Solved! Budget Laptop for Document Prep, Research and Entertain.

[aposatsk]

Likely a common question. I've browsed local stores and have found the following options. I'll be using this mainly for research and document prep (perhaps large PDF generation and such). I'd like to not have trouble watching DVDs, and would like to be able to write documents while listening to music with no trouble (i.e. sufficient RAM).

What would you suggest for a 500$ (CDN) budget?

I have the following in mind:

http/www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5320203&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs

http/www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-15-6-laptop-featuring-amd-athlon-ii-dual-core-processor-g61-408ca-g61-408ca/10137972.aspx?path=cbbbf9306c9995e666cd82a2860a5bd8en02

http/www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-15-6-amd-athlon-ii-dual-core-m300-2ghz-laptop-g61-300ca-black-g61-300ca/10135472.aspx?path=917a02fcb16c46d76740633cd69ec0caen02

All really the same laptops with some minor differences. Could you tell me what you suggest under a tight budget is the best for the money?

Thanks!

 

[Maziar]

The first link doesn't open for me,can you post its specs ?

 

[deadlockedworld]

If you could go up to 599 this Asus would be a good deal:
http/www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220693

Look around the Lenovo CA site:
http/shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/webca/LenovoPortal/en_CA/special-offers.workflow:ShowPromo?LandingPage=/All/CA/Landing_pages/Promotions/2010/ideapad-days-of-deals

It looks to me like that Lenovo G550 is pretty decent for $479. (although going for the Y450 at $599 might be better.)

I usually find the best laptop prices at http/www.techbargains.com/catsearch.cfm/0_3_0 although many of these may not be available in CA. I would assume some of the Dell and Lenovo prices should be at least similar in Canada though...

 

[aposatsk]

Thank you deadlocked. Do you not think my choices are good ideas? Any reason why?

I've had some bad experiences with Asus and I really want to go for something new.

As for Lenovo: I understand for lower-end laptops, Lenovo tends to be a bit more expensive. Is there really an advantage to spending 500$ on a Lenovo with lower specs when I can get one of the HPs mentioned in the first post?

For anyone who can't access my links, here are the brief specs:

(1) HP Compaq Presario CQ61-320CA Notebook PC - AMD Athlon II X2 M300 2GHz, 2GB DDR2, 250GB HDD, 15.6" HD, DVDRW, Windows 7 Home Premium $500 CDN.
http/www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5320203&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs


(2) HP Pavilion 15.6" Laptop featuring AMD Athlon II Dual-Core Processor (G61-408CA) 3GB DDR2 $550, $480 with sale.
http/www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-15-6-laptop-featuring-amd-athlon-ii-dual-core-processor-g61-408ca-g61-408ca/10137972.aspx?path=cbbbf9306c9995e666cd82a2860a5bd8en02

(3) HP Pavilion 15.6" AMD Athlon II Dual Core M300 2GHz Laptop (G61-300CA) - Black 4GB DDR2 $550.
http/www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-15-6-amd-athlon-ii-dual-core-m300-2ghz-laptop-g61-300ca-black-g61-300ca/10135472.aspx?path=917a02fcb16c46d76740633cd69ec0caen02

 

[aposatsk]

I looked at the Lenovo CDN website. I only really found the Lenovo G550 - Grey - 29586HU being in my budget ($600 with the sale).

Even then, it seems to be a high premium to pay. For about the same price (50 dollars less actually) I can get the HP.

LENOVO:
http/shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/webca/LenovoPortal/en_CA/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087&current-category-id=4520DCE8D45D4FADA4271BFDA7BD06EF

HP:
http/www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/hewlett-packard-hp-pavilion-15-6-amd-athlon-ii-dual-core-m300-2ghz-laptop-g61-300ca-black-g61-300ca/10135472.aspx?path=917a02fcb16c46d76740633cd69ec0caen02

 

[deadlockedworld]

Basically my argument was just against AMD laptop offerings. AMD doesn't really match Intel's technology in terms of battery life and performance. There is nothing wrong with them, and they will work just fine, but if you can find a core 2 duo even near that price range it will be better.

Ironically, Asus is reputed to be one of the most dependable laptop makers, and HP to be one of the worst, but I understand if you have a preference. HP does provide good components for the price though, so if you keep your warranty its probably a worthwhile purchase.
(its sad you are in CA--today I saw a deal for an HP laptop with a brand new i3 processor for $599)

 

[deadlockedworld]

What about a dell Inspiron 15? They start at $449 CND Personally, I would get the $60 processor upgrade to the T6600, making the computer $509.

http/www1.ca.dell.com/ca/en/home/Laptops/laptop-inspiron-1545/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-inspiron-1545&s=dhs&cs=cadhs1&ref=lthp

 

[deadlockedworld]

Also for in-depth reviews of different models check out http/www.notebookcheck.net/

Its a euro-centric site, but they are very thorough.

 

[aposatsk]

Hmm I do like that Inspiron 15! I'm really considering your recommendation to upgrade to the T6600. Not a bad price at all it seems to me.

About the Asus: I recall using an Asus laptop a few years ago and the heat was just terrible. Have they improved lately?

Either way the Inspiron 15 seems quite solid.

Any other ideas?

 

[deadlockedworld]

I'm out of ideas , but you might wait to see if anyone else has something... ideally a fellow Canadian.
While Asus has a good rep, i don't think it competes with the dell in price/performance.

On that Inspiron I think the processor upgrade is very important, and you might also consider the 6-cell battery if you think you need it.

The only other price hikes i would consider are the debatable options to upgrade ram and hard drive. 3 Gb is probably enough, but your integrated graphics will use up some of it--so the extra certainly couldn't hurt.
Instead of getting a bigger hard drive I would save up and later buy an external hard drive that you keep at home to back up data on. This will be cheaper than getting a bigger one in the computer, and will give you a backup. You should be able to find 500GB for about $50.