the171 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I'm getting a laptop. What are some affordable, effective laptops? I'm looking for one that is light and perfect for students. Also, one with a good display would be nice, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 All the guys I work with at Staples are loving Asus these days. A bit less expensive than, say, an Acer with the same specs, but just as high quality. Try to get an i5 processor, or even i7 if the price is right, but definitely prioritize i5 over i3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I have an ASUS U46 with an Intel i7 and 8GB of RAM. It's a real champ. I paid less than $600 for mine, IIRC. :) If you want a really nice laptop, get a ThinkPad. They're a little more expensive though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slappo Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 i3 is definitely usable if you are on a budget and just need a computer for papers, e-mail, light software, internet browsing etc. I use an i3 processor at home with 4gb of ram. Got it about 9 months ago for $400. I haven't had any problems with it. It's slow for playing video games such as League of Legends, but runs them fine on the lowest settings. If I had the money and a little more of a need then I do, I'd definitely have gotten i5-i7 though. by light software I mean basic stuff that doesn't require a lot of power. Even doing things like basic video editing software an i3 can handle, but big graphic design type work probably needs something a little more powerful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlySunshine Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) I love my new Lenovo IdeaPad Z580. I bought it from Office Depot for $499.99 and it has 6GB DDR3 and 500GB HDD. It is SUPER quick and all the reviews I've seen suggest that Lenovo is a great brand. They used to be IBM and have been around forever. My mom asked the tech guy who works on computers for their office and he recommended these three brands: Lenovo ASUS Acer I looked on Consumer Reports, too, and his recommendations were on the mark. I'm very happy with Lenovo. :) Oh, and stay FAR away from HP. They used to a be a good brand but now have major problems with the display going black after about a year or so. Plus, they are really flimsy. My mom's tech guy said he sees HP and Toshiba in for repairs TOO often. :( Edited January 28, 2013 by MaterMisericordiae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the171 Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 I need a laptop with all the Office stuff on it. Including OneNote. If that helps. I am not a techy. Oh,and portable and light. I travel a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlySunshine Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) I need a laptop with all the Office stuff on it. Including OneNote. If that helps. I am not a techy. Oh,and portable and light. I travel a lot. You are most likely going to have to purchase MS Office separately. If you buy it on a computer, it will most likely be over $600. Most computers do not come with the MS Office fully installed. Most just have a trial installation for 60 days. If you are looking for portability, Lenovo is very light. It weighs 5.8 lbs and has a 15.6" screen. Ultrabooks are all the rage right now but they tend to be without CD/DVD drives. You could buy an external drive but that's another thing to carry around. Plus, ultrabooks are very pricey. Oh, and if you buy MS Office separately, you can probably get the Student version which is at a discount. I bought it and it saved me $40 at the time. Edited January 28, 2013 by MaterMisericordiae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 If I were getting a laptop right now, I would be considering something along these lines: http://staples.ca/en/ASUS-156-Laptop-17GHz-Intel-Core-i5-3317U-6GB-750GB-HDD/product_100008_2-CA_1_20001 That is the Canadian site, but you get the idea I think. Although I would probably also be looking for the i7, and maybe higher GHz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the171 Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 GHz? i7? Engrish, prease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianthephysicist Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Consider whether or not you want a number-pad or not. If you're into math or the sciences then it could be very useful. The only downside is that numpads typically mean bigger screens. A few years back, I was able to get a Compaq (now a part of HP so Idk if they still sell laptops or what the quality is anymore) with a numpad that wasn't terribly gigantic. It wasn't as small as I was hoping for (I had to buy a new backpack so I could fit it) but the fact that it does fit in my new backpack shows how much smaller it is than the ones my friends got. If you don't think you need a numpad, then you should be able to get significantly smaller and more portable laptops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the171 Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Also, it won't show me the laptop. Consider whether or not you want a number-pad or not. If you're into math or the sciences then it could be very useful. The only downside is that numpads typically mean bigger screens. A few years back, I was able to get a Compaq (now a part of HP so Idk if they still sell laptops or what the quality is anymore) with a numpad that wasn't terribly gigantic. It wasn't as small as I was hoping for (I had to buy a new backpack so I could fit it) but the fact that it does fit in my new backpack shows how much smaller it is than the ones my friends got. If you don't think you need a numpad, then you should be able to get significantly smaller and more portable laptops. I don't really need a numpad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 i7 is a type of processor, more or less top of the line right now for consumer computers. GHz is basically a measure of the speed of your CPU. 1.7 is certainly acceptable, but it is somewhat on the lower end. For me personally I would try to go a bit higher, although for your purposes it likely does not matter. Same with the i7 versus the i5, or even the i3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slappo Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Also if you don't think you need a numpad and find out after you buy the computer that you do, you can get external numpads that can plug into one of your computer USB ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Also, it won't show me the laptop. Specs: 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U processor 6GB DDR3 750GB HDD 15.6" HD with LED backlight display Windows 8 (64 bit) operating system NVIDIA GeForce GT 635M(N13P-GLR) HD web camera Ports: 1x Headphone-out & Audio-in Combo Jack, 1x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert, 1x VGA Port (D-Sub), 1x HDMI, SD, 1x USB 3.0/2.0, 2x USB 2.0 Connectivity options include 802.11b/g/n (single band) and LAN 10/100/1000 Mbps Dimensions: 0.8"(H) x 15"(W) x 10.5"(D) Weight: 5.2 lb. (with battery) 1-Year limited warranty Price: $700 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slappo Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I have an ASUS U46 with an Intel i7 and 8GB of RAM. It's a real champ. I paid less than $600 for mine, IIRC. :) That's a steal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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