Best Buy Laptops

[lordsloss]

1. What is your budget? Nothing too crazy, so let's say around $1,500 - $2,000. Although if I get a laptop based on not revolving around gaming, I doubt it will be this high!

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 15.6 or 17.1

3. What screen resolution do you want? Full 1080p

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? Portable

5. How much battery life do you need? Will be plugged in mostly, so doesn't matter.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)? Not really, maybe casual games and if so Low setting is fine.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.) Netflix, Synthesia, web browsing.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? 1T HDD + 256 SSD

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. Best Buy USA

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? 5+ Years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? Bluray writer if it comes with one, if not I can get an external.

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons. Any. Never owned a MAC so no idea if they are good or not for what I want. Same with the Lenovo Yogas. No Surface.

13. What country do you live in? USA

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed. Read Below.

It has been awhile since I have owned a laptop, but I am about to start school again and need something portable, and reliable. I will use it for school, work, and probably not to game with since I have a desktop. I will run Netflix and Synthesia the most for my keyboard. I want a fast and reliable laptop, but I do not really know how good the different brands are nowadays. I have a Best Buy credit card and they are offering 18 months no interest on purchases over $499 and they said I can order any laptop from their website in store and get the no interest deal, so I will go with them. Plus they will price match if its the same make and model on a reputable site. I don't need anything too expensive, and I would prefer a light up keyboard. Not sure if 17.1" or 15.6" matters since weight is not really an issue. I think 17.1 would be better for Netflix viewing and sitting in the bed screen. I also want to place the OS on the SSD and have a decent HDD space. I also want a camera included for Skype. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[GreyCatz]

1. What is your budget? Nothing too crazy, so let's say around $1,500 - $2,000. Although if I get a laptop based on not revolving around gaming, I doubt it will be this high!

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 15.6 or 17.1

3. What screen resolution do you want? Full 1080p

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? Portable

5. How much battery life do you need? Will be plugged in mostly, so doesn't matter.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)? Not really, maybe casual games and if so Low setting is fine.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.) Netflix, Synthesia, web browsing.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? 1T HDD + 256 SSD

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. Best Buy USA

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? 5+ Years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? Bluray writer if it comes with one, if not I can get an external.

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons. Any. Never owned a MAC so no idea if they are good or not for what I want. Same with the Lenovo Yogas. No Surface.

13. What country do you live in? USA

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed. Read Below.

It has been awhile since I have owned a laptop, but I am about to start school again and need something portable, and reliable. I will use it for school, work, and probably not to game with since I have a desktop. I will run Netflix and Synthesia the most for my keyboard. I want a fast and reliable laptop, but I do not really know how good the different brands are nowadays. I have a Best Buy credit card and they are offering 18 months no interest on purchases over $499 and they said I can order any laptop from their website in store and get the no interest deal, so I will go with them. Plus they will price match if its the same make and model on a reputable site. I don't need anything too expensive, and I would prefer a light up keyboard. Not sure if 17.1" or 15.6" matters since weight is not really an issue. I think 17.1 would be better for Netflix viewing and sitting in the bed screen. I also want to place the OS on the SSD and have a decent HDD space. I also want a camera included for Skype. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Here are 4 candidates for your consideration:

HP Spectre 15.6" at $1,350:
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-spectre-x360-2-in-1-15-6-4k-ultra-hd-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-256gb-solid-state-drive-natural-silver/4864800.p?skuId=4864800

Lenovo Yoga 15.6" at $1,200:
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-2-in-1-15-6-4k-ultra-hd-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-940mx-256gb-ssd-pearl-black/5579132.p?skuId=5579132

ASUS ROG 17.3" at $1,300:
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-17-3-laptop-intel-core-i7-12gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-1tb-hard-drive-128gb-solid-state-drive-black-anodized-aluminum/5580042.p?skuId=5580042

Dell Inspiron 17.3" at 1,300:
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-2-in-1-17-3-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-940mx-1tb-hdd-128gb-ssd-gray/5234349.p?skuId=5234349

The HP is, in my opinion, the best-looking machine available today (and don't tell me it doesn't matter just a little bit). It lacks the double-storage feature you want, but it comes with a high-quality 4K touch-screen which is bound to enhance your Netflix sessions. The Lenovo is a less flashy rival, also only 1 SSD storage unit, also a high-quality 4K touch-screen but less expensive. These 2 are 15.6" frames which I believe will be less cumbersome to lug around than a 17.3" frame, whether at school or at home; as a student, you probably won't have a giant desk all to yourself, and for bed-time viewing 15.6" ought to be less unwieldy.

But if you must have 17.3 inches, I've included the ASUS and the Dell. The ASUS ROG is really an all-out gaming machine with a non-flip 2K screen, which explains the 6GBs of dedicated GPU power. At $1,300 it's quite a bargain really. The Dell is less of an all-out gamer, but still very capable. Like the HP and Lenovo, the Dell is also a 'flip-over' with a touch-screen (2K). Both the Dell and the ASUS have the requested double-storage feature and, of course, a larger screen.

From your preferences I concluded that 'screen quality' is First and 'portability' Second. Reading between the lines I also got the feeling that 'long-lasting' and 'durable' are actually more important characteristics than you let on, and I would have included a 14" ThinkPad in this line-up, but you seem to prefer larger screens. (OK, the link's below).

Best of luck with your studies,
GreyCatz.


Lenovo ThinkPad T460 14" at $1,249:
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-thinkpad-t460-14-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-256gb-solid-state-drive-black/5421902.p?skuId=5421902
Although it falls short on most of your stated preferences, this is an affordable workstation that is guaranteed to see you through college and well beyond that.

 

[lordsloss]

Thank you GreyCatz!

- The HP Spectre looks great with the 4k screen, but I'm not sure about the lack of HDD space since the OS will eat up a chunk of that 256. I guess I could have an external HDD if I need more space, or a large external flash drive (not sure the major differences.)

- The Yoga looks good, but again has the lack of HDD space.

- The ROG looks like it works on many levels, but I don't like the colors and the size looks too big.

- The Dell looks good, but I like the other options.

- I had a Thinkpad for high school and hated the thing, but that was in 2008, so not sure if they have improved since then.

I am leaning towards the Spectre. If I want to have an external HDD which one do you recommend? I have never bought one before.

How about this Yoga? I would just have to see if 14" is too small for me. http/www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-yoga-910-2-in-1-14-4k-ultra-hd-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-512gb-ssd-silver/5579125.p?skuId=5579125

This Asus? http/www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-2-in-1-15-6-4k-ultra-hd-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-2tb-hdd-512gb-ssd-chocolate-black/5216402.p?skuId=5216402
Thank you.

 

[GreyCatz]

Thank you GreyCatz!

- The HP Spectre looks great with the 4k screen, but I'm not sure about the lack of HDD space since the OS will eat up a chunk of that 256. I guess I could have an external HDD if I need more space, or a large external flash drive (not sure the major differences.)

- The Yoga looks good, but again has the lack of HDD space.

- The ROG looks like it works on many levels, but I don't like the colors and the size looks too big.

- The Dell looks good, but I like the other options.

- I had a Thinkpad for high school and hated the thing, but that was in 2008, so not sure if they have improved since then.

I am leaning towards the Spectre. If I want to have an external HDD which one do you recommend? I have never bought one before.

Thank you.

As regards SSD space: Windows 10 will need 16GBs freshly installed, and once you've performed your first Windows back-up (which I recommend), another 25GBs is allocated to a recovery drive. This means you have, effectively, some 200GBs left. I have a 256GB SSD myself, and after 18 months of general usage, I have about 130GBs of free space left.

But I also use a 2TB Western Digital external HDD @ 5400rpm like this one:
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/wd-my-passport-ultra-2tb-external-usb-3-0-2-0-portable-hard-drive-classic-black/7869183.p?skuId=7869183
Anything that can go on the WD, goes on the WD.

OK, so the ThinkPad option wasn't my best shot :lol: but, for future reference, things may have changed in ThinkPad-land since 2008...

Cheers,
GreyCatz.

 

[lordsloss]

Looks like the Spectre will be my option. I'll stop by Best Buy after work to see how it looks and feels. I will also get an external HDD because I really am just going to have documents on the computer and I can save music and other larger files on the external when needed. Thank you for the assistance. one last thing, how does the Yoga look I linked? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-...mory-512gb-ssd-silver/5579125.p?skuId=5579125

 

[GreyCatz]

Looks like the Spectre will be my option. I'll stop by Best Buy after work to see how it looks and feels. I will also get an external HDD because I really am just going to have documents on the computer and I can save music and other larger files on the external when needed. Thank you for the assistance. one last thing, how does the Yoga look I linked? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-...mory-512gb-ssd-silver/5579125.p?skuId=5579125

Sorry, I missed those links.

The Yoga looks great and offers double the SSD storage. It is also $50 more than the HP. I actually remember seing this Yoga when researching my candidates, but I didn't include it because it's only 14". The 15.6" ASUS linked in the same post seems to be the answer to your storage needs. It's 'only' $75 more than the HP, but despite being a 'flipper' too, it does come with a rather more mundane design.

I still believe the HP has the upper hand, and with an external HDD it will provide the best overall experience.

 

[lordsloss]

Looks like the Spectre will be my option. I'll stop by Best Buy after work to see how it looks and feels. I will also get an external HDD because I really am just going to have documents on the computer and I can save music and other larger files on the external when needed. Thank you for the assistance. one last thing, how does the Yoga look I linked? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-...mory-512gb-ssd-silver/5579125.p?skuId=5579125

Sorry, I missed those links.

The Yoga looks great and offers double the SSD storage. It is also $50 more than the HP. I actually remember seing this Yoga when researching my candidates, but I didn't include it because it's only 14". The 15.6" ASUS linked in the same post seems to be the answer to your storage needs. It's 'only' $75 more than the HP, but despite being a 'flipper' too, it does come with a rather more mundane design.

I still believe the HP has the upper hand, and with an external HDD it will provide the best overall experience.

I have been watching many comparison videos of the new Yoga 910 and the HP Spectre 360 and its a close battle. I just need to decide if 14" is too small for me or if I prefer the 15.6". The hinges seem to be better on the Yoga and it has the updated gen 7 i7 with twice the space. Thank you for the help!