Laptop for University. ($400 budget.)

[Calculatron]

I have been trying to acquire a laptop for my classes, which are approaching soon. I don't really know too much about laptop platforms, honestly. I'd like a run down of some of the basic knowledge and buying tips for laptops. (Are there brands to watch out for, or avoid?)

So! My primary uses will be for research and writing papers, so I do not need anything special in terms of performance, resolution, disk-space, etcetera etcetera. It just need to fit within my budget, and be reliable. If I am to put a condition on selection, I would prefer to use something AMD-based.

Thusfar, I have come across two viable candidates of my own:
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-6-laptop-amd-a6-series-4gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive-black-licorice/6534009.p?id=1219222472495&skuId=6534009&productCategoryId=pcmcat247400050000

http/www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Satellite-C55D-B5212-15-6-Laptop/dp/B00LMN0TNC

Are any of those actually good?

I am open to any suggestions. Last semester, a friend let me borrow a horrible contraption powered by a C-70. While infuriating to use, it was adequate for the job. I'd prefer something better (and may invest in an SSD, later down the road). If anyone can make a good argument for another solution, I'm all ears.

 

[Syntax42]

If you live near a MicroCenter store, they have good deals on refurbished laptops in the $300-$400 range.

 

[Calculatron]

Alas! I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Microcenters are quite a ways away, and the local pool of used laptops are ... insufficient.

 

[The Tech Guy]

The HP Pavilion 15-e028us 16-Inch Laptop would be a better choice as it has better graphics as well as a bigger hard drive. See laptop here > http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E3XBFQS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00E3XBFQS&linkCode=as2&tag=newtomshardware-20&linkId=SB5K4PVXIEKVCDEJ
This laptop should give you excellent performance in all your tasks.

 

[Calculatron]

So no horrible brands? Sub-par performers?

 

[The Tech Guy]

So no horrible brands? Sub-par performers?

It's really hard to criticize brands and say this brand is not good and the next is not. When you are buying a laptop, its more so about the specific parts that that laptop has. I am very experienced where laptops are concerned and I can tell you that its really hard to single pick out a brand that is not good from one that is good. Being a Computer technician , I have received complaints and problem to fix from almost all laptop brands. Most of the times when we buy laptops and they give problems it is because of our own fault that affects this laptop, or because we buy a laptop made for basic operation and expect to run high end games ; then we complain that the laptop is not good etc. Another thing we need to take into consideration is that most laptops companies Eg Dell, Asus, Acer etc are mostly assemblers; most of the parts in their ;laptops were not built by these companies but by other companies such as intel, AMD, etc.

 

[Guest]

So no horrible brands? Sub-par performers?

It's really hard to criticize brands and say this brand is not good and the next is not. When you are buying a laptop, its more so about the specific parts that that laptop has. I am very experienced where laptops are concerned and I can tell you that its really hard to single pick out a brand that is not good from one that is good. Being a Computer technician , I have received complaints and problem to fix from almost all laptop brands. Most of the times when we buy laptops and they give problems it is because of our own fault that affects this laptop, or because we buy a laptop made for basic operation and expect to run high end games ; then we complain that the laptop is not good etc. Another thing we need to take into consideration is that most laptops companies Eg Dell, Asus, Acer etc are mostly assemblers; most of the parts in their ;laptops were not built by these companies but by other companies such as intel, AMD, etc.

agree 100%, most brands's quality equals their reliability, as long as they hand/ship you what they sould to you it should all be okay.