[Tux]

I’m buying my 1st laptop – used. I’ve always used a desktop (and LOVE it), but need a laptop to go to library to study for CPA.

Any advice based on the options below, which I found on Craigslist?

They are all being sold by the original owners. I need this computer to last for 2 years.

Do you have an opinion about any of these?.

What would you buy?

Overall, are Dell laptops and HP laptops equal in quality?

What about Intel vs. AMD processors?

Which has better reputation? Are they both pretty equal?

I’m looking at these models:

HP Pavillion dv5-1125nr – This one is only a couple years old. But rating on CNet for this model is only 3 out of 5.

https://www.cnet.com/laptops/hp-pavilion-dv5-1125nr/4505-3121_7-33360953.html

Do these reviews sound too risky?

This one has an AMD processor.

HP Pavillion dv8000 – This is a 17″, which I like for more screen space. It’s 5 years old. Has an AMD processor.

Dell Inspiron 1501 – This one is 4 yrs old. Don’t know which processor.

Dell Inspiron 1525 – 4 yrs old. Intel Processor

Dell Precision M70 – 6 years old. Don’t know which processor. (Is this one too old for me to invest in? I need it to last about 18 months to 2 yrs.)

I appreciate your feedback!

FAR - 86 - 2/27/14
AUD - 75 - 5/29/14
BEC - 80 - 8/31/14
REG - 89 - 2/27/15
Praise Jesus! I'm done!!

Study resources:
Becker
Wiley test bank

[jeff]

If it's just for studying …web stuff … I don't know that you care about the processor.

I would be wary of being a 5 or 6 year laptop for more then a few hundred bucks.

My macbook pro is 15″ … 17 is almost too big for a laptop.

If you have $1,000 laying around – get a Macbook Air 😉

https://www.apple.com/macbookair/

[Tux]

I'm embarrassed to say my budget. It's actually $150.

Yes, it's just for studying.

Regarding processor, I thought I read that AMD processors get overheated easily?

FAR - 86 - 2/27/14
AUD - 75 - 5/29/14
BEC - 80 - 8/31/14
REG - 89 - 2/27/15
Praise Jesus! I'm done!!

Study resources:
Becker
Wiley test bank

[jeff]

I had a laptop with an AMD processor a few years back … you're buying a used 3-5 year old laptop…I wouldn't worry about it.

Again – you need internet and a DVD Drive … that's it.

[Sandra]

Currently I have 5 freaking laptops sitting around. A Dell which is my company computer and was $$$$, my cheap Acer that I paid 400 bucks brand new for (used for study and MBA work since I couldn't use a Mac), my MacBook Pro which is my personal computer, my old macbook and lastly an HP that was a personal computer that I mostly retired.

Maybe I just got really really really lucky, but as far as the PCs go the Acer has FAR out performed the Dell and the HP. Its nothing fancy, but its speedy enough and I haven't had a single issue. Great battery life, etc. Like I said I paid 400 bucks brand new about a year ago. I'm sure if I sold it now I'd be lucky to get 100 bucks for it.

My work Dell was big money. Its also the biggest @$%@& piece of $hit I have ever used. Its actually not the first one I bought, my IT gal swapped it out since I thought I had gotten a defective one. The biggest issue I have with it now is the extremely poor build in wireless card (or whatever it is that lets you get unto Wifi). I open up my Acer and/or maccys and I'm online. My Dells needs time to think about it and often doesn't like the connection. It also constantly freezes and gets fussy about things it wants/needs. There are times I think about “accidentally” losing/breaking it and getting IT to buy me a new computer.

The HP was ok I guess. Its way old now so its not fair to compare it to the speed of any of the other ones. It did overheat sometimes.

I'm not a huge computer person and my knowledge is pretty limited… For personal use I will always love my “maccy”, but the Acer has done a phenominal job for me. I really expected next to nothing- just needed to get through some school/study stuff that was a no-go on the mac. Now I actually do a lot of my work on that computer instead of the freaking Dell.

[Tux]

Thanks for the feedback!

Yes, since all I need are the extreme basics, I guess any of these choices will be ok.

I only need the specs required to run the Becker software. Don't even need internet cuz that's why I'm getting a laptop in the first place – I'm too distracted with email and surfing the net when I get bored with studying.

So, I will just do practice MCQ's on the laptop with NO internet access, so I can “isolate” myself and hopefully focus more. That's the plan, anyway.

I will probably purchase something this weekend. Any additional advice is appreciated!

FAR - 86 - 2/27/14
AUD - 75 - 5/29/14
BEC - 80 - 8/31/14
REG - 89 - 2/27/15
Praise Jesus! I'm done!!

Study resources:
Becker
Wiley test bank

[Anonymous]

Well, I'm a geek, my husband is a geek and my son is the super geek. Computers we have/had owned are:

HP Pavilion – nicknamed the Huge Pile because it is crap and always has been

Dell Dimension #1 Desktop – Best Computer Ever Made and then BellSouth sent too many amps or volts or whatever into my house and fried the motherboard along with all of the phone wires and nearly set my house on fire.

Dell Dimension #2 Desktop – Son's first computer – 10 years old and still works great.

Dell Inspiron Desktop – I got it to replace Dimension #1 and wasn't happy with it until I upgraded the memory and got rid of Vista. Now it's almost as good as Dimension #1 – 5 yeas old

Dell Vostro I3 Laptop – My laptop – It was my Christmas Bonus from the boss a few years ago. I love it and use it almost exclusively. 4 years old.

Dell Inspiron Laptop – Hubby's laptop – No problems but hubby only uses it for Quickbooks and searching the internet for material prices. 4 years old

Dell Vostro I5 – Son's laptop – Great computer, fast, no problems, but it doesn't get used very often. 2 years old

Dell Alienware Aurora – Son's desktop – Great computer, super fast, no problems but it's 6 months old.

My advice is to go with a Dell. We have had nothing but good luck with them.

[katiekanton]

I'm not really disagreeing with Kricket, but all I've ever owned is Dells too. I'll never buy another. My first Dell laptop I ever bought in 2003 is still running like a top, with no signs of slowing down. Fantastic machine. The one I bought two years ago is a piece of crap. You'd think that maybe it was just a fluke, but I bought my sister and my mom one at the same time and they all have the same issues. Hard drives that last MAYBE 18 months, network card issues, drivers that disappear randomly, buttons that just stop working, batteries that the computer decides not to recognize one day. I don't know what's happened, but the newer ones seem to have dropped in quality. Believe me, I've become intimately acquainted with the inside of my laptop. I believe I've swapped out about everything but the cd drive, and no I have no previous experience with this, but fortunately lots of good techies out there have posted “how to replace”s on just about every part.

So maybe this is one of those rare occasions when you'd be better off buying an OLDER model, which would be cheaper anyway.

As for HP (LOL at “huge pile”) all I know is what I've read on Woot when they're offering one. Most users (about 80%) say they're pieces of crap, which really hurts my heart because I worship the ground Mike Rowe walks on and he was their face for a while so I'd like to buy one just for him. I honestly don't know what laptop to get next. I don't hear anything good about any model except Macs, and I really don't know if I can run all the software I love on it, plus they're so much more expensive. Someone the other day on some message board said that Lenovo's are good. They also said Samsung's are kind of hit or miss. The cheaper ones aren't worth it, but the pricier ones are. Hope you can find something suitable this weekend. If you just want to run study software, I think it'd be hard to find one that wouldn't be up to spec.

AUD - 88
FAR - 90
REG - 85
BEC - 88

[jenuno01]

I saw some really cool and cheap Gateway laptops at Walmart the other day. I wonder if they're any good?

Class of 2012

[Anonymous]

@Katiekanton – I really hate that you got a lemon and it sounds like you got a whole bag of them. I've had really good luck with Dell and I'll probably stick with them but I'm hoping I don't have to buy another computer for a long, long, long time! I told dear son that the computer sitting on his desk was the car he would have gotten when he turned 16! If he wants ANYTHING then he needs to put that behemoth to use and make some money with it!

@jenuno01 – The only problem with buying ANY brand laptop at Wal-Mart is that they look like the same thing you order from Dell and Gateway and everyone else but they don't have the memory, the hard drive capacity or the front bus capacity to run more than one or two programs at a time. That's why Wal-mart can sell them so much cheaper than Best Buy or anyone else. My niece has a Samsung from Wal-Mart and it was OK for what she normally used it for (Word mostly) but when she needed to run Office and the Internet at the same time it slowed to a snails pace. My son upgraded her memory and put in a bigger hard drive and now she loves it. If you buy one from them, I would suggest that you be prepared to upgrade it in the near future.

[Author]

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