Need advice on laptop

[Mom21]

I am not a computer person. Since my divorce I just buy and hope for the best. I planned to get my dd a new computer for her graduation in May, but hers broke several month ago and really needs a new one. I'd like to buy from Best Buy to take advantage of their no interest same as cash. otherwise I've been out of work for most of the last few months and this is coming at a bad time. It needs to last her years as she will take it to college.

What about this one? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchp...ks=960&fs=saas&saas=saas&keys=keys&st=1732077

I have an HP she loves. Only thing I see on this one is it says no DVD. How do you install software? Guess that means she can't watch a movie on it at college then huh? Any other ideas that are decent deal from Best Buy. I know I could probably get a better price somewhere else, but no can do right now. Also I have a Geek Squad account that covers 3 computers in the house from Best Buy so since I already pay for it, might as well use it for hers too.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I would go with a touchscreen, to take advantage of Windows 8.1. Lots of computers don't come with DVD players anymore to save on weight. You can buy a stand alone one she can plug into a laptop for a minimal cost (under $35.00). The one you picked out is fine, but might be on the heavy side if she has to carry it around for school.

I would consult my daughter on this purchase. It won't be a surprise, but she can help chose what she wants.

 

[Mom21]

Thanks for the info. This one is a touch screen. I have tried to tell her to go out looking for what she wants, and then let me know. So far she hasn't. This one is the size of her old one so I thought it would be good. I'm not sure if she will carry it around to college classes. Her father gave her his old IPad. wonder if there is a way to take the Ipad to class and then transfer the notes to the computer when she gets back to her room?

 

[SplashMo]

This looks like a nice price on a nice computer.

 

[SandrA9810]

Thanks for the info. This one is a touch screen. I have tried to tell her to go out looking for what she wants, and then let me know. So far she hasn't. This one is the size of her old one so I thought it would be good. I'm not sure if she will carry it around to college classes. Her father gave her his old IPad. wonder if there is a way to take the Ipad to class and then transfer the notes to the computer when she gets back to her room?

I use a standard laptop with dvd drive. I wouldn't worry too much about the whole touch screen if she already has a tablet. That computer is a cross between a tablet and a laptop and lacks in certain features. If she already has an ipad, then go with a full laptop.

For notes, there's plenty of programs that use cloud storage. I take notes on my tablet using Google Drive in class, and then can access it on my computer instantly. A time or two I've even used my phone for Google Drive for notes. I would suggest getting her a full size blue tooth keyboard for easy typing. I use the Microsoft Bluetoooth keyboard 6000. There's plenty on ebay for a good price.

Save yourself a few hundred dollars
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/15-6-laptop-4gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive/2255015.p?id=1219070766187&skuId=2255015&st=categoryid$abcat0502000&cp=1&lp=11

That's capable of handling her college needs unless she's going into computer sciences (which does not sound like she is).

 

[S. C.]

I was told by in the past by a friend who stays up on computers and laptops.

'If you're going to keep a long time, avoid HP they live about 3 years, my memory needs go up that often so I did go with HP, but ACER or Toshiba are better for long life.'



Also recommended this one to me about 6 months ago. Around $549 at Staples.


Lenovo Ideapad Z580-59345254 15.6" Laptop
Item: 984631 Model: 59345254

3rd generation Intel® Core™ i5-3210M 2.5GHz 3MB L3 Cache Processor; Enjoy an automatic burst of speed...
8GB DDR3 Memory
750GB 5400RPM Hard Drive

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I was told by in the past by a friend who stays up on computers and laptops.

'If you're going to keep a long time, avoid HP they live about 3 years, my memory needs go up that often so I did go with HP, but ACER or Toshiba are better for long life.'

I am not a computer whiz, but I agree with this based on our family's experience. DH's second HP laptop in five years is dying and I am hoping it will last until Christmas. I can't remember when I bought my Toshiba, but it was definitely before either of his HPs. Looking at a Toshiba for him for Christmas.

 

[SandrA9810]

I am not a computer whiz, but I agree with this based on our family's experience. DH's second HP laptop in five years is dying and I am hoping it will last until Christmas. I can't remember when I bought my Toshiba, but it was definitely before either of his HPs. Looking at a Toshiba for him for Christmas.

My aunt had a Toshiba she bought in 2007 and it worked great until late last year. The battery was dying on it and causing issues. I bought us both new Toshibas for a great price. Mine has not been as good as the HP computers I used in the past. My bf just bought a new HP and I like it more than mine. If only it had Windows 7 on it, it would be a great computer. I already had to send mine in for repair, so I used the HP for a couple of weeks.

Companies are always changing, and what used to be great can be mediocre at best now. It's frustrating when you think you can rely on a company to be as good as the last product you bought.

 

[feistygalkmc]

We actually just purchased this laptop on QVC yesterday. It went on sale for $599 (we got the 17 inch w/out the office products). http://www.qvc.com/Dell-17.3-Laptop-AMD-A8-Quad-Core-8GB-RAM-1TB-HD-Electronics.product.E225169.html?sc=E225169-Targeted&cm_sp=VIEWPOSITION-_-3-_-E225169&catentryImage=http://images-p.qvc.com/is/image/e/69/e225169.001?$uslarge$ It is still a little cheaper than the list price of $699, looks like it is running $639 right now with free shipping and you can do the easy pay payments (this is what we did). They also have the same laptop in the 15 inch for a little less if you didn't want something so big in terms of screen size.

ETA: I didn't want a touchscreen so the Dell on qvc in the link is not a touch however it has some other neat features. And it has windows 8.1, 1 TB hard drive and 8 GB memory so lots of space.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Also keep in mind this does not come with the software she will need such as Microsoft word or excel. I see it does give you a one month free of Word but after that you will need to factor in another $100 - $150 to purchase Microsoft Suite which will contain Word and Excel. BTW since it does not have a DVD you will just download the software from the internet.

The memory is low on the one you are looking at so you may have to add memory and have someone install it factor in another $50 - $100 depending on how much they charge to install it.

 

[clh2]

Thanks for the info. This one is a touch screen. I have tried to tell her to go out looking for what she wants, and then let me know. So far she hasn't. This one is the size of her old one so I thought it would be good. I'm not sure if she will carry it around to college classes. Her father gave her his old IPad. wonder if there is a way to take the Ipad to class and then transfer the notes to the computer when she gets back to her room?

I have heard (from my college DD) that there is an app that lets you take notes with an ipad or ipad mini. App is in the $2 or $3 range, so not too much money. The app allows the ability to store your class notes in the cloud. DD knows someone who actually downloads the professors slides into her ipad, take notes on the presentation. The key is getting a stylus that is better for writing than for for "tapping/typing". DD has done enough research on this that we just gave her an ipad mini (early St. Nick present while she was home for Thanksgiving.) I do not know if it is possible to transfer the notes to a computer, I'm just not that up on the technology. Our DD is taking a class abroad in January, and she is bringing the ipad, not a laptop.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I use a standard laptop with dvd drive. I wouldn't worry too much about the whole touch screen if she already has a tablet. That computer is a cross between a tablet and a laptop and lacks in certain features.....

I used to think this way, until Windows 8 came out and we got my husband a Samsung laptop with a touchscreen (now running 8.1). After playing around with the new windows, it really is designed for a touchscreen computer. I think if you're buying a new windows laptop, a touchscreen is the way to go.

It's not an issue to have a separate dvd drive.

 

[Mom21]

Thank you all for the input. keep it coming. I did know I had to add 140 for student version of Office. Actually her father can do most of the stuff like installing. if she takes it over there and asks him, he will do it. I'm going to keep looking. Also, taking notes and making lists of computers to take a look at this week. This is the last gift I have to get. Want to get it out of the way.

BTW she is majoring in Chemical Engineering. Not sure if that makes a difference in what kind of computer she will need.

 

[Joan S.]

Hi, I too am looking for a new computer and have been to my local Best Buy twice. My ds (who is a computer wiz,as in takes them apart and puts them back together!!) is helping me choose so he has approved Asus,Lenovo and Toshiba. I wanted to stay between 400. and 500. but found an Asus that fit all my criteria priced at $599. the model # is Q301LA-BHI5T02 SKU 1737388. It is a 13.3 Touch screen and VERY light. No CD/DVD but my son also said that is pretty much obsolete, everything gets downloaded today.There is also a 15.6 Touch screen version of it at $649.( on sale this week.)SKU 8937121. These computers have 4th generation Intel Core i5 processors,the latest technology. Thought you might like to have a look at them for your dd . Best of luck in your search. Joan

 

[Mom21]

Hi, I too am looking for a new computer and have been to my local Best Buy twice. My ds (who is a computer wiz,as in takes them apart and puts them back together!!) is helping me choose so he has approved Asus,Lenovo and Toshiba. I wanted to stay between 400. and 500. but found an Asus that fit all my criteria priced at $599. the model # is Q301LA-BHI5T02 SKU 1737388. It is a 13.3 Touch screen and VERY light. No CD/DVD but my son also said that is pretty much obsolete, everything gets downloaded today.There is also a 15.6 Touch screen version of it at $649.( on sale this week.)SKU 8937121. These computers have 4th generation Intel Core i5 processors,the latest technology. Thought you might like to have a look at them for your dd . Best of luck in your search. Joan

Ok I like the 15.6 one. It is sitting in my cart waiting for me to push the buy button. Only reason I am hesitating is that for some reason my dd just loves the my computer has beatsaudio. I don't even know what that means, but the other one has it. Of course, this one doesn't as that is an HP thing. So anyone have any other suggestions? I saved $20 on Office student, but with tax my total is still $817. That makes me want to throw up. I didn't even get an extra warranty.

 

[Yummy123]

Hi, since the computer is for a girl. So I think you can choose a lighter and smaller one. Thus she can take it anywhere without trouble. The new released iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 are very good choices. Although they are tablets, but they can almostly meet the needs of a student. What's more, they are the most popular products now, I'm sure your dd will like it. Another point, as the iPad also has no DVD drive in it, so you still can't play dvd movies directly on it. But this is really easy to solve. I accidentally found a software on one page,it introduced a method to solve how to play dvd on iPad 4. Although it mainly based on iPad 4, but it also supports other models of iPad. You can check here to find it. Hope this post will help you!

 

[Mom21]

Hi, since the computer is for a girl. So I think you can choose a lighter and smaller one. Thus she can take it anywhere without trouble. The new released iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 are very good choices. Although they are tablets, but they can almostly meet the needs of a student. What's more, they are the most popular products now, I'm sure your dd will like it. Another point, as the iPad also has no DVD drive in it, so you still can't play dvd movies directly on it. But this is really easy to solve. I accidentally found a software on one page,it introduced a method to solve how to play dvd on iPad 4. Although it mainly based on iPad 4, but it also supports other models of iPad. Hope I post will help you!

She has an IPad. She wants a PC. She isn't fond of the Apple products for school applications and needs.

 

[Yummy123]

Oh, sorry. The PC you recommend is good, maybe you can have a look at Dell. I have a dell, and I think it is also good to use.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Hi, since the computer is for a girl. So I think you can choose a lighter and smaller one. Thus she can take it anywhere without trouble. The new released iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 are very good choices. Although they are tablets, but they can almostly meet the needs of a student. What's more, they are the most popular products now, I'm sure your dd will like it. Another point, as the iPad also has no DVD drive in it, so you still can't play dvd movies directly on it. But this is really easy to solve. I accidentally found a software on one page,it introduced a method to solve how to play dvd on iPad 4. Although it mainly based on iPad 4, but it also supports other models of iPad. You can check here to find it. Hope this post will help you!

Sorry, iPads are great, but they are no substitute for a computer, especially for college use.

It's a bit sexist to say a young woman would have problems carrying around a laptop.

 

[timmac]

Two details I'm either directly reading, or inferring from the OP, some of which have already been suggested by PPs. First is that we want something that will last roughly 4-5 years. Also, it sounds like the end user is not a CS/engineering major.

My strong recommendation would be to buy from either Lenovo or Dell, but instead of grabbing whatever model looks nice at best buy, consider buying online, and buy from the models that are tailored to business users. Why? Because the business market sector is more focused on moderate-performance with good longevity, and less on flashy-whizbang features. Also, they often tend to have replacement components (think battery here, which over 4-5 years there is a decent chance you will have to replace) available for relatively long periods of time.

If I were to pick one offhand for now, I'd go here: http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/latitude-3440-laptop/pd