Help with purchasing a laptop?

[Angelboy863 21]

I would like to buy a laptop, soon.

My family's home desktop is very slow and everyone always goes on it and I would like a personal computer with only my things on it.

I'm very specific in what I want because there are many factors,

I want the laptop to run pretty quickly just not slow. Our desktop is probably 6 to 7 years old now.. So nothing like that lol

I want it to have pretty good memory considering I will be using programs like iTunes, adobe, pro tools, audacity etc. Im not going to be playing games on it.

I want it to be able to be used for my recording studio, so it should have good memory/speed, USB ports, headphone jack must not be cheaply made for they will be used alot.

Basically I want the laptop to be able to do the programs listed above and not be slow, be able to surf the web like this forum and Facebook or YouTube, good.

I dont really care about battery life, style, built in speaker, or other fancy stuff lol. I just what it to do what I listed above. It should be able to play audio CDs and burn CDs but that's not a requirement.

I have NO knowledge about computers and laptops so I do not know what to buy or where to buy from. I'm hoping you guys that know your stuff can help me out.

My budget is at most $500 but let me know what seems fair. I've looked on amazon and found a nice Acer for around $500 and it seems right but I just don't know. Can you guys help me out?

Thanks. I really appreciate it.

Edited July 4, 2011 by Angelboy863

[Angelboy863 21]

I know it's pretty late and most of you guys are asleep but I would really appreciate it if this problem gets solved oh and happy 4th of July!!!

[ricksi30 923]

I know it's pretty late and most of you guys are asleep but I would really appreciate it if this problem gets solved oh and happy 4th of July!!!

Pretty much any computer you choose will fit your needs. In your price range acer is a very good choice. Nothing you listed would suggest you would need any kind of upgraded video card, so I would try to find an acer with as much RAM as possible. Also make sure it has a dual core processor (AMD or Intel). In my opinion hard drive size isn't too important because you can grab TB hard drives for 50-75 dollars.

[djjdnap 78]

i got an acer 5552-5898

AMD phenom 2 x3 (triple core)

500gb

4gb ddr3 memory

it does have an HDMI out

454$

reviews

http://www.zdnet.com/reviews/product/laptops/acer-aspire-5552-5898-phenom-ii-n830-21-ghz-156-tft/34422304

prices

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=acer+5552-5898&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4383407679083702156&sa=X&ei=xHYRTpTYKYXZgAflqbX_DQ&ved=0CC0Q8wIwAA

[Angelboy863 21]

Thanks guys! And damn I think that acer is the exact same one I'm looking at! Thanks for clarifying all that info. Appreciate it.

[burko 6]

Staples is having a sale on laptops right now, I would look into something like this

That is just one of the many they have available! You can view a whole list here. Good luck!

[Angelboy863 21]

Thanks burko!

[Angelboy863 21]

what do you guys think about this laptop? it has dual-core processor at 3.0Ghz which i believe is good? lol. are the hp laptops good as well?

http://www.staples.com/HP-Pavilion-dv6-3210us-15.6-Laptop/product_918208

[Shogen 325]

so you're not sharing this laptop with the family right? cuz then any laptop is shit for that...

But I am partial to Lenovo .... always have good build quality... Asus/Acer/Samsung are great buys as well... I would kinda stay away from HP only cuz I've done way too many "thermal paste" fixes on their units...

[Angelboy863 21]

so you're not sharing this laptop with the family right? cuz then any laptop is shit for that...

But I am partial to Lenovo .... always have good build quality... Asus/Acer/Samsung are great buys as well... I would kinda stay away from HP only cuz I've done way too many "thermal paste" fixes on their units...

Yes this laptop would only be for me. Oh yeah i've read reviews with people complaining about how the hp's always get heated up.. i guess i'll stick with acer because I found one that i liked but whats the purpose of the processor? And why would I need a dual-core or higher? thanks.

[Shogen 325]

dual core is like a basic standard now... If you don't go dual then you'd be wasting $500... CPU or processor is what basically controls and handles all the requests you put through to the laptop... whether it's open the internet, run adobe, type in your password and even boot up the machine...

[Angelboy863 21]

dual core is like a basic standard now... If you don't go dual then you'd be wasting $500... CPU or processor is what basically controls and handles all the requests you put through to the laptop... whether it's open the internet, run adobe, type in your password and even boot up the machine...

ok thanks. so dual core is standard..

this is the acer that im looking at and really plan on buying, can you guys let me know if this seems ok? it has dual core, great reviews, plus my friend has one and he loves it. thanks guys? im pretty much waiting on your reviews whether i should buy this or not lol

[Shogen 325]

is it the one you linked b4???

[Angelboy863 21]

oh im sorry i thought i posted the link lol no its this one

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-AS5551-4937-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B003LL1UJ0/ref=sr_1_14?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1309803522&sr=1-14

[Shogen 325]

taken from the first review

-"I will say right off the bat that this laptop has a great video card, but a low quality sound card. So if you do audio/video editing and not a lot of gaming, I would go with something else. If your a gamer though, this has unbeatable graphics for the -$600 price range. "

aren't you specifically looking for something to record audio ????

honestly though I would let that stop me.. I'd use an external/USB sound for recording into a laptop anyway...

[Angelboy863 21]

taken from the first review

-"I will say right off the bat that this laptop has a great video card, but a low quality sound card. So if you do audio/video editing and not a lot of gaming, I would go with something else. If your a gamer though, this has unbeatable graphics for the -$600 price range. "

aren't you specifically looking for something to record audio ????

honestly though I would let that stop me.. I'd use an external/USB sound for recording into a laptop anyway...

i have a aftermarket sound card already that can be hooked up to the laptop so the laptop sound card wouldnt matter, i believe lol.... thats what i always thought, i believe its the same thing, i have a audio interface, isnt the purpose of the audio interface is so we dont have to mess with the sound card on the laptop? I'm not sure but i believe that is what it is for

[Shogen 325]

yes, that is correct... you'd be using that external one... then I'd give the Acer a vote...

[Angelboy863 21]

yes, that is correct... you'd be using that external one... then I'd give the Acer a vote...