Another help me decide on a laptop thread

[Loudram]

I have it narrowed down to two finalists. Both are part of the Amazon renewed program. Both are refurbished Acers from the Acer store and are in excellent condition. The first one is an Acer Aspire Vero 15.6" screen (a regular laptop) I would be getting rid of Windows in favor of Linux if I get it. The second is a Acer 516 Chromebook plus. The plus means that it is a high performance Chromebook. If I get that I'll be using Brave browser in place of the Chrome browser.

I'll be using it mainly for browsing and email. No serious computer stuff. No editing, Word, or Excel documents. Both are sub $500 The Chromebook is $130 less than the Vero. Both get very good reviews and Chromebooks have come a long ways in the past couple of years. I'm familiar with the major pros and cons of both. It's a tough choice for me. I'm leaning towards the Chromebook. I can't compare the specs because the Chromebook doesn't need the same level of specs to run as the Vero. Both perform about the same in real world usage tests as far as I can tell when watching videos of them both.

All opinions and advice are welcome.

 

[Tall Timbers]

Can you provide links or a spec sheet for each?

 

[Loudram]

Here they are. Also I'm not a gamer so that doesn't come into play at all. Battery life doesn't mean much either. It rarely leaves my desk so it's almost never unplugged.

acer Aspire Vero, 15.6" IPS FHD Laptop, Core i7-1355U, Iris Xe Graphics, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD, Windows 11 Home, Finger Print Reader, Backlit Keyboard, NX.KLLAA.002 (Renewed) https://a.co/d/f5D4bY3

acer 516-16" Chromebook Intel Core i5-1240P 1.70GHz 8GB RAM 256GB SSD ChromeOS (Renewed) https://a.co/d/frM1qq9

 

[Tall Timbers]

I'd pick the Vero between those two.

 

[Loudram]

I'd pick the Vero between those two.

Thanks. Any special reason?

 

[Tall Timbers]

Thanks. Any special reason?

It appears all the hardware is superior so so long as it doesn't experience a premature point of failure it should serve you a lot longer than the other one.

 

[Ronnie]

I have no experience with Acer.

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

I have no experience with Acer.

Acer generally has a decent keyboard, even on its smallest and cheapest netbooks, and the displays on most models is good.
I've owned and used Acer netbooks and one large laptop, and found them good for light consumer use. There are business models and desktops, with which I have no experience.
Need to keep data backed up religiously, especially if used as a daily toter-arounder, and take care not to overheat, especially if using for extended periods of time (a laptop desk thingee with a fan(s) is good). In my experience, Acers give little warning when something is about to go. For what OP is envisioning, physical wear-and-tear shouldn't be an issue. The specific surface the computer is on will determine if any kind of extra cooling is needed.

I always maxed out the memory so I could use school-required/useful software beyond Office (Visio, SPSS, digital forensic programs, and some light web/intranet), and did get the cooling thingee because I used computer extensively for various things, daily commuting, and Acer always got hot without it (but stayed pretty cool with it).

 

[Ronnie]

I was thinking that it was a low class PC like unto eMachines, gathered with my limited small knowledge of.

eMachines was a brand of economical personal computers. In 2004, it was acquired by Gateway, Inc., which was in turn acquired by Acer Inc. in 2007. The EMachines brand was discontinued in 2013.
Source: Wilkerpedia

 

[Work4Peanuts]

The Acer that I had still technically works but I accidentally dropped it and bent the contact on the charger. Hubs can get it to charge but I can't. It is a solid machine, and if it didn't have a plug that was difficult to replace, I would absolutely still be using it. I bought a floor model for a hundred twenty dollars in 2016. I can't say how their machines are now, but I have general good feelings about the brand, for what it's worth.

 

[Tall Timbers]

The Vero is much more bang for the buck.

 

[Loudram]

Thanks for all your input. Everyday I go back and forth. Like I posted earlier for everyday usability they are both quick. I think I'll like having a regular laptop better and for the money, it's a great deal. However I'll change my mind again tomorrow.

Does anyone have experience with a Chromebook? What is your opinion? I'm one of those guys that research things to death before I buy something. I've never used a Chromebook before other than 5 minutes on a store display. I know what to expect from the Vero but not the CB.

 

[Work4Peanuts]

I have my mom's chromebook. It is old, too. It's basically a Google spy machine. It came pre-loaded with google software, and as far as I can tell, there's no way to change it- no downloading a different browser or OS. It's made by Samsung, though, so

 

[mattfivefour]

Chromebooks are noted for long battery life and being very lightweight. But for me those are about the biggest pluses. A Chromebook is --as somebody once described them-- just a glorified web browser. You need a web connection for almost everything, including text editing. I'm with TT: I'd rather have the Acer.

 

[Loudram]

Thank you. I think I'm leaning toward the Vevo. It's a bit more money but it'll do everything I need it to. Having a real computer rather than a Chromebook is the better choice.

 

[Tall Timbers]

There are new options out there in your price range. Here's one:

https://www.costco.com/acer-aspire-3-15.6%22-touchscreen-laptop---amd-ryzen-5-7520u---fhd-1920-x-1080---windows-11.product.4000138489.html

 

[Loudram]

That's nice but unfortunately I'm not a member of Costco. There are none around here. Shopping on Amazon has an added bonus for me, I have reward points that can cut the cost of the Vevo by about $60. That makes it steal. Now it's on sale at Best Buy for $560. It's normally $800. I can get it for sub $400 in excellent condition.

I've found that the Acer renew store on Amazon and eBay have the lowest prices for those computers. I was looking at an Aspire 5 but it's new, a bit more money, and has lower specs. I don't necessarily need new. I just want the best for my money. God has blessed me with the ability to buy this and I want to be a good steward with His money.

I don't mind paying up when I need to. I'm not cheap, I'm just thrifty.

 

[Andiamo]

I know nothing about computers but in my opinion, take any opportunity to get rid of Windows. Back when I had it my computer was constantly dealing with all kinds of viruses even though I had great protection. I just don’t know how people deal with it nowadays with billions more out there.

 

[Loudram]

I know nothing about computers but in my opinion, take any opportunity to get rid of Windows. Back when I had it my computer was constantly dealing with all kinds of viruses even though I had great protection. I just don’t know how people deal with it nowadays with billions more out there.

I agree. That's why I'll be using Linux instead of Windows. Windows 10 wasn't that bad but 11 as far as privacy goes is horrible.

 

[mattfivefour]

That's nice but unfortunately I'm not a member of Costco. There are none around here. Shopping on Amazon has an added bonus for me, I have reward points that can cut the cost of the Vevo by about $60. That makes it steal. Now it's on sale at Best Buy for $560. It's normally $800. I can get it for sub $400 in excellent condition.

I've found that the Acer renew store on Amazon and eBay have the lowest prices for those computers. I was looking at an Aspire 5 but it's new, a bit more money, and has lower specs. I don't necessarily need new. I just want the best for my money. God has blessed me with the ability to buy this and I want to be a good steward with His money.

I don't mind paying up when I need to. I'm not cheap, I'm just thrifty.

Fyi-- You don't have to be a member of Costco to buy a Costco item online. There is a 5 percent surcharge, but that would only add $20 to the price of the Acer Aspire which is relatively inexpensive to begin with. Just something else to consider.