Best laptop my gf can get for under 500 dollars?

[cyborg34572]

She's looking into buying a new laptop and was asking me for advice, but im only good at building desktops, gaming hardware all that so if i recommeded her a laptop it would be really expensive cause i look at specs and all that. So yeah i cant do it, im not really familiar with laptops at all so i head to you guys to ask for advice. Shes not into gaming or anything, she just wants a fast, reliable laptop , for work and watching movies etc, one that has great cooling that wont really go unstable all the time like most laptops you know. Thx in advance.

 

[ragenalien]

Asus, lenovo, and samsung make some of the higher quality computers. Steer clear of the dells, hp's, and toshiba's. If you want to look into some of the more obscure brands then clevo makes some fine computers as well.

 

[andrewcarr]

For what she want to do a good processor is best so if she doesn't mind a refurbished laptop she can get an i5 with intel 3000 graphics.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230348
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230354
They are both the same except one has a 0.3 MP webcam the other comes with a free mouse so whichever is deemed more valuable.

If she only want one new then go for an i3 which is just a bit slower clock and fewer cores (pick one depending on looks/brand preference). I personally have never been unhappy with a HP (referring to above comment).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834158284
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834246314

 

[WR2]

Hello cyborg34572;

lenovo IdeaPad Z570 15" notebook $500
Core i3 2350M 2.30GHz CPU, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 15.6" 1366x768 LCD w/ HD Graphics 3000

 

[WR2]

In a 14" model (it won't have a dedicated number pad)
HP ProBook 4430s $450
Intel Core i3 2330M 2.20GHz CPU, 4GB RAM, 500GB 7200rpm HDD 14" 1366x768 LCD w/ HD Graphics 3000
Anti-glare matte LCD screen, business class notebook should have an edge in ruggedness/reliability over consumer notebooks.

HP ProBook 4430s Review

 

[Avro Arrow]

Fantastic battery life, fast CPU, awesome GPU, runs cool, is thin and light and is almost physically identical to my own. (Oh yeah, and it's just under $500):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215258
Here's tomshardware's own review of the A8 platform, base your decision upon it instead of anything I say:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/a8-3500m-llano-apu,2959.html
Essentially this quad-core laptop can do literally ANYTHING that an Intel-based laptop can do at the same price point (perhaps slower, but who can notice a 1-3 second difference in load time on a program?), but because of its relatively powerful ATi Radeon HD 6620G integrated onto the CPU die, it can do MANY things that an Intel laptop at that price point cannot because all Intel-based laptops at that price point are stuck with crappy Intel graphics which offer horrible image quality, use more power and have horrible drivers. Intel graphics have proven to be the proverbial "albatross around your neck" to many laptop owners, even the ones who had no intention of gaming. This is literally THE BEST all-around laptop you can buy at the $500 price point, hands-down.