I need some computer buying help.

Benevolent One

Benevolent One

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Joined
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Well, I have to finally replace my computer. It is just too old and slow. I don't have a big budget, and so I know I'm not going to get anything that many of you guys use. I really just want something that I can surf the internet and not wait all day for pages to load or refresh, mostly. My son plays on Runescape a lot, if any of you guys know what that is. I really can't spend any more than about $500-$600 tops. We're thinking that there isn't anything inherently wrong with the one we have for a second computer, just to play solitaire and listen to music and stuff like that. So, we're thinking we want a laptop. We also really want at least a 17" monitor. By the way, we have a wireless modem and allegedly pretty fast internet service (at&t u-verse max plus). I don't know what processors are better and what memory needs I really have. I'm just trying to maximize my value. I hope you guys can help.

Here are a few things I'm looking at.


New! Toshiba - Satellite 17.3" Laptop - 4GB Memory - 500GB Hard Drive
Model: C875-S7103

SKU: 7917075


  • ENERGY STAR Certified
  • Windows 8 64-bit
  • Technical details: 3rd Gen Intel® Core™ i3 processor; 17.3" display; 4GB memory; 500GB hard drive
  • Special features: HDMI output
Best Buy reg price $399.99 (not currently on sale)

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Asus - X-Series 17.3" Laptop - 4GB Memory - 500GB Hard Drive - Black


Model: X75A-DH31

SKU: 6904609


  • Windows 8 64-bit
  • Technical details: 2nd Gen Intel® Core™ i3 processor; 17.3" display; 4GB memory; 500GB hard drive
  • Special features: HDMI output
Best Buy Regular Price $479.99 (not on sale)

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New! DELL, INC - Inspiron 17.3" Laptop - 4GB Memory - 500GB Hard Drive


Model: I17RV-6364

SKU: 7850283


  • Windows 8 Pro 64-bit
  • Technical details: Intel® Pentium® processor; 17.3" display; 4GB memory; 500GB hard drive
  • Special features: Bluetooth; HDMI output
Best Buy Reg Price $499.99 (not on sale)

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HP - Pavilion 17.3" Laptop - 4GB Memory - 500GB Hard Drive - Black


Model: g7-2220us

SKU: 6914606


  • ENERGY STAR Certified
  • Up to 2029MB dedicated graphics
  • Windows 8 64-bit operating system
  • Technical details: AMD A6-Series processor; 17.3" display; 4GB memory; 500GB hard drive
  • Special features: TV tuner; HDMI output
Bust Buy Reg Price $499.99 (not on sale)

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Toshiba - Satellite 17.3" Laptop - 6GB Memory - 640GB Hard Drive - Mercury Silver


Model: C875S7340

SKU: 6927558


  • ENERGY STAR Certified
  • Windows 8
  • Technical details: 3rd Gen Intel® Core™ i3 processor; 17.3" display; 6GB memory; 640GB hard drive
  • Special features: HDMI output
Best Buy Reg Price $525.98 (not on sale)

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New! Toshiba - Satellite 17.3" Laptop - 6GB Memory - 750GB Hard Drive - Mercury Silver


Model: L875DS7131NR

SKU: 7735259


  • ENERGY STAR Certified
  • Windows 8 64-bit
  • Technical details: AMD A8-Series processor; 17.3" display; 6GB memory; 750GB hard drive
  • Special features: HDMI output
Best Buy Reg Price $584.99 (not on sale)
 
I've been doing a lot of computer shopping recently so I've learned quite a bit. You'll need at least a core i3 processor, not AMD or Pentium. You'll also need at least 4GB of RAM. Most people I've talked to said ASUS is best right now, but Toshiba's are really good too. Only one I've been told to stay away from is DELL. Best Buy has a 15.6" Toshiba touchscreen with a i-3, 6GB RAM, great speakers and 500 GB hard drive for $579. Office Depot also has a 17.6" Acer Aspire touchscreen, backlit keyboard, i-3, 750GB hard drive and 6GB RAM for $549. Both looked really nice in person.
 
Here are the best options HH Gregg has to offer...

G72226NR_a1_main

Quick View
HP Pavilion Laptop with Next Gen AMD A4-4300M Accelerated Processor
Model:G72226NR

(1 review)
SRP $459.95
Savings $10.00
Your Price $449.95

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C875DS7330_a1_main

Quick View
Toshiba Satellite® Laptop with AMD A4-4300M Accelerated Processor
Model:C875DS7330

(0 reviews)
Your Price $499.99

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R704ARH51_a1_main

Quick View
Asus Laptop PC with Intel® Core i5-3210M Processor
Model:R704ARH51

(1 review)
SRP $649.99
Savings $150.00
Your Price $499.99

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G72243NR_a1_main

Quick View
HP Pavilion Laptop with 2nd Generation Intel® Core i3-2370M Processor
Model:G72243NR

(0 reviews)
SRP $599.99
Savings $50.00
Your Price $549.99
 
Thegroundpounder99 said:
I've been doing a lot of computer shopping recently so I've learned quite a bit. You'll need at least a core i3 processor, not AMD or Pentium. You'll also need at least 4GB of RAM. Most people I've talked to said ASUS is best right now, but Toshiba's are really good too. Only one I've been told to stay away from is DELL. Best Buy has a 15.6" Toshiba touchscreen with a i-3, 6GB RAM, great speakers and 500 GB hard drive for $579. Office Depot also has a 17.6" Acer Aspire touchscreen, backlit keyboard, i-3, 750GB hard drive and 6GB RAM for $549. Both looked really nice in person.
Click to expand...
Cool. Thanks! :)

By the way, if anybody has any ideas I didn't list, feel free to share. I only went to Bestbuy and HH Gregg's sites because they were the first two places I thought of.
 
Benevolent One said:
Cool. Thanks! :)

By the way, if anybody has any ideas I didn't list, feel free to share. I only went to Bestbuy and HH Gregg's sites because they were the first two places I thought of.
Click to expand...

There's a couple good online sites also, Newegg, Tigerdirect and Microsoft. I seem to have bad luck with computers so I buy them at a store so I do 't have to wait for a refund:D
 
Benevolent One said:
Cool. Thanks! :)

By the way, if anybody has any ideas I didn't list, feel free to share. I only went to Bestbuy and HH Gregg's sites because they were the first two places I thought of.
Click to expand...
Try out BJ's or Costco also if your a member, got a good deal on my Toshiba laptop from BJ's, check the pricing and availability online
 
I bought my son the Toshiba satallite in 2011 for christmas. The
Specs and apps look the same, and it was also $399.

Works great on the internet with an AT&T broadband modem.
It was infected with a virus this past Falling , but easily rebooted to factory specs, by holding the zero key while starting up. Afterwards a freind downloaded a free virus protection, and we disabled the best buy apps and extra speed killers.

He is youtubeing on it currently, as I post with the droid phone.

.
 
Benevolent One said:
Cool. Thanks! :)

By the way, if anybody has any ideas I didn't list, feel free to share. I only went to Bestbuy and HH Gregg's sites because they were the first two places I thought of.
Click to expand...

I would stay away from Windows 8 unless you absolutely need a touch screen. Touch is 8's biggest advantage over 7, so going with the proven platform may be best. If you google windows 8, you'll see some repair nightmares because techs don't have a handle on it.

Go for the i5 3rd gen Intel chips. The extra $100 is well worth the performance boost. The i5 also has a bunch of speed boosting tech the i3 lacks. All of the 3rd gen i chips have 4 digit designations, such as "i3-3240" This is important because some sales people don't know the difference. The 3rd gen is a bit faster, but the biggest advantage is they use half the power.

Beware of discount clubs. Almost everything they sell is marginal quality control.

Do not ever buy a Compaq laptop. Every damn model has a weak processor fan and the processor performance suffers and then fails.
 
Go to CNET and click reviews to help decide what's a good brand and what model is best for your needs, then go to price grabber to help you find the best price and vendor for that model.
 
Almost forgot. Google "discount codes" and check a few sites for a discount code to use when buying the model you want. Sometimes I get an extra $100 off on items I buy. It's a little bit of a pain serching a bunch of discount sites, but you could find an awesome deal.
 
Agree with FenderBumper on Windows 8. Try to go with Windows 7 if you can still find it sold anywhere. Windows 8 has been dumbed down to be used with smart phones, tablets, and other touch screen devices at the expense of regular computers and laptops. It's more confusing.

EDIT: Almost forgot to mention I'm using Windows 8 right now.
 
I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be an advocate of Windows 7, :eek:, but I'll second and third about getting it over 8.
 
FenderBumper said:
I would stay away from Windows 8 unless you absolutely need a touch screen. Touch is 8's biggest advantage over 7, so going with the proven platform may be best. If you google windows 8, you'll see some repair nightmares because techs don't have a handle on it.

Go for the i5 3rd gen Intel chips. The extra $100 is well worth the performance boost. The i5 also has a bunch of speed boosting tech the i3 lacks. All of the 3rd gen i chips have 4 digit designations, such as "i3-3240" This is important because some sales people don't know the difference. The 3rd gen is a bit faster, but the biggest advantage is they use half the power.

Beware of discount clubs. Almost everything they sell is marginal quality control.

Do not ever buy a Compaq laptop. Every damn model has a weak processor fan and the processor performance suffers and then fails.
Click to expand...

So this one sounds pretty good then right? It's the only one on these lists that has an i5. In addition, I checked pricegrabber and it said it sells from $616.30 to $694.78, but HH Gregg has it on sale for $499.99 right now.

R704ARH51_a1_main

Quick View
Asus Laptop PC with Intel® Core i5-3210M Processor
Model:R704ARH51

(1 review)
SRP $649.99
Savings $150.00
Your Price $499.99
Product Features

This laptop is backed by the industry's most comprehensive warranty. It covers accidental drops, spills, power surges and fire damage for the first year.

  • 17.3" LED display with 1600 x 900 resolution
  • IceCool Technology keeps the palm rests cool by placing heat-generating components away from users
  • Asus SonicMaster Life provides enhanced audio
  • With HDMI connectivity, turn your laptop into a personal media center by connecting to an external monitor or HDTV and enjoy flawless 1080p HD playback
  • Asus Super Hybrid Engine II technology provides long standby times and instant on 2-second resumption from sleep mode
  • Sleek, streamlined design with a brushed finish cover and a two-tone square-weave palm rest
  • Extended battery duration that automatically backs up files if battery reserves fall below five percent
  • 0.3 megapixel webcam
  • HDMI port
  • Optical Drive: - 8x Super Multi with double layer DVD±RW/CD-RW
Battery type: 6-cell Lithium-Ion

Built-in webcam: Yes
Digital media: SD
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
Hard drive: 750GB (5400RPM) SATA
HDMI output: Yes
Network card: 10/100/1000 Mbps
Operating system: Windows® 8
Processor: Intel Core i5-3210M Processor
Processor speed: 3.1Ghz
System memory: 4GB
Type of memory: DDR3
Wireless networking: 802.11b/g/n

So, taking everything you guys said into account, this seems like a great deal. Right?
 
Benevolent One said:
So this one sounds pretty good then right? It's the only one on these lists that has an i5. In addition, I checked pricegrabber and it said it sells from $616.30 to $694.78, but HH Gregg has it on sale for $499.99 right now.

R704ARH51_a1_main

Quick View
Asus Laptop PC with Intel® Core i5-3210M Processor
Model:R704ARH51

(1 review)
SRP $649.99
Savings $150.00
Your Price $499.99
Product Features

This laptop is backed by the industry's most comprehensive warranty. It covers accidental drops, spills, power surges and fire damage for the first year.

  • 17.3" LED display with 1600 x 900 resolution
  • IceCool Technology keeps the palm rests cool by placing heat-generating components away from users
  • Asus SonicMaster Life provides enhanced audio
  • With HDMI connectivity, turn your laptop into a personal media center by connecting to an external monitor or HDTV and enjoy flawless 1080p HD playback
  • Asus Super Hybrid Engine II technology provides long standby times and instant on 2-second resumption from sleep mode
  • Sleek, streamlined design with a brushed finish cover and a two-tone square-weave palm rest
  • Extended battery duration that automatically backs up files if battery reserves fall below five percent
  • 0.3 megapixel webcam
  • HDMI port
  • Optical Drive: - 8x Super Multi with double layer DVD±RW/CD-RW
Battery type: 6-cell Lithium-Ion


Built-in webcam: Yes
Digital media: SD
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
Hard drive: 750GB (5400RPM) SATA
HDMI output: Yes
Network card: 10/100/1000 Mbps
Operating system: Windows® 8
Processor: Intel Core i5-3210M Processor
Processor speed: 3.1Ghz
System memory: 4GB
Type of memory: DDR3
Wireless networking: 802.11b/g/n

So, taking everything you guys said into account, this seems like a great deal. Right?
Click to expand...

That seems like a real good deal. It's always a good idea to get an extended warranty if the price is reasonable.

I used to buy Asus components back when I was building PC's and they always had good products and support.
 
FenderBumper said:
That seems like a real good deal. It's always a good idea to get an extended warranty if the price is reasonable.

I used to buy Asus components back when I was building PC's and they always had good products and support.
Click to expand...
I will look at extended warranties, but I got really screwed on one of those by Best Buy back in 2000. They did 8 repairs and told me that they considered it 3 so they didn't have to honor the warranty and replace the computer. Ever since, I pretty much buy at Best Buy as kind of a last resort. Maybe HH Gregg's will be better though.
 
Thanks for all the input guys. I'm not holding anybody responsible if I get burned on this thing. I kind of expect some troubles with computers, just based on my experience and my price range. I'm just trying to make the best buy I can. I plan on getting the Asus I asked you all about, today. Thanks again.
 
majestyx said:
I have an ASUS laptop and it's been good so far.
Click to expand...
Thanks Maj, that's good to hear.

I ordered it off of H.H. Gregg's website. The nearest store that had it in stock was in Boardman, OH (Bernie Kosar's hometown) which is a little over 40 miles from me, so I just had it shipped. Standard shipping was free, and I wasn't gonna pay for express shipping. It's a good thing I didn't too, because USP just told me I'll have it tomorrow.
 
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