Good low end laptop

[IHateMyJob2004]

Need something good enough for web browsing and watching movies (1080p mp4, etc).

Want a 1 TB hard drive. 15" screen is about right

Otherwise it just needs to have a smooth experience.

Any suggestions? I see some cheap laptop under $300 at Walmart that might do the trick but I am worried about performance.

 

[fourdegrees11]

Not sure what you're looking at for under $300, but this looks like your best bet given your requirements that I can see

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834315131

 

[Kaido]

There's a $299 laptop at Best Buy:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-15...ient/4352000.p?id=1219735415083&skuId=4352000

Only catch is the screen is WXGA (1366x768), which is just a hair above 720p. On the plus side, it's $300, has an i3, 4GB RAM, and a large (albiet slow - 5400rpm) 1TB hard drive - plus a DVD drive, which not a lot of laptops have anymore. It's a 5th-generation i3 with Windows 10 & you can upgrade the RAM to 12GB & the drive to an SSD down the road. And say what you want about the resolution, but it is very readable due to the text size.

 

[EliteRetard]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011KFQASE/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=

$350 this is probably the cheapest you'll find a decent 15.6" 1080 laptop.

There was a hot deals thread about it, with some discussion/information:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2452224

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I think my laptop went from messed up screen to non functioning today . Think that I need to make a buy soon.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[EliteRetard]

Id suggest you stick with an i3 at least (4th 5th or 6th gen), and 8GB would be preferable for best performance. A 7200RPM HDD or SSD would help too. Some of these laptops can have RAM/HDD upgraded easier than others (some not at all). The unit I suggested has a hatch for RAM upgrades (should be easy to get 8GB then), but has to be pried open for HDD changes.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I am tempted to try out one of those Cheapos at Wal-Mart.

Is the AMD A10 any good?

 

[EliteRetard]

A10 is probably OK for basic usage. The best AMD mobile chips are on par with Intels mobile i3's.

There are other things to consider too, battery capacity/life, wifi, RAM, HDD and the potential upgrade options of such. As well as the screen quality/resolution, being the primary way to interface with the PC it's important.

Personally I can't tolerate the crap 13x7 screens, hence my recommendation for a low end but vastly better 19x10.

As mentioned, 8GB helps even in basic usage...like when you have a bunch of internet tabs open (especially with chrome). Most of these budget units come with 4GB, but if they have easy access and a slot available then it's real cheap and easy to add another 4GB.

Edit: Then again, it does matter what price as well. If you can get a decent CPU in a $200 laptop, other compromises might be worthwhile...especially if it has a good warranty.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I have an i5 with 8GB. It would stink to have to downgrade. Had an i3 in the past though and that was passable.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Are the intel chips below the i3 worth while considering? For example, some intel pentium laptops exist at a very low price.

 

[RossMAN]

Currently on sale for $250

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-15...ient/4352000.p?id=1219735415083&skuId=4352000

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Currently on sale for $250

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-15...ient/4352000.p?id=1219735415083&skuId=4352000

I can't find the resolution. 1080p?

Granted for that price I don't know if I care.

 

[therealnickdanger]

I can't find the resolution. 1080p?

Granted for that price I don't know if I care.

A user on Amazon says it's 1366x768. Also, 2 RAM slots that you can upgrade is nice as well. It's hard to find 1080p laptops for under $700. 5th-gen i3 though... that's a really good price. Very tempting.

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-Laptop-i3-5020U-Windows-Gradient/dp/B0181OV6JA

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Wow, Best Buy has the Asus for $250. And my local store has it in stock!!!!

I think I'll grab it after work. The resolution sucks but for the price it is a go.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

This is expandable to 12 GB via DDR3L:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-15...ient/4352000.p?id=1219735415083&skuId=4352000

What memory cards do I need to buy to expand it?

 

[therealnickdanger]

This is expandable to 12 GB via DDR3L:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-15...ient/4352000.p?id=1219735415083&skuId=4352000

What memory cards do I need to buy to expand it?

4GB is good enough for what you want to use it for: "Need something good enough for web browsing and watching movies (1080p mp4, etc)."

If you want to upgrade, just get any single 8GB DDR3L 1600 SODIMM. The website says it can take up to 12GB RAM. Chances are good that you could get two 8GB modules for a total of 16GB (that's the maximum that the i3 will recognize), but you don't really need more than 4GB for what you want to do.

 

[EliteRetard]

4GB is very limiting, even for basic usage.
It's only ~35$ to add another 8GB or $20 for 4GB.

Here's one option each, with links from Newegg and Amazon (or pick another store you like)

8GB DDR3L (1.35v) 1600MHz CAS 11 (This would give you a total of 12GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239697
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CQ35HBQ/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=

If that was to expensive, you can get the same thing but in 4GB size for $20:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239696
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CQ35GYE/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=
This plus the 4GB stock will give you 8GB total, and is probably all you need.

 

[EliteRetard]

Looking at photos online it appears there is a small flap on the bottom for the RAM slot.
It has a small rubber pad covering a single screw. Remove those to open the hatch.
The stock 4GB is soldered in, so you can't change it. There's only 1 slot available.

I was going to suggest one of the good ~70$ 250GB SSDs as a performance upgrade, but these laptop require a full disassemble to get to the HDD...so probably not worth it.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I'll grab the laptop today. If performance suffers for my needs, I'll order up a 4 or 8 GB stick. Id Best Buy stocked them (at reasonable prices), I would grab the stick today though.

 

[therealnickdanger]

4GB is very limiting, even for basic usage.

Basic usage of 10 VMs? LOL

No, IHateMyJob2004 said web browsing and watching videos. Even my 2GB Windows 10 tablet can perfectly play back Blu-ray ISOs while also have many, many Chrome tabs open.

He didn't mention playing games, but if he did, even with 62 Chrome tabs open there is no impact to system performance:
http://www.techspot.com/article/1043-8gb-vs-16gb-ram/page3.html

If he decides to start using Photoshop or doing lots of file compression or video editing, then he should definitely upgrade RAM. Otherwise, if there is cash to spare, upgrade to an SSD.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

nickdanger,

That's funny. I found the same article yesterday. I think it said that things like zip compression are aided by larger amount of memory.

I am a bit worried about various .... umm ... network data file transferring apps ..... These on occasion brought my i5 w/ 8 GB to it's knees.

 

[therealnickdanger]

I am a bit worried about various .... umm ... network date file transferring apps ..... These on occasion brought my i5 w/ 8 GB to it's knees.

Haha, well then, you'll just have to see how it works out.

 

[EliteRetard]

In that article they're using a very high end system with a huge 1TB SSD.
I've got lots of experience with low end machines on crappy old HDDs.
Systems with 4GB can barely multitask at all. A few programs a few tabs and "error not enough memory you need to close programs".
Even if you don't have to close programs, all that data swapping to a 5400RPM drive is painful.
I'll admit that none of my crappy old 4GB systems have moved past XP, maybe Win10 is better.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Went to Best Buy. Had a $350 laptop in my hands. Had an i3, 1TB hard drive and 4 GB of system memmory. But it had a 1366x768 (or whatever it is about this res) screen. So I took a look at the demo model. Ahhh, the pixels.

Then next to it, an A10 with 6GB of system memory and a 1 TB HD with a 1080p screen. I think the screen was even a 17" as opposed to a 15.6". Not that the screen size matters to me that much. 15"+ is all I wanted. It was $430 I think. SO I decided to just spend the extra $80. It was also a Lenovo and the build seemed slightly better. The build near the hinged area was much more well done than my current laptop and the $350 laptop which that seems to be the area that is failing me now (so much flex!).

Once it is up and running for a few days I will post my comments. So probably the 27th or so.

 

[EliteRetard]

lol

Well now you know why I kept hinting at a 1080 screen.
Wasn't sure if you personally could tolerate it at a low enough price, guess not.

Dunno if it matters, but the i3 1080 laptop I originally pointed to is still $350 on Amazon. However it's a similar Asus laptop as what you saw, with an upgraded screen.

The people in the hot deals thread for that 1080 Asus seemed to like it, if you care perhaps you could PM them for more information/opinions...see if anybody has had one for a while. Might be worth looking into for $80 savings and/or if the 15" is more practical than a 17".