NBR: recommend your laptop

Manda-Kay · October 2012

My laptop died a while ago and I've been using my work one. It would be great to be able to leave my work laptop at work so I will have one less thing to worry about. So, what should I get? I'll preface by saying it's a Christmas gift from my parents so I don't want it to be too expensive. I don't need anything fancy. Thanks!

Jnmac83 · October 2012

I have a Toshiba that I like. DH got it for me 3 years ago for Xmas and it still runs great!

TechieGirl1 · October 2012

I got mine at staples a couple of years ago at staples on clearance. I would watch their clearance, i got an hp with good specs at the time for about 350. Have fun! I love electronics shopping!

mamahawk12 · October 2012

I stand by Macs 100 percent but you'd be looking at around 1000 at least. That said, I had a Toshiba Satelite in college and it was a solid PC. Never had any problems and it lasted me a good 6 years, which is forever in computer terms.

AutumnLeaves2 · October 2012

I have a Toshiba as well that I just got for my birthday a few days ago. I love it and would highly recommend it.

Megzb510 · October 2012

As someone who has worked at a well-known electronics store for the last 7 years, I can tell you that all the laptop brands are virtually the same, with the exception of perhaps Sony and Mac. I've had people sing the praises and despise with a passion every. single. brand. With that said, I prefer HP, Asus and Toshiba. I personally have a Mac only because I had so many Apple devices (iPad, iPhone) and it's so much easier to manage them on a Mac. Like someone else said, Macs start at $1000.

What you need to look at is processor, hard drive size and ram. Your cheap ("value") laptops will have a slower processor and probably not as much ram as would be ideal. I personally wouldn't get a Celeron processor--it's the slowest. THe most common processors out there are called i3, i5, i7. Something with an i3 or i5 should be fine.

Most computers have more hard drive space than most people know what to do with, but if you have tons of videos and pictures, you might want to get one with a larger hard drive.

You want as much ram as you can get for the price range you're looking at. That's what helps you with multi-tasking. If you aren't someone who has 4 programs open at the same time and just literally does email and internet, a value laptop would be fine. You can get one for under $500 easily.

You'll pay a premium for ultra books (they're super ultra light weight) but you get less computer for the benefit of the small size.

I usually recommend that people get something in the mid-range. That way it's not immediately obsolete, and it gets you a little more time with it.

Windows 8 will be coming out on October 25th, so you should be able to get a great deal on computers with Windows 7 as retailers try to move through them. You can get a Windows 8 upgrade for $30 if you want to get it afterwards.

Feel free to PM with any questions.

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