Question:
Advice for a good laptop???
I am going off to university and are looking into replacing my brother’s 3 year old laptop which I used last year. The one he has is an HP Pavilion ze5400 and has many drawbacks (due to its age) that I am looking to replace. The main ones are the weight (very heavy), low battery life (about 1hr), loud fan (over heats within 20min), and slow processing speed (because I use numerous programs at once). I don’t know much about computers, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. As of now, my dad’s been helping me research, and so far my top 3 choices are the LG P1-5001A9 ($1,399), HP Pavilion dv2020ca ($1,170), and the Acer A55102WLMI ($1,170). These prices are based on local sales and include a 3 year warranty.
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
1,000-1,600 (with warranty and tax)
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
Not really a big deal, anywhere between 14 -16 preferably
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Mainly Microsoft office stuff, but I also use it for downloading and watching movies
and photo editing (so something that could keep up with numerous operations
simultaneously). Not concerned with gaming capabilities whatsoever.
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Yes, I need it to be lightweight and portable
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Nope
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Looking into LG, HP, and Acer, but open to any other suggestions.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
The longer the better. 3+hrs
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Yes, I’ve been screwed over buying online and don’t want to chance it with an
expensive purchase.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
Canada
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
No matter
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
If going Standard, option b sounds good
If going Widescreen, I’d probably go with option d or e
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Im not too sure which I’d prefer. I watch a lot of movies, so a glossy screen would be
a nice feature, however I am outside a lot with my laptop, so having a reflective
quality might be more of a drawback then a benefit.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not so much, I’d rather have something that’s functional than aesthetically pleasing
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Looking to buy very soon, hopefully in the next couple of days (no pressure). And I
have 4 more years of school, so I want it to last me at least 4 years and still be fast and
compatible to new technology.
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
80GB
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
DVD-RW drive