Moderately Priced Laptops?
Murphy
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, I could/should probably post this in the Tech forum, but I know I'll get a faster response here. It's pretty much a quick and easy question.
My macbook died. I am not in a financial position to purchase a new macbook, and I'd rather not buy a desktop due to considerations like wanting to take my computer with me when I go to school, or leave the apartment for whatever reason, which I do often. I'm rarely home. But I need SOME kind of computer. My roommate is some sort of Luddite who doesn't even have a home computer, and if it weren't for the library or my Blackberry's pathetic browser, I'd be nearly crazy by now.
I don't know anything about PC laptops as I've never owned one, and I can't seem to get a straight answer from people I know IRL. Several friends have suggested HP, but my BF swears that that'd be a huge mistake, and says Toshiba and/or Dell only. No one mentions Asus or Samsung, and it's all very confusing at this point. But I don't have a lot of time to mull this shit over. I'd kind of like to pull the trigger on a laptop this week.
I'm looking for something for $600 or less (thereabouts). Internet browsing. Music. Light gaming. At best, WoW or some other not too hardware intensive MMO. I'd like a good processor (I realize at that price point, most really good ones are out), nice memory, and ok storage. The biggest issue is that I don't want a ginormous laptop. So smaller is better.
Any and all suggestions welcome! Thanks, guys.
My macbook died. I am not in a financial position to purchase a new macbook, and I'd rather not buy a desktop due to considerations like wanting to take my computer with me when I go to school, or leave the apartment for whatever reason, which I do often. I'm rarely home. But I need SOME kind of computer. My roommate is some sort of Luddite who doesn't even have a home computer, and if it weren't for the library or my Blackberry's pathetic browser, I'd be nearly crazy by now.
I don't know anything about PC laptops as I've never owned one, and I can't seem to get a straight answer from people I know IRL. Several friends have suggested HP, but my BF swears that that'd be a huge mistake, and says Toshiba and/or Dell only. No one mentions Asus or Samsung, and it's all very confusing at this point. But I don't have a lot of time to mull this shit over. I'd kind of like to pull the trigger on a laptop this week.
I'm looking for something for $600 or less (thereabouts). Internet browsing. Music. Light gaming. At best, WoW or some other not too hardware intensive MMO. I'd like a good processor (I realize at that price point, most really good ones are out), nice memory, and ok storage. The biggest issue is that I don't want a ginormous laptop. So smaller is better.
Any and all suggestions welcome! Thanks, guys.
Murphy on
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Posts
http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/17/hp-pavilion-dm1z-with-amd-fusion-review/
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/hp-pavilion-dm1.aspx
Otherwise, the Asus EEE 1215n is another good choice.
If you're looking for something faster, it'll be hard to find something in this size range.
http://www.dell.com/us/en/dfh/notebooks/laptop-studio-14z/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-studio-14z&s=dfh&cs=22
Dell Studio 14z
It is pretty similar spec wise to a mac but without the disc drive. They don't sell them new anymore, the refurbished will run you around $500.
It has excellent reviews as well:
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptop/dell-studio-14z.aspx
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2862
I hope that helps and good luck!
The bad side of Dell, is (aside from the battery thing), customer service is horrible. I've been sent on wild duck chases because of mistakes on their end, passed around like a hot potatoe ("hi, can I have your name, service number, problem, please hold" over and over) and harshly told "make sure it is plugged in" before being hung up on, without even hearing me out.