<p>Not saying Wal-Mart is the best place to buy a laptop, but they are real good about returns if you have a problem, you don’t have to wrestle with them like someplaces. Too you can go to the store at 3:00 in the morning on a weekend and get an exchange or whatever; don’t expect tech help in the store though.</p>
<p>How about this… which laptop is best for music (I definitely want a cd-drive), like quality of music and videos? My mom has a $300 netbook that is always having problems, with no cd-drive, and terrible quality in audio (as well as graphics and videos).</p>
<p>I have an HP G60-235DX that I got for 470 bucks refurbished, and it’s awesome. 320 gig hard drive, CD/DVD player built in, 15.6 inch screen, 3 gig RAM, Intel Pentium Processor, and I upgraded to windows 7 which runs very smooth on it. The speakers are pretty good for a laptop, but I bought actual speakers because sound is very important to me. </p>
<p>I really don’t recommend MACs because as Sid suggested, it’s just a status symbol. They’re not better, just more expensive. The operating system is not mainstream, and many software do not work unless you install windows on it. Microsoft Access, EViews, and SAS and three software I’ve had to use in my classes that needed windows! Plus, I much prefer the way Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and Powerpoint) runs on a PC, and those are the programs you will be using most often. The only thing that makes a MAC better than a lot of PCs is the battery life.</p>
<p>I know a lot of MAC users will disagree with me, but in all honesty, for what a college student is using their computer for, a MAC is just not necessary.</p>
<p>lovetodance- any laptop that’s specifically designed for media-related purposes would work well. Again, it’s going to depend on your budget though, and how long you want it to last. </p>
<p>Depending on how you are viewing the media, it will greatly impact the quality. If you’re watching YouTube videos or Netflix over a slow internet connection the quality is going to be terrible. If you have music with a very low bitrate, it’s going to sound awful due to the compression of the file. Plus if you are listening to the music through crappy headphones, that won’t work well either. </p>
<p>Here’s a few $400-500 laptops from Best Buy (although I honestly can’t stand them, they’re located in enough places to where you can probably go in and try out their laptops with relative ease) that you might want to look into. If your budget is different, please add that information. :)</p>
<p>[Lenovo</a> - IdeaPad Laptop / AMD Phenom™ II Processor / 15.6" Display / 3GB Memory / 320GB Hard Drive - Black - Z565-43113LU](<a href=“http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-+IdeaPad+Laptop+/+AMD+Phenom%26%23153%3B+II+Processor+/+15.6"+Display+/+3GB+Memory+/+320GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/2171094.p?id=1218312457552&skuId=2171094]Lenovo”>http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-+IdeaPad+Laptop+/+AMD+Phenom%26%23153%3B+II+Processor+/+15.6"+Display+/+3GB+Memory+/+320GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/2171094.p?id=1218312457552&skuId=2171094)</p>
<p>[Gateway</a> - Laptop / AMD Phenom™ II X2 Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive - Velvet Blue - NV53A75u](<a href=“http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway+-+Laptop+/+AMD+Phenom%26%23153%3B+II+X2+Processor+/+15.6"+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Velvet+Blue/2432285.p?id=1218328230672&skuId=2432285]Gateway”>http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway+-+Laptop+/+AMD+Phenom%26%23153%3B+II+X2+Processor+/+15.6"+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Velvet+Blue/2432285.p?id=1218328230672&skuId=2432285)</p>
<p>[Dell</a> - Inspiron Laptop / AMD Athlon™ II X2 Processor / 15.6" Display / 3GB Memory / 320GB Hard Drive - Obsidian Black - IM5030-1920OBK](<a href=“http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dell+-+Inspiron+Laptop+/+AMD+Athlon%26%23153%3B+II+X2+Processor+/+15.6"+Display+/+3GB+Memory+/+320GB+Hard+Drive+-+Obsidian+Black/2194046.p?id=1218313907478&skuId=2194046]Dell”>http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dell+-+Inspiron+Laptop+/+AMD+Athlon%26%23153%3B+II+X2+Processor+/+15.6"+Display+/+3GB+Memory+/+320GB+Hard+Drive+-+Obsidian+Black/2194046.p?id=1218313907478&skuId=2194046)</p>
<p>[ASUS</a> - Laptop / Intel® Pentium® Processor / 15.6" Display / 3GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive - Mood Indigo - K52F-BIN6](<a href=“http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ASUS+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Pentium%26%23174%3B+Processor+/+15.6"+Display+/+3GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Mood+Indigo/1769288.p?id=1218291998082&skuId=1769288]ASUS”>http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ASUS+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Pentium%26%23174%3B+Processor+/+15.6"+Display+/+3GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Mood+Indigo/1769288.p?id=1218291998082&skuId=1769288)</p>
<p>[Toshiba</a> - Satellite Laptop / Intel® Core™ i3 Processor / 15.6" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive - Black - C655-S5128](<a href=“http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+Satellite+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i3+Processor+/+15.6"+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/1974715.p?id=1218303652901&skuId=1974715]Toshiba”>http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+Satellite+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i3+Processor+/+15.6"+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/1974715.p?id=1218303652901&skuId=1974715)</p>
<p>Now, just looking at those the ones that look like the best value are the Gateway and the Lenovo, although I will admit that I am partial to Lenovo products. The worst deal of these is the Dell, not just because the Inspiron line is one of the most common to be ripped apart in reviews for bad build quality, but because the processor is the worst of those laptops.</p>
<p>The Asus for $400 is also a very good deal, considering the 500GB hard drive (the Gateway laptop also has this) and the processor is better than that in the Dell (although honestly, it’s not much better). The Asus isn’t as good though because of its weight- if the 8.5 pounds on the spec sheet isn’t a typo, that’s one heavy laptop. </p>
<p>Pretty much nowadays the internal parts of laptops are very similar, and it’s going to end up being pretty much personal opinion that will end up being a deciding factor- this is why it’s always best to, if possible, at least look at some similar models in stores. You’re making a pretty hefty investment into something you’re likely going to be keeping for years, so you don’t want to end up getting a laptop that has a tiny but vital flaw (for example: the trackpad doesn’t feel “right” to you, or there isn’t a set of keys or buttons dedicated to raising/lowering the volume of music- this would probably be important to you if you are mainly interested in listing to music on a laptop). </p>
<p>Something possibly important to keep in mind is that refurbished means that the computer has already been sent back to the factory for one reason or another. Sometimes, it’s simply because the person who originally bought it just decided they didn’t want it, but it could also mean that the laptop had a significant defect or issue.
Even though most long-term warranties are pretty much scams, if you end up deciding on a refurbished (or recertified, used, etc) laptop, I recommend getting an extended warranty from a company like SquareTrade. For one, they’re often much cheaper than the plans offered from say Best Buy, but also because of how reliable their process is (for comparison, if you have an issue that’s covered by SquareTrade, they will either repair, replace, or refund your purchase; with Best Buy’s Geek Squad plan, you must have the computer repaired 4 “qualified” times before they will replace or refund your purchase. Yeah.)</p>
<p>Hope this helps :)</p>
<p>Most of the time with laptops, you get what you paid for.</p>
<p>You definitely get what you pay for. A lot of people who are big Apple pushers began as low end Windows users. They bought a $499 desktop or $299 laptop and it sucked. It was slow and loaded with crapware. Then they dropped $1000 or more on an Apple and are amazed at how much better it is. News flash: You spent two or three times more, that’s why it’s better. If they would have just spent $1000 on a Windows computer to begin with they would have been better off.</p>
<p>A $300 laptop is fine for word processing, surfing the net, and doing most school work. For $1000 I could get a laptop AND a used car that I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone stealing or vandalizing at FSU.</p>
<p>^^^^lol^^^^</p>
<p>lol at the Apple haters.</p>
<p>Very rarely is that “you get what you pay for” actually the case. There is little evidence that I have ever read that has suggested that price is directly related to quality/lifespan, except generally in two cases:</p>
<p>The only two cases where I’ve seen that theory supported are with extremely cheap laptops (like the $200 Black Friday laptops, or any of these really cheap Acer Aspire laptops with the processors meant for netbooks in them- I am convinced these laptops exist solely to trick people into thinking that they are a great deal when really they’re poorly built and have bottom-barrel specs), and with some specific models of very expensive laptops (some ThinkPads, some HP Envy laptops, some Dell XPS laptops, you get the picture). </p>
<p>Generally, what you get out of a laptop is what you put in. Provided you don’t have a part failure- which according to SquareTrade’s rather poorly explained results a while back, 1 in 3 laptops will die within 3 years even if they are extremely well maintained, no matter how much they cost. This is of course a study from a company that sells extended warranties on items such as laptops, talking about the failure rate of laptops. No matter what the company says, it quite honestly sounds like a marketing ploy to me. </p>
<p>However, if you keep in mind that you’re 33% likely to need to replace your laptop within the next 3 years no matter what (whether this is true or not is up to your judgment), you will understand why spending a ton of cash on a laptop is often a bad idea. </p>
<p>Here’s a link to the SquareTrade report:
[laptop-reliability-1109</a> | SquareTrade Warranties](<a href=“http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/laptop-reliability-1109/]laptop-reliability-1109”>http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/laptop-reliability-1109/)
Just keep in mind that this was a study of only 30,000 laptops, while millions are sold each year (these are just the laptops that had a SquareTrade warranty purchased for them). Also keep in mind that all of these 3 year malfunction rates are estimates, not solid numbers.
Even better is that SquareTrade did not accurately determine what a Netbook was- they just counted as every laptop sold for $400 or less new as a netbook- that means that my 6 lb laptop that is in no way a netbook would have been lumped into that category (it also means that those really cheap, $300 laptops are lumped in here as well. Considering they often are pretty poor quality, this artificially inflates the numbers for netbook failures). </p>
<p>An interesting note of course is that Apple, who makes almost solely “premium” laptops in this study, were listed as #4 overall in quality, and were beat out by a company who has only recently really focused on the home consumer market in ASUS. </p>
<p>Basically: You can use this now nearly 2 year old study for a decent baseline, but very few people will recommend taking this to heart as 100% accurate. That and the “you get what you pay for” pretty much doesn’t matter unless you’re buying the cheapest thing out there. Above about $400 the reliability is pretty much flat, due to a lot of factors.</p>
<p>Spending more doesn’t increase the lifespan, but it does get you better internals.</p>
<p>The Dell XPS 15z I mentioned is comparable to a 15" MacBook Pro in every way except it’s $800 cheaper. The processors are comparable, you actually get more RAM with the Dell, you get the same size hard drive, and the video cards are comparable.</p>
<p>Now if you go cheap and buy a $499 15" Dell, you get a much slower processor, a crappy integrated Intel graphics chip, less RAM, and a smaller hard drive. There’s probably more trial software installed on it as well.</p>
<p>No one ever disagreed that spending more got you better specs.</p>
<p>However, the person asked for a laptop that was good for listening to music- nothing requiring heavy specs or a hefty pricetag. </p>
<p>For what the person wants, there is absolutely no reason for them to spend $800 or more on a laptop with better specs if they aren’t going to use them. The person asked about a laptop for listening to music, not playing Crysis 2 on maximum settings. </p>
<p>Again, for the vast majority of people, a $400-600 laptop works just fine for what they will use it for. Of course, if you have more demanding uses (playing taxing games, etc) or course you will need to spend more to get what you want/“need” in a laptop. </p>
<p>And I hate to burst your bubble, but no, a Dell XPS 15z is not comparable to a Macbook Pro. All of the reviews I have seen on the XPS 15z directly compare it to a Macbook in build quality, and most of them say it’s not even comparable. </p>
<p>Specs are nice, but there is one thing you’re forgetting: the Mac OS software does not require near the specs that Windows 7 does. </p>
<p>However, all you really did was prove my point above: spending more on a laptop does not increase the lifespan, thus making “you get what you pay for” partially incorrect. No matter what parts and pieces are used to make your laptop, there is still a risk that your laptop will fail at any second for any reason.
Better internal parts power-wise (more RAM, better processor, larger hard drive, a dedicated graphics card) can create more heat and can be more detrimental to your laptop than anything. That isn’t to say that even if you can afford the $100-150 more expensive laptop that’s way better that you shouldn’t; I fully believe in buying the best that you can afford that best suits your needs.</p>
<p>The person above wants a laptop for listening to music. There’s no need for them to go out and spend $900 on a laptop when a $400-500 laptop does just as well for what they want.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice everyone, I will definitely look into all the computers you all have recommended! 
Sorry to cause a laptop war though, wasn’t my intention… & music isn’t the top priority, it’s just a plus. How useful the laptop is for school is more important. :)</p>
<p>What is your major? Unless you’re taking engineering, graphic design, or other courses that likely require specific computer software, schoolwork pretty much entails surfing the net, typing documents, and making powerpoint presentations for the vast majority of students.</p>
<p>For those purposes, pretty much any laptop will suffice.</p>
<p>My girlfriend has a $299 laptop. She only uses it for writing papers, checking her email, surfing the web, etc. She doesn’t play games or do anything too intensive. She still hates it though because it’s so slow. It takes a long time to start up, launch applications, and shut down. She can’t have too many things open at once otherwise a noticeable lag develops when switching between applications. I also had to uninstall all the trial software for her. Even though someone isn’t playing games or doing 3D rendering, you still lose productivity with cheap computers. I’d only go for a bottom end laptop if money was a serious issue. I’m not saying buy a $2000 Alienware, you just might not want to be too cheap.</p>
<p>And I’m willing to bet that your girlfriend bought a laptop with a single-core celeron 900 series (or worse) processor and it has a maximum of 2GB of RAM. I’d also be willing to bet that she doesn’t do routine upkeep on it either and there are tons of programs that are set to run at startup.
If that’s the case, it’s no surprise that it’s “slow” considering that even a basic dual-core processor (aside from the Atom in netbooks) now will completely wipe the floor with the single-core crap that’s put in the cheapest laptops.
Almost all of the issues you’ve noted about your girlfriends laptop scream that it’s got a single core processor and doesn’t receive maintenance. Also, the trial software is extremely easy to remove with a program called PC Decrapifier. </p>
<p>The only way you’re going to get a laptop that’s quick to start up and quick to shut down is if you have a laptop that has a solid state drive instead of a hard disk drive for your operating system (and the startup and shut down cycle on a laptop is extremely hard on the parts, which is why many places won’t recommend shutting down your computers unless absolutely necessary).
I have gotten the startup on this laptop with Windows 7 Professional down to under 45 seconds, via lots of tweaking. Shutdown takes only a few seconds as well. </p>
<p>Lovetodance: If you’re just looking for basic schoolwork and listening to music, here’s another option that’s only $350:
[HP</a> - Pavilion Laptop / AMD Turion™ II Processor / 14" Display / 4GB Memory / 320GB Hard Drive - Pewter - g4-1016dx](<a href=“http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+Laptop+/+AMD+Turion%26%23153%3B+II+Processor+/+14"+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+320GB+Hard+Drive+-+Pewter/2592114.p?id=1218346039594&skuId=2592114&st=2592114&cp=1&lp=1]HP”>http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+Laptop+/+AMD+Turion%26%23153%3B+II+Processor+/+14"+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+320GB+Hard+Drive+-+Pewter/2592114.p?id=1218346039594&skuId=2592114&st=2592114&cp=1&lp=1)
It would work well for your purposes, although the reviews on similar Pavilion G4 models note a battery life of only about 3 hours. If you tweak the settings though, you will likely be able to get more out of it. The 4 hours that HP claims on their website really doesn’t sound unobtainable for battery life.</p>
<p>Your girlfriends watches too many naughty videos on her computer. She may realize a speed increase when she stops</p>
<p>The 5 gigs I have of your gf don’t seem to slow my comp down, but maybe that’s because I have it on an external drive. What do you think?</p>
<p>Anyway I used to work in tech support for a living. I’ve been down the “overclocking, build your own PC, mod your PC, and constantly reading Anandtech, Toms, and other review sites” path. I know what’s on the computer. I’ve removed or disable unnecessary start up items, programs, and services. I’ve done clean installs. I’ve done registry tweaks. Those things make minor differences. The main problem is it’s a cheap computer with bad specs.</p>
<p>I’m not even going to list the specs because that’s not the point of this discussion. Pasbal argues that a cheap computer is fine because it’s only going to be used for web browsing, email, and homework. He fails to realize people don’t just do one thing at a time. The average person is going to have YouTube, Facebook, Pandora, Gmail, and Word all open at the same time. Individually they aren’t demanding, but together and constantly switching between them requires some power. He also fails to acknowledge that people are probably going to be using other computers at school, work, and elsewhere. It can be agonizing going from a fast computer at work to a slow computer at home.</p>
<p>I’m not saying a cheap laptop it’s inoperable. You can certainly get by and you’ll get used to it. However, most would be happier and it would not be a complete waste to buy something a little more expensive. Unless, like I said before, money is a real issue. Spend a few hundred more and you’ll be more productive and you’ll keep the laptop longer.</p>
<p>I honestly think savvy shopping is the main problem here… not how cheap (price-wise) it is. I do way more than what you’ve just listed on one of the cheapest laptops I’ve ever seen… Also, I don’t know where you’ve worked, but many office computers are some of the most sluggish ancient pieces of crap you could possibly come across.</p>
<p>I don’t think I’ve ever recommended here a cheap laptop just because it’s not going to be used for the activities listed.</p>
<p>I have however mentioned that there’s no reason whatsoever to spend $700-$1000 on a laptop when a $400 laptop will do the job just as well. I use my laptop for the same exact things that lovetodance is talking about- schoolwork, music, web surfing. I also play some basic games (Angry Birds, Plants vs Zombies, Puzzle Quest Galactrix, and games like Guild Wars, Warcraft 3, StarCraft, etc. Nothing too intensive) and I also use my laptop for OnLive. Never once I’ve I experienced problems switching from program to program.</p>
<p>What anyone needs to realize is that if you have a laptop without at least a dual-core processor (and not an Atom or an AMD C or V series) then you’re asking for problems. Windows 7 might say it can be run on an old single-core processor, but really, it shouldn’t be used if that’s the case.
Pretty much any computer nowadays should have a dual-core processor and 3GB of RAM, no matter the cost. Laptops that are $350 nowadays have these specs, and they work fine for what is being used.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure I’ve never recommended a laptop here that wouldn’t work well for what lovetodance was looking for. There really is no reason for them to spend $700 to get a laptop with a sandy-bridge processor, 6GB of RAM and a 1GB video card, when they will not use the upgraded parts. I haven’t failed to realize anything; it’s not like I’m recommending someone run out and buy a netbook that’s made for long battery life and expect to play games like Crysis or Grand Theft Auto IV on it. </p>
<p>As for the programs listed- even combined they shouldn’t cause a problem for any modern laptop, even one with a Celeron 900/925 processor. If you have issues switching between Gmail and Facebook, you have a software problem, because both of those are browser/plugin related, not programs.</p>