Would like to spend under or around 1k.
My refurbished laptop that I got from work crapped out and I need a new one. I’d like to do light gaming, like Cult of Lamb or Disco Elysium and that would probably be the most heavy use application that I need it for. I’m also a caveman and can be pretty rough on my things, I think my last laptop ate it because I dropped it like 3 feet to the ground by knocking it off my couch on accident. So something that’s somewhat durable, but I do not plan on throwing it across the room lol.
I plan on learning how to use Linux; I know next to nothing about it but have just heard good things and I think I’m just computer savvy enough to figure it out. Also any suggestions on solid alternatives to things like Word, Google docs, etc would me super appreciated!
Used Thinkpad if you want to save money and have easy Linux compatibility. Double check compatibility when you find a good option since ~10% of Thinkpads have a random Linux-unfriendly hardware component.
For gaming I would recommend getting a second hand (or even first hand) steam deck rather than getting a laptop with a dedicated graphics card. It will be more future-proof and work better. It will probably work out to be a wash in costs after a few years. As a bonus, it is also a Linux computer and with a dock, monitor, keyboard, and mouse, it can be used like a desktop, like with a full desktop environment.
LibreOffice is the main alternative to MS Word, Excel, etc. Google Docs is a cloud service so if you want an open alternative you’d need to run your own service on a computer somewhere. There are services that are good for that but I’m not sure if that’s what you were asking about.