Asking
Only logged in members can reply and interact with the post.
Join SimilarWorlds for FREE »

Best laptop model for writers?

Reasonable price please.
Better if it's pink.

Also, truthfully, I'm not a fan of Macbooks.
This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »
SW-User
For just writing, probably any laptop will do, particularly when an external keyboard and mouse are added (even if just when the laptop is in use at home). You might want to spend a bit more for a really good external keyboard if you type [i]a lot[/i]. This could be both more pleasant than using the laptop's keyboard, and also extend the life of the laptop's keyboard for when you have to be mobile and don't want to wag around external input devices. I've seen a keyboard prematurely wear out even on a legendary ThinkPad, and replacing components like the integrated keyboard in a laptop is more annoying than just buying a new external keyboard.

Consumer-grade laptops would be cheaper than business-grade laptops (e.g., for Lenovo, consumer-grade are the IdeaPads and business-grade / developer-grade / NASA-grade are the ThinkPads, which I love and use, but they may be overkill just for writing). Most brands have separate sub-brands like this, one for consumers, and another for businesses. You can walk into a non-membership big box retailer like Walmart and touch a consumer-grade IdeaPad for yourself and probably leave with it that day.

You definitely don't need any heavy-duty CPU like an Intel Core i7, you could get by with something minimal and cheaper like a Celeron chip, which may expand your options for finding something specifically in [i]pink[/i].

You really don't need anything fancy at all just for writing. Searching a site like Newegg for a refurbished laptop might be a good idea so you don't spend a lot when the requirements are so low.

You don't even need a Windows operating system just for writing, but getting a laptop that comes with a more usable version of Linux than ChromeOS pre-installed (such as one sold by System76) will probably be more expensive because for now, other than Chromebooks and Android devices, Linux is smaller/more niche market. However, even on Windows you might find that a word processing program like LibreOffice Writer, which is free, does everything you need, so you don't have to pay for something like Microsoft Word.

You could possibly even get by with just a Chromebook, if either you don't mind storing your documents in the cloud, you can find a way to access the minimal / ephemeral internal storage, and/or make use of external drives for really important documents.

At home you may even want to plug in a larger external monitor in a vertical orientation, particularly if you opt for a cheaper laptop with a lower screen resolution. The external monitor, mouse, keyboard, and drive(s) will likely outlive the laptop and can be re-used with the next laptop.

If you think there is any chance you may want to sell the laptop to someone in the future, I would not apply any stickers to it. Imagine how annoying it is to try to scrape window / bumper stickers off of a car when you buy it used.