Help buying a new laptop

Looking for a new laptop. I've copied the questions below from the post on what to ask. I'm based in the UK so please send me uk deals

Laptop or Desktop?

Laptop


My budget for the new computer is:

Max £450

What are the primary uses for this computer (IE: mail, web browsing, programming, games, etc)?

Running business from home selling on amazon so general browsing and running the odd program or two

What software do you intend on using on the computer? Amazon seller amp

Do you play games? If so, what type of games?

No

Do you tend to have a lot of programs running at the same time, or do you close every program when you are done using it?

Not alot maybe two or 3

Do you store a lot of pictures or music on the computer?

No I can keep them on my old laptop

Will you be overclocking?
No

Location for online shopping/shipment/prices?
Uk, in store would be good

How many monitors are you planning to use?

No extra monitors

Do you need peripherals? OS?

I'm used to windows

Any particular reason why you are upgrading?

Current laptop is 15 years old


I've had a look but there are so many and I'm a bit confused with different types of processor/ram, some have 8gb ram but maybe a slower processor what is more important and what should I be looking for?

I'm from the USA so not sure what prices are or availability in UK, but I do know about general usages.

 

Since you are selling on Amazon, the main usage will be internet access (I assume).

Do not short yourself on memory. That is the main mistake most general users make. The cheaper laps usually come with 4gigs of memory which is grossly inadequate. Windows 11 will take at least 2gigs to boot and run, and that leaves little for anything else.

Absolute minimum you need is 8 gigs, and if you can afford to get more, do it.

You should be running at least 3.5 Ghz CPU, nothing slower.

You need at least a 1TB Nvme drive. You might get away with an SSD, but for the small difference in money go with Nvme.

Standard is a 14" screen, but if you can get a lap with a 17" screen you will bless the day you did after several hours on your Amazon job.

 

Lastly, I will make a recommendation that you may think is unimportant, but trust me, it is major, major, major.

Set up an image backup system, and make regular, weekly / daily complete backups of your whole system and data and save it off-computer to an external drive or docking station, and then disconnect from the computer.  Make a religion out of this. If suddenly your main drive dies, you get a virus attack, or the worst of all, you get hit with ransomware, you are in deep trouble. With an image backup you are back up and running in a few minutes. Without it you may lose everything, operating system and data also.

I'd differ (but I get it.. this is post 3 for myself, the other guy is nearing 5000). Honestly, you can probably get away with the cheapest options out there. If your 15 year old box works but is just old, then any Windows 11 capable machine would keep you going for quite some time and not be over taxed. Further, the cost is so low, you can simply buy something else in a few years again. I presume the amazon app runs off the cloud more than your own computer? In many ways that's what you'd want. Then your computer is more like a dumb terminal with access to the high power cloud. 

I have a decent PC (maybe $1800 in components built in 2020) at home and it's great. But I also run several cheap $200 USD work laptops for different purposes. They work fine for light duty, and it sounds to me like that's all you're doing. You could even buy used and see if it works... if it doesn't, sell it for about the same price and go with something more. But between the budget, and the use, I don't think you need to be putting alot of money into hardware here.

But only one monitor? Gotta run two at least! You'll be amazing how much more productive you can be with business applications having a 2nd screen.

I do fully agree on the backups, especially if elements of your business are stored on the computer rather than on a cloud. But all your files you want to have regular backups for. Any computer has the potential to fail. Also consider where the backups are stored. If you do have a significant income business with Amazon, you probably want to have off site backup storage if you're using a physical drive, just in case something happens.

You say that you are planning to run a business from home.

 

Have you looked into the implications of this: Firstly, it is unlikely that your turnover will be large enough for you to need to register for VAT.

 

However, there are certain benefits that you may be able to charge against any profit that you might make, which HMRC will be wanting to tax and you will be wanting to minimise.

 

There are a lot of useful things that you may need to buy that you can use to reduce your Tax liability.

 

Of course you will need to keep records. So, apart from your Laptop, there will need to be software, printers, labelling (postage and packaging), your internet connection, a phone, and god only knows what else that, should your efforts prove successful, so long as you have kept "proof of purchase", will keep the Taxman off your back.

These are refurbished machines, but you're not going to find much better in your price range. Both of these are business line machines and very solid. I believe you'd be happy with either one, but the Dell is a better machine

 

Dell Latitude 7490 14” FHD Laptop – Core i7-8650U (4.2GHz), UHD Graphics 620, 16GB DDR4, 1TB SSD, Fingerprint & Card Reader, vPro, WIFI 5 & BT 4.2, Windows 11 Pro Free Upgrade, Backlit Keys (Renewed)

 

HP EliteBook 830 G5 13.3 FullHD Laptop “ Core i5-8250U (4 Cores, 3.40 GHz), 16GB DDR4, 1TB SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620, WiFi 11ac & BT 4.2, Windows 10 Pro - UK Keyboard layout - 3UP82ET (Renewed)

Does this one look OK. It has a big screen which I have now and I have had my current laptop for so long that I'm worried I won't like a smaller screen.

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/refurbished-hp-17-cn0504sa-core-i5-1135g7-8gb-512gb-17.3-inch-windows-11-la-a1-62a18ea/version.asp

If it's a computer you're using alot, I would want a bigger screen. If you mostly work in a single location, you can always get a big screen for that spot and then still have the laptop flexibility for other locations. Personally, I hate working with only a single screen, so this would be the option I would go for. However, if you do not have a "regular" spot and you use the computer all over, then you should look for one that has the same screen you're happy with now.

You do know this is a refurb, right?  Do you know this vendor? Probably they are the ones who supply the warranty of only 3 months.

Other than that, this would be an adequate unit, and yes, you will not like a smaller screen.

You do know this is a refurb, right?  Do you know this vendor? Probably they are the ones who supply the warranty of only 3 months.
Other than that, this would be an adequate unit, and yes, you will not like a smaller screen.

I have heard of this company yes but I've never used them however they get good reviews. The 3 month warranty is one of the things holding me back. Although they said its what they call an A1 refurb which the majority of the time it just means the box has been opened but the customer has sent it back but then I guess I can't know for sure

Choosing a laptop is not easy when there is so much to consider. Hopefully, i will be able to simplify things through this quick guide.

This should provide a smooth experience for your Amazon seller activities and general browsing. Pay attention to storage capacity; consider an SSD for faster performance. Brands like HP, Dell, or Lenovo often offer reliable options within your budget.