If you’re considering purchasing a new computer all you have to remember when you go shopping for minimum specifications is: Intel i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
as long as you can remember those three things, you should have a great start to your new purchase.

Otherwise we recommend the following:

WHAT SIZE HARD DRIVE DO I NEED?

The main specification is that the computer should have a solid state hard drive 120gb or larger.
Some of you may need a 256gb drive or larger if you have 10,000+ photos, songs or movies.

A computer with a SSD hard drive eliminates all moving parts besides fans which typically makes a computer up to 10x-20x faster, improves battery life considerably, will not be damaged by bumping the computer while turned on, and causes the computer to run cooler enabling longer battery life expectancy.

WHAT PROCESSOR DO I NEED?

Please avoid Celeron, Atom and AMD-E processors.  These are typically about 1/3 of the speed of what is recommended which is why they’re typically around the $200-300 mark.  Its well worth spending the extra $150-200 for an i3 or i5 or Quad-Core AMD processor.  An i7 will certainly do but is overkill if you’re just using it for web browsing and aren’t doing major video or music editing and will typically result in less battery life. We have noted the processor benchmark speed – anything over 2500 with a solid state hard drive will be suitable for general use – video editing will be far smoother with something around 5000-8000.

DO I NEED A WARRANTY?

All computers come with at least a 1 year manufacturer warranty.  If you purchase it from a local retail store you typically have 15 days to return it if there are any issues.  If you purchase an extended warranty from the store you are usually able to bring the computer to the store for repairs.  Almost all physical computer issues come from non-ssd hard drives being damaged by being bumped or dropped while the computer is turned on. A computer with an SSD hard drive is unlikely to overheat or have issues but it is still important to either store all of your files and mail online or still do regular backups for anything you wouldn’t want to lose.   Extended or third party warranty’s with accidental damage coverage can be expensive compared to the purchase price of the computer aren’t advised unless the purchase price of the computer is over $700.

Tabets

iPads are the industry standard as they are consistent with touch performance and battery power. When looking for an iPad you should choose one that supports the most recent iOS.

New 32GB 10.2″ iPads can be found on Amazon for $249.00

A renewed 9.7″ iPad pro will run you about $279 on Amazon and can be used with the Apple Pencil ($89.99)

The original Apple Pencil actually had some weighting in it stop it rolling off, but it wasn’t a foolproof system – naturally, a flat edge does it better. … The Apple Pencil 2 has a matte finish that feels a lot like a wooden Pencil – it’s nicer in the hand, and is easier to keep a good hold of even without a tight grip.

Laptops

Refurbished Macbook Air 13″ 2012 Model – $425 on Amazon

3 lbs 13.3″ Display – Intel 3rd gen i5 3427U (3549) – 128GB SSD Storage – 7 hours

• All Macbook Air’s weigh 3lbs or less.  If you’re looking to go with an Apple computer, a 13″ Macbook Air should be just what you’re looking for.  An 11″ screen may also meet your needs if you buy an adapter to connect it to a bigger monitor if you’re working on something that would be easier to do on a larger screen.   Previous year’s model’s are still very good starting in 2010.  In 2013 the battery life jumped from 8 hours up to 12 hours.   A new MacBook Air is going to run you around $800-1100 and can be purchased at BestBuy, Amazon.com or directly from Apple.

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Refurbished 13″ Macbook Air MD760LL/A  2013– $425 on Amazon

 3 lbs – Intel Core i5-4250U (3376) 1.3GHz – 4GB Memory – 256GB SSD Storage – 12 hours

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New 13″ Macbook Pros start at $1299 from Apple

Intel Core i5-7360U (5855)

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If you end up desiring a monitor you will be needing:

Mini Displayport to VGA/HDMI/DVI adapter – $4.99 on Amazon

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External Webcam Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 – $69.99 Best Buy

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