Recommendation for a new laptop under $500 - SOLVED :)

johnno07 on 17/10/2013 - 19:57
Last edited 21/10/2013 - 12:42

UPDATE: Thanks to all who responded. I've found the perfect laptop to suit my needs.

The OP is below for archival purposes:

Hey guys and girls,

Looking for a new 13-15" Windows laptop around the $500 mark as I'm looking to sell off my Nexus 10 and don't want to be too far out of pocket. I originally had a laptop coming from Lenovo - but that didn't work out, as many of you know. So I would like to avoid Lenovo if at all possible, but if they turn out to be the best value, then I'll suck it up.

It will be used as a guiding computer for my telescope so long battery life is a must. Will not be used for gaming (as I have desktop for that) so GPU is completely unimportant. Looking for something with a decent 64-bit CPU. Windows 7 is greatly preferable as W8 generally sh*ts me to tears and I'm unsure of the compatibility with some of the astrophotography software I'll be using.

Thanks for any help you can give!

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 18/10/2013 - 09:50
    +1

    I can't recommend anything but of late there've been a number of tempting offers from MSY Technology. Maybe subscribe to their newsletter and wait it out?

    http://www.msy.com.au/

    • johnno07 on 18/10/2013 - 13:40

      Cheers mate, will keep an eye out :)

  • bradsmrbetty on 18/10/2013 - 09:58
    +1

    At this price point in the market your limited.

    Acer typically do half decent laptops at around the $500 mark. Your higher end brands won't typically give a great deal for under $500.

    AMD processors are typically cheaper than Intel so you can save there. But as the CPU is such a major part of your requirements you need to decide what is more important. Cost or CPU

    Just about all home laptops are W8 these days.

    Your best bet is to go to the dell clearance centre.

    These are mostly refurbished
    However most are W7, as businesses don't adopt new standard operating environments as quickly.
    Some also come with a Windows 8 and have an option for a downgrade.

    http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/product…

    To me ticks your requirements, speed, cost, OS etc.

    They update these daily so sit and wait.

    HP may very well offer something similar.

    Your decision, as they all have pros and cons.

    • johnno07 on 18/10/2013 - 13:40

      Thanks, bradsmrbetty. It looks like I should probably stretch the budget a bit. The one for $479 looks good (DFO-2439646IP). Haswell CPU and 6GB of RAM. The 4-cell battery is the only let down.

      • bradsmrbetty on 18/10/2013 - 14:22

        Yeah 4 cell isn't great but you could buy another battery down the track, plus the new Haswell CPUs are a lot more efficient with power.

        Also I recommend contacting the Dell support as the refurbished items sell very fast.

  • Speckled Jim on 18/10/2013 - 11:42
    +1

    I received an Acer Spring sale newsletter a day or two ago…There was a Core i3 (Aspire E1-571) for $5?? sorry I forget the exact price and deleted the email. Someone else might have a copy.
    All their laptops are Win8 unfortunately. It seems they stopped shipping with Win7 around June.

    There's a Toshiba at DSE for $479 but don't know if its quad core is enough for you. Doesn't mention OS either.

    • bradsmrbetty on 18/10/2013 - 14:30
      +1

      Looking at the model number on the Toshiba website.

      CPU AMD A4-5000 Quad Core (1.5GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache)
      Operating System Windows 8 (64bit)
      Screen Size 15.6" Widescreen HD LED Backlit Display (1366 x 768)
      Resolution 1366 x 768
      Screen Aspect Ratio 16:9
      Memory 4GB DDR3 (1333Mhz)
      RAM slot allocation One slot used, one slot available. Total memory expandable to 16GB
      Storage 500GB (5400rpm) with Toshiba HDD Accelerator
      Graphics AMD Radeon™ HD 8330 Graphics
      Optical Disc Drive DVD SuperMulti Double/Dual Layer
      Audio Microphone & Headphone ports
      Speakers Stereo speakers
      Webcam HD Webcam/Microphone
      Buttons and Pointing device ClickPad with Gesture(Hinge type)
      Compliance EPEAT® gold rating, ENERGY STAR® 5.0 qualified, ROHS Compliant
      Standard Warranty* 1 Year limited international parts and labour warranty, Australia and New Zealand warranty includes complimentary courier pick-up and return service
      Security Kensington® cable lock slot for optional theft protection devices
      Software Eco Utility, Evernote, Microsoft® Office 365 Trial, Norton Internet Security™ (Trial Version), Norton Online Backup Utility, Toshiba Desktop Assist, TOSHIBA PC Health Monitor, Toshiba Peak Shift, TOSHIBA Recovery Media Creator, TOSHIBA Resolution+™, Toshiba Video Player, User Guide
      USB Ports 3x USB Ports (2x USB 3.0 + 1x USB 2.0) + Sleep & Charge
      Bridge Media Adaptor Bridge Media Slot (SD, SDX, SDHC, MMC)
      SVGA Video Port RGB
      HDMI Yes
      LAN 10/100Mbps LAN
      Wireless Communication 802.11(b/g/n)
      DLNA DLNA Compatible
      Weight (from) 2.26kg
      Battery Prismatic Li 4-Cell
      Dimensions (W x D x H(front/back)) 377.9 x 244.2 x 24.8mm
      Colour Variation Pearl White
      Keyboard Colour Tile Matt White

      • scrimshaw on 19/10/2013 - 08:51

        The quad core AMD A4 Jaguar doesn't mean much. Clock for clock AMD CPU's are behind intel and an Ivy Bridge era core i3-3217U is actually faster than this CPU, in most circumstances.

        It will however perform better against the Celeron 987 series. I don't recommend it though as the AMD quad cores aren't as power efficient as the current Haswell or IVB Ultra low voltage processors.

  • ethereal88 on 18/10/2013 - 12:41
    -2

    7 is old and dead. It will be 5yrs old next year and its been easily outclassed by 8. Why, again, are you running it?

    • johnno07 on 18/10/2013 - 12:46
      +1

      I actually explained why I want to run it. If you read any further than the the words "Windows 7" you would know. If you are going to comment any further in this thread, please make it constructive. Please don't base your comments on the fallacy that "new=better"

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