Windows Laptop for <$300?

[wolfie495]

Hello I need help planning a computer not meant for gaming, for now it will only be used for browsing, emailing etc. However later in the future I might host a website on it possibly. I would prefer cheap older parts so the cost is as low possible, however new parts that are available on Amazon with Prime (I need it as soon as possible). My budget is $300 however I don't think I would need to use that much since its not going to be used for gaming. The only requirement is that its small and compact. (like a MicroATX case) and I already have a spare hard drive to use. Thanks for the help!

[simson0606]

3 minutes ago, wolfie495 said:

Hello I need help planning a computer not meant for gaming, for now it will only be used for browsing, emailing etc. However later in the future I might host a website on it possibly. I would prefer cheap older parts so the cost is as low possible, however new parts that are available on Amazon with Prime (I need it as soon as possible). My budget is $300 however I don't think I would need to use that much since its not going to be used for gaming. The only requirement is that its small and compact. (like a MicroATX case) and I already have a spare hard drive to use. Thanks for the help!

you could take a look at a couple year old second hand prebuilt machine (2nd or 3rd gen i3 or i5) and throw a new ssd in there for a speedy machine. you can probably take a look at a dell optiplex 790 or similar for a small machine

 

Edit: just found an amazon link

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Optiplex-7010-SFF-Desktop/dp/B01HSDJFFM

[RAM555789]

Get a cheap laptop or chromebook. There still small and compact, and you don't have to worry about a monitor.

[wolfie495]

3 minutes ago, simson0606 said:

you could take a look at a couple year old second hand prebuilt machine (2nd or 3rd gen i3 or i5) and throw a new ssd in there for a speedy machine. you can probably take a look at a dell optiplex 790 or similar for a small machine

 

Edit: just found an amazon link

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Optiplex-7010-SFF-Desktop/dp/B01HSDJFFM

thanks I didn't think of that, I will definitely take it into consideration

[General Winter]

this is a pretty solid mirco computer though it is possible to get a laptop for the same budget and not have to worry about keyboard, monitor, and mouse

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Optiplex-Computer-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B0773XZM4H/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1521068293&sr=1-6&keywords=micro+pc

[wolfie495]

2 minutes ago, RAM555789 said:

Get a cheap laptop or chromebook. There still small and compact, and you don't have to worry about a monitor.

Yes that was my original idea, i might do that aswell. Do you have any recommendations?

[hconverse02]

1 minute ago, wolfie495 said:

Yes that was my original idea, i might do that aswell. Do you have any recommendations?

If your budget is $300, only a chromebook would fit that price range.

[wolfie495]

1 minute ago, General Winter said:

this is a pretty solid mirco computer though it is possible to get a laptop for the same budget and not have to worry about keyboard, monitor, and mouse

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Optiplex-Computer-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B0773XZM4H/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1521068293&sr=1-6&keywords=micro+pc

I don't need it to be that compact, however do you have any recommendations for a laptop?

[wolfie495]

Just now, hconverse02 said:

If your budget is $300, only a chromebook would fit that price range.

i absolutely hate Chromebooks, im sure there is a windows laptop out there

[RAM555789]

Two laptops I can recommend are 

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ideapad-320-LED-backlit-Dual-Core/dp/B077ZHV9WQ/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1521068712&sr=1-8&keywords=laptop&refinements=p_36%3A-30000%2Cp_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A1264444011|2289794011|1264420011

and

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=1TS-001A-007Y6

 

They are very similar in price the difference is in storage and the processor. The amazon one has 1TB HDD with an Intel Celeron N3350, while the one from newegg has a 500GB HDD with a Intel Quad Core Pentium N4200. Unless storage is extremly important, I would go with the laptop from newegg as you get a better quad core processor rather than the dueal core celeron. If you want a better idea of the differences between the two processors jsut check out this link. http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-N4200-vs-Intel-N3350

[General Winter]

1 minute ago, wolfie495 said:

I don't need it to be that compact, however do you have any recommendations for a laptop?

honestly any laptop with 8gb of ram should be of good enough quality for your budget; you can go up or down by cpu performance but there are a ton of good $300 for light loads out there (there are better deals on ebay but i put one amazon link if you really need that prime shipping)

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-LAPTOP-LATITUDE-PC-WINDOWS-10-PRO-8GB-RAM-HDD-i5-WIFI-PRO-HD-NOTEBOOK-PC/323104730617?_trkparms=aid%3D555019%26algo%3DPL.BANDIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D50686%26meid%3D17e23b3e02e04e0b85e1682e58428172%26pid%3D100505%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26%26itm%3D323104730617&_trksid=p2045573.c100505.m3226

 

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T430-laptop-Core-i5-3-3GHZ-14-HD-display-DVDRW-8GB-RAM-Win-10/142112098997?hash=item21168a8ab5:g:ehQAAOSwOdpX1rjU#viTabs_0

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/HP-EliteBook-8470P-Notebook-Professional/dp/B01GW03N6E/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1521069000&sr=1-5&keywords=8gb+laptop

[General Winter]

5 minutes ago, RAM555789 said:

Two laptops I can recommend are 

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ideapad-320-LED-backlit-Dual-Core/dp/B077ZHV9WQ/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1521068712&sr=1-8&keywords=laptop&refinements=p_36%3A-30000%2Cp_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A1264444011|2289794011|1264420011

and

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=1TS-001A-007Y6

 

They are very similar in price the difference is in storage and the processor. The amazon one has 1TB HDD with an Intel Celeron N3350, while the one from newegg has a 500GB HDD with a Intel Quad Core Pentium N4200. Unless storage is extremly important, I would go with the laptop from newegg as you get a better quad core processor rather than the dueal core celeron. If you want a better idea of the differences between the two processors jsut check out this link. http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-N4200-vs-Intel-N3350

4gb of ram is bad and he said himself he already has an external drive for storage and dual core is ultra bad (unless it has hyper threading, then its okay for this budget)

[wolfie495]

2 minutes ago, General Winter said:

honestly any laptop with 8gb of ram should be of good enough quality for your budget; you can go up or down by cpu performance but there are a ton of good $300 for light loads out there (there are better deals on ebay but i put one amazon link if you really need that prime shipping)

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-LAPTOP-LATITUDE-PC-WINDOWS-10-PRO-8GB-RAM-HDD-i5-WIFI-PRO-HD-NOTEBOOK-PC/323104730617?_trkparms=aid%3D555019%26algo%3DPL.BANDIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D50686%26meid%3D17e23b3e02e04e0b85e1682e58428172%26pid%3D100505%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26%26itm%3D323104730617&_trksid=p2045573.c100505.m3226

 

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T430-laptop-Core-i5-3-3GHZ-14-HD-display-DVDRW-8GB-RAM-Win-10/142112098997?hash=item21168a8ab5:g:ehQAAOSwOdpX1rjU#viTabs_0

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/HP-EliteBook-8470P-Notebook-Professional/dp/B01GW03N6E/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1521069000&sr=1-5&keywords=8gb+laptop

I appreciate the laptops you shown me, however they are super boxy and look heavy. Do you have any newer recommendations?

[wolfie495]

5 minutes ago, RAM555789 said:

Two laptops I can recommend are 

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ideapad-320-LED-backlit-Dual-Core/dp/B077ZHV9WQ/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1521068712&sr=1-8&keywords=laptop&refinements=p_36%3A-30000%2Cp_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A1264444011|2289794011|1264420011

and

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=1TS-001A-007Y6

 

They are very similar in price the difference is in storage and the processor. The amazon one has 1TB HDD with an Intel Celeron N3350, while the one from newegg has a 500GB HDD with a Intel Quad Core Pentium N4200. Unless storage is extremly important, I would go with the laptop from newegg as you get a better quad core processor rather than the dueal core celeron. If you want a better idea of the differences between the two processors jsut check out this link. http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-N4200-vs-Intel-N3350

These look really good, I will keep these in mind thanks alot!

[General Winter]

Just now, wolfie495 said:

I appreciate the laptops you shown me, however they are super boxy and look heavy. Do you have any newer recommendations?

14" is too big?

[wolfie495]

4 minutes ago, General Winter said:

4gb of ram is bad and he said himself he already has an external drive for storage and dual core is ultra bad

I would prefer 8gb but to be honest, I wouldnt mind 4gb. Also I do have an extra hard drive but I don't trust if it still works, I would prefer around 250gb

[wolfie495]

2 minutes ago, General Winter said:

14" is too big?

the laptops shape themselves look super out of date if that makes sense.

 

[General Winter]

1 minute ago, wolfie495 said:

the laptops shape themselves look super out of date if that makes sense.

 

they're old but they have good hardware for modern task

 

i don't expect people on a $300 budget to shop for looks unless you really want to have some noticeable drawbacks in power and capabilities

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

23 minutes ago, hconverse02 said:

If your budget is $300, only a chromebook would fit that price range.

You'd be surprised the decent choices you have if you are willing to go second hand or factory refurbished. 

[General Winter]

Just now, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

You'd be surprised the decent choices you have if you are willing to go second hand or factory refurbished. 

there are good new windows machines in this price range

 

however most of em are pretty weak compared to what you can punch out of an refurbished laptop

[wolfie495]

 

2 minutes ago, General Winter said:

they're old but they have good hardware for modern task

 

i don't expect people on a $300 budget to shop for looks unless you really want to have some noticeable drawbacks in power and capabilities

I'm not worried about power at all because it will never be put to an intense task.

[General Winter]

Just now, wolfie495 said:

 

I'm not worried about power at all because it will never be put to an intense task.

still, your future self will thank you when you need it

 

its always better to have more than needed than to think you have what you need and then find out you'd be better with a more powerful machine

 

i would recommend a machine with 8gb of ram so you'll be future proof in terms of ram usage, my laptop is pretty solid at $250 and i would definitely get it in your position

 

 

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Just now, General Winter said:

there are good new windows machines in this price range

 

however most of em are pretty weak compared to what you can punch out of an refurbished laptop

Yep. For reference,  with 305 CAD right now can get yourself a Latitude E7440 ultrabook. That's a Core i5-4300U, 4GB RAM, and a 128GB SSD ultrabook all for around 300 bucks CAD, or 50 cents USD. /s

 

https://www.dellrefurbished.ca/laptops/dell-latitude-14-7000-series-e7440-90815.html

 

Sure it may have some cosmetic wear and tear, but this is a refurbished machine directly from Dell so you're pretty much guaranteed functionally it's 100% out of the box. 

[vanished]

Your title means over $300, btw.  I assume you meant <$300... might want to change that

[wolfie495]

Just now, Ryan_Vickers said:

Your title means over $300, btw.  I assume you meant <$300... might want to change that

hahaha thanks