Laptop Recommendations for The Clueless? - Budget $1200

AustraliaObscura on 23/06/2025 - 20:21
Last edited 23/06/2025 - 20:41 by 1 other user

My old Dell Inspiron 5570 is dying and I thought it would be convenient to get a new laptop around EOFY sales… I am so overwhelmed though, I have no idea what I should buy! I'd appreciate any advice and knowledge.

I would like 16GB RAM, 512GB storage. I work from home, so it's mostly word documents, email, general internet use, too many tabs (damn ADHD), streaming video, the rare Zoom call. No gaming, and only travel with the laptop a few times a year. I care about battery life, durability, hopeful for longevity! 15 - 16 inch screen. Would like to spend under $1200.

I keep getting recommendations for Lenovo Thinkpads, but because I had a lot of issues with charging and batteries in the old Dell, I would rather the easy option of buying from a store in Melbourne (JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, Centrecom, anything well known / established in Aus) for easy fixes on site / drop off (I've heard bad things about warranty care and shipping back laptops on the official Lenovo website for example). Or am I too sheltered?!

Thanks for any help!

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • Morien on 23/06/2025 - 21:25
    +1

    Probably too sheltered.

    Buying from a local store isn't going to give you easy fixes onsite unless it can be fixed with a power cycle. They will simply send the laptop off for you, and while that might sound easier, it will take a lot longer than you doing it yourself.

    I'll defer to others for recommendations though, as I was going to recommend a MacBook Air, but couldn't find a great option for 15" and under that budget.

    Suffice to say, I hear https://metabox.com.au thrown around a lot.
    https://metabox.com.au/store/b505/note-Two-1-Laptop Base note Two 1 looks like what you're after.

    • John Barosa on 24/06/2025 - 00:08
      +1

      I love my 15 inch Macbook Air. 24/512gb deal was goated. But yeah 15" model is never under 1700, even for the base model.

      • payless69 on 24/06/2025 - 02:00

        13" with monitor is fine

        • John Barosa on 24/06/2025 - 03:14

          Depends on the person. I prefer lounging on my sofa, as opposed to sitting on my computer table. 15 inch screen is also great for reading. Very helpful when I'm programming. 13 inch is way too small imo.

      • AustriaBargain on 24/06/2025 - 08:43
        -1

        Buy once, cry once.

  • Shadowsfury on 23/06/2025 - 21:27

    If it lives at home so much why do you care about battery life?

    • AustriaBargain on 24/06/2025 - 08:44

      Maybe they do use it on their lap and keeping it plugged in all the time is a pain.

  • scrimshaw on 23/06/2025 - 21:43
    +3

    If you're only buying laptops from the big box electronics stores you may be limiting yourself to crappy consumer grade devices that might not be very robust.

    The Dell Outlet and Lenovo Outlets are good places to browse for as new business grade devices (eg Dell Latitude or ThinkPad T series) with at least 12m warranty.

    you won't find these type of devices sold at JB Hi-Fi or Harvey Norman.

    • AustraliaObscura on 23/06/2025 - 22:00

      What are the differences between Ideapad and Thinkpad? I liked the durability of the Thinkpad more, as I don't really need the portability.

      • scrimshaw on 23/06/2025 - 22:50
        +4

        From worse to best

        IdeaPad and IdeaPad Slim most basic. Best to avoid these machines. Not robust.

        IdeaPad Pro - slightly upmarket models with high-end specifications, nicer OLED displays and full aluminum chassis. But not cheap and they are also not that lightweight.

        Thinkbook is 'prosumer' grade. I would give them a pass.

        Thinkpad E series ( E for Essential). This is where you are starting to get into business laptop territory, but at a lower cost. It's a better deal compared to the Thinkbook series.

        Thinkpad L series (made for business but with many compromises in build quality chassis).

        Thinkpad T series. This is the line of laptops that every business uses, they are well known for reliability, having the most lightweight / strong materials for chassis. But it may not come cheap unless you want to buy a model that's 1 or 2 Generations behind.

        Thinkpad X series: they are just the smaller 13.3inch version of the T series, and this is the model that I personally own. Solidly built / lightweight but also very pricey unless you are okay with buying a model with a CPU that's 2 or 3 generations behind.

        • AustraliaObscura on 23/06/2025 - 23:06

          Thanks for the great in-depth info! There's so much to learn with this. I don't think I need the top options based on my usage, so was looking at this: https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpade/le…

        • Yo1111 on 24/06/2025 - 04:58

          Quick question, is the lenovo ideapad ryven 5 oled 14" good? I have a $500 voucher from officework and want to use it to buy the oled lenovo laptop. Thanks

  • John Barosa on 24/06/2025 - 00:06

    You want 24+gb ram. not 16. 16 doesn't cut it anymore. I have 15 tabs of firefox, and discord open, and I'm using 17gb rn.

    • Shadowsfury on 24/06/2025 - 09:09
      +1

      High RAM usage doesn't automatically mean 16GB isn't enough—modern systems use extra RAM for caching and performance boosts because its available, not because they need it.

  • w33w00 on 24/06/2025 - 10:47

    I'm in the same boat - I have about the same budget, and I'm hungry for an upgrade from an old Toshiba Satellite that is sporting an i5-5200u. What would be the best bang/buck laptop right now?

    As much gaming/power as possible. I seen this deal recently: HP Omnibook 7 Aero Next Gen AI PC 13.3" 2K AMD AI 7 350, 16GB RAM, 512GB Storage $919.2 Delivered @ HP eBay - looks pretty sweet for sub $1000.

    I am looking at the HP Ebay store now, and damn is it overwhelming.

    • scrimshaw on 24/06/2025 - 12:42

      Good deal and looks good on paper. But I can't find much information on their build quality.

      The battery is somewhat small at 43whr but still manages 12 hours due to the efficiency of the new AMD chips, if you specifically want a laptop that's lightweight (for travel / flights) its a good budget pick.

  • rumblytangara on 24/06/2025 - 11:59

    I keep getting recommendations for Lenovo Thinkpads, but because I had a lot of issues with charging and batteries in the old Dell, I would rather the easy option of buying from a store in Melbourne (JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, Centrecom, anything well known / established in Aus) for easy fixes on site / drop off (I've heard bad things about warranty care and shipping back laptops on the official Lenovo website for example). Or am I too sheltered?!

    Yeah, just get one of those and buy the support option where they come to you. Last I checked (and it's not been a while) the default was on-site repair. Lenovo warranty support has been the easiest I've ever dealt with.

    If you bought from JB or wherever, if it goes wrong I don't think you get to bring it back to the store- they tell you to contact the manufacturer who is set up for this kind of process.

    • AustraliaObscura on 24/06/2025 - 16:05

      Definitely seems like dealing direct with Lenovo is the way to go and I've been clinging to JB Hi-Fi for too long!

      I'm concerned by speaker quality and video on the Thinkpad vs durability of the more consumer models

      • rumblytangara on 24/06/2025 - 16:54
        -3

        Literally who gives AF about laptop speaker quality- they all suck. Get external speakers or headphones. All laptops come with Bluetooth.

  • Jethro1 on 24/06/2025 - 20:51
    +1

    I've been looking around as well and with all the new processors it can be pretty intimidating. Based on what you say you do, word, email, web browsing, zoom, you don't really need anything with huge processing power. People are always going to have their opinions on what you should get but the reality is, ask 10 people and you'll get 10 different suggestions.
    Something like a HP Probook, HP Elite book or Lenovo Thinkpad would be good as they are made for business and are generally a bit better built than something you'll find at JB or Harvey Norman that is aimed towards the general consumer.
    Find one within your budget. Goggle the processor of the one you like Vs the processor in your current laptop. If your current laptop is fairly old, you'll be surprised at how much faster the new processors are (even relatively lower end ones). If it looks to be a decent amount faster than your current laptop and the price is right, buy it. Trust me, you can go down a rabbit hole with buying computers that never ends.
    Also if you can go a 14inch screen and don't need a number pad, lenovo ebay store has some good deals at the moment on thinkpads.

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