Simple laptop for my university-bound sister.

July 12, 2009 7:42 AM

Help me find my university-bound sister a nice, reliable laptop. Are they any brands you especially recommend?

She wants:
-a 12 to 14-inch screen (13-ish is ideal). Netbooks are too small for her, but she doesn't want a 15-inch behemoth either.
-6 hours battery life minimum (with upgraded batteries).
-It's for school, not for gaming--it just needs to run Office suite, and have Wifi.
-She actually wants a laptop running Vista, so something with at least 2 to 3 gigs RAM, and NO MACS.
-Lighter and more drop-proof is better--my sister is a wee bit clumsy.
-Must under $1000 with upgraded battery and tax (CDN money, Ontario and Canadian taxes (about 13% tax)).

My father is trying to dragoon her into a Dell (Dell Inspiron 13), and she just wanted a good look at her options, especially as the Inspiron 13 does not exactly have a glut of reviews out yet, and the last Dell laptop we bought is a steaming load of crap. She just doesn't know where to start looking.

posted by flibbertigibbet to shopping (37 comments total)

I know you said no netbook...but if she's not gaming and not playing dvds, I couldn't recommend the EEE 1000HE enough. I'm in school and several people have bought them on my recommendation, and everyone loves them. Sorry for not answering your question...I'm just crazy about this computer and use it for similar things.
posted by sully75 at 7:51 AM on July 12 [1 favorite]

The brand I recommend is IBM/Lenovo.
posted by box at 7:52 AM on July 12 [1 favorite]

Nthing box on Lenovo/IBM, especially in light of: Lighter and more drop-proof is better--my sister is a wee bit clumsy.
posted by elfgirl at 7:54 AM on July 12 [2 favorites]

Sully: We have two EEE 1000Hs in the house, she really does want something larger.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 8:02 AM on July 12

Lenovo Thinkpad.
posted by roomwithaview at 8:06 AM on July 12

Lenovo's good. Panasonic is good. I'll recommend you avoid Dells and Sony isn't much better.
posted by anti social order at 8:07 AM on July 12

Outside of wanting Vista, a Macbook would fit her other qualifications. A Macbook would also likely be on the pricey end of her preference, but it would last longer and have fewer repair issues. I am a happy Macbook owner, and would never go back to a PC. I had a Dell for all of one year before it gave out on me. I just thought I would put this out there. Best wishes.
posted by mdn31 at 8:40 AM on July 12

I've heard good things about the Acer Timeline--in fact, I'm planning on getting one myself very soon. Looks great, runs for 8 hours on a standard battery, doesn't cost too much. (The 13-inch model is around $900, the 14-inch around $700).
posted by nasreddin at 8:49 AM on July 12

The problem is battery life. Even upgraded, that's a tall order for most inexpensive notebooks. Here's my best choices though:

Lenovo SL400, gets 4:20 with the upgraded 9-cell battery. ($600CAD and up with batt. upgrade, with lousy dual core celeron)

The Dell Inspiron 13, similarly, gets 4:09 with the upgraded 6 cell, which means the even better 9 cell would give 6:20 ($799CAD and up with 9-cell batt) But Dell's quality/durability isn't too hot.

I also just found this Asus K400IJ at Newegg which looks like it meets most of her needs. It's got an advertised battery life of 6 hours, so I would round that down to 5:20 or so. ($775CAD, or its more graphically equipped cousin the K40IN for $960CAD) Unfortunately, no reviews.

The Toshiba U400/M300 ($899/849CAD respectively) might also be worth a look. They both have a battery life of about 3:30 by default and could reach close to 6 with the upgraded battery, which is about $130CAD from online retailers.

There are a lot of 11-12" sorta-netbooks coming out now that feature very long battery life and such. Among them, the Dell Mini 12, the ASUS EEE 1101HA, and the Acer Timeline linked up above, which will cost about $1000CAD. If it matters at all, the Timeline has optical drives on its 14 and 15" models, but not on the 13"
posted by JauntyFedora at 8:58 AM on July 12

Many universities offer heavy discounts if you buy through their tech centers. Usually selection is somewhat limited, usually to Mac and a major PC brand. In addition to the discount, university tech centers usually give you free access to repair services and other perqs. I've bought many computers like this for myself, and for working friends who wanted in on the discount.

It depends on the university, but if she's going to live and study on a campus, having that discount and tech support nearby is a godsend. So unless the university offers obscure brands or meager discounts, I'd say that is your best bet for a college-bound student.

This doesn't directly answer your question, but it does suggest a way to get a deal on a reliable computer plus with onsite tech support for cheap.
posted by vincele at 9:04 AM on July 12 [1 favorite]

I used my sister's ThinkPad while I was in between computers and was very impressed with its performance and durability. More than any other computer I've ever used besides my current one (a MacBook Pro), it struck me as a well-made machine.

No macs? Interesting. Any idea as to why? The only reason I ask is because while the price for a MacBook would be on the high side of her range, as I recall there's some kind of student discount available. And the excellent support available through AppleCare would save her substantial grief later.

My father is trying to dragoon her into a Dell (Dell Inspiron 13)

Don't let him do this. Dell is a lemon factory, their customer service is a joke, and their tech support functions like some kind of evil health insurance company from a made-for-tv movie.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 9:04 AM on July 12

Lenovo Thinkpad!
posted by The Toad at 9:24 AM on July 12

Yeah, ditto the Thinkpad suggestions. I had a Thinkpad at my last job, and aside from a too-dim LCD that had to be replaced, it was the best laptop I ever used. It was built like a TANK, and with the 9 cell battery and the wireless switch turned off, I regularly got 6+ hours of battery life. That notebook was the best thing about that job.
posted by deadmessenger at 9:39 AM on July 12

Bleh. Things may have changed with Lenovo's production process since I was selling them retail two years ago, but based on my experiences then, I wouldn't recommend getting one. I'd say go with an HP laptop. Quite well-made, not ugly at all, works great. Only caveat: You'll want to make sure you either manually go through and uninstall all the crapware that comes on it or (sigh) pay a little extra for the geeks at the store to do so. Otherwise, I solidly recommend HP's line.
posted by limeonaire at 9:41 AM on July 12

Gotcha re: the EEE. I have a Dell Vostro 1000, I'd really recommend not getting one of those.
posted by sully75 at 9:47 AM on July 12

I think you actually should get her a Mac, and dual boot it with boot camp into Vista (Windows 7).
posted by arimathea at 10:05 AM on July 12

I'd second the suggestion to go through her school bookstore if that option is available. On the campus where I'm a grad student, they do Apple, Dell, and Lenovo. The vast majority of students I know who don't have Macs have ThinkPads and are quite happy with them, as well as the substantial discount and support they've gotten from the bookstore. They usually have back to school specials that are even better than the regular discount and sometimes throw in a power strip/ethernet cable/laptop bag, etc.
posted by hydropsyche at 10:13 AM on July 12

Be careful about HP if you get their warranties -- I have had nothing but horrible service from them. I've had fine service from Dell and am very happy with their computers but I wouldn't call them particularly drop proof. Most people I know with the Lenovos are happy, too.

Upgrade your battery, sure, but just save yourself the heartache of never having enough battery power and buy a second battery.
posted by jeather at 10:45 AM on July 12

Nthing JauntyFedora's comment about battery life: It's a good wish, but may be difficult to fill in your price range. Perhaps go to the library and check out Consumer Reports for articles about laptops and their battery life.

As a fellow canuck I understand taxes are the bane of our lives, so I am going to suggest that if you have a techy friend you can nab for the project check out the craiglist. I kept looking a new 'puters that were just in my price range only to find the taxes completely floor me. My Dell Behemoth© is going strong after nearly a year (October) of really hard-core (and clutsy) college use. It cost me $400, and I still love it as much as I did when I got it -- though I knew what I was after.
posted by tamarack at 10:46 AM on July 12

Nthing all on the Dells. My first laptop was a Dell that didn't even make it to the age of two. Everything died quickly, the battery, the power bar, etc, etc, etc, etc.

I have an HP Pavillion dv6000 that I bought for $700 (in Canada) about 2.5 years ago and it hasn't given me a lick of trouble.

Since you want to keep your costs down, you might want to go with a free open source office suite, like Open Office, so you'll have more cash to spend on things like batteries.
posted by futureisunwritten at 10:54 AM on July 12

I have that Dell Inspiron 13. It's fine, and I really like it. It's not going to win any awards or anything, but it works well, and it's cheap (I got mine from the Dell outlet, but even one from the regular store isn't very expensive). It's fairly light (but not as light as a comparably sized Thinkpad). I bought it because I dropped my more expensive Thinkpad (T series) from a height of 2 ft onto carpet, and it got busted. I decided that I wasn't going to spend a lot of money on another laptop again.

Vista works fine on it, and mine didn't come preloaded with a lot of cruft. The screen is nice as well; I mainly use it for word processing and a little programming, and it's zippy enough for me. The default graphics card isn't very good, but that would be my only complaint. Battery life (standard battery it comes with) is about 3-4 hours. If I'm watching a movie or something, it's about 2 hours. It's definitely not as nice as a mac, a Thinkpad T400, or a higher end Vaio or HP, but like I said, it gets the job done.
posted by bluefly at 10:56 AM on July 12

here is a list of new ThinkPad T400's with 6 hour batteries from Lenovo outlet. average around $700 US...

http://outlet.lenovo.com/laptops.html?condition=17&series=107&battery_type=7
posted by geos at 10:56 AM on July 12

N-thing a Lenovo Thinkpad, especially if reliability is an issue. Some // brands of notebooks are developing a really bad reputation for support. I've had both Dell (Inspiron) and Lenovo (Thinkpad) recently. Lenovo beat Dell hands down for updated drivers, sorting out problems with the hardware, and general usability (screen and keyboard quality).
Thinkpads are more robust than the other Lenovo notebook lines. Personally, I like the T-series (e.g. the T400, which meets your sister's needs). She can add an additional 1GB RAM to bring it up to 3GB (essential with any modern Windows OS) for just over $1000 CA. There are cheaper models, if the $1000 is an absolute limit. If you can afford it, get a 6-cell Li-Ion battery (2-3 hours approx.) as a minimum; a 9=cell battery is slightly heavier but will last for 50% longer (4-4.5+ hours approx). But also note that most Lecture halls now have powerpoints for student laptops, so battery life may not be all that essential. She can also upgrade the battery later. Thinkpads are also much easier to upgrade yourself (Lenovo are equally predatory in parts pricing as everyone else, but it is easy to buy third-party RAM etc. on eBay and very easy to add this with no more effort than undoing a couple of screws on the bottom and sliding it into the slot). Thinkpads are much cheaper than the equivalent Mac spec., although rumor has it that Mac prices are set to come down in the next month or two. As geos suggests, check out the Outlet. Many of these have been returned because people just changed their minds.
posted by Susurration at 10:59 AM on July 12 [1 favorite]

Lenovo S12. Tiny and rugged. Six hundos decked out. About to buy one. Tiny, light, awesome.

If you want real quality in a similar size, try the Lenovo x200. Keep in mind it is like 1300 with upgrades (it is targeted toward corporate users) I have a Lenovo T400 that rocks pretty hard at work, it's light (under about 4lb) even with the 9 cell, but that's going to be in the 1400 range as well.

I would focus on value. Laptops are tools, not sculptures. dont buy a $2k mac that could get dunked in a trashcan full of jungle juice at a dorm party and be dead forever despite "build quality". Get a 700 workhorse you wont feel cheated replacing. Not kidding. College kids actually carry their laptops places, leave them on the floor, step on them, ruin them in billions of ways. I'd save money and get ready to buy another sophomore year.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 11:23 AM on July 12

I bought a 'certified refurbished' Dell Latitude from the Dell Outlet 4 years ago, and it's still adequate for my needs. Durable, very lightweight, 3 Year warranty standard, and you can actually get through to tech support if you need it - try that with an inspiron.
The 14" e6400 or 13"e4300 might be worth a look. You'll have to hunt through preconfigured systems to find what you need, but you should be able to get a solid laptop with a 9-cell battery for under 1000 canadian. Just be sure to log into the dell site as small/medium business and search for 'dell outlet'.
posted by itheearl at 11:33 AM on July 12

Does anyone know where my sister could handle an S-series Thinkpad in Ottawa? We seem to be drawing blanks.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 11:55 AM on July 12

Err, sorry, SL series.

Wuzandfuzz: She'll be living at home and hates partying, no fear of any laptops being trashed in frat parties.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 11:59 AM on July 12

Somebody above recommended an HP - mine runs VERY HOT, can't-keep-a-finger-on-the-touchpad hot, and I understand it's just the way some of their models are. Or were; mine is a couple years old at least. But be aware.
posted by lakeroon at 12:55 PM on July 12

Thinkpad. I still miss my old Thinkpad 770, it survived all the beatings of working offshore fine and was still working great when I got "upgraded" to Dell.

We moved to Dell and since then I've had 3 Latitudes, all of which crap out in someway or another within 12-24 months. Dell service is awful even with the leverage of a large corporate client.
posted by arcticseal at 1:20 PM on July 12

This page has links to online/retail chains that sell Lenovo, as well as a search page for local resellers. Hope it helps.
posted by JauntyFedora at 1:43 PM on July 12

JauntyFedora: alas, almost all of those chains are US-online, and the Canadian Best Buy website has not a single Lenovo on it. We may have to choose an alternate brand, because I do not blame my sister for not wanting to buy a laptop sight unseen.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 3:34 PM on July 12

We found a near-perfect laptop that can be touched in Ottawa, an ACER, but the big hang-up I'm having: it comes with 64-bit Vista.

How bad could my sister's compatibility problems get, given all she really needs is Microsoft Office Suite and Java for my school's online applications?

The similarly-specced, but more expensive MSI laptop can also be purchased in Ottawa, and has regular 32-bit Vista Premium.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 3:56 PM on July 12

We found a near-perfect laptop that can be touched in Ottawa, an ACER, but the big hang-up I'm having: it comes with 64-bit Vista.

Yeah, that's the Timeline I was talking about. Don't worry about compatibility--at this point you'll be fine unless you suddenly have a need for some really obscure program, which, if you really need it, you'll be able to run with dual-boot or virtualization software.
posted by nasreddin at 4:12 PM on July 12

Yeah, Office and Java will be fine for 64 bit. I would say get it. That's a pretty sweet little machine.

64-bit Vista just doesn't like really old 16-bit programs and such.
posted by JauntyFedora at 4:45 PM on July 12

Just installing Windows natively onto a new 13" MacBook Pro would work, though be a little over budget. However, it gets over a ton of issues, such as battery life, display quality, reliability, ruggedness, and what not.
posted by wackybrit at 5:19 PM on July 12

I just bought a Dell Vostro, on the recommendation of a bunch of friends who've had nothing but good experiences with them. I have heard good things about the robustness of Thinkpads as well. But really, if she's clumsy enough to break a laptop, I'd focus on getting something cheap and being prepared to replace it when she steps on it or something.

Working out the money, you're looking to spend $760 US before tax. You can get the Dell 13 for that, including an upgraded accidental damage warranty, 6 cell battery, Office, Vista Premium and 3Gb RAM. If you don't need to buy Office, or you can go to an outlet store, then you could get the 9cell battery and still be in your price range.
posted by jacalata at 5:58 PM on July 12

Office Depot has many of the Lenovo Thinkpad models in their US stores. I see they are also pretty big in Canada - it's worth a phone call to see if they have the model that your sister is interested in.
posted by Susurration at 7:54 PM on July 12