also prefer a wireless mouse as opposed to having that wire ALWAYS in the way. 

I think the criteria for this PC should meet the user, not us long-term computer users.  YMMV

 

 

 

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I hear ya. It was an incredible deal and I pounced on it. It is now $439. and, sorry, I misspoke... i5 chip generation 7200

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K5YCYFL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I think perhaps the OP was looking for a baseline and a price with which to compare. I can tell you that my eyes glazed over looking for this computer and I had to look up and find out what optane memory was and also find out about the different generations of chips (like the i5 generation 7200 is better than the lowest generation of the i7). It's a zoo out there.

I used to use a wireless mouse (two in fact) but they don't last as long as a wired mouse. YMMV.

 

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Thank you all.  I have a good idea of the basics, minimum that I am looking for.   Now, how about brands?  Lenovo was mentioned.

I am not comfortable buying a fairly expensive piece of electronics at Walmart given their tendency to repackage returned items for sale again. I can look next time I am at Costco and Best Buy also.  

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Any brand is fine. Manufacturers are not really "manufacturers"; they are like re-packagers. There are only a few actual manufacturers of motherboards, hard drives, WiFi components, CPUs, etc, and all the brand names source and buy from them, mostly out of Taiwan and other Asian countries. Not even Dell makes their "own" stuff.

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On 11/5/2019 at 9:52 AM, pappysmarket said:

From Laptopmag (for what it's worth)

"If you're comfortable living in the cloud and you want to get stuff done in a secure yet simple environment, a Chromebook will suit you nicely. However, if you need power and versatility, Windows 10 reigns supreme."

For most this is what they require. I have made the switch, and I have used PC's from DOS days. Can't do some complex spreadsheets, but does most everything else, without any headaches related to  Windows.

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48 minutes ago, Ferret said:

What about connectivity (wireless compatibility) ComputerGuy? bgn? or what?

New laptops all come with the current latest, n and usually ac. ac is for dual band, and not that important, unless the Internet provider's modem offers it, and then it has its drawbacks. The newest (ax) is not really available yet, although some very expensive routers are offering early standards of it.

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8 hours ago, Floradude said:

Thank you all.  I have a good idea of the basics, minimum that I am looking for.   Now, how about brands?  Lenovo was mentioned.

I am not comfortable buying a fairly expensive piece of electronics at Walmart given their tendency to repackage returned items for sale again. I can look next time I am at Costco and Best Buy also.  

I have an Asus (not Acer) laptop that I bought at Office Depot about 3 years ago. I had one before for 5 years and was pleased with it, so bought another when the old one gave out. At the time, it was less than 5000 pesos.

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