Question:
Cheap laptop for student
o I've been scanning the internet for a laptop I can use to do work at school, play movies, and surf the web with WiFi. That's mainly it and so I want it under or possibly around $500 dollars if I see something that intrigues me. Needs a pretty good battery life and a harddrive somewhere around 40-60GB. I also answered the questions in the sticky if you want more specifics.
I have never really payed attention to laptops until now so I'm not really sure what specs I want.
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
Under $500 or possibly somewhat more than that
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
B or C
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Typing mainly, playing movies, some sound editing, and web browsing (wifi)
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Mainly portable because I already have a desktop pc and want something I can take with me
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
No
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Whatever you think is good.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
Preferably 5-6 hours or more.
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Don't mind.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
USA
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Widescreen.
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
D
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
I'm not sure what the exact specifics are of these but I don't want a reflective screen, so matte?
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not completely important to me but it would be a bonus.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Within 1 to 2 months.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
Around 60GB, but 40GB is alright.
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
DVD-CD/RW. Atleast if I remember what that means correctly. I just want the ability to write stuff to cd's and dvd's.
I just submitted this and it didn't work so if I double post because of this, sorry.
Answer:
Re: Cheap laptop for student
Supposedly they are have a notebook at BestBuy for $500 starting Sunday.
Link
Answer:
Re: Cheap laptop for student
Not sure if the best buy where I live will have it but I'll check it out.
EDIT: Oh no, there doesn't seem to be a best buy where I live O.o
Answer:
Re: Cheap laptop for student
5-6 hours of battery life is a lot to ask out of any notebook. I would suggest buying a second battery with the notebook you purchase, that is probably the only way you are going to get that kind of life.
I'd look at an Acer TravelMate 2400 series, or Dell Inspiron B-series. Be sure to check out the Dell Outlet.
Answer:
Re: Cheap laptop for student
Thanks Chaz, I looked on pricegrabber for Travelmates and found this one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...C-pr1c3grabb3r
With extra memory is this a computer that will satisfy me? And what amount of memory would I need and what kind (can you have incompatibility issues?) And maybe a better battery?
Answer:
Re: Cheap laptop for student
We have a review of an Acer TravelMate 2400 series - posted here a few days ago. This is a 14.1" model, but is essentially the same otherwise.
It looks like the tester got ~4 hours of battery with it - you may consider going with the 14.1" version for that reason. I'd still expect 3-3.5 hours with the 15.4" model, if it has the same battery.
The notebook you linked to takes 200-pin, PC2700 (DDR333) SO-DIMMs.
Answer:
Re: Cheap laptop for student
How about a Acer Travelmate 2440?
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...uctCode=265290
and 512 ram
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...ctCode=85016-6
Answer:
Re: Cheap laptop for student
Ok I have another computer to compare that to, an HP Compaq Presario V5000Z. Here are the specs and it is pretty much the same price as the computer I just posted before this (including the extra memory).
Operating System Genuine Windows XP Home Edition
Processor Mobile AMD Sempron(TM) 3300+ (2.0GHz/128KB)
Display 15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800)
Graphics Card 128MB ATI RADEON(R) XPRESS 200M w/Hypermemory(TM)
Memory FREE Upgrade to 512MB DDR SDRAM (2x256MB)!!!
Hard Drive 40 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
Networking 54g(TM) 802.11a/b/g WLAN & Bluetooth
Primary Battery 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works/Money
It would be nice if someone told me if either of these were a good buy for basic application use, web surfing, and movie/sound watching. Or if someone has got a better idea for a laptop I'm open for suggestions.
Answer:
Re: Cheap laptop for student
I like the Sempron better as a budget CPU. The performance killer on those notebooks is going to be the slow hard drive not the CPU or memory.
Answer:
Re: Cheap laptop for student
Would a 80 GB 5400 RPM Hard Drive be enough of an improvment speed wise?
Thats for the V5000Z.
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...computer_store