$500 Ultrabook/ Laptop

[flamefire999]

I'm looking for a $500 ultrabook if possible. I want around a 15" screen and an SSD if I can. If the SSD won't fit in the budget could I maybe buy one and install it myself later? And I need this laptop to be light and snappy and the only game I would play on it would be Minecraft on lowest settings or LoL of lowest settings and that would only be when I'm traveling or away from my desktop. I also want a battery life of about 6 hours. I would also like an SD card reader. I don't care what brand as long as it isn't Acer. Remember: the laptop has to be snappy and I will be doing almost no gaming on it. Thanks

 

[ronintexas]

For $500, you are probably only going to find a core i-3 CPU and no GPU (intel graphics) at that price point....SSD (250GB) is about $100 - you may be better off buying one and installing it.... I would also suggest buying a USB SD card reader - they are cheap (less than $20) - and you can use it on any computer.

I have an ASUS laptop - and I love it....here is one that would be at the high end of your budget:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231076

SD Card Reader:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139641&cm_re=sd_card_reader-_-20-139-641-_-Product

 

[viewtyjoe]

You aren't getting all of those things for $500. The price range for a "decent" laptop has shifted up to around the $600-650 range, and most offerings at the magical $500 price point are pretty limited.

 

[flamefire999]

For $500, you are probably only going to find a core i-3 CPU and no GPU (intel graphics) at that price point....SSD (250GB) is about $100 - you may be better off buying one and installing it.... I would also suggest buying a USB SD card reader - they are cheap (less than $20) - and you can use it on any computer.

I have an ASUS laptop - and I love it....here is one that would be at the high end of your budget:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231076

SD Card Reader:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139641&cm_re=sd_card_reader-_-20-139-641-_-Product

I don't need a GPU but the CPU seems a little slow. My current computer has a 3.8 ghz CPU so will it be extremely slow compared? And I decided that I don't really need the SSD in the laptop as I don't even have one in my desktop.

 

[ronintexas]

For $500 - you are going to be really limited....if your budget was $600 - $700, you get a lot more bang for the buck.

BTW - the frequency of the CPU isn't nearly as important as the number of cores, threads, cache, etc.....

 

[flamefire999]

So this laptop will be good enough for running word and firefox with no problem? Because my current laptop can't even run word without freezing and I forgot to mention that I will be using this for school too. I want to buy this laptop either today or tomorrow because I'm sick of trying to do things on my laptop and having it freeze up on me.

 

[ronintexas]

The Core i-3 laptop will run a browser fine and programs like Word or Excel.

 

[cferry322]

I'm looking for a $500 ultrabook if possible. I want around a 15" screen and an SSD if I can. If the SSD won't fit in the budget could I maybe buy one and install it myself later? And I need this laptop to be light and snappy and the only game I would play on it would be Minecraft on lowest settings or LoL of lowest settings and that would only be when I'm traveling or away from my desktop. I also want a battery life of about 6 hours. I would also like an SD card reader. I don't care what brand as long as it isn't Acer. Remember: the laptop has to be snappy and I will be doing almost no gaming on it. Thanks

$729 Avatar AVIU-145A2
http://avatargamingpc.com/laptops-and-tablets/ultrabooks/aviu-145a2.html

$529 Avatar AVIU-143A3 (on Discount)
http://avatargamingpc.com/laptops-and-tablets/laptops/aviu-143a3.html

Windows 8 OS (you can install Win7 if you are tech-saavy/invest time locating drivers)
14" Screen
4GB RAM
1SSD 32GB +500GBHD
Mic-in x1,
Headphone-out x1
RJ-45 x1
DC-in x1
HDMI port x1
VGA x1
USB 2.0 Ports x1
1 USB 2.0&USB 3.0 x1
SD Card Readerx1

I own the AVIU-145A2 - Avatar is bad about answering their support lines, so the only thing is you need to know your shit if you are going with this manufacturer. Other than that fact, and that the SSD is a little too small (you can make it work, but its tight) its a slick computer. Dont know much about the model 143A3, it has a review on their website. If you are trying to set up your OS on SSD + other data on Hard Drive, make sure you know what you are doing (get Win7 Key, be able to go into command line and rewire the harddrives so they operate separately). This was a pain, but its really slick when you have it working, good specs for $529 IMO.

As a side note, I am also looking at laptops right now - and I feel like there was better value with last year's models. Might be a good time to be patient, wait for new technology (new CPU chips) to start hitting the market you might see price drop and be able to grab good value when distributors need to move inventory.