student laptop needed

[btadler]

As the title says I am in need of a laptop for school since for some reason or another half the keys have stopped working on my current one and I am going into finals week. Not a huge deal since I have a nice desktop at home but I do enjoy typing notes in lecture verses writing them. My question to you guys is what you believe to be the best budget laptop for simple tasks such as word processing and internet usage. My current half dead laptop is a beast which I got when I was using it for gaming an everything so since I am used to lugging it around weight is not a huge issue but something lighter wouldn't be frowned upon. I also no longer need all the heavy hitting components since I have a nice gaming tower at home. Your suggestions for the best in price, performance, portability and longevity are appreciated. I would like to stay around the $500 range. Thanks.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Well, cheapest would probably be to replace your keyboard and call it a day.

That said, I'd probably look for some off-lease business laptop. That's usually the best deal around. Newegg typically has a stock of refurbs.

This one's pretty sexy:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834314337

But you can find similar deals almost anywhere. Some companies even have "outlet" type stores or separate refurb sections of their stores.

 

[btadler]

I bought the laptop in china when I was stationed in that area so I am not so sure the keyboard can be replaced so easily.

 

[PaducahPhil]

I bought the laptop in china when I was stationed in that area so I am not so sure the keyboard can be replaced so easily.

That should not be a problem; I had a Notebook originally sold in Mexico (Spanish characters), and I was able to find a replacement for it on eBay w/ no problem. It did have to ship from China, like so much of what's sold on eBay now, but it was inexpensive, arrived in fine condition, and worked w/o an issue.

An awful lot of notebooks

You might try a search...