Solved! Need Help Choosing Among These Laptops

jimlon

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Mar 17, 2010
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Hi,

I'm looking for a laptop to purchase for my mother who uses it primarily for usual web surfing, a bit of multimedia, and other normal day work (not business related). One of the main criteria for her is the cost which should adhere to the price tag of $700 and below (w/ S&H + Tax)--more or less. Another major criteria is the size of the monitor: min 15". These two points, cost and size overwrite all other features.

Obviously, this would take out Samsung, Sony, and Apple as they are more expensive than her budget. I have narrowed down the selection to 10 brand-models with the following features persisting more or less in all the items:

CPU: Intel Core i3 (if i5 for that price, the better)
Memory: DDR3 (2GB and up)
Hard Drive: 200GB+ (I am more concern with RPM, 7200 is much preferred)
Optical Drive: Dual Layer CD/DVD +/-R (if it is RW, the better)
Wireless: As long as it supports WPA/WPA2 and -N
Wire: Min 100MB
Video: Min Integrated Intel 128MB+ (1366x768)
Battery: Min 6 cell
Connectors: 1x HDMI

After searching for a few days, I've come up with the following list. What I'm looking is for people to share all the negative reviews they have either personally experienced or read because that way I can weed out the models with known issues. Yes, it's a bit strange request but I think this is the best way to minimize the future headaches. I list them in no particular of preference and specify the short coming of the components with respect to what I listed above and also certain extra amenities included in the package that deviates from the original ceiling with negative (-) and positive (+) sings:

1) Gateway NV5930u: $650 w/ S&H + Tax?
(-) 500GB 5400 RPM

2) Acer Aspire 5740-6025: $700 w/ S&H + Tax?
(+) Intel Core i5-430M 2.26 GHz (3M cache)
(-) 500GB 5400 RPM

3) Asus K52F-A1: $750 w/ S&H + Tax?
(+) Intel Core i3-350M 2.26 GHz (3M cache)
(-) 320GB 5400 RPM

4) Toshiba Satellite A500-ST6644: $780 w/ S&H + Tax
(+) 320GB SATA, 7200 RPM

5) Acer Aspire AS5740-5513: $650 w/ S&H + Tax
(-) 320GB SATA, 5400 RPM

6) HP Pavilion dv6t: $750 w/ S&H + Tax
(+) 320GB SATA, 7200 RPM w/ HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive
(-) Wireless-G Card

7) HP G62t: $650 w/ S&H + Tax
(+) 250GB SATA, 7200 RPM
(-) 3GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066 MHz

8) Dell Vestro 3500: $700 w/ S&H
(+) Intel Core i3-350M 2.26 GHz (3M cache)
(-) 250GB, 7200 RPM

9) Dell Inspiron 1564: $640 w/ S&H
(-) 320GB, 5400 RPM
(*) Webcam
(*) Dell 1397 802.11g Half Mini-Card

10) Dell Studio 1555: $760 w/ S&H
(+) 320GB SATA, 7200 RPM
(*) Dell 1397 Wireless G


If by any chance you know of any site that offers any of the models above, please do hesitate to share.

Sincerely,
 
Solution
Dorood :)
All are good and have pretty much the same specs
I would choose the last one because of having 320GB 7200RPM HDD(compared to 250GB or 5400RPM of others)and also has a FULL HD LCD.

jimlon

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Mar 17, 2010
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Dorood bar shoma. I wanted to save space and avoid hampering reader's attention span by keeping the specifications short. Hence the reason for the list of genera features at the beginning. Nonetheless, allow me to post the complete spec for some of these items that require customization:

(4) Toshiba Satellite A500-ST6644
Intel Core i3-350M 2.13 GHz (3M cache)
320GB SATA, 7200 RPM
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066 MHz
6 Cell
16" Widescreen (1366x768)
8x SuperMulti CD/DVD+/-RW DL
802.11 n
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD
Fusion Finish in Quantum Black
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
1 Year Standard Limited Warranty


(6) HP Pavilion dv6t
Intel Core i3-350M 2.13 GHz (3M cache)
320GB SATA, 7200 RPM w/ HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066 MHz
6 Cell
15.6" HD LED (1366x768) HD HP LED Brightview Widescreen
LightScribe SuperMulti 8x DVD+/-RW w/ DL
Wireless-G Card
Intel HD Graphics for i3 Processors
Espresso Black
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Webcam + Microphone


(7) HP G62t
Intel Core i3-350M 2.13 GHz (3M cache)
250GB SATA, 7200 RPM
3GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066 MHz
6 Cell
15.6" HD LED (1366x768) HD HP LED Brightview
SuperMulti 8x DVD+/-R/RW w/ DL
Wireless-N Card
Intel HD Graphics
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit


(8) Dell Vestro 3500
Intel Core i3-350M 2.26 GHz (3M cache)
250GB, 7200 RPM
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066 MHz
6 Cell
15.6" HD LED (1366x768) w/ Anti-Glare
8x DVD+/-RW (DL DVD+/-R)
Wireless Network Card 802.11 b/g/n
Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator HD
Aberdeen Silver
Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit
1 Year Basic Limited Warranty & 1 Year NBD On-Site Service


(9) Dell Inspiron 1564
Intel Core i3-350M 2.13 GHz (3M cache)
320GB, 5400 RPM
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066 MHz
6 Cell
15.6" HD WLED & 1.3M Webcam
High Definition Audio 2.0
8x CD/DVD (DL DVD+/-R)
Dell 1397 802.11g Half Mini-Card
Intel HD Graphics
Integrated 10/100 Network Card
Obsidian Black MRI
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
1 Year Basic Service Plan
1Yr LoJack


(10) Dell Studio 1555
Intel Core i3-350M 2.13 GHz (3M cache)
320GB SATA, 7200 RPM
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066 MHz
6 Cell
15.6" Full HD (1080p) HBLED w/ TrueLife & Camera
High Definition Audio 2.2
8x CD/DVD (DL DVD+/-R)
Dell 1397 Wireless G
Intel HD Graphics
Black Chainlink
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
1 Year Basic Service Plan


The spec are pretty much identical for all these laptops. What I am more interested is to know which ones are prone to have faulty hardware components, which ones have received the most negative reviews, etc.
 

jimlon

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Mar 17, 2010
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hank you Maziar. Dell Studio 1555 is the only item on the list with full 1080p; every other system was only equipped with 720p screen. However, all the reviews I've read for this particular model had horrid complains. You can check them out on Dell's website.