Laptop recommendations under $500 w/ optical drive

[wiipros]

So the title says it all.

I'm looking for the cheapest laptop possible for my father to carry with him on business and can use Dragon speech recognition software on. Other then that, he would only need basic word processing and light internet browsing.

The main kicker is he needs an optical drive because he will be outside of internet service for long periods of time and won't be able to download software.

I'm hoping to find something under $500. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[jaguarskx]

Here are two options:

15.6" Lenovo Flex 2 for $490. When put in presentation mode it can be used to provide presentations or make it easier to relax and watch a movie since it brings the screen closer to his eyes. It uses a current 4th generation Core i3 CPU.

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Touch-Screen-Laptop-59425111/dp/B00MTB47X4/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1413834528&sr=1-6&keywords=lenovo+flex+2


14" Dell Inspiron for $430. It is a standard laptop, but it uses the 3rd generation Intel Core i3 CPU. There is not much performance difference between the 3rd & 4th gen CPUs. The main selling point of the 4th gen uses a little less power and the integrated graphics is about 20% more powerful. There is no impact when using Dragon.

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-14-1-Inch-Touchscreen-Ultrabook-i14RMT-7222sLV/dp/B00KH7NNAU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=08016F0XRM3Y8762D2GF