Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Can anyone recommend a decent Windows laptop for under $400.
#11
Michael wrote:
I have to have a PC for my work, so I buy the cheapest Dell Inspiron that I can find and treat them as disposable. They typically last me 3-4 years and when they get at all wonky and are out of the 1 year Dell and additional year AMEX warranty I just drill the hard drive and recycle the whole thing and do it again.

I have an Inspiron N5110 that's 2.5 years old that I payed somewhere in the $300 range for and it's started going to sleep when I move it around. I can keep it from doing it if I use it on a lapdesk but it's beginning to irritate me. I'd bet I caused some sort of a short in the laptop from repeated placing and lifting it from the floor to my lap while the screen was open, holding it by the corner. I'm trying to remember to always close it before I put it down and when I replace it I'll try to do the same thing. I'll replace it as soon as Windows 10 comes out and looks stable (if the current reports of it being WAY better than 8 are true).

That said, if I needed a new laptop today, I'd buy this one for $250: http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15-353...fncwc3001h&model_id=inspiron-15-3531-laptop

I don't want a touch screen on my laptop; that's what my iPad is for. I'd buy something with Windows 7 if I could find it cheap, but they are getting expensive. You can also get one with a permanent copy of Office installed for more. I don't need that since my college has a license that allows me to load it on a personal computer.

I'd second this. My daughter has a inspiron 15 and it's more solidly built than my cheap Lenovo. She thrashes things and hasn't managed to break this one yet (2yrs). The negative reviews on the dell site are full of junk. It's plenty snappy, speedwise. kj.
Reply
#12
My GF just got a nice Acer Aspire 157 15.6" laptop with an Intel 15 processor at MicroCenter for $400. It comes with Windows 8.1 but we should be able to run Ubuntu on it. Somebody has the loaded version with a faster i5, gobs of RAM and a better HD for $599, maybe Amazon but you'd have to search.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/43367...ight_Black
Reply
#13
rz wrote:
[quote=Filliam H. Muffman]
With some discriminating shopping of closeouts, you can get better specs in a $400 laptop than a 2012 Mac mini. I would call that decent.

Yeah, but it would run Windows. I have a souped up Core i7 Windows laptop that I have to use for work. I'd rather use my 2006 C2D Macbook than that thing.
I'll trade you two Core 2 Duo MaBooks for that i7. I'd wipe it to run Linux of course. Well, maybe I'd keep the Windows partitions for iTunes and Airport Utility, but run Linux as the primary OS.
Reply
#14
Her budget is really tight and this what I recommended and what she ordered:

BestBuy

Nice that it's on sale for $100 off.

Thanks for the suggestions. She almost bought the Inspiron before I found the Asus. What sold her was the internal DVD drive; the Dell didn't have one.
Reply
#15
Seems like a decent system.
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)