Looking for a low budget laptop for Fiance

[cr3ighton]

Need a cheap laptop that can basically deal with photos and internet, but at the same time not be dirt cheap (extremely slow, overheat easily).

Thank you for your help.

 

[hang-the-9]

Take a look at this one https://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-E403SA-US21-Quad-Core-Processor-Metallic/dp/B01B9APNG0
This looks to be the same but is sold by Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LWY7U8G/ref=pd_sbs_147_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=GY5MA1YPRYMSYD6EJ145

Fast hard drive, AC wireless, USB type C, 1080 screen. CPU is not the fastest but will handle basic use just fine.

 

[jaguarskx]

^^^

To be clear, that laptop does not have a hard drive. It has eMMC storage (embedded multimedia card) that is soldered into the laptop's motherboard which means it cannot be upgraded. It is similar to a SSD in that it is completely solid state with no mechanical moving parts. The performance of eMMC is better than a typical hard drive, but it is nowhere near the performance of an average SSD.

A laptop with a SSD can generally boot into the login screen within 15 seconds. A laptop with a hard drive can generally get to the login screen in about 45 - 60 seconds. For eMMC, it might take around 30 seconds.

=================================


An alternative solution is the following Acer laptop with a Core i3-7100u, Intel HD 620, 1080p screen, backlit keyboard and a 1TB hard drive for $330.

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i3-7100U-Windows-E5-575-33BM/dp/B01K1IO3QW/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1479481698&sr=1-1&keywords=i3-7100u

The dual core i3-7100 us a lot more powerful than the Intel Quad-Core N3700 Processor which is an Intel Atom series CPU with low power consumption, but also low performance. These are the types of Intel CPUs found in tablet.

The hard drive will make laptop feel sluggish compared to a laptop with a SSD. But you can always replace the hard with a SSD such as the following Crucial 525GB SSD for $123 which brings the cost up to a total of $453.

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX300-525GB-Internal-Solid/dp/B01IAGSD68/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1479482095&sr=1-1&keywords=512gb+ssd


You will need to clone the hard drive to the SSD to get Windows on to the SSD. It should come with cloning software, but there are free software that you can download to do the cloning process.

However, you will need to purchase a USB to SATA III cable like the one linked below to connect the blank SSD to the laptop so that you can actually clone the hard drive to the SSD.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=pd_sim_147_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00HJZJI84&pd_rd_r=W8MB606QSFQE7ZFZDN06&pd_rd_w=sFGiD&pd_rd_wg=D5gki&psc=1&refRID=W8MB606QSFQE7ZFZDN06


Probably the best advice I can give is to buy the laptop 1st. If your fiance likes the laptop overall, but would like to make it more responsive, then buy the SSD and the cable adapter. If he doesn't like it, then send the laptop back for a refund.

 

[GreyCatz]

^^^

To be clear, that laptop does not have a hard drive. It has eMMC storage (embedded multimedia card) that is soldered into the laptop's motherboard which means it cannot be upgraded. It is similar to a SSD in that it is completely solid state with no mechanical moving parts. The performance of eMMC is better than a typical hard drive, but it is nowhere near the performance of an average SSD.

A laptop with a SSD can generally boot into the login screen within 15 seconds. A laptop with a hard drive can generally get to the login screen in about 45 - 60 seconds. For eMMC, it might take around 30 seconds.

=================================


An alternative solution is the following Acer laptop with a Core i3-7100u, Intel HD 620, 1080p screen, backlit keyboard and a 1TB hard drive for $330.

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i3-7100U-Windows-E5-575-33BM/dp/B01K1IO3QW/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1479481698&sr=1-1&keywords=i3-7100u

The dual core i3-7100 us a lot more powerful than the Intel Quad-Core N3700 Processor which is an Intel Atom series CPU with low power consumption, but also low performance. These are the types of Intel CPUs found in tablet.

The hard drive will make laptop feel sluggish compared to a laptop with a SSD. But you can always replace the hard with a SSD such as the following Crucial 525GB SSD for $123 which brings the cost up to a total of $453.

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX300-525GB-Internal-Solid/dp/B01IAGSD68/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1479482095&sr=1-1&keywords=512gb+ssd


You will need to clone the hard drive to the SSD to get Windows on to the SSD. It should come with cloning software, but there are free software that you can download to do the cloning process.

However, you will need to purchase a USB to SATA III cable like the one linked below to connect the blank SSD to the laptop so that you can actually clone the hard drive to the SSD.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=pd_sim_147_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00HJZJI84&pd_rd_r=W8MB606QSFQE7ZFZDN06&pd_rd_w=sFGiD&pd_rd_wg=D5gki&psc=1&refRID=W8MB606QSFQE7ZFZDN06


Probably the best advice I can give is to buy the laptop 1st. If your fiance likes the laptop overall, but would like to make it more responsive, then buy the SSD and the cable adapter. If he doesn't like it, then send the laptop back for a refund.

I'm pretty sure the fiancé is a 'she'.... (ahem).

 

[jaguarskx]

I'm pretty sure the fiancé is a 'she'.... (ahem).

Click the following link for the definition of the word "fiance":
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiance


Click the following link for the definition of the word "fiancee":
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiancee

 

[GreyCatz]

I'm pretty sure the fiancé is a 'she'.... (ahem).

Click the following link for the definition of the word "fiance":
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiance


Click the following link for the definition of the word "fiancee":
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiancee

I know the difference, but still....

Edit: I didn't mean to pick a fight - I just couldn't help smiling.