Best Value Laptop under $500?

figarow on 03/12/2016 - 20:26

After the amazing help you guys provided on my last purchase https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/272604 I'm looking for something with a bit more grunt this time, something that can handle 10 tabs in browser without locking up, occasional image resizing (with browser open). Apart from that it will be used with excel & word. I need the battery to be good for all day usage. It will NOT be used for video playback or gaming.

Strongly hope for in order of preference…
Condition: NEW
Battery: 8+ Hours
Storage: SSD
Screen Size: 13-14"
Memory: 4GB

Will settle for any of these changes…
Condition: Refurbished + Good Warranty
Storage: EMC
Screen Size: 15-17"

Much appreciated OB Community :)

Computing

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 03/12/2016 - 20:57
    +1

    You're asking too early. Xmas sale not started yet.

    Also wouldn't you want a 1080p FHD display? 1366 x 768 displays are pretty awful on screen sizes 13 inches and up.

    and how was that Vivobook laptop? Was it fast enough for your needs?

    • figarow on 03/12/2016 - 21:16

      Cheers yes FHD would be great, didn't know about the screen size not being enough for FHD.

    • figarow on 03/12/2016 - 21:25

      Yes I'm typing on it now with 6 tabs open in chrome. It does lock up a little but rarely and not enough to bother me. I recommend it as a budget machine for basic browsing, office. But as you said that CPU is struggling and you can feel it. That one is actually for the wife. I'm looking to purchase now that I have saved enough :)

  • lyl on 03/12/2016 - 21:01
    +1

    As scrimshaw said last time, consider a Dell 11 3000. The n3710 processor should offer a bit more grunt and it matches all your preferences except the 11.6" Screen. They often go on sale for $319 @ Dell eBay whenever there is an ebay deal.

    If you can stretch your budget for a bit more, this deal is back again, AU conversion is around ~$669 this time. 15.6" screen and 2.2kg, but it'll be more than enough for what you need.

    • figarow on 03/12/2016 - 21:17

      That one looks really good for $669 but isn't that imported? Warranty in AU?

      • lyl on 03/12/2016 - 21:19
        +1

        Yeah it's overseas so warranty will be a hassle

    • figarow on 03/12/2016 - 21:27

      Unfortunately I can't have a screen that small so the Dell 11 3000 is out. Minimum screen for me would be 13".

    • figarow on 03/12/2016 - 21:38

      How does the n3710 compare to the n3060? I notice the n3710 has 4 cores instead of 2 but in MY real life will I feel it?

      • lyl on 03/12/2016 - 22:09
        +1

        Yeah, should be much more powerful: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp%5B%5D=2730&cmp%…

        The n3060 is at the lower end of the budget celeron processors, you should definitely get much more performance out of the quad core n3700.

        • figarow on 03/12/2016 - 22:19

          Wow that was shocking didn't know it would be twice as fast!! Thanks for that I will definitely be avoiding those slower chips.

  • PVA on 03/12/2016 - 21:23
    +1

    see what Dell has on their outlet on Monday.
    you get full new warranty on the rufurbs.
    I have bought before, no problems at all.

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

    • figarow on 03/12/2016 - 21:40

      Cheers mate will keep an eye on that.

  • figarow on 13/12/2016 - 21:00

    I'm still struggling to find this. Can go $600 for new with SSD and FHD.

  • Rorschach on 17/12/2016 - 16:59
    +1

    8+ hours of battery life I'm not too sure about, but check out the Latitudes at the Dell factory outlet. I'm not a fan of the Inspirons, but they're ok.
    These change every couple of days, so check it out periodically.

    • figarow on 17/12/2016 - 17:30

      Cheers mate been keeping an eye on that but hard to get SSD & FHD at my price point..

    • figarow on 17/12/2016 - 17:34

      This one looks ok but $769 for a refurb? No thanks…

      REFURBISHED Inspiron 15 7000 Series 2-in-1 Laptop 6th Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6500U Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz) 8GB Single Channel DDR3L 1600MHz (8GBx1) 256GB Solid State Drive Windows 10 Home 64bit English Optical Drive not included Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 1x1 + Bluetooth 4.2 Intel(R) HD graphics 520 Stereo speakers professionally tuned with Waves MaxxAudio(R) Pro 43 WHr, 3-Cell Battery (integrated) Internal US International Qwerty Backlit Keyboard 15.6 inch LED Backlit Touch Display with Truelife and FHD resolution (1920 x 1080) LCD Back Cover for Touch Screen -Black No OS Media Included. Unit has minor cosmetic wear. 1 Year 5 $ 769

      • Rorschach on 17/12/2016 - 17:59

        Yeah, totally your call :)
        But looks like you aren't very familiar with these refurbs. Search about a bit more for people say about them.
        Oh, and check out MSY as well.

  • figarow on 18/12/2016 - 14:23

    Ok people I need to move on this ASAP!! Just been told I can spend $1k What is the best option for me? I need a strictly business machine (excel + browser mainly) with GOOD BATTERY, SSD, FHD, 13+ screen. Up to $1k.

    • Does anyone know how to search for good battery? I mean how many cells etc do I look for? Often the retailers don't have enough info on their sites, I'm wanting something what will run most if not all day at work without charging.
  • figarow on 18/12/2016 - 19:11

    Ended up with this, https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/282085 hope the battery is not too bad. 4 hours of spreadsheet would be nice. Because most of my usage will be typing I thought the build quality and keyboard makes it a deal for me.

    • scrimshaw on 18/12/2016 - 22:16
      +1

      5 hour battery life according to some random on Whirlpool. That's 5 hours less than what is advertised by Lenovo, but damn that's a big difference.

      5 hours is OK for a device of this caliber. For a little over a grand (or under 900, depending on the CPU and RAM specification) you can get the Thinkpad 13 Ultrabook which does reportedly do 9+ hours of nonstop Wifi browsing, though you won't get the 940MX Nvidia chip.

  • figarow on 19/12/2016 - 02:51

    OK wow.. Now I'm feeling some buyer remorse can I contact them and change the order or is it too late? I don't need a powerhouse and would much prefer the lighter thinner extra battery life…

    • figarow on 19/12/2016 - 07:24

      On second thought I'm happy with my purchase :)

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