• Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!

    You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!

computer buffs, help needed!

Bene288

New member
Joined
Nov 25, 2011
Messages
1,026
Points
0
Location
Albany, NY
I'm in the market for a laptop. My only requirement is that it connects to the Internet and is able to support quick books. I'm not computer say at all, so the simpler the better. Any recommendations?
 

Puck it

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
9,681
Points
48
Location
Franconia, NH
I'm in the market for a laptop. My only requirement is that it connects to the Internet and is able to support quick books. I'm not computer say at all, so the simpler the better. Any recommendations?


How much do you want to spend?
 

Bene288

New member
Joined
Nov 25, 2011
Messages
1,026
Points
0
Location
Albany, NY
As little as possible without buying a total piece of junk. I'm not sure what a good laptop goes for. Would $600 buy something halfway decent? It's really just for word processing, invoice and Internet use. Typical small business needs.
 

ALLSKIING

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jan 6, 2005
Messages
6,968
Points
48
Location
East Setauket,NY/Killington,VT
As little as possible without buying a total piece of junk. I'm not sure what a good laptop goes for. Would $600 buy something halfway decent? It's really just for word processing, invoice and Internet use. Typical small business needs.

300 would probably get something halfway decent.

sent from my S4
 

Puck it

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
9,681
Points
48
Location
Franconia, NH

Bene288

New member
Joined
Nov 25, 2011
Messages
1,026
Points
0
Location
Albany, NY
I had found an HP with windows 7. But I was told HPs are junk. Most of the cheaper ones I've looked at have a 1.5 processor, is that sufficient for a program like quick books? Puckit, what do you mean by updating? Do you mean adding storage and such? Sorry if these questions sound childish, not tech savy at all.
 

Puck it

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
9,681
Points
48
Location
Franconia, NH
I had found an HP with windows 7. But I was told HPs are junk. Most of the cheaper ones I've looked at have a 1.5 processor, is that sufficient for a program like quick books? Puckit, what do you mean by updating? Do you mean adding storage and such? Sorry if these questions sound childish, not tech savy at all.

I mean if you find you need more storage or dram is not enough. HP's are ok. Their customer service sucks. Dell has good customer service.
 

Nick

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
Nov 12, 2010
Messages
13,176
Points
48
Location
Bradenton, FL
Website
www.alpinezone.com
So, do you travel at all with your laptop? I have an ultrabook for general purpose work, (my desktop still serves the biggest purposes for me photo editing etc.).

The downsides are smaller screen and smaller hard drive, but the upside is they are super thin, like a magazine. I have a Samsung Series 9 I think I paid $700 for. They are way cheaper now. I absolutely love it.
 

hammer

Active member
Joined
Apr 28, 2004
Messages
5,493
Points
38
Location
flatlands of Mass.
Try and get a Laptop with Windows 7 still. Windows 8 Sucks! I have had to take off so many laptops and put Win 7 on it so they would run properly. Dell still sells some with Win 7.
I have Windows 8.1 and the only issue is that one utility I use for work needs an update (worked fine with win8 ). The start screen takes some getting used to and IMO is more cumbersome than the start menu, but I plan on getting a touch screen monitor at some point which will make it more worthwhile.
 

Edd

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
6,537
Points
113
Location
Newmarket, NH

Geoff

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 30, 2004
Messages
5,100
Points
48
Location
South Dartmouth, Ma
I bought a Dell on sale at OfficeMax in August for a needy high school freshman. $349.00 ($100-off). 15" display. i3. 4 gig ram. 256 gig hard drive. DVD/CD-ROM. Win8. I think that's as low as you can go. The entry level Intel and AMD processors kind-a suck when you're running all that Microsoft bloat. You can find that kind of deal pretty much any time.

I have a Lenovo T530 with a full HD display. It has a 3x3 MIMO WiFi card so I get full 105 megabit/sec internet access. I telecommute and routinely push big files around so that's useful. I think it's the best 15.6" laptop on the market. I have the DVI to HDMI cable and use it to drive the flat screen in my hotel room. When I travel, everybody else has these little dwarf machines. I don't mind lugging around a big one to get the big display and the DVD player.
 

Quietman

Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
711
Points
18
Location
SW NH
Check out TechBargains. Today there is a:


Lenovo Essential B590 Intel Core i3-2348M 2.3GHz 15.6in Laptop $369.99

Newegg has the Lenovo Essential B590 (59366616) Intel Core i3-2348M Dual-Core 15.6" Notebook Computer for a low $369.99 Free Shipping. Tax in CA, NJ, TN. This laptop sells for at least $400 elsewhere. [Compare Prices]
15.6" 1366x768 LED; Intel Core i3-2348M 2.3GHz Dual-Core; 2GB RAM; 320GB HDD; DVD burner; 802.11n; Windows 7 Professional; HDMI; 6-cell battery; HDMI; webcam; 1yr warranty

Stuff like this comes up every other day or so
 

bigbog

Active member
Joined
Feb 17, 2004
Messages
4,882
Points
38
Location
Bangor and the state's woodlands
Intel or AMD Mboard machines....64-bit processor(not necessary but nice) with Win 7, memory, large-capacity cache/bus...possibly. Fast & large(or several)harddrive(s) to match. Probably too much and others reigning...I've been out of loop for a while.... Last worked with Intel Core i?....but Wow, Core i3 for $370...NewEgg is definitely a place to look at for prices.
 

Quietman

Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
711
Points
18
Location
SW NH
If you're looking for a cheap lower end machine: Today 11/12/13 only (pretty cool date BTW)


TODAY ONLY Asus X401U-BE20602Z AMD E2-1800 Dual-Core 14in Laptop (4GB/500GB) $219.99

Best Buy has the Asus X401U-BE20602Z AMD E2-1800 Dual-Core 14" Notebook Computer for a low $219.99 Free Shipping. Tax in most. This is $65 less than elsewhere and the lowest price we have seen.
4.1lbs; 14" AMD E2-1800 Dual-Core 1.7GHz; 4GB RAM; 500GB HDD; 802.11n; Windows 8; HDMI;; webcam; AMD Radeon HD 7340 onboard graphics; 6-cell battery; 1yr warranty Free shipping
 

Edd

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
6,537
Points
113
Location
Newmarket, NH
Ridiculous deal. It doesn't mention a touchscreen which I'd want with Win 8. That aside, at the price it's nearly worth buying just for the hell of it.
 
Top