Looking to buy the best laptop for a decent price

[Boverton15]

I am looking at a laptop on Amazon to purchase and I just want some advice with this specific one and whether it is worth the buy or not. I will not be using it heavy, I am a college student (and mom) but  I just one that will do the basic necessities (microsoft word, excel, powerpoint). I will include the link to the amazon site I would appreciate it if someone who is more knowledgeable could take a look and give me some feed back. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EMWKFEC/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_17?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2GYMX5OBKGV1...

[Huffer]

Very tempting low price, but here is where you would not be happy. 

I am not a fan of AMD laptops. Maybe the higher end AMD processors could be OK, but this is an A6....they go up to A12. 

2 ghz on a low to middle AMD is about like 1.2 on an Intel and is just not going to give you the peformance you are going to need. 

Add in 4 gigs RAM...you need 8 to run Windows 10 well

5400 rpm hard drive is also a low end slow poke component that will make everything run slow. Slow processor, low memory and slow hard drive. 1366 x 768 screen is also going to be less than ideal.

I know it is easy to say and hard to do but scrape together more like $500 and get a laptop with at least an Intel i3 processor, at least 8 gigs RAM and at least a solid state drive. You do not need 500 gigs of storage even a 128 gig SSD will be plenty if you learn how to use cloud storage. 

If you really only have $260 to spend then maybe we can find you a lightly used model with better specs. I would rather see you have a used Mercedes with 40,000 miles than the equivalent of a new Kia Rio. 

I know this is an HP Forum but something like this would be like a used Mercedes Benz:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0733H5YZY/ref=s9_acsd_newrz_hd_bw_bFASmNn_c_x_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX...

Same here but an HP platform:

https://www.amazon.com/HP-EliteBook-8470p-Business-Notebook/dp/B009PHTD8Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qi...

Post back with any more questions

[Boverton15]

Thank you so much for that information! I am not much of a expert when it comes to buying a laptop my HP recently went out and they repair guy said it was the "motherboard" so I I am on a hunt for a new one. Although I like those you suggested they look a bit old fashioned, I have more than 260 I was just looking for the better bang for my buck if you know what I mean lol.

[Huffer]

What is your budget? I love the Thinkpads and the HP business models you give up a lot of ruggedness to have pretty, you know. Either the Thinkpad or the HP Elitebook will survive where the dainty little newer models would get broken. 

Maybe something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/HP-Notebook-15-ay011nr-15-6-Inch-Processor/dp/B01CGGOZOM/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=U...

[Boverton15]

I LOVE that one!!!!! Exactly what I been looking for! Are there any flaws as far as battery life and what not? I guess it also doesn't HAVE to be on Amazon I just like their prime shipping lol

[Huffer · Accepted solution]

amazon actually has the best search tool to limit it to the specs and such that you need and as you know their shipping fulfillment rocks. No as you can see I hang out here a fair amount and am familar with that model. No such issues. It is thin and pretty and that means the battery has to be internal but this model has not been the subject of any battery life complaints I have seen (figure about 4-5 hours I would say even though 7 is advertised) and at $529 or $540 you are getting a lot of laptop for your money. Big beautiful high res screen, plenty of processor power and memory. The only thing is no solid state drive but I think the other features will make up for it. 

[Huffer]

I guess the battery is not internal which is a plus...easy to replace in 2 or 3 years when you need a new one. Enjoy. 

If you want to add more RAM or a solid state drive in a few months post back and we can walk you through that. 

[Boverton15]

Thank you so much I really appreciate it!