Laptop recommendations?

[JoeHova]

Hi everybody-

 

I was just wondering if people have any recommendations for laptops that they like. My wife is starting grad school this fall and she wants a new laptop to use for school. Nothing too outlandish, she wants to spend $1,500 or so (less would be fine, of course). It's been a few years since we bought our last laptops and I haven't been keeping up with advances in computers and changes in the market as well as I should have been so I'm not sure where to start.

 

In the past, Macs have been her preferred platform (mostly because of the relative lack of viruses) but she's willing to use whatever. She wants a light laptop because she will have to carry it around with a bunch of textbooks and so forth but is otherwise open to anything.

 

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

[jjfanec]

I havent spent that much on a laptop but one thing I wanted to say one thing in regard to your post. If lack of viruses is a fear I really wouldnt worry. I have had 3 pc laptops and never had a virus. Well I take that back I had a pretty minor one once when my wife clicked on something she never should have. In the last couple years we have been a two laptop family and never had a virus.

 

I am not a Mac guy but if you want light and portable the Mac Book Air is the choice for my friends who use Macs. I wouldnt go with the Pro if you are going for light weight.

 

Another thing that others may disagree with but dont think a tablet is going to suffice for school usage. Most of my friends who tried to go to an IPad as a primary device bought a laptop a year later.

 

As for lightweight non-Macs there are plenty of good ultrabooks out there. Here is one sites breakdown - http://reviews.cnet.com/best-ultrabooks/

[Schlitz001]

What is going to be doing with the laptop? Photo/video editing, heavy gaming, programming, design, etc? What size screen is she looking for? Battery life?

[logan82]

Unless you are doing heavy gaming or video editing you shouldn't have to spend anywhere near $1500. I think screen size will drive the weight and battery life quite a bit.

 

Shoot for at least 8GB RAM.

[LouisEly]

I bought a refurb laptop off of eBay earlier this year with no frills - Windows 7, smallish hard drive and low RAM (but you can easily replace the RAM and get an external hard drive for <$100), but a 15.6" screen and with Office 2010 full version installed for $150. Works just fine, laptop barely had any scratches on it, looked practically new; only thing I regret is that it has a LCD screen, and I wish I had spent more for a LED screen for visibility in different light conditions. Figure what you need and check eBay - you can get good deals with software installed, as well as purchase a Square Trade warranty to protect it. RAM is easy to upgrade if you can get a good deal on one.

 

One thing to be careful of - some university software/applications don't work with Windows 8 yet. Better check with them first to find out what will/won't work.

[1992casey]

I'd suggest a 13" MacBook Air. It weighs in at 2.96 pounds, is .68 inches thick at its thickest point, and advertises 12 hours of battery life.

 

Starting price is $1099 for 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage would cost $1399.

 

The main reason for the long battery life would be the latest generation Intel Haswell processor. These processors run at much lower clock speeds than the previous Ivy Bridge generation while still putting out about the same overall speed. Overall, the newest MacBook Airs end up showing a speed increase over the previous generation due to PCIe storage (rather than traditional SATA). PCIe storage is generally reserved for much more expensive machines.

 

Battery life should be bumped further with the release of OS X 10.9 Mavericks this fall.

[logan82]

I had heard the SSD are still not as reliable as a regular hard drive.

[nate82]

I had heard the SSD are still not as reliable as a regular hard drive.

 

Not true. SSD's on average have a lifespan of 5 years with the better made ones from Intel ranging from 5-15 years.

[1992casey]

SSDs are pretty mainstream now; if reliability were too significant an issue, manufacturers wouldn't be using them.

 

A big upside to an SSD is that a mechanical failure is impossible since there are no moving parts. I'd say it's probably six of one and half a dozen of the other once you compare the ways you can run into issues with each type of storage.

 

I switched out the hard drive for an SSD in my 2008 MacBook Pro, and I absolutely love it. The speed boost made it like getting an entirely new computer. Everything is markedly faster than with the old hard drive.

 

New machines use SSDs because the speed bump means that you don't have to rely so much on the processor for speed. Using a processor that's slower than what's needed for a standard hard drive means more battery life. Also, the SSDs in new machines are much smaller than hard drives. That allows the computers to be more portable than they'd otherwise be.

 

Of course, since failure is possible with either kind of storage, everyone should be backing up on a regular basis. Apple's Time Machine is awfully easy to use. All you have to do is remember to keep your backup drive connected whenever it's practical and the backups take care of themselves.

[adamb100]

+1 with the recommendation of getting an Air. I have last year's model and absolutely love it. It's so light that sometimes I have to check if I'm carrying it. It's also really fast with the SSD. Just make sure you upgrade the ram to 8GB since you can't do it later on.

 

Also I wouldnt get a MacBook Pro. Apple hasn't updated them this year and they probably will sometime this year. You're essentially buying last year's model. They come with faster processors but the traditional hard drive kind of negates that unless you're doing editing work.

[1992casey]

Just make sure you upgrade the ram to 8GB since you can't do it later on.

 

Yup. This is important and is worth repeating. The RAM on MacBook Airs and Retina MacBook Pros can't be upgraded later. Other Macs (including the legacy MacBook Pros) still have upgradeable RAM.

 

As Adam says, I'd hold off on a MacBook Pro. An Air should be plenty for most users, though, unless 15" is necessary.

 

In the past, a big reason people have gone with Wintel computers rather than a Mac is initial cost. The cheapest Wintel Ultrabooks are only slightly less expensive than the Air, however, and many cost more.

[ewitkows]

I've got a Samsung and it works great. Taken it all over the world and haven't had a problem yet.

[DHonks]

I tried laptops and netbooks, craving something durable, powerful, and light-weight. I've had this perfect laptop for 3 years now and it's still going fine. It's the MacBook Air 11.1" (my first and only Mac)

 

I think the number one thing I've learned is that a SSD is a must. My work computer (a mac) is brand new and very slow to load in the morning. It doesn't wake like the SSD laptop does. I've been fine now without Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint for 3 years. Openoffice is easier to use. I did purchase Numbers (Mac's excel) and I love that I can work on my phone, ipad, and laptop via icloud. Every laptop I had before the Air would tend to slow down after 4-6 months. People would tell me it was bloatware/crapware, but I put nothing on the netbook, just watched it slow to a snail's pace in 2-3 months.

[jjfanec]

I tried laptops and netbooks, craving something durable, powerful, and light-weight. I've had this perfect laptop for 3 years now and it's still going fine. It's the MacBook Air 11.1" (my first and only Mac)

 

I think the number one thing I've learned is that a SSD is a must. My work computer (a mac) is brand new and very slow to load in the morning. It doesn't wake like the SSD laptop does. I've been fine now without Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint for 3 years. Openoffice is easier to use. I did purchase Numbers (Mac's excel) and I love that I can work on my phone, ipad, and laptop via icloud. Every laptop I had before the Air would tend to slow down after 4-6 months. People would tell me it was bloatware/crapware, but I put nothing on the netbook, just watched it slow to a snail's pace in 2-3 months.

 

Interesting. I guess I never had the problem with my pc laptop slowing down a lot. I had one for five years and now have had this one for almost 2 and they both have been great. Maybe I dont use it for similar things.

 

Also I do think most people could get around using office and open office is a way to go, but I think Google drive is even better. We use it for work and it is great. Not as many features as some of the other products but the ability for different OS to edit and access is great. Honestly if I have talked to people who have a chromebook and they seem like a perfect second laptop for a family or for a kid.

[mothershipconnection]

There's no need to go over $600-700 unless you're a gamer or run fancy editing programs. I'm typing this on a new Toshiba with 8GB of RAM and 750GB of storage. I paid $369 on woot for it last month. http://tech.woot.com/offers/toshiba-15-6-quad-core-laptop-3

 

I'd also like to add that Windows 8 sucks. It's what I'm running on my new laptop, but 7 is much better, IMO. People gripe and moan about every new version of Windows when it's released, and I've concluded that they were wrong every time and began ignoring them. They were finally right this time. The best way to describe it is "Microsoft tried to get cute".

[adamb100]

I use Windows 8 and it's fine, plus Windows 8.1 will fix many of the issues people have (such as letting people boot to the desktop). It admittedly takes some time to learn how to use it though. It's also alot faster. Metro is just a full screen start menu really.

[giffted1]

I've got a Samsung and it works great. Taken it all over the world and haven't had a problem yet.

 

If you decide to go the Windows route, I'd also recommend a Samsung. Check out one of the Series 9 ultrabooks. They are a little pricey but are fast, built solid, and light.

[logan82]

Windows 8 was made for touch screen. Touch screen should stay on touch screen devices. Every computer we get at work the install Windows 7 if it comes with 8. I think if I worked with 8 all the time it would be fine but they moved and renamed everything.

[JoeHova]

Thanks for the help everybody!

 

A couple questions about the Mac Air. When did the latest version come out? I seem to remember new Macs often are released in September or October, but I may be misremembering. And also, is it worth the extra $150 for the faster processor?

 

 

Also, msc, that same laptop that you bought seems to be on sale on woot today. How do you like it so far?

[mothershipconnection]

Also, msc, that same laptop that you bought seems to be on sale on woot today. How do you like it so far?

 

Came back to post that, actually. Plus it went down by 10 bucks. Except for the Windows 8, I'm really happy with it. I'd definitely make the same purchase again. It's relatively fast and has plenty of storage and a decent screen for the price. A major reason for the upgrade was that my old Vaio lacked HDMI output for movies and my router lagged when streaming them. The new one will display video on my television beautifully. MLB.tv looks better than it did through my PS3.

[jjfanec]

Not sure if this is noted but in October Windows 8.1 is coming out and it sounds like it fixing most of the major issues people are having. That said, I have found it easier to use than others and my wife who is not tech savvy at all has liked it. She did get an ASUS touchscreen laptop (similar size to the Air just a thicker but still light weight).

[1992casey]

MacBook Airs were released in late June, so now is a good time to buy them. Other Macs are currently in need of a refresh.

 

I don't think I'd bother with the extra processor, but as Adam says, I'd go for the extra RAM. For storage, you're probably in a better position to judge than we are. I'd personally want 256GB, but a lot of people are absolutely fine with 128GB.

 

I used to think that I'd like to go beyond 256GB, but with SSDs, the price starts to get high. Plus, if you ever have to restore from a backup, the more data you have, the longer the restoration takes.

 

Keep in mind that the 13 inch model has an SD card slot, so you have the option of expanding storage that way.

[RobDeer 45]

Ok, hopefully this is not too off topic but has anyone gone desktop computer and used an iPad for their laptop use? Now with Microsoft 365 on the iPad (technically for iPhone), I might be able to swing it. I use excel all day but it's just for databases and notes. I think if I had a keyboard attachment I could pull this combo off. We've found that we really don't use our laptops on the go much anymore except when I have to work when we are gone. I would love to just have the ipad with and get an iMac for the house. We are looking to upgrade our mac book pro and this seems like a good move in theory.

 

Any drawbacks you see for this strategy?