Help my son wants a laptop for christmas, but which is best budget wise?

[tikilyn]

hey I came across an asus laptop with windows 8at best buy's website for $229

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/14"+Lap...NbM&siteID=isIkAyUyNbM-iSLdmtgRySyrRPmNRJy0Ww

I saw that too! But the reviews says it runs slow, so I don't know if I want to get it or not. LOL I'm so undecided, sigh....

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[LilyWDW]

I saw that too! But the reviews says it runs slow, so I don't know if I want to get it or not. LOL I'm so undecided, sigh....

Thanks for the heads up!

The processor is considered slower for the majority of tasks compared to the the Intel I-3. As such, it would run slower then a comparable system with an Intel processor.

One other thing though... if you want this laptop to last him awhile, spend the money now to get a slightly better system. Otherwise it will become obsolete sooner rather then later which means buying a whole new system. I am actually not much of a laptop person (I have a desktop for gaming and a netbook for on the go work or school) but that is what I do for my desktops. Next upgrade I will build a new desktop with the top of the line items and then get a tablet for on the go. This desktop can STILL play any game coming out and I have had it for 5+ years already. Did it cost me more at the time? Yep... but I feel like I saved money in the long run.

 

[Theaberdeenkid]

The processor is considered slower for the majority of tasks compared to the the Intel I-3. As such, it would run slower then a comparable system with an Intel processor.

One other thing though... if you want this laptop to last him awhile, spend the money now to get a slightly better system. Otherwise it will become obsolete sooner rather then later which means buying a whole new system. I am actually not much of a laptop person (I have a desktop for gaming and a netbook for on the go work or school) but that is what I do for my desktops. Next upgrade I will build a new desktop with the top of the line items and then get a tablet for on the go. This desktop can STILL play any game coming out and I have had it for 5+ years already. Did it cost me more at the time? Yep... but I feel like I saved money in the long run.

Very true, and I agree. I was keeping the primary concern of cost in mind. In the future if you want to speed up the laptop you can install a SSD drive, that will greatly improve performance.

 

[timmac]

Timmac, I found this laptop at bestbuy. The price is good. It has no optical drive but we already own an external one he could use if he needed it. Is it more laptop like than chromebook? I would like to know what you think.

Thanks
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+...ategoryId=pcmcat247400050000&id=1219016114601

It's not bad, though it's definitely on the slower side, much like the suggestion posted below. If you're willing to spend an extra $50-100, you'll probably do much better on performance.

One thing to consider with a new laptop is touch screen or not. Windows 8 is really designed around using a touch screen. I just recently purchased a touch screen laptop from Staples. If you have a rewards card they often offer AN EXTRA $100 off. I ended up paying $300 for mine. I also got a free copy of Microsoft Office University.

Win8 has a lot of touch screen use implied in it's design, but even with that, I wouldn't recommend getting a touch screen laptop... during typical usage, using a touch screen is tiring and a lot of trouble. I don't know many people who use touch screen computers as much more than a novelty.

Very true, and I agree. I was keeping the primary concern of cost in mind. In the future if you want to speed up the laptop you can install a SSD drive, that will greatly improve performance.

An SSD will improve system performance, but at the end of the day, won't really help a slow processor. Also, the average user is going to have no clue how to upgrade to an SSD themselves. I wouldn't recommend using this as a backup plan.

For lowest price, my recommendations at best buy:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-...lack/8976098.p?id=1219013503692&skuId=8976098

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/toshiba...rive/7941053.p?id=1218874493593&skuId=7941053

 

[Green Tea]

Acer has a refurbished Chromebook on ebay today for $159. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Acer-11-6-Chromebook-2GB-320GB-Chrome-OS-C710-2847/271288464923?afsrc=1 Hope this helps!