[erg993]

I'm in need of a new laptop. I don't need it for running any serious programs, mostly school stuff, internet browsing, and music. I'm by no means computer-savvy, so I'd like to avoid the "just build one, it's easy" option. For the same reason, I want something with user-friendly software. I want something with good battery life so I can use it in school. Google says the Chromebook can get up to 6.5 hours of battery life, but it's nearly always connected to the internet, so I'm a bit skeptical about that claim.

What do you guys think?

[REDCOBRA]

I had a HP laptop that came with a battery extension , it was a 17" and it worked from 8 am to the end of the school day . You might want to check out those.

[TK-421]

Meh, I looked it up, it doesn't seem that great. I'd rather have Windows than Google's OS. I'm not a fan of Chrome, their browser, so I doubt I'd be fond of an entire Google OS. And the 6.5 hours claim is probably based upon the lowest possible settings, with the dimmest screen, which is something you'll probably never use. Just get a decent Dell or Toshiba, or some other tried and true brand.

[Pakistani]

i dont know what kind of budget you're working with but a macbook air or a 13" macbook pro will have insane battery life.
It's a great laptop for school because you're going to be carrying it around all day. regardless of if you get a mac or not, make sure you also look for a light laptop.
i spent 4 years at a college with a huge campus, and let me tell you, for those days when you're walking back and forth to classes/dorms/etc all day, you're going to hate yourself for not getting the lightest possible laptop.

This post has been edited by Pakistani: 13 December 2012 - 04:47 AM

[Stix]

I never understood why anyone would want to bring a laptop to and from classes. That's just silly, tried it for a year and stopped and started using notebooks. Much more efficient IMO. And prevents you from aimlessly surfing the web.

[Blade of grass]

I was actually just looking at that earlier tonight, and it looks cool.
But I think something like a tablet would be better.

[TacticlTwinkie]

All they do is surf the web. You cant install any programs on it. You're better off elsewhere.

[Pakistani]

Blade of grass, on 13 December 2012 - 08:17 PM, said:

I was actually just looking at that earlier tonight, and it looks cool.
But I think something like a tablet would be better.

a tablet is great if you have a computer you can do more intensive things on. I love my ipad, but i wouldn't want that to be my only computer for college. it would be great for taking notes though.

[Blade of grass]

TacticlTwinkie, on 13 December 2012 - 08:20 PM, said:

All they do is surf the web. You cant install any programs on it. You're better off elsewhere.

Yes you can, no one really supports it, but you can.

[TacticlTwinkie]

Blade of grass, on 14 December 2012 - 07:21 AM, said:

TacticlTwinkie, on 13 December 2012 - 08:20 PM, said:

All they do is surf the web. You cant install any programs on it. You're better off elsewhere.

Yes you can, no one really supports it, but you can.

Well you could, but there's next to nothing for it. No games, you can't put office on it, and such. It really is, and google admits it, it's just for surfing the web.

[Stix]

TacticlTwinkie, on 14 December 2012 - 02:28 PM, said:

Blade of grass, on 14 December 2012 - 07:21 AM, said:

TacticlTwinkie, on 13 December 2012 - 08:20 PM, said:

All they do is surf the web. You cant install any programs on it. You're better off elsewhere.

Yes you can, no one really supports it, but you can.

Well you could, but there's next to nothing for it. No games, you can't put office on it, and such. It really is, and google admits it, it's just for surfing the web.

No office? You don't need Office, it has Google Docs/Drive built right in. Same shit.

[TK-421]

Stix, on 14 December 2012 - 02:45 PM, said:

TacticlTwinkie, on 14 December 2012 - 02:28 PM, said:

Blade of grass, on 14 December 2012 - 07:21 AM, said:

TacticlTwinkie, on 13 December 2012 - 08:20 PM, said:

All they do is surf the web. You cant install any programs on it. You're better off elsewhere.

Yes you can, no one really supports it, but you can.

Well you could, but there's next to nothing for it. No games, you can't put office on it, and such. It really is, and google admits it, it's just for surfing the web.

No office? You don't need Office, it has Google Docs/Drive built right in. Same shit.

Does Steam work on it?

[Blade of grass]

TK-421, on 14 December 2012 - 02:50 PM, said:

Stix, on 14 December 2012 - 02:45 PM, said:

TacticlTwinkie, on 14 December 2012 - 02:28 PM, said:

Blade of grass, on 14 December 2012 - 07:21 AM, said:

TacticlTwinkie, on 13 December 2012 - 08:20 PM, said:

All they do is surf the web. You cant install any programs on it. You're better off elsewhere.

Yes you can, no one really supports it, but you can.

Well you could, but there's next to nothing for it. No games, you can't put office on it, and such. It really is, and google admits it, it's just for surfing the web.

No office? You don't need Office, it has Google Docs/Drive built right in. Same shit.

Does Steam work on it?

It built for student/office use.

[TK-421]

Blade of grass, on 14 December 2012 - 03:52 PM, said:

It built for student/office use.

Hence why it's junk. I'll gladly take a regular Windows based laptop any day, over a Chromebook. If you want good battery life, get an extended battery for your laptop.

[TacticlTwinkie]

TK-421, on 14 December 2012 - 02:50 PM, said:

Stix, on 14 December 2012 - 02:45 PM, said:

TacticlTwinkie, on 14 December 2012 - 02:28 PM, said:

Blade of grass, on 14 December 2012 - 07:21 AM, said:

TacticlTwinkie, on 13 December 2012 - 08:20 PM, said:

All they do is surf the web. You cant install any programs on it. You're better off elsewhere.

Yes you can, no one really supports it, but you can.

Well you could, but there's next to nothing for it. No games, you can't put office on it, and such. It really is, and google admits it, it's just for surfing the web.

No office? You don't need Office, it has Google Docs/Drive built right in. Same shit.

Does Steam work on it?

No

[Lotus]

I bought an ASUS netbook and I'm a big fan of it. Chromebooks run on a Linux based OS, so you're very limited to what software you can install. The problem with netbooks is that they don't even make them like the one I got. 2 years ago, which was decent for the time. Nowadays my 2 year old netbook is one of the best until you get to Ultrabooks, which have completely cannibalized the segment except they're expensive as opposed to cheap. AFAIK you'll have to go to a 12" EEE PC to really find what you want, which is an AMD based C-50 CPU/GPU combo at least, probably an E-450 if you really want to like on the ASUS 1225B, which is the only netbook I'd touch these days and it's still a bit expensive. Avoid Atom Processors, all except the highest grade are single core pieces of shit with a shit on-board GPU.

This post has been edited by Lotus: 17 December 2012 - 05:14 PM

[Blade of grass]

If your looking for a laptop with good battery life, mostly anything less than 15.6" will be good.

[PbGoods]

I was fortunate to be sent Google beta Chromebook known as the CR48. I absolutely love the device and for a beta device, that battery lasts forever (forever as in 6 hours).

Chromebooks are perfect computer if all you need it for is browsing the web, writing documents, basic image editing, watching videos, listening to music, etc. Whatever is available in the Chrome Store can be installed on a Chromebook.

[PandasEverywhere]

I wouldn't get a chromebook, it is a glorified internet surfing device. If you actually need a computer for college look at some of the new ultrabooks, they go anywhere from $450-$1250. This is what you should look for in a laptop:
Processor: i3 minimum, preferably an i5, i7, a8, a10. (not in that order)
RAM: 4gb or more
Hard Drive: 500gb or more
There are quit a few PC's on newegg and tiger direct I would recommend.

This post has been edited by PandasEverywhere: 05 March 2013 - 07:10 PM

[stefan_rj]

Watch this:



The Chromebook is for if you do EVERYTHING in a browser. It's a physical Google Chrome Browser.