Buy Windows 10 Best Buy UPDATED

If you're looking for the best laptop, Windows is likely to be your first choice of operating system simply because of its dominant market share. Windows accounted for 75.1% of the desktop (and laptop) market in November 2022, according to StatCounter, with MacOS a distant second at 15.6%. Linux (2.77%) and Chrome OS (2.48%), meanwhile, were stuck in single-figure territory.

buy windows 10 best buy

Windows dominates the PC operating system market thanks to its long-time availability on a wide range of OEM (and more recently, Microsoft) hardware. This has resulted in a huge variety of software written for the platform. That doesn't necessarily make it the 'best' operating system, but you're going to need a good reason to overlook it in favor of MacOS, Chrome OS, or Linux.

Our choice for the best Windows 2-in-1 detachable is Microsoft's Surface Pro 8 for Business -- the main 'for Business' elements being Windows 11 Pro rather than Home, a 4G LTE mobile broadband option and a Core i3 CPU option, plus enhanced warranty and financing choices.

Many laptop users would like a large screen -- for more expansive knowledge work (multiple document windows, large spreadsheets), video viewing, or gaming, for example -- but are wary of the weight of a typical 17-inch device. If you fall into that category, the LG Gram 17 may be the laptop for you. It weighs from an astonishing 2.98lbs (1.35kg), but despite this its slim, lightweight magnesium alloy chassis is robust to MIL-STD 810G standard.

If you go for the Core i7 model, you get a portable discrete-GPU laptop that handles most creator and developer tasks with ease. It's not cheap (Core i7/dGPU models start at $1,600), but it can handle workloads from machine learning to gaming, and features one of Microsoft's best screens, which quickly converts from studio to stage to laptop.

The Razer Blade 14 delivers a 'perfect balance of power and portability', according to ZDNET's roundup of the best gaming laptops. With a powerful AMD processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics, along with a 165Hz QHD (2560 x 1440) screen, it packs a lot into a 1.78kg chassis. Quality specs mean a hefty price tag, but at the time of writing Razer is offering this specification at 15% off.

Generally speaking, the leading PC vendors have the broadest range of offerings and the best-documented track records in terms of product development and customer relations. So in the absence of a specialized use case or budgetary constraint, you're usually looking at the likes of Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple, and Acer -- which currently lead the PC market in terms of shipments -- plus a handful of other well-known brands.

That's not always the right move. Desktops aren't facing extinction, and they're doing anything but standing still. For consumers and businesses alike, these are the most cost-effective and customizable desktop computers for 2023, as shown by our favorite examples from recent reviews. Check them out, then read on to learn everything you need to know about finding the best desktop for you.

Is a big, sharp screen your first priority in an AIO? HP's Envy 34 All-in-One offers a massive (34-inch diagonal) 5K display with panoramic 5,120-by-2,160-pixel resolution, as well as a 16-megapixel webcam that magnetically snaps almost anywhere along the top or either side of the screen to make you look your best. It's also a lively performer, even for mid-level gaming, thanks to a discrete Nvidia GeForce GPU instead of the usual integrated graphics, and it has all the ports, memory, and storage you'll likely need, as well as a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

With Apple taking its 27-inch Retina Display iMac off the market, there's a dearth of premium all-in-one PCs, and the Envy 34 fills the niche nicely. Though not cheap, it's not prohibitively expensive, and its 21:9 aspect ratio widescreen is as good as a dual-monitor setup for arranging multiple app windows for max productivity. One of PCMag's staffers bought one and edited this writeup on it.

We've reviewed an impressive variety and capability of desktops above, right? We don't deny that a laptop or tablet is a better pick for people who depend on business travel, or whose computing consists mostly of basic surfing and typing from the living-room couch. But for small offices, families, creative pros, gamers, and tech tinkerers, desktops are often the best choice and the best value.

Windows is the latest iteration of Microsoft's operating system. Desktops that use it and previous versions of the OS are what most people typically rely on, so you'll be assured of the best compatibility and the widest selection of third-party software. Desktops running Windows are also readily available below $500, making them attractive to casual users, families looking for a second PC, and bargain hunters.

Google's ChromeOS is a viable alternative to Windows and macOS, but desktops running it (called Chromeboxes) are rare and best suited to niche uses like powering a restaurant menu display. A fourth option is to buy a desktop with no operating system at all and install an open-source one of your choosing, such as Ubuntu Linux. We don't recommend going this route unless you're technically savvy, willing to experiment, and okay fixing software compatibility issues and other quirks.

Macs and Windows PCs are available in all three of the major desktop form factors: mini PCs that can fit on a bookshelf, sleek all-in-ones with built-in (and usually high-resolution) displays, and traditional desktop towers that are bulky but offer room for more or less easy expansion. These three forms each have strengths and weaknesses, and none of them is an obvious best choice for everyone. You'll have to choose based on what you plan to do with your desktop and where you plan to put it.

For truly cramped quarters or light workloads, as well as for people who love the efficient use of space, a mini PC could be the best choice. They come in sizes ranging from tiny sticks not much larger than a USB thumb drive to small-form-factor (SFF) towers that may be nearly a foot tall but have compact footprints. The very smallest sizes have the benefit of disappearing behind an HDMI-equipped monitor or TV, and they contain a processor, memory, storage, and ports to hook up keyboards and mice. They're economical and power-efficient, and can serve as adequate web browsing or multimedia viewing platforms. But know that the models at the truly tiny end of the scale offer no room for adding extra internal components, and their preinstalled parts are usually difficult or impossible to upgrade.

For most people in the market for an inexpensive desktop tower, there's no single best time to buy. While traditional sale holidays such as Black Friday can net you the odd bargain, when you find a system whose features, price, and performance match what you're looking for, take it home.

This is where return policies come in handy. If you find a desktop with your ideal specifications online but can't audition it locally, a seller with a liberal return policy is your best friend. Just make sure you've got adequate time to return it, if it ends up not working out.

Armed with all of the knowledge and decision points above, you're almost ready to shop. The final consideration is how well a desktop PC performs. We review hundreds of PCs every year, evaluating their features and testing their performance against peers in their respective categories. That way, you'll know which are best suited for gaming, which is our favorite general-purpose all-in-one, and which is the best if all you need is a small, powerful system you can get up and running quickly.

Employees will also be trained to identify when business owners might better benefit from having Windows 8 Enterprise to use on their computers. In this case, customers will be referred to the Best Buy For Business program, where those with more specialized knowledge can walk them through the process to make sure they're getting the best possible solution.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop(Opens in a new tab) has become one of the best 2-in-1 machines on the market, which is why we were so stoked to discover that it's now on sale for $799.00, or $200 off at Best Buy.

In the first installment, I compared reader survey results from PC World and Consumer Reports (subscription required) regarding which laptop makers offered the most reliable products, and the best service and support. Lenovo and Apple earned the most kudos in these areas, though there was some variation between the two surveys regarding the reliability of Apple laptops.

This week I consider top choices from those vendors (and others), plus the best times to buy a new laptop. Next week I'll discuss the best places to buy a new laptop; how much should you expect to pay; and ideas for financing your new portable.

Lenovo's ThinkPad X61 earned the overall best PCW rating (84) of any Lenovo or Apple laptop currently on any PC World Top 10 laptop chart. (The charts feature power laptops, desktop replacements, and ultraportables.) Only the Micro Express IFL9025, the Top 10 Power Laptops Best Buy, earned a higher rating (85).

The ThinkPad X61 is an ideal ultraportable. It weighs only 3.6 pounds, and its extended-life, four-cell battery lasted an impressive 6 hours, 14 minutes in our tests. With a PCW WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 75, it's the best performing of our currently tested ultraportables. (By comparison, Apple's MacBook Air earned a WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 57. 041b061a72