[BobM]

Our 4 year old HP laptop hard disk seems to have died this week (it was a beefy laptop with an Intel 7i processor and lots of goodies). I was hoping my daughter could take this to Penn state in the fall for her freshman year, but no go.  I ran a diagnostic from the BIOS screen and got a 303 error, so that kind of confirms it. I could get a new HDD for about $125, but I would have to buy new software to install on it, and getting the bad HDD to a tech shop for a "fix" and copy over would easily run another $150. At those prices it probably just pays to get something new.

So it's time to get her something new, but I want to keep it under $500. A school tech I know suggested a Chromebook, with an external HDD for storage, but I don;t think I am comfortable with that, for several reasons.

Here's some others I'm considering (all have 4GB RAM and 500MB HDD so she can store her music library):

Lenovo Thinkpad x131e @$512 (I love the Lenovo's, but this is not a touch screen)
Dell Inspiron 15 touch @$489 (touch screen, but 15" large)
HP Pavilion 11t x360 @$400 (the big selling point here is its convertability to a tablet and its ethernet port, which she will need in her dorm)
Asus Transformer T100TA @$350 (keyboard detaches, but it's MMC storage, so she would need an external HDD)

What is your opinion or other suggestions?

Thanks,
Bob

[padgman1]

I would think either #1 or #2........

Make sure that PC laptops ( as opposed to Apple laptops) are functional at Penn St. - they should be , but would check.

I think both the Lenovo and the Dell have an Ethernet port - Chromebooks may not.

Lenovo has a better keyboard, Dell has the bigger screen which may work out better for projects ( but harder to carry).

I'm in the same boat - my daughter is going to Louisville - will probably get her a Lenovo or similar at Best Buy......

Happy shopping........

[BobM]

I was suprised ... Penn State doesn't have wirless in all their dorms. They are supposed to be installing it but we were warned to make sure computers have ethernet ports, just in case. Hard to imagine they are that far behind the times in this regard.

[shadowlight]

It might also be worth it to check out college stores.  They have agreements with Dell/Lenovo/HP/Toshiba/Apple for educational discounts which are usually steeper than what you are likely to get at Best Buy or other stores.

[jqp]

I have had great luck with refurbished Dell Outlet laptops - for me and my mother. Have bought three over the last several years.

Same warranty as for the new Dells, and they are fixed to be "new" unless it is a scratch and dent model.

In your price range you may not get as much of a deal, but on higher end laptops you really can.

Still when you have some firm desired specs, you may be able to either beat the specs or beat the price in the outlet store.

[PeterC]

Check the Lenovo Outlet page, they have new X131e for around $300, which is a good deal.

[charmerci]

I used to own a Dell laptop had minor problems that they never could fix. (It continued to work though.)

I much prefer my Acer laptop.

[asliarun]

Having been a lifelong Thinkpad user, I would always recommend Thinkpads for their build quality and keyboard.
The only drawback with some of their older "pro" models is their higher than average weight and price.

Have you considered the Microsoft Surface Pro? It has the same specs as most laptops, is exceptionally well built (iPad and Thinkpad quality levels), and also offers the portability and lightweight of a tablet. It can act as a tablet or as a laptop when paired with the Microsoft detachable hard keyboard.

Best of all, after the Surface Pro 3 was recently announced, the older model is available for a steal. It also comes with Office preinstalled. Last of all, it has advanced support for pen based inputs that can come in very handy for drawings, notes, and illustrations.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/microsoft-surface-pro-128gb-black/7952262.p?id=1218862422867&skuId=7952262

And as far as storage space is concerned, 256GB memory sticks are now available for $100. And the Surface Pro comes with an SSD drive that will be significantly faster than a 5200rpm standard laptop drive (in my laptop, the SSD upgrade made the single biggest performance difference).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820178725&cm_re=256gb_usb-_-20-178-725-_-Product

[Don_S]

I do not want to sidetrack this thread but I think my question might be somewhat relevant.

For word processing and just normal web surfing is the Intel i3 chip good enough?  Or should I consider upgrading to the i5?  I would also use the laptop to control my music server but not store music.  All music processing is on the server.  The laptop only functions as a remote with display to send instructions. Please, no AMD suggestions.  I unfortunately own Intel stock. 

I think my needs might parallel that of a college student with the exception that I would have no music storage or gaming.

[asliarun]

Don, I sold my Intel stock a few months ago after holding on to it for years. Now I regret it

I've been following the CPU space for a long long time. Most CPUs nowadays are significantly overpowered - at least for every day use and the examples you mentioned (word processing, web surfing, movies, music, etc.) In fact, that is one reason why Apple and Android tablets became popular. Despite being underpowered for serious computing, they are "good enough" for web surfing, checking emails, word processing, and the like.

So yes, i3 is sufficient. In fact, even Bay Trail (which is Intel's new CPU that goes into tablets and convertibles) is a decent option. Bay Trail (such as Atom Z3770) by the way is quad core, 64 bit, and goes all the way up to 2.4GHz. It performs at the same level as the last generation Core2Duo, but consumes only 2 watts of power, and thus can be used in a completely fanless tablet/convertible or an ultra-mobile laptop.

[mresseguie]

Bobm,

Don't be surprised by the lack of wifi in the dorms. When our son moved into his dorm at the U of Oregon (nearly 3 years ago), there was only wired connection. We were told it was for security--to protect the gentle boys and girls from getting hacked. Every few rooms plugged in their own wifi modem. I bought one for our son. No one was hacked into, and the wifi pw was given to closest friends only.

As for a laptop:

My neighbor's son is a computer whiz/geek. He's got a dozen computers sitting in the family dining room with DOS, Win 3.1, ME, XP, Win 7, and 8.1 running on them. He has a strong opinion concerning HP and Acer. The parts are crap and something will die or suffer problems far sooner than Lenovo or Dell. His words. [My apologies to any folks who love their HP or Acer products.]

Do consider refurbished or open box items--more bang for your buck.

Check out www.newegg.com or www.tigerdirect.com for refurb/open box specials or Costco. Costco will add their own warranty on top of the manufacturer's warranty.


Best of luck,

Michael

[asliarun]

I bought a Thinkpad T410 for a friend's son who was learning computers.
This is a model that is a few years old, but because of that, Newegg is selling it for $300.

Again, like I said, even this model is more than adequate for browsing and document editing. In fact, it will even outperform many modern laptops if you upgrade the hard drive to an SSD, which is incredibly easy to do on this model (it was built to be easily serviced by corporate IT teams).

The biggest thing about the old T series Thinkpads is their phenomenal reliability and sturdiness. They are built like tanks, and has an inbuilt metal rollcage for extra sturdiness - which almost no other laptop has. They are built to withstand the abuse meted out by corporate employees (who haven't paid for the corporate laptops themselves so you can imagine how they will typically treat their laptops). The keyboard has zero flex, and you can literally stand on the laptop (when it is closed) and nothing will happen to it. Another test of their sturdiness is that when the lid is open, you can hold the edge of the lid and lift the laptop, and nothing will bow or flex.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313642&cm_re=thinkpad-_-34-313-642-_-Product

[ctviggen]

An i3 is perfectly fine for surfing, writing papers, etc.  I'm using an i3 now and have Visio, Word, a browser, excel, and adobe opened.

[ebag4]

Before you buy you may want to look at pcexchange.com, they sell refurbished and off lease machines.  I just looked at their laptops and they have many well under $500, they even have a 13" MacBook with these specs
For $479.

Processor   Cache   FSB   Memory   Hard Drive   CD Drive   Condition
2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo   3 MB   1066 MHz   4 GB   160 GB   Slot Loading 8x SuperDrive (DVDRW)   Refurbished
Excellent

They have windows machines as we'll and they come with a 1 year warranty.

My $0.02.

Best,
Ed

Btw, I bought a 13" MacBook for my son (didn't know about PC exchange then) 2 Christmas ago since he was starting college and it has been great, zero issues with anything.  I was hesitant because I could work on windows machines and knew nothing about Apple...I couldn't be happier with the purchase.

Just checked again and I see these are all core 2 duo, so maybe not as much machine as you are after.

[Folsom]

I'm with T series Lenovo. Even used is better than the trash everyone else makes. W series is ok too, costs more though (they became just a higher end version of the T around the 400/500 era, I believe).

I'd be weary of the x series being nothing more than a dressed up not ThinkPad.

Hate Apple's... I'd go System76 before Apple. In fact they're a great option, but sometimes a student might want to finish papers in Google docs for formatting reasons.

[ebag4]

Hate Apple's... I'd go System76 before Apple. In fact they're a great option, but sometimes a student might want to finish papers in Google docs for formatting reasons.

Well, when you have a kid who is away from home and depending on a piece of equipment it's worth a lot to not half to worry whether that equipment is going to get the job done.

Best,
Ed

[Doublej]

You can buy a USB Ethernet adapter for $20 so I would not limit your selection to a machine with built in Ethernet.

Just Google USB Ethernet adapter and you'll see what I mean. If you want to spend serious moola ($100) you can get a wireless bridge and make her room wireless.

http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-get-your-ethernet-only-gadgets-on-your-home-network/

Asus has nice machines for under $500. I'd stay away from AMD chips in laptops. To me the extra $50 to get Intel is well worth it. If you want a convertible check out the Lenovo Yoga series. I have seen them refurbished at Microcenter for under $500. Read the reviews first though as some models have had screen or touchpad issues.

Apples are always a good choice if you want to spend the extra bucks. Google docs should run fine on it. 


If she needs MS Office have her check the school price before purchasing it elsewhere. It's often highly discounted, upto70% OFF compared to the street price.

[skunark]

What's her major?    If it's art, architecture, engineering or something creative find out from the department what they need, most likely they will tell you to get an i7 or i5 cpu vs an i3 and 8GB of ram.   You might need a certain level of laptop or even the school has discounted software for mac but perhaps not windows (or vise-versa).     As we might have our preferences here, I would actually consult the university, the department and her on this one.

I might also recommend getting something with a good three year warranty so if something goes wrong, she will be back up and running in a few days.   Buying local to the university might also be another option with the warranty. 

[srb]

Most universities have web access to normal coursework and information, but some higher level disciplines may require logging on to the university's Active Directory domain, which on the Windows platform will require an OS higher than the normal basic version (Professional / Enterprise / Ultimate on Windows 7 or Pro / Enterprise on Windows 8 ).

Steve

[bregez]

I work at a big ten university and our students have a plethora of free software available to them via site licensing (Windows 7 Pro or Enterprise, Windows 8.1, MS Office, Adobe Pro, Symantec AV, Matlab, SAS, Mathematica, Solidworks, etc..).  Once she is registered and in the system she will have access to such software that the university provides.  As mentioned earlier I would look up the university bookstores website as they often have deals with manufacturers such as Dell and Apple. 
I too am looking for a portable similar to what you have described and am leaning toward a Lenovo E440.  It’s just slightly over your budget.