Buying Laptop Advice

[G35CO]

I’m buying laptop for my daughter and need advice from people that understand this stuff :lol:

She’s looking for small laptop around 14” screen size with touch option. So far I found 2 laptops for the same price that she like and I can’t decide which one will be a better choice.

1st laptop model HP 14-f023cl http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&docname=c03817794

2nd laptop model dv4-5243cl http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&docname=c03715747

Both cost $600. Let me know what you think and if you recommend different laptop for the same price. Thanks!

[Generic]

What are your goals and her goals with the laptop? Any specific requirements you need to meet, like does the assumed school require Windows vs. OSX. Why touch?

Just glancing at specs, the one with the Intel Core i5 will be significantly faster for anything that requires the laptop to really work, like photo or video editing.

[G35CO]

I’m looking for good and fast laptop she can use at school during high school years. The school use Mac but they allow Windows. Touch is because she likes it.

[Generic]

Well if she wants touch, that does rule out any of the Apple products. Of those two you've listed, the second with the i5 is the better option. I'd look at the Lenovo options, check slickdeals.net because if you can be patient you can find a smoking deal one a really nice laptop.

[G35CO]

I looked at Apple but they are pricey. How reliable are the touch screen laptop compare to no touch? Do you recommend buying HP or Dell laptop?

[Generic]

I looked at Apple but they are pricey. How reliable are the touch screen laptop compare to no touch? Do you recommend buying HP or Dell laptop?

Pricey, but they work, a 3 yr old Macbook is going to keep working well, while a 3yr old Windows laptop is going to be a dog without an OS re-install.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the HPs from a usage or support perspective, I find them cluttered and loaded with gimmicky buttons. I much prefer the Dell Business lineup (Latitudes) or the Lenovos. We run these at work and I really like them from a feature, functionality and support perspective - http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/latitude-6430u-ultrabook/pd However that is over your budget.

Touch vs. no touch adds to the cost for sure. Also it's one more piece to fail (though unlikely) and frankly a lot of programs aren't touch enabled. Office 2013 on Windows 8 is incredibly difficult to use in a touch environment. If it's for watching Netflix and typing homework, I'd forgo the touch personally.
I don't have a good answer for a $600 laptop currently, sorry.

[G35CO]

Thank you for all your help!!

[Richie-Rich]

Your second option is a touch pad not screen. Your first option seams like a good deal! Where did you find it for $600? I only found for $700 on ebay. 8gb ram is a lot for that price, granted you don't need more than 6gb if your not gaming. Improving upon those specs the next best upgrade would be running the OS on a Solid State Drive (SSD) Also to note it dosn't have a dvd or cd drive but with the digital age that may not be a problem unless you need cd only software, in that case you can buy an external.

[G35CO]

Your second option is a touch pad not screen. Your first option seams like a good deal! Where did you find it for $600? I only found for $700 on ebay. 8gb ram is a lot for that price, granted you don't need more than 6gb if your not gaming. Improving upon those specs the next best upgrade would be running the OS on a Solid State Drive (SSD) Also to note it dosn't have a dvd or cd drive but with the digital age that may not be a problem unless you need cd only software, in that case you can buy an external.

Found both at Costco. Thanks for pointing out the touch pad. I hate shopping.

[3point5]

I like i5 processor in number two but I would check to see how much ram you can stuff in the laptop, 6mb is probably plenty for anything she wants to do but you never know in the future. I run a i7 in my 2011 macbook and I just upgraded to 16gb(the max) to run autocad - which was $140, so not too expensive. Both harddrives will be plenty too (unless she has a ton of music, videos, pictures, etc.) but I think either will outlast the life of the laptop. I also like that number two has 1/3rd more battery life capacity…always a plus, especially on a airplane.

and number two has a subwoofer? wtf? where was this computer when I was in school!!

[laspariahs]

I'd get a thinkpad. The Hp touchsmart has a AMD processor, probably a APU, anyways, it will have pretty horrible battery life compared to the i5 in the Envy.