I want to create a setup where I have a powerfull PC at home, and a lightweight economic laptop to carry around like at school to take notes or watch media on the go. I’d like to spend around 250 euro, and for the os linux is ok. Thanks for the help. P.S. sry if the sub doesn’t fit but I didn’t know where to post this P.P.S. sry for bad english
Chromebooks are pretty cheap, and basically made for college students to take notes and watch youtube. You can dual boot linux on them pretty easy.
I don’t have any specific recommendations but when shopping for cheap laptops always keep in mind:
-
Always buy a laptop with an SSD, it will make a huge difference
-
Don’t get a Celeron processor.
-
Aim for 8gb of RAM.
-
“Windows 11 S Mode” is a limited version of Windows that forces you to use the Microsoft store. Essentially it’s a Chromebook style version of windows, and it’s garbage, so if you see a laptop that sells this be ready to install a different OS when you get it.
Looking around, there are a few options that match the criteria in the $250-300 range. Good luck.
“s mode” can be switched off, but it requires a visit to the ‘store’ (and the requisite ms account linked) to do. once you get rid of that nonsense, a future reset or reinstall will activate the ‘normal’ home edition (‘s mode’ is a one time deal, once it’s gone, it’s gone)
-
See if there are any refurbished units available for the brand you want, it’ll save a bit of money
A used laptop with a fresh battery, SSD, and RAM would be the best performance-per-dollar setup, but I agree chromebooks are very cheap of you just want a simple web browser.
If you want to go with a chromebook, I repair chromebooks for my job. I recommend the HP 11 G8/G9 model. They’re light, cheap, perform just as good as any other chromebook, and they’re easy to repair.
How about Pinebook Pro?
Is DRM still an issue with Pinebook Pro? Netflix, etc?
Apparently it’s possible, though I personally haven’t tried it. Probably not the best machine for streaming in general.
https://wiki.pine64.org/wiki/Pinebook_Pro_Software_Tuning_Guide#Watching_DRM_content_(Netflix,_etc.)