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Recommendations for cheap laptops? (hexbear.net)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/technology@hexbear.net
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Hey all, I need a new laptop and don't want to spend much money. It just needs to run Linux/Debian, have a functioning battery and be able to play internet videos, nothing more. I have an old Lenovo Thinkpad X220 right now and I've heard that Thinkpads are still okay, but does anyone have more concrete suggestions? Thanks in advance!

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[–] 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Get a refurbished enterprise or business grade laptop. Brand doesn’t really matter much, but Amazon has some awesome AMD HPs on their renewed store that run Linux like a dream. Probably around $300 but new they’d be over $1000 and are much more repairable.

Edit: I have this one. Bought it years ago and still works great. It was even still under warranty when I first got it. Probably not anymore: https://www.amazon.com/HP-EliteBook-Business-Processor-2-3-4-2GHz/dp/B0CRVF3GRR

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    in the past when I need a cheap laptop fast, I would search the scratch & dent return inventory at the dell factory outlet site. never say yes to any add-on, downgrade/no install all the software and support, and I would be holding something decent for $300 in 2 days.

    I haven't tried to do that in maybe 6+ years, but it used to be reliable and cheap.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    This is what I did in the past and it always worked out good for me. A number of these even had decent GPU's for some light gaming.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Dedicated GPUs in laptops are always a red flag for me. I don’t trust the thermal or cooling systems. Anything integrated is probably fine but I wouldn’t expect to play anything other than small indie type games. If you need real power, better to stick with desktops or consoles.

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