Technology Best Laptop $500 and under

[S O F I]

Recommend some.

Ideally, as light as possible and at least a 15 inch screen.


For my mama. Thanks in advance.

 

[masta247]

I have one Ativ Book 2 at work (the Intel i3 version) that we had to buy randomly and it's a very good budget laptop. The screen is surprisingly fine for that price and the performance is decent. The keyboard is fine as well and the battery lasts 4-5 hours. It's quite big but that's what you'd expect from a 15.6' laptop. Also it comes with Windows 8.. and make sure to buy the core i3 version, not the lower-end AMD version. But yeah, I'd recommend this one, it's good. You're not likely to find something overall better with your requirements in that price range.

Exactly this:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-NP270...aptop-Black/dp/B00CMXDH8U/ref=pd_sim_sbs_pc_2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834131509

 

[S O F I]

Thanks for the recommendation.

I think performance is not the biggest factor. My mom will only use it for basic functions - writing emails, reading news, streaming online videos. Weight and durability are probably the biggest factors. She's had a few surgeries on her arms and she'll probably spill coffe on it and let the cat lay on the keyboard at some point. lol

 

[Casey]

If those are the uses she needs it for, she'd be better off with a Chromebook. Maybe HP Chromebook 14. Not quite a 15" screen but near enough.

 

[Jokerman]

Alienware

 

[S O F I]

How about same thing but I'm OK with like 12-13 inch screen? I want to be able to run MS Office, SQL Server, etc and use it for work.

 

[masta247]

How about same thing but I'm OK with like 12-13 inch screen? I want to be able to run MS Office, SQL Server, etc and use it for work.

That's harder due to the fact it's in the "Ultrabook" zone, which is currently overpriced and there are many great models, but they're more expensive. If you want to limit yourself to 500$ then we're talking about ultrabook wannabees. This one is reasonable:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Asus-X301A-RX005V-Subnotebook.83568.0.html

A successor should be on the way anytime soon though.

If you want smaller how about considering one of the Windows convertible tablets? The best one (mainly due to the fact the competition fails to get it even remotely right) is the Asus T100, but it's 10 inch. A very cool device though. Not as convenient to work with as a laptop due to its size and fairly cramped keyboard, but the fact it's so travel-friendly and also a tablet with full Windows makes it a sweet deal - especially since it's 399$, lol. Also, while the screen is not great considering competing tablets, it's going to be light years ahead of even most much more expensive laptops (to start with, there are no new sub-500$ laptops with IPS screens). And the battery lasts over 10 hours and you can charge it with a phone charger.

 

[S O F I]

Thanks.

Hm, I would have to try it out to see if it's too small or not.

 

[S O F I]

What do you think about these?

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-13-3-Lap...e=UTF8&qid=1403236734&sr=1-12&keywords=laptop
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Vaio-Fli...ie=UTF8&qid=1403236734&sr=1-5&keywords=laptop
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-NP915...ie=UTF8&qid=1403236734&sr=1-3&keywords=laptop

 

[ARon]

I have an Acer s3 like that, It's sturdy as fuck. Haven't had any software issues. I did delete all of the Acer bloatware, which there wasn't much, and have had no problems. Keyboard feels nice, keys respond well. Touchpad is average I would say, I hardly use mine though. Screen is pretty good too for what it is, it gets super bright if you like that stuff. If you care about the speakers on a laptop go kill yourself. If you want to know anything else just ask. But yeah, basically it's a cheap macbook running windows 8.


I've always wanted to try a Vaio like that though

 

[masta247]

The Vaio looks cool. That Samsung IS cool but not with that processor setup. The Vaio processor is also just a Pentium, which is not optimal - any i3 will be better. But it depends what your priorities are. Those proposition are a little like form over function, but they're not bad.

 

[S O F I]

so what do you recommend? lol

 

[S O F I]

I'm confused about the S3 saying it has 500GB HD and 20GB SSD. How does that work?

Also, what about this Vizio lol: http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-CT14-A4...E4W/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1403670898&sr

 

[ARon]

It's a hybrid HD. The 20gb is reserved for the OS and also hybernation, it saves certain shit so it boots super quick, or something like that.

Never used a Vizio but from when I looked at em at stores they seemed to be built well. That processor for that price is pretty cheap too