Post: #1

I'm looking to get the best bang for my buck model. Can any computer nerds help me out? I'll just be using it for basic internet surfing, downloading/burning cds and burning DVDs (if that's possible on a cheaper laptop).

It would be nice to be able to hook it up to my flat screen via hdmi to stream a movie or porn or something. Is that a common feature in newer laptops?

Post: #2

Why do you still burn cds/dvds?

Post: #3

(06-25-2013 05:53 PM)houston Wrote:  I'm looking to get the best bang for my buck model. Can any computer nerds help me out? I'll just be using it for basic internet surfing, downloading/burning cds and burning DVDs (if that's possible on a cheaper laptop).

Chromebook will be hard to beat in that price range but it has no optical drive and limited internal storage which makes backing up the Internet rather inconvenient. The idea is that you will rely more on online services (NSA subscription for 100GB of online storage is included, really).

(06-25-2013 05:53 PM)houston Wrote:  It would be nice to be able to hook it up to my flat screen via hdmi to stream a movie or porn or something. Is that a common feature in newer laptops?

Yes. It's standard now.

Post: #4

(06-25-2013 06:57 PM)presidentcarter Wrote:  Why do you still burn cds/dvds?

I've never burned a dvd and don't like mp3 players.

(06-25-2013 07:40 PM)thatGuy Wrote:  Chromebook will be hard to beat in that price range but it has no optical drive and limited internal storage which makes backing up the Internet rather inconvenient. The idea is that you will rely more on online services (NSA subscription for 100GB of online storage is included, really).

An optical drive is just the drive for cds and dvd's right? I really need that. I can go a little higher than $300, just don't wanna spend to much right now on one.

Post: #5

Check out lenovo outlet closeout and doorbusters. I found out about it on Slickdeals, not sure if they still have a sale. Buy a laptop that is scratch and dent.

I got one with a good dual core processor and graphics, 500 GB HDD, HDMI, Optical drive for $227 with tax and shipping.

Post: #6

This one has a 500GB hard drive, 4GB of RAM, CD/DVD burner, 3 USB ports and 720p screen for $279 and this one has a HDMI out, 720p screen and 4 USB ports but 320 instead of 500GB drive.

Post: #7

For that money and something that will last, I'd look at a second hand Mac.

You might be lucky and get an early Intel MacBook for that.

Or you could have a top of the range 1.67GHZ PowerBook G4 for that money. I run one and it does all I want, no viruses, no constant security updates. In a nutshell, no hassle.

Also it can be a cool prop. Chicks have no idea that mine is seven years old and worth £150 tops. They just see the glowing Apple on the back and half the time they open me.

Post: #8

Honestly. Any Laptop you find for around that price is going to suit your needs. Most Laptops today are built for power users. But most users just want to surf the internet. So they have these overkill machines.

At least 500gb hard drive, 2gbs of ram, and Win 7. You will be ok.

Post: #9

(06-26-2013 08:32 AM)roberto Wrote:  For that money and something that will last, I'd look at a second hand Mac.

I think Houston is heterosexual.

@Houston- Keep an eye daily on Fry's Electronics. They had some laptops marked down in the $300 range last holiday. Them and Tiger Direct usually have the deepest discounts. If you see something you're interested in, link it on this thread and we'll take a look. I'm sure the options will be good for the 4th. That's the 4th of July, not the day before Cinco de Mayo, holmes.

Post: #10

(06-25-2013 05:53 PM)houston Wrote:  It would be nice to be able to hook it up to my flat screen via hdmi to stream a movie or porn or something. Is that a common feature in newer laptops?

I would recommend just getting an older, used, model off ebay. Big and heavy should be ok. Avoid netbooks if you want to play lots of video.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Laptops-Netbooks...&_udhi=300

Lenovo should be best. Any seller who has sold over 1,000 items and still has a good rating should be fine. If its a personal account hard to tell what you'll end up with.

Post: #11

sorry to hijack your thread houston but im also looking for a laptop to use for uni/surf web. I can go abit higher maybe max $550. There are just so many to choose from and im confused. So any suggestions would be appreciated.

P.S im not a very technological dude

Post: #12

No problem Luggage. I might spend a little more than $300 if it's worth it. I'll probably keep it for at least 5 yrs so $500 aint to bad for a casual computer person like myself. Thanks everyone (except Ali)

Post: #13

(06-26-2013 08:32 AM)roberto Wrote:  For that money and something that will last, I'd look at a second hand Mac.

You might be lucky and get an early Intel MacBook for that.

Or you could have a top of the range 1.67GHZ PowerBook G4 for that money. I run one and it does all I want, no viruses, no constant security updates. In a nutshell, no hassle.

Also it can be a cool prop. Chicks have no idea that mine is seven years old and worth £150 tops. They just see the glowing Apple on the back and half the time they open me.

My personal experience with Apple's Macbook Air is that it feels like a well built machine that will last a decade but somehow problems keep popping up that require more expensive replacement parts than hp, dell, etc

Macbook problems: battery, magsafe board, hard drive all failed. aluminum body easily scratched or permanently dented, laptop overheats to the point where you can't hold it with bare hands, cooling fan sounds like idling Chinook

Compared to 7 - 8 bargain bin laptops over the years: zero issues

My current laptop cost $270 OTD a year ago from Frys : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00719OCRU Does everything you mentioned, only con 7 lbs is too heavy for airline travel.

Post: #14

(06-28-2013 09:44 PM)PoosyWrecker Wrote:  

(06-26-2013 08:32 AM)roberto Wrote:  For that money and something that will last, I'd look at a second hand Mac.

You might be lucky and get an early Intel MacBook for that.

Or you could have a top of the range 1.67GHZ PowerBook G4 for that money. I run one and it does all I want, no viruses, no constant security updates. In a nutshell, no hassle.

Also it can be a cool prop. Chicks have no idea that mine is seven years old and worth £150 tops. They just see the glowing Apple on the back and half the time they open me.

My personal experience with Apple's Macbook Air is that it feels like a well built machine that will last a decade but somehow problems keep popping up that require more expensive replacement parts than hp, dell, etc

Macbook problems: battery, magsafe board, hard drive all failed. aluminum body easily scratched or permanently dented, laptop overheats to the point where you can't hold it with bare hands, cooling fan sounds like idling Chinook

Compared to 7 - 8 bargain bin laptops over the years: zero issues

My current laptop cost $270 OTD a year ago from Frys : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00719OCRU Does everything you mentioned, only con 7 lbs is too heavy for airline travel.

Sorry to hear you've had problems. Perhaps the new ones are less durable than the old ones. I guess the question is will a 7 year old mac outlast a bargain bin laptop? I reckon it would, and if you prefer the OS and lack of problems it's a no brainer. That said I appreciate they're not for everyone.

If I can't afford new quality, I always go for second hand quality rather than new cheap- this goes for everything, machinery, clothes, guns, computers. Just the way I roll. My current G4 Powerbook was bought s/h and has been abused like you wouldn't believe. Even had it open on the bench whilst welding once, forgot it was there. Luckily no harm done.

Post: #15

What about these?

Dell


One of the Toshiba Satellites from this list?
Toshibas


Lenovo


2nd Lenovo

Post: #16

Alrighty Houston, I've looked over your links -

The Dell looks a little slow on the processing speed but it's probably an OK buy since it's just under three hundred bucks. I never buy Dell anymore because they generally build shit laptops. Buy cheap, buy twice. Others might disagree but I doubt they have piles old Dell components overflowing their computer junk bins. I used to get busted Dell computers for like eight dollars at garage sales, throw a hard drive or graphics card or whatever in them, and host lan parties to play starcraft and crimson skies until they'd burn out and look for another one. If you're never going to take your laptop anywhere and you're going to be easy on it like an old lady driving her '83 buick to church once a week it will likely suit your needs.

The 15.6" Toshiba Satellite actually looks damned good. Toshiba builds an ugly laptop (I'm an Asus fanboy) but a single core 2.7 ghz processor coupled with a radeon 7k - mobile chip is not half bad. You'll get a lot of mileage out of that.
The 17.3" might also be a good buy (1.65 ghz dual core is not awful) but to be honest that's an enormous laptop - unless you're looking for a desktop replacement you might want to look into something more mobile. Again, both of these units can probably be upgraded in terms of ram but since windows 8 is not ram heavy it might not be an issue.

Your first Lenovo looks like your best bet, but no huge surprise since it's the most expensive. You can upgrade the ram to a single 8 gig stick for pretty cheap, the processor looks solid, and the graphics chip is intel 4000, which is decent for what you're paying. I have heard that intel's newer onboard graphics is excellent.
The reviews looks a little sketchy on the hardware, so keep your receipts and manufacturer's warranty.

The second Lenovo laptop looks like a turd in sheep's clothing. The processor is garbage (though the graphics card looks pretty good). It's not worth the money. Generally speaking, intel >>>> amd in terms of value. Other people will say differently (and I say this as a guy who buys almost nothing but amd parts because they're so cheap) but it's true in almost all cases.

One thing that bears mentioning in all cases is that if you throw a solid state drive into any of these units, it will make everything run extremely fast. The stock hard drive typically throws a lot of heat, so if you put in a solid state drive it will also run much cooler.
You mentioned that you want to use this laptop for several years so if you want to extend the longevity as long as humanly possible, look into buying a solid state hard drive either now or in the next couple of years (when it gets incredibly cheap per gigabyte) and pay some computer nerd a case of beer to replace it and reinstall the operating system, and it will breathe new life into the device. You can also install more ram (maybe go from four to eight gigabytes) but it might now help that much.

Post: #17

I recently bought a Lenovo "scratch and dent" from their outlet website for $265. 500GB harddrive, 4GB RAM,HD camera, optical drive,etc.

For what I plan to use it for, light office and personal use, it's plenty.

Post: #18

Thanks Hades. I actually do plan on taking my laptop around with me like it's my baby so I don't want a huge one that has a lot of weight to it.

Post: #19

to all who have replied with suggestions: if i go to SEA/EE/FSU would these comps be compatible in those areas ?

Post: #20

I actually have a similar question and price range.

Needs: Internet surfing, word processing and simple game playing (old school shit like Civ 3 and Baldur's Gate).

Any leads or tips?

Post: #21

(09-28-2014 02:15 AM)2Wycked Wrote:  I actually have the similar question and price range.

Needs: Internet surfing, word processing and simple game playing (old school shit like Civ 3 and Baldur's Gate).

Any leads or tips?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...-_-Product

Post: #22

@2Wycked: Check out the Lenovo outlet like someone mentioned above. You may have to hawk the site for a few days, but you can find some really great deals there. I want to say they replenish stock every day around 5am EST, then add some extra stuff here and there.

I picked up an i5, 4gb, I think 250gb 7200rpm for right around $300 and it's served me well. Can't remember the exact price but it was between $280 and $320 shipped. And they have even better deals than that all the time.

Post: #23

wait for black friday at best buy. you might have to deal with a scalper at the front of the line to buy a ticket for a doorbuster laptop or camp out the night before, but still some good deals to be had. or get one online at black friday. the ads usually start popping up in october

Post: #24

I have one of these, cheap and fast. Runs Win 8.1 for the same price as a Chromebook.

Quote:Acer Aspire E3-111-P8DW 11.6-Inch Laptop (Cool Silver)
List Price: $329.99
Price: $289.99
Intel Pentium N3530 2.16 GHz Processor (2 MB Cache)
4 GB DDR3L SDRAM
500 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
11.6-Inch Screen, Intel HD Graphics
Windows 8.1, 5-hour battery life