Compare Low End Laptops for son

[Nvrenuf29]

I have been using a sign PassMark that does CPU comparison since I know really nothing about how to compare speed of computers. I know purchasing a low end computer won't have exceptional speed, but would like the most bang for the buck. Can you help me figure out if I am figuring this correctly please? I also have a co-worker wanting the same type of thing and I don't want to mis-guide her. My son could deal, but I don't want the co-worker regret bothering me for years to come.

I am trying to compare laptops $350-$400, w touchscreen, and number pad.

Here are some I narrowed down:

Best Buy: Dell Inspiron 15.6 i3-4030U, 4GB, 500GB $309 - CPU mark rating of 2735

Wal-Mart: HP 15.6 A8-6410, 4GB, 750GB $378 - CPU mark rating of 2512
(this one comes with Wireless mouse & small USB as a bundle)

Walmart: HP 15.6 N2830, 4GB; 500GB $349 CPU mark rating of 1027 -
this is what I co-worker was going to buy and I stopped her..... thought this wasn't a good idea.

Co-worker is just surfing internet and email.

Son wants to do facebook and kid friendly online games.

Any help is appreciated! Thanks in Advance.

 

[jaguarskx]

Of the three laptops you list, the best in terms of overall performance is the 1st one, the Dell Inspiron 15. The Core i3-4030u is more powerful than the A8-6410 and the Celeron N2830. The A8 is a quad core CPU but it is pretty low end and it's integrated graphics core (Radeon R5) is less powerful than the Intel HD 4400 found in the Core i3. It is powerful enough to play simple games like Minecraft and League of Legends. I even played Mass Effect 3 and Star Trek Online with the Intel HD 4400 instead of the Radeon HD 8850m in my laptop and those games plays fine since they do not have high requirements, but they are higher than Minecraft and LoL.

As for your co-worker, the HP with the N2830 is good enough for what she intends to use it for. It is less powerful than the other CPUs, but it also draws the least amount of power. Assuming all three laptops have batteries with the same capacity, the laptop with the N2830 should have the longest battery life. If battery life is not very important then she should just go for the Dell.

It's a bit hard to guess the battery life of the Dell Inspiron, but I would guess about 5 hours when simply surfing the net and writing e-mails. Watching videos online does impact battery life though.

 

[Nvrenuf29]

Of the three laptops you list, the best in terms of overall performance is the 1st one, the Dell Inspiron 15.

Thank you so much. I have let the co-worker know what you have said so she can make her own choice and I have purchased the Dell for my son. To me, based on the CPU rating and options, I thought the Dell was better for what he needed, but since I really don't know a lot, I appreciate the more experienced advice.

 

[Tom Tokstad]

I was also looking for laptops for my kids and ended up going with a referb from dellrefurbished.com. I got 2 6420 latitudes with i5 cpu's in grade A condition for $575 shipped. Don't know if those are better than what you got though. They look brand new.