Recently I have had a lot of people asking me what laptop they should buy. I am a little overwhelmed by this question because there is so much choice out there. Well, these days everyone wants to save money so all of these people asking for laptops all wanted something low cost. Hence the reason for this post.
Below I have put together a list of 1 laptop from many major OEMs that give you a nice range of power for under $600. If you get too low you either will get a very small screen or a very poor performing laptop. Also, tablets are not included at all, I will save that for another post. One thing to remember about pricing is that this is not the best deal you can find for these laptops. Many are just Amazon, Pricewatch, or Newegg searches. I actually went to a few of the OEM websites and noticed I could similarly spec these rigs for a little cheaper in some instances.
Standard specs for all models:
15.6" screen with 1366 x 768 resolution
1.3 megapixel webcam
4 GB RAM (speeds do vary)
integrated intel graphics so don't expect to do hardcore gaming
VGA and HDMI output
Optical drives (min. DVD read/write)
Wireless N
SD/MMC card readers
Windows 7 64 bit
Acer Aspire AS5742-6838 - $593.99
This beast is running the most powerful processor of the bunch. The i5 Intel processor running at 2.53 GHz will have no problems with your day to day tasks and should run HD content as easily as I run out of work at the end of my work shift. Acer also packed the biggest hard drive of the bunch at 640 GB. If all you want is a powerhouse for internet and documents and don't care about extras this is your match.
Dell Inspiron 15R 1198MRB - $595.88
Here is another very powerful and nice looking package. Dell has loaded the Inspiron up with a 2.4 GHz i3 processor very similar to the i5 in the Acer, but not quite as efficient. They also went crazy and loaded faster RAM at 1333 MHz instead of the 1066 every other manufacturer decided to use. A tip of the hat to Dell, but now for a wag of the finger. They only put a 320GB hard drive at the standard 5400 rpm. Dell also downgraded the LAN to 10/100 so not the fastest Ethernet connection. Dell did make up for it by offering their online PC backup utility.
All in all this is a nice piece of hardware, but did not quite have the features to put it on top.
Gateway NV55C38u - $464.99
Welcome to the slowest of the bunch. The old Intel P6200, which is still dual-core, but peaks at 2.13 while the i5 can use a performance boost to get close to 3GHz on some chip sets. All the features on this rig are pretty standard nothing that stands out except for some software additions. Gateway throws in their backup utility like Dell's and also has a social network launcher that logs in to Facebook, Youtube, and Flicker all at once to quicken your browsing experience.
This is a very cheap competitor so it's value is high even though performance is less than par. But this Gateway is still a good buy for the mobile browser users that want the capability of a Windows PC.
Toshiba Satellite A665-S5176X - $599.97
So here is the winner of the comparison, but it is not perfect. It too has a very slow 2.1 GHz clock speed like the Gateway, but does use the newer more efficient i3 processor. What sets this laptop apart from the others is the features. Blu-ray is on board, that's right the most expensive optical drive for reading media is in this rig. use the HDMI out and you don't have to buy that $200 blu-ray player for your entertainment center. Also it has Dolby 7.1 audio just like those high price receivers.
Some also nice things to note is it boasts a 5.5 hour battery life giving about 2 hrs over some of the competitors. Also, Toshiba has loaded Harmon Kardon speakers that look really cool, but still aren't very loud due to power reasons. And one more thing to note. 1 USB 3.0 port is present. What does that mean? Speed that's all, but not much uses this new standard except for external hard drives, but think of the future and this could come in handy.
I don't think it's hard to see why I found this to be the winner. Sometimes a little more load time is worth the additional features.
MSI A6200-021US - 429.99
MSI brings the economy basement for this comparison. That doesn't mean it's all bad though. MSI brought a 2.26 GHz i5 processor to the fight, not too shabby. From there the stats get a little more negative. It uses wireless G, which to most people doesn't matter because most routers are only G capable. But those of us using N routers demand the faster speeds and lower latency. Also only a 320 GB hard drive is loaded under the hood.
Apart from two really big minuses this is still a good laptop and garners some attention at only 429.99
VAIO VPCEB4HGX/BJ - 579.99
Sony has actually made a budget friendly laptop worth buying. Usually Sony is known for overpriced underpowered devices, but times have changed. packing a powerful 2.53 GHz i3 it may not be our best chip set of the bunch, but is still very nice. I also love the keyboard style and layout.
This laptop is very much a Sony type of device; great looks and decent specs adorn this every day warrior. Yet, it only has 3.5 hours of battery life and is the heaviest of the bunch tipping in at 6lbs. Sony makes a nice competitor just didn't quite have the edge I needed to see.
Below are the my personal scores for each model and how I ranked them. Value was weighted by price/features so basically the most bang for your buck. I hope you enjoyed this little comparison and happy shopping.
| speed | <><>memory | <><>style | <><>battery | <><>features | <><>value | <><>total | <><>|
| Acer | <><>9 | <><>8 | <><>4 | <><>4 | <><>5 | <><>7 | <><>37 | <><>
| Dell | <><>8 | <><>6 | <><>6 | <><>4 | <><>6 | <><>6 | <><>36 | <><>
| Gateway | <><>4 | <><>6 | <><>5 | <><>5 | <><>6 | <><>9 | <><>35 | <><>
| Toshiba | <><>4 | <><>6 | <><>7 | <><>8 | <><>8 | <><>9 | <><>42 | <><>
| MSI | <><>7 | <><>4 | <><>4 | <><>4 | <><>4 | <><>7 | <><>30 | <><>
| Sony | <><>8 | <><>6 | <><>7 | <><>4 | <><>6 | <><>8 | <><>39 |
