If you want something really reliable, I suggest Macbook Pro (assuming you have no issues using Mac OSX). I use the Adobe suite on my Macbook with no issues whatsoever. And if you are using Creative Cloud, it works across both platforms (Windows and Mac)

Other than that Dell or HP are reasonably reliable Windows based laptops.

Sounds like you’d be fine with a relatively simple tablet and a keyboard to attach. Long battery life, can play movies, sturdy.

www.apple.com

I am also in the market, so following with interest.

I usually buy Toshibas, but apparently they have stopped making laptops (?!), so I’m mainly looking at HP and Lenovo now. I’m surprised at how difficult it is to find a reasonably-priced laptop with a decent Intel processor. Also, all the keyboards feel horrible now. I don’t know what’s up with that.

Does anyone have advice about Acer or Asus? I tend to think of their quality being inferior, but perhaps things have changed over the years.

Another Apple recommendation. If money is an issue buy one that is re-conditioned by Apple. Make sure to get the max RAM. If money is really really an issue find a trusted repair shop. We have one in the next town over that buys used Apple products at estate sales, he loves pre-2015 MacBook Pros.

I have used Dells for many years and only had problems with one, which was resolved through their help desk who got me a whole new machine.

I am in the market for a new Dell for my daughter who is graduating from high school this May. I’m suggesting the XPS 13 or the Inspiron 7000 to her.

You say you need access to many documents. Will you have Internet access at various locations, or do you need them on the machine’s hard drive?

My other daughter and I both use the XPS 13. My daughter wanted it for the size. It’s light and easy to carry around. She dropped it once on concrete, and it survived. I bought it for myself, because I got a good deal. It has a solid state hard drive, so it starts extremely fast, but it has a small amount of memory on the machine. We keep everything in cloud storage. If you haven’t used cloud storage, it’s highly recommendable. I can access my documents from many different devices.

Also, cloud storage eliminates the need for a hard drive back up.

@dappled_leaves, I love my Toshiba. I have a Qosmio and it’s great. I hope you’re wrong about them not making laptops anymore. I’d totally recommend the Toshibas, but particularly the Qosmio editions. I’ve had it for a while and updated the ram a year or so ago and the tech said not to replace it because it’s so much better than many of the laptops out there now.

I also have a Lenovo Thinkpad. It’s a top-of-the-range version and it can be used as a tablet or a netbook. It’s light, does everything I need and I use it a lot. The only downside (which isn’t for me, but could be for others), is the tiny hard drive capacity. However, I use an external hard drive usually so I don’t care about that. I take it when I travel and if I’m going to meetings or to work where I won’t be in my office.

I have a Dell for my work paid for computer. It’s okay. I can’t complain about it. I just find the other two nicer to work on.

What you choose will depend on what you use your computer for. I would advise against going with a tablet. I’m a writer and I want a comfortable, easy to use keyboard. It’s your workhorse. You want something that is ergonomically sound. You type constantly.

If you use a lot of programs that require high level graphics (I don’t), I’ve heard Apple computers are better.

So think about how you use your laptop and what you need to do on it. I do use some really ram-heavy programs. I do a lot of data analysis and I also do use Photoshop and other adobe software. I’m not using it as a graphic designer though.

Toshiba’s web site is still promoting new Satellites which is the one I am typing on and also love my Tosh particularly for the value you get. I have had good experiences with HP’s as well. Any issues I have had is batteries crapping out after 2 years something I think is unavoidable. I do a lot of number typing and HAVE to have the numeric key pad as part of the keyboard. Any other complaints I have ever had are strictly software related not related to the notebook.

Depends on what you want to spend/what you need. I’m typing this on a macbook pro but I could not recommend one. They’re too pricey for what they are and are not really durable. The new thinkpads are dependable and durable. If you don’t mind dropping some cash the ruggedized dell laptops. are stellar.

Every HP laptop I’ve ever had has ended up with a broken hinge. I don’t even carry them around or travel often. My current laptop is held together with duct tape, and is serving as a desktop.

@Earthbound_Misfit Thanks for the feedback on the Thinkpad. If I had unlimited funds, my first choice would be something in that series. They’re pricey, though.

@Cruiser I haven’t been able to find a Toshiba Satellite that comes with Windows 10. They’re all older models. That said, I can’t remember if I surfed the US site when I last looked. It may be that they offer it for US business customers only, or some such. I’ve had two Satellites so far, and they’ve been my favourite laptops to date. Numeric keypad is a must for me, too. And yeah, batteries always go first, but I’ve never replaced one – just carried my cord everywhere. :/

You can’t go simply by brand. Except for Apple, the manufacturers have a range of models and the cheapest one’s will of course be very different from the expensive ones.

For durability, I highly recommend getting a used business-class model. They are not the models you see at the big box stores. They are sold or leased to corporations.

Companies upgrade every few years and there are tons of lightly used, cleaned up models for sale.

They aren’t filled up with advertising-infected crapware. They are more physically durable. And used ones, in really good shape are cheap.

The specific models I have bought from eBay, and can recommend, are the Lenovo T420 and T430. You can get a really nice T420 for less than $300, and a really nice T430 for less than $400 on eBay.

Look for re-sellers selling in quantity. They are buying in bulk and cleaning up the machines. You will see something in the eBay listing like “101 sold”.

@dappled_leaves, I got a new battery for my Qosmio. It was about $100.

Depends how much you’re willing to spend. Maybe a netbook is all you need for writing documents. You could use a tablet for everything else.

As others have said I too like Toshibas. Mine is slow now, but it’s over 5 years old. All computers need repair/upgrading within time. Toshiba doesn’t make desktops and solely concentrates all it’s energy on TVs and Laptops.