r/SuggestALaptop•
jnikkir

Ordered laptop, stolen en-route :( Order same again? Or different?

Laptop Request US

I recently posted on here for advice about choosing between two laptops that were available on my employer's "rewards points" store. I ended up ordering the Acer Swift 16 AI (SF16-51T-76), but it was literally stolen en-route (tracking said "merchandise missing, empty box discarded")... lmao... ANYWAY, I am now planning to order BestBuy gift cards with my rewards points and use those to bring down the cost of a laptop from BestBuy, rather than ordering through the rewards store again.

Problem is, there are more options available through BestBuy and I'm not sure if I should order something different than I was originally planning.

I've thrown four laptops into a 'compare' on the BestBuy site: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/compare?skus=6619035,6622094,6579392,6598823 I am currently still leaning toward the Acer Swift 16, but the Asus Vivobooks seemed comparable, and I liked the look of the Gram... I'm just not sure how the processors on all of these compare.

I'm mostly looking for good multi-tasking performance and longevity. I'm not a gamer. I'll mainly be using this for web browsing, word processing, maintaining a Plex server, and managing my Calibre library, along with some infrequent, light design work (Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop). I'm planning to stow the laptop under my desk most of the time and use it with a multi-monitor setup, but I'm going with a laptop and not a desktop again because I do want the option of occasional portability.

Here is my questionnaire:

  • Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US: I'll have $500 in gift cards to bring down the cost--I'd rather not pay more than $400-500 on top of that.
  • Are you open to refurbs/used? Probably not, but open box would be fine.
  • How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? Performance, build quality, battery life, form factor.
  • How important is weight and thinness to you? Not very important, but I'm not a fan of bulky gaming laptops.
  • Do you have a preferred screen size? My ideal is 16" but since I'll be using external monitors anyway, it's not really that important and I could be convinced to go smaller.
  • Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator. Plex server. Calibre. Web browser, Word, Adobe Acrobat. No gaming.
  • 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 is important. Don't care about touch-screen, but I like the idea of an OLED screen.
  • Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion. I am interested in whether the memory and/or storage can be upgraded in the future.

Posted Mar 16, 2025, 1:14 AM UTC

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