Need cheap, light student laptop

[cowface3]

Hey, I'm looking for something that can run microsoft office, browse internet etc. and is cheap and light, so I can take it to the library and carry it in my backpack with all my other stuff. Any opinions?

 

[Zap]

How about something with an E-350 APU, like the HP dm1z? That has an 11.6" screen and is often available on sale at under $400, and weighs around 3.5 pounds or so and can go a good part of the day on battery. Battery life may be important because then you can ditch the power brick at home. Look up some reviews.

Otherwise, let us know what screen size you are looking for. Basically for light weight, 13.3" and smaller with no optical drive are the usual culprits.

 

[Sunburn74]

Price range is pretty important information.

 

[Fayd]

i got an acer aspire one 722 from target when they were on sale for ~220. i'm pretty happy with it.

browses nicely and watches video well with 6+ hours in battery life.

 

[Zap]

Price range is pretty important information.

Actually with notebooks I'd argue the form factor, behind usage patterns. Price range has already been stated as "cheap" which to me means the cheapest (of a particular form factor) on the market.

 

[cowface3]

How about something with an E-350 APU, like the HP dm1z? That has an 11.6" screen and is often available on sale at under $400, and weighs around 3.5 pounds or so and can go a good part of the day on battery. Battery life may be important because then you can ditch the power brick at home. Look up some reviews.

Otherwise, let us know what screen size you are looking for. Basically for light weight, 13.3" and smaller with no optical drive are the usual culprits.

Welp, my price point would be under $400. I was looking at the dm1z on HP and with a student discount for the base model it comes to $380. It seems to fit the bill, but I'm wondering if have a 11.6" screen will be a bit annoying to use. Not necissarily because the screen is small, but the keyboard. Has anyone used this and have feedback on that? I have no familiarity with small laptops.

And battery life definitely matters. I don't plan on taking the power cord around with me. Just maybe a mouse and headphones.

Also, the DMZ 1 seems to have been released a while ago. Should I worry about something newer just around the corner or currently on the market?

 

[Sunburn74]

Are you afraid of refurbished or recertified items?

 

[cowface3]

Are you afraid of refurbished or recertified items?

...Sorta. Never done it with a computer. Should I be?

 

[cowface3]

Welp, I went for it and got the HP dm1z with the e-450 processor. Came out to under 400 with a 30 dollar coupon. I didn't see a better deal for a laptop that light anywhere else.

I just hope there's not too much bloatware. I'll probably just reinstall Windows.

 

[Zap]

If you want battery life and are concerned about keyboard/screen being too small, how about a Dell Vostro V131? It uses a 13.3" screen and normal notebook keyboard, plus has 9 hours battery life. Unfortunately it starts at $500, but CPU performance would be better than the dm1z.

 

[cowface3]

If you want battery life and are concerned about keyboard/screen being too small, how about a Dell Vostro V131? It uses a 13.3" screen and normal notebook keyboard, plus has 9 hours battery life. Unfortunately it starts at $500, but CPU performance would be better than the dm1z.

Meh, I already went with the dm1z. I'd rather save the hundred, but thanks for the advice!

 

[htwingnut]

Welp, my price point would be under $400. I was looking at the dm1z on HP and with a student discount for the base model it comes to $380. It seems to fit the bill, but I'm wondering if have a 11.6" screen will be a bit annoying to use. Not necissarily because the screen is small, but the keyboard. Has anyone used this and have feedback on that? I have no familiarity with small laptops.

And battery life definitely matters. I don't plan on taking the power cord around with me. Just maybe a mouse and headphones.

Also, the DMZ 1 seems to have been released a while ago. Should I worry about something newer just around the corner or currently on the market?

The DM1z *just* got a refresh with the E-450 replacing the E-350. It is slightly more powerful with a little better GPU performance. Be sure to get the E-450 over the E-300 though, I was able to configure one for about $400 with tax using a $30 off coupon (negates student discount). Plus they improved the touchpad which was a topic of contention with previous owners. It's a slick machine. I considered it until I found a deal on the Asus Eee 1215B with the E-350 for $300, but that deal's gone.

For the size of the screen, depends. It doesn't bother me. I'm 6 foot tall 210lbs and it works fine for me. The keyboard is more or less full size. That isn't an issue much with an 11.6" or 12.1" laptop, only if you go much smaller, those are horrible.