Student laptop

[matsta31]

Hi,

My friend asked me to look for a cheap laptop, the word cheap is important here since he is going back to school whith is girlfriend being pregnant, so money is going to be short. The minimum requirement he wants it to meet are the following, everyhting over and above is gravy :

- Must be able to run office (I guess this means all laptop out there and not more than 1 gig of ram)
- Must be wireless capable (again all of them)
- 14.1 inches screen
- he prefers new laptop over a used one

Thats it, could be amd or intel single or dual core he does not care.

I wanted to see if you guys had suggestions.

[Chos3n]

CTO | Customize

Really good price, slim, light, powerful. I like the Sony Vaio. But if you need something portable, you could get something like my boss...

CTO | Customize

[CMetaphor]

Buy an ACER laptop from NCIX + Price match = Win. You can probably get a simple dual-core AMD/Intel with a gig of ram, a DVD burner and a 15.4' widescreen for 500-600$.
Example: NCIX.com - Buy Acer TravelMate 5520-5283 AMD Athlon DUAL-CORE Processor TK-57 1GB 120GB 15.4IN WXGA Vista Notebook - LX.TKV0X.004 In Canada.

Acer Product page: Acer - Canada - Products

There are many other examples. I think of Acer as a "best bang for your buck" company, Your friend could even get a 17'' laptop for the same price if he wants.

[andynerd]

if you have a staples in the area they are having a laptop sale with some very good prices you can get an acer aspire laptop with 2gb ram 120gb hdd and wireless with a 15.4 inch screen for 499.96 but there are better prices there i could bet

[Jack Rabbit]

A cheap laptop is a cheap laptop. I doubt it matters much what you get as they are all about the same. Take a tour of the shops that have demos and try them and pick the one that suits your fancy.

The two most important things I would suggest you look at are screen and keyboard. A cheap laptop will lag in performance but it sounds like your friend is just going to do office stuff so that will not matter. Check the keyboard to make sure it is comfortable to type on and the keys are in a good place. Check the screen to make sure it is easy on the eyes in the conditions your friend will use it. If your friend wants to use it in the middle of a park then your friend will need a bright one. If it will be used in a dim lecture hall then you really need to find one that is not too bright.

If you are going to shop the big box stores look for the ones that offer a satisfaction guaranteed no questions return policy. They are almost always legit so long as you keep the box and stuff; just make sure you read the agreement and follow it. The last time I checked the Sony Store offered one. A guy I used to know used to "rent" cameras from them all the time. I think that is immoral and I do not suggest it but if you legitimately buy the unit because you think it will suit your needs it is good to have a fall back in case something bites you.

[Nodscene]

I'm not entirely sure what big box stores you have there but if you can take a look. I know Best Buy has some great laptop deals occasionally along with Staples (Bureau en Gros or something) and Future Shop etc.

[Shadowed]

Here is a 'save the GST' sale from Bestbuy.
Tonight and tomorrow night
Best Buy Canada*Laptops

Edit:
Looks like the $399 one is sold out

[Mr. Friendly]

I would look at some of the Acer Extensa laptops. very sleek black/grey color design with excellent keyboard. Asus as well as LG (especially LG, they have a whole host of small form factor laptops) have a number of options.