Need help picking a college laptop

[bebe123abc]

Hello,
I am looking for a laptop with a budget of $600 but want to spend as less as possible without compromising my needs for the laptop. I've found a few but I am open to more suggestions.

I would prefer a 14 inch but I could settle for a 15.6 inch. I will mostly use my laptop for word processing and internet browsing. More specifically, I will be watching a lot of online tv shows and movies (hulu, megavideo, etc.) so I want a laptop that will be able to stream online videos seamlessly and be able to run, without freezing, with a lot of tabs open. I also plan to play Sims 3 from time but I don't want this to be much of a contributing factor in my decision since I won't play too often and I don't mind playing on low/medium settings.

So far, Ive found:

Acer 15.6" AS5742-6440
Intel Core i5-480M processor
4GB DDR3
640GB SATA
Intel HD Graphics
$500

HP Pavilion dm4-2070us 14" Laptop
Intel Core i5-2410M Processor
6GB DDR3
640GB SATA
Intel HD Graphics 3000
$600

Gateway NV57H26U Laptop 15.6inch
Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor
4GB DDR3
500GB Serial ATA
Intel HD Graphics 3000
$480

Dell Inspiron 14R i14RN4110-8073DBK 14-Inch Laptop
Intel Core i3-2310M
4 GB DDR3
640 GB SATA
Intel HD 3000 graphics
$500

Toshiba - Satellite Laptop C655-S5212 15.6inch
Intel Core i3-2310M processor
3GB DDR3
320GB Serial ATA
Intel HD graphics
$380

Toshiba - Satellite Laptop L755-S5214 15.6inch
Intel Core i3-2310M
4GB DDR3
500GB Serial ATA
Intel HD graphics
$450

 

[WR2]

Hello bebe123abc;

Here is one more to look at: HP Pavilion dm1z Review
Current price: about $370
AMD Dual-Core E-350 1.6GHz CPU
3GB RAM
250GB 7200RPM HDD
AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics
11.6" 1366x768 LCD screen
It does not have an internal DVD drive
3.46lbs

It's not a multi-tasking powerhouse but it will do all those things you listed (and more) and do them very well.

 

[WR2]

HP Pavilion dm4t (2011) Review

 

[bebe123abc]

I am not really interested in an 11.6inch since I will be watching a lot of videos, the smallest I am willing to go is a 13.3inch.

 

[bebe123abc]

I feel like some of the computers I listed above do what the dm4t does and at a lower price.

 

[bebe123abc]

I think I've got it down to 2, the Gateway and an Asus I found, the Gateway has a much stronger processor but the Asus has a much stronger graphics card so I'm not sure. I know I will only be doing light gaming with the Sims 3 but I want a laptop that has a good chance of being able to handle Sims 4 when it comes out. I am also not sure of how strong a processor I really need to handle tasks such as internet browsing and online videos/HD videos, and if the i5 2410 on the gateway is overkill. Will the A6 also handle these tasks with ease?

Gateway NV57H26U Laptop 15.6inch
Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor
4GB DDR3
500GB Serial ATA
Intel HD Graphics 3000
$480

ASUS K53TA-BBR6 15.6inch
AMD quad-core A6-3400M
4GB DDR3
500GB
AMD 6650 graphics
$450

 

[AntiZig]

I think you needs will be well fitted with the AMD laptop. It has the new APU processor which can handle graphics/video very well when need to be, the rest of time it is able to compete with intel processors at comparable Ghz.

 

[bebe123abc]

I think you needs will be well fitted with the AMD laptop. It has the new APU processor which can handle graphics/video very well when need to be, the rest of time it is able to compete with intel processors at comparable Ghz.

So I really wouldn't see much of a difference when running and starting up programs like Microsoft Office or Firefox? Or running Malware/AntiVirus Scans?

 

[AntiZig]

I don't think you will notice much difference, because in all the cases you listed it depends on the program (actual code that is used) and HDD speed, for all those tasks your processor will probably be at around 20%