Budget laptop suggestions

[Camel]

My fiancee has an old Dell laptop that has been giving her a ton of problems lately, so I figured that I would surprise her with a new laptop for Christmas. The only problem is, I have NO CLUE what to look for. I don't know a ton about computers to begin with (and even less when it comes to laptops specifically), and most of the stuff I do know tends to revolve around machines built for gaming. I am lost when it comes to the lower-end machines, and am worried about getting ripped off somehow, especially since there are so many computers to chose from.

This computer would mostly be used for listening to music, watching some Netflix videos, word processing, internet browsing, and some light gaming on Steam (nothing too graphics intensive - she's a Plants vs Zombies kind of girl. I think the most high tech game she's played recently was the Sims 3).

Any input would be greatly appreciated! I'm looking to stay below $500 (although the cheaper the better), and the computer would have to be purchased through Newegg (as I would be paying it off with their credit card).

I've always received great advice from you guys, so thanks in advance for the help!

[LiquidRain]

Under $500 you're stuck with Intel graphics, which I think should play PvZ and other small games like Super Meat Boy but not much else.

You're also stuck looking at rather budget options, so don't expect great build quality. (e.g. a fantastic keyboard)

I know this is $100 over budget, but this would be my pick for "cheapest decent laptop": An Acer TimelineX 1830T. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115874&cm_re=timelinex-_-34-115-874-_-Product) You have a decent, real Core i3 processor (it will run laps around an Atom CPU), and fantastic battery life. It also has HDMI output, so you can hook it up to your TV for movie watching.

If you want a bit more performance and don't mind a loss of battery life: Thinkpad Edge (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146943) is a safe bet if she doesn't mind Thinkpad styling. (e.g. a black box)

[EternalGamer]

My fiancee has an old Dell laptop that has been giving her a ton of problems lately, so I figured that I would surprise her with a new laptop for Christmas. The only problem is, I have NO CLUE what to look for. I don't know a ton about computers to begin with (and even less when it comes to laptops specifically), and most of the stuff I do know tends to revolve around machines built for gaming. I am lost when it comes to the lower-end machines, and am worried about getting ripped off somehow, especially since there are so many computers to chose from.

This computer would mostly be used for listening to music, watching some Netflix videos, word processing, internet browsing, and some light gaming on Steam (nothing too graphics intensive - she's a Plants vs Zombies kind of girl. I think the most high tech game she's played recently was the Sims 3).

Any input would be greatly appreciated! I'm looking to stay below $500 (although the cheaper the better), and the computer would have to be purchased through Newegg (as I would be paying it off with their credit card).

I've always received great advice from you guys, so thanks in advance for the help!

This is going to sound sacrilege to the hardcore here, but for most of the stuff you just described: web browsing, netflix, casual gaming and music, there is no better device than an Ipad in my opinion. I have a sub $500 netbook bought this year actually and it sucks at those things compared to my Ipad. Web browsing is not nearly as fast or slick on a it and HD video can make it chug whereas I never have that problem with my Ipad.

I even write papers on it thanks to a blutooth keyboard, a $3 business card holder and Apple Pages (a $10 word processing program that can be used to instantly email versions to yourself in .doc format with a button press). I have not used nor missed my netbook once since I got it.

iPad may not completely replace a full desktop, but for most of the stuff you described, I find it to be the superior device by far. Plus it definitely wins with women as a much sexier gift than a cheap laptop.

[Camel]

The biggest issue with an iPad (in my mind...I've never used one) is that it doesn't seem like it would be all that easy to do "work" on it. Things like having a bunch of documents open at once, working on presentations and documents, etc. Apple pages seems like a decent-enough workaround, but not ideal. The price is also not ideal. I might think about this one some more and see if I can work it into my budget somehow, as it would be a very cool gift.

It seems I've somewhat overestimated the cost of laptops these days. I figured there would be plenty of options when it came to decently-built-yet-somewhat-cheap computers, but maybe not. Oh well!

[LiquidRain]

You can get an Atom netbook (10-12") range or some /really/ cheap laptops for sub-$500. Atoms are a bit on the slow side, though.

The cheapest AMD laptops can be had for $400-$500 and offer enough oomph but the build quality will be cheap, and don't expect much from the battery.

If you want a laptop, the two options I presented in my reply to you should be what you're after. The Edge, especially, may surprise you. Though the HDD in it will be somewhat sluggish.

[Camel]

The Edge doesn't look half-bad, although it definitely got some bad reviews from more than a few people. More research is required!

[LiquidRain]

Cheap laptops will receive poor reviews from a lot of people sooner or later. :)

[EternalGamer]

Yeah the problem with the Atoms, as that is what mine is, is that they start to chuck with HD video sometimes. It is the one of the major reasons I use my Ipad pretty much exclusively for web browsing.

As for multi-tasking on the Ipad, well, I have no problem flipping between programs because even if it doesn't literally do multi-tasking most programs autosave and load you right back where you were instantaneously, so it isn't really a problem. You can listen to music/podcasts while surfing or writing, though. So it does "multi-task" audio.

I can't debate the price factor. They are expensive dudes and perhaps not worth the costs from a tech perspective. But for me, I'd take my Ipad over a $1,000 notebook for the things I use portable electronics for.

[boratika]

I would have recommended an Asus 1215N (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220805&cm_re=1215n-_-34-220-805-_-Product), but they're out of stock at Newegg.

(Review roundup (http://notebooks.com/2010/08/31/asus-eee-pc-1215n-review-roundup/), if your curious.)

But then again, I have a serious prejudice against Intel graphics, which may or may valid.

[LiquidRain]

If you're sticking with an Atom, then an Ion is almost a must-have. I'm trying to recommend something that has a Core 2 or Core i3 processor.

[Tayaya]

You could've gotten an Alienware m11x for $499 (or $549 if you boosted the RAM to 4GB) about a week or two ago.

I'm hoping the family bought me one for Christmas... one of the guys here at work got one after I showed him the deal, and I'm mighty impressed.

The base CPU is a 1.3GHz Core2Duo ultra-low voltage, which is pretty weak, but you can overclock it in the BIOS to a pre-set 1.73GHz and not risk your warranty at all. The switchable graphics give you a choice between 6-6.5 hours of battery life on the Intel chip, or some decent gaming performance courtesy of an NVIDIA GeForce 335M 1GB. I played some Left 4 Dead 2 with most of the settings set to high, at 1366 x 768 (the display resolution of the thing), and the action was impressively smooth, with the only major framerate dips coming when the Horde attacks would come. The overclock was off when I was playing, but I'm guessing the extra CPU cycles would help smooth out the horde attacks. It runs Crysis too with most settings on mainstream (and Gamer textures), not that that means anything these days!

It's an impressive little package and for mid level gaming it's a lot more capable than I expected it would be (then again most of what I saw was Source engine stuff).

It's back up to $799 now, which makes it less of a steal than the $549 my co-worker paid the week after black friday, but if you look around online you can usually find some pretty good promo codes to knock a hundred bucks or so off of a Dell/Alienware purchase.

It's not a machine for everyone, but I like it, and like I said hope to own one sooner or later.

[muddi900]

Under $500 you're stuck with Intel graphics, which I think should play PvZ and other small games like Super Meat Boy but not much else.


Super Meat Boy rapes GMA chips, which is what you'll find in most cheap laptops. And while PVZ would work, it would still choke at the later levels with more enemies. If its in your price range with a decent Nvidia/AMD chip.

[LiquidRain]

Really? Though I haven't tried it yet, the author himself plays on an Atom netbook. (https://twitter.com/SuperMeatBoy/statuses/11264843768143872)