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bobthebuilderissus

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 1, 2022
120
153
i might be the most conflicted person on the planet.
im in smartphone repair, so like, i need something with power to restore, and flash, and etch thumb drives and sd cards.
im a chromebook user usually, so i have no data i can really transfer over, lol, or need to.
basically ive really gotten it down to these
Framework laptop 11
a 13 inch macbook air
a imac mini (i have monitors and mouses, and keyboards already btw)
a hp pavilion aero with win 11
my current laptop for all of this is... a hp probook 640... so yeah a upgrade might be nice...
i have a 2016 iphone se..
so yeah, feel free to even recommend something else!
 

rm5

macrumors 68030
Mar 4, 2022
2,932
3,388
United States
I think if you're looking for a desktop, a Mac mini would be nice. Or, the other thing is, if you want to use Windows "on the cheap" but still want a decent machine, look into old workstations like the HP Z640—those Xeon CPUs, especially those in the E5 v2 through v4 series, still hold up quite well, and have a lot of cores if you go for a higher-end chip. If you want a PC desktop, I'd go for one of those
 

mi7chy

macrumors G4
Oct 24, 2014
10,591
11,279
Aren't most software for that specialization on Windows x64 and it's probably something you'll always keep plugged in so why pay the premium for laptop that will bloat the battery? You can do a build somewhat like this for around $400 but in a SFF case so it doesn't take up desk space.

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/BQcTwP

Or, like this if you want really small.

https://www.dfrobot.com/product-2672.html

 
Last edited:
Apr 12, 2023
627
519
I recommend Dell systems for Windows based machines. I am after having many of them with no issues what so ever with any. The only issues I have had was my husky walked on the screen of my previous notebook and broke something inside. I am going to be fixing that one to give to my son. It's still perfect when plugged into a monitor.
 

okkibs

macrumors 65816
Sep 17, 2022
1,069
1,004
Framework laptop 11
a 13 inch macbook air
a imac mini (i have monitors and mouses, and keyboards already btw)
a hp pavilion aero with win 11
Any of these will do, but please do yourself a favor and drop the HP trash from your selection. These cheap HP laptops are absolutely bottom-end crap and I wouldn't take it if it was free.

Careful with external monitor support, the cheaper Minis support 2 screens in total, the MBAir supports only one additional external monitor. I do not know about the Framework but I'd assume 2-3 monitors should be possible with the standard Intel/AMD mobile platforms nowadays.
 

bobthebuilderissus

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 1, 2022
120
153
Any of these will do, but please do yourself a favor and drop the HP trash from your selection. These cheap HP laptops are absolutely bottom-end crap and I wouldn't take it if it was free.

Careful with external monitor support, the cheaper Minis support 2 screens in total, the MBAir supports only one additional external monitor. I do not know about the Framework but I'd assume 2-3 monitors should be possible with the standard Intel/AMD mobile platforms nowadays.
yeah... i have had issues with macs having external screen issues... my monitors are old, lol
 

floral

macrumors 65816
Jan 12, 2023
1,011
1,234
Earth
i might be the most conflicted person on the planet.
im in smartphone repair, so like, i need something with power to restore, and flash, and etch thumb drives and sd cards.
im a chromebook user usually, so i have no data i can really transfer over, lol, or need to.
basically ive really gotten it down to these
Framework laptop 11
a 13 inch macbook air
a imac mini (i have monitors and mouses, and keyboards already btw)
a hp pavilion aero with win 11
my current laptop for all of this is... a hp probook 640... so yeah a upgrade might be nice...
i have a 2016 iphone se..
so yeah, feel free to even recommend something else!
Voting for the HP pavilion aero, those are pretty powerful for the price.
 
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Reactions: bobthebuilderissus

cthompson94

macrumors 6502a
Jan 10, 2022
812
1,164
SoCal
Any of these will do, but please do yourself a favor and drop the HP trash from your selection. These cheap HP laptops are absolutely bottom-end crap and I wouldn't take it if it was free.

Careful with external monitor support, the cheaper Minis support 2 screens in total, the MBAir supports only one additional external monitor. I do not know about the Framework but I'd assume 2-3 monitors should be possible with the standard Intel/AMD mobile platforms nowadays.
I second dropping the HP from the list, spec wise HP always makes them appear good and though my personal experience and experiences from people I know they always run into thermal problems and other varying issues. Have you looked into the Dell XPS line? While I would want to say the Mac Mini, you did mention having issues with external monitors before and since you will you will use this to make some income then the less possible problems the better
 

bobthebuilderissus

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 1, 2022
120
153

bobthebuilderissus

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 1, 2022
120
153
I recommend Dell systems for Windows based machines. I am after having many of them with no issues what so ever with any. The only issues I have had was my husky walked on the screen of my previous notebook and broke something inside. I am going to be fixing that one to give to my son. It's still perfect when plugged into a monitor.
yeah, ive had two laptops from dell, only issue was with a hinge...
when it was five years old, lol so they do last long, and not to mention it was a 2014 chromebook, lol
 
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