OK..Laptop Purchase Time

[Hoosier]

Daughter is off to college in 6 weeks and needs a new laptop.

No gaming...just something good enough for school and surfing.

Mac is out...too expensive and it's my understanding that the school's free tech support people are not well versed in Mac.

I hear nothing good about HP and I've had a bad experience with Lenovo so they are out.

I hear many good things about Toshiba and I've had a good experience with ASUS.

So I stumbled onto this deal: WHAT SAY YOU??? Good Deal? Good enough for her needs? Got a better deal? I realize it's refurbished, but to me that doesn't raise a huge concern...

[NHolds]

I've had the exact opposite luck with computers... My toshiba laptop was junk, but my HP's are doing just great.

[rich grsc]

I'm in the same boat, trying to figure out a good laptop. I do know I will NEVER buy an HP. My son had one and his mom too, both junk, battery lasted less than 6 months.

[BobNealy]

Always had a toshiba and love them. I have a Macbook Pro now its nice 2k nice not so sure

[ROB J]

MAC!!! You get what you pay for. I have the basic Mac Book for just over a year now ($999), and it is Excellent. Will never go back to PC (Piece of Crap).

And, I'd be shocked to hear that statement of not being well versed in Mac is true. Most college kids these days are well versed in Apple products and prefer them.

[Cobra Cory]

I like the new Dell 14z. I bought one for my wife after she lost her job. She is on it about 10 hours a day and no problems since she started using back in October of '11.
I think Dell has student deals and offers as well.


Dell University | Dell

Plus I think you get a $200 promo card that you can use to buy a program or printer later.

[Bill Hughes]

I work as an electrical engineer, (analog circuit designer). Most applications out there are windows based. We use all pc's and we have a deal with HP.

[Forbye4]

I have had great luck with the Lenovos, but if your off them, your off them.

regardless, check out Circuitcity.com they seem to have a lot of pretty good prices. I have purchased 3 netbooks from them (2 Acer and an Asus) they have been good little netbooks.

Newegg.com is another pretty good online seller.

[1fastsedan]

I've bought my last 4 from the Dell outlet. They were all refurbished, only had a problem with 1 and they came to our house and swapped out a board under warranty.

Dell Outlet | Refurbished Computers, Laptops, PCs & More | Dell

[geoffav]

Originally Posted by NHolds

I've had the exact opposite luck with computers... My toshiba laptop was junk, but my HP's are doing just great.

That's exactly my experience. My current HP for home use and travel is great. I like the fingerprint login and internal security features. My work notebook is a Sony which has also worked well.

While I'm not a big fan of extended warranties that would be handy for a student AWAY at college. The other option is to hit the sales and budget to upgrade every year or so. Good luck

[Shawn]

I never thought I would be, but I've become a total Apple convert. We've had Dell PC's at home and a high-end Sony Vaio laptop, all which have crapped-out on us. Our Last Dell has been rebuilt and upgraded, but the Vaio wasn't worth fixing. On the other hand, my iPad has never failed me. Our next home computer will be an Apple. IMHO, ifyou must go with a PC-type laptop, get a very cheap one and count on treating it like a throw-away.

[speedfreak]

We have had good luck with dell laptops at work

[trevor]

my toshiba was a piece from the start. My gateway screen blew out. I have a high end Sony Vaio, it's big and heavy but working fine after 1.5 yrs.
I bought my daughter a Mac for her birthday and bought one for myself. What a difference. If I knew how nice the Apple was, I would have switched many, many yrs ago. It is flat out no contest. It is so nice I wonder why the PC is so popular. I think customers are afraid to change, thinking it will be too much work or difficult.

[Hoosier]

Originally Posted by trevor

I think customers are afraid to change, thinking it will be too much work or difficult.

My problem is more in line with $1499 vs $499... Let us not forget she is an 18yo kid. Responsible as she may be, she is still a kid. Living away from home. Living in a dorm. Things get spilled, things get stolen, things get lost, etc. I'm not looking to buy a "throw-away", but I'm also not willing to invest too much on this potential gamble...

[Useless]

$300 hp from walmart travels in my semi with me over rough roads lasting right now 3 years no problems I had a highend Dell lasted 6 month turned junk may I suggest getting a toughbook that will be my next ---oh Panosonic Toughbook

[Darren]

Lenovo or Toshiba is my choice. Apple machines are expensive toys. You may want to wait for the new Microsoft Surface, it is a game changer.

[Doug Meldrum]

Reconsider a Mac. I have 2 sons in college. Both have a Mac Book pro. They tell me other kids go through computers like paper and their computers are still working great.
I have a Dell at work but I'm all Apple at home. There is no comparison.
Go to the apple refurbished site and order a refurbished or better yet, students get a discount with Apple.

[Tim Burns]

Hooser, My daughters entry level laptop gave up after two years. So I'm in the same boat as you. I did a lot of research for her new one and came up this this:


Asus N53SV-DH51 15.6" LED Notebook, 6GB RAM, Silver N53SV-DH51

It has a HD LED display with 1920 x 1080 resolution and a GeForce Dedicated Video Card with 1 GB of video memory. It has an intel i5 dual core chip @ 2.4 GHz. A real great bang for the buck!

BTW ASUS makes some of the finest motherboards in the biz


This was the cheapest place for this model most other places had it for 850-900

[Steven K]

I have a Dell laptop for work and it is fine, as was the last 3 or 4 (we get new ones every 3 or 4 years), and I travel with it almost every week. I bought an HP laptop for home and it didn't hold up well at all, and that one rarely traveled. I bought a Macbook Pro a few months ago and I will never buy a PC again. I had Macs years ago when I had a printing business and forgot just how good they are. Like someone above said, you get what you pay for, nor are they a toy.

[DMW]

I wouldn't spend more than $500. I spent a bundle for my daughter's Dell when she went to college. I made it all four years but was an antique when she graduated. Going cheap today makes future upgrades/breakage/theft easier to swallow. Besides, even the most basic machines can do all she needs to do (unless she is downloading tons of videos and music in which case I'd question whether enough time is being spent on school work).

[Michael Stora]

That's a great deal and should be more than enough computer for anything but graphically intense games. Intel embedded graphics are getting better every year but are still not there for 3D gaming--you need a separate graphics card.

What the hell does "40% in stock" mean?

Mike

[trevor]

Yes, I remember going through that. Macs are pricey but worth it. When she left for college I bought her a refurb Dell for $400. 2 years later she said it died, so I bought another refurb for $400 for Christmas. She just graduated and I bought the Mac for $1500 for her graduation/Bday present.

I would look at the refurbished laptops. They are pretty cheap.

[Hoosier]

Originally Posted by Michael Stora

What the hell does "40% in stock" mean?

Mike

I don't know, but they have one less now. If it lasts, great! If it doesn't, I'll consider something "better"... It's an i5 computer for under $400...

I really wanted to go the Mac route a while back, but it's just too much $ to gamble. Maybe I'll get her one as graduation gift for grad school.

[Steven K]

I believe in buying the best you can afford (within reason) when it comes to computers. By getting faster, better processor, higher capacity, probably more sturdy, etc., the unit will actually have a longer useful life. I got my son a good Dell computer 4 1/2 years ago (about $800) and it lasted him through college with no problem and he is still happy with it. I bought a cheaper HP (about $400) and it was a dog within a year or two and I have since retired it.

[bhoov128]

I agree with Steven K

Purchased a laptop from Dell six years ago, and made sure it had good guts, so I wound up spending around $1200. I use it nearly every day still, have upgraded the hard disk for space and put Windows 7 on it. Works like a champ.

[QSL]

Man you guys must be rough on these things. We have a bunch of laptops, from $300 to $1400 units. Really never had an issue with any except for power cord issues from the kids plugging them into the wall and using them on the couch and yanking on them.

In my opinion, get the cheapest one you can get with the features you want. Speed makes no difference anymore. The best tip i can give you is REMOVE all the software they load that you dont want and you MUST REMOVE norton. That will slow you computer to a halt. I personally dont use virus software on my own computer, but for the kids and such, i install avast "free" and tell them to not be idiots on the internet. If they have a problem, you simply reload the PC. 1hr of work now and days, especially since they put the backup on the hard drive.

Batteries? They never last very long. If you want full potential, you will need to replace them every year or so. But honestly, how often do you run off of battery power? If i am mobile I am using my ipad. I cant wait for a computer to boot up.

lastly, i would shy away from any apple PC's. They are a fashon statement and will get your kids familiar with a system that most companies do NOT use.

[dukegrad98]

My last three laptops (including the current one on which I'm typing) have all been Toshibas. I bought another for my mother last year, and another for my father about six months ago. I / we have been happy with each and every one of them. When the time comes for an update -- probably another year or so for my unit -- I'll be looking hardest for another Toshiba that I like.

I've never had an Asus laptop, but I have had great luck with other components from that company, such as motherboards.

For whatever reason, I remain partial to Intel processors over the slightly-cheaper AMD offerings. I don't really have a good reason for that anymore, unless it's simple brand loyalty and the fact that I've been an INTC owner for almost twenty years.

Cheers, John

[Hoosier]

I bought the Asus. She has an Asus Netbook that has been bulletproof for the past 2 years and the price was right...

[cdamsch]

Buy the least expensive Mac Book Pro (about $999) and never look back. I have been through my share of PC's over the last 15 years. I will never go back. We bought a Macbook Pro last year and it was well worth the extra $400. Flawless........Knock on wood.

They just work!