$500 laptop budget non gamer

[mactimo]

With a $500 budget should I wait for the skylake laptops or will they be too much. Maybe the older processors will be more affordable. No gaming, just word processing, movies, internet.. Basics. Suggestions on models?

 

[naturesninja]

Here's some good ones in your price range: http/www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=%2D1%208000&IsNodeId=1&Description=5200u&page=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=%2D1%7C9SIA4P02WU1881%5E9SIA4P02WU1881%2C9SIA6R42CH9598%5E9SIA6R42CH9598%2C34%2D232%2D130%5E34%2D232%2D130%2C34%2D315%2D065%5E34%2D315%2D065%2C34%2D315%2D032%5E34%2D315%2D032&percm=34%2D315%2D065%3A%24%24%24%24%24%24%24%3B34%2D315%2D032%3A%24%24%24%24%24%24%24 Not sure why the ASUS isn't showing specs, but just click on it.

 

[atheus]

Depending on how immediately you want to buy, I'd suggest waiting on Sky Lake is worthwhile. Sky Lake was a little underwhelming for the gaming crowd because it didn't offer a lot more in terms of per-clock performance on the top end chips, but Sky Lake was built with a "mobile first" mentality, so it is a worthwhile thing to hold out for a few weeks for a dynamite sky lake laptop to hit the market. It won't be long.

 

[Wisecracker]

Lenovo ThinkPad E555: $420


Snag an SSD with a cloning utility and an external enclosure for the old laptop HDD, and off yah go ...

 

[Kritonios]

500$ is just too much. Here are some options


Bigggest Screen; http/www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i5748-2143sLV-17-3-Inch-Laptop/dp/B00K4PATO8/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1441317913&sr=1-4&keywords=laptops&refinements=p_72%3A1248880011%2Cp_n_availability%3A1248800011%2Cp_n_condition-type%3A2224371011%2Cp_n_feature_eighteen_browse-bin%3A6819965011%7C9560246011%7C9521940011%7C6819967011%2Cp_n_feature_two_browse-bin%3A562240011%7C562241011%7C5446812011%7C5446813011%7C7817230011%2Cp_n_feature_five_browse-bin%3A7817222011%7C7817223011%2Cp_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A2289794011%7C9697947011%7C2289793011%7C9697948011%2Cp_n_size_browse-bin%3A3545275011%7C2423840011%7C2423841011%7C2242801011%7C7817234011%2Cp_n_feature_thirteen_browse-bin%3A9521913011%7C9521914011%2Cp_n_operating_system_browse-bin%3A5945862011%7C5945861011%7C5945864011%7C5945786011%7C2232492011%7C2287320011%7C2232493011%7C2232495011%7C2232494011%7C12035945011%2Cp_n_feature_sixteen_browse-bin%3A3093652011%2Cp_36%3A000-60000


Best Processor, resolution and graphics; http/www.amazon.com/F555LA-AB31-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Laptop-Windows/dp/B011KFQASE/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1441317913&sr=1-1&keywords=laptops&refinements=p_72%3A1248880011%2Cp_n_availability%3A1248800011%2Cp_n_condition-type%3A2224371011%2Cp_n_feature_eighteen_browse-bin%3A6819965011%7C9560246011%7C9521940011%7C6819967011%2Cp_n_feature_two_browse-bin%3A562240011%7C562241011%7C5446812011%7C5446813011%7C7817230011%2Cp_n_feature_five_browse-bin%3A7817222011%7C7817223011%2Cp_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A2289794011%7C9697947011%7C2289793011%7C9697948011%2Cp_n_size_browse-bin%3A3545275011%7C2423840011%7C2423841011%7C2242801011%7C7817234011%2Cp_n_feature_thirteen_browse-bin%3A9521913011%7C9521914011%2Cp_n_operating_system_browse-bin%3A5945862011%7C5945861011%7C5945864011%7C5945786011%7C2232492011%7C2287320011%7C2232493011%7C2232495011%7C2232494011%7C12035945011%2Cp_n_feature_sixteen_browse-bin%3A3093652011%2Cp_36%3A000-60000&pebp=1441317881926&perid=1S2BPKNKW9CWDNYBQT42


Cheapest Choice for your needs; http/www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-Integrated-Graphics--Upgrade/dp/B00RH69VT6/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1441317913&sr=1-2&keywords=laptops&refinements=p_72%3A1248880011%2Cp_n_availability%3A1248800011%2Cp_n_condition-type%3A2224371011%2Cp_n_feature_eighteen_browse-bin%3A6819965011%7C9560246011%7C9521940011%7C6819967011%2Cp_n_feature_two_browse-bin%3A562240011%7C562241011%7C5446812011%7C5446813011%7C7817230011%2Cp_n_feature_five_browse-bin%3A7817222011%7C7817223011%2Cp_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A2289794011%7C9697947011%7C2289793011%7C9697948011%2Cp_n_size_browse-bin%3A3545275011%7C2423840011%7C2423841011%7C2242801011%7C7817234011%2Cp_n_feature_thirteen_browse-bin%3A9521913011%7C9521914011%2Cp_n_operating_system_browse-bin%3A5945862011%7C5945861011%7C5945864011%7C5945786011%7C2232492011%7C2287320011%7C2232493011%7C2232495011%7C2232494011%7C12035945011%2Cp_n_feature_sixteen_browse-bin%3A3093652011%2Cp_36%3A000-60000

 

[atheus]

I find these suggestions are a little unexciting. Personally, a computer with no SSD is not an option. At $500 it would be a difficult find, but even for browsing the web and doing email, word processing, etc. I find a computer that requires more than a few seconds to do anything intolerable. Dealing with defrag, slow caching, all that garbage should not be part of computers in 2015, imho. Spending all day on a high end computer and then swapping to an old laptop with a noisy, slow HDD just makes me want to toss said laptop from a high place.

The Sky Lake laptops are just hitting the market starting yesterday, so give it a little time and even if you don't find a sky lake laptop that suits your purposes, the broadwell laptops will be going on discount more and more in the coming weeks.

 

[mactimo]

Depending on how immediately you want to buy, I'd suggest waiting on Sky Lake is worthwhile. Sky Lake was a little underwhelming for the gaming crowd because it didn't offer a lot more in terms of per-clock performance on the top end chips, but Sky Lake was built with a "mobile first" mentality, so it is a worthwhile thing to hold out for a few weeks for a dynamite sky lake laptop to hit the market. It won't be long.

Thanks for the reply. Probably before Thanksgiving. So, since I'm ignorant, are the 3 most important things the CPU speed, storage and memory? For example, a 2.2Ghz CPU vs a 1.7...will I notice a huge difference? Or 1TB v 500Gb of storage? Or 8 GB v 4Gb of memory? I mean I assume that a laptop that has an i5 2.2 GHz CPU, 1Tb of storage and 8gb of memory is always better for basic use than an i3 1.7ghz, with 500 and 4?

 

[atheus]

The differences between all those examples you gave can be minor or massive depending on the user and what software they are using. Some types of work will be very slow on 4GB of memory vs. 8GB, while others can get by just fine with 4. Same with storage. If you save a lot of large files, 500GB will become a real problem before too long. Other people will never need more than 150GB no matter how many years go by.

For your usage, I would suspect that the right laptop for you would come with a 250 GB SSD. No more, no less, such as this ASUS Zenbook which sells on the Microsoft Store for about $600 on sale. A Sky Lake version of this laptop would be something I could recommend without hesitation to a user like yourself. It would do everything you want without delay. Anything less would involve noticeable and tedious delays.

Regarding the CPU, it's not about Ghz any more. A 3.0 Ghz CPU from 10 years ago will perform pathetically compared to a 3.0 Ghz CPU today, and likewise a current gen 3.0 Ghz AMD will pale in comparison to any 3.0 Ghz Intel, and a 3.0 Ghz Pentium will not be as good as a 3.0 Ghz i3 which won't measure up to a 3.0 Ghz i5, or i7.

When it comes to Sky Lake laptop CPU's, there are parts with power draw ranging from 4.5 watts all the way up to 45 watts all intended for different types of laptops/tablets. They have different behavior in terms of how they handle CPU load — some will sit at a fairly low clock speed and then boost up to very high speeds for short bursts to do small heavy jobs very quickly then clock back down before heat builds up too much. Others with a higher TDP will spend more time at higher clocks, relying on more robust cooling and larger batteries to feed it power. It's a pretty broad landscape. If you have a good hour to read about it, Anandtech's Sky Lake article will tell you everything you never wondered about these new chips. http/anandtech.com/show/9582/intel-skylake-mobile-desktop-launch-architecture-analysis

 

[Wisecracker]

Lenovo ThinkPad E555: $420

Snag an SSD with a cloning utility and an external enclosure for the old laptop HDD, and off yah go ...