I know we have some IT boffins on here, from previous requests. I’m in the market for a new computer, as my current one is on it’s way out.. It will predominantly be used for self employed work, which involves writing reports (I’m only talking appx 15,000 words per month).I have to have the ability to work with multiple documents and move between them. I will do some browsing both for work and personal, though I prefer using an iPad for,that. Because my usage has always been fairly low, I have always opted for entry level computers, from Curry’s or PC World, but as it is for work, am willing to pay a bit more if necessary. Anyone any advice as to where to buy from and what model?
If it’s just for Microsoft word type stuff, don’t overthink it. If you’re doing massive excel spreadsheets, or database work that can bog a pc down, it might be worth spending a bit more.
I’d buy a Dell. The laptops and mini desktops are both great. Spend a bit extra on a decent screen is my other advice, that’s the thing you actually interact with.
I’m far from an expert (and I use a MacBook which is probably entirely unnecessary for what I use it for) but I assume the ability to move between documents easily is probably more down to knowing the software functionality rather than the computer itself. I wouldn’t think you’d need anything flash for what is mainly Word (presumably) Must say I did used to like drafting documents with an Apple pen on my iPad and then converting it to text for Word to finish off…but that’s probably because I’m a pen wielding dinosaur!
Currys PC World categorise / filter by the following. From what you describe, I highly doubt you'd need anything more than 'Everyday' (maybe even 'Light Use', but probably 'Everyday' to be sure). I've had Dell, HP, ASUS. All fine, as I'm sure Acer and others are too. As AY says, doesn't seem like there's any need to overthink it, nor to overspend.
I agree, I’ve had loads of different ones over the years and always gone back to Dell. Current model is a £500 Inspiron, it’s fine.
Yeah, my current computer is freezing if I’ve got a few documents open. It then does this thing where it just switches off, which is hilarious if I aren’t on auto save. Think it’s to do with the male sheep (RAM) or something. So does the Apple pen work on any iPad? Can it work on a laptop? Anything to give me a break from typing. I do use speech recognition occasionally, but needs a lot of correcting. You mentioned it before, but am keen to try AI at some point. A lot of the reports are quite jargonistic and refer to regulations , so It makes sense there’s something out there ,
Speech recognition is excellent askew but you have to do it in a John Inman voice to get the best results Computer likes a higher pitch Try it out
If you’ve got a touchscreen laptop. Wouldn’t have to be an Apple pen with windows, a cheaper stylus would work just fine. A surface pro tablet could work for you? You can also get touchscreen style pads to use with a stylus, and you can get touchscreen monitors but they are £££.
The bulk of my work would always be typing though, so my purchase would need to be a laptop? To give me occasional breaks from typing, I do have a touch screen iPad, so would presumably be able to use a ‘stylus ‘ on that? Again, I’m not convinced this would handle multiple documents, I’ve not tried to work on a document on it tbh.
I’m already talking above my level of expertise (just like if I ever mention a football formation!) but I was more thinking of having documents open on laptop, and scribbling a draft on an iPad. I’m probably not a very good IT example though. Most of my long reports when I was working I did in pencil then gave them to my secretary to type! Not sure how new iPad needs to be, or whether it needs to be an Apple pen. Shame you can’t try someone’s? If laptop keeps turning off then you need to do something with that anyway. Said before but Peckham off Holderness Rd is good for reconditioned stuff, and he’s a City fan. Might get more power for your cash there and could be a useful chat anyway as he seems very genuine Also I did used to have a separate monitor plugged into a laptop when I was doing multiple documents so I could type on laptop & still have other things open on monitor. Oh and I always found a separate Bluetooth keyboard better than typing straight into the laptop too.
Another vote for Dell, my last three laptops have all been Dell and I’m on it all day every day and create hundreds of large graphics files with no issues.
An iPad Pro or a surface pro would both easily handle multiple documents, they are very powerful and much more capable than basic tablets. The surface pro comes with a keyboard cover and the iPad Pro has a decent optional keyboard case. It would be the cheapest way to get touchscreen and stylus support all in one. They are also incredibly portable being tablet based, you can carry it round everywhere and whip it out wherever you like. It’s also easy to get comfy with anywhere, even curled up on bed or stretched on the sofa. The trade off is neither, as it comes in it’s little tablet sized package, would be ideal for majority typing work as they’re quite small, both in terms of keyboard and screen. You can use a proper full size Bluetooth keyboard and mouse when using at a desk though and plug in to a monitor or even a tv for larger screen. Also quite pricey compared to a desktop or a laptop. Just throwing another option out there you may not have thought about. I have a surface pro as well as a desktop at work and at home and I love it. Surface pro is what I reach for first 90% of the time, I use some very demanding software for work though which occasionally requires the grunt of a £2500 desktop pc once things start getting busy on it. The joy of cloud storage now everything is accessible on all my devices no matter where I am.
Always seem to score well in reviews. Tbh I think it's hard to buy a duff laptop these days, certainly amongst the main manufacturers, so a lot of it is just down to personal tastes and previous experiences. A bit like modern cars, they've learnt by now how to build them properly, the old 'friday afternoon' jobs are long gone.
