Howdy Ags!

I just started working from home full-time, doing 100% online telemedicine. Yay. My current laptop, a Surface Pro 7, is not cutting it. It's *fine* but trying to multitask with Zoom, Slack, multiple tabs open in my browser and other things running in the background just uses up all my RAM (only have 8GB). I'm strongly considering a new machine and pretty quickly so can't wait for major sales. Of note, I am a 1099 worker, so my company does not provide the hardware and yes, this will be a tax write-off.

I've been trying to do research but admit I'm not super techy and my mind is just overwhelmed with options. Cru suggested I ask yall. The Surface Laptop 7 is my frontrunner, but am open to other suggestions. I found one on Amazon with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD for $750-800. https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Surface-Windows-Touchscreen-Snapdragon/dp/B0DZBK6QCY/ref=abl_lv_ov_lig?colid=2GXOOF8RZJANE&coliid=IFPWD2OHBHKNG&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&th=1
I will NOT use a Mac, don't even suggest it. I'm pretty anti-Apple except for my kids' ipads.

(found this form on r/suggestalaptop)

• Total budget: Unfortunately, my budget is not great. Ideally under $700, but can go up to $800 if necessary.
• Are you open to refurbs/used? meh, if I have to.
• How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? performance and build quality is most important to me. I want this to last a while. I will need to dock and add extra monitors, webcam, stuff like that eventually. But for now, just a laptop with plenty of ports. I already have another (portable) monitor.
• How important is weight and thinness to you? not really. I won't carry it around much.
• Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A. n/a
• Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which /games you desire to run. nope. I mostly run Zoom, Slack, Google workspace, Chrome or Brave browser (currently trialing Brave to see if it saves RAM much) with multiple tabs open in the browser.
• Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)? reliable build quality. touchscreen is nice to have but not necessary. At least 16GB RAM. Good webcam.

Thank you!

https://a.co/d/6hDAiO7

Try one of the big retailers, especially ones that sell to small businesses. Costco is great if they have what you are looking for. They have limited selections but what they have is typically a good price for what it is

Online Costco has a some potential matches. Acer Aspire 14" AI Copilot+ PC Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 288V WUXGA (1920 x 1200) Touchscreen 32GB for $750

It has a basic HD monitor so that's where you are saving a little. The other area savings come from is that it has an integrated graphics card. If you are not doing any gaming or serious video editing, 3D modeling or other GPU heavy tasks it should be ok.

It has two thunderbolt ports which is perfect if you use a docking station

thank y'all for the information! It was helpful!

If refurbished will work, try https://discountelectronics.com

One word of warning, though. Because of the demands for AI, it appears that laptop prices are going up because of memory. If I understand it correctly, That applies to Random Access Memory, Solid State Drives, and conventional hard drives.

It even involves used computers and laptops. I don't know if he is correct, but one dealer said that people are now buying used laptops, selling the RAM from them, and junking the rest.

From https://www.forbes.com/sites/timbajarin/2026/01/16/as-ai-eats-up-the-worlds-chips-memory-prices-take-the-hit/

Quote:

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The current spike is not a gentle market wave; it is a supercycle driven by a structural reshuffle of the memory industry. Instead of flooding the world with cheap commodity DRAM and NAND, the big players are deliberately funneling their best production lines into highbandwidth memory for AI accelerators and fat server DIMMs for cloud data centers.

* Conventional DRAM contract prices are forecast to jump roughly 55-60% in just the first quarter of 2026, with some categories having nearly doubled in late 2025.

* NAND flash has seen similar brutality: one major SSD vendor reports NAND prices up about 246% across 2025, with some parts more than doubling in half a year.

* Analysts expect DRAM and NAND supply growth in 2026 to remain below historical norms, meaning demand will keep outpacing what the fabs are willingor ableto ship to the consumer side.

...

32-64 GB kits now cost as much as full mid-range consoles in some regions.

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I stumbled across this Youtube video. I don't know anything about the maker, but if he is correct, refurbished laptops are worth far more for their memory than for the laptops themselves:

Pretty soon we'll see people scalping Laptops and Desktops for RAM. You watch. They'll buy a new laptop and sell the RAM for more. Then you'll see a bunch of new laptops with no ram on eBay. To fight this, PC makers will solder RAM into the motherboards like what Apple does. That's my prediction for the next 4 years.

If you need a laptop or will need one in the next couple of years, BUY NOW!