Best Laptops for the Price Forum

[FakeHubieBrown]

My laptop for Undergrad lasted me for 4 years, but is starting to falter a bit, so I figure it's probably best to make a switch.

What's the best laptop for each of the following price ranges? Your thoughts on particularly useful specifications/capabililies are also appreciated (like screen size/resolution or keyboard or anything else that would come to mind)? Should I just give in and buy a mac?

$500
$1000
$1500
$2000

Thanks!

[presidentk1]

There are a few threads about this already

Don't buy a Mac ...they are overpriced

[laxbrah420]

$500 - probably gonna be a 14" HP.
$1000 - 13" Macbook Pro ($1099)
$1500 - Dell Latitude E6530
$2000 - Dell Latitude E6530

[Incubateus]

HP and Dell are definitely out. Historically, these brands have had a high number of hardware failures. Additionally, their customer service situation is difficult to deal with. gethuman helps, but you shouldn't have to deal with everything in the first place. Lenovo is better than Toshiba, but neither is as well built as a fujitsu (this is the one I recommend the most if you buy windows). Asus doesn't do too bad a job (certainly better than acer) and I haven't seen a Gateway in years for good reason. But honestly, if you are going to get a windows computer, you should really just build one yourself. If you can't do that, then you should probably lean towards a Mac. People will say that's extreme, but the simple truth is this: many windows computers are not built specifically to run windows software. This matters because certain technical interactions wear down parts, making them more prone to failure. Macs rarely, if ever, have this problem because their OS is built for their hardware and vice-versa. They may look better spec-wise than a mac, and they may be cheaper, but the consistency, quality, and often times customer service is not there. That being said, the WWDC is this coming week and the landscape may change with Tim Cook as CEO instead of Steve Jobs, but I doubt it will change all that significantly. They did have their first quality downgrade with Siri being sent out in beta, but that is a very exceptional case.

I'm assuming that if you are asking this question, you aren't even considering Linux. I love linux, but at this point in your life you should probably just stay away from it (unless you begin learning a lot more about computers and even coding).

My Recommendation for most people: BUY A MAC. I know it feels like a cult, but you just need to get over that and go for it. For the peace of mind it provides it is far and away the best deal the average person can get on a computer. The integration with other Apple products also does not hurt. In law school you should really be looking for a computer that 1. Never breaks 2. Runs a generally intuitive OS, and 3. Has a strong battery life. I grew up building computers with my dad. I've had pretty much every brand at one point or another. NO ONE has been able to take my abuse like Apple. It is simply a quality product.

Bearing in mind the WWDC is this week, alongside several other technology jumps this summer, sites like engadget, gizmodo, etc. have already called this the worst time in the history of computers to buy a laptop: http://gizmodo.com/5916005/theres-never ... y-a-laptop . I personally, am waiting a week to see what Apple does before I decide to move forward. The rest of the field is rather predictable, if not open already, but Apple could be coming out with some cool stuff; retina display (slim chance though), ssds for the pros, slimmer bodies, better battery due to the ssd, possible siri integration, mountain lion osx, etc.

I will probably end up buying one of the new pros given that I'm not overly surprised with the WWDC news. They are high quality instruments and are perfect for my needs across the board.

now to answer your questions regarding tiers, I would do this:

500: I would not expect anything from a laptop at this price. It is probably going to crap out at some point. I would probably just buy a desktop and take notes on paper. If not that, I'm personally curious about the samsung chromebooks. I was able to try out the beta models a while back when google was giving them out and loved it for certain things. I can't remember if samsung made it at the time, but the machine was simple and nice. Excellent for old people, the inept, and people who have singular functions for their machine.
1000: Macbook Air
1500: Macbook Pro
2000: Souped up Macbook Pro

[laxbrah420]

chromebooks for law school
dell support not good
cool post about how you build computers, use linux, and were a beta tester. everything else you wrote is SPS

[20130312]

That long rambling post is ridiculous. Just get a Dell Inspiron 14z for $500 if you only need it for law school. 4GB of RAM, 500GB of storage. What more do you need?

[071816]

Lenovo Thinkpad T Series. If you look at sites like slickdeals.net you can find a lot of good deals.

[09042014]

I'd go with a lower end ASUS. ASUS has great reliability (better than mac) and doesn't have a premium in pricing.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834230234

If you want a 13 inch screen size

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834230315

^^ That will perform about equal to a mac book pro 13inch, but better for any sort of gaming (which neither will do that great)


Really, just buying the cheapest Asus, Toshiba or Sony that you can find that has an intel core i3/i5 is probably a credited option.

[Pate]

ASUS - Glad I got this one.

G75VW
The Ultimate Fighting Machine
•Intel®3rd generation Core™ i7 processors and the latest NVIDIA® enthusiast-level graphics
•Intelligent rear-vented cooling exhausts with detachable fan filters
•Superior ergonomic design for effortless gaming
•Immersive 3D experience with NVIDIA® 3D LightBoost™ technology
•SonicMaster Lite powerful audio with built-in subwoofer

[kwais]

I'd go with a lower end ASUS. ASUS has great reliability (better than mac) and doesn't have a premium in pricing.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834230234

If you want a 13 inch screen size

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834230315

^^ That will perform about equal to a mac book pro 13inch, but better for any sort of gaming (which neither will do that great)


Really, just buying the cheapest Asus, Toshiba or Sony that you can find that has an intel core i3/i5 is probably a credited option.

yeah, I'm usually a mac dude, but I got an Asus for law school and it was perfect. 600$ and never had a single problem

[071816]

Really, just buying the cheapest Asus, Toshiba or Sony that you can find that has an intel core i3/i5 is probably a credited option.

In my experience, Sony Viaos are shit.

[chem]

You can get 33% off an hp right now using this coupon, NBG5247. Just another option

[rinkrat19]

You can get 33% off an hp right now using this coupon, NBG5247. Just another option

I asked the sales dept chat person about trying to use that code AND the free Xbox code, and she said that the site doesn't accept more than one code at a time, but if I contacted the sales department to place an order, they would be able to give me a different code to get both the 33% off and the Xbox. Not sure if that would really happen, but it would be nice.

[KevinP]

I recently purchased this for $949 + tax:
--LinkRemoved--
3rd generation Intel Core I7-3610QM Processor ( 2.30GHz 1333MHz 6MB)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX660M 2GB (Kepler)
8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
1TB 5400 HDD

Really, just buying the cheapest Asus, Toshiba or Sony that you can find that has an intel core i3/i5 is probably a credited option.

In my experience, Sony Viaos are shit.

Agreed. On the Vaio I bought, they use a proprietary keyboard that doesn't even work properly with their own driver.

[tyro]

Lenovo Thinkpad T Series

+1
I've had mine for two years and can't think of anything to complain about. Battery still lasts about two hours. With a student discount I think mine was around $850.
The Macbooks are probably similar quality and have more features but are more expensive.

Don't ever buy a Dell.

[presidentk1]

if you are going to buy a lenovo (which i suggest you do):

1.buy directly from their website
2.inform them as to your college affiliation
3.haggle as if you are buying a car, the sales reps can give more discounts on top
this saved me a few hundred bucks
4.you can negotiate to remove the sales tax
5.ask for free shipping, they almost always ship for free

[izy223]

im jumping in here- i was under the impression that i should be looking more for portability so either an ultrabook or an air? am i wrong.

I am looking to buy my first laptop in 8 years (had the same desktop since 04) so i really have no idea what would be best- is the levono everyone is talking about light and portable?

[09042014]

im jumping in here- i was under the impression that i should be looking more for portability so either an ultrabook or an air? am i wrong.

I am looking to buy my first laptop in 8 years (had the same desktop since 04) so i really have no idea what would be best- is the levono everyone is talking about light and portable?

ultra books are not necessary for law school. Just buy a good backpack with a laptop compartment. I think having a 15 inch screen is really useful. You can have word and one note open for tests. Word and your internet browser open for research, journal stuff. And both will have enough screen space to be functional.

[kalvano]

I think having a 15 inch screen is really useful. You can have word and one note open for tests.

Unless your stupid TTT uses Examsoft, which locks down your computer.

[izy223]

im jumping in here- i was under the impression that i should be looking more for portability so either an ultrabook or an air? am i wrong.

I am looking to buy my first laptop in 8 years (had the same desktop since 04) so i really have no idea what would be best- is the levono everyone is talking about light and portable?

ultra books are not necessary for law school. Just buy a good backpack with a laptop compartment. I think having a 15 inch screen is really useful. You can have word and one note open for tests. Word and your internet browser open for research, journal stuff. And both will have enough screen space to be functional.

thanks it makes it a little easier now that im not confined to an ultrabook type laptop

[BearState]

My Thinkpad has lasted a long time with very little maintenance issues (I had to buy a new battery once). Plus Lenovo's onsite warranty is pretty cheap compared to others (or at least it was when I got mine). I am paranoid and wanted to make sure it would last as long as possible, but I haven't had any major issues. I don't know about Ideapads though, never had one.

Edit: this looks really cool:

http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/lapto ... x1-carbon/

[rwhyAn]

For the love of god, don't get an HP!!! I've had 3...enough said. One lasted a year, one a day, and the last one lasted two years, but it would constantly overheat during the last year of its life (one time it overheated and shut down during an online final, which was fun).

[chem]

For the love of god, don't get an HP!!! I've had 3...enough said. One lasted a year, one a day, and the last one lasted two years, but it would constantly overheat during the last year of its life (one time it overheated and shut down during an online final, which was fun).

I've had an HP for 5 years with no problems. I think you just need to do your research when it comes to HP. Envy and Specter lines are supposed to be pretty solid

EDIT: For the Envy line, they use quanta as their manufacturer, who also supplies lenovo and apple. Combined with the good heat management of the envy = win

[kalvano]

I believe the Envy line came about from their purchase of Voodoo, so it should be solid.

[Doorkeeper]

Really, just buying the cheapest Asus, Toshiba or Sony that you can find that has an intel core i3/i5 is probably a credited option.

In my experience, Sony Viaos are shit.

Totally disagree. My first Vaio (Sony SZ from 2006) was awesome. Lasted me almost 5 years with no problems. Now I have a Vaio S and it's great for the price. No problems yet.