Help purchasing laptop

[jss828]

Looking for some help getting a laptop as a gift for a family member for xmas because there
are too many choices out there for myself to pick one.

Primary uses would be watching videos through netflix via HD TV other than that web surfing, very light gaming like minecraft
and some office use.

-Budget no more than $450
- Lives in USA
- Looking for at least i3 cpu
- at least 4 GB RAM
- any size hdd would work would like 7200rpm but thats wishful thinking on this budget



Also a quick question. Would it be better to wait til mid December to purchase a laptop or get one now?
Thanks to anyone who has the time to give me their opinion.

 

[Labrynthian]

Ok, so first off, not a lot is going to change in the market between now and two weeks from now, (mid december). That said, you might as well buy one now, only because people normally benefit from laptops sooner rather than later. Yes, you're working with a fairly low budget, but if you're going to do "very light gaming", you should be all right. Also, remember you're going to have to settle for a fairly small screen, roughly 11-13 inches... I do think a 7,200 RPM HDD is impossible in the $450 budget, but I've been wrong before.

Anyway, here's a place to start. See if you like anything. You'll also get a better idea of the kind of specs you can get in your price range. Take a look and let me know, otherwise we'll find you something else

http/www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385602,00.asp