My 4 year old laptop is getting hot and shuts itself off. Guessing repair us more than its worth.
I only really use it for Internet. No real "computer" work. I felt overwhelmed looking at Best Buy. Should I go tablet, surface, or what???? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

 

I just went through this situation. I ended up going with a convertable Lenovo ultrabook. I like it for the most part. My biggest issue was the first one they sent didn't work properly, this got me started off on the wrong foot. I picked it up for about half price from their refurb outlet store. If I was paying full price I would wait a few weeks until the Microsoft Surface II is released. I suspect it will have a few new features and this will put a fire sale on the Surface 1. I liked the Surface Pro but it was just a little more $$$ than I wanted to spend and they do not have as big of hard drive. (none of the tablet sized ones do) The Lenovo has a touchscreen (I highly recommend) that rotates and can be used like a tablet. However, it is more like a laptop in layout and features.

 

I have a Dell Ultrabook that I really like (I'm using it right now). I find it's more convenient than a tablet, but others may disagree. I bought it at Costco and I think it was less than $400. I've had it for almost a year now and it's been trouble-free.

- Jack

 

Open the case of your laptop and blow all the dust out. Bet it stops overheating.

 

It really depends on what you want to spend. If your looking for something cheap then anything will work...get into the higher end stuff and I would recommend some stuff....either way Lenovo is always a good way to go.

 

I'm a bit old school - you can't beat a conventional laptop, even a very basic one. With that said, I won't touch Windows 8 on a conventional laptop, it's really more for touch screens.

http://outlet.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary...5&Code=1068XB8

 

I've been looking for a tablet. I gave up. They seem to be toys, unless you are willing to part with 1k+. If you want tried and true technology, the laptop would be my recommendation. You'll get a lot more for your money.

 

The 8.1 upgrade should address this to some extent. I have 8.1 on my touch screen laptop and use it about 20% of the time. For the most part I still use the laptop keyboard and touchpad since I can type (sorta) and it's what I'm used to. I do like having the option to do either though since some things work better with the touchscreen and others with the keyboard.

 

In my opinion it is worth the cash to spend 1k+ on a tablet or laptop. However, I understand if it used for basic tasks then maybe it isn't worth it. I have an Alienware and have had it for a little over 3 years with no problems. I am sure this thing will last a LONG time. Plus I have a SSD in it so it is blazing fast. I payed $1400 for it

 

Stardock restores the typical Windows 7 look on Windows 8...it is worth the 5 or 10 bucks (whatever it was) for it. I actually like Windows 8 for the most part and I do not have a touch screen.

 

Classic Shell is free.

 

Crap the link quit working. -This is a good little laptop.

 

Probably because it's sold out. You have to jump on the outlet laptops when you see them.

 

Yea, that was a great price for that one, easily upgradeable if so desired.

I can't find it now, -

http://outlet.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary...ef-id=products

 

I've got a Lenovo G580 with the i5 processor. It does all the simple things very well, which is what it's praised for. It does what you need it to do without a touchscreen or the ability to run super fancy video games, etc. I've only had it for about 3 months, but has been good so far. Some prices I'm seeing now are around $500, though I want to say I got it for a good bit less, around $350 or so.

These links helped me out

www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2369981,00.asp
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385602,00.asp
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2389390,00.asp