Need to buy a laptop this weekend, looking for recommendations.

[lk2500]

Edit:

Ended up with a Lenovo U430 IdeaPad Ultrabook 14" Touch:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ideapad-...skuId=91300471

It wasn't on sale but it had everything I was looking for - thin, light, aluminum construction, backlit keyboard, i5-4200U processor, 16GB SSD for the OS, and 1600x900 resolution. Only bad thing I saw in reviews was bad off angle viewing which I do notice a bit, but no big deal.


Edit (see below):

Narrowed criteria to:

14"
i5-4200U
as thin and light as possible


I need to buy a smaller form factor (14" or smaller) windows laptop for my son this weekend for him to use at college. I'm looking to spend less than $700 if possible.

I did have an HP Pavillion GV6 he was using but the dang battery is so loose that it will power down or even fall out of the computer when you pick it up, so I'll be RMA'ing it.

I see a bunch on sale at Lenovo but reviews are so-so and I haven't heard much good about their customer service.

What would ya'll recommend on such short notice?

 

[mfenn]

Moved from General Hardware

mfenn
General Hardware Moderator

 

[crashtestdummy]

What are his needs? Is he looking for a gaming computer, or just something for schoolwork? If it's the latter, look into the Vizio Thin and Light. It's a little outdated (Ivy Bridge), but should be in your price range and will be more portable than anything else in the price range.

 

[lk2500]

What are his needs? Is he looking for a gaming computer, or just something for schoolwork? If it's the latter, look into the Vizio Thin and Light. It's a little outdated (Ivy Bridge), but should be in your price range and will be more portable than anything else in the price range.

Would probably like the possibility of a little gaming but the emphasis would be on portability and durability. After perusing some more I am thinking something along the lines of 13.3"-14" with a i5-4200u Haswell processor. We're heading out today so he can figure out what exact form factor he wants.

 

[pw257008]

Copying this post from another topic down the page because I got the two topics confused and replied to that one with some of the criteria of this one:

Too bad the size limit, this 15.6" is pretty nice at $529: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/aspire-m...rive/1755183.p

This one fits your requirements more closely: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/vivobook...rive/1737388.p

This one's $50 over your range, but it comes with an SSD : http://www.microcenter.com/product/426411/XPS_12_125_Convertible_Ultrabook_-_Carbon_Fiber

Maybe take a look at HP's Probook 430 and 440 series. Spill-resistant keyboards can be nice for a college kid (I was stuck using a USB keyboard and mouse for a year and a half after an unfortunate, drunken night and a leaky bottle of water): http://shopping1.hp.com/is-bin/INTE...8=?CatalogCategoryID=MwYQ7habGjkAAAFA68ktdYir

Something like this from Lenovo could do the trick too: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops...0025:00003664:

You can find some of the HPs cheaper on Best Buy's website, but the layout is way better on HP's page.

Both MicroCenter and Best Buy have some awesome deals if you're close to the store, between clearance, open box (though I understand hesitation on that), and stuff that's only available in store.

 

[lk2500]

Just got back from Best Buy, narrowed criteria to:

14"
i5-4200U
as thin and light as possible

Will do a bit more research and make a purchase this evening or tomorrow.

 

[lk2500]

Ended up with a Lenovo U430 IdeaPad Ultrabook 14" Touch:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ideapad-...skuId=91300471

It wasn't on sale but it had everything I was looking for - thin, light, aluminum construction, backlit keyboard, i5-4200U processor, 16GB SSD for the OS, and 1600x900 resolution. Only bad thing I saw in reviews was bad off angle viewing which I do notice a bit, but no big deal.

 

[Rottie]

You should have save money if you buy a Samsung Chromebook for less than 270.00!