Here are the best selling college laptops for 2012, there are so many laptops to choose from, but I have reviewed some of the top college laptops to help you make the right choice for your student going to college.
Showing posts with label best laptop under $400. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best laptop under $400. Show all posts
Here are the best laptops under $400. The main thing is to do your research and find a computer that will meet all of your needs.
Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5230 15.6-Inch Laptop
The Toshiba Satellite C665 D is a great budget computer that can handle instant messenger, music, video, and the internet all at once without missing a beat. Another nice thing about this computer is that unlike most similarly priced computers (mostly net books) this computer has a built in 8x DVD burner.
Overall this is a well made computer, and I would recommend it for someone who is looking for a budget computer that is capable of a full web experience including streaming high definition video content. It is also more than up to the challenge of most computing except for gaming.
Here are some of the features for the best laptop under $400-00.
A nicely affordable, easy-to-use PC for basic productivity at home or in the office, the Toshiba Satellite C655D (model C655D-S5230) gives families, students or small and home-based businesses the essential power and workspace to study, tackle budgets with a handy 10-key pad, keep up on Facebook and Twitter, or simply do more at their desk.
AMD Dual-Core C-50 Accelerated Processor with AMD Radeon(TM) HD 6250 Graphics
Configured with 3GB DDR3 (max 8GB)
320GB (5400 RPM); Serial ATA hard disk drive
15.6" diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display at 1366 x 768 native resolution (HD)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit with a 6 cell/48Wh Lithium Ion battery pack; Battery Life (measured by MobileMark 2007): 6 hours, 3 minutes.
Here are some of the hot new Laptop and Notebooks that have just arrived on the market, the prices of these are dropping rapidly as the tablets are becoming more popular, so you can get some great value for money with these new Notebooks.
The Acer range of laptops have great value for money.
Acer Aspire One AO722-BZ848 11.6-Inch HD Netbook
It's a perfect size to take with you anywhere and just enjoy using it away from home or business.
For a netbook it has plenty of power and speed for the internet it's really a great buy. You will have to purchase a external drive CD,(I Had one) but thats probably all you will need to install programs. For the money,power and performance you can't go wrong.
The Aspire One AO722, 11.6" Netbook, is the perfect combination of usability and portability in a thin and light design, while boasting a full-size keyboard and excellent connectivity for the best of both worlds. Throw in one-of-a-kind style, and we've got you covered! Get more done while mobile with AMD C-Series processing performance, ATI Radeon™ HD Graphics, up to 7 hours of battery life and fun media features. You'll have everything you need in a travel light design to stay connected on the go, enjoy more of your media and tackle your everyday demands with ease.
The new Aspire One AOD257 is the ultimate fun and ultra-portable companion bringing you efficient performance, sensational style and convenient connectivity anywhere you go. Superior Intel® Atom dual-core processing power, 10.1" energy-saving LED-backlit display, comfortable typing keyboard and 802.11b/g/n wireless keeps you connected so you can check your social networks, browse the Internet, check email, share photos, chat over webcam, and enjoy a variety of entertainment wherever you are.
Here are some of the advantages and dis-advantages:
* Lightweight. Sub 3 pounds with 6 cell battery and barely over 2 with standard 3 cell
* Thin. I swear it can't be more than an inch thick
* 250GB HDD instead of the usual 160GB
* Oddly quiet. I have to strain to hear the fan running most of the time. Usually netbooks are noisy and even the HDD is quiet in this unit
* Wireless includes N. Most stop at G.
* It can sense with the power connector is loose and will beep to let you know it's not connected all the way (but only if the connector is still making partial contact).
* Dual core processor with hyperthreading is unique. Most stop with just the dual core and leave it at that
* DDR3 RAM, although limited to 1GB, is sufficient for the tasks I've put it through
* Unique cover design
* Solid construction with no creaking or cracking and limited screen flex
* Decent performance, especially video
* Cheap compared to tablets that are taking over the market. $240 for an ultraportable is nearly unheard of and a similar computer just 10 years ago from Dell or the like would have set you back $2,000.
* Keyboard that is actually pleasurable to use. I rarely had a mistype.
* Mouse/trackpad with the same pinch and squeeze features found on Apples. At least Acer got away from previous designs with the buttons on the side. While these finger movements may seem minor, they do come in handy for when screen print is small.
Not everything is perfect and there are flaws:
* Bottom firing speakers mean tinny and muffled sound
* Even Acer is confused with this model. The website states it's a single core model when it's actually dual core (and, yes, I did get the right model variation).
* No HDMI port for those desiring such nor is there Bluetooth capability
* Changing RAM or hard drive requires the removal of 6 screws on the bottom (2 of which are covered by the rubber feet), removal of the keyboard, yet another 6 screws and a metal plate. Screw any of these up and you're out of luck.
* Quirky battery life, at least with 3 cell. Prone to dropping a half hour after just a couple minutes use so it's really difficult to gauge when you need to find an outlet or call it quits.
* The two right side USB ports and next to each other. Fat dongles need not apply
* Surefire fingerprint magnet on the cover although keyboard surfaces are roughly finished
* Incredible amount of bloatware including anti-virus and Microsoft Office trials plus 22 Acer games that had to be removed.
* Watching videos turns up the heat to the point the bottom is really hot. Since most of the vents are bottom firing you can see where this presents problems. Adding the bulk of the 6 cell battery elevated the rear end and kept the heat done somewhat.
Overall, I give this unit a high rating but those interested might want to act quickly. Netbooks are a dying breed and may be replaced by tablets in the near future (might also explain with the prices are dropping, too).
HP Mini 210-3040NR Netbook
For just under $300 this is great value, the HP Mini 210-3040NR netbook with Beats Audio. If you’re looking for a sleek companion to your primary PC, then this lightweight netbook with the super-matte sweet purple finish is for you.
The near full-size, island-style keyboard is surrounded by the same eye-catching color. Watch videos, view photos and edit documents effortlessly on the 10.1-inch diagonal display. Plus, connect to an HD TV by plugging an HDMI cable into the port on this HP netbook. Access e-mail, IM and social networking sites fast, and video chat with family and friends using the integrated webcam and microphone.
Transfer photos from a memory card to the HP Mini 210-3040NR netbook using the multi-format digital media reader. Built-in Wi-Fi lets you browse the Web from any room and on the go without using cables. Enjoy online games in crisp detail using integrated Intel video graphics, plus store important files on the 250GB hard drive.
Connect this HP netbook to an MP3 player, digital camera or external optical drive easily using one of the USB ports. With a battery life of up to 9.5 hours, power through your busy day without needing to plug in your netbook.
The Acer AS1430Z laptop with 11.6-inch display and
Intel Pentium processor
This has a rating of 9.2 out of 10 from 60 reviews, which is pretty amazing for a laptop under $500. This great little laptop is very portable and it's performace is great. It is more powerfull then most devices in this size, has around double power then Atom CPU, and pretty fast wireless internet.
The screen and keyboard are much more useable than the 10.1 netbooks. The screen and 1.3MP HD Webcam (1280 x 1024) are higher resolution than the netbooks.
The ACER AS1430Z comes with 3GB upgradeable to 8GB.
The only negative is battery life is only 4.5 hrs vs 8-9 for the netbooks, but it is enough to play a couple of movies on the airplane.
Check out some of the Key Features
Up to 4.5 hours of battery life with included 6-cell battery
11.6-inch HD widescreen CineCrystal LED-backlit display
1.33 GHz Intel Pentium U5600 ultra-low voltage processor (3 MB L3 cache) offers two cores of processing power and features Intel SpeedStep technology, helping your system to dynamically adjust processor voltage and core frequency to decrease power consumption and heat production.
320 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM)
3 GB of installed DDR3 RAM (1066 MHz)
Intel HD Graphics (with 128 MB of dedicated system memory) deliver turbo-charged performance and fast throughput and provides support for Microsoft DirectX 10 games.
Wireless-N Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) for ultra-fast connectivity to home and business networks.
1.3-megapixel webcam integrated into the display bezel for easy video chats and conferencing (1280 x 1024 resolution).
Multi-Gesture Touchpad allows you to pinch, flick and swirl your fingers across the touchpad for more natural photo and video viewing as well as intuitive navigation of websites such as Google Earth. It also enables you to scroll, zoom in and out and flip through Web pages, photos, spreadsheets and more.
Stereo speakers with 2nd generation Dolby Sound Room audio enhancement transforms the experience of movies, music, and games.
Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. And you can watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV on Windows Media Center. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium.
Preloaded with Microsoft Office Starter 2010 free software offering selected functionality of Word and Excel for your text and spreadsheet tasks. Plus, if you decide you want the full suite, just purchase a product key to activate an ad-free version that also includes the latest Outlook, PowerPoint, and Publisher programs. Complete your PC. Buy full-featured Microsoft Office 2010.
Weight: 3.1 pounds
Warranty: One-year parts and labor limited warranty with concurrent International Traveler's Warranty.
