OT Laptop

[Just-a-Mom]

I want to buy a laptop for my older cp for Christmas, but I have no clue what to look for, where to look, etc. I'm severely technology challenged when it comes to buying this stuff.

Here's the facts:
She's 19 and starting college this winter.
Her major is graphic design.
She's *very* destructive with laptops - she drops them, spills soda on them, etc.
She'll be using it for school, but she also listens to a ton of music and watches movies on the one she has now.

I really want to stay less than $500 (I know...thats low, but it's what I'm working with!) because I know she's going to break it, and really because quite frankly I'm poor and on a budget (and have to also buy a $1000 dress for dance for her sister the same month).

So... should I get a tablet? A laptop? Brand that's inexpensive but decent? Is it possible to find anything that cheap?

She has one now, but it's 3 years old, missing 3 keys, and tiny. So anything will be an upgrade. If she does well with this one, I can get her a nicer one down the road. I just want her to start classes with something new, that's not a hand me down.

Help.

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[Cheermom1969]

I'll be watching this thread closely since my cp wants one for her birthday.

 

[amy1k]

*also watching*


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[Bellafrickinboo]

I want to buy a laptop for my older cp for Christmas, but I have no clue what to look for, where to look, etc. I'm severely technology challenged when it comes to buying this stuff.

Here's the facts:
She's 19 and starting college this winter.
Her major is graphic design.
She's *very* destructive with laptops - she drops them, spills soda on them, etc.
She'll be using it for school, but she also listens to a ton of music and watches movies on the one she has now.

I really want to stay less than $500 (I know...thats low, but it's what I'm working with!) because I know she's going to break it, and really because quite frankly I'm poor and on a budget (and have to also buy a $1000 dress for dance for her sister the same month).

So... should I get a tablet? A laptop? Brand that's inexpensive but decent? Is it possible to find anything that cheap?

She has one now, but it's 3 years old, missing 3 keys, and tiny. So anything will be an upgrade. If she does well with this one, I can get her a nicer one down the road. I just want her to start classes with something new, that's not a hand me down.

Help.

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In a perfect world were money wasn't a problem, I would instantly recommend a MacBook. They are perfect for graphic design.
Though maybe you could give her a 'promise note' for the new Macbook air and give it to her later? Or you say that you are willing to pay for a certain percentage of the laptop and she will have to pay the rest.
As macbooks a pretty expensive, at about 1000 Dollars. But even though it's pricey, it is definitley worth it.
(Even if she's destructive with laptops, maybe she would take really good care of it, knowing that it cost alot and that she had to help pay for it.)

 

[SoAena]

I want to buy a laptop for my older cp for Christmas, but I have no clue what to look for, where to look, etc. I'm severely technology challenged when it comes to buying this stuff.

Here's the facts:
She's 19 and starting college this winter.
Her major is graphic design.
She's *very* destructive with laptops - she drops them, spills soda on them, etc.
She'll be using it for school, but she also listens to a ton of music and watches movies on the one she has now.

I really want to stay less than $500 (I know...thats low, but it's what I'm working with!) because I know she's going to break it, and really because quite frankly I'm poor and on a budget (and have to also buy a $1000 dress for dance for her sister the same month).

So... should I get a tablet? A laptop? Brand that's inexpensive but decent? Is it possible to find anything that cheap?

She has one now, but it's 3 years old, missing 3 keys, and tiny. So anything will be an upgrade. If she does well with this one, I can get her a nicer one down the road. I just want her to start classes with something new, that's not a hand me down.

Help.

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I don't know about the US, but in France, you can definitely can a new laptop for less than $500 ! It won't be state of the art, but probably enough for classes, music and movies. I hope you find something nice and cheap, I wish I could be a little more helpful but electronics in a foreign country are not my specialty though

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

As lovely and shiny and mesmerizing as MacBooks are, their prices are outrageous and not good for anyone on a budget. The best thing (sarcasm) about Macs are they are the same exact computer as any Dell, HP, etc just with a different case and a different OS. You can also get about 3 decent computers for the price of one MacBook. :banghead:

I am a graphic design major too and I don't have a Mac. I have an Asus laptop. Off the top of my head, I can't tell you what make or model, but I love it. I can tell you what it is when I get back from classes. Before that, I had a Samsung computer that is currently discontinued and it worked just as well as any ol' Mac. It would've lasted a lot longer had it not been for the darn dorm fire, so that's fun...

I think my Asus cost around $700-$800. Even though that sounds pretty steep, my computer is fairly high powered and fits all my needs as far as my programs go. It keeps up with everything I'm doing and runs at a great speed. Theres hardly ever any lagging or down time when I use the design programs on it. It meets all of my expectations. It's also durable as heck. I'm not reckless with my computer but I'm not altogether careful either. It gets shoved into my backpack, books thrown on top of it, gets banged around, etc. Takes quite a beating from everyday normal college life and has stood up to the tests it endures. (Poor baby). My mom and friend both have Asus laptops and both computers are going strong after about 5 years of use so I'm hoping to get the same out of mine.

Because Graphic Design programs (like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc) take a lot of power, it wouldn't be too bad of an idea to look into laptops that are good for gaming because they will have higher processors and better graphic cards. As far as keeping costs down, you have a few opportunities you can take advantage of. Christmas sales will be going into action soon and Black Friday/ Cyber Monday is less than a month away. Those would be perfect chances to get a decent laptop at a good price. Also, many places have student discounts so since she is a college student, she/ you could get lucky with that.

 

[Ashley]

As lovely and shiny and mesmerizing as MacBooks are, their prices are outrageous and not good for anyone on a budget. The best thing (sarcasm) about Macs are they are the same exact computer as any Dell, HP, etc just with a different case and a different OS. You can also get about 3 decent computers for the price of one MacBook. :banghead:

I am a graphic design major too and I don't have a Mac. I have an Asus laptop. Off the top of my head, I can't tell you what make or model, but I love it. I can tell you what it is when I get back from classes. Before that, I had a Samsung computer that is currently discontinued and it worked just as well as any ol' Mac. It would've lasted a lot longer had it not been for the darn dorm fire, so that's fun...

I think my Asus cost around $700-$800. Even though that sounds pretty steep, my computer is fairly high powered and fits all my needs as far as my programs go. It keeps up with everything I'm doing and runs at a great speed. Theres hardly ever any lagging or down time when I use the design programs on it. It meets all of my expectations. It's also durable as heck. I'm not reckless with my computer but I'm not altogether careful either. It gets shoved into my backpack, books thrown on top of it, gets banged around, etc. Takes quite a beating from everyday normal college life and has stood up to the tests it endures. (Poor baby). My mom and friend both have Asus laptops and both computers are going strong after about 5 years of use so I'm hoping to get the same out of mine.

Because Graphic Design programs (like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc) take a lot of power, it wouldn't be too bad of an idea to look into laptops that are good for gaming because they will have higher processors and better graphic cards. As far as keeping costs down, you have a few opportunities you can take advantage of. Christmas sales will be going into action soon and Black Friday/ Cyber Monday is less than a month away. Those would be perfect chances to get a decent laptop at a good price. Also, many places have student discounts so since she is a college student, she/ you could get lucky with that.

Definitely try and push the RAM, and processor. Unless you're playing video games or doing video work, I don't think you need to really worry about the graphics card that much.

 

[BuegeSmalls]

I might be majoring in graphic design and I got the Dell XPS 15z since my dad was very anti-Mac. I love it and have had no problems with it. The fan can run pretty loud sometimes when I have a bunch of things open (like having Photoshop, Neflix, Facebook, iTunes, Fierceboard and school stuff open at the same time) but it doesn't really bother me much. It was about $1000 once we got all the accessories (printer, Microsoft Office stuff) and with shipping. I can't remember the original price of the computer by it's self (sorry!) but there was a smaller one (14 inches) which was cheaper. It's very light so it's easy to carry around

 

[Just-a-Mom]

In a perfect world were money wasn't a problem, I would instantly recommend a MacBook. They are perfect for graphic design.
Though maybe you could give her a 'promise note' for the new Macbook air and give it to her later? Or you say that you are willing to pay for a certain percentage of the laptop and she will have to pay the rest.
As macbooks a pretty expensive, at about 1000 Dollars. But even though it's pricey, it is definitley worth it.
(Even if she's destructive with laptops, maybe she would take really good care of it, knowing that it cost alot and that she had to help pay for it.)

If anyone in this house is getting a MacBook it sure as all get out ain't gonna be someone without a job to pay for it. Lol But in all seriousness, it's not that I don't want to spend $1000. I physically don't HAVE $1,000. I need a new computer for me too, and I've only been at my job for a month. Budget around here is tiiiiiiiiiight.

Funny enough, right after I posted this she came in my room and threw attitude at me like it was her job, so today I'm thinking she'll be lucky if she gets socks for Christmas. I'm off to work so I'll read the rest of these tonight!

 

[Just-a-Mom]

I might be majoring in graphic design and I got the Dell XPS 15z since my dad was very anti-Mac. I love it and have had no problems with it. The fan can run pretty loud sometimes when I have a bunch of things open (like having Photoshop, Neflix, Facebook, iTunes, Fierceboard and school stuff open at the same time) but it doesn't really bother me much. It was about $1000 once we got all the accessories (printer, Microsoft Office stuff) and with shipping. I can't remember the original price of the computer by it's self (sorry!) but there was a smaller one (14 inches) which was cheaper. It's very light so it's easy to carry around

Well good news we already have Office for the house (Office 365 or whatever it's called and can be added to up to 5 computers) and about 4 printers. So I'll only need the laptop itself.

 

[ACEDAD]

If you know anyone that works for a large company you might be able to get a used one that they are taking out of service. They are usually very high end and in good shape.

 

[crazyredhead]

Ive been using Dell laptops since I can remember. Ive never had an issue with them and for the price they do the job.
Laptops, Ultrabooks & Notebooks - Dell Laptop Computers for Sale | Dell

 

[KDCheerMom]

Look for college discounts - I think best buy is offering one now - and check with the various manufacturers.

 

[ssccxnce]

If she's majoring in graphic design my question to you would be does her program require specific laptop models for software to be added? As with my school because we have a laptop program and the school loads our programs onto our laptops and updates it for us each year but in order for them to do that we must have a specific model of computer either a MacBook or Lenovo.

If they do not have a mandatory laptop program try contacting the program chair and see what they recommend for makes and models.


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[auscheerflyer]

I have zero idea if these would be available in the US (sorry!) but something along these lines would do great I think, and is within your budget. These three are all under $500 Aussie dollars, which would be even less in US dollars assuming they have them. Even though I use a MacBook Pro now, I've used Acer and Asus for Photoshop and Illustrator in the past without problems. Another great option is refurbished laptops, which I highly recommend looking into as you can get a great/brand model at a reduced price.

Acer 11" Notebook - Computer, Laptop, Notebook, Ultrabook, iPad, Tablet & Netbook Computers - JB Hi-Fi - Smashing Prices!

Asus Vivobook S400ca 14" Touch Ultrabook - Computer, Laptop, Notebook, Ultrabook, iPad, Tablet & Netbook Computers - JB Hi-Fi - Smashing Prices!

HP Pavillion 11" Touch Screen Notebook - Computer, Laptop, Notebook, Ultrabook, iPad, Tablet & Netbook Computers - JB Hi-Fi - Smashing Prices!