Need advice on what to look for in a laptop

[xvizx]

I'm looking to buy a laptop for college. However, I don't know what processor, ram, and video I would minimally need to get. Since I have a couple online classes that use either streaming video or power points and chat. I would like it to be able to run smoothly while doing this. Basically I would need it to be able to run open office, a power point/video, and internet browser with at least 3 tabs open without noticeable slow down. Secondary use would be watching videos/movies in 720p. Gaming is not that important.

So would an Intel Atom processor be enough? Should I look for 1 gig of ram or 2? What video card would be good enough?

tldr:

Running Open Office, power point/video, and internet browser with 3 tabs open. What minimum specs.(cpu,gpu,ram) should I look for in a laptop.

Thank you,

 

[Zap]

So would an Intel Atom processor be enough? Should I look for 1 gig of ram or 2? What video card would be good enough?

No, Atom would likely NOT be enough. You should at minimum look for a dual core CPU and 2GB RAM. Everything else depends on your budget. If you want good battery life, you need to shop with that in mind as different models can vary by several hours.

 

[xvizx]

Thanks for the response. As I don't have a very high budget ($600), I needed to know where to start off spec wise to make the most out of it.

Basically looking for a smaller laptop 13" and below, with at least 4 hours of battery life and a good keyboard. Would this Toshiba Satellite T215D be a good choice? I've seen this recommended a lot Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-3927 but would it be better buy (on paper they seem about the same) at a $100 more? Any other suggestions that's within my budget will be greatly appreciated.

Toshiba: AMD K325, ATI HD4225, 2gb RAM
Acer: Intel Core i3-350UM, Intel HD Graphics, 3gb RAM

Thanks,

 

[ecom]

Check out the refurbed Dell Latitude E4300

http://www.dell.com/us/en/dfb/noteb.../cp.aspx?refid=latit_usage_mobile&s=dfb&cs=28

There are a few for around $600. To be honest though, the screen on these aren't that great and they only have Intel graphics, but being business laptops, they will likely be a bit more durable than the two you've chosen.

With the 6 cell battery, I get about 5 hours run time on the E4300.

 

[xvizx]

Check out the refurbed Dell Latitude E4300

http://www.dell.com/us/en/dfb/noteb.../cp.aspx?refid=latit_usage_mobile&s=dfb&cs=28

There are a few for around $600. To be honest though, the screen on these aren't that great and they only have Intel graphics, but being business laptops, they will likely be a bit more durable than the two you've chosen.

With the 6 cell battery, I get about 5 hours run time on the E4300.

Thanks, they look to fit my needs pretty well. I will add them to my short list and do a little more research before making my final decision. Thanks again for the recommendation.

 

[ther00kie16]

BLC?BJPH3RQZF6 for 20% off outlet latitudes until 10/8 so those should be your first choice. look for one with ssd.

 

[Zap]

Basically looking for a smaller laptop 13" and below, with at least 4 hours of battery life and a good keyboard. Would this Toshiba Satellite T215D be a good choice? I've seen this recommended a lot Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T-3927 but would it be better buy

I think "good keyboard" rules out any of the Acer consumer notebooks. Just look at the Anandtech reviews. My wife also has an Acer (11.6" AMD thin/light) and the keyboard downright sucks. It is the worst... notebook... keyboard... I've ever used. Hands down. We have six notebooks in the household right now (just got rid of three in the past 6 months) so it isn't as if I didn't have anything to compare it with.

The worst thing about it is how much of an awesome value the Acer notebooks are... just killed by the keyboard.

 

[CurseTheSky]

For what it's worth, my fiancée's family just picked up some kind of Acer budget model (~$400-500 on Amazon or something) with a brushed aluminum palm rest. The computer as a whole is mediocre, but the keyboard isn't too bad.

It still isn't the best keyboard (and keep in mind, I've heard TONS of complains about Acer's keyboards on some of their better models, like the Timeline / Timeline X), but it wasn't as mushy as the Acers I played around with at Walmart and Staples. Maybe they're slowly getting better?

 

[Zap]

Besides mushiness, bounciness and lack of support underneath the keyboard, the biggest problem I have with Acer notebook keyboards is the oversized "chicklet" design. There are bettery chicklet designs by Apple and Sony, but the Acer keys are bigger, meaning there is little space between the keys. This gives them a terrible feel for touch typing.

 

[xSauronx]

I think "good keyboard" rules out any of the Acer consumer notebooks. Just look at the Anandtech reviews. My wife also has an Acer (11.6" AMD thin/light) and the keyboard downright sucks. It is the worst... notebook... keyboard... I've ever used. Hands down. We have six notebooks in the household right now (just got rid of three in the past 6 months) so it isn't as if I didn't have anything to compare it with.

The worst thing about it is how much of an awesome value the Acer notebooks are... just killed by the keyboard.

i have the 1830t

i dont mind the keyboard, the quality isnt anything to write home about but it doesnt bother me...the god damn touch pad is all that annoys me. thats it. otherwise i love the thing.

 

[xvizx]

Thanks guys/girls for the input on the keyboard of the acer notebooks. I had assumed from the reviews that they were average; I guess I'll skip the acers to be on the safe side.

ther00kie16 thanks I appreciate the coupon code.

Now here's hopefully my final questions. I seems that dell will only ship next day air to where I live (Hawaii), which brings the total in $700 range including the %20 off. The Asus u35f-x1 is around the same price: I had originally wrote this one off because of the price. I searched for reviews, but there are not many out there, only the u35jc. Do any of you have any thoughts on this model? Should I look around at other manufacturers, or should I just buy the dell because I won't find better in this price range?

Dell Latitude E4300 (certified refurbished) Price + SH $721
Intel Core 2 Duo SP9600 (2.53GHz)
128GB Encrypted Mobility Solid State Drive
4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz (2 DIMMs)
8X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD

Seems to have the better keyboard, SSD, Internal dvd, 3 year warranty, and better overall build quality. What I don't like is that the battery sticks out (I'm a little clumsy, so I'm afraid that I'll somehow break it).

ASUS U35F-X1 $734
Intel Core i3-370M Processor (2.4 GHz)
Intel HD Graphics
4GB DDR3-1066 DRAM
320GB 5400RPM hard drive

From the limited reviews I've read: good keyboard, touch pad, video playback, battery life and good build quality. I like that the battery does not stick out.

Thanks, I appreciate you guys taking the time to help me.

 

[ther00kie16]

Hmm... the e4310 comes with i5 cpus. Those would be considerably faster but if you don't have heavy tasks, that core 2 and ssd should be just fine.
If you can stretch to a 14.1", there's a e6410 (6-cell battery so ~4.5lb) for $739 before coupon with i5 and 128gb ssd.

Asus is 3.74lb and e4300 is 3.3lb with smallest battery so likely 3.5lb with 6 cell


So here is what I think it comes down to:
Processing power and speed (ssd): e6410 if larger size isn't an issue and only 4hr battery life is ok.

Battery life and styling: Asus wins hands down although the Dells look just fine in a business environment

Size and speed (ssd): e4300 - least processing power but ssd makes up for it in all but heaviest tasks

 

[ecom]

I saw some E4310 with i5 with 7200 RPM HDD and 6 cell battery at about the same price as that E6410 you are describing. I don't know what the battery life is like though -- I"m guessing somewhere around 4 to 5 hours.

The i5-520m has a TDP of 35W and uses 32nm lithography, and the SP9600 uses 45nm but has a 25W TDP. I'm not sure if this will play into the battery life.

 

[Phynaz]

No comparison. The Latitude is built about 100 times better than the Acer U series.

 

[xvizx]

It looks like I'll be picking up the e4300, in the end it seems to fit my needs better than the rest.

Thanks for all the help, I really appreciated it.

 

[ther00kie16]

The i5 includes the graphics though so the power usage should be similar. It also has hyperthreading and turbo boost so for a power user, it'd be vastly better than a core 2.

 

[ecom]

The i5 includes the graphics though so the power usage should be similar. It also has hyperthreading and turbo boost so for a power user, it'd be vastly better than a core 2.

You're right. I forgot that the i cores have IGP on board. The GM45 has a TDP of 12W so compared to the i5, my SP9400 in my E4300 has about the same power consumption as the E4310.

Personally, I think I'd go with a E4310 if I were buying another laptop now. A 7200 RPM HDD is fine for most of my needs. I think the CPU will be more beneficial for me along with the increased storage. SSD is nice to have, but the difference is not worth it for me. I bought my E4300 in December 2008 and the only reason I'd buy one over the E4310 at this time is if I were money constrained.

I'm really not digging the 16:9 screen though. That's the only downer for the E4310 IMO. It's great for movies and such, but for Internet, Office, etc, I'd rather have more vertical pixels because all that is typically vertically stacked. It's only 32 pixels, but I think that's about the size of the windows task bar.

 

[ther00kie16]

You're right. I forgot that the i cores have IGP on board. The GM45 has a TDP of 12W so compared to the i5, my SP9400 in my E4300 has about the same power consumption as the E4310.

Personally, I think I'd go with a E4310 if I were buying another laptop now. A 7200 RPM HDD is fine for most of my needs. I think the CPU will be more beneficial for me along with the increased storage. SSD is nice to have, but the difference is not worth it for me. I bought my E4300 in December 2008 and the only reason I'd buy one over the E4310 at this time is if I were money constrained.

I'm really not digging the 16:9 screen though. That's the only downer for the E4310 IMO. It's great for movies and such, but for Internet, Office, etc, I'd rather have more vertical pixels because all that is typically vertically stacked. It's only 32 pixels, but I think that's about the size of the windows task bar.

I'd get the e4310 as well as it seems like a decent deal, especially if they refill stock with one with a 128gb ssd. But I'm hoping for an ultraportable for my next laptop (2lb anyone?). Saw that Toshiba's making a 1kg 13" with regular voltage i cpus.

Yea, I used a 17" 1280x1024 lcd for several years so even with my 1900x1200 laptop now, I've come to move the taskbar to the left side with rocketdock on top and bottom (all on auto-hide of course).

 

[ecom]

Yeah, but for the OP who is limited to about $700, the E4310 w/SSD will be a no go. E4310 w/ a 7200 RPM drive would definitely work though.

 

[chusteczka]

I'm really not digging the 16:9 screen though. That's the only downer for the E4310 IMO. It's great for movies and such, but for Internet, Office, etc, I'd rather have more vertical pixels because all that is typically vertically stacked. It's only 32 pixels, but I think that's about the size of the windows task bar.

This statement reflects my exact feelings on the current state of the laptop market. This requirement removes most of the current laptop market from consideration, bumping the specifications into the $650 - $1200 range. I have been researching this past week for resolutions sizes > 1366x768 and this is what I have come up with.

Technical Specifications:
Resolution (primary consideration): 1600 x 900, 1920 x 1080
Understand the screen sizes required for these resolutions bump the laptop into a pricier range.

RAM: 4GB (Upgradeable to 8GB is optional but allows for future expansion.)
CPU: AMD (not 'Neo' or 'V'), Intel Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7
(my recomendation is AMD, or Intel i3, i5)

Other specifications are unnecessary (hard drive size and speed, graphics). An external drive is better for file storage reliability than a 500GB drive inside a portable laptop that may be dropped or banged around. The (Touchpad - Multi-touch) software feature did catch my interest since it allows magnification changes and smaller icon sizes.



Laptop categories with 1600 x 900 resolution:
Toshiba Satellite L675 17.3" $600 - $700
Asus 17.3" $710 - $1025
MSI 17.3" $775
Sony Vaio E Series 17.3" $825
Sony Vaio F Series 16.4" $1100 - $1300
Lenovo T510 or W510 15.6" (Business Class) $950 - $1400
Toshiba Tecra 15.6" (Business Class) $1200 - $1300
Sony Vaio Z Series 13.1" (Business Class) $1700 - $2300



Brand Discussion:
http://www.squaretrade.com/htm/pdf/SquareTrade_laptop_reliability_1109.pdf
This report shows the following in brand reliability over 2-3 years.

Asus > Toshiba > Sony > Apple > Dell > Lenovo > Acer > Gateway > HP


My personal preference order:
Asus > Lenovo = Apple > Sony > MSI > Panasonic = Toshiba >>
Dell = Gateway = Acer > eMachines >>
HP > Compaq

I expect Samsung laptops are on the level with Sony.

Regarding Toshiba, this is most likely the lowest cost laptop with a 1600x900 resolution. I worked with a Toshiba Tecra that ran flawlessly on a level comparable with Lenovo and I do keep this company in higher consideration than both Dell and HP. However, Toshiba does not have that strong of an impression with me, since they sold our submarine screw designs to the Russians many years ago. As a former submariner, I find that difficult to accept.

 

[ecom]

This statement reflects my exact feelings on the current state of the laptop market. This requirement removes most of the current laptop market from consideration, bumping the specifications into the $650 - $1200 range. I have been researching this past week for resolutions sizes > 1366x768 and this is what I have come up with.

Technical Specifications:
Resolution (primary consideration): 1600 x 900, 1920 x 1080
Understand the screen sizes required for these resolutions bump the laptop into a pricier range.

Well, I'd rather have a 16:10. Even 1440x900 or 1680x1050 would be fine for me. The E4300 I have a is 1280x800 which I prefer to the 1368x768 resolution. As you scale up the laptop screen sizes, I noticed that even some 15" models have 1368x768 which means a larger pixel pitch.

CPU: AMD (not 'Neo' or 'V'), Intel Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7
(my recomendation is AMD, or Intel i3, i5)

I am not familiar with AMD procs, but my choice would be either i5 or possibly i7 depending on the power consumption.

Other specifications are unnecessary (hard drive size and speed, graphics). An external drive is better for file storage reliability than a 500GB drive inside a portable laptop that may be dropped or banged around. The (Touchpad - Multi-touch) software feature did catch my interest since it allows magnification changes and smaller icon sizes.

I'd rather have a 7200 RPM 320GB over a 500GB 5400 RPM here. A lot of lower end laptops have larger drives but many aare 5400 RPM.

Brand Discussion:
http://www.squaretrade.com/htm/pdf/SquareTrade_laptop_reliability_1109.pdf
This report shows the following in brand reliability over 2-3 years.

Asus > Toshiba > Sony > Apple > Dell > Lenovo > Acer > Gateway > HP


My personal preference order:
Asus > Lenovo = Apple > Sony > MSI > Panasonic = Toshiba >>
Dell = Gateway = Acer > eMachines >>
HP > Compaq

I expect Samsung laptops are on the level with Sony.

Regarding Toshiba, this is most likely the lowest cost laptop with a 1600x900 resolution. I worked with a Toshiba Tecra that ran flawlessly on a level comparable with Lenovo and I do keep this company in higher consideration than both Dell and HP. However, Toshiba does not have that strong of an impression with me, since they sold our submarine screw designs to the Russians many years ago. As a former submariner, I find that difficult to accept.

Keep in mind that the laptops in that report are most likely Dell consumer line laptops. Once you consider the Latitude line, it is a different game. Most Dell Latitude buyers are business users, and as such, likely won't be using any kind of Square trade warranty. Dell provides 3 years warranty standard on Latitudes anyway.