Solved! Gift for Husband

[Olivermine]

Hello, my husband does light Excel / Word work and much surfing (stocks, news, etc....). I am looking for an inexpensive laptop for Xmas, but one that isn't going to fall apart. The DVD will open, hinges won't fall off, etc... Any ideas for a good laptop under $500?

 

[mazchazo]

This website I linked below this comment has a review on good laptops under 500 bucks. Get the one you think is nice. Just do not get any of the last 3 on that list.
http://www.hardware-revolution.com/best-budget-laptop-november-2011/

I would go with the HP ProBook 4530s XU015UT. It looks nice to me.

 

[dfusco]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230179

 

[Guest]

Or:
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptop-reviews/?filter=100021_10197307_&tag=topPanelArea.0

 

[dannoddd]

You're in luck that most laptops now a days are extremely capable for anything but gaming.
If you get a core i3 or better with 4GB of ram, the rest is up to you. You can easily land at or under 500 bucks.

I recently was able to get an HP with an AMD A8-3850APU which i'm very satisfied with. Good quality, 425.

If you can, run down to the store and feel the different build quality. I loved the Samsung laptops, until I used one
in a Best Buy and the palm rest sank below the chassis which made a place to pinch my wrists. I'd suggest Toshiba, Sony,
HP or Acer...personally.

Good luck.

 

[geofelt]

For quality, it is hard to beat the old IBM thinkpad's
A new quality unit <$500 may be hard to find.
Look at the IBM Certified Pre-owned Laptop web site:
http://www-304.ibm.com/shop/americas/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/default/CategoryDisplay?categoryId=2576396&storeId=1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1


Read the specs carefully. I like this one:
http://www-304.ibm.com/shop/americas/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/default/ProductDisplay?productId=4611686018426122751&storeId=1&langId=-1&categoryId=2576396&dualCurrId=73&catalogId=-840

If you are technically savvy, replace the hard drive with a 80gb SSD and you will have a pc that is more responsive than most $1000 machines.

 

[dextermat]

hi, I would get an Asus laptop since it's the most reliable ones on the market right now.

Usually good prices also:

I would also get an i3 in there

 

[aebome]

Do NOT get a pre-owned laptop as suggested above, there are too many good options in your price range that you can get new. The new Core i3s (the ones that have four numbers in their model, not three) are excellent, as are the new AMD APUs, ie A6 and A8.

Newegg:
Acer Core i3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215194

Toshiba AMD A6:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214506

Best Buy:
If you can find a store near you that has of these two in stock...

Lenovo core i3: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i3+Processor+/+15.6%26%2334%3B+Display+/+4GB+Memory+-+Black/3647005.p?id=1218422887209&skuId=3647005

HP core i3 14 inch: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i3+Processor+/+14%26%2334%3B+Display+/+4GB+Memory+-+Pewter/3892127.p?id=1218441030637&skuId=3892127

Toshiba core i3:http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+Satellite+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i3+Processor+/+15.6%26%2334%3B+Display+-+Matrix+Graphite/3624333.p?id=1218421870903&skuId=3624333

 

[Olivermine]

Hello, my husband does light Excel / Word work and much surfing (stocks, news, etc....). I am looking for an inexpensive laptop for Xmas, but one that isn't going to fall apart. The DVD will open, hinges won't fall off, etc... Any ideas for a good laptop under $500?

THANK YOU! You have all been so very helpful. I have been searching about the web for the past 4 days and was completely befuddled. You have aided me so very much. It will be a wonderful Xmas for my hubby!

 

[buzznut]

THANK YOU! You have all been so very helpful. I have been searching about the web for the past 4 days and was completely befuddled. You have aided me so very much. It will be a wonderful Xmas for my hubby!

Also check out PCworld.com They review a lot of notebooks and have them categorized by budget and use. GL.