Windows brands we recommend

• Acer

• Asus - AVOID ZenBooks (Expensive replacement parts)

• HPs - AVOID Envy and Spectres (Expensive replacement parts, poor structural design)

Windows brands we do NOT recommend

• Lenovo  (Spontaneous board failures, poor structural design, often exclusively USB-C charging)

• Dell  (Spontaneous board failures, expense often exceeds value)

• Toshiba  (Spontaneous board failures, poor structural design)

• Sony/VAIO  (Poor quality, expensive replacement parts)

• Samsung (Spontaneous board failures, expensive replacement parts)

• MSI  (Poor structural design, poor thermal management)

• LG  (Expensive replacement parts)

• Razer  (Spontaneous board failures, expensive replacement parts)

• Microsoft Surfaces (Spontaneous board failures, often irrepairable design)

Recommended PC specifications

• CPU:  AMD Ryzen 3, 5, or 7 -or- Intel i3, i5, or i7 (also listed as just 3, 5, & 7)

• Higher numbered tiers are more powerful but will run hotter so fans will run louder.

• The i5 / Ryzen 5 is the sweet spot for most folks using their computers casually.

• AVOID Snapdragon processors or any computer that says "Windows for ARM"!

• RAM:  16GB (more is better if you can afford it, but over 24GB overkill for most folks)

• Storage:  500GB to 2TB Solid State Drive (aka SSD)
  Larger sized drives will not improve performance, just carrying capacity.

Macs we recommend