Laptop

I figured some of you might have some good recommendations. My MacBook lost its fight with a cup of coffee..
So I am in the market for a new laptop. This time however I do not have $1000 to spend on a new machine. More like $500. It will be a general use machine.

Let me know what direction to look. I haven't bought anything other than a Mac in 6 years.

Thanks in advance

I have a lenovo t20 ,it suits all my needs fine

My better half just got a new HP from Best Buy for $650 I think. Its on the cover of this Sunday's BB add. It has touch screen and I5, whatever that means. More than I need, but she says it has all the things she needs. I don't think it has a CD drive though.

Use techbargains.com lots of great deals.

Catfish78 said:

I figured some of you might have some good recommendations. My MacBook lost its fight with a cup of coffee..
So I am in the market for a new laptop. This time however I do not have $1000 to spend on a new machine. More like $500. It will be a general use machine.

Let me know what direction to look. I haven't bought anything other than a Mac in 6 years.

Thanks in advance

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May I ask why you have a preference for Mac's?

I have a thinkpad t510 - I really like it, i run linux mint on it instead of windows. works great. it's built well and has decent battery time.

I would like better graphics so I could play some high end games but I have enough distractions.

lenovo is, from my experience, a good company. I bought my wifes lenovo through their outlet for a great deal.

I see you are in Finland so that may affect where you buy. Not sure how that changes pricing either. Here in the US I like to use newegg.com or tigerdirect.com. They have good pricing in general.

Look for an i5 or i7 processor. The i3 is underpowered. 4GB of RAM minimum. As for brands, Acer makes quality laptops for decent prices. You'll pay more for a "name" brand like HP or Dell.

Most machines will come with Windows 8 which in my opinion sucks. Some people like it though.

OrdinaryAvgGuy said:

May I ask why you have a preference for Mac's?

Click to expand...

Bought one 6 years ago and loved it. I have had zero security issues and I like the OS.

Rick91981 said:

I see you are in Finland so that may affect where you buy. Not sure how that changes pricing either. Here in the US I like to use newegg.com or tigerdirect.com. They have good pricing in general.

Look for an i5 or i7 processor. The i3 is underpowered. 4GB of RAM minimum. As for brands, Acer makes quality laptops for decent prices. You'll pay more for a "name" brand like HP or Dell.

Most machines will come with Windows 8 which in my opinion sucks. Some people like it though.

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I will be buying one, in all likely hood from the states. So I will have a look, thanks.

I have a Toshiba and love it. Just avoid buying a Dell. Horrible hardware and even more horrible customer service.

Whatever you do, get a PC. You'll get more and spend less.

Catfish78 said:

Bought one 6 years ago and loved it. I have had zero security issues and I like the OS.

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I know a few mac folks that say the same thing.

For me, I would rather buy 4 or 5 used PC's for the money. They may only last 2- 4 years but by then they are completely obsolete.

Not saying PC's are better, because they are probably not. Just sayin' that you get more bang for your buck and most of they time they work out just fine.

I had a Dell once and the harddrive went on it...twice. I've been on HP's since then and don't have many complaints. One screen got a couple black lines across it but was still usable. My current laptop takes more abuse than it should and hasn't failed me yet. My wife's Toshiba works great and we've had no trouble with it.
As an anti-Mac type of guy, I will say one thing I wish my PC's had: aluminum cases. The Mac's run much cooler than my HP. I only use mine on the 'medium' power setting but it still overheats when using Illustrator, Photoshop, or running an intensive game. My laptop's fairly gutsy but they definitely skimped on the fan. If you use the machine just for daily use this is less of a factor.
Any problems I have had with my PC are really an annoyance by Windows 7, and are fairly easily worked around. Kyle

Slickdeals, Fatwallet, or Techbargins.

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/905...x1080-led-1gb-radeon-hd-7550m-6cell-windows-8

Thanks all for the suggestions. We went with a HP Pavilion.