Working from home and need a new computer?

888 Comments / Computer Repair, Laptops, Shopping
employee typing on a computer

Many folks are discovering, in the wake of the recent WFH (Work From Home) movement, that their at-home computer is sub-par and annoyingly juice-less. In other words, you need an upgrade. Am I right? Some of you might also be thinking about budget too because of the employment crisis. So, refurbished is probably the way to go. Well, look no further! We have you covered with a list of mobile computing machines that will get your data moving a little faster. Why mobile? Because once we start creeping back into the social scene a little more, we are going to want to bring these gems along.

Covenant Computing has curated a list of laptops that will please about any budget. What did we look for? Well check out the specs:

  • At least an i5 Processor – The Intel processor is the staple of the previous generation of computers. Purchasing an AMD, unless it’s a Ryzen, is risky, so we avoided it. There are just too many variables. Also, let’s face it, i3 is just too slow when you are trying to get something done so you can get back to binging your favorite shows.
  • At least a $350GB HDD – No, we didn’t opt for a mandatory SSD here because, while they are consistently faster, refurbishers tend to put cheap SSDs into machines that have sub-par performance in order to hide that fact. Yes, some SSDs are on the list, but be careful not to let the cheap price sway you into a short term ownership experience.
  • At Least 8GB RAM – a large RAM space is the oil that keeps the computer engine running smoothly. While 4GB machines are attractively priced, the risk is that your computer will run out of headroom and start to slow down.
  • Curated Manufacturers – Let’s face it, older machines will have something go wrong quicker than new machines. The list of manufacturers we have chosen (Dell, Lenovo, MSI, and ASUS) are good picks for durability. You might pay a little more for a Dell, but it is worth it.
  • 2GHz – 3GHz Processor Speed – We chose this speed range because it is in the middle. It’s that simple. Slower processors, while cheaper, will not relieve the slowness stress. Faster processors are just overpriced for what you get, and the ones that aren’t are using sub-par components (smaller HDD, less RAM, etc.).

So there you have it. If you’ve made it this far, you are probably truly interested in what we have found. We have shopped many places, but Amazon, for two reasons, is where we go. 1. The Price is good and 2. The Return Policy is great! Full disclosure: if you do buy something from the list, we will get a small commission on the sale.

So, without further ado, here is the list:

Covenant Computing\’s Curated Computer Collection

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