My sister needs a laptop
primesuspect
Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
Recommendations? It's been years since I've shopped for a capable laptop. My only recent experience has been with netbooks, and I don't think netbooks are capable enough as a full desktop replacement (can't watch HD video, for example).
This is going to replace the family PC. I was looking at HP and Lenovo, but I really have no brand loyalty. My sister's requirements are pretty basic: she needs it to be capable enough to last for the rest of her college career, she wants to be able to play the Sims 3, it needs to be as light and portable as possible, and it needs to be under $900 (preferably closer to $700)
I found an HP dv3t that seems to fit the bill, but it's dangerously close to the $900 mark after I put a decent 2 year warranty, a core 2 duo, and 3gb of ram on it, and our dad will bitch and moan about helping her out with the cost. I'm wondering if you guys have experience with similarly configured laptops that may be less expensive.
This is going to replace the family PC. I was looking at HP and Lenovo, but I really have no brand loyalty. My sister's requirements are pretty basic: she needs it to be capable enough to last for the rest of her college career, she wants to be able to play the Sims 3, it needs to be as light and portable as possible, and it needs to be under $900 (preferably closer to $700)
I found an HP dv3t that seems to fit the bill, but it's dangerously close to the $900 mark after I put a decent 2 year warranty, a core 2 duo, and 3gb of ram on it, and our dad will bitch and moan about helping her out with the cost. I'm wondering if you guys have experience with similarly configured laptops that may be less expensive.
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The studio line also has 14 and 15 inch screen size companions which start at a similar price point.
I have a Studio 17 myself, and am fairly pleased with it. I wouldn't recommend it as a gaming notebook, but the performance out of the HD3650 is decent enough to run most games playably.
That means my dad can check his gmail and forward political emails to me, that's it.
What I mean to say is: Do not think of this as a DTR. This is not an enthusiast family.
The opposite being the case, maybe check out some of the lower-end lenovos? You won't find much in terms of graphics power, but they've generally got good CPU crunch, and the battery life is definitely above average.
edited for context. I should proofread before I click post.
OK, lets start with the basics here. We have the priorities and then the wish list.
- Battery life
- Screen size
- Graphic requirements
- Weight
- Price
- Memory
- Warranty
So far you've given us a max cost so...OK, lets start with the basics here. We have the priorities and then the wish list.
- Battery life
- Screen size
- Graphic requirements
- Weight
- Price
- Memory
- Warranty
So far you've given us a max cost so that helps. You've given us a preferred battery life over screen size. Memory at 3 GB and 2 yr warranty. Weight needs to be somewhat portable and nothing about high-end graphics.I give you this Dell Inspiron 13 - $859 (Link to cart)
- Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T6400 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
- 3GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 (2 Dimms)
- Glossy, widescreen 13.3" LCD (1280x800) w/o Camera
- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
- 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
- 8X Slot Load CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive)
- Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Mini-Card
- 85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
- Classic Protection: 2yr Ltd Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
- Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1
This should give at least 5 hours of general use, maybe close to 6 if screen brightness is turned down.The ability to play Sims 3 is a major factor. Perhaps I didn't stress that enough.
The Dell you listed has a 3-series GPU which is the minimum for Sims 3, whereas the HP I linked has a 4-series, which exceeds the requirements and will probably run it a bit smoother.
Everything else looks good though
Edit - I believe this unit comes with only a 6-cell battery, though. Battery life is probably limited to 4 hours tops with dimmed screen.
Edit - sorry for not providing extremely detailed info, I'm posting using the steam web overlay in the middle of an L4D game. lol
What I'm looking for is any deals or similarly configured machines that will do what she needs it to do for less than $900
Let me sleep on it.
It's unfortunately very difficult to find a notebook that satisfies all 3 of the long battery life, decent graphics performance, and 2-year warranty conditions without breaking or coming very close to $900. Imo one of them is going to have to be worked around.
Given that it's going to be a family computer, my guess is the easiest one out of the 3 to deal with would be shorter battery life.
Edit - battery is also a part that can be upgraded later (from official channels or off ebay). Internal graphics and manufacturer warranty generally aren't.
Shrug*
We are extremely pleased with this MSI laptop.
It's actually faster than all our desktop pc's after streamlining the programs and putting our AV on it.
That's a little over your price range but this one is right in the range and has dedicated GPU which is better.
It's actually $699.00 after MIR.
And it should pretty much do all she wants or needs it to do.
Also, It has a 3yr warr and comes with Gaming Backpack.
So for at more than $150 less than any other of my searches, the MSI is the way to go IMHO.
All she would need is a bag and maybe a bigger battery.
While the bag wouldn't be a problem... I haven't been able to find a larger battery for my MSI laptop so far. Then again I haven't looked that hard. The battery life really is the only complaint I have about my MSI EX630. I only get about 2 hours. Of course I am using Linux which is somewhat notorious for being a bit tough on battery life.
Normal RMA procedures are easy enough for me to follow, but MSI'S WEBSITE APPEARS TO BE DOWN and I simply can't find a way to RMA the netbook.
Grr.
Working fine for me!
You need to login with the email/pass you registered your product with. You can request an RMA from there.