Shopping for a laptop and could use some advice please
 

I need it for school and for entertainment like watching Hulu, YouTube, Pelican, etc. I am not a gamer and am not into creating movies or anything fancy like that. I'm looking at the ads this morning and there seems to be some good deals out there but the specs are thoroughly confusing to me.

Should I consider machines with non-Intel chips like AMD V-series or Athlon II? The price differences are almost negligible. What's the difference between Intel Core i3 vs Dual Core? Lastly, which brand is the most reliable - HP, Compaq, Dell or Toshiba? I'd need the computer to last no less than 3 years. I'm hoping that a 4gb memory, 500gb drive and a >2ghz processor machine won't become obsolete too soon. My budget is around $550 not incl tax and shipping. What do you think Thanks!

Go to the dell outlet and pick out on that meets your criteria...be sure to get an HDMI output and an upgraded video card so that you can have a quality viewing experience both on the laptop as well as using it as a source for your television.

Check out the IBM Lenovo Think Pad. I just got my third one and passed the older ones down to my kids. My current one here is a 14" 4gb ram 500mb HD intel core I5 etc. These things are real work horses! And parts if you need them can be changed out yourself. I added larger HD to my first one and more memory. Got it from Office Depot for around $550 on sale.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/9fda5121.jpg

Love my Toshiba Satellite. My wife has one also they are rock solid.

HP is a very good option, where I work we just switched from Dell to HP and are very happy.

Dell's are okay but their quality has been slipping as of late.

Plus, if ethical purchasing is in your plan/budget, Dell has been outsourcing everything and are laying off American engineers and designers.

I recently got an ASUS laptop that has the Nvidia Optimus technology. It has two graphics cards - one is an integrated card that is fine for web surfing and normal use. The other one is a powerful separate card that works much better for HD content. By using the integrated one most of the time it gets great battery life. Check out some websites that show electronics on sale/coupon codes like slickdeals.net, techbargains.com or gotapex.com to get the best price.

Dealnews.com and bensbargains.net

$550 is right around the correct price for what you are looking for.

From Dealnews

Satellite L650-BT2N15 Laptop

Use coupon code TRIL650 for an extra $25 off.
Ends 5/16/10 or after 100 redemptions, whichever is sooner. Valid online only. Limit 1 coupon redemption per household.

Another $75 gets you a blu ray player.

I have always bought Dell desktops and laptops and have never been disappointed.

I have a small Toshiba notebook and the sound or the speakers are crap. Everything sounds like Micky Mouse. No updates have worked.

I just bought my Brother in Law a 17" ACER laptop. It was a quad core Intel unit. He wanted it for drafting work on the jobsite. I think it was $505 from Amazon around Christmas time. I think it was DVD-RW with 4GB RAM.

Build quality was very good.

AMD vs. Intel, not much difference. With the desktop units, I can build a higher end machine for a lot less with AMD processors. I haven't really looked at the AMD powered laptops.

I have had great luck with our refurbished dell from e-bay. Less than $250.

I carry a 17 in laptop purely because I need the screen real-estate.

I much prefer the ergonomics of 15 in laptops.

Plus they are lighter and easier to handle.

YMMV

I'd go to Best buy and get the 250 buck asus eee Netbook

Its got a 1.6 processor, 160gig HD, VGA out, Card reader. Full keyboard. 8 hours of battery life.

This last time when I bought a laptop I thought about my 5-6 laptops I've owned over the years.

Most died to getting broke. One died to being obsolete, but it was one I just used on a desk. I also vaguely recall being worried about losing it. Having it stolen. Breaking it. Allowing others to break it. Wondering if I should take it, they are heavy enough I didn't want to take it some places. I never really needed that much computer power. I'm not running big spreadsheets or photo editing.

At this point, 250 is about what I think is a good price point for a laptop. The Ion Nvida card can push 1080P, its light, its small, and when I step on it, Its 250 bucks for a new one. I use the stupid thing all the time. Its awesome.

But this perspective works for me because I'm a laptop user. I use it for travel and convince around the house. If your a guy who buys a laptop to do a desktop's work, you might want to do differently.

I own 2 desktops and 3 laptops that are all Dell at home along with 17 Dell workstations at my office. 'The laptops have been rock solid, the oldest still in use and over 10 years old. Also have an HP that has been fine. I would stick with Intel if you can. Get a best processor that fits your budget, at least 6gb memory, video card with hdmi out, 500gb or more harddrive, and you will be fine. I bought one from Sam's club online that had many upgrades for a better price.

Dell here and not so hot. Although we've gotten very good use, it has not come w/o problems. Dell is not a peach to deal with on warranty issues, but who is? For the prices I've seen, I'd be tempted to look hard at the Toshiba.

HP does get a + vote from me, but no laptop experience.

BTW, the last Dell LT we bought was pretty high end, like $2500. Batteries suck and had to buy 2 new A/C adapters.

My latest Dell is a piece of crap. Never again. I'll be in the market for a Macbook in the next 2-3 months.

I strongly recommend taking a look at this Dell Financial Services Ebay store Dell Financial items - Get great deals on items on eBay Stores! Can't beat the price if you are looking for a reliable plain jane laptop with quality internal components.

Some co-workers and I have bought several of these 2 year refurbished lease business turn in Dell laptops and have been very satisfied. All of them looked brand new including the keys and touchpads. Ours came with the newest service pack of XP loaded. These are the HD business class metal framed laptops and are better built than the cheaper home use Dells.

One simply needs to pick one with the features you want and bid on it. If you don't win it, another one will be nearing it's auction end time soon. We picked up several over the last couple years for under $300 and now they are going even cheaper.

Dell . .yeah, Milt,, and Porsche made a sh:t-load of 924's.

Point is, Dell product spreads from the cheapest to the high-end.

I buy the Precision series, (3 year warranty) and when I had a little rubber foot peal off the bottom of a laptop, they over-nighted me a whole new (magnesium) bottom cover for replacement.

I just bought a Dell Inspiron from Best Buy. The link to it is below. Great price but I hope the thing lasts.

Dell - Inspiron Laptop / Intel® Core™ i3 Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive - Mars Black - I15R-1110MRB