Laptop buying!

Swifty

Swifty

New member
Hello Seven community,

I am looking to purchase a laptop for my college course, I am taking Criminology and my prof prefers if I type everything up and I think it would be easier to type up notes on a laptop than that on paper,

I am looking for something fairly cheap but still runs nicely, and has a very decent battery life,

Other than that I am only using the laptop for potentially internet surfing and microsoft word and maybe a few other programs nothing game related,

My budget is possibly $500 or a little over that.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
CPU
Intel i5-4690k
Motherboard
MSI Z97 Gaming 5
Memory
Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 16GB DDR3 1866mhz
Graphics Card(s)
R9 390 8GB
Monitor(s) Displays
24" Acer 3D monitor
Hard Drives
2TB Seagate HDD
120GB Adata SSD
PSU
750 watt
Case
Zalmann Z9
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Razer Deathstalker
Mouse
Anker Gaming Mouse
Internet Speed
20MB/S
Antivirus
AVG
Browser
Google Chrome

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
SMN-Productions
OS
Windows 7 x86/x64, Server 2008r2, Web Server 2008
CPU
i7 v2 3930K Steping stone 2
Motherboard
ASUS Rampage IV Extreme
Memory
G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 32GB
Graphics Card(s)
AMD HD 5770
Monitor(s) Displays
Acer 21" and Samsung 20"
Hard Drives
Patriot Pyro 80GB
PSU
1000 Watt
Case
HAF-X
Cooling
4 Fans
Keyboard
Black Widow Ultimate
Thanks mckill, I bookmarked it for a later date, I am going to keep looking though although I love Asus :)!
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
CPU
Intel i5-4690k
Motherboard
MSI Z97 Gaming 5
Memory
Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 16GB DDR3 1866mhz
Graphics Card(s)
R9 390 8GB
Monitor(s) Displays
24" Acer 3D monitor
Hard Drives
2TB Seagate HDD
120GB Adata SSD
PSU
750 watt
Case
Zalmann Z9
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Razer Deathstalker
Mouse
Anker Gaming Mouse
Internet Speed
20MB/S
Antivirus
AVG
Browser
Google Chrome
I love asus too. Hince why I suggested.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
SMN-Productions
OS
Windows 7 x86/x64, Server 2008r2, Web Server 2008
CPU
i7 v2 3930K Steping stone 2
Motherboard
ASUS Rampage IV Extreme
Memory
G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 32GB
Graphics Card(s)
AMD HD 5770
Monitor(s) Displays
Acer 21" and Samsung 20"
Hard Drives
Patriot Pyro 80GB
PSU
1000 Watt
Case
HAF-X
Cooling
4 Fans
Keyboard
Black Widow Ultimate
my gf has that laptop - picked it up for just a little more than $500 new at BestBuy

she loves it
 

My Computer

OS
Windows 7
Have a look here, there are a few that may fit your bill. The offerings on that website change daily. So check often. Deals on Laptop
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
OS
Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
CPU
from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP w2207
Hard Drives
5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
Keyboard
with trackball - no mices
Mouse
Trackball mice
Internet Speed
DSL 6000

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
A blend of brains, brawn and dumb luck.
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64
CPU
i7 3770k OC'd 4.6 @ 1.17v, also FX 8120 & i5 miniITX
Motherboard
MSI P67A-GD80 b3
Memory
32 gb G.Skill Sniper DDR3 10-12-12-31 @ 2133
Graphics Card(s)
XFX Radeon 7870 2GB DDR5
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Z Series Card
Monitor(s) Displays
(2) LG LED 23" 1920 x 1080 2ms Monitors via mini d-port
Screen Resolution
1680 X 1050 p
Hard Drives
Samsung 256 gb 830 SSD sata III
(1) 1 tb WD Black
(2) 1 tb Hitachi deskmates/sata II
(2) 1 tb WD green/sata II
(2) 3 tb Seagate Barracuda
(1) 120 gb OCZ Vertex SS
(1) Drobo 5N w/5 Seagate 3tb
PSU
EVGA modular 1000G2 80% gold rating & APC 1200 RS
Case
CoolerMaster Storm Styker
Cooling
7 case fans 140mm & 120mm, NZXT Kraken X60
Keyboard
(2) Logitech Illuminated Keyboards (1) usb (1) wireless
Mouse
Logitech G700 & T-BC21 - nano nx for the laptop
Internet Speed
Basic 120mbps down
Antivirus
Trend Micro Titanium Max Security & Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Chrome and IE 10
Other Info
5 Noctua case fans + 3 Noctua in p/p on NZXT cooler
Integrated hot swap drive bays for 2.5" Drives
(2) Lite-on dvd/cd/Blu Ray optical 22X
Integrated fan controller and led on/off
HP Officejet Pro 8630 all-n-one
Hot-swappable 3.5" hard drive bay
Netgear Nighthawk router
Asus USB 3 & sata 6 PCIe card
Vantec IDE to sata adptr./Ultra sata adptr
Lenovo L420 i5 lappy with m sata
Drobo 5N advanced NAS

My Computer

Computer type
Laptop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Toshiba A500-ST6621
OS
7 Ultimate x64, Vista Ultimate x64, 7 Pro x64, XP Pro x86, Linux Mint Nadia Cinnamon
CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 2.80GHz x64
Motherboard
Intel GM45 chipset
Memory
8GB
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
Sound Card
N/A
Monitor(s) Displays
single 16:9 widescreen (1366x768)
Hard Drives
Hitachi Travelstar 7K750 5400RPM 750GB
Keyboard
standard Toshiba backlit keyboard w/ numberpad
Internet Speed
N/A
My current laptop is a Gateway and it too has been flawless besides me upgrading to a much larger WD hard drive and then it crashing three times.....wtf. I upgraded to the max memory in both the Toshiba and this Gateway and they both run XP Pro but man I loved that Toshiba and It just felt like quality !
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
A blend of brains, brawn and dumb luck.
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64
CPU
i7 3770k OC'd 4.6 @ 1.17v, also FX 8120 & i5 miniITX
Motherboard
MSI P67A-GD80 b3
Memory
32 gb G.Skill Sniper DDR3 10-12-12-31 @ 2133
Graphics Card(s)
XFX Radeon 7870 2GB DDR5
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Z Series Card
Monitor(s) Displays
(2) LG LED 23" 1920 x 1080 2ms Monitors via mini d-port
Screen Resolution
1680 X 1050 p
Hard Drives
Samsung 256 gb 830 SSD sata III
(1) 1 tb WD Black
(2) 1 tb Hitachi deskmates/sata II
(2) 1 tb WD green/sata II
(2) 3 tb Seagate Barracuda
(1) 120 gb OCZ Vertex SS
(1) Drobo 5N w/5 Seagate 3tb
PSU
EVGA modular 1000G2 80% gold rating & APC 1200 RS
Case
CoolerMaster Storm Styker
Cooling
7 case fans 140mm & 120mm, NZXT Kraken X60
Keyboard
(2) Logitech Illuminated Keyboards (1) usb (1) wireless
Mouse
Logitech G700 & T-BC21 - nano nx for the laptop
Internet Speed
Basic 120mbps down
Antivirus
Trend Micro Titanium Max Security & Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Chrome and IE 10
Other Info
5 Noctua case fans + 3 Noctua in p/p on NZXT cooler
Integrated hot swap drive bays for 2.5" Drives
(2) Lite-on dvd/cd/Blu Ray optical 22X
Integrated fan controller and led on/off
HP Officejet Pro 8630 all-n-one
Hot-swappable 3.5" hard drive bay
Netgear Nighthawk router
Asus USB 3 & sata 6 PCIe card
Vantec IDE to sata adptr./Ultra sata adptr
Lenovo L420 i5 lappy with m sata
Drobo 5N advanced NAS
I'd recommend a netbook with an Intel Atom processor. They are not expensive, but for what it sounds like you need it for would do really well. They have dual core Atom ones with 2 GB of RAM that would even do Windows 7 Home Premium if you wanted such.

Here is a great netbook from ASUS.

Another one.

Regular laptop (used).

Sorry if this post seems a bit ASUS-only. I've just had really good experiences with ASUS products. Other manufactures do have good products though.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
iBuyPower Chimera X58
OS
Windows 8 Pro x64
CPU
Intel Core i7 920
Motherboard
Asus P6T Deluxe V2
Memory
12GB (2GB x6) Triple Channel DDR3 1333 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB GDDR5
Sound Card
Integrated Digital HD 7.1 Surround Sound
Monitor(s) Displays
24.6-inch ASUS VW246H 20000:1 Contrast, 2 ms response time,
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
1 TB 7200 RPM SATA II 3 GBps 16MB cache
PSU
NZXT 800W Gaming Series
Case
Guardian Inferno (Custom Painted NZXT Guardian 921)
Cooling
Thermaltake V1 Fan Cooling System OC Proof
Keyboard
Razer Lycosa
Mouse
iBuyPower Ergonomical Internet Mouse
Internet Speed
11 MBps High-speed Cable

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell and Custom
OS
Systems 1 and 2: Windows 7 Enterprise x64, Win 8 Developer
CPU
System 1: i7 [email protected], System 2: AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6G
Motherboard
System 1:Dell 06NWYK System 2: ASUS M5A97 AM3+
Memory
System 1: 8GB System 2: 8GB
Graphics Card(s)
System 1: ATI FirePro V4800 System 2: Radeon HD 6850
Sound Card
System 1: onboard System 2: onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
System1: Viewsonic HDMI 24"
Screen Resolution
System 1: 1920x1080 System 2: 1920x1080
Hard Drives
System 1: Mirrored .5B drives System 2: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s
Case
System 1: Dell System 2: Cooler Master
Internet Speed
10 MBPS

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
A blend of brains, brawn and dumb luck.
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64
CPU
i7 3770k OC'd 4.6 @ 1.17v, also FX 8120 & i5 miniITX
Motherboard
MSI P67A-GD80 b3
Memory
32 gb G.Skill Sniper DDR3 10-12-12-31 @ 2133
Graphics Card(s)
XFX Radeon 7870 2GB DDR5
Sound Card
Sound Blaster Z Series Card
Monitor(s) Displays
(2) LG LED 23" 1920 x 1080 2ms Monitors via mini d-port
Screen Resolution
1680 X 1050 p
Hard Drives
Samsung 256 gb 830 SSD sata III
(1) 1 tb WD Black
(2) 1 tb Hitachi deskmates/sata II
(2) 1 tb WD green/sata II
(2) 3 tb Seagate Barracuda
(1) 120 gb OCZ Vertex SS
(1) Drobo 5N w/5 Seagate 3tb
PSU
EVGA modular 1000G2 80% gold rating & APC 1200 RS
Case
CoolerMaster Storm Styker
Cooling
7 case fans 140mm & 120mm, NZXT Kraken X60
Keyboard
(2) Logitech Illuminated Keyboards (1) usb (1) wireless
Mouse
Logitech G700 & T-BC21 - nano nx for the laptop
Internet Speed
Basic 120mbps down
Antivirus
Trend Micro Titanium Max Security & Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Chrome and IE 10
Other Info
5 Noctua case fans + 3 Noctua in p/p on NZXT cooler
Integrated hot swap drive bays for 2.5" Drives
(2) Lite-on dvd/cd/Blu Ray optical 22X
Integrated fan controller and led on/off
HP Officejet Pro 8630 all-n-one
Hot-swappable 3.5" hard drive bay
Netgear Nighthawk router
Asus USB 3 & sata 6 PCIe card
Vantec IDE to sata adptr./Ultra sata adptr
Lenovo L420 i5 lappy with m sata
Drobo 5N advanced NAS
I will not recommend ACER to anyone after the countless problems I see them have.

ASUS and Toshiba are very good brands for the money, and most of the laptops listed will do you right :)
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Pugh Technologies
OS
W7 Professional x64
CPU
AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.10 GHz
Motherboard
MSI 870A-G54
Memory
PNY XLR DDR3 1600 4x2GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 (fermi) 1GB GDDR5
Sound Card
Realtek ALC892 onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS VE205t, Viewsonic VX2035WM
Screen Resolution
1600x900, 1600x1050
Hard Drives
977GB Hitachi Hitachi HDS721010CLA332
244GB Western Digital WDC WD2500AAJS-65B4A0
488GB Western Digital WDC WD5000AAJS-00A8B0
488GB Western Digital WDC WD5000AAKS-00UU3A0
PSU
Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W
Case
ThermalTake Armor A90 Mid Tower
Cooling
3x 120mm in, 1x 120mm & 200mm out, self built hydro-cooler
Keyboard
Logitec 55
Mouse
Razer Deathadder
Internet Speed
20 Mbps D/L, 9 Mbps U/L
LiquidSnak said:
I will not recommend ACER to anyone after the countless problems I see them have.

ASUS and Toshiba are very good brands for the money, and most of the laptops listed will do you right :)
Click to expand...
+1, I vote for that.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
OS
Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
CPU
from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP w2207
Hard Drives
5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
Keyboard
with trackball - no mices
Mouse
Trackball mice
Internet Speed
DSL 6000
While I enjoy my desktop-replacement laptops, thinking back to college and trying to imagine if I could have had one then... I'd get something really small considering you mentioned note taking, Word (to write up papers no doubt) and some surfing (to read up references). As Windows i7 920 mentioned, I'd seriously consider a netbook. Something really light and slim that you can comfortably sling around.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self-built rig
OS
Win7 Pro x64
CPU
Koa i5-2550K
Memory
8 GB
Graphics Card(s)
Sapphire ATI 6870 1GB GDDR5
Sound Card
RealTek HD Audio / ATI HDMI Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung HDTV Monitor T23A350
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
- SSD (C:)
- HDD (D:)
- BD-ROM (E:)
Keyboard
Logitech G110
Internet Speed
Unifi home (5mbps)
my brother bought "lenovo" like 7 weeks back and it runs great...
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP
OS
Windows 7 64Bit
CPU
Intel (R) Core (TM) 2 Duo CPU 2.80GHz
Memory
4,00 GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA Geforce GT 220
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung
Screen Resolution
1280x1024
Hard Drives
1t

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
iBuyPower Chimera X58
OS
Windows 8 Pro x64
CPU
Intel Core i7 920
Motherboard
Asus P6T Deluxe V2
Memory
12GB (2GB x6) Triple Channel DDR3 1333 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB GDDR5
Sound Card
Integrated Digital HD 7.1 Surround Sound
Monitor(s) Displays
24.6-inch ASUS VW246H 20000:1 Contrast, 2 ms response time,
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
1 TB 7200 RPM SATA II 3 GBps 16MB cache
PSU
NZXT 800W Gaming Series
Case
Guardian Inferno (Custom Painted NZXT Guardian 921)
Cooling
Thermaltake V1 Fan Cooling System OC Proof
Keyboard
Razer Lycosa
Mouse
iBuyPower Ergonomical Internet Mouse
Internet Speed
11 MBps High-speed Cable
I have been looking around a bit and I do want to spend less than 500 dollars on a netbook, I was looking at the ASUS Eee PC and the HP mini, what can you tell me about them?

They are both around 250 dollars at futureshop and on ebay
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
CPU
Intel i5-4690k
Motherboard
MSI Z97 Gaming 5
Memory
Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 16GB DDR3 1866mhz
Graphics Card(s)
R9 390 8GB
Monitor(s) Displays
24" Acer 3D monitor
Hard Drives
2TB Seagate HDD
120GB Adata SSD
PSU
750 watt
Case
Zalmann Z9
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Razer Deathstalker
Mouse
Anker Gaming Mouse
Internet Speed
20MB/S
Antivirus
AVG
Browser
Google Chrome
Swifty said:
I have been looking around a bit and I do want to spend less than 500 dollars on a netbook, I was looking at the ASUS Eee PC and the HP mini, what can you tell me about them?

They are both around 250 dollars at futureshop and on ebay
Click to expand...
Are you sure you want to deal with a Netbook. Any new Netbook with the dual core 500 series processor will cost you as much as a better laptop. And those older single core Atom processors will really test your patience. In addition, they have very poor graphics and no CD/DVD reader.
I would think twice before I emark on a netbook.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops
OS
Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
CPU
from 1.6GHz Duo to i7
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP w2207
Hard Drives
5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals
Keyboard
with trackball - no mices
Mouse
Trackball mice
Internet Speed
DSL 6000
whs said:
Swifty said:
I have been looking around a bit and I do want to spend less than 500 dollars on a netbook, I was looking at the ASUS Eee PC and the HP mini, what can you tell me about them?

They are both around 250 dollars at futureshop and on ebay
Click to expand...
Are you sure you want to deal with a Netbook. Any new Netbook with the dual core 500 series processor will cost you as much as a better laptop. And those older single core Atom processors will really test your patience. In addition, they have very poor graphics and no CD/DVD reader.
I would think twice before I emark on a netbook.
Click to expand...
Well the reason I am buying a netbook is for nothing else than school related work and the only things that I will be using it for is organizing my notes and taking them with microsoft word I may use the other components of microsoft office but I am not looking to game with it or use and form of multi media. I have my main computer which gets everything I need done,

I just need it for note taking to reduce paper. as long as the battery life is 4 hours I am very pleased.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom
OS
Windows 7 x64 Professional
CPU
Intel i5-4690k
Motherboard
MSI Z97 Gaming 5
Memory
Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 16GB DDR3 1866mhz
Graphics Card(s)
R9 390 8GB
Monitor(s) Displays
24" Acer 3D monitor
Hard Drives
2TB Seagate HDD
120GB Adata SSD
PSU
750 watt
Case
Zalmann Z9
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Razer Deathstalker
Mouse
Anker Gaming Mouse
Internet Speed
20MB/S
Antivirus
AVG
Browser
Google Chrome
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