Hello,

It seems like looking for laptop with an optical drive and is under 13" is like trying to chase the end of a rainbow today-especially if you want to spend under $500 for a laptop. I blame Apple.

I've been trying to find a laptop that is no more than 12", has 4GB of RAM, SSD and at least two usb ports-bonus if it has an HDMI port and must operate Windows-no Chromebooks! Sorry but what will I do if my Chromebook can't get Internet?

I've already given up looking for one with a dvd-r/cd drive built in so now I've settled on the aforementioned features.

Any advice of some computers that come close to what I'm looking for? Where do you guys go to get laptops? Any computer geeks that want to help?

I think factory direct or maybe tiger direct might have some refurbished models that might come close to what you're looking for. Or try ebay or amazon. Old ibm thinkpads are pretty reliable, but might be a bit bulkier than the model models you see these days (think 0.5 to 1 inch in thickness)

Nothing new is likely to meet your requirements. Look for refurbished one.

Remember, you can,
- buy a cheap external dvd/cd reader/writer
- upgrade ram as much as the model can handle (32 bit ones can only do 4gb, 64 bit ones are limited by the hardware itself but something like 8gb should be doable)
- upgrade a hdd to a sdd

Upgrading ram and ssd is easy, you don't need a guy at the shop to do it for you. Youtube has plenty to step by step video if you somehow get confused.

You can also buy a vga to hdmi converter if you can't find a model with an hdmi port.

I was about to suggest FactoryDirect too, as they have computers that are refurbished (ie. much lower cost), and it is possible to buy insurance on them through the store, in case it breaks. Normally I wouldn't recommend tech items from a refurb store, but you might be able to find something with a CD drive.

Another nice store to check out is https://www.wintroniccomputer s.com/

JusticeBeaver's suggestion of an external drive is a smart idea, and what I would recommend. When would you actually be using the CD/DVD drive? I had one in my old Macbook Pro and thought I would use it but now, with cloud storage and android/chromecast, I've never needed to burn DVD's for storing files or movies in such a long time. Same with CD's... with Spotify, I haven't burned a CD in over 5 years.

Here's one on Amazon for fairly cheap:
https://www.amazon.ca/VicTsing-Lates...dp/B015DMFKLI/