Seeking recommendations on where and what new computer to buy.

[how241]

I think it's time for a new computer.  I bought my last HP laptop computer in 2014, at Walmart for $250 USD.  It is still working OK and does everything I need. It is not causing any problems now but I would rather get a new computer now before this one dies on me.  It is 8 years old.  I live in Pattaya full time so I am looking to buy locally or online.  I do not do any gaming or photo editing,  just general web surfing.  I do not want a used or refurbished machine.  I don't need to buy the cheapest machine either.  I think a mid priced machine would be best.  I would like it to  have Windows factor installed.  I don't really know about these 'netbooks, Chromebooks, or tablets'  and if they might be better. I was looking on the NEWEGG site and it seems like computer prices are  MUCH-MUCH higher than I remembered.  Maybe all the chip shortages I have been reading about how push up prices a Lot.  Fortunately,  money is not a big issue for me .  I would appreciate any info or thoughts on what my next machine should be.  Looking on that NEWEGG site is very confusing as they offer so many types of computers form 10K-100K baht.  Thanks for any help you can offer. 

[Doctor Tom]

Try Powerbuy in Central Festival Plaza, they have some good deals on all manner of computers and laptops. Just got a very nice HP laptop with all that I want included, for 13,000 Baht. 

[alextrat1966]

Dell Inspiron 3511 i3 4GB/256GB for 17,790 THB 

Huawei MateBook D15 i5-Gen10 8GB/256GB 19,000 THB

Acer TravelMate P449-M i5-Gen6 8GB/500GB (HDD) / Older 7,898THB

 

The Acer is a great model, however it's older than the other two, and has a mechanical HDD. Doesn't mean it's not great for web surfing, for that price is really great value. 

 

If you want something newer you will be looking at 15,000 THB to 20,000 THB for something decent for web surfing. 

Edited February 6, 2022 by alextrat1966

[Guest Isaanlife]

If all you are going to do is surf the net, watch netflix, email, chat, FB. Chromebooks are great for that.

 

My Chromebook folds flat like a tablet. Very to use on the sofa when watching TV

 

Use a large desktop for everything else 

[The Hammer2021]

The last new lap top I bought I made the mistake of not getting enough storage because of the new SSD system.

I also discussed on another thread just using a good quality  mobile phone. I rarely  touch my Lap top these days.

As you are in Pattaya why not go window shopping at Tuc Com to get some ideas?

[CartagenaWarlock]

Laptop with 8GB memory and a PCIe hard drive will be the best choice If I am buying one now. But I don't need a laptop as I already have a NUC machine and monitor at all my permanent places. I have seen some Chuwi models like Hero Book that you can pick up for $299 from Amazon (or similar prices from Lazada may be). 
https://www.amazon.com/CHUWI-HeroBook-Pro-Notebook-Lightweight/dp/B08316YSKH

[sirineou]

I just had my old Acer replaced with another Acer . that's how happy I was with Acer. 

You will need at least 8 GB ram to handle what's coming down the pipe, and the  SSD drive is lightening fast as compared to my old hard drive. 

 

 

Acer Aspire 5

15.6" screen

AMD Ryzen 5 5500U with Radeon Graphics            2.10 GHz

8 GB Ram 

512 GB SSD hard drive 

about 19000 BHT

[Roger That]

14 hours ago, alextrat1966 said:

Dell Inspiron 3511 i3 4GB/256GB for 17,790 THB 

Huawei MateBook D15 i5-Gen10 8GB/256GB 19,000 THB

Acer TravelMate P449-M i5-Gen6 8GB/500GB (HDD) / Older 7,898THB

 

The Acer is a great model, however it's older than the other two, and has a mechanical HDD. Doesn't mean it's not great for web surfing, for that price is really great value. 

 

If you want something newer you will be looking at 15,000 THB to 20,000 THB for something decent for web surfing. 

Don't even think about buying a computer of any kind with a mechanical hard drive in 2022, no matter the price. ????‍♂️

[how241]

Thanks to all posters !!!   Lots of good info here.  I will check out a few of these links and do some research.  Being that my requirements are low, I find that the more I read the less I know.  I guess that almost any decent mid-priced laptop will more than fit my needs  BUT it's hard to decide on exactly which one to buy.  The last time I shopped in the USA,  you could buy a low-mid range computer for $225-$450.  it seems like the prices have jumped up 2X or more.   I guess that is the supply chain chip shortage that I keep hearing about. Thanks again for all the help.

[alextrat1966]

2 hours ago, Roger That said:

Don't even think about buying a computer of any kind with a mechanical hard drive in 2022, no matter the price. ????‍♂️

There’s no reason not to if you’re only doing web surfing ????????‍♂️.

[Doctor Tom]

2 hours ago, Roger That said:

Don't even think about buying a computer of any kind with a mechanical hard drive in 2022, no matter the price.

good advice 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

18 hours ago, how241 said:

I would like it to  have Windows factor installed. 

 OP might want to consider whether the new model you're seeking is going to be compatible with the new Windows 11 software that MS is rolling out.

 

Older hardware models aren't going to be compatible with Win 11, though Windows 10 runs perfectly fine and will be officially supported for at least some years to come till 2025.

 

I just mention this as a future-proofing concern.

 

https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/windows-10-support-ends-in-4-years-but-this-is-what-you-should-know-now/

 

"As it did with Windows 7 in January 2020, Microsoft will pull active support for Windows 10 in 2025. You'll still be able to use the software, but you won't get any more security updates. There also won't be any new features added to the software. Instead, Microsoft is shifting its focus to Windows 11, which comes with Android apps, desktop widgets and new Xbox gaming features for the PC."

 

https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/not-sure-if-your-pc-is-compatible-with-windows-11-heres-how-to-check/

 

From what I've read, the following two obscure Win 11 requirements are what's keeping a lot of older but otherwise perfectly fine PCs from being Win 11 compatible.

 

System firmware	UEFI, Secure Boot-capable
TPM	Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0

 

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[how241]

9 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 OP might want to consider whether the new model you're seeking is going to be compatible with the new Windows 11 software that MS is rolling out.

 

Older hardware models aren't going to be compatible with Win 11, though Windows 10 runs perfectly fine and will be officially supported for at least some years to come till 2025.

 

I just mention this as a future-proofing concern.

 

https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/windows-10-support-ends-in-4-years-but-this-is-what-you-should-know-now/

 

"As it did with Windows 7 in January 2020, Microsoft will pull active support for Windows 10 in 2025. You'll still be able to use the software, but you won't get any more security updates. There also won't be any new features added to the software. Instead, Microsoft is shifting its focus to Windows 11, which comes with Android apps, desktop widgets and new Xbox gaming features for the PC."

 

https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/not-sure-if-your-pc-is-compatible-with-windows-11-heres-how-to-check/

 

From what I've read, the following two obscure Win 11 requirements are what's keeping a lot of older but otherwise perfectly fine PCs from being Win 11 compatible.

 

System firmware	UEFI, Secure Boot-capable
TPM	Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0

 

 

Thanks for this info.  I did not know anything about this. I do plan on keeping whatever new computer I buy for 6 years or more so I will definitely need to look into this. Thanks again.

[alextrat1966]

13 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

OP might want to consider whether the new model you're seeking is going to be compatible with the new Windows 11 software that MS is rolling out.

You can easily install Windows 11 on a computer that’s not compatible.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

FWIW, I'm typing right now on a 6 year old ACER laptop with the following processor setup -- 7th Generation Intel Core i3-7100U Processor (2.4GHz, 3MB L3 cache) -- that works perfectly fine with Win 10. But MS says it's not compatible with Win 11.

 

 

 Here's a link to MS's support page with a list of Intel processors that it says are supported for Windows 11.

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-11-supported-intel-processors

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 minutes ago, alextrat1966 said:

You can easily install Windows 11 on a computer that’s not compatible.

 

I'm not aware of that. Care to explain?

 

[alextrat1966]

Just now, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I'm not aware of that. Care to explain?

 

You can change 3 entries in Windows Registry (regedit) to bypass the checks by MS Windows 11 installer. 
 

Those checks, like everything Microsoft does, are just a simple formality to stop you from installing Windows 11 and buy newer hardware so that they make more money. Windows 11 will work equally just as fine. 
 

https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/bypass-windows-11-tpm-requirement

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

10 minutes ago, alextrat1966 said:

You can change 3 entries in Windows Registry (regedit) to bypass the checks by MS Windows 11 installer. 
 

Those checks, like everything Microsoft does, are just a simple formality to stop you from installing Windows 11 and buy newer hardware so that they make more money. Windows 11 will work equally just as fine. 
 

https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/bypass-windows-11-tpm-requirement

 

Thanks!  Those methods all seem legit (albeit a bit complicated). And Tom's Hardware is a good source of info for such things.

 

Though, if you do the first method involving Rufus which allows a fresh Win 11 install or an in place upgrade from Win 10, I'm not clear on whether that initial modified setup is also going to solve the future issue of subsequent Windows Update checks every time MS does their future half yearly OS updates?

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[alextrat1966]

7 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Thanks!  Those methods all seem legit (albeit a bit complicated). And Tom's Hardware is a good source of info for such things.

 

Though, if you do the first method involving Rufus which allows a fresh Win 11 install or an in place upgrade from Win 10, I'm not clear on whether that initial modified setup is also going to solve the future issue of subsequent Windows Update checks every time MS does their future half yearly OS updates?

 

Yes, the Rufus way as well fixes the issue with the half year updates.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Not to get too far into the weeds on this, but money/profit considerations aside, I wonder why MS set the min processor levels they did for Win 11? Presumably there is/was some technical reason as well.

 

Yes, you can bypass the upgrade requirements check. But I wonder if there's any performance/operational price to be paid for running Win 11 with a processor or other tech below the requirements that MS has set out?

 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/installing-windows-11-on-devices-that-don-t-meet-minimum-system-requirements-0b2dc4a2-5933-4ad4-9c09-ef0a331518f1

 

"The following disclaimer applies if you install Windows 11 on a device that doesn't meet the minimum system requirements:

This PC doesn't meet the minimum system requirements for running Windows 11 - these requirements help ensure a more reliable and higher quality experience. Installing Windows 11 on this PC is not recommended and may result in compatibility issues. If you proceed with installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and won't be entitled to receive updates. Damages to your PC due to lack of compatibility aren't covered under the manufacturer warranty."

 

PS - Interesting..

 

I just tried the third method (MS official regedit approach) on my ACER laptop running official Win 10. My machine doesn't have the reg key they're instructing to change the settings for... No "MoSetup" key on mine.

 

Quote

Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[how241]

All of that Win. 10/11 stuff is WAY  over my limited computer knowledge.  That's why I want to buy with Windows factory installed.