Laptop for Junior in HS

[jmarie]

My niece wants a laptop for Christmas. Are there any suggestions on what we should look for in the internal components, like a processor. She isn't a gamer. She would be using the laptop for writing papers, research for her papers, facebook, videos, pictures, You Tube (which covers videos, I guess) email and any things a teenager might do. Also if you have any recommendations, that would be appreciated, as well. And there is a price point, it would have to be under 500.00.

I investigated the ipad 2, but it wasn't advised for homework.

I would appreciate any advice that anyone could offer. Thanks in advance.

[tbb113]

When I was in the market earlier this year, this was what a tech guy told me

Desktops last longer (5-7 years versus 4-5 years), are generally more powerful, and easier to fix if things go wrong.

Processor: Intel i3, i5, i7 or with a number greater than 5000 – no Celeron; AMD, anything but Sempron

Windows: 7 Home Premium or Pro (64 bit for both)

Memory: 2GB minimum

Hard Drive: 250 minimum

Graphics: Dedicated graphics (ATI or NVidia) better than integrated (Intel HD)

DVD/RW drive (don’t pay extra for Blu-ray)



I ended up buying an HP laptop and have been happy with it. Best Buy was running offering 18 months zero percent interest rate at the time....

I don't think you can get an apple product for the price range you are looking at, but I could be wrong.

[Cafe Latte]

Almost anything on the market will fit her needs. If you shop at Costco, they give you 2 years warranty on computers/laptops and if you use an Amex card, you get another year from Amex. You should be able to find something in that price range, but might have to buy Office so that she can have Word so she can do her homework since it most likely won't be included at that price. Also, for that price, you most likely will have to have a 15" or smaller screen.

[AngelaM]

I asked DH who is an IT manager at a credit union. He generally agreed with everything the "tech guy" said although he said desktop vs laptop is more of an issue when you are getting into higher end computers. He also thought the recommendations for memory were too low.

He said laptops have smaller parts in compact spaces near heat from the computer so this is why they break down faster.

I would say to get her a laptop because then she can take it to the library or wherever she likes to study or take it over her friends house for group projects. It doesn't matter if it only lasts 4-5 years because by the time she's in college, she'll need more on it. They are constantly coming out with better programs that use tons of memory, so in 4-5 years the computer you buy now ain't going to support the new stuff anyhow.

Personally, I love my MacBook Pro. I've never had anything break on it. Well, it was SUSPECTED that there was an issue with the CD drive and they just instantly replaced it just in case. That paid for the extended warranty alone if it did break. Also, if you need to send it out for service, they will ship you a postage paid box for overnight shipping, work on it (generally a day I think) and then send it back overnight shipping. How can you go wrong with that kind of service?

[Beth]

I agree with what the tech guy told Tyra except that I would also increase the memory. You will find fewer laptops with dedicated graphics, but that is more important for things like gaming. For her uses, I think integrated will be fine.

We bought laptops for our sons at Costco. They have an HP 2000z for $399 that would meet her needs. They have a couple other models at that price and some at $499. You can even customize some of the models under $500. n We ordered a customized one for DS. It looks like they may have certain days for building the customized ones, because the expected ship date jumped out a week on us from one look to the next. Maybe there was another reason, but they beat the expected ship date. They send you an email letting you know when it ships and it is sent either next day or 2nd day Fed Ex.

The other thing I would keep in mind is that there will be sales as the holidays approach. Warranty and return dates may also be an issue.

[Cafe Latte]

I'm not sure if you found what you were looking for, but I saw a couple of Dell's on Costco.com for under $500 that are equipped well.

http://www.costco.com/Common/Category.aspx?whse=BC&Ne=5000000&eCat=BC|84|56670&N=4047229+4294967022+5000014&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&topnav=

[Lee Ann K.]

Shouldn't this be posted in the Other Stuff forum? :confused: It's certainly not relevant to Great Food.

[Cafe Latte]

Shouldn't this be posted in the Other Stuff forum? :confused: It's certainly not relevant to Great Food.

Mistakes do happen.