New laptop for in-laws

[Metro Devil]

Hey folks,

I'm in a crunch here and don't have enough time to do my normal research. My in-laws' laptop crashed and they want to order a new one asap. They had an pretty old Dell Inspiron 600 ... and we've been talking about upgrading for a while.

Anyway, I haven't looked at laptops in quite a while. I used to always consider Dells first whenever looking for a new machine. I've read some threads here but not enough. Are Dells still good? I'm thinking of getting them to order a Studio 15.

The budget is ~$600 - $800. They mainly use it for web surfing, email, MS Office, slight photo editing. The screen shouldn't be too small.

Any suggestions? Am I totally off base with the Studio 15?

Thanks,
md

 

[boomhower]

Unless they need the 1080P screen of the Studio I would just go with the cheaper Inspiron. If your open to reburbs you can get some really good deals in the dell outlet. You can get a pretty loaded fasttrack for $700.http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...en&s=dhs&cs=19

Pretty cheap 16" with a i3 and a 12 cell battery. Only downside I see is a 5400RPM HD.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+...&skuId=9703393

Similar Dell
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dell+-+I...&skuId=9693191

Or a Sony for a bit better name but with a smaller HD than the rest
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+V...&skuId=9765452

 

[TimeKeeper]

. Are Dells still good?

http://computers.toptenreviews.com/...survey-reveals-asus-is-best-and-hp-worst.html


http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/laptop-reliability-1109
(generally, I would follow with insurance company's data)