Around $1000 to spend on a laptop. What say ye aw.com members

[stevestevens]

I rarely keep up with the laptop or computer world, there are just too many.

I am buying a new laptop. Have around $1000 to spend. I would like to get something with a haswell processor to increase battery life. I would do mac or pc.

What should i buy? I usually hang on to a laptop for about 4 years.

[nate]

Can't really swing a mac for 1k.

 

Lenovo and Toshiba make the best Windows laptops IMO.  Hard to get one of those under 1k though.  Avoid HP.  Dell can be solid too.  Best thing would be to look in your price range for the laptop that has the most features you want and go for it.

 

Also, keep in mind that the ones that get really good battery life advertise the battery life when it is in super power saver mode which slows the computer down even in simple web browsing situations.  I have a Dell Inspiron 15z ultrabook that gets 10 hours in the extended battery life mode but it is almost unusable like that, it runs like a 10 year old computer.  In "balanced" mode it gets 3-5 hours on battery.  It retails for about $1500 though.

 

If you have a Costco membership, check out what they have.  If the price is close enough to Amazon then it is worth getting from Costco because they warranty it.

Edited January 17, 2014 by nate

[stevestevens]

Macbook air for around a grand

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MacBook-MD760LL-13-3-Inch-VERSION/dp/B00746YPQI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389986522&sr=8-1&keywords=macbook+air

[St1ck]

Macbook air for around a grand

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MacBook-MD760LL-13-3-Inch-VERSION/dp/B00746YPQI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389986522&sr=8-1&keywords=macbook+air

 

 

 

Such a small screen. 

[red321]

Find a student to go with you, you can get about $100-150 off on a Mac laptop.

 

The 13 inch screen is a little small, but it really depends on what you are trying to do with it. Are you using it as a laptop, or as a desktop replacement? Playing games or just basic email/web/etc?

[stevestevens]

Don't play games at all.

Email, web, Microsoft works, my wife has music programs, family photos and video editing.

That is the main stuff

[nate]

Screen size might be important for photos.  Personally I find the smaller laptops too small.  14-15 inches is preferred.  Just depends on preference.

[mrwicked]

i just bought a new macbook air with the bigger screen yesterday. Had all the bells and whistles 

 - 1.7GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7

 - 8GB of memory 

 - 512GB Flash Storage

 

If you don't get those options it won't be much more than $1k and will be worth it.

Macbooks are by far the best laptops out there. 

 

I also have a 15" macbook pro w/ retina and it's awesome too if you want bigger screen. But those will push your budget more than the air.

[nate]

I agree with that though, they are absolutely the best laptops on the market.

[Blarg]

Why are you guys talking Mac Books when you admit they are way out of his budget?

[mrwicked]

Because going over the budget by a little bit (macbook air w/ standard options) for a superior machine that will last way longer is better strategy than going at/under budget with a windows laptop.

 

In my opinion at least.

Edited January 17, 2014 by mrwicked

[red321]

They aren't "way over budget" depending on what he wants to do and if screen size is important.

 

We did try to pick up a 15' windows laptop, I think it was Asus...returned it after a week (MicroCenter...best place to shop...no restocking fee) and went back to the Mac laptop and paid the "Apple Tax" after a weeks worth of frustration

[Hollyw00d]

I've never bought into the mac hype, I've bought two laptop PCs (a Dell back in 2003 and my current Toshiba) and been very happy with them. You can get a very hooked up and quality PC for nearly half the price of a bottom of the barrel MacBook with almost no upgrades.

id look at Toshiba, dell and Lenovo first, and go to mac if you're not satisfied

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Check TigerDirect.com. They have a bunch under $1K

 

From the latest ad

[Count Orlok]

Frys has a good selection. Definitely want to avoid Acer or Dell. I've got a 4 year old HP and the only problem with it is the battery died recently but a replacement was only $20. Also it runs slow but that's because it's 4 years old.

 

For under $1k I'd say this is as good as you're going to get: http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-ENVY/E2E34AV?HP-ENVY-15t-j100-Quad-Edition-Notebook-PC-ENERGY-STAR-

 

On the customizations you can upgrade to a hybrid hard drive, 24 GB SSD cache, 1080p screen, and 12 GB RAM and still be just under $1,000.

[Adam]

Windows 8 blows

 

I've been issued a couple of ASUS laptops at work. No problems with them...

[Vegas Halo Fan]

One from TigerDirect to consider, well under your target price (from my latest e-mail from them):

 

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E531 - $549

[Count Orlok]

Windows 8 blows

 

I've been issued a couple of ASUS laptops at work. No problems with them...

I don't think it's that bad. The Metro layout is terrible but if you install Classic Shell it puts an old fashioned start button back on the task bar and you can boot directly to desktop.

[nate]

Windows 8 is awful.

 

First thing I do to a Win 8 PC is install Win 7.

[Hollyw00d]

many brand new laptops still come with windows 7 because the manufacturers know how much 8 licks choad

[Adam]

I don't think it's that bad. The Metro layout is terrible but if you install Classic Shell it puts an old fashioned start button back on the task bar and you can boot directly to desktop.

 

Do you have a link on how to install classic shell?

[Adam]

Nm... found it

[InsideThePark]

I know some people love it but I've never been a fan of the Mac's OS. They are great computers though and never having to worry about a virus is pretty sweet.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Windows 8 is awful.

 

First thing I do to a Win 8 PC is install Win 7.

 

Talked to one of our IT guys who said pretty much the same thing. He said it continues Microsoft's pattern of getting the OS right every other time.

[Hollyw00d]

microsoft is a lot like ervin santana