pharmkidcomp

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Jun 30, 2017
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Hello Everyone,

I need a work friendly laptop for pharmacy school.

My budget is around $500. The more affordable the better, but i will be interested in what others suggest as the most suitable laptop. I would like to buy it on amazon

Below is the link for the requirements for the laptop. I'm going to dedicate it solely for school, no gaming or anything too cpu intensive. I am only going to run MS Word, an internet browser and possibly some other software the school will force me to install (probably wont be too cpu intensive, i hope). I do love the speed of a fast processor (emmc drives slow my work down) so id want at least an i5 or higher and a SSD, but I need to make sure its both affordable and portable. I don't mind being tethered to an outlet so having a super long battery life isn't too important for me.

The biggest thing is a functional stylus capability, I have never used one before. Im sure i wont need the full 250 GB. But a good size screen 13"-15", and windows 8 or above are crucial.

Please tell me your recommendations,
Thank you to everyone

https://spahp.creighton.edu/sites/spahp.creighton.edu/files/SPAHP%20Technology%20Requirements%202017.pdf
 
Solution
The requirements list a Core i5 CPU. You will not find a 13"+ laptop that has an active digitizer (for the digital pen) and a Core i5 CPU for around $500. At least not new.

Off the top of my head the closest laptop that would meet your needs is a refurbished 12" Acer Switch Alpha 12 for $490 before shipping and tax. It basically competes against the more expensive Surface Pro 4 and it has received good reviews and I have not read any complaints about overheating which means the liquid cooling seems to be working fine. However, this particular one does not come with a digital pen so you need to buy your own. The Acer uses Synaptic digitizer tech, so that means whatever pen you buy it must be compatible with Synaptic tech; it does not...
The requirements list a Core i5 CPU. You will not find a 13"+ laptop that has an active digitizer (for the digital pen) and a Core i5 CPU for around $500. At least not new.

Off the top of my head the closest laptop that would meet your needs is a refurbished 12" Acer Switch Alpha 12 for $490 before shipping and tax. It basically competes against the more expensive Surface Pro 4 and it has received good reviews and I have not read any complaints about overheating which means the liquid cooling seems to be working fine. However, this particular one does not come with a digital pen so you need to buy your own. The Acer uses Synaptic digitizer tech, so that means whatever pen you buy it must be compatible with Synaptic tech; it does not have be Acer's own digital pen (linked below).

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Ultra-portable-Touchscreen-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B071JTCF3B/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1498832276&sr=1-3&keywords=Acer+Switch+Alpha+12+core+i5

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Active-Stylus-Switch-Alpha/dp/B01F8PA3SA/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1498833401&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=acerstylus


Here's a review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP404GpoE2Y&t=435s


Note: Acer will soon be releasing the successor to the Acer Switch Alpha 12 which will have a shorter name, the Acer Switch 5, that will have a 7th generation Core i5-7200u CPU. But prices start at $800.


Other than that, the only other laptop I can think of that is 13"+, has a core i5 CPU and an active digitizer is the following 14" ThinkPad Yoga 2 for $750.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-thinkpad-yoga-2-in-1-14-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-256gb-solid-state-drive-black/4456400.p?skuId=4456400&extStoreId=&ref=212&loc=1&ksid=028a902b-5b92-4224-bf1e-3f18e90df6f1&ksprof_id=8&ksaffcode=pg200365&ksdevice=c&lsft=ref:212,loc:2

 
Solution