Help Picking a Home Computer

[undercoverbrother]

So I am on the prowl for a family laptop, but am a Luddite.

I am looking for a laptop and printer for the family.

Kids will use if for school work, and my wife for Pinterest I guess.

This time of year seems like a good time.

I would love suggestions.

We seem to get a deal through work with Dell.

[Mazrim]

There's a decent laptop for sale in Buy/Sell right now at a good price if you want something that will last a while: https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=164534

It has the horsepower and the connectivity to do what you'll need for a long time. Ultra-thin and ultra-light laptops are a waste of money if you're not likely to be using it on the go all the time. On the flip side, if you spend about $500 on a laptop you'll probably be frustrated with it within a couple years.

[BananaPancakes]

If you can get a deal on a Dell, the XPS 13 and XPS 15 are really solid laptops, I would probably go that route.

I would disagree that thin/light laptops are a waste of money. Even if you're only using it around the house, a thin laptop is so much nicer use when you're on the couch, kitchen, etc. Not to mention the battery on those high-performance gaming laptops die so fast, you will most likely need plug it in all the time.

[Anduril]

On the topic of printers, unless color is a necessity, getting a laser printer will save you a bunch over the long run for black/white.

[Northendzone]

as an aside, be prepared to keel over the first time you have to buy toner cartridges - it almost seems cheaper just to buy a new printer

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

as an aside, be prepared to keel over the first time you have to buy toner cartridges - it almost seems cheaper just to buy a new printer

toner is downright cheap compared to ink cartridges.

[BananaPancakes]

Originally Posted by Anduril

On the topic of printers, unless color is a necessity, getting a laser printer will save you a bunch over the long run for black/white.

+1 for laser printers. We have a brother laser printer and get toner from here: https://www.123inkcartridges.ca/sear...%9C%93&q=tn450

They have their own generic brand for toner and it works perfectly for a fraction of the cost.

[Chingyul]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

toner is downright cheap compared to ink cartridges.

Also, if you rarely print, toner keeps, but ink dries out.

[Wormius]

There are a lot of Brother-compatible toner cartridges on Amazon for anybody who has a laser printer. I was surprised I was able to find one still for my DCP-7020.