Cheap laptop build quality

[wat]

I'm looking for a cheap laptop with a better build quality, I'm trying to stay under 500 dollars. I have a dedicated gaming rig i just need something i can take to class and hackathons and stuff like that, so it definitely does not need a dedicated graphics card.  My requirements in order go along the lines of

1. build quality

2. processor speeds

3. battery life

4. screen quality

I need build quality since it would be going in and out of my backpack around 2x a day and opened and closed even more so it needs to not fall apart.

Having a long battery life is just plain convenient for my use case.

Processor speeds would help with 2 things, processing larger workloads for coding purposes, and i would like to be able to use steam in home streaming on it. 

I'm sure that anything that can handle steam in home streaming would be fast enough though.

 

Also a 15 in would be nice purely so i can i get a larger typing area in the keyboard. But if there are 13 in with significantly better build quality i can make that sacrifice.

 

My thought process for maybe getting a better build quality in this price range is that you can get a good build quality at 400 more dollars with a dedicated gpu, so there must be some gem around this price range. I'm willing to go up in price if i need to, since i'm going to be using this for awhile I'm willing to spend a little more, its just easy for me to fall into the "its just 50 dollars more for this and then 100 more for this and only 80 dollars more for this" trap.

 

Thanks for any advice, i really appreciate it.

[The Sloth]

older thinkpad, with i7 3rd gen look on ebay

[waterjug]

go with a nokia 3310 for maximum durability and build quality

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Lenovo ThinkPads, Dell Latitudes, MacBook Pro (last generation, not the touchbar one).

 

Scratch the MacBook, forgot about the budget.

[The Sloth]

1 minute ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Lenovo ThinkPads, Dell Latitudes, MacBook Pro (last generation, not the touchbar one).

other than think pads old MacBooks like 2012 15 inch one

there is no way other than scams OP is going to find a 2015 MacBook pro 13/15 inch for 400 or 500 usd 

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Just now, nerdslayer1 said:

other than think pads old MacBooks like 2012 15 inch one

thare is no way other than scams he is going to find a 2015 MacBook pro 13/15 inch for 400 or 500 usd 

Yea, I quickly scratched the MacBook idea seconds after submitting it.

[wat]

Thanks for the quick input guys! 

What do you think of something like this https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA7HS5081283

[The Sloth]

1 minute ago, wat said:

Thanks for the quick input guys! 

What do you think of something like this https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA7HS5081283

 

that has bad build quality, battery life.  

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Just now, nerdslayer1 said:

that has bad build quality, battery life.  

I would argue those have pretty good build quality. We have a whole bunch of those for rental from my University library and they've literally been through hell and back. Many have dents, scratches, chipped corners, and what not from being constantly thrown around and dropped. Nice solid metal construction.

[The Sloth]

Just now, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

I would argue those have pretty good build quality. We have a whole bunch of those for rental from my University library and they've literally been through hell and back. Many have dents, scratches, chipped corners, and what not from being constantly thrown around and dropped. Nice solid metal construction.

 

i would argue that a Thinkpad had much better build quality than that considering it's a business class laptop.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Just now, nerdslayer1 said:

i would argue that a Thinkpad had much better build quality than that considering it's a business class laptop.

Yea, but they're still way better than the consumer rubbish you get at BestBuy.

[The Sloth]

Just now, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Yea, but they're still way better than the consumer rubbish you get at BestBuy.

that's for sure but i still would suggest a Thinkpad for build quality. 

[wat]

Is there any reason why a lot of thinkpads are downgraded from windows 10 to windows 7?

Are Idea pads as durable as a regular consumer laptop or would i still be better off than say a toshiba satellite or (insert other common consumer laptop here)

I would assume that any lenovo since they are known for a great keyboard and build quality would be better than most other consumer laptops.

 

I mentioned satellite since that one fell apart (literally) after 3 years of of use, although i did put that one through a lot more than i intend to now.

[Maxinfamily]

39 minutes ago, wat said:

Thanks for the quick input guys! 

What do you think of something like this https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA7HS5081283

Thats overkill for class stuff and programming. 

 

An i3 last gen, thats all you need IMO. So this is more like it:

 

Acer:

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-E5-575-33BM-15-6-Inch-Processor-Generation/dp/B01K1IO3QW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1489352571&sr=8-4&keywords=i3+7100U+laptop

 

Lenovo:

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Ideapad-i3-7100U-Graphics-80VK000EUS/dp/B01LNOES68/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1489352571&sr=8-5&keywords=i3+7100U+laptop

 

Just use this filter on amazon.com: "i3 7100U laptop" And I wouldnt suggest you to buy one from HP.

 

Btw, the ones I linked are just examples. I would recommend you to serch for one with:

 

1- ssd

2- 4 Gb are okay for just programming and class stuff, but 8Gb would be great.

3- 10keyless. You dont need them, and the size reduction is much appreciated IMO.

4- Not full hd display, since it will decrease you battery life. you can always get a 1080p display, but your battery will last less.

5- as you said, f*** the dedicated gpu, you dont need It.

 

Since I dont have much time to go out there and dig, you can do It yourself, Its pretty easy, and if oyu want to, you can throw here the links of the ones you want and I can check them out.

 

P.D: the "go to ebay and look for a latitude or thinkpad used" its a good idea since you get WARRANTY and you get a new battery. You dont have to actually look for 3rd gen cpus, there are som good 5th or 4th cpus out there, BUT keep this in mind, the older the cpu, the more power it drains (so Its kinda wise to go for the last gen i3 IMO).

 

Edit: you dont have to actually buy a laptop with an ssd, you can buy and ssd later and upgrade the pc. But the ssd is a must have, youll have to suspend your laptop very often and resume your work since you might be moving from classroom to classroom/library/etc. I have an ssd on mine and comes in pretty handy. (btw, any 128+ Gb are okay, Its better to have 256 but 128 for the OS + some IDEs/other software its okay, I have that).

[wat]

Thanks for all the input! 

12 minutes ago, Maxinfamily said:

 

An i3 last gen, thats all you need IMO. So this is more like it:

 

I agree that i probably wont need more than an i3, So i'll try to stick around that, I'm also not worried abour ram and storage space, the storage doesnt need to be particularly fast and both are easily upgradable. 

 

I think at this point now that i've got a good idea I'm going to swing by best buy and frys and try to get hands on with a few dells, lenovos, acers and whatever else piques my interest there.

 

Thanks a lot for the advice!

[Maxinfamily]

1 minute ago, wat said:

Thanks for all the input! 

I agree that i probably wont need more than an i3, So i'll try to stick around that, I'm also not worried abour ram and storage space, the storage doesnt need to be particularly fast and both are easily upgradable. 

 

I think at this point now that i've got a good idea I'm going to swing by best buy and frys and try to get hands on with a few dells, lenovos, acers and whatever else piques my interest there.

 

Thanks a lot for the advice!

No problem dude! Good luck, remember that, if you want to you can show us here and ask for opinion on the ones you liked.