What laptop should a starting online entrepreneur buy?

[SquatchMan]

+1 to Biophase's advice.

I recently launched an eCommerce store and I just use some crappy laptop I've had for the past 5 years. One of the hinges for the screen broke and it is literally hanging on by a wire and the other hinge.

The internet still runs fast and I can code in Brackets if I need to edit HTML or anything.

I'd rather put money into inventory.

You should go a little better than me if you're going to travel and run the business. I personally wouldn't want to travel when starting my first business.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[CareCPA]

I bought a refurb Dell Latitude with a SSD for somewhere around $350. Most of my work is web-based or spreadsheet-based.
Make sure you get the business line, not the consumer line. These things are built to take abuse (they usually come with a service contract when Dell sells them new to a business, so the stronger they make them to start, the less service work they have to do).

 

[Philip Marlowe]

You want Solid State.

This. Night and day. Won't ever buy a laptop without it now.

 

[biggeemac]

So, I'm an IT pro, I will give my 2 cents.

1. Macbooks, HANDS-DOWN, outlive Windows laptops. I bought my used 2011 Macbook pro back in 2012. It failed me once last year, but the failure was covered by Apple.....no cost to me for the logic board replacement. I'll put my 6 y/o macbook up against any windows machine, any day of the week. Its still a beast.

2. SSD's, in my experience, are the best upgrade that you should consider. I thought RAM was where you gain performance, but with an SSD, things fly like they should. Do the ram AND the SSD, and you will be a happy camper.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Mr.Rob]

Really appreciate everyone's input here. This is a cool forum.

+1 to Biophase's advice.

I recently launched an eCommerce store and I just use some crappy laptop I've had for the past 5 years. One of the hinges for the screen broke and it is literally hanging on by a wire and the other hinge.

The internet still runs fast and I can code in Brackets if I need to edit HTML or anything.

I'd rather put money into inventory.

You should go a little better than me if you're going to travel and run the business. I personally wouldn't want to travel when starting my first business.

Yep Biophase's advice is the winning bidder today (though I'll upgrade to what other's suggested once I'm up and going).

@SquatchMan that's laptop story is awesome haha.
I probably won't be traveling per se but more so relocating and setting up home base abroad so I can lower my living expenses, and well live a more interesting life. So not like I'll be up and going every other week.

 

[biophase]

Not strapped for cash but the shit ain't growin' on trees either and everything I spend on a laptop can't be spent on direct revenue generating activities as you point out. I'll weigh this seriously as I make a decision.

What do you do for business biophase?

-Rob

Hi Rob,

For what you want to do you don't require much computing power at all. You also mentioned that you'd like it to get through the next 2 years.

I use the computer to log into my websites, check Amazon, edit photos and do light video stitching together for FB ads.

Here is my thinking behind computers and what I currently do.

Computing power generally doubles every 18 months. So any decent laptop in 2 years will be faster as than a high end laptop today. So if you get a high end laptop today, it will be the same speed or slower than a decent laptop in 2-3 years. So I figure, why get anything fast, especially since I don't need the speed at all. I would rather spend $350 every 2-3 years, than $1000 today and have the laptop for 4-5 years. That's just my preference. Many times the laptop ends up lasting 3+ years anyway.

I will walk into a Bestbuy, usually on black friday or cyber monday (after the crowds) and pick up whatever laptop they had for $700 that is selling for $350. I literally don't care what brand it is, but it ends up being ASUS or Toshiba usually because they always happen to be discounted the most.

The only requirement is that it should be able to do dual monitors.

I think a far better investment for you would be to get an USB powered monitor. This is a monitor that connects via USB and does not need its own power cord. (Amazon.com: AOC e1659Fwu 16-Inch Ultra Slim 1366x768 Res 200 cd/m2 Brightness USB 3.0-Powered Portable LED Monitor w/ Case: Computers & Accessories). The second monitor will improve your production much more than any increase in processing speed.

edit: Just saw that you aren't traveling as much as I thought. Then get a real second monitor.

As for a desktop for my home, I usually order a low-end gaming computer from Newegg. I choose a gaming computer because it is already loaded with more than average RAM and usually comes with a decent video card. My home desktop is from 2012 and cost me $700 back then.

Lastly, in business you will find that as your business grows, these decisions will be less and less important. When you are starting out, you need to spend wisely. So a $350 computer vs a $1000 is a BIG deal. Once you get the ball rolling and let's say in 2 years, your business is doing $80k a year profit, you won't even think about if you should be a $1000 laptop.

When I was starting out, it was hard for me to buy a $89 polybag sealer. I scoured craiglist for the cheapest racking and shelving possible. Even drove an hour to pick it up in my SUV in 100 degree heat. Now, when I need pallet racking, I just order it brand new online. Delivery is $250, no problem! I'm not wasting my time picking that shit up anymore!

 

[Mr.Rob]

Hi Rob,

For what you want to do you don't require much computing power at all. You also mentioned that you'd like it to get through the next 2 years.

I use the computer to log into my websites, check Amazon, edit photos and do light video stitching together for FB ads.

Here is my thinking behind computers and what I currently do.

Computing power generally doubles every 18 months. So any decent laptop in 2 years will be faster as than a high end laptop today. So if you get a high end laptop today, it will be the same speed or slower than a decent laptop in 2-3 years. So I figure, why get anything fast, especially since I don't need the speed at all. I would rather spend $350 every 2-3 years, than $1000 today and have the laptop for 4-5 years. That's just my preference. Many times the laptop ends up lasting 3+ years anyway.

I will walk into a Bestbuy, usually on black friday or cyber monday (after the crowds) and pick up whatever laptop they had for $700 that is selling for $350. I literally don't care what brand it is, but it ends up being ASUS or Toshiba usually because they always happen to be discounted the most.

The only requirement is that it should be able to do dual monitors.

I think a far better investment for you would be to get an USB powered monitor. This is a monitor that connects via USB and does not need its own power cord. (Amazon.com: AOC e1659Fwu 16-Inch Ultra Slim 1366x768 Res 200 cd/m2 Brightness USB 3.0-Powered Portable LED Monitor w/ Case: Computers & Accessories). The second monitor will improve your production much more than any increase in processing speed.

edit: Just saw that you aren't traveling as much as I thought. Then get a real second monitor.

As for a desktop for my home, I usually order a low-end gaming computer from Newegg. I choose a gaming computer because it is already loaded with more than average RAM and usually comes with a decent video card. My home desktop is from 2012 and cost me $700 back then.

Lastly, in business you will find that as your business grows, these decisions will be less and less important. When you are starting out, you need to spend wisely. So a $350 computer vs a $1000 is a BIG deal. Once you get the ball rolling and let's say in 2 years, your business is doing $80k a year profit, you won't even think about if you should be a $1000 laptop.

When I was starting out, it was hard for me to buy a $89 polybag sealer. I scoured craiglist for the cheapest racking and shelving possible. Even drove an hour to pick it up in my SUV in 100 degree heat. Now, when I need pallet racking, I just order it brand new online. Delivery is $250, no problem! I'm not wasting my time picking that shit up anymore!

Great I feel like I'm heading in the right direction, I suppose any new laptop I get now will be 2X as fast as what I bought new a few years ago. Interesting note on the dual monitor for productivity, I didn't realize they were so cheap! I presume the main benefit is being able to have 2-3 functions operating at once without having to constantly switch through tabs, windows, apps, etc. I'll check into that.

Currently looking at these two:
1. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073YC5D78/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20
2. Amazon.com: Acer Aspire E 15 E5-575-33BM 15.6-Inch Full HD Notebook (Intel Core i3-7100U Processor 7th Generation , 4GB DDR4, 1TB 5400RPM Hard Drive, Intel HD Graphics 620, Windows 10 Home), Obsidian Black: Electronics

Yeah its funny how such a small amount of money is such a big deal, but truth is it is a BIG deal. Yeah that would be a pretty epic goal if I could churn $80K a year profit 2 years from now. I know I'm smart enough to figure out how to do it but it seems so surreal being able to make that much without having to report to a corporate America upper management lol.

Inspiring anecdote. Thanks for the reply.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Esoteric Wealth]

Don't rule out Chromebooks!

I bought one on Black Friday for $200. Acer Chromebook R11.

Best $200 ever spent, so simple, like a MacBook, doesn't require maintenance. Has everything you'd pretty much need, even some light photo and video work could be done on this. I can also have access to the Android Play Store on here which is amazing.

I use to be very sceptical about Chromebooks, but for $200 (or near that price) there is no other laptop that can beat this. There are $300 Windows Laptops out there, but they are shit, Windows 10 is too much for them to handle.

I can also run Linux (Ubunutu) on here easily, side by side with Chrome OS, so that has unlocked even more capability.

 

[raddevon]

I was a long-time Windows user until about 10 years ago when I bought my first MacBook. The first thing about it that impressed me was that the OS and, in general, the apps get out of my way more than Windows. I feel like I'm spending more time accomplishing things and less time fiddling.

Couple with that the fact you can take the thing into the Apple Store if it breaks, and it's a great option for someone who's trying to make a living with a computer.

 

[GuestUser450]

Dell's XPS 13

Yep. I bought a maxed out xps 13, 2 LG monitors and a Plugable dock, and it's perfect for me.

Without even knowing it, I've replaced my apple stuff with other things. Not a knock against them, but a testament to how good everyone else has become. The holdout was the ipad but then I realized I'm using the kindle app 90% of the time. They still make great stuff, but it's nice being out of the ecosystem.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Justin1999111710]

One that is capable of magically connecting to wif on a remote beach!!! According to "bro marketers" selling the "secrets to online success"

 

[Raoul Duke]

almost $1,200 for a dual core processer? And it's not even new?

WOW

The apple tax is real

Gazelle

16gb ram/ 4 core 8 threads/ 500gb m.2 ssd

Brand new, for $1,252 vs. $1,189 for the refurb slower apple

I know right. But, If I were to buy a Apple refurb. It would be from Apple. Warranty, etc....

I like that system 76 Gazelle. I like that they use Ubuntu. I wonder if they would put OpenBSD on it instead?

 

[lowtek]

I know right. But, If I were to buy a Apple refurb. It would be from Apple. Warranty, etc....

I like that system 76 Gazelle. I like that they use Ubuntu. I wonder if they would put OpenBSD on it instead?

Right on, if you're getting a refurb may as well get it from the manufacturer.

They seem like they *might* do it for a small charge, but if not... doing it yourself shouldn't be too bad. It's not like trying to get windows and linux to play together.

I also found another company called "zareason" that sells ubuntu laptops, but their pricing has a huge gap in it. Upside is that you can get an nVidia card if you want to tinker with deep learning

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[strobe]

Any macbook from about 2014 onwards. 13 inch for portability. I tried to go from a mac to a dell and lenovo and they were terrible laptops. Macbook air, pro or macbook. 12 or 13 inch with SSD, atleast 8gb ram.

 

[sparechange]

dont know laptops much, but id say minium req would be quadcore processor and 8+ gig ram, i personally can vouch for acer being a good product...not sure if that helps

 

[sparechange]

oh also i got a touchscreen laptop...kinda cool to have!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[daru]

I know right. But, If I were to buy a Apple refurb. It would be from Apple. Warranty, etc....

I like that system 76 Gazelle. I like that they use Ubuntu. I wonder if they would put OpenBSD on it instead?

Did not expect to hear about OpenBSD on this forum. Cool!

Still an Debian guy but been interested in OpenBSD for a while..

 

[AdrianL]

Amazon also has good deals on MacBooks sometimes:

Amazon MacBook Pro 13" 2017

If it were me though, I'd also check Ebay, lots of MacBook offerings for significantly smaller prices and within warranty (unless they're brand new and have full warranty). If they're within warranty you can also always get AppleCare to get 2 more years of warranty just in case:

Ebay MacBook Pro 13

Also, if you want to avoid getting a lot of adaptors and need HDMI or USB (not Type-C), I recommend trying to find a good pre-2016 MacBook Pro (i.e. MBP 13" 2015).

Note: Not sure what Apple's policy is in the US, in Europe I've had no problem getting MacBooks from Ebay or Amazon US and taking them to Apple using the International Warranty, they don't even ask for receipt or anything, they just look up the Mac's serial number to see if it's still covered.

 

[Sequential]

Moore's Law is no longer accurate (processing power doubling every 18 months) unfortunatly.

In my gaming rig which I just use for CUDA now, I still run an cpu made in 2012. It is overclocked, to 4.8ghz, and does not have hyperthreading. Yet it still keeps up with the latest and greatest, it is only around 20% slower in real world apps and it is 5 years old.

I would avoid Chromebooks etc. A friend passed me hers, it had locked up. The power button being software powered, there was no way to turn it off. Press and hold power button did nothing, battery was internal so I couldn't unplug it, didn't have the right tools on me so I couldn't take it apart just to power cycle it. Given how much Windows locks up....

Apples have their own issues. Yeah you can take them into stores and have them fixed but do you really have time to waste doing this? Have you seen how big the queues are in Apple tech support stores?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Sequential]

Right on, if you're getting a refurb may as well get it from the manufacturer.

They seem like they *might* do it for a small charge, but if not... doing it yourself shouldn't be too bad. It's not like trying to get windows and linux to play together.

I also found another company called "zareason" that sells ubuntu laptops, but their pricing has a huge gap in it. Upside is that you can get an nVidia card if you want to tinker with deep learning

Linux Laptops with Linux Ubuntu

You can also get Quadro cards for real devs

 

[amp0193]

I 2nd what @JAJT said about a Solid State Drive. This was absolutely world changing for me. Has paid for itself over and over again, with how little time I spend waiting for something to load (compared to the nightmare of an ancient Dell I had previously).


I don't think this is too off topic, as it relates to computers and increasing productivity, but does anyone have a dual monitor set up that they use with their laptop, that they can recommend?

I'm just realizing how much time I spend clicking back and forth between stuff, and I think a dual monitor set-up is what I need.

 

[Sequential]

I use Asus VQ27 (model number could be innaccurate) it is the one with dvi inputs. I am about to add 2 more of them so I have 3 monitors. They discontinued them a while back so they are a bargain now. 27", 1920x1080, TN panels, myriad of inputs and audio outputs. 2ms latency iirc.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Mr.Rob]

I 2nd what @JAJT said about a Solid State Drive. This was absolutely world changing for me. Has paid for itself over and over again, with how little time I spend waiting for something to load (compared to the nightmare of an ancient Dell I had previously).


I don't think this is too off topic, as it relates to computers and increasing productivity, but does anyone have a dual monitor set up that they use with their laptop, that they can recommend?

I'm just realizing how much time I spend clicking back and forth between stuff, and I think a dual monitor set-up is what I need.

Good to note on the SSD.

See Biophase's reply to me on page 2 of comments. He uses dual monitor set up and recommended a monitor just for it.

 

[amp0193]

Good to note on the SSD.

See Biophase's reply to me on page 2 of comments. He uses dual monitor set up and recommended a monitor just for it.

Missed that, thanks!

 

[PersistentlyHungry]

I would suggest you look at Thinkpad laptops specifically the T470 model or the X1 Carbon. The downside of the X1 is I believe the hardrive and ram are not up-gradable.

I second this. I have the T470p and it is powerful (which helps with multitasking and online research), lightweight, and have excellent battery life.
I've also had a MBP 13" in the past, and the T470p is a better tool IMHO.

Also, whatever you get, make sure to set up cloud backups for your data - these things are life savers.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[amp0193]

I think a far better investment for you would be to get an USB powered monitor. This is a monitor that connects via USB and does not need its own power cord. (Amazon.com: AOC e1659Fwu 16-Inch Ultra Slim 1366x768 Res 200 cd/m2 Brightness USB 3.0-Powered Portable LED Monitor w/ Case: Computers & Accessories). The second monitor will improve your production much more than any increase in processing speed.

Just ordered this on Amazon.

I can't wait to never click between things again. Especially for typing customer addresses... what a pain!

This is going to save me several frustration-filled minutes a day

 

[Van Halen]

You need a macbook to match your hip digital nomad lifestyle, its all about the fashion! But seriously though, pretty much anything would work for making websites. Since you'll be travelling and moving all the time you want something tough, and not flashy. If you're constantly on the go the last thing you want is a) Something flimsy b) something that looks or is expensive for Mr Pickpocket to feast his eyes on.

You could go whole hog and get a Toughbook Panasonic Toughbook CF-52 Laptop, refurbished, rugged, used with full warranty

But might be a bit heavy and overkill. HP, Dell, Lenovo laptops are dime a dozen, if you spend 300-500 on one you should be set. Just look at getting an SSD, the battery life and highest screen resolution, and for the love of god don't get something with Celeron or Pentium in it... can't believe they still sell those.

 

[Caramel]

I'm a system administrator for a reasonably sized company (300 employees or so) that all work on computers/laptops and I've had very nice experiences with the Dell Vostro 5468.

Our to-go laptops are usually Macbooks because they look fancy when visiting customers (priorities, huh?) but whenever an employee just can't handle a Macbook I get them the Dell Vostro 5468.

Pro's in my opinion:

- 256GB SSD, storage is large enough for most people. Especially if you use a cloud service or external Hard disk to archive your finished work
- 14 inch screen, I usually find 15.6 inch too large for transport and 13 inch too small for comfortable work. So 14 inch is as good as it gets.
- I think they come with Windows 10 pro, so you're set when it comes to OS.
- new generation CPU. I5 which is okay.
- 8GB RAM, which by itself should be enough. If it's not, you can upgrade to a max of 32GB.
- It's pretty light. 1600 grams.
- It looks great. Actually has kind of a Macbook-ish design.
- I've had great experiences with Dell in general. We are standardized on exclusively Dell-gear (besides the Macbooks)

Possible Cons:

- Battery life is only estimated at 4 hours. Pretty bad compared to a Macbook's 9 hours.
- No dedicated videocard. So don't count on it being a photoshop hero.
- No possibility for 3G/4G. You mentioned a shabby internet connection so you might wish for a 3G/4G solution.


Optional

Also, you could purchase a Port replicator. It's basically a little box that you attach a network cable, monitors, keyboard and mouse to. You then plug one cable from the port replicator into your laptop and it turns into a proper workstation.
Whenever you wanna take your work with you, you just unplug the cable and take the laptop wherever you need to go.


I'd post a link, but Dell keeps redirecting me to the Dutch website.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[VentureVoyager]

Dell XPS 13 all the way. Small, slim, light, powerful, reliable (no, I'm not affiliated with Dell and I'm not the guy's son, I just like my PC).

I don't agree with the opinions along the lines of "buy cheap whatever since it doesn't have to be super fast and change frequently". Sure, you are not going to do 3D renderings of Pixar's animated movies, but:
1. It has to be reliable. I think that a flagship product is less likely to crash (I've been using mine since 2014, no problems)
2. Repairing your PC in some places in the so called 3rd world countries can be a HUGE pain in the butt and even a bigger long time stress. You don't want this kind of distraction
3. You are going to spend hours every day with this machine. Respect your eyes. XPS screen gives you that. Plus great keyboard, track pad and overall user satisfaction
4. XPS series can be very expensive, but you don't have to buy a new one. Or the most powerful model. I've found mine on an online auction when I was just starting with my biz. The guy didn't know what the was selling. The description said it was 128GB, i5. Actually, it was 256 GB, i7. I don't know how's that possible as the seller wasn't an old grandma with no idea about computers. It was almost one year old at that time, but I bought it and have been using it happilly ever since. I own the older model with the rounded bezel and it's great too. Btw, I also live the location independent lifestyle.
I hope this helps (if not you, then maybe it helps someone else make their mind), cheers

 

[Caramel]

4. XPS series are very expensive, but you don't have to buy a new one. I found mine on an online auction when I was just starting with my biz. The guy didn't know what the was selling. The description said it was 128GB, i5. It fact, it was 256 GB, i7. I don't know how's that possible as it wasn't an old person with no idea about computers. It was almost one year old, but I bought it and have been using it happilly ever since. I own the older model with rounded bezel and it's great too.

I agree the XPS series is great. Though I kinda have to disagree with secondhand being okay.

You don't know what the state of the components is. Though you could always replace some of the more vulnerable parts (like RAM or a hard disk assuming you back up your data regularly) it is still a mess to deal with.


That might just be me working in IT, though. I have to deal with hardware breaking (and the consequences) on a regular basis. Ironically it's always the people not taking care of their laptops or cheaping out on them that don't have their data backed up.

I do have to admit you probably got a pretty sick deal on that XPS