Tech saavy student laptop recommendations?

Couple cliché's to being with. "I want a future proof computer!" "I want my computer to do EVERYTHING, and only pay $100 for it." I can go on and on. Yes, many eons ago I use to sell computers for Radio Shack, and had people say stuff like this to me. Needless to say most of these people knew little about computers at all.

I have a bit more experience, by doing sales, going through A+, Net+ and LCA Linux training. However, I've been preoccupied with health issues, and a whole host of personal things that I haven't really kept up with some of the more recent advancements. I purchased the Toshiba that's in my profile as part of a income tax refund so I could do one basic thing....re-write my resume and do online job hunting. I didn't need anything special at the time.

Flash forward a few years, I'm working from home now, but on a very tight budget. My wife and I home school our daughter as well. For last year we used an open concept schooling style. It worked to some degree. My wife and I agreed that to home school another year we'd want a more structured online style. And for this, we need a new laptop.

I've done a bit of research on my own, but I'd like some input from others on which systems I should look at and which ones to avoid. I know we're not interested in a Chrome book of any type. We're looking at specifically Windows 10, which I reviewed the specs of just prior to coming here to post. Honestly, I don't agree with their specs at all. I've 6GB and a 1.5Ghz AMD processor. There are times even when I'm not online when my system seems bogged down while it's "Thinking".

Features I'm looking for. At least 1T hard drive. And i3 or i5 Intel processor, video memory that's separated from the on board memory. Also need, not just want a DVD burner. Dual, or Triple band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth as well. In the past, most issues with Windows was throwing more memory at it. This is where I get a bit fuzzy with what's best. There is the issue of diminishing returns, why pay for something if it's not really going to affect the systems performance, right?

So there you have it, I have a general idea what we want, but need some extra input at what I should be looking at. And just important, what brands I should avoid....like the plague (e-machines comes to mind).

Why are you not interested in a chromebook?

Best bet for performance is SSD (the hard drive,) followed by the CPU and then RAM. 4 to 8GB of ram is fine. New core-i3 to i5 should be just fine.

Navy, thanks! I knew I could always count on you and a few others for some solid advice. Heck, if the price is right, I might even need to consider one of those for myself! What was the price like when you looked at these, if you don't mind I ask?

pparks, the last year my daughter went to a school, they loaned every student in the entire middle school a Chrome book for the whole school year. Um...my Galaxy S3 had more computing power then these darn Chromebooks!

$382.98

What you described translates to "just about any laptop out there". You're not asking for anything special ... except for the DVD drive. These days you'll need an external drive because they just won't fit inside today's laptops.

Rather than focus on specs, I'd look at quality. If you want something that will last, skip the home/small office section of the sellers' web sites and look at the business laptops. They're more expensive, but they last. The home laptops are crap quality.

jayv2251 said:

Features I'm looking for. At least 1T hard drive. And i3 or i5 Intel processor, video memory that's separated from the on board memory. Also need, not just want a DVD burner. Dual, or Triple band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth as well. In the past, most issues with Windows was throwing more memory at it. This is where I get a bit fuzzy with what's best. There is the issue of diminishing returns, why pay for something if it's not really going to affect the systems performance, right?

So there you have it, I have a general idea what we want, but need some extra input at what I should be looking at. And just important, what brands I should avoid....like the plague (e-machines comes to mind).

Hate to say it but don't discount the Chromebook. My daughter works for the high school she graduated from some 30 years ago and they've changed over to most things Google such as Google Docs. Apparently it's a good way to save cost. The few Chromebooks I've looked at in BestBuy store seem pretty good for the money.