Teacher in need of a good computer. Advice please

lizard6king6

lizard6king6

CAGiversary!
Feedback
15 (100%)
Need a new computer (laptop or something portable). Max budget is about $600 unless I can find an awesome deal on a Mac for less than a grand. Just need it for Internet browsing, typing lesson plans and storing photos and music. I just want to get something that won't be obsolete in a year and will run smoothly for awhile. Any suggestions appreciated.
 
I just bought one of these used and have been very happy with it: http://www.cowboom.com/product/1616213/ .  It was $250 when i bought it a couple of weeks ago, so it might drop again.  It's used, but it came in like-new condition.  Added a 500 GB SSD for ~$150, installed Windows 10 on it (which you can probably get for free from Dreamspark since you're a teacher, as long as you have a .edu e-mail address), and it's been great.  About 5 seconds to boot up, and 5 seconds to shut down, and it's surprisingly powerful enough to flawlessly run the games I've tried.  The touchscreen is also a nice bonus.

 
There isn't much anymore around that price range that will feel out of date in a year or two. But it also varies on what size screen you want on it. If your looking for something small/portable on take with you all the time. Or just something that you will use at home. That makes a big difference in price.

There are plenty of back to school sales going on right now. Or if you can wait till black friday you should be able to get a better deal.

And are you looking to pick in up in store or online. Because you will have more selection online.

 
$600 is plenty for a decent computer. I doubt you'll find a Macbook for that price unless you are willing to get a used one, which isn't a bad idea since they're solid machines. 

Keep an eye around forums like Fatwallet and Slickdeals. There are laptop deals posted there fairly regularly. Find something with a quad core processor and at least 4GB of memory and you should be set for a few years. 

One thing you need to consider is screen size and resolution. There are tons of cheap 15" inch laptops that have 1366x768, which looks awful. Try to get at least 1920x1080 if you're going for a 15" laptop screen. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the advice everyone. More is welcome. I check slickdeals and deal news often but nothing has jumped out. Have an edu email so hoping to get a little more off. Really debating spending extra for a Mac book
 
You can easily build a mid-tier desktop computer for $600. As a teacher you should be able to get a free/cheap copy of windows. This route will last you a few years.

Since all you want to do is Internet, type lesson plans, and store photos/music, I strongly recommend a Chromebook (assuming your typing lessons does not require any special software).

Chromebooks are definitely different than your average laptop/netbook though, so do some research and see if it's right for your needs.

Basically they run on Chrome OS and can't run any Windows software. They also don't have much onboard storage, but you can easily buy a large memory card and use online storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. to save/store your stuff (documents/pics/music/etc.). The best part is that it's really fast - like 10 seconds from pushing the power button to being on the desktop and starting whatever I need to do (mainly using the internet).

This is what I use http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J49ZH6K/

 
+1 to the Chromebooks. That is only if you will NEVER need a piece of Windows/Proprietary software.

If you go the windows route, I would hold off buying for about a month or two. Intel's new Skylake chips will start hitting the market soon and businesses should start running sales to clear existing inventory. If your curious about Skylake, you really don't need it. The new chip is all about graphic performance and improved battery life.

Basic specs to keep and eye out it for...

Intel I5 processor ( i cant recommend AMDs anymore)

8 GB RAM

Replace HDD with an SSD

 
I'd say ask her if a few questions like:

What size screen are you looking for?

Are you going to be taking it to and from school?

Are you going to be using any windows applications?

When do you need it?

But online or in store?

Then she should have an idea of what she should get.

 
She was hoping to get one by the end of the week. Something she can bring back and forth from school to home. Like I said no specific apps just something for storing documents and surfing the web and will last awhile. Thanks again for all the advice
 
I recently got myself the Asus Transformer Book Flip 13.3" Convertible Notebook from Groupon for $500 which includes a Full-HD IPS Touchscreen, Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM and a 500GB hard drive. It is quite light at 3.75lb compared to the behemoth of a Dell I had before that weighed in at 5.7lb.
A few days ago woot had it on sale for $400 which is a shame I didn't see this thread sooner.

In most cases we look at the specs of the computer but there are other small things that can break the experience. Being that it will be used for typing, the overall feel and layout of the keyboard will be an important factor. The only way to evaluate this aspect is to try typing in-store or risk placing an order online and hope it turns out to her expectations.
 
Awesome. She ended up getting a toshiba radius at bet buy. She paid a little much but it's what she wanted and should last awhile 8gb ddr3 , 750 gb, and i5. She paid 700 with student/edu coupon. Probably not best deal but it worked. Thanks everyone for their opinion
 
lizard6king6 said:
Awesome. She ended up getting a toshiba radius at bet buy. She paid a little much but it's what she wanted and should last awhile 8gb ddr3 , 750 gb, and i5. She paid 700 with student/edu coupon. Probably not best deal but it worked. Thanks everyone for their opinion
Click to expand...
Could you drop a link to what she bought? I'm curious to see which one it is.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top