Need serious advice on laptop upgrade?
Asked by
Akua (
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)
March 13th, 2012
Up until now I have been in the computer stone age. I have a Dell desk top computer at home for about 4 years and it was refurbished when I bought it. The computer itself (not the screen) is huge and I want to upgrade to something small and sleek. I want it to be portable, super fast and have a good amount of memory. Battery life should be good but I don’t really expect to use it too far from an electrical outlet so thats not important. I wont be gaming. It’s primary purpose will be internet surfing, downloading and watching movies and music (I’m a music and movie fiend), scanning, downloading, uploading, storing pictures, writing documents, chatting online and some school work and research. I don’t need the absolute best of the best and I don’t want to spend a fortune. My limit is $800. When I go into Best Buy or Staples they either try to sell me everything but the kitchen sink or they know nothing about the products. I have gone online to read reviews about different laptops like Dell, Apple, Lenovo, HP and Sony just to name a few but the reviews all seem rehearsed. Can anyone here give me an opinion based on my needs? I want a laptop that will last a while and not give me a list of problems (at least not right out the box). Sturdy, good reputation, few if any issues and gliches and upgradable if necessary. Simple.
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10 Answers
Toshiba is near/at the top in laptop reliability, and they have plenty of models to choose from. They tend to be reasonably priced as well, so you could easily get something decent for under $800.
I love my old Toshiba T135 (discontinued a couple of years ago) since it has held up well, is zippy enough for my laptop needs, and was only $500 on sale new.
thanks @jerv I’ll look into it.
I really like my Lenovo E420s. It is fast and lightweight. Battery life is 5 hr.
@RocketGuy Is that real-world or rated? Mine was rated ”up to 8 hrs” , but since i use wifi constantly, 6:20 is closer to the truth.
$800? Woah. I do everything you said and more, and spent $250 (but I don’t use Windows). For $500 you will be able to get something that does all that you want. Stay away from Sony, Dell, Apple – overpriced. For what you want to do, you could get a used PC from 5 years ago and it would still be powerful enough. Battery longevity will be the limiting factor pushing you to want to upgrade in the future – but when you do, you’ll be buying a new computer rather than upgrading the existing. Best Buy and Staples will not have the best prices (unless you’re camping on the sidewalk for Black Friday, but even then Target and Wal Mart are stiff competition). Best value is probably HP or Acer. Check out websites like newegg.com and geeks.com.
@jerv – real usage 5 hr, tested in a day long design review.
undefined I have heard some unsavory things about Lenovo customer service. I went online and did a reviews check and half of the ppl their were griping about the poor quality. But I guess it’s a 50/50 chance I’ll get a dud
Hmm.. I don’t like those odds, lol. @prioritymail I have heard good things about Acer. I might go and give them a once over on newegg.com. Thanks guys.
@prioritymail I avoid HP like the plague. Their reliability is nowhere near as good as it used to be, and even then it was only average. I have had good luck with Acer, but I still say Toshiba or Asus is a better bet; the two are comparable in price, performance, and reliability. Personally, I don’t like the styling on the Asus so I would take Toshiba over Asus any day, but there isn’t anything really wrong with Asus either.
@jerv Agree HP has drawbacks; HP customer service is non existent, e.g. Also, I meant Asus! Acer is OK, too I think, but yeah, I have an Asus not Acer. Really? I have never seen a Toshiba that I thought looked good, but maybe I haven’t looked in a while. I think HP makes the nicest looking laptops of the three…
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