What to look for in a laptop

[techguy1001]

Hi there,

So, I have a tendency to write lengthy posts, so I'll cut this down.

I own a desktop. I build it myself, last Christmas. It's got an i5, GTX 660, large case, 8GB ram, etc. I use it for everything, including my hardcore gaming.

However, it's a desktop. I can't pick it up and bring it with me to places. So, I want a portable thing to fill that need. I am on a serious budget for this however, primarily because I only plan to use it for e-mail, web-browsing, and word processing. Nothing more.

I owned an HP laptop many years ago, that I used to use for everything, including gaming. Since it wasn't made for gaming, it ran horribly and had a horrible startup time.

Basically, here's the bottom line: I have a $1,300 super gaming rig as a desktop. I want the same SPEED (my desktop boots in 12 seconds), on a laptop (I plan to do no gaming, so i figure it can be cheap).

Since all of my experience is in building desktops that are made for hardcore gaming, what do you guys recommend for a little word processing laptop? I want to go small (14 inches or smaller), but I would prefer to stay away from tablets.

Also, how "bad" can this computer's specs be? (An expensive processor is expensive)

 

[SchizTech]

Could you provide the budget range for this laptop? "Bad" specs aren't what they used to be (in that the bar to run "basic" stuff has gotten easier for budget hardware to meet recently) though it helps to look carefully to maximize the return on your budget. Even entry level bargain basement laptops can be found with 4GB RAM nowadays.

 

[techguy1001]

My budget is probably around $300. I really don't see the need to spend much more on something that will be used for such simple purposes.

How does this look: http/www.amazon.com/VivoBook-X200CA-DB01T-11-6-Inch-Touchscreen-Laptop/dp/B00CPIF4G0/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1382894972&sr=1-2

That looks pretty much what I want, but the 2GB RAM scares me.

 

[SchizTech]

This stretches the budget slightly but gets you a bit more oomph.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231360

 

[mc962]

If it's just light stuff, and you want it to be quick,maybe look into the chromebooks. It would require internet access at times of course, and you would need to be ok with the cloud, but from the brief amount of research I did recently it seemed fast and useful for the basic tasks you described.