Choosing a New Laptop

[powerkiteman1]

Hey guys,


I'm finding a good computer for my mom to replace her old Macbook Pro. It's slowed down a lot and is really heavy and HOT. She needs something that is slim, durable, lightweight, and has a good battery life.

I've got a desktop that I've built and it's killer, I know you get way more bang for your buck out of a PC vs a Mac. The budget is $1500 at most. I plan to run Windows 7 on hers solely because it's the most similar interface to Mac Os X. I personally find windows 8 difficult to navigate, and it would be impossible for her to...

Basically she will be doing lots a powerpoints, web searching, video presentations, etc.. That of a normal business person using a computer.

The only criteria that I've been given is that it needs to be around 13-15 inch screen, long battery life, and LIGHTWEIGHT. That's the main thing, and I think the rest will fall into place. Good screen display too, and an SSD would be nice around 256gb, or a normal 500gb hard drive.


Thanks guys,

Mathew

 

[powerkiteman1]

Anyone?

 

[03321]

I'd first like to say that while I would have no intention of buying a Mac for myself, I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that you should push your mother away from one. If she is already comfortable with Mac OS, she may want to stick with what she knows. You could get a Macbook Pro with 8GB RAM, a 2.6GHz Core i5, and 256GB PCIe flash storage (same thing as an SSD basically) for $1500.

Also, Windows 7 is becoming harder to find already installed on new laptops. Along these lines, while I have heard about the negatives of Windows 8, I have also heard that much of this has been resolved with Windows 8.1. You may want to look into that a bit to save yourself some trouble.

If you're set on a Windows 7 laptop that is lightweight with an SSD, here is one option: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314543

Acer TravelMate P TMP645-M-7832 - $1126.99
1.8GHz Intel Core i7 4500U
8GB RAM
256GB SSD
14" screen, 3.31 lbs, .8" thickness

Not sure what you have to go through, if anything, for the mentioned "Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit (available through downgrade rights from Windows 8 Pro)." The Core i7 naming is a bit misleading here, as the processor is a hyper-threaded dual-core. Its performance will not be what you would expect from a Core i7, but the power consumption will be quite low leading to less heat and a longer battery life. Unfortunately, I think the battery in this laptop may be a bit weak as well, though it does still claim up to 8 hours of battery life. The sacrifices of having a 3 lb laptop I suppose. Also, I'm not certain of the quality of Acer.

I'm sure there are other options but hopefully this helps narrow things down for you a bit.