OK, the ACER above reportedly is a pain to access the RAM and HDD for upgrade. Here is another ACER with the same CPU that shouldn't need upgrading. It's pretty loaded, for just a little more than the Dell @ $470.00 free shipping:
ACER Aspire E5-573G-59C3
- Intel Core i5 5200U
- 8GB RAM
- 1TB HDD + 8GB SSD
- NVIDIA GeForce 940M 2GB VRAM
- 15.6" non-touch screen
- Windows 8.1
Dedicated GeForce graphics, 8GB RAM, 1TB + 8GB hybrid SSHD, but back to smaller 4-cell battery with 2500 mAh and still no DVD optical.
But it's a clear step-up from the Intel 4400 and 5500 graphics, especially in light/casual gaming.Just note that the GT 940M is not that powerful, even for 768p resolution and the keyboard is not so good according to this review
But it's a clear step-up from the Intel 4400 and 5500 graphics, especially in light/casual gaming.
True, but that doesn't mean you can't return it.
I think the one I got was a great deal...
It's a good deal, but I don't think it's the best for this usage.
In my opinion, the priority of most important things to least for a college laptop
Size > Battery life > durability > 'Snappiness' > screen quality > Raw performance
In my years undergrad and grad school, my laptop sizes went from 15.6" > 14" > 13.3" > 12.5". Portability is the most important thing unless you have specific performance requirements (Heavy engineering software or compiling, etc). Even for engineering students, people overstate the performance requirements. The trend now is for schools to provide remote desktop capability into school workstations for the few times you really need horsepower.
A 15 inch laptop (and power adapter) is much too cumbersome to lug around to meetings and classes. It'll end up sitting on her desk in her dorm room. That core i7 won't feel substantially any faster than an i5 or even a core M at Chrome, Word, or Powerpoint, but those extra 2 or 3 pounds in her backpack and 3 fewer hours of battery life will make a huge difference in every day usage. A Core-M and SSD will feel faster than a Core i7 and regular hard drive in most everyday tasks.
I second the recommendation people made of the Asus UX305. It's thin, light, and has good battery life. If you are worried about performance, then go to a core i3 or i5. I think i7 is overkill and unless you actually get a an i7 that's quad core rather than dual core with slightly better turbo boost speed, it's only marginally better than the i5.
The UX05 is at least $100 more too...
If you're okay with buying used, you get some some great deals on ebay or cowboom. Dell outlet occasionally would have great deals too.
The models I would focus on would be the business line:
Lenovo Thinkpad 12.5" (x240 and x250) and 14" (x1 carbon)
Dell Latitude 12.5" (e7240 and e7250) and 14" (e7440 and e7450)
The good thing about buying these laptop used is that in most cases, their warranty can be transferred. For the Thinkpads, the warranty stays with the machine. So you don't need to do anything to keep the warranty. For the Dell Latitudes, you'll need the info from the previous owner on file with Dell. That may be a bit tricky with ebay purchases.
I also like the Lenovo Yoga line actually. It's consumer oriented, but I find them fairly well made.
In addition, I would make really try to get IPS screens if you can. The entry level TN panels sometimes can be pretty awful. This is especially confusing for the Thinkpads because they have many panel choices. Some are IPS and some are TN at the same resolution.
Cowboom sometimes have great deals on used laptops. For example this Lenovo Yoga 2 for ~$400 - $450. http://www.cowboom.com/product/1577705/ It's luck of the draw on the condition of the laptop you get. Sometimes they're better than stated and sometimes they're worse than stated. But they have a really hassle free return policy, so you can always return it if you don't like it.
I hope you don't feel like I am trying to give you a hard time. I just want to give you my opinions on what would be suitable for a college laptop.
It's literally less than half the weight, and you won't have to spend $1200 later when the kid demands a Macbook.The UX05 is at least $100 more too...
It's literally less than half the weight, and you won't have to spend $1200 later when the kid demands a Macbook.