LF <$500 College laptop

[Vargi]

looking for a less then $500 college laptop and having trouble.

 

user will not be gaming but running programs like Chrome( with bad habits), Excel, Word,  iTunes.

 

has to have :

CPU, i5, i7, A8. A10 newer models 

RAM, 8gb would be nice (because chrome)

HDD, prob not going to get an SSD in this price range but a hybrid would be nice and if HDD then 500 but SSD 256

Graphics, idc

battery, it is a college laptop so the nicer the better

screen, 14" or smaller

 

other features like back-lit keyboard, touch-screen, and 2-in-1 really don't mater to this costumer

 

Buying preferences, Bestbuy is best because of there crazy deals for college students but second choice is amazon because he is a prime member.

 

I have found a few on newegg but the search has not been fun

Thx for your help

-nv

[The Sloth]

eBay, look for used ThinkPad, try to get one with 3rd get i7. 

- cheap ssd 

- replace CD drive with a HDD for more storage- you can get a battery extension 

- get cheap ram 

4 minutes ago, Vargi said:

battery, it is a college laptop so the nicer the better

 

 

which subject? 

[Vargi]

3 minutes ago, nerdslayer1 said:

 

which subject? 

communications major with a minor in management.

[dizmo]

I agree with @nerdslayer1, go with something used. If you get an older Thinkpad, you can load it full of batteries (provided you get the right model), and generally their RAM is easily up-gradable.

I'd also highly recommend the older Samsung Series 9 laptops. That's what I used my last stint in college, and the excellent battery life is much appreciated.

 

As for your list:

• I'd avoid AMD, and the Intel i7 as they generally offer much reduced battery life.
• You don't need tons of storage, laptops with 128GB SSDs should be within grasp.
• If he's not a total tab whore, 4GB will be fine. I often have 50 tabs open on my laptop, and it's....fine. As long as they're not all video tabs.
• Go with integrated graphics. No need for a GPU.

Check out the Asus Vivo line. I think they had some pretty good bargains.
Also, Reddit sometimes has excellent deals. I saw a $600 XPS 13, current generation.

[Amaranth]

I'm going to jump on the bandwagon, because it's what I was going to recommend anyway, and say that you should get an older Thinkpad.

 

I'm currently running an X230 as my every day carry and main school laptop and it has never caused me any problems (besides occasionally running a bit hot and that hasn't been an issue since I repasted and modded the heatsink).

[Nalgasp3ludas]

You can get a cheap one with a i7 6500u and a gtx 940mx