Quick help appreciated

lopri

Elite Member
Jul 27, 2002
13,310
687
126
Looking for a best bang-for-the-buck laptop under $1000. Mostly office works, website managing, lots of emails. No gaming. High-DPI screen not necessary. Neither touch-screen or 2-in-1 type form factor is necessary.

Durability and stability is the top concern, along with consistent performance. Battery life is not that big of a concern because I believe it will mostly be used near power outlets, but the lower heat and fan noise are, the better. On that aspect, a smooth fan profile is a big plus. It can be annoying to hear the fan ratcheting up and down wildly.

Thanks in advance.
 

Commodus

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 2004
9,215
6,820
136
Looking for a best bang-for-the-buck laptop under $1000. Mostly office works, website managing, lots of emails. No gaming. High-DPI screen not necessary. Neither touch-screen or 2-in-1 type form factor is necessary.

Durability and stability is the top concern, along with consistent performance. Battery life is not that big of a concern because I believe it will mostly be used near power outlets, but the lower heat and fan noise are, the better. On that aspect, a smooth fan profile is a big plus. It can be annoying to hear the fan ratcheting up and down wildly.

Thanks in advance.

13-inch MacBook Air if the apps you use have Mac equivalents (or you just aren't fussy about what you use)? Shouldn't have a problem with Office or email clients, it's well-built and reliable, and the SSD is going to make it consistently fast. The fan isn't going to ramp up in typical office duties. The main catch, as long as software isn't an issue, is that $999 is right at the limit of your budget.

If not that, a Dell XPS 13 would be my pick (XPS 15 if you can swing $999). It's fast, one of Dell's better-built systems and it even looks good thanks to that near-borderless display.