2016-06-27 00:06:22

Hello all...
So, I've come to realize that my laptop is a lost cause. Broken down, slow, earphone port is now broken, vent cover is broken... I just need to buy a new one. This laptop has lasted me about 3 years and I absolutely love it so if someone could help me find a similar one, that would be great. My price range is under 400 dollars and I know it's doable, I've seen one around but I forget where it is. I want it to be loaded with windows 8.1 for I'm not ready for windows 10 yet, not after my last experience. A minimum of 4 gigs of ram and 500 GB hard drive would be fantastic... and that's about as far as my knowledge of computer mechanics and specs extend. If someone could help me, that would be fantastic.

Heroes need foes to test them. Not all teachers can afford to be kind, and some lessons must be harsh.

2016-06-27 00:49:20

I'd recommend a Dell Inspiron 13, which I believe runs about $400 but I could be mistaken.

Luke

What game will hadi.gsf want to play next?

2016-06-27 01:08:50

Could you link me to a page please? I looked into it and found nothing except touchscreen models which are off limits to me.

Heroes need foes to test them. Not all teachers can afford to be kind, and some lessons must be harsh.

2016-06-27 03:03:41

My apologies - the Inspiron 13 is more expensive because it's a 2-in-1.  An Inspiron 15 is cheaper but also remember cheaper gets you cheaper power:

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-15 … amp;sr=8-3

I'm not sure what the landscape looks like for getting a brand new machine with Win8.1 loaded on it.  Everything I'm finding is loaded with Win10 since it's nearly a year old, so all manufacturers are automatically installing the newest OS on their products.

Luke

What game will hadi.gsf want to play next?

2016-06-27 03:17:17

I like that one... the problem is it's windows 10... I suppose I could get into it though... Is Windows 10... good?

Heroes need foes to test them. Not all teachers can afford to be kind, and some lessons must be harsh.

2016-06-27 03:22:50

Well, that depends on your definition of "good."
big_smile

What about Windows 10 is off-putting?

What is it about Windows 8.1 that you like?

Luke

What game will hadi.gsf want to play next?

2016-06-27 03:37:25

I think 8.1 is built for the model of computer I have so when I upgraded to 10 my soundcard got all screwy and I've heard that a lot of apps don't work the best... for example, TW Blue, unless that's been fixed, and I've heard if you want to use Skype and other things you have to get them from the Windows store which I'm not anxious about. 8.1 is perfect for what I do with my laptop.

Heroes need foes to test them. Not all teachers can afford to be kind, and some lessons must be harsh.

2016-06-27 03:43:01

I will begin by saying apps are required to be downloaded from the Windows store is not true.  You are just as capable of installing SKype from the website in Win10 as you were in Win8.1.

Regarding your initial bad luck with Win10, I have always advised people not upgrade to 10 from a preinstalled Windows.  I'm not a technician, but from the plenty of negative experiences I've heard people having when upgrading to 10 from 8.1, I'm inclined to tell others to wipe Windows and just install Win10 from a disk or an ISO image depending on their circumstances.

My advice to you: If you can only afford a $400 machine, what I linked to is just about as good as it can get as far as name brand systems are concerned.

If you have more questions, feel free to ask.

Luke

What game will hadi.gsf want to play next?

2016-06-27 04:02:51

Thanks for all your help! My friend is helping me as well so I'll have multiple choices.

Heroes need foes to test them. Not all teachers can afford to be kind, and some lessons must be harsh.

2016-06-27 04:30:15 (edited by defender 2016-06-27 06:47:51)

Alright, I found two laptops for you to check out.
Both have no touchscreen as well by the way.


Here's the first one, with full model name and link:
Acer Aspire E5-571-563B
https://www.amazon.com/Acer-15-6-Aspire … 5446812011
Pros include an I5 processor, 2GB extra memory, a USB3 port with sleep and charge, and high speed Bluetooth.
Cons include lots of preinstalled bloatware, a thick form factor, and somewhat high weight.
Depending on what your using it for, most of that may not ever even become apparent though... So keep that in mind.
I've also included the link to a bunch of customer reviews from another site below, since there are only 5 on the page it's self; just remember that 1 star ratings are almost never worth reading, and that you shouldn't make a judgement based on the information from just 1 or 2, instead, look for trends, then back them up with external sources if possible.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acer-Midnight … 29#reviews


Here's the second one, again with full model name and link:
Dell Inspiron 15 3000 Series i3543-750BLK
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-Co … 5446812011
Pros include price, compact form factor, recent previous generation processor, and AC wireless.
Cons include The need to update all drivers and bios firmware before use to avoid keyboard problems, and the lack of hyper threading.
I have another link with reviews for this one, but it's not for the exact same product; the only difference is that this one includes a touchscreen, but everything will still apply in just the same way.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i3 … tBy=recent

2016-06-27 08:44:20

hi.
ghost rider, the windows 10 is great!
you can install anything you want without problems.
windows 10, is 10 times better than the win-8.
you're very wrong about the win-10.
I do everything in the win-10 without any problem. windows 10, is much like the win-7, but much better ...
man, not worry and buy the computer with win-10 system installed.
believe what I tell you, you'll like it too!
win-10 is much better than the win-8.
It is lighter and more faster.
and now you have the new start menu as in win-7, but still got better!
for me the win-10, is the best system that Microsoft has created to date!
and there will not more new systems, but updates ...
now is a platform of services ...
on 21 July, we will receive a great accessibility update the win-10. called red stone.
it will bring us many accessibility fixes and new features and new voices to the narrator!
the narrator will come with great features!
man, buy the computer with win-10! I assure you that you will not be sorry.
cheers.

2016-06-27 10:38:09

For what some of these low-end machines cost, the power isn't all that bad.  If he's just using it for average ordinary use (web browsing, audio gaming, word processing), the specs of both machines will be of service.  Bloatware can just be removed manually, or through third-party apps that find and destroy the software itself.

Luke

What game will hadi.gsf want to play next?

2016-06-27 15:40:26

All I'd be using it for is downloading music and movies, audiogaming, downloading books, and Twitter, and if anyone can tell me if TW Blue still works with Windows 10, that'd be fantastic.

Heroes need foes to test them. Not all teachers can afford to be kind, and some lessons must be harsh.

2016-06-27 18:41:27

hi ghost.
yes, it works perfectly!
ghost do not be afraid of the win-10!
is a wonderful system!
and will get even better in July!
cheers.

2016-06-27 19:11:56

Well that machine has more Ram than I've ever had.

Heroes need foes to test them. Not all teachers can afford to be kind, and some lessons must be harsh.

2016-06-27 19:25:30

Hi.
If you are looking for good and sturdy laptops which aren't that pricy and can do a lot of things you possibly need to do, I would recommend looking in to the laptop pools of lenovo, asus and acer, all those three companys have a lot of notebooks fitting your need, also something to keep in mind is that if you want to buy a laptop, I always am inclined to tell people that they also look on how extendable the laptop is.
For example, does it have extra sodem slots for new ram chips? Can I repair surten things on my own? Can I build in new hard drives or SSDS? Is the battery changeable?
Those things are also importent to me when I would need to buy a new machine.

Hail the unholy church of Satan, go share it's greatness.

2016-06-27 19:31:24

Oh god Simba... I am not a tech wiz whatsoever. I just play games and download music. I'm not planning on adding onto my laptop. That Del one is my choice.

Heroes need foes to test them. Not all teachers can afford to be kind, and some lessons must be harsh.

2016-06-27 22:20:56

I agree with Simba.  However, given the understanding that you aren't tech savi (in terms of hardware), and your budget is on the lower end, I'd recommend Dell.  The three manufacturers he mentioned excel at hardware and compact form factors.

Luke

What game will hadi.gsf want to play next?

2016-07-11 03:27:41

Okay, so I just bought a cheap Lenovo that does what I need it too... very good computer, doing exactly what I need, but I need to adjust the keymap.

Heroes need foes to test them. Not all teachers can afford to be kind, and some lessons must be harsh.

2016-07-11 05:16:58

Alright so... love the laptop, performance is excellent... now can someone tell me how I can get my Function keys to act like actual function keys? Because my first three, f1, f2, and f3 are volume controls, the rest do other things and it's more than a little irritating. I also can't find my page up and page down keys.

Heroes need foes to test them. Not all teachers can afford to be kind, and some lessons must be harsh.

2016-07-29 09:17:07

Not sure if you figure it out now. Go into the bios and set the function key. there are 2 mode, so set it to the other one which is not currently what you are using.