Sister wants a Laptop

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
BassBomb

BassBomb

Diamond Member
Nov 25, 2005
8,396
1
81
My sister's old PC is finally in need of a change (AMD 3200+, 6600GT)

I suggested she get a laptop since she often watches TV in another room and walks back and forth to her PC. Now she has a lot of joint pain and so can't walk around.

Looking for a laptop with decent battery life and small size/weight around $500 (i3 or i5).

She really loves the idea of an ultrabook but the low power/speed processors are a real turn off.

Her usage is limited to Youtube HD, Online radio streaming, Flash games on Facebook, 720p or 1080p MKV videos.

I see a lot of Lenovo options which are quite confusing at different model numbers and sizes. Z500 looks good but lower battery life.
 
sm625

sm625

Diamond Member
May 6, 2011
8,172
137
106
For $500 you can get a decent desktop tower upgrade AND something like a kindle fire HD.
 
D

DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
Since she's not a gamer (except Flash games), I'd go with an intel Pentium / i3 / i5 laptop over an AMD. Even a (sandy bridge) dual-core Pentium is fast enough for her needs.

The best thing to do is go there with her so she can see the screen and try out the keyboard. Both can be pretty bad on under-$800 laptops.
 
J

jolancer

Senior member
Sep 6, 2004
469
0
0
dunno y ur replacing it, but just fyi. use CoreAVC for decoding HD and something light but awsome like Media Player Classic, and you'd be saprized what pc's can actually play HD. my Netbook cant play full HD or bluray, but I have encodes on here ~4gb 1080(sorry i never botherd to look at the bitrates) that actually work on here[without stutter]. Medium settings tho No deinterlacing medium deblocking. i mostly use 720 since its easy. Anything above a Netbook i would imagine would bable to handle HD pritty easy if utilizing CoreAVC or if theres any alternative equivalent these days IDK. Maybe not full bitrate Bluray on every system but definetly encoded HD
 
BassBomb

BassBomb

Diamond Member
Nov 25, 2005
8,396
1
81
jolancer said:
dunno y ur replacing it, but just fyi. use CoreAVC for decoding HD and something light but awsome like Media Player Classic, and you'd be saprized what pc's can actually play HD. my Netbook cant play full HD or bluray, but I have encodes on here ~4gb 1080(sorry i never botherd to look at the bitrates) that actually work on here[without stutter]. Medium settings tho No deinterlacing medium deblocking. i mostly use 720 since its easy. Anything above a Netbook i would imagine would bable to handle HD pritty easy if utilizing CoreAVC or if theres any alternative equivalent these days IDK. Maybe not full bitrate Bluray on every system but definetly encoded HD
Click to expand...

Been there, Three PC's in the house 3000+, 3200+ and a P4 3.0Ghz have lasted a long time but they're showing problems and have trouble mostly with streamed HD. Usage goes too high and they slow down and bog down. Even with MPC-HC and such. Her PC is the best of those three and its also loud and uses more electricity.

If an i5 "U" CPU meets her needs that will help the decision making. There are just so many options out there that its like o_O each day I look for a deal I come up with different solutions.
 
Torn Mind

Torn Mind

Lifer
Nov 25, 2012
11,636
2,650
136
A Sandy Bridge or newer Ultrabook ultra low voltage CPU absolutely destroys Pentium 4 era CPUs because they are more efficient in terms of instructions per cycle due to better microarchitecture and more cores. This is despite the low clockspeed.

For your reference, IPS=IPCxclockspeed. Instructions per second equals instructions per cycle times number of cycles. IPC varies according to software, microarchitecture, and core count, and maybe some other factors since I don't know the CPUs THAT well..

The gap is larger if you go with mainstream Sandy or Ivy Bridge CPUs
 
Last edited:
Torn Mind

Torn Mind

Lifer
Nov 25, 2012
11,636
2,650
136
DaveSimmons said:
Since she's not a gamer (except Flash games), I'd go with an intel Pentium / i3 / i5 laptop over an AMD. Even a (sandy bridge) dual-core Pentium is fast enough for her needs.

The best thing to do is go there with her so she can see the screen and try out the keyboard. Both can be pretty bad on under-$800 laptops.
Click to expand...
Well, one Facebook flash game does choke under a desktop Pentium G620, so a dual core mobile Pentium might not be enough..

A new laptop with a 1080 screen resolution and with the CPUs he wants is out of the question though, so the OP will have to settle for less there.

The ASUS Vivobook is a interesting choice because it comes with a touchscreen, which helps with dealing with Windows 8. Only thing is that it has an 11.6 inch screen.
 
C

crab0

Member
Jun 7, 2012
116
0
0
If you want a traditional laptop (no Win 8, not ultrabook) that seems like a good model. Does she need the disc drive/bigger screen?
 
L

lakedude

Platinum Member
Mar 14, 2009
2,549
263
126
Regular battery?

This one:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product...spx?path=89ae72c34f92c7f73ea85481360fbbfden02

Has a very nice EDIT -not 1080p after all- "IPS" screen and a much better GPU both of which are important.

While this one:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...C-C8junctionCA

Is not IPS but it does have the better Intel CPU.

Personally I'd be tempted to get the IPS machine

...

In this case IPS stands for "In-Plane Switching". The display on the IPS equipped laptop should be much nicer but you might just go down to BB and take a look for yourself.
 
Last edited:
BassBomb

BassBomb

Diamond Member
Nov 25, 2005
8,396
1
81
lakedude said:
Regular battery?

This one:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product...spx?path=89ae72c34f92c7f73ea85481360fbbfden02

Has a very nice 1080p (I believe) "IPS" screen and a much better GPU both of which are important.

While this one:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...C-C8junctionCA

Is only 720p and not IPS but it does have the better Intel CPU.

Personally I'd be tempted to get the 1080p IPS machine

...

In this case IPS stands for "In-Plane Switching". The display on the IPS equipped laptop should be much nicer but you might just go down to BB and take a look for yourself.
Click to expand...

Oh of course I know about IPS. I am not sure it has it though... the specs claim its the generic screen resolution. Might be worth the trip to BB to confirm and compare. The Intel one is lighter weight which she will value more than say a dedicated GPU.
 
L

lakedude

Platinum Member
Mar 14, 2009
2,549
263
126
OK under "Details" it says:

Despite the focus on incredible sound, viewing certainly doesn't take a backseat. The 15.6-inch HD widescreen display has IPS panels that provide stunning 150°viewing angles, bringing to life detailed, vivid and brighter images from any direction. All wrapped up in a Red Dot Design Award winning body with ripple effect speaker mesh and precision-etched hairline metallic cover.
Click to expand...

Under specs it says "1366 x 768" so it is not 1080p after all...

Wonder where I got that from?

OK that is just weird. Your link does not have a "specs" tab so I must have gone hunting for the specs. My link does have a specs tab??? Wait where the heck did the specs go??? I just coped the 1366 x 768 from the specs tab and now I can't find a specs tab at all????
 
Last edited:
Torn Mind

Torn Mind

Lifer
Nov 25, 2012
11,636
2,650
136
BassBomb said:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16834230648

I think I found the right mix.... Small form factor, regular CPU, regular battery??
Click to expand...
That's pretty powerful. An SSD will make it even snappier, but compared to what you have now, it will be a tremendously pleasant transition, barring any hiccups or issues.

Passmark is not always useful or accurate, but when comparing processors with a score of less than 500 to that of 1000 or more, it works as a tool. It also does a fair job comparing processors that is within the same generation within the same company. It's notas good when doing AMD vs Intel

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-3210M+@+2.50GHz
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i3-3217U+@+1.80GHz
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Athlon+64+3200+&id=67

www.notebookcheck.net is also a useful resource.
 
kbp

kbp

Senior member
Oct 8, 2011
577
0
0
Do a search for "Start8".
Download the trial.
This puts the interface back to Win7 within Win8.
See if she "likes".
Then pay the $4.99 for the program.
 
W

wirednuts

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2007
7,121
4
0
any e350 laptops still around? that would maximize your battery life, along with super light weight and small size... and since about 9 months ago those chips DO play all HD content that i can throw at it... streaming youtube and netflix hd is not an issue anymore...
 
Aikouka

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
I have that same laptop, and my only warning is to be careful that it doesn't overheat. It may have a fan in it, but it barely seems to do anything. :|

kbp said:
Do a search for "Start8".
Download the trial.
This puts the interface back to Win7 within Win8.
See if she "likes".
Then pay the $4.99 for the program.
Click to expand...

Ars Technica has a write-up on Start Menu alternatives for Windows 8, and they found a better alternative than Start8. Well, to be fair, it's only better because it's just as good, but slightly cheaper. :p

http://arstechnica.com/information-...p-ive-got-windows-8-and-i-miss-my-start-menu/
 
T

The_Dude8

Diamond Member
Jan 8, 2000
5,167
1
71
Aikouka said:
I have that same laptop, and my only warning is to be careful that it doesn't overheat. It may have a fan in it, but it barely seems to do anything. :|



Ars Technica has a write-up on Start Menu alternatives for Windows 8, and they found a better alternative than Start8. Well, to be fair, it's only better because it's just as good, but slightly cheaper. :p

http://arstechnica.com/information-...p-ive-got-windows-8-and-i-miss-my-start-menu/
Click to expand...

you have that same asus laptop from newegg?
 
dawp

dawp

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
11,345
2,705
136
RossMAN said:
I was just about to post this, it's an incredibly awesome laptop and that price will not last.

http://slickdeals.net/f/5829862-Asus-14-1-Windows-7-Laptop-i5-6gig-750-gig-499-99-w-FS?
Click to expand...

The_Dude8 said:
how about this asus for $500?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...4230648&cm_sp=

it fits your budget.
Click to expand...

looks like he has already pick one up and got a real good price on it:

BassBomb said:
Result:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16834230729

Got for $750 with a price match deal

So far she likes it but she hates Windows 8 and some of the gestures.. she does nto mind the bilingual keyboard
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom