Help buying a new laptop

[ukbsktbll]

So it has been a long time since I have owned a laptop. I am looking for one that is very cost effective. It will only be used for web browsing and word processing little else if anything. I have a desktop PC I will be upgrading very soon so I am trying to keep the cost down. I also have never purchased refurbished products but decided to glance at them. I know I may be asking a lot but if any of these look like definite 'NOs' or any that look like great deals. I am comfortable with the range of prices 250-500. I think one or two may be mid to upper $400s. Rather go lower but don't want to sacrifice on quality. All have Windows 10 and run SSD. They all seem to have fairly similar specs at first glance. I also havent done any computer shopping for some time so may be rusty. I know I am listing quite a few so any help is much appreciated.(I answered the laptop buying guide questions below.)

https/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAA0S5UP9181 $496

https/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834863526 $288

https/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834332744 $229

https/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834861149 $224

https/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834332561 $409

https/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834331305 $387

https/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIABYS54D4009 $299

https/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834267275 $312

https/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834861956 $417

https/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834331301 $321

1. What is your budget? Under $500 but would love to stay in the $300-400 range

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? like 14-15 inch

3. What screen resolution do you want?

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

5. How much battery life do you need? few hours would be nice but not something that will have to be unplugged

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)? none

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

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? not much

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. newegg / amazon

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? as long as it is useful

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? like a dvd drive but not overly picky

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. not picky

13. What country do you live in? USA

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.

 

[captaincharisma]

i'd say any of them would be good except for the HP one because it has the weakest CPU out of all of them and the fact it is a HP laptop. going the refurbished route has its risks too

 

[ukbsktbll]

Thanks for the quick response. I will think more about refurbished but seems a great way to keep it in my budget.

 

[GreyCatz]

I would definitely get the ThinkPad T430:
https/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834331305

It's one of the more expensive ones on your list, and it's refurbished, but going by your background info I wouldn't be worried: For web browsing and basic productivity it's likely going to perform OK for another 2-3 years. It already has been upgraded to 16GBs of RAM and runs on a very capable CPU in a 14" frame. The others on your list are typically smaller or use less powerful CPUs.

Refurbished business laptops are typically harvested from large corporations that buy laptops by the hundreds, and these devices rarely leave the offices. They are also often pathetically underpowered because specifications are determined by accountants, not the users and certainly not the IT department. This T430 is therefore quite unusual, and I wouldn't hesitate buying it myself.

 

[robert600]

I would advise you to pass on the laptops on your list that have 128 GB SSDs. Bearing in mind that you really don't want to load an SSD beyond 75 - 80% capacity - that takes a 128 down to less than 100 GB right from the get go - so ... not much room (windows alone - although starting at an ok size - as it updates, it takes over more and more space).

 

[captaincharisma]

I would advise you to pass on the laptops on your list that have 128 GB SSDs. Bearing in mind that you really don't want to load an SSD beyond 75 - 80% capacity - that takes a 128 down to less than 100 GB right from the get go - so ... not much room (windows alone - although starting at an ok size - as it updates, it takes over more and more space).

between having the windows install and the OEM's recovery partition on a 128GB SSD there wouldn't be much space left