Looking for assistance with a laptop purchase

[Kneedragger]

Alright so since I have a baby now we moved her into the extra room where my desk and computer was. I hardly use it anymore.. Haven't kicked it over in probably five months. I'm mostly using my wifes 13" macbook for computer stuff.

What I want to do is get rid of all my pc stuff and just get my own laptop now. I dont really think I'd be doing much heavy work on it. I game on a PS4 and this laptop would mostly be used for web surfing, managing music, light photo editing and sometimes youtube.

My budget would be $700 - 800 max.

Are dual core still worth getting or do they still hold up with Windows 10? Or should I make the jump to quad?

What brand should I avoid if any?

What Im looking for
- Backlit keyboard

- Upgradable HD and RAM

- USB 3

- Maybe 15" max screen size. ( Dont think I need anything bigger.)

- Option to upgrade or replace battery.

Thanks

 

[Stuka87]

For 700-800 that puts you in the range for an i5, which on the mobile side are all dual cores with hyper threading. This will be fine for what you want to do. Stepping up to a quad i7 will require putting a 1 in front of the 700-800.

 

[RossMAN]

My budget would be $700 - 800 max.

That's a good reasonable budget. Are you willing to consider manufacture refurbished? You'll get a lot more bang for your buck, I have personally purchased several Dell refurbished computers and never had a problem.

Are dual core still worth getting or do they still hold up with Windows 10? Or should I make the jump to quad?

The bare minimum processor I would buy an Intel 4th gen Haswell i5.

What Im looking for
- Backlit keyboard

- Upgradable HD and RAM

- USB 3

- Maybe 15" max screen size. ( Dont think I need anything bigger.)

- Option to upgrade or replace battery.

Thanks

Great choice on the features, I will never buy another laptop without a backlit keyboard. 99% of my web surfing is on the couch in front of the TV where we don't have a lot of light, love having a backlit keyboard so much. Most laptops allow you to upgrade RAM and HD unless of course they're soldered on which is common on ultrabooks.

15.6" will give you the most options and most bang for your buck, great choice. If you can, upgrade to a non-touch 1080p unless you have vision issues.

Batteries, that might be a deal breaker.

Buy a slower mechanical hard drive and upgrade it yourself to a 250GB/500GB SSD saving $$$.

Here are a few laptops that meet some or most of your criteria, expect more sales in the coming weeks before Xmas.

http://slickdeals.net/f/8319565-len...h-gen-i5-6200u-8gb-500gb-1080p-laptop-449?v=1

http://slickdeals.net/f/8292453-lenovo-yoga-3-pro-8gb-256gb-win10-699-99-with-free-shipping?v=1

http://slickdeals.net/f/8289431-40-off-lenovo-thinkpad-x1-carbon-t450s-among-others-through-epp?v=1

If build quality and support are important to you I would highly recommend business line laptops Dell Latitude and Lenovo T/W series. I loved my Dell Latitude and currently use a Dell XPS 14 which has served me well.

I'd love a Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga but my current laptop works just fine as I mostly web surf, MS Office, media consumption and home automation.

 

[RossMAN]

Are you a CostCo member or know someone who is?

They have several advantages over the competition (Best Buy, Amazon, Sears, etc.):
90 day return policy with zero restocking fee.
Free 2nd year warranty, support and concierge services.
Free additional 1 year warranty courtesy of Amex.

Note their local warehouse and CostCo.com selection differs.

http://www.costco.com/warehouse-coupon-offers.html?langId=-1

http://www.costco.com/computers-offers.html?langId=-1

This is a great deal on a loaded HP laptop for $599 unfortunately it's currently out of stock online.
http://www.costco.com/HP-Pavilion-1...-Keyboard-|-Windows-10.product.100240240.html

---------------------

MicrosoftStore.com has some good deals as well, no warehouse membership required and signature edition are bloat/crapware free.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/list/categoryID.69404900?filters=[500%20to%20749.99]&sortby=ranking%20ascending

Buy this Dell for $549, upgrade to an SSD
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.326885200

• Display 15.6 in Full HD LED-backlit touchscreen with Truelife (1920 x 1080), 10-finger multi-touch support
• Processor Intel Core i5-5250U 1.60 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.70 GHz
• Memory 8GB DDR3L 1600 MHz
• Hard drive size 1TB 5400 RPM HDD
• Operating system Windows 10 Home, 64-bit
• PC type Laptop
• Optical drive DVD +/- RW
• Media drive SD card reader
• Audio Waves MaxxAudio
• Video Intel HD Graphics 6000 with shared graphics memory
• Ports 1 USB 3.0 • 2 USB 2.0 • HDMI • Headphone output/Microphone input combo • LAN (10/100) • Security lock slot
• Battery 4-cell, 40WHr (up to 7 hours)*
• Camera 1MP 720p HD webcam
• Wireless 802.11ac/a/b/g/n (Miracast enabled)
• Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0
• Dimensions 14.90 x 10.25 x 0.95 in (380.00 x 260.40 x 24.05 mm)
• Weight 5.73 lbs (2.59 kg)
• Color Silver
• Other Model number: Inspiron 15 i5558-5717SLV • Backlit keyboard • Keyboard travel: 1 mm • Touchpad dimensions: 105 x 80 mm

Remember to pay for the entire purchase using a premium Visa, MasterCard or Amex credit card for free 1 year extended warranty.

 

[Kneedragger]

That's a good reasonable budget. Are you willing to consider manufacture refurbished? You'll get a lot more bang for your buck, I have personally purchased several Dell refurbished computers and never had a problem.



The bare minimum processor I would buy an Intel 4th gen Haswell i5.



Great choice on the features, I will never buy another laptop without a backlit keyboard. 99% of my web surfing is on the couch in front of the TV where we don't have a lot of light, love having a backlit keyboard so much. Most laptops allow you to upgrade RAM and HD unless of course they're soldered on which is common on ultrabooks.

15.6" will give you the most options and most bang for your buck, great choice. If you can, upgrade to a non-touch 1080p unless you have vision issues.

Batteries, that might be a deal breaker.

Buy a slower mechanical hard drive and upgrade it yourself to a 250GB/500GB SSD saving $$$.

Here are a few laptops that meet some or most of your criteria, expect more sales in the coming weeks before Xmas.

http://slickdeals.net/f/8319565-len...h-gen-i5-6200u-8gb-500gb-1080p-laptop-449?v=1

http://slickdeals.net/f/8292453-lenovo-yoga-3-pro-8gb-256gb-win10-699-99-with-free-shipping?v=1

http://slickdeals.net/f/8289431-40-off-lenovo-thinkpad-x1-carbon-t450s-among-others-through-epp?v=1

If build quality and support are important to you I would highly recommend business line laptops Dell Latitude and Lenovo T/W series. I loved my Dell Latitude and currently use a Dell XPS 14 which has served me well.

I'd love a Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga but my current laptop works just fine as I mostly web surf, MS Office, media consumption and home automation.

I would consider refurbished for sure. I will check out the Lenovo links you posted and yes I am a Costco member. I always forget Costco sells computers lol.

Any info on Toshiba satellite as well? If I come across a decent deal are they worth going after?

Thanks