<p>no windows users?</p>
<p>Assuming one does NOT have $1200 to spend and IS a Windows user, what is a good computer for a "Gap Year/military enlistment kid? Cousins have pooled their money and have about $400 to spend. It’s ok if you think nothing at that price is worth it, but if you do have something to suggest, I’m all ears.</p>
<p>Sseamom- 2 of my kids went the MacBook route. 1 was a graphic design major and he needed an Apple product.
The other just wanted it and made up the difference in price with her own money.
Oldest has never drunk the Apple koolaid and used an inexpensive 400 laptop from Staples. She was doing basic word documents and internet. She made it through college fine. Granted the Windows laptops don’t seem to last as long as in our cases the battery begins to overheat after a period of time. </p>
<p>Mom60-that is what my older D uses and highly recommends. But with the kids’ budget they wouldn’t be able to afford a new one, and this cousin is from a family with few resources and they want to give him something new instead of used or refurbished.</p>
<p>Sseamom - Dell laptops are well made and there’s a “home” version that seems to be pretty resilient. I haven’t priced Dell home versions for awhile but am guessing you still can configure from the dell.com website. </p>
<p>Regarding the " apple koolaid", condescending comments in a similar tone were directed at me 24 years ago, when I purchased our families first desktop computer by my engineer brother.
I don’t think what computer I use is worth arguing about, and I also dont argue about which is the best car or shovel for someone else’s needs as they are likely to be different than my own.</p>
<p>I do admit it is gratifying to observe however, my brother and his engineer friends struggle with their Dells, Lenovo, HPs, Toshiba, Asus & Acer, while they watch my laptop remain virus & bug free.
I didnt say a word when over the past ten years they grew weary of needing a backup computer just because theirs needed to be sent off for repair so often that they recognized that repeating the same mistakes is the definition of stupidity and they switched their allegiance- or as the more cynical put it " they drank the kool aid".
;)</p>
<p>The comment was meant more in a joking manor. Our family has plenty of Apple products. I think they make great phones, computers etc. I am typing this post on my IPad. I said it more in response to many people who believe that you must get an Apple computer. In my D’s case and in the case of Sseasmom the budget is no where near enough for the purchase of an Mac. If you have 400 to spend you can purchase a new computer that will fill the needs of most of us. </p>
<p>My D is looking for a windows computer (I think it has something to do with Sims -lol). Any suggestions for a light weight, but durable laptop or ultrabook?</p>
<p>Mine wants a gaming laptop. Probably not gonna happen as they are very expensive and I just made our first tuition payment (ouch) but does anyone know if these are useful for things other than gaming? She’s entering as a CE major but as a freshman probably won’t have too much actual engineering coursework and open 24 hours computer labs have all the heavy duty software they’ll need later. Does anyone have any laptop suggestions for gamers (WOW, Wildstar, Starwars, SIMS etc.)? Thanks all! I’m kinda clueless.</p>
<p>@morkatmom My son built his own gaming desktop last year for about $750. Your daughter might want to look into doing the same for a gaming laptop. I can’t speak for laptops, but the desktop took about 4 hours to build, with very little help from my husband…my son was 11 years old at the time and he’s not any kind of amazing whiz kid. The nice thing about building his own computer (at least for the desktop) is that he can easily replace parts. For instance, he upgraded his graphics card and it took him less than twenty minutes to install it. Again, not sure about possibilities for a laptop, but thought I’d share our experience. </p>
<p>EDIT: Wanted to add that the $750 was for everything…computer, monitor, keyboard.</p>
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<p>Wow. They don’t sound like the kind of engineers I would want designing anything for me! They must be huge consumers of porn or file-sharing or somesuch. I’ve never sent any PC out for repair. I’ve built probably 50 for friends and myself over the last 15 years. I have never had a “backup PC” . That’s ridiculous. There’s no magic in an operating system. Apple makes you pay through the nose for a closed system. Windows is much more affordable and you have great freedom to choose the level of performance that you need. </p>
<p>For those looking, hit up the sites that review a wide variety of laptops, like Engadget, The Verge, or PC Magazine. Find one that corresponds with your needs. There are gaming laptops, simple web-browsing/emailing types, business focused, etc. </p>
<p>@morkatmom Gaming laptops like those from Alienware or Razer are really high performance machines, and high cost! They would do great at virtually any other task you would throw at them. They have fast processors, lots of memory, great graphics abilities. While they excel at games, these same properties make them excel at every other task as well. It’s not money wasted(at least not too much). </p>
<p>@socalmom23 Unfortunately there is not the same environment out there if you want to build your own laptop, Desktop components are readily available(Oh sweet Newegg how I love thee so), but not so much for laptops. You are basically stuck buying something pre-built, or ordering a custom version of an Asus, Dell, Samsung, etc.</p>
<p>@Parent1337 Thank you for that info! My son researches everything online and then buys it at Fry’s (we live closeby), who will price match. In your opinion, is there a greater advantage to using Newegg? I would sure love to impart some advice to my little know-it-all! Sorry to everyone if I am drifting off topic…</p>
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<p>Not only are gaming laptops more expensive, they are also much more prone to issues like overheating due to the high performance graphical processor units and CPUs they have. They also tend to be bulkier and heavier to accommodate larger screens and cooling systems required for such systems…and even then those systems aren’t always up to the task. </p>
<p>IMO, if one really needs a gaming machine, one should build a custom desktop for the task. Not only will one get more computing power for one’s buck, the overheating issues are greatly reduced as parts aren’t nearly as crammed in as tightly in a tiny space as opposed to a laptop…even a gaming laptop. </p>
<p>Leave the laptops for schoolwork so one can get a more portable one to carry around without worrying about overheating issues as much. Also, it’s a good way to separate one’s workspace from play space. </p>
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<p>Indeed. Only times I’ve had serious PC or Mac problems was due to serious hardware issues due to manufacturing or design issues. </p>
<p>If under warranty, Mac has been fine for my family, but lately, seems to be as iffy about doing warranty repairs as PC notebook manufacturers I’ve had in the past. </p>
<p>BTW: It seems some Macbook Pros, Macbooks, and Macbook Airs have had a rash of graphical processor unit/logic board failure issues. </p>
<p>My daughter got a Retina MacBook Pro 15 inch from her college. She majors in Computer Science/Computer Engineering, it’s not too heavy for her. She can easily connect to Unix or Windows NT/2K/XP by running software to imitate the computing environment used in the teaching labs at her colleg , there is no need for a PC. I find the graphics of Macs beautiful and sharp, not so much for Dell. I have just ordered a new one from Dell so I know. The Windows 8 is not the most easy to use. </p>
<p>@socalmom23 Having a Fry’s nearby that will price match is great. Newegg will have a greater variety of components to choose from, and better sales, but nothing beats being able to go pick things up nearby. Are you anywhere near Whittier? You can pick up directly from Newegg if you live nearby.</p>
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<p>If your daughter had a PC, there would be no need for a Mac. It works both ways. Your generalization about displays on a “Dell” exemplify the misunderstandings one comes across when shopping for a laptop. If one listened to you, they would think Mac Retina display good, Dell display bad. In fact, Dell offers a huge variety of displays on vast array of models at many different price points. If you pay up, you can get a Dell ultrabook with a QHD+ display with 3200x1800 resolution as compared to a Macbook pro with a 2880x1800 resolution. There may be only one choice with Apple, but not so with Windows machines. Pick what you need, pick your price point, and something will be available to fill your need.</p>
<p>If I’ve learned anything is that people have their preferences so a Mac person isn’t going to like much about a PC and will lump an entire line of computers into the same level of “bad”. Even I know that Dell offers laptops that range from under $300 to at least $1800 and they can’t possibly be of the same quality. For everyday use I am perfectly happy with my Dell. It frustrates my Mac-using older D. Her younger sister is lobbying for a Chromebook and avoids her basic laptop like the plague. I do live near a Fry’s so will do some sleuthing there and report to the cousins. </p>
<p>@Parent1337, I was offering my experience, there is no need to be so SNARKY. I hope people who are concerned about money do more research then take my words for it. Both my kids love Macs, I’m thinking of switching over to Mac as well after being a PC user for years. I find Macs have beautiful form.</p>
<p>Sseamom- it is wonderful that the cousins want to do this for their cousin. </p>
<p>We have had good luck with ASUS laptops and desktops. I also like that they generally come with less of the add-on cruft software trying to sell you extra services.</p>
<p>Ynot-good to hear as that brand seems to be offering some great deals right now. Mom60-my nephew’s had a rough life but he’s a good kid who turned out ok. His cousins all love him and know that the other side of his family can’t help much so they really dug into their pockets and asked me to research and find him the best we could get for the money. I’m really happy to see them do this because due to various reasons none of them got to see him much growing up. I know he’ll really appreciate their gesture.</p>