Laptop Opinions?

[Xirena]

Hi Everyone,

Lately I've been shopping around for a new laptop. This would be a second one for me. The one I have right now works just fine, especially for being 5 years old, but it really is time for an upgrade.

I'm a university student so portability is a factor. I do game a little bit, but this is mainly going to be used for school, IM, Skype, internet, music and movies. Budget is around $1000 max for PC. I know that I want at least an i3 processor and 2GB RAM.

Two of the ones I've been looking at seem really good and it would be great to get your opinions on them.

Acer: http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/ca...affixedcode=WW

Asus: http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/ca...affixedcode=WW

I'm open to other suggestions as well. Please feel free to give your input

[McKitty]

I definitely say when in doubt, go with the Asus vs. the Acer. A much higher-end brand, and all my friends who are computer industry professionals (also, ALL of my male friends here are computer professionals, lol) use Asus in some way or another, but never Dell or Acer for their lack of quality.
I have a custom pink Sony Vaio in snakeskin texture and this is my fourth year with and it's got wonderful performance and portability. I am also a student and travel with it a lot, and it's perfecto. Sony has some great options in the <$1000 range:
http://store.sony.ca/webapp/wcs/stor...fier=S_Laptops

[Aslan]

Agree about Asus. In general I prefer Asus and Lenovo Thinkpads and their build quality is better than most. Lenovo tends to have a lot of coupons, and you can even save up to 40% on a very nice laptop.

HP and Dell's consumer models are crap, but their high-end business models are very good. However, both the HP Elitebook and Dell Precision are extremely expensive, and I really doubt you could even get a refurbished previous generation model for under $1000

With Sony, I'm a bit ambivalent. I haven't had good experiences with either their laptops or service, but they always come near the top of most reliability surveys, so it's probably just my luck.

The other option is Apple. I don't like OS/X much, but their service is extremely good, even if their build quality is overrated. We all know how expensive Apple is, but they are still worth considering.

[tedhawkins]

Asus is a much better brand with better build quality.

[DavidY]

Asus over Acer for quality. However, that $849 Asus appears overpriced IMO. If you plan to game heavily (GT 540M is a solid gaming graphics), that Acer is reported to have overheating issues.

I prefer the second generation i5-2410M or better. AMD quad core A6-3400M are budget friendly and decent performers. The A6's are very popular in many budget priced laptops, low temperatures and decent battery life.

You should specify what you need for this laptop in terms of screen size, weight, optical drive, etc. For portabiliity, you probably don't want a laptop larger than 14 inch. 13.3 inch laptops don't normally have optical drives (e.g. DVD burner). How about the keyboard style? Most laptops in Canada have bilingual keyboard. I prefer the US keyboard. US keyboards are typically available with select Sony, Asus, Lenovo laptops (other brands too).

If you are not in a hurry, you can customize your laptop at the Lenovo or Dell websites. I have a 14 inch Lenovo E420....pretty good CPU (i5-2410M), between 4 and 5 pounds, average quality display, US keyboard. Took several weeks to get one from their factory in China.

Dave

[Xirena]

Thanks for the input everyone!

Asus seems to be very popular with everyone, and my friends tell me that they're pretty durable. Acer and HP seem to have gotten better in the last while as well. I was originally looking for a tablet PC but those are ridiculously expensive...

@Dave: for screen size I am looking for something <14" for portability. I have a 15.6' Toshiba right now that's 5 years old, still works but is starting to get a little old and heavy to carry around to and from school everyday now that I need it more. Optical drive is not a huge deal as long as it can burn DVDs but I have my old laptop for that as well.

[DavidY]

@Dave: for screen size I am looking for something <14" for portability. I have a 15.6' Toshiba right now that's 5 years old, still works but is starting to get a little old and heavy to carry around to and from school everyday now that I need it more. Optical drive is not a huge deal as long as it can burn DVDs but I have my old laptop for that as well.

If you don't have an optical drive, you cannot burn DVDs. Only some 13.3 inch laptops have these drives. Most 14 inch laptops have DVD burners. 14 inch laptops typically weigh around 4.5 to 5 pounds.

If you are close to Walmart, they have a 14 inch Toshiba laptop with an AMD quad core A6-3400M CPU, 4 GB RAM, 640 GB HD, probably 6520G graphics, webcam, DVD burner, etc. for $448.

http://www.walmart.ca/Electronics/Co...lite-L745D-006

Here's a 14 inch (14.5 is a typo) HP laptop with the same A6-3400M CPU, 750 GB HD, 6520G, webcam, DVD burner, etc. for $399 on sale (Labour Day online sale). HP are not known for reliability....Toshiba is probably a better bet.

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/produ.../10173819.aspx

May consider spending more $$ on an extended warranty and/or accidental damage insurance....probably have up to 14 days to test out a HP laptop from FS.

Most Asus laptops in the sub 14 inch size don't have the latest CPUs...mostly first generation i3 and i5. However, they are becoming more available as we speak (they have been a bit behind HP, Toshiba and Acer).

That 13.3 inch Acer in your first post would work too, but it likely doesn't have a DVD burner. Since you don't plan to game much, the overheating is a non-issue.

Dave

[socialsearch]

Hi Everyone,

Lately I've been shopping around for a new laptop. This would be a second one for me. The one I have right now works just fine, especially for being 5 years old, but it really is time for an upgrade.

I'm a university student so portability is a factor. I do game a little bit, but this is mainly going to be used for school, IM, Skype, internet, music and movies. Budget is around $1000 max for PC. I know that I want at least an i3 processor and 2GB RAM.

Two of the ones I've been looking at seem really good and it would be great to get your opinions on them.

Acer: http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/ca...affixedcode=WW

Asus: http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/ca...affixedcode=WW

I'm open to other suggestions as well. Please feel free to give your input

i use dell and i m satisfy with the services of it

[colonelsmoke]

theres an acer A6 with 6gb and 640gb for $379
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...27d6310e52en02
the a6 and the gfx card is better than an i3 and its integrated one

[Aslan]

@Dave: for screen size I am looking for something <14" for portability. I have a 15.6' Toshiba right now that's 5 years old, still works but is starting to get a little old and heavy to carry around to and from school everyday now that I need it more. Optical drive is not a huge deal as long as it can burn DVDs but I have my old laptop for that as well.

Honestly, I think having an Internal Optical Drive nowadays is kind of pointless. I think it's best to get something lighter that does not have one, then spend $20-30 and get a Slim, External Drive that is USB Powered.

One option would be to get an "Ultrabook". These are a new type of Ultralight that are reputed to be extremely slim, lightweight and powerful.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrabook

Samsung in particular is releasing the Series 7, and this is nice in that it has a 14" 1600x900 Screen in a 13" Chassis. However, this also is coming out in October, rather than right now.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/30/s...e-go-hands-on/

If you can't really wait, a good option would be a Thinkpad T420. It isn't really that 'pretty', but the build quality is excellent, and you can easily get it for under $1000 with coupons.

As for all the cheap Acer/HP recommendations, if you're willing to spend $1000, then avoid these. HP's cheaper consumer models in particular are absolute garbage, and Acer isn't much different.

i use dell and i m satisfy with the services of it

I wonder who would hire a web designer that can't even be bothered to design a decent website for themselves.

[DavidY]

Honestly, I think having an Internal Optical Drive nowadays is kind of pointless. I think it's best to get something lighter that does not have one, then spend $20-30 and get a Slim, External Drive that is USB Powered.

One option would be to get an "Ultrabook". These are a new type of Ultralight that are reputed to be extremely slim, lightweight and powerful.

If you can't really wait, a good option would be a Thinkpad T420. It isn't really that 'pretty', but the build quality is excellent, and you can easily get it for under $1000 with coupons.

The Lenovo T420 has an optical drive, but is not super portable (between 4 and 5 pounds I think).

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/ww/pdf/t42..._datasheet.pdf

For portability, the Lenovo X220 is lighter than the T420 and does NOT have an optical drive....smaller screen too.

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/ww/pdf/x220_datasheet.pdf

The 1366x768 display on my 14 inch Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E420 is average at best....appears to be common complaint for this $500-$600 laptop and budget priced laptops in general. Depending how picky you are, I would look at a display upgrade where possible. Happy with the build quality and the US keyboard.

Dave

[Aslan]

The Lenovo T420 has an optical drive, but is not super portable (between 4 and 5 pounds I think).

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/ww/pdf/t42..._datasheet.pdf

For portability, the Lenovo X220 is lighter than the T420 and does NOT have an optical drive....smaller screen too.

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/ww/pdf/x220_datasheet.pdf

The 1366x768 display on my 14 inch Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E420 is average at best....appears to be common complaint for this $500-$600 laptop and budget priced laptops in general. Depending how picky you are, I would look at a display upgrade where possible. Happy with the build quality and the US keyboard.

Dave

Agreed about the X220. I was a bit hesitant to suggest this as the screen size is 12.5", but it's among the best choices in terms of performance and portability.

The T-Series does has a higher-res 1600x900 IPS Screen Option, and you can also replace the DVD-RW with an Ultrabay as well. The build quality from my experience is better than the Edge, if you're willing to deal with the extra weight.

[Xirena]

Thanks for all the great suggestions and opinions. It's been great. I actually went for the Asus; albiet a different one than the one I originall posted.

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX35349(ME).aspx

I don't know if you can see it but if you cant it's the Asus K53E-XR4. Although the screen is a little bigger than I wanted, I ended up needing something that will replace a desktop (mine crashed and isn't worth replacing).

I had a choice between this model and the Asus A52F-XA3. I'm not a heavy gamer at all, and I have very basic uses for a computer in today's standards, but I also figured that since I tend to keep electronics for years upon years, a better processor, RAM and HDD was worth it for me. And Asus had better reviews than Acer for it's durability.

Spent $599.99+tax and really really happy right now

Thanks again for all the advice everyone!

[marstec]

Do you need to stick with Windows OS? How about a MacBook or MacBook Pro? You can use your student status for a discount. The battery life is great and it is very simple to use. I will admit to some bias regarding Asus - I just bought an Asus monitor for a PC gaming computer and the manual was pathetic; there were no instructions about the settings at all....I wonder if it would be the same for a laptop?

[Xirena]

I've never used an Asus desktop before so I really can't comment on it. A few people in previous posts and many friends of mine in IT/Computer backgrounds reccommended Asus for it's durability.

I haven't been a huge fan of the Macbooks to be honest. My sister has one but I just can't seem to get used to the OS no atter what I do. We had a bit of a situation two years back as well that we felt could have been handled a little better too. I do love Apple iPods and iTunes, but I have and will always be a windows person.