Best Laptop under $500

[jaa228]

I need help choosing the best laptop under $500.
It will be used for general computing (email, web surfing, multimedia, etc.)
No intensive software. No gaming.

The main concern is longevity. I just want his thing to not become obsolete next month.

I prefer an i5 cpu and a reliable brand that isn't known for installing a lot of bloatware.
At minimum 4gb of ram but, 8 would be nice.
I prefer newegg, amazon, or bestbuy.

Paste links to the products in your reply.

Remember longevity is the main deciding factor in this purchase.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Kamen_BG]

This is pretty much as good as it gets at that price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215418

 

[jaa228]

This is pretty much as good as it gets at that price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215418

Thanks. I actually already looked at this model but I think an Ivy-bridge would be more future proof. I found this Acer which has an Ivy-bridge i5, 6Gb of Ram, HD 4000 grphics, and 500Gb hdd.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215403

One thing I just realized is that these i5s are dual-cores that use hyper-threading. In that case would an i3 be any worse? I wanted to go for the i5 because, I thought it was a quad-core.

Also, I don't want acer. They used some decent parts inside but, these two laptops have cheap keyboards, cheap batteries, and a lot of bloatware. All things I'm trying to stay away from.

 

[jaa228]

If this laptop was for me I'd have to agree because I like to game, but this is for my stepmother who doesn't game. The Asus isn't bad at all, it's just not what I'm looking for.

 

[Tibbs01]

Thanks. I actually already looked at this model but I think an Ivy-bridge would be more future proof. I found this Acer which has an Ivy-bridge i5, 6Gb of Ram, HD 4000 grphics, and 500Gb hdd.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215403

One thing I just realized is that these i5s are dual-cores that use hyper-threading. In that case would an i3 be any worse? I wanted to go for the i5 because, I thought it was a quad-core.

Also, I don't want acer. They used some decent parts inside but, these two laptops have cheap keyboards, cheap batteries, and a lot of bloatware. All things I'm trying to stay away from.

The laptop i5's have Turbo boost so yes it will be better. All laptop i3's and i5's are dual core. i7's are the only intel mobile processor that is quad core and only if they have the "QM" designation at the end.

I don't see any non-Acer sub $500 i5's that are Ivy, but this would be an o.k. option to consider for a sandy bridge set-up: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834246497

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

I own a laptop repair company and computer shops which sell lappies...

For that budget you are going to get what we in the trade call "a 3 year laptop"

What that means is...IF you are extremely lucky it MIGHT last 3 years....

Or you spend between $1000 and $3000 and get a 10 year laptop....

All the best Brett

 

[jdwii]

Thanks. I actually already looked at this model but I think an Ivy-bridge would be more future proof. I found this Acer which has an Ivy-bridge i5, 6Gb of Ram, HD 4000 grphics, and 500Gb hdd.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215403

One thing I just realized is that these i5s are dual-cores that use hyper-threading. In that case would an i3 be any worse? I wanted to go for the i5 because, I thought it was a quad-core.

Also, I don't want acer. They used some decent parts inside but, these two laptops have cheap keyboards, cheap batteries, and a lot of bloatware. All things I'm trying to stay away from.

No i would get the other one sandy and ivy are pretty much the same, the 2 models the sandy bridge one would be faster.

 

[jdwii]

This is pretty much as good as it gets at that price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215418

+1

 

[dbrian500]

If you need a laptop for only basic computing then Intel Core i3 processor would be more than enough but if you really want a core i5 laptop then there are many choices available like ASUS K55A which comes with 3rd generation Core i5 processor. There are also other brand laptops like Dell Inspiron i15N and Lenovo G570.

You can compare all of them at http://bestlaptopsunder500hub.com/top-laptops-under-500-dollars-comparison.html

However I would suggest you to expand your budget by $29 and get Acer Aspire V3-571G

It also comes with 3rd generation Core i5 processor but alng with it packs 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT630M dedicated graphics which will be very helpful playing online videos, running heavy software like photoshop and also gaming too.


Acer Aspire V3-571G features
3rd Generation Intel Core i5 Processor
1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT630M dedicated graphics
15.6 inch LED-backlit widescreen display
4GB DDR3 Memory
500GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Windows 8
USB 3.0 Port and 1 HDMI Port

Plus it got 2 usb 2.0 ports, 1 usb 3.0 port and hdmi port which will support fast data transfer. And the best part you can buy this for just $529.

http://bestlaptopsunder500hub.com/best-core-i5-gaming-laptop-with-1gb-dedicated-graphics-under-500.html

As I said about dedicated graphics NVIDIA GeForce GT630M 1GB dedicated graphics is capable of providing 30+fps for many latest games.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-630M.63761.0.html