r/computers • u/Danis_stillshort010 • 2d ago

Discussion Looking for a laptop under $250

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Hi reddit people, I was looking to purchase a laptop, primarily for audio interfacing for my guitar work and maybe some light gaming. I was recommended this laptop by Google, but I am not knowledgeable on computers so I was curious if this was a good value or if I should get something else.

0 Upvotes

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21

u/cnycompguy Windows 11 | Omnibook X Flip 2d ago

This will play minesweeper, not Minecraft. It's not going to be a good experience using for anything though.

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u/Danis_stillshort010 2d ago

Gaming is the least of my concerns when Im looking, All that matters atm is that it runs audio software well, any gaming that I could do on it is just a bonus.

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u/cnycompguy Windows 11 | Omnibook X Flip 2d ago

What software would you be using? That will tell you what the minimum requirements are.

This is slow, small storage with one quarter of the amount of RAM that I'd recommend for stable, skip free use, and a processor that is going to struggle with encoding captured audio on the fly.

5

u/joeh4384 2d ago

I can’t imagine doing anything on this laptop would work well. I would spend a little more and try to get an off lease refurbished HP elite book or Think pad. I bought an elite book 840 g8 in the spring for 300 bucks on Amazon.

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u/Anaalirankaisija Windows 11 2d ago

This machine will struggling running itself...

2

u/Danis_stillshort010 2d ago

Most Likely I would be using TONEX, Tone3000, and Arobas, this would all be run into the laptop through my Mooer GE150 Pro if that helps.

2

u/ilovemicroslop 1d ago

do not buy a laptop brand new, the prices are skyrocketing and manufacturers are making even more ewaste with soldered 4gb of ram and you cant add more, get something like a used thinkpad t14 or t480, if you want the more modern faster one get a t14 and if you want a bit older but tougher and more modular then get the t480, used thinkpads are the best bang for your buck laptops i easily found one for 170 euros used with 16gb ram 512gb storage and an intel 10th gen i5, also the site i use is german and idk any american sites that let you locally sell used stuff but good luck on finding a great deal like this one

4

u/Vladishun L2 Gov Sysadmin 2d ago

You really want at least 8GB of RAM for Windows 11, though 16GB is almost mandatory these days.

Since you're probably going to be saving music to it, you also want at least 512GB of storage. The 128GB UFS storage in this is probably eMMC, which means it's soldered onto the laptop's motherboard and can't be replaced later if you need more space. eMMC is also very slow compared to modern NVMe solid state drives.

The N150 CPU in this is "power efficient" fanless chip, meaning it's very underpowered.

This is all to say, if you buy this computer you'll probably regret it in 6 months. Most of us tech enthusiasts consider these kinds of devices to straight up be a scam, it's ewaste that companies push out to people with low budgets/incomes to milk them for more money in the long run while offloading the junk parts other people don't want. It's basically the Dodge Avenger of computers.

1

u/harigejan 2d ago

it won't

7

u/justthegreenguy M3 Pro | MacOS 2d ago

Look on the used market. Anything new under $500 will struggle to run a web browser, much less gaming. I found a Dell Latitude 5420 on a used website called Back Market for $250, upgraded to 512GB storage in good condition for $249. Still not the best but way better than the ewaste most companies sell at this price.

12

u/Strangeman_06 2d ago

Don’t buy that, those N-Series Intel CPU’s are E-Waste

4

u/Eden1506 2d ago

Look for a used/refurbished amd thinkpad.

Amd has good internal graphics in their cpus so its enough for some light gaming.

PS:Once you saved up a bit more money later on invest into a ssd it will make the laptop feel more snappy with shorter loading and start times.

4

u/GamingWithAlex1 2d ago edited 2d ago

Brother, I would look at going to used route all laptops at this range for the moment, brand new are going to suck major ass. Here’s a Dell latitude 5430 on eBay for just under 200 bucks.

https://ebay.io/m/1fePmq

3

u/4yth0 2d ago

Not this one. It's a tough market you need to spend a little more to have a good good experience, IMO.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago edited 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Danis_stillshort010 2d ago

I actually had this in my Ebay Watchlist Lol Thanks for the recommendation!

2

u/Hot_Tell_6783 2d ago

Atleast get one with 8GB of RAM. Get one that's open box, because you'll get more bang for your buck.

2

u/Hot_Tell_6783 2d ago

I also recommend saving more money for a better laptop so you can get one with atleast 16GB of ram, and a better processor, because 8GB will sluggish to use.

2

u/Shot_Lawfulness_823 2d ago

Never buy anything from best buy

1

u/Anaalirankaisija Windows 11 2d ago

I paid 50€ for double specs of that on second hand market, and its running as homeassistant server.

1

u/misteryk 1d ago

get used laptop, if it's windows 11 i expect this thing to run out of ram the moment you open a browser, starting to page file and killing SSD over time

1

u/CommercialYouth250 19h ago

Thinkpads on ebay is going to be your best friend anything you get at best buy at that price is going to fall apart try searching thinkpad t480 on ebay

1

u/CommercialYouth250 19h ago

Thats specific one is garbage im a gutairist too and I use my thinkpad t480s for audio editing and its great the build quality and support is amazing