Decent Laptop for College

[mcgavin27]

I am going to need a laptop soon and I was wondering what would be the best I can get for between $500-700, Online or B&M. It just has to be able to have word and the internet.

Thanks for the help.

 

[crzyjoeguy]

i got a dell inspiron 1525 from the walmart in north myrtle beach soutrh carolina for 450, useually 500 works good, havnt had ne problems 2 gig ram 120 gig hd windows xp cuz i dont like vista so. but yea i got a dell and like it for the price. could check online for it, but my mom just got a much better laptop for about 700 from circuitcity.com so could check there 2, i dont know the cheapest place to get them though

 

[MajorSmeg]

Newegg has a bunch of promo discounts on laptops right now. Here's the ad:

 

[Ivanhoe]

Frys.com (tax is only charged in 10/50states)


http://shop1.frys.com/product/5721592?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
Compaq 549.99

Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
AMD Athlon™ X2 QL-62 Dual-Core Processor
15.4" Diagonal WXGA High-Definition Widescreen (1280 x 800)Display
NVIDIA GeForce 8200M with up to 895MB Total Available Graphics Memory
2048MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
160GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
SuperMulti 8X DVD-+R/RW with Double Layer Support
802.11b/g WLAN



http://shop1.frys.com/product/5757522?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
579.99 Toshiba.

Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
Processor AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor QL-62
Processor Speed 2.00 GHz
Bus Speed HyperTransport™ 3: up to 3.6 (GT/sec)
Memory 2048MB DDR2 System Memory
Accessible Memory Slots 2
Video Graphics ATI® Radeon™ 3100 256MB-894MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory
Hard Drive 160GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive
Multimedia Drive DVD-SuperMulti drive (+/-R double layer) supporting up to 11 fomats
Display 15.4" Diagonal WXGA with TruBrite® Technology 1280x800, Supports 720p content
Network Card Integrated 10/100 Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
Wireless Option Atheros® Wireless LAN (802.11b/g)
Digital Media 5-in-1 Bridge Media Adapter
Fax/Modem High speed 56k modem
Audio Standard stereo speakers, Microphone jack (mono), Headphone jack (stereo)
Pointing Device TouchPad pointing device, CD/DVD Buttons (Play/Pause, Stop, Prev Track, Next Track), Media button, Mute button, 86 key US keyboard
PC Card Slots 1 ExpressCard Slot

External Notebook Ports
Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0, 4th port shared with eSATA
Headphone out
microphone-in
1 VGA (15-pin)
1 RJ-11 (modem)
1 RJ -45 (LAN)
1 IEEE 1394 Firewire (4-pin

 

[rmb]

There are many for $500 or less but I'd get no bigger than a 14" due to weight. Yes, it will matter. I had a 15" and just got a 13" and the difference is great. I'd watch the weekly ads and check the other internet deal sites daily to find the best deal.

 

[Thongsy]

You can get any notebook for $500 or less that meets your requirement, of word and the internet. I would watch slickdeals and when you see one you like, go for it than. There is usually a great HP deal every couple of months. Though I have an HP and hate it, but for $600, got what I expected. Next time I'm going to spend more and get an 14" Lenovo. I agree with the above poster, even though it might not seem like much, 15" is still a little too big and too heavy, unless it's the only thing you're carrying. Screen size won't make much of a differences since you'll be less than a foot from the screen anyways.

 

[mcgavin27]

thanks guys for the help

 

[jonac13]

I'm doing great with my MSI Wind, a lot of people would recommend an Acer Aspire One. But that's only if you want a netbook. I never have problems with word processing, programming, internet surfing, etc though, and that's all I would imagine you might need for college.

 

[Swift900]

I just ordered an Asus EEE PC 1000h. It sports a 10" screen, 1 gb ram (although it is insanely easy to upgrade to 2 gb), 160 gb hdd (although it too is insanely easy to upgrade), and a 6 cell battery for great life (about 6 - 8 hours from what I've read). You can get it with XP or Linux.

All this will run you about $500. Mine should arrive on Weds. Can't wait!

 

[JolietJake]

I also have a Wind and love it. Though i don't like having to remove the entire bottom have to get to the hardware. One if the metal lugs broke on mine and i can't screw down one corner of the bottom. Other than that, it's great, plenty of power for school work, plus it's incredibly light weight.