Hey guys,
After a cheap laptop for uni :)
Overwhelmed with the options but I'm honestly after something with an SSD and good battery life and Windows OS (win7 would be a bonus)
Budget is as low as I can get away with but it needs to last 5 years, I would prefer something around $500 but can push if need be.
Thanks for the help!
holy moly
I didn't realise 2020 was so soon.
Geez time flies when you are on ozbargain
mods: can there be a guide for people posting "I need a _____, please help" which specifies some parameters for what people actual need or want.
like this sad sack of shit post.
That's a little harsh altomic.
Maybe give the op a few recommendations, and post the recommendation for people posting in the site discussion.
Cheers.
Yes that's more constructive.
Yeah, and then there was the post made just 2 hours prior to this post asking which of 2 sub $500 laptops would be better for study.
altomic, the 1st part of your question, posters should be descriptive with their posts. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to make some recommendations.
However, your second part of the comment is rude and unnecessary. It's certainly not a nice way to welcome a new member. Let's keep it respectful.
at the same time, the OP has logged in at least a couple of time since posting and answered no questions asked by users regarding what the OP is actually seeking or requiring.
I have made a suggestion for an improvement in regards to these posts in the "Comments / Feedback / Suggestions Thread 2018".
no window laptop battery can last 5 years, only Apple can do, go MSY notebook pdf have a look, but, this time is not the good time to buy, the good time is end of June and November, don't ask why.
Not even an Apple battery lasts 5 years. You might get a good 2-3 years before the performance degrades noticeably, which I'll agree is better than a lot of other brands.
I disagree - Apple batteries can (not always) last much longer. I cleaned an old macbook for a client (late 2010 model), that still held a great battery charge on the original battery.
I disagree as well. I own a 2013 15” MacBook Pro Retina and the battery health is around the 92%. Granted I only used it for around 300 charge cycles but that’s still pretty good stats for a 5 year old machine. Plus it still runs everyday stuff like lightning fast. Still runs latest games too.
Untrue.
My MBP 2012 battery is fantastic, I can play FM on battery for a good 4 hours before it dies. Furthermore, a 2009 MBP battery is still good - albeit not perfect, perhaps 2 to 3 hours web browsing.
MBP 2012 is at 93% with 469 cycles.
I’m on 6 Years with my refurbished air, it lasts maybe an hour less than when I initially bought it.
The good time is end of June, don't ask why.
Lol of course it is, it's the end of the financial year!! As for November, that's truly random. I found that December/Jan is a good time to buy as you have pre and post Christmas sales as well as half year financial deals.
Apple doesn't use any kind of special batteries. They just use good quality components, which are pretty much identical to good quality batteries used in other machines.
My old 2010 model HP business-grade laptop is still on the original battery and holds charge well. My brother-in-law's Macbook Air battery died after 3 years.
Laptops under $500 and lasting 5 years are a rare bread in my experience
Some universities have laptop grants for students, this may be an avenue to look into
What are you going to be using it for? Is it just general word processing and research or are you going to be running engineering simulations or using the Adobe suite?
The Dell one that's always on here that goes for 300-320 is probably your best bet
Under $500, you're better off looking at used machines. You'll get much better value for money. Otherwise, you'll need to set your expectations for a machine that is fairly slow in performance, is likely to use creaky cheap plastics, and is unlikely to be slim or attractive. Can't have it all for $500. Manufacturers are charging big premiums for SSD… you can purchase any cheap laptop and add a second hand SSD for under $60 easily.
If you don't mind refurbished, would this be suitable? Specifications look very good for the price. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/360967 $494.10 delivered at the moment as per last comment in thread. More discussion here https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/354613 Not sure what battery life would be on a reburbished laptop, someone else might be able to help with this.
This is something to closely look at. Seems like it's the right price, with the right(ish) specs.
The only risk of a refurb laptop in regards to battery life is how much it's been used. Pot luck what you get. Should still be very usable though.
Budget is as low as I can get away with
Sorry but this is the wrong attitude. Take it from someone who bought a $300 laptop and then 9 months later was sick of the thing and upgraded.
Get a refurb, maybe check the Dell Outlet or wait for a good deal on eBay.
What are you going to be using it for? Tell us more and we'll be able to help you more.
Do you not have a preference of screen size? Anything?
Hit up eBay for a refurbished or used MacBook. I paid $950 for my air through Apple 6 years ago and it’s holding up amazingly well. You can run windows 7 off it if OS X bothers you. I don’t think you’re going to get anything else under $1000 that’ll last you your whole degree. I went through so many laptops just under $500 but they only lasted a year at most. Make the extra investment, it’s nice not having to worry about if you can do your assignments or if your computer will reliably save things.
After 2 laptops being broken by my son at school I looked for a inexpensive refurb supplier. I found these guys, helps the community too, can’t say it will last five years but wouldn’t be surprised if you crack the screen we’ll before then.
https://shop.workventures.com.au/product-category/laptop-com…
Starting laptop price around $199. Special rates for those out there on concessions.
Machines are ex-corporate. You don’t get to know the brand /model until it turns up. Varies with stock coming in.
Plenty of used laptops going $100 - $200 with your Win 7. Check out Gumtree or facebook marketplace. Even ebay
If you're looking for under $500 and you want something fast you will find more options with a Chromebook. No, it does not run Windows but it does virtually everything a Windows machine will. I use one as my primary work machine and have never felt the need to use anything else.
I bought an old Lenovo X220 with an i5-2xxx processor from Gumtree for $150, then a 250GB Sandisk SSD for $100 and now it's blazing fast.
Would recommend something similar for anyone looking for basic usage.
Why would Windows 7 be a bonus? Microsoft will officially end support for it in 2020, meaning it'll no longer receive security updates after then. If you're planning to keep it for 5 years, you'll need to buy a newer OS along the way.