Help choosing a laptop under $450

[drewbagel423]

Hi all,

For the past few weeks I've been searching for a new laptop for less than $450 or so. Have been getting somewhat frustrated. Perhaps my requirements are too high for my budget. Anyways, I plan on using the laptop mainly for doing stock market-related things (charting, trading, etc) and running my blog. I may play the occasional game or two but it would be older games like Sins of a Solar Empire, C&C3, or Supreme Commander 2. If those are too demanding for my budget it's no big loss.

Here is what I am looking at in terms of a system:
~Intel Core i3 - Though this is not a requirement, it seems to be the best choice for me
~4GB of RAM minimum
~320GB-500GB hard drive is fine
~MUST HAVE a 10-key numeric keypad - Guess this means a 15.6" screen?
~Backlit or illuminated keyboard is a major plus

Have been mainly looking for Toshiba Satellite, Sony Vaio E Series, Lenovo due to reviews I've read, but am not married to them.
Here's a few I've picked out. Feedback or new suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0395011
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0382661
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+15.6%26%2334%3B+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+320GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/5218639.p?id=1218627594187&skuId=5218639
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+15.6%26%2334%3B+Satellite+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Matrix+Graphite/5042276.p?id=1218603010056&skuId=5042276

 

[Origin Saint]

Alright, so I've looked into the options you have given. I may or may not give a alternative or two but it all depends on how busy I get. Anyway, I think the Toshiba Satellite would be your best bet for the price and parts. Personally, I wouldn't consider the Samsung Series 3 due to the AMD processor. Sure it's a quad-core, but it's base core speed is much lower. It would work decent on just doing normal tasks like you described but I'm not sure how well it could perform on any games. Also, the ASUS is okay, but if you plan to take the laptop with you anywhere, it would be a horrible choise due to having only a 4-cell lithium-ion battery. If you want any more details on why I chose what I chose, just ask. And even though this is how I feel, everyone has different opinions so please take my suggestions and advice with a grain of salt.

Here is what I believe are the best choices in order from best to worst:

1) Toshiba Satellite
2) Acer Aspire
3) Samsung Series 3
4) ASUS X54C