Hey guys, my current laptop is about to keel over. I'm in the market for a new one. I've got about a $750 budget. I want something with a 14" or 15.6" display. I would prefer new, but I'll settle for a scratch/dent or refurbished if done by a reputable source.
I'm a college student and the laptop will be traveling with me daily. I currently have an old Dell Inspiron 1525, and I don't mind lugging it around. Weight isn't really an issue. I'm into Photoshop and editing 1080p HD DSLR video in Premiere Pro with Adobe CS5. This is the number one concern upon the performance demands of the new laptop. I don't game much and I won't be doing anything else that will be as resource heavy as CS5. Battery life isn't an issue, as I'm usually near an outlet when I'm working.
I don't mind if the laptop is bulky and ugly as sin, as long as it is in my budget and has great performance. Something durable would be nice since it will be very mobile. I'm not overly hard on my gear though. I've had this old Inspiron 1525 for 4-5 years. I do have the requirement that it has a port with USB 3.0. Faster transfer rates are great when I'm loading 20 gigs of video to and from memory cards / external HDs.
So far, I have narrowed it down to these five in no particular order. (Though I'm still open to suggestions):
#1 HP Pavilion dv6t - $850 (A little over budget, but maybe I can find a sale)
2.3-GHz Intel Core i5-2410M
6GB Memory
640GB Hard Drive - 7,200rpm
15.6" Display
#2 Asus U46E-BAL5 - $750
2.3GHz Intel® Core™ i5-2410M
8GB Memory
750GB Hard Drive - 5400 rpm
14" Display
#3 Asus U56E-BBL6 - $630
Intel® Core™ i5-2430M processor
6GB Memory DDR3
640GB hard drive (5400 rpm)
15.6"Display
#4 Dell Inspiron 15R (2nd gen) - $700 (dell student discount)
2.3GHz Intel Core i5-2410M
8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
750GB 5400 RPM
15.6"Display
#5 HP ProBook 4530s $635
2.3 GHz Intel Core i5-2410M
4GB DDR3
500GB 7,200rpm
15.6"Display
Feel free to throw in suggestions / feedback, ect. Also if there are any good sites I may have missed with nice pricing; I browsed Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy and a manufacture sites. Thanks a ton!
-Harvey B.
I'm a college student and the laptop will be traveling with me daily. I currently have an old Dell Inspiron 1525, and I don't mind lugging it around. Weight isn't really an issue. I'm into Photoshop and editing 1080p HD DSLR video in Premiere Pro with Adobe CS5. This is the number one concern upon the performance demands of the new laptop. I don't game much and I won't be doing anything else that will be as resource heavy as CS5. Battery life isn't an issue, as I'm usually near an outlet when I'm working.
I don't mind if the laptop is bulky and ugly as sin, as long as it is in my budget and has great performance. Something durable would be nice since it will be very mobile. I'm not overly hard on my gear though. I've had this old Inspiron 1525 for 4-5 years. I do have the requirement that it has a port with USB 3.0. Faster transfer rates are great when I'm loading 20 gigs of video to and from memory cards / external HDs.
So far, I have narrowed it down to these five in no particular order. (Though I'm still open to suggestions):
#1 HP Pavilion dv6t - $850 (A little over budget, but maybe I can find a sale)
2.3-GHz Intel Core i5-2410M
6GB Memory
640GB Hard Drive - 7,200rpm
15.6" Display
#2 Asus U46E-BAL5 - $750
2.3GHz Intel® Core™ i5-2410M
8GB Memory
750GB Hard Drive - 5400 rpm
14" Display
#3 Asus U56E-BBL6 - $630
Intel® Core™ i5-2430M processor
6GB Memory DDR3
640GB hard drive (5400 rpm)
15.6"Display
#4 Dell Inspiron 15R (2nd gen) - $700 (dell student discount)
2.3GHz Intel Core i5-2410M
8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
750GB 5400 RPM
15.6"Display
#5 HP ProBook 4530s $635
2.3 GHz Intel Core i5-2410M
4GB DDR3
500GB 7,200rpm
15.6"Display
Feel free to throw in suggestions / feedback, ect. Also if there are any good sites I may have missed with nice pricing; I browsed Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy and a manufacture sites. Thanks a ton!
-Harvey B.