Please rate these laptops

[Cowboy Brian]

http://microcenter.com/product/403254/ProBook_4540s_156_Laptop_Computer_-_Brushed_Aluminum

http://www.staples.com/Lenovo-Ideapad-Z580-59345254-156-Laptop/product_984631

http://www.staples.com/Acer-V5-571P-6464-Burst-156-Touch-Screen-Laptop/product_130417

http://www.staples.com/HP-ENVY-Ultrabook-4-1130us-14-inch-Laptop/product_985046

Or any other recommendations in the $399-$599 price range that are attainable locally 11554 at Walmart, Micro Center, Best Buy or Staples. Need a laptop for work and school and won't have mine back from repair for two weeks :|. Can't be unproductive for two weeks.

 

[burmafrd]

Toshiba Satellite has been a fine machine for me.

they are reasonable and reliable

 

[Tabascocat]

Toshiba Satellite has been a fine machine for me.

they are reasonable and reliable

This ^^^

I have had toshiba's for a few years now with no problems.

 

[Shunpike]

I hate to be the party pooper but I had 2 Toshiba that died totally in 2 years consecutively. One died after 2 years in 2006 the other in 2008. Using HP since and no issues there. I also use Lenovo at work and works like a charm.

 

[5Stars]

This ^^^

I have had toshiba's for a few years now with no problems.

+1

Great computer at a good price. I have the 17 inch.

I had to buy this one when my HP died a couple weeks ago.

 

[BringBackThatOleTimeBoys]

I've found www.sevenforums.com full of very knowledgeable laptop experts.

I recommend staying with Win 7 for a couple of reasons:

• It will probably cost less than Win 8
• Unless you can adjust to navigating on a touchscreen (not many of them at this time) or the laptop comes with a large multi-touch pad that simulates the touchscreen, you likely will be frustrated with Win 8. In other words, if you prefer the mouse and keyboard, stick with Win 7.

 

[Cowboy Brian]

I've found www.sevenforums.com full of very knowledgeable laptop experts.

I recommend staying with Win 7 for a couple of reasons:

• It will probably cost less than Win 8
• Unless you can adjust to navigating on a touchscreen (not many of them at this time) or the laptop comes with a large multi-touch pad that simulates the touchscreen, you likely will be frustrated with Win 8. In other words, if you prefer the mouse and keyboard, stick with Win 7.

Thanks man!

 

[BringBackThatOleTimeBoys]

^ My pleasure.

I don't know what your computing needs are but, sometimes a clean install, upgrading the RAM, replacing the hard drive with an SSD could give you the performance of a new computer for less.

A lot of what makes Windows computers get shown up by Apple is all the unnecessary software 3rd party vendors put in.

Apple does both the hardware and the software, so it's tuned up (but you pay 30-50% more.) Microsoft is at the mercy of whoever builds the computer (HP, Dell, Sony, Lenovo, etc.) They dump trialware, shareware, bloatware....it slows the boot up with dozens of stuff you don't need, fills your hard drive, fills your memory, and throws potential monkey wrenches into your registery. A clean install is the though way to fix this, but there are threads at www.sevenforums.com that cover that.

A real simple way to get rid of crap for free on your Windows computer is signup on www.soluto.com and listen to it's feedback.

 

[BringBackThatOleTimeBoys]

Ultrabook caution: You can not upgrade them!

Just like the Mac Air notebooks they compete with - the penality for the slimness is you can't upgrade the RAM or hard drive.

After I realized that, my infatuation with ultrabooks ended.

So the last one on your list I tend to rule out.

 

[BringBackThatOleTimeBoys]

On your list from bottom to top - worst to best.

#4 is an ultrabook - I'd rule it out unless you are happy with what it has.

#3 is a touchscreen, so if you want to try Win 8, it has the hardware to make it a good experience. The memory and hard drive is smaller and slower than the others.

#2 is powerful and has a Windows 8-friendly touchpad. You can tell because the pad does not have buttons - just a large pad to tap on with your fingers.

#1 The best hardware. I'd get it if I knew the the pad is multi-touch OR it's made by Synaptics (you can go to their site and upgrade the software for Win 8) My HP uses a Synaptics touchpad. This notebook comes with Win 7 and can upgrade to Win 8 for free.

 

[BringBackThatOleTimeBoys]

I might have been too hard on the ultrabook - it does have a hybrid hard drive, making it nearly as fast as an SSD. Has a Win 8-friendly touchpad.

Still like the 1st one on your list.

 

[ajk23az]

I will never buy an HP again. I have had one, and parents have had one, and they both broke within 1.5 years. I read a report that HP has the largest percentage of failed laptops, while Toshiba has one of the lowest.

I bought a Toshiba M645-S4070 a little over 2.5 years ago and the thing runs like it is brand new. Granted, I did double the RAM in it. I'll probably always stick with a Toshiba or Lenovo from here on out.

 

[BringBackThatOleTimeBoys]

I have a budget HP G56, and it's doing well.

Will acknowledge HP puts more bloatware than anyone else, and Toshiba is better.

Anything is better than my first PC - a Packard-Bell

 

[Cowboy Brian]

After some research on your advised #1 it has a subpar battery. Only expected about 3 hours on it. That's not acceptable for me.. Back to the drawing board. Want atleast 6 hours.

 

[Tricked]

It really does come down to how you plan to use the laptop. These are my favorite computers, from least favorite to favorite and a couple of things to consider:

http://www.staples.com/Acer-V5-571P-6464-Burst-156-Touch-Screen-Laptop/product_130417
This computer I would say don't consider. It's using a i3 processor, where as the other 3 are using i5 processors. It also has 4gb, while the other 3 have either 8 or 6.

http://www.staples.com/HP-ENVY-Ultrabook-4-1130us-14-inch-Laptop/product_985046#desc_content
This is a more multimedia based laptop. The Envy uses BEATS audio which some people really admire. The ultrabook is really nice being lightweight and smaller profile, but in comparison this has a 14 inch screen. 6GB memory is just a little lower than my more preferable laptops that you've chosen.

http://www.staples.com/Lenovo-Ideapad-Z580-59345254-156-Laptop/product_984631
Lenovo makes awesome computers. The hardware is ideal for just about any user. The only real downfall to this PC for me is Windows 8. It really is probably just my lack of experience, but when I have used it I just didn't like the tile system.

http://microcenter.com/product/403254/ProBook_4540s_156_Laptop_Computer_-_Brushed_Aluminum
This computer is very nice having Windows 7. I personally don't like the tile system and haven't had time to tinker with Windows 8. This machine has Win 7 Pro which is a great operating system, but it lacks the multimedia features some might want, such as streaming from Media Center to an XBOX. This is my favorite computer out of what you've chosen. Normally, I'm not fond of HP due to their redundant software (I.E. they install "HP Wireless Assistant" on their laptops, which they want you to use for network connections, however the windows network connection software is superior, and unless you specifically know how to turn it off you're wasting resources with the HP software). Their pro series is more for the business user, so they generally don't put all the extra software on. This unit also has a anti-glare screen which may not make the colors ''pop'' as much, but is much easier to see. The next best thing this computer has is a 7200RPM harddrive, whereas all the others have 5400RPM.

That's my opinion, based on 8 years of experience selling and repairing computers.

 

[Cowboy Brian]

It really does come down to how you plan to use the laptop. These are my favorite computers, from least favorite to favorite and a couple of things to consider:

http://www.staples.com/Acer-V5-571P-6464-Burst-156-Touch-Screen-Laptop/product_130417
This computer I would say don't consider. It's using a i3 processor, where as the other 3 are using i5 processors. It also has 4gb, while the other 3 have either 8 or 6.

http://www.staples.com/HP-ENVY-Ultrabook-4-1130us-14-inch-Laptop/product_985046#desc_content
This is a more multimedia based laptop. The Envy uses BEATS audio which some people really admire. The ultrabook is really nice being lightweight and smaller profile, but in comparison this has a 14 inch screen. 6GB memory is just a little lower than my more preferable laptops that you've chosen.

http://www.staples.com/Lenovo-Ideapad-Z580-59345254-156-Laptop/product_984631
Lenovo makes awesome computers. The hardware is ideal for just about any user. The only real downfall to this PC for me is Windows 8. It really is probably just my lack of experience, but when I have used it I just didn't like the tile system.

http://microcenter.com/product/403254/ProBook_4540s_156_Laptop_Computer_-_Brushed_Aluminum
This computer is very nice having Windows 7. I personally don't like the tile system and haven't had time to tinker with Windows 8. This machine has Win 7 Pro which is a great operating system, but it lacks the multimedia features some might want, such as streaming from Media Center to an XBOX. This is my favorite computer out of what you've chosen. Normally, I'm not fond of HP due to their redundant software (I.E. they install "HP Wireless Assistant" on their laptops, which they want you to use for network connections, however the windows network connection software is superior, and unless you specifically know how to turn it off you're wasting resources with the HP software). Their pro series is more for the business user, so they generally don't put all the extra software on. This unit also has a anti-glare screen which may not make the colors ''pop'' as much, but is much easier to see. The next best thing this computer has is a 7200RPM harddrive, whereas all the others have 5400RPM.

That's my opinion, based on 8 years of experience selling and repairing computers.

Thank you so much for the advice. However with the Probook it only has 3 hours of battery life

 

[Tricked]

Thank you so much for the advice. However with the Probook it only has 3 hours of battery life

I understand the concern for battery life. Something to consider is looking for an extended cell battery. That battery is only a 6 cell and they make up to 12.

That goes for any laptop, too

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

^ My pleasure.

I don't know what your computing needs are but, sometimes a clean install, upgrading the RAM, replacing the hard drive with an SSD could give you the performance of a new computer for less.

A lot of what makes Windows computers get shown up by Apple is all the unnecessary software 3rd party vendors put in.

Apple does both the hardware and the software, so it's tuned up (but you pay 30-50% more.) Microsoft is at the mercy of whoever builds the computer (HP, Dell, Sony, Lenovo, etc.) They dump trialware, shareware, bloatware....it slows the boot up with dozens of stuff you don't need, fills your hard drive, fills your memory, and throws potential monkey wrenches into your registery. A clean install is the though way to fix this, but there are threads at www.sevenforums.com that cover that.

A real simple way to get rid of crap for free on your Windows computer is signup on www.soluto.com and listen to it's feedback.

Gotta be careful with SSD. They are faster but they are not designed for a lot of hits. They fail.

 

[Tricked]

Gotta be careful with SSD. They are faster but they are not designed for a lot of hits. They fail.

Have you had one fail? I've only had one in my desktop, but haven't seen one fail in a laptop. Understandably, anything that gets dropped has a chance to break, but the concept of a SSD is to reduce the chances it will break.

 

[BringBackThatOleTimeBoys]

The concern on the 1st SSDs were legit for all of them, but the ones out now should be durable enough unless it's going to be used as a server. It's a good idea to make sure the software moderates the writes, which Win 7 and newer does.