Chromebook Vs laptop ?

Sorry for all the late night messages but I’m struggling to sleep right now!

So long story, my child wants and sort of needs a new device for his homework and gaming as my 8 year old Acer laptop is worn out to the point it took 12 mins to load up, constantly lags, the fan despite cleaning it sounds like a fighter jet, the battery doesn’t hold charge for more than 30 mins, etc.

I’ve had someone look at it who told me not to bother trying to upgrade the RAM, etc as the motherboard is too restrictive and it would be cheaper and easier to replace it.

The question is what is best? A Chromebook or a laptop?

The Chromebook’s are cheaper and have good reviews but can’t be used for gaming which is no big deal.
My only issue with the Chromebook is my dislike for all things google.

A laptop is around £120 more but the laptop is easier to upgrade, has more flexibility and higher specs.

So do I go for the Chromebook or laptop?

I did look at an apple MacBook but they are over double the cost of the Chromebook and laptop and I’m not sure why?

Personally I would avoid the all Google products. You are paying someone to harvest your data. I prefer Linux. I use the Linux Mint, it’s based on Ubuntu, and avoid all Microsoft and Google products. Plus it’s less resource intensive. If you are not computer savvy, then go for a laptop. Lenovo Thinkpads are built like a tank. If you want to tinker with your old laptop to extend its life, have a play with Linux. There are instructions online. You need to create a partition in your hard drive. Then format a flash drive and download a platform onto it such as Mint. This is then your initial boot disk. Change your bios settings to boot from flashdrive. Insert flashdrive, reboot from flash, let it install, and then whenever you start your laptop you have the option to start by Windows or Linux. Linux will be 100 times faster and it’s safer from viruses as you can’t do anything without permissions. You can also buy Linux built laptops but the software is different (it comes with everything you need for free) and your child might not be comfortable using it.

Laptop anyday. The reason is this. Your son is 8 years old. will probably want to play games. might need headphones and a mic. Take my youngest ( going to be 13 ) he has a microphone, add ons for farming sim... and much more. we ended up with a full gaming pc for him... which is closest to that laptop. Your son is 8 so in 4 years time your looking at a gaming pc too probably. It is easy to add external storage drives for school or play time.
label them up for easy access.
And as you said easy to upgrade. Plus you can boost the wifi on those easily.

My 10 year old laptop has just been given a new lease of life by a local wonderful computer man, who has installed linux, for much the same reasons as @ArcaneCollector gives. I am now gingerly finding my way around, but picking the most important sites first - the Forum and Silver Trader. I have always been happy with the laptop.

Thank you for all the replies

* it needs to be a laptop
* Linux installed
* make it gaming compatible, maybe a graphics card?

Out of interest, why are MacBooks so much more expensive?
Are they expecting consumers to pay for the apple badge?
I love apple phones and iPads, but can’t see the fuss with a Chromebook

cant help there bud. But I know that for me it is a laptop hands down.

Infact I am bringing my old laptop back to life / or giving it the fountain of youth!!! LOL

SanMarino wrote:Thank you for all the replies

* it needs to be a laptop
* Linux installed
* make it gaming compatible, maybe a graphics card?

Out of interest, why are MacBooks so much more expensive?
Are they expecting consumers to pay for the apple badge?
I love apple phones and iPads, but can’t see the fuss with a Chromebook

MacBooks are great for graphic designers and context creators. Top quality items that carry the higher cost.

Choose your poison.

Personally, I'd get an inexpensive Windows laptop and not worry about future upgrades, just decide what level of performance it needs to achieve and how many years it's got to last, then bite the bullet. The school will be using Windows software and your kids peers will probably be using Windows as well. Just make life easier for them. Generally I'd say the cheaper the hardware is, the shorter its lifespan.

The last PC I built myself was for an architecture degree course, and cost a pretty penny (I was an unemployed mature student and sold most of my things to pay for it) because it needed to be quite powerful to run design software... software which was all Windows native. Other richer students arrived with new macbooks courtesy of mum & dad and I believe most of them came to regret that choice. If I'd have gone the Apple route it would have cost me twice as much money and wouldn't be 100% compatable with all the software I, and the people I colaborate with, need to use. The majority of the worlds computers run on Windows and that's also why I avoided Linux.

Nearly 7 years later and I'm still rocking the same PC, albeit with a newer graphics card, but it's been relegated to browsing the web, a bit of light gaming and some photoshop work. I think I'll get another 3 years minimum out of it. Work provided me with a budget to build a new beefy PC for architecture software and 3D rendering, and I'm expecting to get about 4 to 5 years out of that.

Macbooks are expensive because for many years Apple has spent a fortune advertising itself as a 'premium' product that can sometimes elicits superior feelings over Windows users, but it's just another tool in the box, no better or worse. The logo looks nice though, IMO.

Good point PJ,

As for schools. ( my wife, sister, mother, aunt ) are all Teachers.
Both in the USA and UK.
And they all use programmes that are compatible with both apple and pc. so Windows is not needed.

HOWEVER . I have to say I can not stand apple products.

Just me... that's all.. now going to run and retreat.

Admit it @Admin , your dislike of Apple stems from having one on your head for people to shoot at.

Admin wrote:
And they all use programmes that are compatible with both apple and pc. so Windows is not needed.

Well yeah, I can get a version of my usual work software (AutoCAD, Revit, 3DSMax) for a Mac, but it was created originally for PC, (possibly using a machine running a Mac or Linux OS, but that's a different can of worms   ). Then, when I want to share files from a Mac with a PC user, I have to export them into a different file format, and vice versa, which is just an extra layer of faff and uncertanty.

A colleague of mine insists on using their Macbook (they swear is superior to Windows) to create Excel files. She uses a template that was created using MS Office on a PC, converts it to use on her Mac, then converts it back to MS Office, which she emails to me and they always contain conflicts and corruptions.

An Apple shaped task may require an Apple shaped tool and, for a Windows shaped task, just use a Windows shaped tool. If a youngster needs their first computer to do homework and play a few games, they don't need an expensive Mac and, unless they're learning how to code, they don't need a Linux machine either.

I honestly don't know much about Chrome, I don't even use the browser. I'm sure you can get a Word flie to open on a Chromebook, but it won't be as straightforward as a Windows laptop with MS Office installed.

Same goes for Linux. Some people zealously espouse it's virtues in comparison to the evils of big bad Windows, (cheaper, less resourse intensive, easier to modify and more customisable). Most people I feel just want the computer to work and don't want to mess around looking for special sofware to run on obscure OS. You could get a Windows machine, enjoy that compatability with the internet and every other windows machine in the world, and save time worrying about Bill Gates.

Admin wrote:
HOWEVER . I have to say I can not stand apple products.

Although it doesn't sound like it, I don't really have a problem with Apple products. It's those people who insist upon them that grind my gears. They're usually quite easy to get a rise out of as well!

Having played with my revamped laptop for a few days, I can say that I am generally happy with Linux. Having said that, I only want to use my laptop for emails, documents and internet access so I don't have the need to run specialist software, and can see that this would make a difference @PJ_Ray. One thing I have lost is the notification when I get a PM from a Forum member, although the email alerts continue. There is probably something I can do, but I'm too nervous to mess about with it at the moment. So, if anybody PMs me, and doesn't get a swift reply, it's because I won't know until the next time I look at my emails.

The Cat's Mother wrote:Having played with my revamped laptop for a few days, I can say that I am generally happy with Linux. Having said that, I only want to use my laptop for emails, documents and internet access so I don't have the need to run specialist software, and can see that this would make a difference  @PJ_Ray. One thing I have lost is the notification when I get a PM from a Forum member, although the email alerts continue. There is probably something I can do, but I'm too nervous to mess about with it at the moment. So, if anybody PMs me, and doesn't get a swift reply, it's because I won't know until the next time I look at my emails.

I don't know about that one. I looked at your settings on your profile, from the admin side.... and everything you want has been ticked and checked. I think it must be a setting on your device. You will need to go into settings and ensure that the forum notifications are being pushed with what ever type of alert you have on them.

My mobile phone keeps changing my settings on a regular basis.. and driving me crazy.