Student Laptop suggestions needed 600$- form filled.

Ash D · Jun 17, 2016

I'm a student in my 2nd year at university doing Computer Science and Engineering and I would really appreciate some help here.

1. What is your budget?
600$

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
13-15 inches

3. What screen resolution do you want?
Full HD

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Portable

5. How much battery life do you need?
The more the better.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
No gaming.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
Just coding.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
Doesn't matter.

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
None

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
For next 4 years.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
No optical drive.

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
I'm a n00b

13. What country do you live in?
USA

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
I need a laptop to code and browse the internet from my dorm. Aesthetically good looking laptops are a huge plus point.

Thank You.

Mark RM · Jun 17, 2016

Given that you're a USA student, buying from a company with fast simple support is really the most critical item. I'd definitely stick with HP and Dell (lenovo is s third here, I find them slow)who both have quick turn around times on their depot services and they both have decent support web sites.. this is never an issue until you need help the most.

In your price class you're looking at a HP Pavilion with an Intel CPU (whatever you configure it as within in your budget) or a New Inspiron 15 5000 series with an CPU (again configurable to your budget).

There are of course other choices, but I favor durability and support over your four year planned life span vs other factors.

Just my 2 cents.

Ash D · Jun 17, 2016

Thank you very much Mark. I'll make sure I follow that rule!

jaguarskx · Jun 17, 2016

The following 15" Dell Inspiron 7000 series 2-in-1 for $548 should be sufficient for your needs.

https

/www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-Convertible-Touchscreen-i5-6200U/dp/B01EYXZY7W/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466184119&sr=1-4&keywords=dell+i5-6200u+1080p

Ash D · Jun 17, 2016

Mark RM :

jaguarskx :

How about this?
https

/www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-NVIDIA-Windows-E5-575G-53VG/dp/B01DT4A2R4/ref=lp_13896615011_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466185480&sr=1-2
and this
https

/www.amazon.com/HP-15-ay011nr-Full-HD-Generation-Windows/dp/B01CGGOZOM/ref=lp_13896615011_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466185480&sr=1-1
or this
https

/www.amazon.com/F556UA-AS54-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Laptop-Windows/dp/B01CGGOUJM/ref=lp_13896615011_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466185757&sr=1-3

They seem to provide better specs ?

Mark RM · Jun 17, 2016

I don't like Acer, I fix a lot of notebooks and they drive me nuts. I know they sell more features for less, but I don't find them durable overall. That HP you linked received good reviews and seems well rounded for the money.

Ash D · Jun 17, 2016

Mark RM :

In terms of reviews the acer seems to smack the hp with a fish. Do you think its all happening because the laptops are new and the problems will only show up after sometime?
What do you think of the dell, does it justify its premium?

Mark RM · Jun 17, 2016

It's like buying a car, the initial ratings concern features, warranty, driveability and gas mileage. Then you look at the three year old model of that car and find out it's had 52 recalls and people complaining about transmission failures you have to wonder if this years model is actually better.

I agree, on paper, the Acer has more going for it. My dislike is based on the quality I see on repairs of the brand based soley on my own experience. It's just an opinion. The same way I hate Toshiba because they never seem to support a new OS, just the one that shipped with the unit. Dell and HP and least try and retain forward support.

If you like the features offered by the Dell, then certainly it's worth the money. For me, a laptop is a nice to have secondary unit that I use when I travel. I have a three year old HP Elitebook with a 1TB ssd for the record. If I blow a drive or wreck the power port, I can wait for parts and fix it later because my main PC's are all available.

For you, your computer can't flip out or break a hinge when you have an essay due. It has to work every day until you either buy another to upgrade or your work is done. Thus, what I would buy with 600 dollars and what you would buy are by the very nature of we need them to do with them, different.

Ash D · Jun 17, 2016

Mark RM :

It's like buying a car, the initial ratings concern features, warranty, driveability and gas mileage. Then you look at the three year old model of that car and find out it's had 52 recalls and people complaining about transmission failures you have to wonder if this years model is actually better.

I agree, on paper, the Acer has more going for it. My dislike is based on the quality I see on repairs of the brand based soley on my own experience. It's just an opinion. The same way I hate Toshiba because they never seem to support a new OS, just the one that shipped with the unit. Dell and HP and least try and retain forward support.

If you like the features offered by the Dell, then certainly it's worth the money. For me, a laptop is a nice to have secondary unit that I use when I travel. I have a three year old HP Elitebook with a 1TB ssd for the record. If I blow a drive or wreck the power port, I can wait for parts and fix it later because my main PC's are all available.

For you, your computer can't flip out or break a hinge when you have an essay due. It has to work every day until you either buy another to upgrade or your work is done. Thus, what I would buy with 600 dollars and what you would buy are by the very nature of we need them to do with them, different.

I couldn't agree more.

What do you think about metallic laptops? Are they better than plastic ones in the long run?
The 459$ hp has a flexing screen so a big no no in the long run right?

Mark RM · Jun 17, 2016

I love metallic cases because if they mount the hinges to a raised metal surface, you rarely get cracking in the hinge area (that's why I bought an elitebook). In terms of flex in the monitor on cheap notebooks, I've never had a problem with that, it's almost always about the hinges. You open/close it and the plastics get weak and start crumbling and then you're looking for a lower case.

But of course, some people are simply more careful than others so mileage varies.

Overall I figure the HP is at the bottom of your range. If you spend low, add on warranty. If you spend a little higher, you get a little more quality and might not need warranty support. It's an either or situation. Even when I buy a cheap laptop, I almost always stick an SSD in it and put the drive it shipped with into a USB3 case. Since drives are the number one failure on notebooks, a small SSD with larger external storage can be a good spend.

Lots to decide.

Ash D · Jun 17, 2016

Mark RM :

Yes, you are absolutely right. Thats the first thing I did with my brothers laptop, took the hdd and put in a ssd. I'm most likely gonna put my desktop ssd into the laptop I buy, desktop runs ubuntu just fine with a regular hdd occasionally.
Yes, lots to decide and you're gonna help me with that now, I'm totally messed up now.
Is there a good build laptop that fits within 600$?

Mark RM · Jun 17, 2016

Of everything we've talked about here in the price range I like that Dell jaguarskx linked up earlier, it has a Solid build, it gets reasonable reviews and like all Dells has a full parts list and repair manuals and things of that nature. The HD 520 graphics is flexible enough that you can play the odd game of whatever without cursing it out or watch an encoded movie without suffering huge battering drains. It's basic enough that you can dual boot a Linux install without looking for exotic drivers. For the price it's the right blend.

Add a basic SSD that meets your price expectations and a 2.5" case to slap the HD in and you're done. Remember to buy a dedicated USB key so you can create restore media before you swap the drive.

I'd buy it for my kids.

Ash D · Jun 17, 2016

Mark RM :

Of everything we've talked about here in the price range I like that Dell jaguarskx linked up earlier, it has a Solid build, it gets reasonable reviews and like all Dells has a full parts list and repair manuals and things of that nature. The HD 520 graphics is flexible enough that you can play the odd game of whatever without cursing it out or watch an encoded movie without suffering huge battering drains. It's basic enough that you can dual boot a Linux install without looking for exotic drivers. For the price it's the right blend.

Add a basic SSD that meets your price expectations and a 2.5" case to slap the HD in and you're done. Remember to buy a dedicated USB key so you can create restore media before you swap the drive.

I'd buy it for my kids.

Alright, thank you very much.
I'd need a usb gigabit adapter too!

Mark RM · Jun 17, 2016

Good Luck at university Ash. Happy computing.

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