laptop for daughter

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lenny

Guest
I am looking for some feedback for my daughter. She is interested in a laptop that she will be using in high school. Next year she will be a senior and after that probably college so the PC wold be used quite a bit. She will use it for school work, music and some gaming.

Here is a model she is interested in:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834313649

Any info you guys can give us would be greatly appreciated. I guess we are looking for suggestions on quality, costs and function.

Lenny
 
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retired20143152

New member
Hi Lenny, At work the pc guys were rolling out new Lenovos (laptops and desktops) and they came out of the box or very soon out of the box with failed hard drives. Personally at our house we are all Apple. My son is in his second year at Depaul and uses a Apple Mac Book Pro 13 inch screen. The only additional software we installed is Microsoft Office. The students prefer the 13 Mac inch size for mobility. His Mac is 2.5 years old and no issues what so ever. As a matter of fact none of our Macs have had a problem. I know everyone looks at price but your time is worth something and you will spend far less time maintaining or fixing a Mac compared to a "pc" . You do get what you pay for in this case !!
 
lofsfire

lofsfire

Active member
I have not been on here in sometime now but, here is a quick answer and more questions.

Will that be a good laptop for her? Yes

Will is do everything she "needs" it to? Most likely, yes. Just make sure she know the difference in "Needs" and "Wants." What will she be focusing studies on? General school stuff? In high school I took AutoCAD drafting classes, that computer would blow away the unix and dos computers I was using at the time, however everything requires more speed now a days. If she will be using specialty programs like CAD or photoshop it will meet the minimum requirements. The term "Working" with minimum requirements my differ from person to person. I don't like waiting anymore, on the computer.

I have personally had good luck with Lenovo. I have 1 tablet and one laptop by Lenovo. A guy I worked with would crash his computer about every 5-6 months bought one. (one to many XXX sites, and he did not keep things updated.) Anyways one thing that made fixing his computer a breeze was Lenovo backup utility. Once you get stuff set up, run it to save an image and it will back up programs and setting. Do this after you first setup the computer. Then if you have a problem you hit 1 button to get things right again. Once I set his up he was able to fix it for himself.

The Lenovo I have is the G505 I bought it for my kids 3,7,&10. My only complaint is Windows 8, but I think that is everyone anymore. I have not had the time to update to 8.1, it should make it more like the standard windows environment. Have you used a Win 8+ computer. they are very touch screen friendly. Being a CAD guy, no one touches my screen! When I do get into a touch screen, its going to be hard for me! You might want to ask you daughter what she likes, I'm sure one of her friends has one that she can try out.

Also watch Office Depot ads on line I bought the G505 for $229+tax free shipping to my door. The way I looked at it I could not buy components and build a tower this cheap. Being in school the laptop is the route to go for her.
 
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retired20143152

New member
Lenny, Your killing me. The object is not really price its quality. When that Asus dies unexpectedly and she has lost everything and the Asus becomes a paperweight you will be pissed . Leave "newegg" and go to bestbuy.com. Far better website and selections and reviews. Even has a "Laptop Buying Guide" in the laptop section of their site. Hope this helps !
 
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lenny

Guest
nope, ain't doing it! I am not going to pay some crazy price for a friggin laptop. I have had an Acer for 6 years and it works great. Apple don't fit the budget but if you guys wanna contribute to a kids schooling than yea,,help a brotha out,,,,I mean brother
 
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retired20143152

New member
The Apple will take the everyday abuse of being a students laptop. The keyword "students" . Your Acer in a students hands wouldn't last a semester.
 
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Woodtic

Active member
Go cheap and buy every other year or so. Buy Apple,and your good for five years or so. My wife was able to get 3 masters on one apple lap top. Do want you want......
 
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Woodtic

Active member
My twins got new lap tops last year before school. The Apple was twice the cost of the other lap top, no need to mention dead names. Not only does the apple still run, it has full support . You get what you pay for......
 
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dawolf

New member
Looks like a good first laptop to me. Make sure she's backing up all her files regularly and all will be fine.

If she goes into computer science or something similar you will probably have to upgrade at some point, but too early to tell.

Best buy is a good place to buy as well in my opinion.
 
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chevytaHOE5674

New member
I am still using my Lenovo that is 7 or maybe 8 years old now. I've had to replace the screen hinges, cooling fan, and the mouse, but I also leave it running 24/7 so its got a lot of use and abuse on it. One of these days I'm going to replace it just because its getting slow and old, my replacement will most likely be another Lenovo.
 
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lenny

Guest
why is apple better? Is the plastic case thicker cause I kinda think it's kinda like poo vrs doo,,,or my dad can beat up your dad sort of thing, Seriously, she doesn't need the best and the budget does not accommodate a $800 laptop
 
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ffemt

Member
Two of my kids went to Winona in Mn. and the tops that students can purchase thru the school that best meets the college( Winona) needs was an Apple, both are out now 1yr and 3yrs both laptops are still running flawless with no problems.
 
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ezra

Well-known member
yeah from what I understand the apple factory in china has very high standards.
I think it really depends on what she is going to do with it.
visual media apple all the way
business pc
a kid I am with u disposables all the way they will drop them spill pop on them drop them put them in the gym locker with no lock.
as far as issues when she is in collage she will be surrounded with kids who can fix or rebuild recover any computer for a 6 pack in 15min
 
Admin

Admin

Administrator
Staff member
Hey Lenny.

Apple are still the top end machines because of the processors and operating system. However, they are not as far ahead of the pack as they were say 10-15 years ago. The windows based machines have been able to close the gap on both levels. Apple machines also tend to be more reliable and their tech support is second to none. So with Apple you do get what you pay for, but many do not need that level of computing/tech support.

Not sure what your daughter is leaning towards as far as college curriculum, but if it is in the graphic arts, then you might want to think about an Apple. Lots of bucks, but still the best machines for running all the graphics programs.

If she is leaning more towards anything else, then a windows based machine would probably be better, as that is the OS that most in the business world still use, although Apple is gaining some ground there to.

I have had good luck with everything I ever got from Dell. I think what can really mess up even the best of machines is all the crap 3rd party software that comes bundled "as an extra special gift to you my friend!" with any computer. Things like virus and spyware detection, photo editing...etc. Most of it is junk and really hogs the computers processor and memory and worst of all, it can be nearly impossible to fully remove it. So I typically order through Dell and ask for the operating system ONLY! No other stuff. Unless the OS is not going to contain things like MS Office, but there are free versions of nearly identical software like that anyway.

So I guess, if your daughter is going to be using the machine like most HS seniors, or really just about anyone really, (70% social media, 20% web browsing, 10% actual work related things), then one of the lower end laptops will probably be just fine and hold up for the next 2-4 years without issue, maybe longer if she takes good care of it. I just would highly suggest getting a machine with the operating system only and no other junk!!!

-John
 
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ranlam

New member
Brand new sled and your worried about an $800 laptop?,lol. Jus kiddin, Best Buy is the way to go, they will help you pick best laptop for your/her needs.
 
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