As we contemplate heading north next year my thoughts turn towards upgrading, so have been doing some contemplating on the matter me ownself. You're right, storing of pictures and such can be handled by diverse storage options. With gigabytes of quickly accessible storage space available in relatively small packages, one need worry too much as to the size of a computer's hard drive. And this adds another interesting possibility - obtaining a relatively expensive SSD (Solid State Drive) to turn the ol' dog into a fairly quick booting beast.

Here's Mickey$ofts minimums for running their office suite:

Computer and processor
1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster x86- or x64-bit processor with SSE2 instruction set

Memory (RAM)
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit); 2 gigabytes (GB) RAM (64-bit)

Over the years it has been my experience and rule of thumb that if they say "minimum" that means you'll need a REAL minimum of DOUBLE their recommendation to actually run the product and get anything done. Taking a look at what it takes to run Windows 8.1 (which you'll be stuck with buying today's computers) they run pretty much the same as above.

So here's what I'd look for if I were looking for something described as you do above:

Intel i3 or i5
4 gigabytes or more of RAM

We've run or seen others run about every major brand of laptop. They are all actually built on two or three factories over in China so swearing by one brand over another is not always an apples to oranges comparison since they may come off the same assembly line. That being said, Toshiba has given us consistently good results in our small test sample over the years. The last time I upgraded my personal laptop it was done via http://www.toshibadirect.com/

There are switches to flip and buttons to click to your hearts content, or you can just go with a pre-configured factory offering. If you're not going to be toting it around a lot, there is much to be said for a larger screen. Not that I'm saying anything about age, eyes and the need for magnifying glasses or anything like that.

Took a quick look at the link above and came up with a couple of 17" screens that'd meet the criterion above for about $350-$550 - the top price there comes with the i5 and more RAM and is the way I'd go if looking around for something in that end of the spectrum.

I am no expert but every time I buy a computer I buy the following....

big screen
full size keyboard
as much RAM as I can afford
big hard drive, not monster size, I don't store a ton of crap on it like movies etc
access ports in the front for sd cards, memory sticks etc (I like tower pc's)
really fast processor

I buy the fastest and most loaded pc I can afford but skip on pricey video cards and items gamers want, I, like you use my computer for internet stuff, not much movie watching or gaming. I have always had good luck with Dells, usually custom build one on their web site or if I need one in a hurry Best Buy has nice Dell and HP's in stock. A few years back oldest daughter picked up a really nice 17" HP laptop from Sam's, gotten her through 5 years of college and still going strong.

Gunner

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https://www.instagram.com/41gunner/
41 Mags rule, Baers rock!

You can still occasionally find new laptops with MS 7 installed instead of 8, and a lot of people prefer that platform. They say a touch screen is really nice with 8, but I still prefer a mouse when using an 8 machine, so you can probably save a little money by not going for a touch screen if you go with that platform. I picked up a $300 Toshiba with a 17" screen, running Vista, at Walmart about 5 years ago that is still going strong in spite of all it has been through. My regular machine is a 15" Compaq, running 7, that was in the same price range and picked up a couple months later. It has traveled with me everywhere I go, has banged around in the back of trucks in the field, gone to FL three times, and has not missed a beat so far. My desktop is a Dell with 8 and a 24" screen that runs really nice as well that was picked up last spring for about $400.

I agree with Paul about Toshiba laptops. I've had the one I am currently using for 5 years at the very least. The wife wants us to both get new confusers for Christmas. I think I am going to keep running this one until it up and quits me. The main reason being, Microsoft 8.1

I looked at laptops a few weeks back and the Windows 8.1 is nothing at all like what we have been use to (XP, Vista..etc). That being said, you may want to go looking on Youtube for what you're about to be confronted with. Demo's on how to learn Windows 8.1. I'm pretty sure I'm going to need a really big, thick book on how to work my next computer.

Happy hunting!

Murphy

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Windows 8 is what is installed on my issued laptop so that doesn't scare me off much. Quite a bit different but, after 6 months now, has deescalated to only "mildly annoying".

Anyway, I do appreciate the input and advice. Now to (shudder) go shopping...

Thanks again!