Hey guys, Posting here because I know most of you have knowledge in this area. I'm a MAC user (been for 6+ years now) but have some knowledge of the PC industry from the past. However I am completely out of the game now and my mother needs a new laptop so I was wondering if you guys could help out. Here's some info on what she needs/what for: -Use's it everyday for work. So it needs to be relatively fast. She doesn't do any design/code but exchanges a bunch of emails and sources a lot of things online (she is an interior decorator). -Doesn't need any super cool graphics but would like to have a "well lit screen". She says that because she is jealous of the retina display on my mac. Also would like to "try out" photoshop so it needs to support that kind of program. Even though she will probably not use it much. -Has a budget of about $770 (700€ -> she lives in Belgium). -17 inch screen (has glasses). -Needs a bunch of DDRAM (as it keeps getting full on her actual set-up). I think that sums it all up. I went to a store today (like Best Buy) but kind of got lost in all these new brands and devices that all look exactly the same to me. So it would be awesome if some of you more experienced guys could help out. Cheers!
If you use the filters on Best Buys website, only 12 laptops fit your criteria of 17" and under $750. Out of those 12, this one looks to be the best. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-in...lver/8965026.p?id=1219698443872&skuId=8965026 The biggest bottleneck would be the HDD. Upgrade it to a SSD and it's good. Btw, took less than a couple of minutes.
Microsoft ran this promo from 10/14-10/20, but it will likely pop up again around Black Friday. http://slickdeals.net/f/8160022-tra...-purchase-between-10-14-10-20?&src=SiteSearch Basically you can get up to $200 by trading in any "working" laptop 6 years old or newer, towards the purchase of a $599+ laptop from microsoft. They'll give $300 for a macbook. I'm not sure about the online exchange program where you send in your stuff via a prepaid box, but the brick and mortar Microsoft Store in Houston is pretty lax about trade in requirements. Their goal is to get you to buy their merchandise while not accepting stolen or hazardous material.
Is she wanting a laptop? The 17 inch screen suggests that to be the case, but you didn't specifically say. Here are some to check out: http://www.neweggbusiness.com/produ...238 4021 600004380&isnodeid=1&name=17.3" It is a bit unrealistic to expect a 17 inch $700 laptop to compare with a retina screen MacBook that would probably run more than double that for a 15 inch model.
I'll just chime in that the most important thing on a laptop is the trackpad. 90% of the time you are using your laptop, you are touching the trackpad so it has to be comfortable. This is the reason why I love my MacBook so much.
