Need a school laptop for under 500, please read

ddwood1992

Honorable
Dec 18, 2013
6
0
10,510
1) Country of purchase?

USA.

2) Budget range?

500, could go a little over. Prefer to stay at or under.

3) Purpose?

College laptop that will be used for email, internet browsing, homework, and Microsoft Office programs.

4) Screen size preference?

None, anything in budget works.

5) OS preference?

Windows 7 or 8 are both good.

6) Gaming requirements?

Little to none.

7) Performance requirements?

Last laptop had an i3-2330M CPU @ 2.2GHz and 4 GB of ram, I would like to step it up if I can due to the fact I tend to have many Internet tabs open when working (15+) and programs used for home work as well.

8) Any particular style that you like?

I was looking at the Ultra books on Newegg, specifically the refurbished ones since they were cheaper and looked to have good specs. Plus they are light weight and are suppose to have a longer battery life.

9) Other:

Here are two laptops I've considered but I would like someone else opinion. Also I was wondering which CPU is better the i3-2330M @ 2.20GHZ v. i5-3317U @ 1.70GHz since that is what a lot of the ultra books are using that I'm interested in.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231503

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231355

Thanks in advance for any suggestions on the matter. I'm not really clear on the power of a CPU so maybe all I need is an i3? If there is anything out there for 350-400 that would be even better. =)
 
Solution
Why buy refurbished when you can buy new? You don't know when that thing will die on you. It's luck of the draw.

I don't know how well you know computers, but, personally I'd buy the Acer one, buy a $60$-100 SSD (64GB to 128GB) and make that my primary drive. Note that the Acer one has no DVD/CD player, but as one reviewer noted, it has a drive bay where he placed a 2nd hard drive in it. You will be happy if the OS is installed on an SSD, trust me.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314150

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-S56CA-WH31-ASUS-15-6-Inch-Ultrabook/dp/B009RUS452/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top...
You can get something with a more modern i3, but I think you'll find it difficult in getting anything much better than it for around that price point if shopping for something new (unless you go with a AMD APU, such as an A8).

The bh71 would be great for you. For what you want to use it for, even the bh51 would be nice, and what would make it nicer is if you used the money you save to install a SSD or even a SSHD (hybrid drive).
 

ddwood1992

Honorable
Dec 18, 2013
6
0
10,510


Are there any other options that are cheaper then those two that can do what my old laptop did and some? Thanks.
 

kaswyn

Distinguished
Dec 1, 2007
88
0
18,610
Why buy refurbished when you can buy new? You don't know when that thing will die on you. It's luck of the draw.

I don't know how well you know computers, but, personally I'd buy the Acer one, buy a $60$-100 SSD (64GB to 128GB) and make that my primary drive. Note that the Acer one has no DVD/CD player, but as one reviewer noted, it has a drive bay where he placed a 2nd hard drive in it. You will be happy if the OS is installed on an SSD, trust me.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314150

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-S56CA-WH31-ASUS-15-6-Inch-Ultrabook/dp/B009RUS452/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-15-6-Inch-Ultrabook-i5-3337U-Processor/dp/B00ATANXDW/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1387403048&sr=1-3&keywords=ultrabook+SSD

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-S3-391-6497-13-3-Inch-Ultrabook-Champagne/dp/B00E6J2SN8/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1387403048&sr=1-4&keywords=ultrabook+SSD
 
Solution

ddwood1992

Honorable
Dec 18, 2013
6
0
10,510


Okay thanks, I'm going to look at all the options. One last question, which CPU is better the i3-2330M @ 2.20GHZ v. i5-3317U @ 1.70GHz?
 
New laptops are susceptible to luck of the draw, too. ;)

The i5 3317U is a more efficient processor, although the older i3 might treat you slightly better in certain applications with its higher clock speed. Small difference though, and personally, I would go with the i5, even though it's a ultra-low power CPU.


I think all of the laptops listed thus far will treat you pretty well, to be honest. Despite the low voltage processor, they will still be good for what you need the laptop for.

If you want something affordable with a slightly faster CPU, you can take a look at these: http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Satellite-C55-A5245-15-6-Inch-Horizon/dp/B00D78PZE8/ref=sr_1_33?ie=UTF8&qid=1387468543&sr=8-33&keywords=laptops

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-G500-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B00CRXZUCQ/ref=sr_1_49?ie=UTF8&qid=1387469074&sr=8-49&keywords=laptops

This one is a little over $500 but the most powerful of the three I'm listing and a very good deal: http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkPad-Edge-68852BU-Notebook/dp/B00CQ5WWFS/ref=sr_1_55?ie=UTF8&qid=1387468756&sr=8-55&keywords=laptops